Columbia

Every year since I was about five years old, we’ve been visiting Florida.

During the holidays, we would head south to visit my grandparents, soak up the sun and of course, harass my parents into taking us to all the theme parks, play mini golf, go out for ice cream…  As I got a bit older, my attention turned more towards sun and shopping.

Enter St. Armand’s Circle along Longboat Key.

I’ve always been a little bit enamored with St. Armand’s Circle. It’s a beautiful outdoor location that is home to lovely unique shops, businesses and so many great outdoor restaurants. As far back as I can remember, I’ve loved the feeling of walking around the circle with my family on days where we had to take a break from the beach.

Now that I’m older and am way too into restaurants, I’ve found a new reason to go to the circle. All the food.

It’s been a long time since we’d been in Columbia… (the restaurant, not the location). So on a very busy Wednesday night, we decided to go for dinner.

There’s always a massive queue to get in. Even booking in advance doesn’t necessarily guarantee you’ll be seated at your time. It’s okay. Pop over to the bar and order a round of drinks.

After a little bit of waiting, we sat down at our table. Everyone was eager to order. We started with some appetizers. And since we couldn’t make up our minds, we opted for a sampler.

On the top tier, there’s the Pollo al Ajillo. Essentially, a spicier take on fried chicken.

Next on the ladder, melt in your mouth crab cakes.

And lastly, lobster flatbread. I could have probably eaten this and this alone for dinner.

Apologies for my poor photography on this post, just one of those days!

For dinner, we all had a mix. The Mahi Mahi (which in hindsight, I wish I’d ordered too).

Joe had the ‘Marilyn and Joe’ special, which is basically a mixture of chicken, shrimp, pork… you name it. Fun fact, apparently Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were frequents of the Columbia back in the day.

An order of the grilled salmon…

I went with the seafood paella. It was great, but incredibly filling. Also, you could probably share this meal. When I asked as I ordered, they said it was small. Not so much.

We had a great meal out at the Columbia. And while I wouldn’t necessarily rave for days about the food, it’s still quite good and well worth the visit. Try and get seats outside, or where the windows are wide open though, that’s the best view!

Kelly xox

Columbia
411 St Armands Circle
Sarasota, FL 34236
United States