I'll Drink to That

I love it when kids’ meals include a beverage in the price. I know that doesn’t seem like a big deal, but when some restaurants charge almost $3 for a child’s drink, even a reasonably priced kids’ meal quickly starts pushing $10.

Priced at just $5.95, the kids’ meals at Columbia come with a beverage. And not just some kind of soda—kids can also opt for milk and several types of juices.

That’s just one reason why Columbia is a great place to take kids. But it’s also a restaurant where young diners can try lots of different kinds of foods and learn about a piece of Florida’s history.

Though there are now several Columbia locations throughout the Sunshine State, the original restaurant opened in 1905 in Tampa’s Ybor City area. It was started by a Cuban immigrant and soon became a popular spot with the multiethnic workforce at the city’s nearby cigar factories. That original location still draws lots of diners today, who come to soak in its Old World charm and enjoy its much-lauded menu of Spanish cuisine (much of it offered in tapas-sized portions).

A trip to the original Columbia can be combined with other kid-friendly activities, like a ride aboard Tampa’s TECO Line Streetcar System and a visit to the Ybor City Museum State Park, which is housed in a former bakery and details the neighborhood’s history.

 

Or visit the location on Sarasota’s St. Armands Circle, a great spot for people-watching and a post-meal stroll. There are a slew of ice-cream shops and other dessert places on the circle for little ones in search of sweets, along with a handful of retailers (Fresh Produce, Crazy Shirts, Little Bo-tique) that carry kid-sized clothing and other items. Read more about my experience dining at Sarasota’s Columbia location with a kiddo in tow in the Whine and Dine column of the January/February 2014 issue of Mommy Magazine.