Columbia, which opened in 1959 on St. Armands Circle and is Sarasota’s oldest full-service restaurant, has announced a reopening date following nearly a month-long closure for repairs due to damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Columbia Restaurant, which is famous for its Spanish-Cuban cuisine, and its more casual next-door sister eatery, Cha Cha Coconuts, which opened in 1989, will reopen at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, the 1905 Family of Restaurants informed the Herald-Tribune via email. Fourth-generation owner Richard Gonzmart, who describes himself as the restaurant group’s “caretaker,” said the restaurant teams and contractors worked relentlessly to bring Columbia and Cha Cha Coconuts back into service for guests.
“Everyone could use some comfort right now,” Gonzmart said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming our guests back to enjoy the comforting flavors our family has been serving for five generations.”
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Sarasota restaurants closed in late September ahead of Helene
Columbia and Cha Cha Coconuts closed in late September in advance of Hurricane Helene, which brought more than three feet of storm-surge flooding into the dining rooms and kitchens on Sept. 26, according to 1905 Family of Restaurants. Nearly all of the kitchen equipment in Columbia and Cha Cha Coconuts was replaced with new equipment, along with new drywall, electronics, furniture, and food.
Repairs had already begun by the time Hurricane Milton made landfall on Oct. 9 at Sarasota County’s Siesta Key. After that storm passed and power was restored, renovation work resumed seven days a week at the two restaurants, according to the press release. The reopenings fully restore operations to all of the 1905 Family of Restaurants locations.
These include Columbia Restaurants in Sarasota, St. Augustine, Sand Key in Clearwater Beach, and Celebration near Orlando; Columbia Cafés at the Tampa Bay History Center and in Tampa International Airport; Cha Cha Coconuts in Sarasota; and Ulele and Casa Santo Stefano in Tampa. All of the brands were interrupted for different durations by evacuations, power outages, damage, or a combination of factors, according to the press release.
Columbia in St. Armands Circle to celebrate its 65th anniversary
Columbia, opened in 1905 by Gonzmart’s great-grandfather in Tampa’s Ybor City, is recognized as Florida’s oldest restaurant and is perhaps most famous for its Cuban sandwich and Original “1905” Salad. In December, the Columbia on St. Armands Circle will celebrate its 65th anniversary, making it the oldest continually operated full-service restaurant (lunch and dinner) in Sarasota. Also in December, Cha Cha Coconuts will celebrate its 35th anniversary.
The 1905 Family of Restaurants is a fifth-generation, family-owned and -operated group based in Tampa’s historic Ybor City. “Our family continues to pray for our neighbors who are recovering in the aftermath of the storms,” Gonzmart said in a statement. “We’ll get through this by being stronger together.”
If you go
Columbia Restaurant’s Sarasota location is at 411 St. Armands Circle. For more information, call 941-388-3987 or visit columbiarestaurant.com/st-armands-circle-sarasota.
Cha Cha Coconuts is at 417 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota, right next door to Columbia Restaurant. For more information, call 941-388-3300 or visit chacha-coconuts.com.
Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him onTwitter, Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota’s oldest restaurant sets reopening date after hurricane hit
