Columbia Restaurant has been attracting national attention for decades now, but its most recent brush with fame was earlier this week, when its Cuban sandwich made the Food Network’s 100 Best Sandwiches in America list.
The caption below Columbia’s Cuban sandwich reads: “The Cuban sandwich is a misnomer on many levels — neither the sandwich itself nor its culturally diverse fillings originated in Cuba. It’s like an ode to the cultural fabric that made up its home city when it was created in 1915. Invented at Tampa’s Columbia Restaurant, the oldest dining establishment in the state, the iconic sandwich was actually called a mixto when it was first created.”
The sandwich consisting of salami, Spanish ham, Cuban-style pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard and fresh bread can be found almost anywhere throughout the Tampa Bay area, but Columbia’s ranks supreme—at least according to the Food Network.
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