Columbia Taverna in Great Yarmouth

Everything was perfect the food the staff the ambiance the prices. A gem of a restaurant tucked away on a back street, well worth seeking out and paying a visit you won't be disappointed. I'm looking forward to my next trip to Great Yarmouth just to come back here.

Great little rustic Greek restaurant Reasonably priced good friendly service Will return

Beautiful Food & Ambiance, as always.

Have been dining here with my parents and family since I was 15 years old and now 54. Amazing food, great staff and service. I only get to visit odd times now that I live in Australia. If you've not been , it's one place to visit and enjoy the experience xx

All 5 stars, food is tasty and great value for money.

What a wonderful place, don't change the way you are doing things, it is a cut above the rest! Fantastic atmosphere, wonderful staff and welcome, and the food was delicious. We had King Prawn in Garlic Sauce starters, Rump Steak and Veal with Mushroom Sauce, it couldn't be faulted. Thank you for a great evening!!

Amazing experience food fabulous

38 years we have been dining and it hasn't changed one bit. Excellent service and food. Thank you Tony we had another lovely evening.

Been here a few times now,the food is to a very good standard and always good service,great atmosphere.

Lovely place , great ambience, even better food , and very lovely staff , have been twice now will definitely be back 👍

Excellent food as always. Rib eye steak and crab claws, delicious.

nice place, portion size was tiny

Great family Owened business restaurant, food was great. Definitely worth a try if you love Greek food

A real gem tucked away just one block from the seafront, exceptional food at a reasonable price backed up by friendly and attentive service.

We love it at The Columbia and so do my parents. Great food, well priced and lovely atmosphere. Thank you.

I've been there twice and it was not delicious.I call medium cook steak,it was well cook,hard to eat.

Fabulous food, lovely atmosphere, this gem of a restaurant never fails to deliver, would highly recommend, staff very attentive and friendly

Amazing food and the service was excellent as always. Our favourite Greek restaurant in Great Yarmouth!

My partner raves about this place. He always comes here when on holiday. So I was like "yeah... let's give it a go!" I've got to say 😙🤌👄 chefs kiss! The food was delicious, the service was very attentive (the best kind where they're not breathing down your neck) honestly will definitely be coming back if in the area again!!

Lovely Greek food and friendly staff... definitely recommend

Amazing food you will not be disappointed . outstanding friendly service, clean welcoming ,great choice of wines.

The worst places ive ever been rude staff and dirty place, tried to say we was unhappy with starters and wnded up with the chef shouting at us.

Excellent food and friendly staff providing first class service as usual.very busy evening but nothing was too much trouble.

Had a lovely evening meal. Food was excellent and great value for money. The staff were very helpful and friendly. Really enjoyed our visit. Will definitely visit again when back in the area.

Lovely lovely food, the Meze was wonderful. Definitely going back.

Met and shown seating by pleasant staff. You know you have to wait I don't expect everything fast. The food was terrible totally bland & tasteless, nothing like we have had in Cyprus. Asked if we wanted a sweet said yes & got menu ... we sat there and sat there waiting in end gave up. I went and paid, said food was disappointing. And I must add ended up with a bad stomach. What a let down.

Excellent, especially the veal!

We dined regularly before lockdown first visit since, I must say a bit disappointed. Ordered the halibut, not much there at all, think it must have been on a diet,I have had halibut fillets before but never as small ,and for £20 + chips and peas I considered it a bit of a rip off. Used to love this place but not anymore.

Wow, if good food is what you want, then this is the place for you. Food hot, service quick, and good value for an upmarket place to eat.

Great restaurant. It's a bit hidden away, but worth ferreting out. Greek food, done well, very friendly staff, and not hugely expensive. Whats not to like. Try it - you are unlikely to be disappointed.

I used to live in Great Yarmouth and remembered the Columbia Taverna from all those years ago. I booked last night on my recent visit with my partner and we had an amazing meal. The food the service and atmosphere was excellent. Such a lovely experience and we hope to visit again when we are next in Norfolk. Thanks Mike and Alison.

The meze is fantastic value for money, constant good service and excellent food (although halibut a bit overcooked) Thoroughly recommend, so pleased to find this in Great Yarmouth.

As always a great meal and excellent service. Really like this place. Friendlier place you will not find.

This was our 2nd visit to this wonderful gem of a taverna, the front of house ladies are so friendly, welcoming, professional, and are all round fantastic. The meals are delicious and the atmosphere is amazing..... there is not a single thing that would lower my experience here. We will definately be returning for many more meals and chats with the hosts; that feel more like friends. If i could score more that 10/10 i would.🙂 Highly recommend a visit to the Columbia Taverna.

We had Hummus and patè to start. That was alright to be honest. However the Vegetable Moussaka and the Beef Stifado was tasteless and clearly microwaved. We mentioned it to the staff who clearly didn’t care whatsoever. This is not the same establishment it used to be! Really really disappointed. Will never be returning! Avoid if you are looking for a quality meal.

We had Hummus and patè to start. That was alright to be honest. However the Vegetable Moussaka and the Beef Stifado was tasteless and clearly microwaved. We mentioned it to the staff who clearly didn’t care whatsoever. This is not the same establishment it used to be! Really really disappointed. Will never be returning! Avoid if you are looking for a quality meal

This is a lovely little place tucked down the back streets. The food was delicious. Service was great. We just turned up and they found us a table.

Staff was great but the food was very poor. For the price I was expecting a really nice meal. I had the lamb skewer plus chips and pita bread. Didn’t have any type of sauce to go with it so it was very dry. Wanted to charge me a starters price of £5.95 just to get some sauce that you would usual have on this type of meal. Tried to charge me £23 for a bottle of wine that said Morrisons on it. Starters was very dry. Decor is very old, still had happy birthday banners up from god knows how long ago. Such a shame because the last time I went here a few years back it was top notch. Place has lost its touch. Had better food from weatherspoons. Such a shame to say.

I’ve been visiting Great Yarmouth and a lot of people recommend me this place. My expectations were high but what a massive disappointment. First off all there was barely any vegetarian options, not even talking about vegan (don’t think there was any). Secondly the place looked like it really needs to be refurbished (old Poundland happy birthday signs on the walls really didn’t made the impression of fairly expensive restaurant, which prices on the menu was saying). Secondly we ordered a bottle of wine for £22 which said “Morrison’s Special” we felt really uncomfortable but had to send it back. Food was really average and DEFINITELY not worth the price. My boyfriend ordered kebab and wanted to get some sauce with it as it was only meat and salad. They said he can only order Tzatziki from the sides menu which was £6 (a bit overpriced for sauce or is it just me?) otherwise he can have ketchup or mayo. At the end we received very unclear handwritten bill which we analysed and realised they overcharged us! To sum up I think this place is below average and ridiculously overpriced. DO NOT RECOMMEND.

Lovely staff, so disappointed with food. My son had garlic chicken, we all laughed when it came out as two tiny breasts, looked like it came from a Sparrow, when both breasts cut, literally 4 mouth size pieces. Cauliflower cheese full of flavour it must have been the cheese, as we all found nothing had any flavour. We won’t go back again.

Had a great evening with friends and family would definitely make this one of my regular haunts.

The food has gone down hill . Went this week and very disappointed

Absolutely brilliant, very comfortable place to enjoy a meal. Really nice atmosphere, excellent service with a great menu.

Works Xmas lunch, food and service was lovely, as usual!

A well known restaurant in the area. Prawn cocktail starter tasty but on the small side and no brown bread served with it. Main was rib eye steak but not served with any trimmings and all sides, chips etc have to be purchased separately. The tables are quite close together so not the most intimate of places and can disrupt the tables conversation, when you are swept up in the conversation on the table next to you. Overall a nice evening because of the company, but not somewhere I would choose to rush back too.

Nice place, nice food....treat yourself and go here.

Lovely little traditional family run restaurant. Tasty food, friendly staff. Simple and great.

Food, service and staff are all 5 star . If you haven't been you haven't lived highly recommend 👌

Fantastic food and great staff. 1st time there celebrating our friends 50th anniversary, will definitely be going back

Amazing service, the staff made us feel really welcome with our 2 year old and they really made an effort to keep him happy. The wine was lovely, I had the lamb kleftico dish and it was cooked to perfection. Really good value for money. A quirky little place that you’d never know existed. Well worth a visit!

Lovely setting and decor throughout but way too expensive for the quality. Great attentive service but the overall quality of the food is a let down. Generally a good experience.

Lovely setting and decor throughout but way too expensive for the quality. Good attentive service but the overall quality of the food is a let down. Generally a good experience.

Haven't been here for a while can't imagine why,(pandemic in case you wondered) but it's still as good as ever, food is lovely and cooked to perfection all staff are attentive and helpful and I personally think its fairly priced will definitely be going back soon

Lovely friendly staff. Been coming with my partner for years and the steak is always the best! The garlic mushrooms are amazing! Cheesy Cauliflower is great too ! The atmosphere on a Saturday night is brilliant too always packed .

I've visited the Columbia tavern on multiple occasions and never had a problem, but this time will be the last visit I'm afraid. I had the lamb kleftiko and sauté potatoes and my son had the sirloin steak cooked m-w with a side of chips and peas. the kelftiko had no taste. the sirloin steak was asked to be cooked mw however when served it was RARE in fact BLUE. I am not one to moan but I had to send it back in which the lovely waitress took it back to be cooked more. however when she had asked the chef to be cooked more I had over heard him scream at her that she took the wrong steak to the wrong table and its her fault? however, we was the only table left to eat in which was impossible to take the wrong steak and I feel as though she was in blame for everything poor girl. the food is nothing to right home about as I've said I will not return.

I went for a meal with my family and was appalled by the way management were with there fellow staff you could hear how they were be littling there staff in a working environment which is unacceptable should treat there staff with more respect overall...

This was my second visit to Columbia Toniponis Taverna. The first time I had the lamb kebabs which had been chargrilled to a medium. These were delicious. Tonight on my second visit I ordered the ribeye steak and chips. My steak was chargrilled to perfection, rare, as requested and absolutely delicious. I can wholeheartedly recommend this family run establishment.

went to colombia with a couple of friends" for my birthday celebration a few days back' food was good as always 😊 & service was impeccable 👌 the unfortunate thing was the way the manager spoke to his staff" I was totally horrified 😡 to...

Sensational food as always, large table of 14 with the restaurant already busy, food all came out together and was superb, steak cooked to perfection, we had starters and a main with many drinks. great time =:0)

Staff are amazing Decore was really nice Food was below average. I am sure the Mosaka and shrimps were microwaved as they had zero flavour and the plates were super hot Garlic bread was a 10/10

Loved the meal And excellent service

OK food and not worth the money

Great food and great atmosphere. Staff all very polite and efficient. Big up Toni in the kitchen handling things.

Went out for a midweek treat... lovely place. Great food. Very well prepared. Good service. A mixed menu. With Veggie options. A good dessert menu. All in all a fantastic evening. First time we have been it will not be the last. Veggie moussaka and onion rings. Excellent.

Good food as always and service. Thank you.

All the staff were friendly, helpful and made you feel special. The service was super quick and the food was amazing, the quality was great we expected the bill to be very high but it wasn't. The atmosphere was cozy, friendly. The staff went above and beyond to make our visit special. Thanks will visit again.

I have been coming for 20 years and you never let me down thank you. Warm, good food fabulous service and makes me feel like I am in Cyprus

I was in Great Yarmouth for work for several days. Some locals recommended the place, and I wasn't disappointed. The food is lovely and reasonably proceed. The service is friendly and quick, and the surroundings are relaxed. The place is eccentric and generally just really...

We live in Great Yarmouth and have had a bad experience here before but thought we would give it another try... sadly. I ordered medium rare sirloin, which was overcooked. My friend ordered chicken piri piri skewers but the chicken was so overcooked they didn't...

A brilliant place with great food, and looked after a party of 12 of us at very short notice. The t bone steak was amazing.

The food was terrible and swimming in water.had to send it back.Then got mousaka with green beans in it. I could cook better myself. Won't be back.

Absolutely love their cheesy garlic pita bread 😍😍😍

Lovely family run restaurant, staff couldn't be nicer, very reasonably priced, great ambience & great food, loved it

Hi All, we have eaten all over great Yarmouth in some fine establishments and had great meals as we eat out every 4 - 6 weeks. Tonight we tried here, following the reviews that were left, not sure how these reviews got here as we had a below standard meal at good price. Sirloin steak medium and not medium rare. Chicken kebabs not on skewers and as dry as cardboard and tasteless. Chips not good at all. Not one person from management apologised and it was left to a polite young lady to say sorry. Returned the sirloin and wasn't even refunded. Not even the chef well cook if you ask me came and spoke. I say cook as that's the type of food you associate with a cook and a bad cook at that. Will not be returning and for someone like me that lived in Greece for a year, worst Greek food I have ever eaten.

Just no , the food is really poor living of an old reputation, poor quality food , small portions, pay extra for all sides , expensive drinks . It was the worse steak I’ve ever been served .

The food was absolutely delicious but they did miss one of the main meals for our group of 6 even though they brought the chips to go with it and then they missed one of the deserts. It was also very noisy and not helped by a party of 4 on the next table who were all incredibly loud. However it won't put me off and I will certainly go again.

As always lovely simple Greek food. The homemade taramasalata is one of the next we have ever tried. If you are about in Yarmouth We throughly recommend eating at the Columbia as it’s outstanding value for money

Last minute booking for 6 of us. Made to feel very welcone from the minute we walked in. Food was amazing, from crab to prawns for starters and every main. All steaks were tender and cooked to perfection. Could not fault anything. Superb meal for...

Excellent food, good service , always the same , gt yarmouths little gem.

A very classic Greek restaurant which hasnt changed much sonce the 70s. In a good way. The menu was very 'untrendy' and clear, the food well-cooked and good value. A Great Yarmouth classic

OMG! it's amazing here the food is one of a kind. It's sooo boujiee and classy. Great for dates! and birthday parties, they have special seats (often booths) with birthday banners and if you bring a cake they'll bring it out and sing. The staff are really bubbly and friendly and although the food is pricy you definitely get what you pay for.

Food is fantastic! Great place to eat!

Always loved Columbia. Greek food at its best. I could never complain as the food and service are always top notch.

First time dining at this place, very nice food and service good, we will go back. However I feel the restaurant is lacking in decor, it needs a good clear out and a lick of fresh paint. too much going on

One of my favourite restaurants in Great Yarmouth, food is always top quality, the spare ribs starter is amazing, the sauce gets the taste buds tingling. Everything on the extensive menu is worth a go, my personal favourite is the Lamb Skewers and King Prawns in garlic.

Food and staff we're spot on definitely recommend 👌

Booked in with friends new year's eve. Once again a fantastic meal in a lovely atmosphere. T bone steak highly recommend always cooked to perfection. Best restaurant in great yarmouth.

Lovely food , friendly staff, nice atmosphere.Thanks Tony and Anna x

We decided to come here for a date night. I had been craving one of my regular favourite dishes. The restaurant was quiet as it was a Tuesday evening. Service was prompt food was nice but when we got the bill we were charged £9...

Nothing special and arguably overpriced Also disappointing desert which did not fit the description at all

Great food and lovely staff . Made you feel welcome . Will be going again very soon

Lovely food, chicken so tasty. In fact all dishes were the best. Great atmosphere as well, worth a visit.

Food was lovely penalty to pick from staff really friendly will go again

From Lancashire and returned to Norfolk visiting family. We booked into the Columbia having not been there for many years and it was as good as ever. Great service, really tasty food, good prices and a place with atmosphere. It was bustling even for a...

Full but superb service, great food great staff..you cannot wish for more!

Really nice meal but the service dropped off after we were served our mains. Not enough staff and 25 mins to clear our plates but only after we asked for the bill. The bill was wrong and it took another 2 attempts before we got a correct one.

Well what can I say. Its 5 star food, it's 5 star staff and 5 star value. We got the mezze and we can only compare it with a one we use every year at Windsor. Well this is 10x better and 100% cheaper, literally....

Such a lovely family restaurant which is hidden away and needs to get more recognition. Beautiful atmosphere, staff are really welcoming and look after you. The lady owner/manager I think was really lovely not just to us but to everyone that came in through the...

Very nice food, atmosphere and service. Would come again if I lived near.

Delicious dishes and super friendly staff. We will be certain to return next time we visit Yarmouth.