Colonnade Restaurant at 3401 Bayshore Boulevard

Colonnade Restaurant at 3401 Bayshore Boulevard, 1960. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

Virage Bayshore, 2905 W Julia St, Tampa, FL. 2020. © Chip Weiner

For nearly 81 years, five generations of the Whiteside family ran the Colonnade Restaurant on Bayshore Boulevard. Opening in 1935 and fronted by a sandy beach, the original building looked different from the one pictured. A small structure with a high-pitched roof flanked by two smaller rooms made up the entire restaurant. From the beginning, the Colonnade was known for its ice cream sundaes and “curb girls” who worked the popular drive-in part of the restaurant. Looking closely at the right side of the Burgert photo taken in 1960, one can observe a car full of teenagers with more standing around outside. Sandwiches and Coca-Cola’s with olives were the favorites. Over the years, the restaurant’s focus moved away from sandwiches and more to seafood. In 1970, the Colonnade was rebuilt with a new design featuring copper-clad siding and large bay view windows, and without the drive-in to accommodate more room. Customer capacity more than doubled.

The restaurant closed in 2016 when it sold for $6.2 million as one of the last (at the time) lots zoned for a high-rise. The 24-story Virage Bayshore luxury condominium opened in 2020, where units currently list between $1.6 million and $3.7 million.

From Burgert Brothers: Look Again Vol. 2