Rum Diaries

I decided to give Rum Diaries another shot, despite a few missteps on my last visit. Nothing has changed. The food is good but the service and organization were still lacking. Once again, some of the discounted featured items were charged at full price. I do hope they get these issues fixed.

So Chris texted me asking if I would be interested in going this evening to Rum Diairies for their Tuesday specials. I checked the website and decided to meet Chris there. The special: Tuesday: $ 2 liquor and half price appetizers. Got there after a 20 minutes drive. Excitedly I enquired as the the Rum special. The waitress said she doesn’t know what rum is available on the special. She then went to check with the manager. More than half hour waiting we sat there waiting for one of the two choices of liquor on special. I told the waitress three times I am here for the drinks, she claims the manager has to organize the drinks (today’s special not organized as yet? It is now 8:20PM). Ten customers in here and yet we haven’t received a drink. We got our appetizers but no drinks. This is laughable. The waitress was apologetic and told us that the manager normally assigns the specials for the later crowd at 9pm and onwards. We left at 9:09 there were 9 patrons in the restaurant. The delicious appetizers was delivered to our table in a timely manner. Chris ordered the Appleton Special which we were told was the third rum added to the special. The other rums were a Russian vodka with a name I couldn’t pronounce and Crown Royal Lemon I think. Oh well, quite a frustrating experience. We sipped on that one ounce rum for the other half hour it took for us to finish eating our appetizers. Much afraid to order another drink as we must get home at some time and we couldn’t wait around much longer. On the bill we were charge full price for one of the appetizers which took 5 minutes to be corrected. The restaurant was spacious with the chairs and tables placed to the wall area leaving space for the Bar in the middle and place to dance I presume as they do have entertainment at times. If I had the specials earlier the ambiance and place would’ve not presented a plain jane feeling.

Food: The chef does a wonderful job at incorporating Caribbean flavours into each dish.
The Callaloo Dip was thick and creamy. It’s a tasty spin to regular spinach dip.
The Seafood Gumbo was made with fresh mussels, shrimp and scallops. We were impressed with the freshness of the seafood. The curry sauce was a perfect blend of curry and Caribbean spices.
The Jerk Chicken Coconut Linguini was delicious, packed full of spicy jerk sauce that had layers of intense flavour.
*The portions seemed a bit small and I wished the entrees came with some bread to soak up all the sauces.
I highly recommend the rum cake which was rich, moist and packed with sweet rum flavour. The rum butter drizzle on top took me to cloud 9.
There’s an extensive drink menu featuring various rums.
Service: our waiter was very attentive and friendly. We came on a weeknight for dinner and there were only a few tables occupied.
Atmosphere: modern, chic, romantic
Family-​Friendly: kids menu for $ 7 available, *although it would be better if the meals included some veg
Price: This place is more upscale so menu prices are set a bit higher with appez around $ 11 – 15 and entrees around $ 20 – 30. I would recommend this place for special occasions or a night out for drinks/​dessert.

The 2 stars are for the food only. I would give more stars fir the food but the service left a bad taste with our guests. DO NOT BRING A LARGE GROUP HERE. This restaurant cannot handle Group reservation in a professional manner. Service was bad. Made reservations at least 2 weeks ahead of time. Server did not seem to know we had a VIP package. They did not know what their package include. VIP 4 appetizers on their website they insist it was 3. we did not get the bottle we order. We had to pull up the website to show them. We had to ask the server for the appetizer She was ready to take orders for main course. Not once did a manager come around to see if all was well… dang shame .that is basic customer service. Cake brought to table with no knife, fork or plates. Plate and tea spoons came after. We had to ask for a knife and only then were we given a dinner knife. and who eat cake with tea spoons. Chocolate covered strawberry another disappointment. Strawberry frozen solid. chocolate pale milk chocolate… Guest who was a chef thought it was so wrong… Where is the manager circulating to make sure guest is happy. Friends who came to have drinks and appetizers after 10pm made it there before and when our food was being served. We had plans to do bottle service and appetizers after dinner. we chose not to spend another dime. Please put managers on the floor with people skills. Never again. Keg is not far away.

I would NEVER go back to this establishment again! Wouldn’t give them even a penny of my money! After attempting to «give it one more try» my last experience was even worse than the four previous. Rum diaries knows very little about good customer service. From having to send food back to making group reservations and having to wait for at least an hour to be seated to never having a meal show up that was correct then feeling chastised by management?! No thanks. I’ll spend my hard earned money elsewhere. Rum Diaries… where the customer is never right!

Just had dinner here with my husband and it was amazing! Beautiful atmosphere, friendly staff and fantastic food!!! We ordered jerk wings, Caesar salad with jerk chicken and rasta pasta.
Highly recommend and will be back

Great service, fantastic food made with love and care. Caribbean flavours with high end treatments. I totally love this place. Two thumbs way up.

Went here with a couple of my girlfriends, one of whom had dined here before about a month ago. First of all, she’s not exactly a foodie and second, she’s not a big red meat eater however she kept raving about their Braised Beef Short Rib. I’ll get to that shortly.
We went on a weeknight so the place was empty, though we heard that Thursday night is one of their busier nights with live entertainment. Although we were one of very few tables, the service was still very friendly. We had a server named Sheantelle whose knowledge of the menu item were impressive. She also shared with us her top picks. The bartender was also very knowledgeable and honest as a friend of mine was wanting a drink with less sugar and was asking for any kind of alternative. He was honest and explained to her that with that particular drink, it would be impossible. Coming from the hospitality industry and having dined at 4 and 5 star restaurants, we appreciated this feedback. The service alone I’d rate ⁵⁄₅. Now, come the food reviews.
**Update** Went here last night and Cameron served us. He was the only server last night since it’s a slower night. Although there were more walk-​ins that came in later in the evening, Cameron was able to tackle the floor. After a mix-​up with our Shrimp Platter order, he was completely understanding and still left a positive vibe for the unfortunate incident (shrimps were undercooked and cold). My rating of ⁵⁄₅ for the service still stands.
[Appetizers & Sides]
Jerk Chicken Poutine — One of the best I’ve ever had and I try to stay away from potatoes due to the sugar levels but I couldn’t resist. If I had died from a diabetic coma after this poutine, I’d die happy. Normally when it comes to poutine, I’m all about the cheese curds and the gravy. This had neither. They used white and yellow cheddar melted with a spicy chicken gravy and of course, jerk chicken. The jerk chicken was perfectly seasoned and I’m guessing it was grilled (to perfection). I’d go back just for this poutine. Although listed as an app, the portion was more like a meal portion. Definitely something I’d recommend if you’re just feeling peckish and are wanting to try something a little different. ⁵⁄₅
Callaloo Dip — Pretty much a new favourite at RD. First off, where else will you be able to have dip with callaloo? On top of the delicious appetizer, it was accompanied by tortilla chips and fried naan which was amazing especially when it comes out so fresh. Four of us shared the dip and even had a some dip leftover so Cameron was generous enough to bring us some extra fried naan. I’d personally go back for this dip. ⁵⁄₅.
Fried Plantain — A staple side for any Caribbean restaurant. Although the presentation was very nice, was really nothing spectacular. The slices were thin, though, nicely fried. I prefer the slices to be a bit thicker and even on its own (ie. minus the rum butter sauce). 3.5÷5.
[Entrée]
Lobster Mac & Cheese — I was personally expecting chunks of lobster baked in with the Mac & Cheese but you actually get a lobster tail. Wasn’t the biggest tail size and the Mac & Cheese itself was nothing spectacular, though, we still enjoyed this dish. Paying $ 21 may be a little too much but it’s acceptable. 4.5÷5.
Braised Beef Short Ribs — As with my friend, red meat is not my first pick but because she herself kept raving about it as well as our server, we had to try it and I am very happy that we did. The Flintstones sized portion was slow braised to perfection that the meat literally fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. It also had just enough fat, though, it was still quite lean. I’m sure if I was able to see it in its raw state, it probably would’ve had a nice marble look to it. Not only was it perfectly braised but it was also braised in rum and molasses. The entrée was also served with a large serving of sweet potato mash and grilled vegetables. All of which were also nicely cooked. They were also simple yet flavourful. The portion size is definitely worth $ 21 if not more. ⁵⁄₅.
Southern Fried Chicken Supreme Breast (aka Chicken & Waffles) — Now, I’m a big fan of chicken and waffles. One of my go-​to spots in L.A. is actually Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles. But seeing as RD is obviously a higher scale than Roscoe’s, it’ll be a little different. The difference is that the chicken was breaded but more with bread crumbs. The meat was white meat which was quite juicy. The breading also had a nice crisp to it. However, the chicken itself lacked a little bit of flavor but then the spicy maple syrup complimented it quite nicely. The waffle was freshly made and was light and quite airy. The dish also came with a side of vegetables. The portion of the chicken was pretty small and personally, I didn’t feel that the price was worth it (even though I was treated for the night). 3.5÷5.
I will definitely be coming back here and this may very well be one of my new go to spots out in the East end.

Good service. Good food. Good drinks.
We had two different servers. The first one was friendly, though I found that she might have been a little rushed. Our other sever was excellent. She described the food and drink menus with confidence and was a great help when it came to suggestions.
The food was good. I had the chicken and waffles and my date had the lobster mac and cheese. The waffles were great and the spicy maple syrup was on point. I found that my chicken was quite bland (when I consider southern style food). The lobster mac and cheese was delicious and I will certainly be returning for that. There was lots of lobster throughout the dish and the lobster tail on top was a great addition. They really hit the nail on the head with that dish.
For dessert, I had the rum brûlée and my date had the chocolate cake. Both were delicious, though I expected more of a kick from the rum brûlée. If I hadn’t seen the name of the dessert on the menu, it could have almost passed for a regular crème brûlée.
Overall good experience. I will be returning to try some of the other delicious looking entrees on their menu.

I strongly recommend you do NOT make birthday or celebratory reservations for this place!!!
I made reservations about 2 weeks in advance for my birthday. The only time available was 10pm.
I asked many questions about the reservations as it is a lounge/​resto and these things can be tricky to deal with when you have to move tables for people to dance. I asked if we would be rushed or moved by having our table so late in the night knowing they would be turning it into club/​lounge by midnight.
I was told the only way I would have to move is if they happen to put us in an area that is on the dance floor. If not, than we would be free to keep our table for picking on appetizers, ordering drinks, etc.
When I got to RD at 9:55, I was told to sit at the bar and our table would be ready soon. 10 – 15 min later no table. My bf went to ask which table were they seating us at and apparently they were waiting on this party of over 20 people to wrap up so we can have the table. I was upset by this b/​c I did ask when making reservations how they plan on accommodating my party if a large party before us is there and plans on staying all night. I was told «It should be fine. Shouldn’t be a problem.»
We didn’t get our table until near 11pm!!!
I had a party of 15 people too. So, we were all bunched around at the bar waiting to be seated for about an hour.
Once we were seated, everyone ordered. Mixed opinions on the food. Some people said it was mediocre, while others really liked it. I personally liked the Lobster Mac n’ Cheese and Beef/​Chicken Satay Skewers that I tried.
They rushed our party through eating and then told us close to midnight that we need to leave the table so they can give our table to another party…
Ummm what??? You sat us at our table an hour late!!! Once I expressed my frustration, they left my party alone for the night. The following day my girlfriends told me they tried to order me a slice of cake to sing me Happy Birthday but they were told the kitchen is closed. Huh???
We’re not asking you to bake a dang cake… we are asking you to slice a pre-​made dessert you have in the back that we will be PAYING for and it wasn’t late in the night when it was requested either.
Other than those disappointing factors, it turned into 90’s hip hop and rnb night so the music was great!
The prices are average compared to a Moxies or Milestones.
I would go back for a random club night but never for an occasion.