Rumba

Bree (I’m assuming that’s how you spell her name as it wasn’t on the receipt) made fantastic drinks! She was so cute and witty and made excellent recommendations. The environment was gorgeous! I love love loved being there and will definitely return. We didn’t get food, but there was a man next to us who ordered an entire fish, and it looked great. It was definitely a crowded space by the bar. My friend and I lucked out tremendously as when we walked in, there were two seats right next to one another at the bar. Not sure how the drink orders go if you’re seated at a table or outside.

Amazing rum bar with tasty tapas options; as well as vegetarian choices which are yummy and filling. It’s a small spot which gets crowded quite quickly yet everyone who comes here are friendly which is nice being in Seattle with all the changes the neighborhood is going through. I look forward to returning on the near future

I didn’t know that I liked rum so much? I didn’t know I liked rum so much!
Go ahead, find something wrong with this joint. The décor, the crowd, the staff and of course, the rum — all fantastic. Speaking of that rum, trust the bartenders… served straight up and with a basket of chicharrones, Rumba’s expert crew provides a blissful and welcoming experience for both the experts and the amateurs like myself. Never was I made to feel like my lack of boozy-​knowledge was a nuisance but rather an opportunity for these guys to educate me on some shiz I’ve never tried before — damn I’m glad I asked!
Oh yeah, while you enjoy your food and drinks, ask for a cup of dice. Take some time to clear a spot on the table, invent a quick game and convince the «loser» to buy the next round of drinks. Real talk though, is there really a «loser» when it involves consuming another drink from, Rumba? I think not.

According to Urban Dictionary, one of the funnier definitions of Rumba I thought was «an excellent start to a game of family scrabble.»
Although we did not play scrabble, I felt apart of the family when I was here! The people have such a kind soul. They are energetic, upbeat, and super excited to be there. Plus, they are really made me feel like a million bucks.
Because it was a Wednesday, we had to get one of their famous tiki bowls (either made for 2 or 4 individuals) — also one of the best decisions I have ever made. We decided to try Painkiller and was not painful at all to drink. We chugged that shit like it was our job. However, it had a little too much ice in it which seemed to be the into downfall.
My friends and I were lucky to have found some outside seating. Prime location to people watch and kick it. Overall, I loved the atmosphere here. There are some things I would want to have changed but that didn’t stop me from having a good time!

If you’re into rum then you must try this place. They have the second largest collection of Rums in the United States, first being Smugglers Cove in San Francisco. It’s pretty small inside but it’s nice because it has an intimate feel. The bartenders are very friendly and knowledgeable. We had a daiquiri and another cocktail that I can’t remember the name of, both of which were very good. We also ordered one of the chorizo empanadas and the chicken one. Both were very tasty, with a flaky, buttery crust and it was garnished with a nice pickley slaw.

Made our way to Starbucks Roastery one last time before saying good bye to Seattle and landed on this little gem for dinner before we boarded our plane.
We had the coconut prawns in a mango dipping sauce and the fish and mushroom tacos.
The winners for me were the mushroom taco and the coconut prawns. The mushroom taco packed more of a flavor and meatiness than the fish. The battered fish lacked any flavor and the fish was lost in the batter. The prawns were lightly coated in a coconut crust and married very well with the mango dipping sauce. The freshness and lightness matched the rum induced environment very well.
I think this great tiki bar and restaurant and perfect place to grab a bite in the area.

Every time in Town I love coming by Rumba! Creative and delicious drinks, fun/​casual ambience, super nice staff, and good eats! They’ve got a great happy hour and it’s fun to sit on the outdoor bar area and people watch (especially around Comic-​Con lol). What more do I need to say?

I am officially obsessed.
I have walked by this bar many times and always peered in with interest. Finally, I gave it a try today and now have a new favorite bar.
I scoped their Happy Hour and noticed that it is only 5:00 — 6:00. Slightly limiting, but I kind of dig the exclusivity. The décor was like a Havana-​Caribbean Beach Bar! Very nice! The staff was all very quick to make sure my mom and I were doing well. We both ordered Daiquiri #1 which is a traditional Daiquiri with Rum, Lime and Simple Syrup. They were both absolutely delicious. We also decided to snack on two of the mushroom tacos (sans dairy) and chips with the pineapple salsa. The chips and salsa came out first and were great! The chips were clearly house-​made and the salsa was smokey and sweet. The tacos followed shortly after and the server event brought us an additional also just in case my tacos were dry. Nice touch!
All the food was stunning and we enjoyed a second round of drinks easily. I cannot recommend this place highly enough. I will be back in the next few days!

This was our last meal in Seattle and it was a good one. When we stepped into the restaurant, it kind felt like we had walked into old Havana! I loved everything about the kitchy décor and the plantation vibes in the space.
We ordered Coconut Prawns with, Mango dipping sauce, Fish, Tilapia, mango salsa, chimichurri aioli, rice flour, and Portobello Mushroom, roasted corn salsa, chili mayo, cotija cheese and Portobello Mushroom, roasted corn salsa, chili mayo, cotija cheese.
The coconut shrimp would have been just ok, but the mango dipping sauce took it to a whole new level. It might be one of the best condiments I have ever eaten. It was so good that my friend and I were trying to figure out what was in it!
The portobello mushroom taco was also delicious. The accompanying ingredients in the filling were definitely a happy marriage of flavors.
The only real disappointment was the fish taco. It was really boring and nothing memorable. We thought the chimichurri aioli would give it a nice brightness, but unfortunately, it fell flat.
Rumba opened at 5 and by 5:10, there were plenty of partakers of the happy hour specials. The ambiance was bustling and cheerful. All in all, Rumba delivered.

My husband was in Seattle for a conference and I joined him to do some sight seeing in the afternoons. We currently live in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the international cuisine scene there is limited. Having lived in NYC and Boston we missed having all types of ethnic restaurants at our finger tips. We were so excited about going to a Cuban restaurant. We were truly disappointed at the service that we received at Rumba. It seems that our waitress was to busy smoozing and chatting with people she knows than serving our table.
After being seated for 20 minutes she finally came our way and asked us what we wanted to order to drink. We could not order anything because she never gave us a menu. When we told her that we weren’t given a menu she dismissively said ‘oh sorry’ and left. We thought she was going to get us a menu, but she never came back. After 5 minutes of waiting for her to return with the menu, we walked out and went to Tango the restaurant next door.
Surprisingly Tango was owned by the same guy. However our experience was 100% better. He needs to have his Tango staff retrain the Rumba staff. The waitress at Rumba acted she was too cool for school and maybe with that kind of attitude she needs to go back to school.

Rumba felt like a breath of fresh air! It was fun to experience a bar/​restaurant that was so unique. Walking in, Rumba looks like a vintage library in the Caribbean, with turquoise chairs and a bar with endless bottles of rum on the wall!
We sat at the bar. Jim was our bartender and was extremely friendly and knowledgeable with the drink menu. They have a massive variety of rum drinks, cocktails, daiquiris, etc and you can’t go wrong with any of them. We tried a few from the menu and they were all very boozy, creative, and tasted amazing!
The food was just as good. We ordered:
— Rumba Guacamole: The plantain chips were thin, light, and not too salty. The guacamole was fresh with a great hint of garlic flavor. Perfect snack!
— Smoked Chicken Wings: I don’t like chicken wings that much but these were some of the best I’ve ever had. The hibiscus marinade made them taste sweet, but smoky. And the chimichurri aioli was fresh and creamy and complimented the wings very well.
— Baked Empanadas: Out of all of them, the chicken empanada was the best and has the most flavor! The poblano and red pepper flavor is what made it stand out!
— Pepperpot Chicken: Wow, this dish was SO hearty and rich! If you like curry, get this dish. It tasted like a mix of Caribbean and Indian curry. The jerk spices were mild which was perfect in my opinion because it wasn’t too overpowering. Loved this dish.

Fun spot, extensive rum menu. Décor is like a cabana-​mansion-​library. Lots of dark wood, the bar has one of those rolling ladders, and there are lots of palm leaves and pineapples everywhere. You’ll notice little details like the belt-​driven ceiling fans if you look around.
THE WAIT: They were chock full around 10pm on a Friday. Lots of people standing as well. We were lucky that we spotted a group that seemed close to finishing and we placed ourselves strategically close. About 10 minutes later they left, and voila, we had seats at the bar!
SERVICE: The bartender was friendly. I just wish he’d mentioned that the Pina Colada was FORTY DOLLARS!!!
NEW SCHOOL DAIQUIRIS
* Unobtainium Daiquiri (plantation stiggiri’s fancy pineapple rum, barrel-​aged wray & nephew, lime. $ 14) — 3 stars
Quite boozy, even for my bf who enjoys a good old fashioned. Kind of sweet, not very interesting flavors.
ISLAND DRINKS
* Baller Pina Colada (el dorado 21, appleton 21, neisson reserve speciale, hose coconut cream, pineapple, lime, angostura bitters, grated nutmeg. $ 40) — 3 stars
Wow, we did not realize this drink cost $ 40!!! The bartender said they make a killer piña colada and I was sold, but he really should mention this extraordinarily high cost!!! It was good, definitely a more complex and mature piña colada than any I’ve ever had, but by no means was it worth $ 40. The cost brings this drink down 1 star.

I came here recently for my company holiday party and boy, was I pleasantly surprised!
I’ve never been here before, or Rumba’s sister restaurant (Tango right next door) so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But Caribbean food? All kinds of rum I didn’t even know existed? I was already sold! We booked the second floor space well in advance (maybe about 2 months before?) and was very grateful we were able to book the space and not have to pay some kind of a fee for that, as long as we met the food and beverage limit (which we easily surpassed). When I say second floor, I mean just a ramp up to a slightly more elevated level. :) We had the full second floor space to ourselves, but because the bathrooms were on our level, other patrons would occasionally try to squeeze by us to make it to the bathroom.
On to the food… I knew when we set up the menu beforehand, we most likely were ordering too much food, but we wanted to try as many of the dishes as possible since EVERYTHING on the menu sounded so good! We ended up ordering:
1) Rum-​Glazed Nuts — a small bowl of these nuts were available with every table in our area. I couldn’t stop munching on these during the evening! Very tasty indeed with a hint of rum flavor.
2) Yuca Fries — I personally wasn’t a big fan of the fries, but then again I’m not a big fry-​person. :)
3) Rumba Guacamole with plantain chips — okay, this was absolutely delicious. the plantain chips were nice and thin and perfectly crisp. The guacamole didn’t taste like your average guacamole either.
4) Mixed Greens — it’s salad, what do you expect? :)
5) Rice & Beans — when I started getting an appetite for something without meat, I would periodically get a scoop full of rice & beans. Yes, it is a very original and plain dish, but they had HUGE slices of avocado and pico de gallo in the rice & beans so it was a very tasty vegetarian dish!
6) Spam Sliders — I love spam ANYTHING so the spam sliders were
.
7) Tilapia Tacos — have you ever seen I Love You, Man? Do you remember the part where they went to a bar and ate fish tacos? Every time I see that movie, I always crave fish tacos but never found a place that cooked good fish tacos. Their fish tacos were delicious! There was enough fish in each taco and all of the different ingredients were appropriately apportioned to each taco.
8) Carnitas Tacos — they also put a TON of carnitas meat inside each taco. So nice!
9) Kale & Mushroom Empanadas — this was strangely enough the most favorite food I ate that evening. Yes, it’s another veggie dish but man, it is AMAZING. The cheese melts in your mouth, and the size of the empanadas themselves are so generous. Once you pick it up to eat it, you can tell it just came right out of the oven. The empanadas are to DIE for — seriously. Pick any of the flavors; you can’t go wrong.
10) Chorizo Empanadas — ditto to above.
11) Chicken Empanadas — ditto to above.
12) Bananas Foster — I will start off by saying I do NOT like coconut. Coconut-​flavored ANYTHING makes me cringe, so I didn’t get a chance to try the bananas foster. HOWEVER, everyone else did and they all LOVED the dessert. They said the bananas were amazing, there was so much coconut flavor, and there was a generous portion of ice cream on the bottom.
The other thing we also ordered were, of course, DRINKS! We had pre-​ordered the Philadelphia Fish House Punch for everyone, and soft drinks/​bottles of wine made to order if anyone needed that. Let me tell you though… the punch was STRONG! I was very surprised when I took my first sip because I was thinking it would just be like any rum punch drink — very fruity and not enough alcohol. This was definitely NOT the case. However, that is certainly not a bad thing! You definitely get your money’s worth with all the (what seems like) extra alcohol they put in the drinks. :)
I would love to come by Rumba again for a casual dinner. I don’t think the food would’ve changed had we gone there for a holiday party or not. The service was great, fast, and attentive. We went on a Wednesday evening and the place was packed! I can’t wait to go here again!

I wanted to try all their empanadas, especially since it was 3 for $ 12, why not? They were all fairly tasty, I liked the chorizo the best and the kale and mushroom the least. The pastry itself was excellent in turns of being buttery, flaky and warm. However, personally 3 was way too many because it was so buttery. I would stick with 1 or 2 and try the tacos.
I ordered the tilapia taco and it was excellent! Would also recommend the plantain chips with guac for sure!

A place that really stands out to me! Great service, great food, great drinks, great vibes.
We had the famous plantain chips with the guac — both didn’t disappoint. Who knew plantain chips could be so good?
Both drinks we had were fun and strong. Not overpoweringly strong, but we felt the buzz after a drink. Prices are reasonable and bartenders are amazing.
It’s really small, maybe it’s only downside. We sat at the bar and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m itching to come back, this is one of my favourite places in Seattle.
The food menu is not too large, meaning it won’t take long to try everything ;)

Empanadas were delicious! Buttery flakey exterior and moist and tasty inside. I liked the kale and mushroom ones the best. The Cuban sandwich was just okay to me. It’s good if you’re a big meat eater. It was a little soggy/​greasy at the bottom. Definitely not as good as the Cuban sandwiches from Paseo.
They’ve got a lot of yummy looking drinks on the menu. I just got a red wine to help me sleep, but would have liked to try out their specialty drinks! Service was good as well as the ambiance. They are open super late on the weekdays while most places here seem to close early so that’s a huge plus!

This place has hundreds of rums and is for the serious rum drinker or someone who likes a really good rum cocktail. Rumba has a cheesy name (and it’s next to Tango) but it’s a great little joint with good service.
For food I highly recommend:
— Yuca Fries
— Chicharrones
— Chicken Empanada
The place is small so get here early

Came here again to try my favorite Flor De Cana Rum with a friend and it was delicious as ever. Bartender is super cool and very knowledgable about all the drinks and especially the rums.
We had to try some more of their food. WOW! Very delicious! My friend & I enjoyed their food very much! We had to get their chicharrones again, an empanada, carnitas taco, and the awesome rice & beans. All the food was great, especially the rice & beans! I grew up eating rice & beans and this was one of my favorites of all time. Tons of garlic flavor and a egg on top, what a great simple dish!
Definitely a place to keep coming back to!

Cute little Cuban restaurant in Capitol Hill! They have so many different types of rum listed on the back of their bar menu, it made my eyes cross. I wish I were a connoisseur of rum to appreciate their selection, but I will say I’m a connoisseur of alcohol and definitely appreciated their Jungle Bird (Tiki rum blend, Campari, pineapple, lime). It was delicious, beautifully presented, strong and refreshing on a warm summer evening!
My husband and I just wanted to snack while we enjoyed our drinks (he had an awesome mojito), so we shared a chorizo empanada and the chicarones. The empanada had great flavor and a really buttery crust, but it was definitely on the salty side. We took small bites — it was also accompanied by a cabbage and cilantro slaw that was nice. But oh man, those chicarones — they will be enticing us to return to Rumba. They are served with chili powder and lime, and they come out still crackling. They are crunchy but still melt in your mouth — and they are unbeatable when still warm.
Otherwise, not a huge menu, but the food I did see going out to tables looked good. Will definitely return for more yummy rum-​based drinks and the food. Service was also great!

Oooooh what a treat! My love and I came here for a little date night action and it was just wonderful!
We ordered a few drinks and basically 90% of menu, go big or go home right??! The drinks were insanely strong and go excellent with the food.
I ordered the following: Coconut Shrimp, empanadas, Guacamole, Coconut Ceviche which were all excellent morsels. My love said that the Coconut Shrimp here are some of the BEST he’s ever had! The Jamaican Mac Pie was okay, a little dry and bland but made excellent leftovers the next day.
My love ordered: Rice and Beans, Chicken Wings and Tacos. He liked everything he ordered. I wasn’t a huge fan of the wings, the were too soggy for me… I wanted them crispier but they did have great flavor. We really wanted to try the chicharones but they were all out!
Lovely spot for a little date night or an outing with a group of friends. The décor and ambiance was fun and the service was awesome! Our food came out hella fast and the give you pretty mighty portions here. Rumba is not to be missed while out and about in Cap Hill!