RUMBA Island Inspired Cuisine & Rum Bar — Restaurant in Kenner

We went yesterday since my friend is about to have back surgery and wanted an outing before that. I'll admit we did not have a reservation, so the hostess informed us there was an hour wait. That gave me plenty of time to order drinks at the bar from the very friendly bartender and completely memorize the menu. Since it was over an hour, we were ready to order when they finally decided to give us a table.

I should also note that when we arrived the table right behind us, a four top, had two people eating. They left and they set it up for four people and then sat empty until we were seated. I understand keeping it open for reservations, but considering the limited menu it's not like we were going to have a 12 course meal.

Finally got to our table, and the female server comes over and my only comment was "I hope it's good considering how long we've waited." Remember I'm there with someone who needs back surgery. She takes our order and the next thing that happens is the manager comes to our table and tells me if I can't be courteous to the staff he'd have to ask us to leave. My question was when was I discourteous to the staff and he says I demanded a free meal because of the long wait and I didn't have a reservation.

To tell you the truth, I wanted to leave but my friend who is a forgiving person said we'd already ordered and she didn't want to stoop to this guy's level. She did share my anger at the treatment from the manager. We've traveled extensively, eaten at some of the finest restaurants, and love different kinds of food in New Orleans. So after dining at Commander's, GW Fins, Mr. B's, Clancy's, I could go on, I'm going to demand a free meal at Rumba's? I don't think so.

When I asked the server if that's what she'd told this guy, she admitted to it then told me sorry it was a misunderstanding. The four people sitting next to us must have also had a misunderstanding since they got water and ordered then got up and left. They left without eating so it must have been something, and I doubt it was them demanding a free meal.

The appetizers were good, not an hour and twenty minutes good, but good. The dinner menu is limited and putting my aggravation at the rude treatment, nothing tempted me to order anything else.

So I'm with the lady who said there are plenty of places with better food, better service, and appreciate you as a customer. Rumba's is a...

I thought this place needed to work out some kinks but it’s already been open for months.

My grandpa wanted to come here for Father’s Day as he heard it was good. There’s tons of people so we decide to wait the hour thinking all these people are here means it must be good.

My grandma is legally blind so I ask about finding some lights but all they can provide are candles. Not the best for accessibility but happens no worries.

We order and my grandparents have tons of accommodations, this place gets it wrong. My grandpa ends up missing a whole side and my grandma gets both sides but one is wrong. Mind you every plate is $30. $30 to have two plates wrong is crazy.

On top of that when you order the chips and salsa the chips are reheated in grease so they just come out tasting like grease with two mini scoops of guac that tastes like it came pre made from the grocery.

Then the food that again comes out wrong took a century and a half to arrive, and I was already in a bad mood so everyone can see the sourness on my face. And again they had accommodations so while I’m impatient I know part of the hold up is my grandparents needs. Nevertheless at one point the waitress is emptying the dishwasher, she’s dealing with cups and other stuff. Like why is she the one doing that? And whole time she’s doing dishes duty she hasn’t checked in. Mind you at the start she brings us water and only fills a shot worth of water for everyone. All for the plates to arrive wrong.

Second plates arrive relatively quickly the manager or owner is now aware of my mood and is on the kitchen. He’s clearly nervous to do well and be good which makes me feel worse for writing a bad review but honestly this place is not good. At the very least it needs to be ~30-40% cheaper.

My plate arrives fine. It’s correct but had these random unincorporated tomatoes that are cut so randomly it looks like an eight year old did it. The chicken is fine just has weird mystery dark meat on it. Again every plate is $30 for what’s supposed to be well made/quality. My legally blind grandma chops better than this. Quality chicken doesn’t have mystery dark meat.

I ask my grandparents about their meals before we leave and they weren’t impressed by any of it and even worse they both said the mashed potatoes were instant mash.

Not worth the money, not worth the time, find literally anywhere...

I usually don’t write reviews like this, but after the experience we had at Rumba, I feel like I have to. We came in with a large party — and while we understand that’s not always easy for restaurants to accommodate, they accepted the reservation. What followed was one of the most poorly handled dining experiences I’ve ever had. From the start, it was clear that the staff was in over their heads. Our waitstaff seemed inexperienced and overwhelmed, which isn’t entirely their fault — it became obvious very quickly that Rumba simply isn’t equipped for large groups. A manager even admitted this to us, which only deepened our confusion. If you’re not ready for large parties, why accept them? To make matters worse, we had a complete waiter change mid-meal and weren’t even notified. We were left sitting, completely unattended, for over 30 minutes — no refills, no check-ins, no communication. When we finally got our food, we ate in silence with nothing but tap water because no one returned to ask if we needed drinks or anything else. Then, out of nowhere, we were told by a manager to “be kind” — which felt patronizing and frankly baffling, because we hadn’t even had a negative interaction with our original server. We were just sitting there... waiting. Patiently. Confused. Once the new waitress appeared, she brought us to-go boxes and bags right away, as if to rush us out — then vanished. We didn’t even have a check. One of us had to walk to the front of the restaurant just to ask how we were supposed to pay. The check, when it finally arrived, was a mess. Due to the two waiter swaps and poor communication, it wasn’t split — and no one seemed to know who ordered what. So guess what? We had to split it up ourselves. No help from the staff or manager, and not even an apology for the confusion. And then, of course, a 20% gratuity was automatically added. For what, exactly? We left feeling completely dismissed, undervalued, and frankly embarrassed for having invited people there. I’m not here to say, “Don’t ever go to Rumba.” But I can’t in good faith recommend it either — especially if you’re thinking of going with a group. There’s nothing worse than gathering your friends or family for a good time and walking away feeling like you were a burden. That’s exactly how we felt. Hurt, disappointed, and more than a...