RUMBA Island Inspired Cuisine & Rum Bar — Restaurant in Town of Brookhaven

I just had my boyfriend's surprise birthday party at Rhum Patchogue last night (9/1/19). It was a pretty straightforward process. I was able to reserve the rooftop for 20ppl about 3 weeks in advance. There wasnt "concierge" treatment per say, rather "this is what it is let me know what you want." I had to call a few times and intiate the process or keep the process moving, so I am assuming they arent too pressed for business. Being that it was a surprise party they allowed one of my friends to come a little early and acclimate all of the guest, they also refrigerated the birthday cake. I ordered about $600 worth of food (which was way too much, lol) and had a premium open bar (every thing included) for 3 hours ($87 pp) approx 2K for the evening (4p-7p); everything was paid for in advance. The food was brought out on time and was presented nicely. The food was very delicious, everyone was definitely satisfied with the food.

What was very disappointing was the service we received at the bar. My guest had wrist bands and an open bar for 3 hours and the bartenders often ignored their requests or were slow to attend to them. My guest also complained that their drinks were watered down. When I went to the bar to order the drinks myself that wasnt my experience, I was immediately attended to, so a few times I had to order drinks for my guest. Also, around 6:30p the drink orders were even slower to come out, all of my guest commented that they felt it was intentional due to it being closer to the time for the party to end. At first I thought it was more than likely due to it being Labor Day weekend, and it was busy, however, as soon as 7p did come, we were immediately attended to when we started a new tab. This was a very unfortunate part of the experience for the evening, as all of my guest were leaving tips for the bartenders and I also had a minimum 20% gratuity included in my prepaid bill.

The ambience was great. The rooftop is a perfect place for a rooftop party. The food was delicious. The seating was cozy and amble. We had two sets of the swings. The accommodations were nice. There was definitely attention given to staging the food. The reservation process was straightforward, there wasn't pressure to reserve.

Unfortunately the only thing that wasnt to our liking was the inconsistency of the upstairs bar staff. They were accommodating to me, but not the rest of my party. With that portion being the most expensive part of the night, I definitely expected better service for my guest. Only 15 of my 20 guest showed so it wasnt as if we were milking the bar.

I would recommend Rhum for a rooftop party, it's a great set up, including their delicious food, but I would not recommend purchasing the bar package unfortunately, you will end up losing money due to...

My partner and I love going to Rhum. We started going there and happened on Restaurant Week. From then on, it's become a yearly tradition. The atmosphere is fun and inviting - immediate summer vacation that Jimmy Buffet would be proud of. The food is always ALWAYS excellent. They have great options for surf and turf. We rave over their coconut risotto. Seasonal items are always on point. We got a new menu item, which was a smothered pork chop topped with an arugula salad with their citrus dressing. Damn delightful. Since it did not come with the aforementioned risotto, the waiter was kind enough to add it as a side. Dip the risotto in the gravy to enhance your experience. My partner got the sirloin cooked rare, and it was one of the tastiest, melt in your mouth delights the universe can not do without. The garlic potatoes are a true joy for any garlic lover. There are a lot of options for your appetizers. Our favored options are the duck empanadas and the ribs. Again, the ribs- sweet, tangy, mouth-watering goodness and the cilantro for the topping kicks off the teriyaki/soy marinade. Dessert, go for the key lime pie. I was a key lime pie hater until I had this pie. Now, it is what I look forward to every time we go. If you do order it (which you most definitely should in order to end your dining experience in a blissful state), definitely pair with a French press espresso coffee. They get their coffee beans from East Hampton, and the coffee was SO SMOOTHE. I have never had coffee that didn't have a watered-down taste, acidic, slightly burnt, or overpowered by extra flavors when you go to a restaurant. This was different- it sat well on the tongue as an all-over bean flavor, earthy, pairs extremely with cream and sugar (some coffees do not bc of taste or the cream will make it more acidic), even having it by istelf you will not miss the sugar or creamer. It's what you, as a child, imagined coffee to be like. It is something I would happily drink all day. Joy for all the sensitive stomach people who long for coffee that will not harm them! Our waiter was kind, fun, and engaging. Super on the ball with reset between courses, timing of the courses, and just making sure we were taken care of. Absolutely delightful. Also, we had to change our reservations a few times due to some unforseen events. The people who changed our reservation were jems- understanding, kind, and accommodating. Overall, folks, if you want a great dining experience, this is the best place to be in Patchogue. If you want even more bang for your buck, go during...

Julia was an excellent waitress! I really enjoy the food here every time. I usually get take out, this time we ate in…somehow they screwed up the mussels overcooking them (portion and sauce was not the usual tonight both times but who returns something twice) and forgot to put garlic bread lol! It’s always the same, didn’t order anything different. I will definitely come back, but the cook - not so great tonight! The manager and waitress made it a point to correct the error, which I think is excellent and a sign of proper etiquette in these types of situations. Friendly atmosphere, and the mussels are my favorite. I come often for it paired with the risotto! Personally I do wish though, that I ate a proper meal instead of having it comped. I was starving! Tried the jerk chicken and sweet potatoes while I waited a half an hour or more for my second attempt at a regular plate there xD oh well! Also forgot to mention, I have been looking forward to when the coconut shrimp might be a special so I could order it…DON’T. It’s only three pieces. We had three people. Overall - not a great experience. Will be ordering takeout most likely from now on to avoid such a miserable wait, not getting my food, and honestly getting such small portions. I understood why the ribs appetizer was three large pieces, but not the shrimp. That’s just a cheap restaurant with overpriced food. Not something I mind, the price, but I do when it’s not worth it. I didn’t even have enough sauce to dip my bread in. Really not happy about it still lol. I’m glad we had our waitress changed four times before we got our first drink that also took at least a half an hour, when Julia took over things went more smoothly. Definitely not a place I would eat in again. My mom was very disappointed that she couldn’t go to the rooftop to dine, it was the entire purpose of our visit. I don’t think I’ve ever had soooo many complaints and compliments about a restaurant…hopefully they’re able to make some changes. I got the smallest portion even when my food was replaced, and had nothing to take home, by the time it came I was not ABLE to stay to eat it. I had to rush through it to get my parking. Five stars, only because our waitress tried despite how her...