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

Okay so I park in the marina and think this cant be right.

Then the rumbus comes and picks us up. The driver was awesome probably my favorite part of the experience. We get there and our friends say its gonna be an hour to and hour and a half wait. Fine we were willing to wait we heard some really great things.

We go up to the bar and I order me and my friend drinks. We were sharing one chair just grabbing some drinks then moving outside to wait. The bartender asked if we wanted to open or close the tab. I wasn't planning on ordering anymore drinks until we were seated so I closed it. The bartender grabbed my card did the transaction and get this. Literally looks away from me and throws that little check folder at me.

????????????????? 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ ?????????????????

Debit card goes flying lands under a table. To say I was a little put off would be an understatement. But I shrugged it off and moved on. We ended up getting another drink and got the same kind of attitude. I don't know if I looked at this person the wrong way or what but I knew that even if the food was absolutely the best thing I've ever had I would be hesitant about coming back.

We were seated after an hour and 15 minutes. Where we were seated was very close quarters but that was no issue. Regardless even with being seated so close together we literally could not hear each other speak. Now I'm as big a fan of live music as anyone else but this was ridiculously loud. We had to wait until the songs were over to talk to one another. Even shouting wasnt loud enough. For what it's worth they were enjoyable to listen to.

Our waiter was wonderful. Truly an amazing person made us feel very welcome. He did very well considering how loud the music was. I believe that was the reason my order got mixed up. He couldn't hear me.The food was fantastic and the vegetarian options were awesome. Cocktails were spot on the rum punch tastes just like what I had in the carribean.

Now on the voicemail it said that there was a deal for tacos on Thursdays. This wasn't why we came here but it was a nice little suprise. This voicemail neglected to state that this deal ended at 5pm. To be fair we did get there by 5pm we just were waiting on a table but again no problem we really enjoyed the food. Our waiter was able to talk to the manager about giving us the deal even though we made no fuss about it which was very much appreciated.

I have been back since this incident, didnt order anything at the bar and am still uncomfortable doing so. Food and drinks are always...

Edit Oct 2025- went here on a weekend early for brunch. Was excited for their brunch tacos, but I have to say we were SO disappointed. Each comes with 2 tacos for around $16-$18. My friend and I both ordered one of each and split it. I loved the concept, and then ingredients were great, however both types were making flavor. They both needed hot sauce, or salsa or more other sauce. Their toasted coconut margarita was fantastic though, and as always so was their duck empanadas!

Original post- Being from the area, every time I return here, Rumba is a must. Their vibe, their cocktails, their food— everything is good.

This time around I ordered a passionfruit margarita and it was good, however my go to is their coconut mojito. This comes with a sugarcane stick and is so coconut-y. Their rum punch is also very yummy, that is very strong so make sure you plan your travel accordingly.

Normally I get their buffalo soldier taco, jerk chicken taco and grilled shrimp taco with either a side of fries or a small Caesar salad. Their Caesar salad crotons are made with corn bread, which makes the taste so good. Their coconut risotto is also very good if you get the jerk chicken entree.

All of these items above are beyond delicious, but this time I had to try their special: seared sesame tuna steak with mashed potatoes, asparagus and Brussel sprouts. Now I can’t stand brussel sprouts, but it was easy to pick them out. The sauce on the tuna steak was very tasty but I wish there was more of it.

For our appetizers we got an order of the duck empanadas and an order of Double Dip. I’m normally not a duck eater, but these empanadas are bursting with flavor and are creamy and delicious. The dipping sauce with the empanadas is worth it. The Double Dip comes with tortilla chips and a scoop of freshly made guacamole and a scoop of pimento cheese dip. Also very good.

I will forever recommend this restaurant, however it’s small, and gets busy quickly during peak hours, so make sure to make a reservation about a...

First, the pros. Duck empanadas are arguably the best thing on the menu. Incredible. And our server Kevin C was kind, helpful, attentive, and an all around good guy.

Now, the cons. When arriving, we saw the police speaking with a group of 6ish black women who we learned “had to be escorted out” while the white maître-d’ (presumably) spoke with another officer giving her side of the story, notably complimenting the police’s work. Bad look from the start. Allegedly, according to other patrons, they were asked to leave because they were being loud and stayed too long. However, I couldn’t help but notice the groups of white women who were obnoxiously loud and seemed to have been there for quite a while and were allowed to stay. When I say obnoxiously loud, I mean the kind of loud that actually physically hurts your ears, the kind of unnecessary shrieking that makes a nice dinner unpleasant, shrieked by people sitting close enough where you really truly don’t have to yell. Yes, it’s a loud, fun bar/restaurant that doesn’t in the slightest advertise itself as a quiet spot for an intimate dinner, but the double standard was blatant. Not to mention, the restaurant’s whole thing is appropriating Caribbean culture, and you’d hope that maybe an establishment dedicated to being “inspired” by the Caribbean would be a bit more sensitive to this kind of situation. Even if the women asked to leave were being unacceptably loud, it’s extremely difficult to imagine 1) they were much more disruptive than the many unabashedly, excessively, annoyingly loud non-black groups that were allowed to stay and 2) the police were needed.

There has to be another sensible alternative to calling the cops on black women in a majority white space. Forfeiting future duck empanadas because I just can’t support a restaurant that thinks that’s an acceptable solution to a situation that, I imagine, could have easily been resolved without...