Rumfish y Vino — Restaurant in Ventura

Location and Ambiance: Nestled in a great location with a vibrant atmosphere, Rumfish sets the stage for an enjoyable dining experience. The allure of its bar area and lively outdoor seating creates an inviting environment that adds to the overall appeal.

Beverages: The beverage selection at Rumfish is commendable. Their cocktails are well crafted and offer an array of flavors and styles. The variety of beers on tap and the well-curated wine selection cater to diverse preferences, although I've yet to explore the latter. My first experience I enjoyed a mezcal cocktail, but this time I had a bottled Mexican lagger.

Food Experience: My initial visit to Rumfish was prompted by a friend's glowing recommendation, but it left me with mixed feelings. While the menu promised an exceptional culinary experience, the reality fell short of expectations. The tacos, though decent, lacked the wow factor I had hoped for, leaving me underwhelmed. The flavors were decent, if mild, but what I noticed was a lack of dimensionality. The tortillas are house made and they were delicious, but the overall combination was flat.

On my recent return, I ordered the guacamole and Creole Seabass. The guacamole, while enjoyable, didn't quite reach the level of greatness. It was good, but a bit watery and lime-forward, but again lacked dimension. However, the homemade totopos were really good.

The Creole Seabass, unfortunately, failed to impress. Expecting a grilled fish bursting with flavor, I was met with a fried skin-on seabass covered with coconut sauce. The fish itself was as bland and tasteless as cod. While the coconut sauce added some dimension, the overall taste fell flat, exacerbated by the underwhelming spice level (about a 2 out of 10). It could just as easily have been called Thai Coconut Seabass. The waiter clarified that by Creole they mean Belize-style Creole which is translated as mild and coconuty, not the North American Creole which means bursting with flavor. He said he was also surprised. Meanwhile, I was just coming to the realization that Rumfish is Belize food. Now I feel stupid. Not sure how I missed that?

Price Point: Given the Seabass's hefty price tag, exceeding $30, my expectations were naturally elevated. However, the disparity between cost and culinary experience left me questioning the value. While a $15 entre might warrant less scrutiny, the premium price demands, in my mind, a more exceptional dining experience.

Final Thoughts: Despite my reservations, I remain optimistic about Rumfish. While my encounters have yet to align with the restaurant's stellar reputation, I am open to further exploration. I am hopeful that Rumfish will eventually deliver the culinary excellence that has resulted in so many...

We had some Happy Hour appetizers and drinks that were all good. The goat cheese and fig salad had a delicious tart vinaigrette that balanced the sweetness of the figs. The BBQ sauce on the pork belly taco kind of dulled the rest of the flavors. The Reef Hazard and Smoky Tamarindo were well balanced drinks with really unique flavor profiles. Just judging by the menu I'm sure all of their other drinks are similarly thought out and worthy of trying. I got the Pozole and each element had so much flavor on its own while still being cohesive. I usually can not stand anything with hibiscus but the hibiscus egg wasn't overly strong. For dessert I got the Key Lime Pie and the Kirk and Sweeney Rum flight. For an ounce of each pour $16 is a great price. The pie was good but could have been a little more tart in my opinion. Perhaps a lime wedge as opposed to a wheel as the garnish would have made that easier. The merengue on top was toasted ever so slightly and it was extremely light and fluffy. Our waitress Marina was great especially considering how busy she was. We did ask the host for some sparkling water when we were sat and he must have not told our waitress cause it took a while and a second time asking before we got it. The temperature outside on the patio was perfect but for those who get cold they had really nice space heaters at almost every table. The only somewhat slightly negative thing was how loud it was outside but that isn't really the restaurant's fault as much as it was the family celebrating a kids birthday next to us. Overall I would 100 percent recommend here and if I lived in the area I would probably try every drink on the...

July 2025 Out in Ventura today and decided to revisit Rumfish again.

We started by ordering the Fig and Goat cheese salad. It was really good.

Also got the Chicken Salbutes. There were two pieces and it was really good. Essentially it is shredded chicken around a masa disc and dressed with greens and dressing. I added a touch of hot sauce and it was great.

My wife and i both had the Grilled Sea bass. The Sea bass was cooked and seasoned perfectly and i loved the coconut rice!

The server was nice and the service was quick. One minor nit is that inside, it can get loud.

For dessert we decided to split a Coconut bread pudding. It was awesome!

Overall a great experience!

2022 Great atmosphere and friendly servers. Some of the food was amazing and a couple items were just okay. We came between lunch and dinner and took advantage of the after 3pm happy hour menu.

The fish taco was great, the garlic fries were okay, the arugula salad was really good with the figs mixed throughout. I enjoyed the lobster bisque, but it was on the verge of being too salty.

For entrees we had the salmon and the halibut. Both were really tasty. The only minor misses was the mashed potatoes were cold, while the fish was hot off the grill. Additionally, things took longer than expected to arrive at our table. The appetizers too about 20 minutes to arrive. I'm guessing it was due to it being mid afternoon.

All in all it was a relaxing and enjoyable experience. We will return to try some of the other...