Rob's Rum Kitchen — Restaurant in Waveland

There was something just off about this place from the moment we walked in. At first the place was devoid of customers and the gentleman who greeted us, while nice enough, was just a little too enthusiastic about our party of 6 arriving. He did cater to my 10 year old niece when she asked if they had coloring sheets so he gets points for that I guess. Soon after we were seated more customers started to come in which made me feel a little better, but when our waiter and waitress walked up they introduced themselves as BOTH being in training. Not sure how that works exactly but ok. The first bumble came when my mother ordered a frozen margarita. She was brought one on the rocks and immediately informed the staff. They were apologetic and took the drink away to fix it and soon returned with a glass that at least looked like a frozen margarita, but when she took her first sip she made a face and said something wasn't right. I tasted it it had absolutely no flavor. That's when my wife asked me if dumping an on-the-rocks into a blender and blending it was the right way to make one frozen because that's what she just saw them do 😂 I assume they were attempting to save a buck by trying to pull one over on her. Super trashy, right? Then we ordered "chips and queso". You know how most places bring you some chips and a bowl of queso to dip them in? Well this place thinks chips and queso are chips drizzled with the faintest whiff of cheese and then absolutely drowned in veritable mountains of pico de gallo to hide the fact that there really isn't any queso hiding under there. It got eaten, although not by me because while I love queso I can't stand fresh tomatoes and there was no indication on the menu that it would be covered in them. My main course was the three taco plate which came with one side. I got the duck, the lamb, and the fried halibut tacos and a side of "Callaloo smothered" greens. When I asked the waitress what that meant she said it's just some type of seasoning but she couldn't really elaborate, Well I was feeling adventurous so what the hay. When I got my plate of food my three tacos were COVERED in fresh chopped spinach, so much so that I couldn't make out which taco was which. After I removed about 80% of the spinach I realized this seemed to be an attempt to cover up the fact that the tacos had about as little filling as you could possibly get away with and still call a thing a taco. The duck and the halibut tacos were fine, good even, but the lamb taco was so sickeningly sweet that it tasted like it belonged on the dessert menu. Once the sugar shock wore off I finished it, but I was craving a toothbrush. My brother declined to eat his lamb taco because he also found it unnecessarily sweet. Oh and the fancy sounding greens I ordered? They were just plain old greens, which is fine, I love greens, but why give them such a mysterious sounding name if it literally means nothing. Also the serving of greens was barely two forkfuls which in the south is a sin tantamount to murder. Then the bill came and our waitress decided that this was the best time to bring up her sob story about having a stroke and getting back on her feet. I've been alive for a long time darlin', your ruse ain't nothing new. So trashy. So should you eat at the Rum Kitchen? Probably not. Or do. You won't remember it in a week anyway. It's nothing special, although it could be if they...

Concepts of an island menu is kinda hit and miss, probably in an effort to appeal to a broader audience and to have some more affordable/quick service options. The chef/owner here has some great ideas but the final product is lacking and to me it seems mostly because the soul of the restaurant, the chef, is struggling to identify what he wants to do.

We came in as a group of eight. We were the only table in the place at that time of day which sent up the first red flag. Seated by the chef and quickly taken care of by a very pleasant server. Drinks were mostly PG, but a couple of us went for the adult options. Drinks were solid. Meal orders took awhile, but it was the chef by himself so understandable. Once delivered, the disappointment arrived shortly thereafter.

Mango rice was incredibly bland as were the black beans, which by the way appeared to be canned beans that had not be drained Lacked any of the flavor I'd hoped for. Fish plate was decent but not exciting. Tacos were good conceptually but a little underwhelming in reality; the tortillas were leathery, the flavors were lacking/conflicting and I just didn't get the abundance of baby spinach in each one. Basically just didn't get much love in the kitchen. Most everything else was good except, of all things, the fries. My daughter went for the veg burger as it was one of the few vegetarian meal options and the fries (prr-cut frozen product) that came with it looked like they'd been cooked before we arrived and left hanging in the basket over the fryer. Why not cut fresh fries? Why not yam fries? Final note, check the line on the lemonade. It's the funkiest flavored lemonade I've ever come across.

I'd say that this place has great potential but if the chef wants to make it thrive, MOVE! That area will not sustain your dream. Find a place in Bay St. Louis, a small room and go for the cream. Let someone else have the cone. At the very least, pick a path and stick to it. Lastly, get rid of the half dozen TVs crowding your walls, no one needs that much media or...

I left a comment on their facebook page but they deleted and blocked it/me so I will leave it here instead. I have eaten there. I had heard so many good things that'd I even took company with me. The place was clean and comfy with the typical Carribean decor and vibe. The bar is beautifully set up. When we ordered, she got the Cheese burger and something else (can't remember what it was)and I got the Grilled Snapper with Shrimp and the Mango Rice.I also ordered the Oysters Rockefeller. I can't resist a good oyster dish- my family has been in the local seafood industry for many many years! She was very satisfied with her burger. The drinks were well prepared, probably one of the best Mojitos that I've enjoyed. The Oyster Rockefeller was a divine dish but over priced in my honest opinion as you really only get 3 oysters served over a teaspoon of the "Rockefeller" on a triangle shaped plate. My grilled snapper and shrimp I could not eat as it had an overly ammonia flavor. The mango rice was very good. I was deleted and blocked after I had made this comment under a post claiming they had a pop up inspection late November but the date of the inspection was actually from that October. My biggest problem is the shadiness of deleting comments that don't agree with them not just mine but others. Heres hoping that they change for the better. I will not be back and I am sure they...