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    Rumba's Cafe

    4.2 (374 reviews)
    InexpensiveCuban
    Open 6:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    RUMBA'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Rumba's Cafe

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    Always packed, GREAT food!
    Michelle G.

    Good food, not that pricey but don't go early Saturday morning since that place will be jammed packed. The place itself isn't really that big, so not much space. But the food is REALLY good for the price. They have daily specials on the hot food, and their sandwiches and coffee is sooooo good! Since so packed most of the time, the service is kind of slow at times, so if in a rush this might not be the spot for you. But again, food is GREAT!! Can't beat the prices and great Cuban food.

    Menu
    Eli M.

    Prices are still cheap! We ordered the Monday special, chicken with white rice, plantains and black beans and pork cubes with rice and plantains. They were big portions. Great tasting. Also ordered a bowl of chicken soup. Which is the price of a bowl when you go to a diner. The soup alone could be a main meal with rice. The chicharones are Chrispy and tasty! Service was quick!

    Chicken Empanada De Pollo

    Always see how busy the place is when we walk by & saw how cheap the menu is and finally decided to give this place a try. We came on a Thursday around 6pm and it wasn't too crowded and got seated immediately. They have daily specials and we were going to opt for the short ribs and another beef dish. But we were told that they have sold out of everything besides the soups for the Thursdays Special. So come early if you want to order certain items. Nonetheless, our waitress gave us a list of other entrees that they had such as the pepper steak, chicken, pork that still come with either white or yellow rice & black beans. Beef empanada: Crispy, juicy and savory filling. Paired nicely with the hot sauce. Different from the ones I've had. Chicken empanada: Personally didn't really enjoy this one. The filling was dry and not too much flavor. Pan con Bistec w/ fries: for $6 sandwich very worth it (fries were ordered as a side) The meat has a really nice char & grilled flavor to it. Some parts of the meat were tougher but still really good. Fries were good, kinda tasted like McDonald Fries just need some more salt. Bistec con Salteado: your classic pepper steak, steak was tender and paired nicely with the rice and veggies, just wish there was more meat. Plantain was so good and sweet. Tres leches: a nice sweet treat to end everything. Your standard tres leches cake. Overall, the food reminded me of going over to my spanish friend's house for dinner lol. Given the price point of everything in this economy, it was good. Definitely will be coming back on those days where I just don't want to cook. Service was great and staff were very friendly.

    Steak and eggs with large drinks
    Ashley G.

    As always, this place almost hits home comfort food. Especially with the price value. It really works out. I enjoy their sancocho a lot. We ordered the large one to go and there was a good amount of meat in there. The downside is that you do have to pay for sides. The soups and sancocho does not come with rice. You have to pay for the rice separately. Otherwise, the staff is still welcoming with their hustle and flow.

    Cuban Sandwich
    Victor H.

    Came here for the cuban sandwiches and they were delicious! I had a blast with them. They were very very affordable as well, and even cheaper than buying them in Florida. They were about USD $6 for about a foot long : )

    Patricia P.

    I was dying to try Rumba Cafe in Jersey City while in New Jersey. The restaurant had been highly recommended by a friend who experienced good, fresh, latin food at reasonable prices. I discovered Rumba Cafe delivered exactly that! The restaurant was busy early on Sunday morning with guests enjoying breakfast or early brunch. There was a long line at the ordering counter, which moved relatively quickly. The service was friendly and efficient. I was happy to learn that the dishes offered in the daily special menu were available that early. Hurray! I ordered 4 special plates; they consisted of - meat, ( 4 choices, beef short ribs, baby back pork ribs, roast pork, and roasted chicken). Rice ( 2 choices, white or congris). -Fried yellow plantain -Beans, (2 choices, black or red). The rice, meat, and fried plantains were served together. The beans separately. In addition, I ordered 2 chicken soups, 4 Cuban tamales, 8 empanadas (chicken, beef, and chorizo). All dishes were fresh, tasty good latin goodness! What a jewel!!! Rumba Cafe truly delivers!

    #2 Two Huevos, Jamon or Bacon, Papas Fritas,pan Con Mantequilla, Cafe Con Leche Y Jugo De Naranja
    Milko P.

    This place is the gem of Jersey City !! I can't express how amazing this cafe is and has been for so many years. All the menu items are super affordable, the portions are plentiful and the food always tastes good. Personally, I absolutely love coming to Rumba's for their breakfast. I get the #2 which comes with Eggs (made to your choice), Choice of meat, French Fries, Bread with Butter, Orange Juice & cup of coffee. I often order a side of fried cheese to combo with the food since it just always tastes so good. The servers are always so sweet and attentive. They work hard and are always willing to help you out with your order or with the service. The cafe has a beautiful cultural feel with the decor and the music giving you a classic cuban vibe. Overall, I'd give this place 10 stars if I could -- highly recommend.

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    1 year ago

    Great food at very affordable prices, a friendly neighborhood vibe and great music to match.

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    1 year ago

    Love their Mondongo Soup. I drive 2 hours to eat this awesome soup! Yummy and so flavorful!

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    1 year ago

    Overall great experience. Ordered through their website and was ready by the time we arrived.

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    Page 1 of 10

    Rumba's Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

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    Rumba Cubana

    Rumba Cubana

    4.3
    (666 reviews)
    1.7 mi
    $$

    My go to place for delicious Cuban food. I come here very often with friends and family. This…read morelocation is great because the outdoor seating is pedestrian only and often times I come with my pups. It's located right across the street from a large park and the area is very lively and family oriented. The service is consistently outstanding, the food is also fresh every time. The menu is so expensive there's a little something for everyone. And the drinks are always great. Reservation can be made, but we almost always get a table when walking in. They sing happy birthday to you with instruments, making it a great place for a birthday celebrations. My favorite dishes: - empanadas (chicken or guava/cheese), the hot sauce on the side is SO good - pork tamale - garlic shrimp (comes with soft bread for dipping) - pitcher of white passion fruit sangria (way better than getting individual glasses) - skirt steak/churrasco - chicharron de pollo (crispy, juicy chicken bites)

    this review is from last friday as i forgot to check in!…read more wanted to try this place for the longest as my coworkers always talked how great this location is. so why not? it is about a 16 minute walk from the path station (newport) it's really not that bad of a walk (for those who don't mind walking that is) okay got to the restaurant and it was picking up as this was the start of the dinner hour. No live music but they were playing spanish music which sets the mood greatly. now if you wanted a quieter setting i'd advice eating outside, from the music playing and the groups of people having loud conversations it was a bit hard of hearing when i was asking the waiter questions. so we order the Tamal En Hoja (one) and no i completely forgot to take photos :( very soft and not too dense and i do enjoy pickle onions on top! okay for each of us: one had Vaca Frita, one had Masitas De Puerco, and our child had Camarones Ajillo. i have the Vaca Frita which came in the cup made of crispy plantain chips. Meat was not salty (thank the stars i'm on a low sodium diet because of my Bp so i was enjoying this) with the arroz moro and the side of lime was amazing. the family did enjoy their meal as we did not wait to long for the food to come. the nose level increased and it was definitely harder to hear what the waiter was asking us. but that's okay we all enjoyed ourselves. what i DID get a pic of was the desserts: Tres Leches and Flan con coco Tres Leches was good (not too sweet and the added chocolate balls made it good too) Flan con coco kind dens but flavor was there and i love coconut (it's coconut flakes on top) I will come back and try a different dish and maybe eat outside. for those who can't handle loud noises best to have earplugs (loop) or eat outside i guess. the staff treated us nicely and my son and i do look for that in places i go to make sure everyone is treated well and respected.

    Photos
    Rumba Cubana
    Paella Rumbera
    Paella Rumbera
    Passionfruit sangria

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    Passionfruit sangria
    The Cuban

    The Cuban

    4.1
    (1.2k reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    I don't take leaving negative reviews lightly. I would much rather support a local business than…read morebash one. However, after attempting to address this directly with management multiple times and being met with zero follow-up and continued avoidance of responsibility, I feel obligated to share our experience. What we dealt with went far beyond poor service. It was unsanitary, chaotic, and frankly a potential health hazard that warrants review by the health department. We arranged for a private loft space on Valentine's Day to host a surprise birthday dinner for 25 guests with a prepaid prix fixe menu. From start to finish, the night was a disaster: * We were promised a private loft space, yet two other couples were seated upstairs with us, leaving some of our guests without proper seating and creating an awkward, cramped setup. * From the moment we arrived, buckets were placed in the middle of the party area due to a leaking ceiling caused by overflowing toilet water from the bathroom above. Water dripped into the dining area all night -- onto guests, tables, and plates. There was one bucket gathering brown water from the ceiling when we arrived and at least three by the time we left. Food and drinks were carried directly beneath it and the floor was soaked. This is a serious health code concern, and notably, two guests became sick after the party. * We appeared to have one single server for 25 people, resulting in extremely slow service. For a 6:30 reservation, appetizers began arriving 90 minutes later -- one plate at a time -- some cold by the time others were served. * Dinner was not served until 9:30pm. After nearly three hours of waiting for entrees, some guests had to leave without ever receiving food. * The included coffee, tea, and dessert -- part of the prepaid package -- were never offered or served. * After requesting to speak with a manager about the experience and a possible partial refund, we were told we would receive a call. That call never came. This was not a matter of a busy holiday or a minor delay. It was a complete breakdown in cleanliness, staffing, communication, and accountability -- compounded by management's lack of professionalism and refusal to take responsibility afterward. I attached photos from the moment our guest of honor arrived at the surprise party, and an additional photo of what the additional buckets looked like at 8:43 PM while we were still waiting for our food to arrive. I genuinely hope ownership takes this seriously before anyone else books a party or chooses to dine here, because no one should have to experience what we did.

    The restaurant had a really cute atmosphere, and the staff was absolutely wonderful. The drinks…read morewere enjoyable, and the guacamole was fantastic. While some of the main dishes, like the chicken and steak, were a bit mild, and we had to adjust the seasoning, I'd still give it another shot because the overall vibe and service were great!

    Photos
    Nice bar
    Nice bar
    The Cuban
    Cheers!

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    Cheers!
    Chango Kitchen

    Chango Kitchen

    4.5
    (184 reviews)
    1.0 mi

    This is the churrasco from Chango. The steak was very well made. Not chewy or stringy, just…read moreperfectly cooked. The chimichuri was such a delight for the steak. The rice was also very delicious. Beans were very good and perfect consistency! The fruit juices were very good. My whole party each got a different flavor and we all very much liked them. Staff were friendly and quick to seat us. We unfortunately did have an issue with one of the original meals (the ropa vieja), and the server was quick to switch the meal for another and help us with this. Place is cute but crowded inside, so we opted to sit outside. Very cute seating with shade on the side tables. Prices were moderate for the food, nothing to complain about. Parking in the area is hard. It's an overpopulated town with street parking that is always full. If you do find street parking, walk down the whole block and read signs, they have odd street cleaning hours and signs are typically posted at the beginning of the street so you could miss it. I'd highly recommend this place!

    10/10 I highly recommend this place. The food is authentic and flavorful with large portions. One…read moreof the best Cuban places I've been to in a while. The service was excellent as well. Very knowledgeable with the recommendations. It's a small place with a casual vibe and outdoor seating if you prefer. All of dishes were good. The Cuban sampler was a great appetizer with a variety of foods. The bowl, mofongo and steak were too notch.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Chango Kitchen
    Vaca frita

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    Vaca frita

    Rumba's Cafe - cuban - Updated August 2026

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