My first experience with Rumba Cubana came around ten years ago shortly after my oldest daughter was born. My wife and I would go to the location in Guttenberg, NJ with my uncle. We found the staff, decor and the food to be incredible. It was a place that we would go to a few more times and just like everything, life happens and we got busy as it became harder for us to return since we lived about 45 minutes from the location. But then not long ago, we saw that Rumba Cubana opened a new location, among others, which was pretty close to us over in Rochelle Park.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Unfortunately I did not take any photos from the outside. The Rochelle Park location is on the south bound side of New Jersey's route 17. What I found to be a great convenience, the restaurant has valet parking. This is the only option and it works out due to the layout of the parking lot. It makes things pretty easy. The valet was attentive and very nice. Upon entering the restaurant, we found it bright and warm. The decor is beautiful with lots of artwork and detail throughout. I also enjoyed that they had a small cigar humidor next to the bar. It's nice to have the option to buy a cigar if I wanted to. I just wish that they had a smoking lounge, that would have really enhanced this experience for me. However, this would be pretty hard to pull off especially with the smoking laws. By no means consider this a knock against the restaurant. I just love cigars.
THE SERVICE
From the valet to the hostess, the waiter, and the busser, and then back to the valet when we left, we encountered some of the friendliest folks I've seen in a while. Rumba Cubana's got a great service vibe going. They did an awesome job making sure we had everything we needed.
THE FOOD
I'll walk you through the food from left to right in the photos above. I kicked things off with Sopa de Pollo. The soup had this rich broth with veggies, noodles, and the most tender chicken that just melted in my mouth. I told my wife I could have easily eaten at least ten bowls and would've been more than happy with my lunch. We then shared Mariquitas de Platano, which are crispy plantain chips with Rumba's Cilantro Aioli sauce. These chips were totally addictive. You simply couldn't eat just one, and why would you want to stop? We then decided to try Rumba's Mofongos. My wife had the Mofongo de Pollo (Shredded Chicken Simmered In A Zesty Tomato Sauce With Bell Peppers & Onions) and I had the Mofongo de Ropa Vieja (Cuban Style Shredded Beef Braised In Zesty Creole Sauce, Olives, Sherry Wine, Onions). Let me just say that each Mofongo was huge and heavy. The meat in both dishes was super tender and tasty. I'll go on record to say these were some of the best Mofongo I've ever had. We also shared a side of Arroz Moro (black beans and rice) that rounded off the meal quite nicely. We finished our lunch with a sweet and creamy Tres Leches cake. It was a wonderfully light way to end our visit.
LASTING IMPRESSIONS
From our first impression with the valet through each step of service, our experience was nothing short of excellent. What brings true joy to me is the fact that we have a Rumba Cubana location closer to home and we cannot wait to bring our daughters to try them out because they are family friendly. I highly recommend Rumba Cubana for any occasion. Enjoy!
LOCATION
55 State RT, 17 South
Rochelle Park, NJ 07662
201-335-2777