Rumba Bar & Kitchen

RUMBA BAR & KITCHEN HAS CLOSED AND WILL BE REPLACED BY FLIGHT'S BAR & KITCHEN IN MAY 2023.

Rumba Bar & Kitchen is a colourful, lively Cuban-inspired bar eatery housed in a heritage-listed bakery in Fortitude Valley.

Just like something you'd find in the streets of Havana, Rumba Bar & Kitchen brings a taste of Latin American street food, cocktails and music to Brisbane.

A stunning mural greets customers as they enter, connecting the front bar area to the massive rear dining room, which has an open kitchen, rustic white brick walls and adorned with Latin American decor.

The front bar, which overlooks the street and is also partitioned off by a yellow dining alcove with mosaic trimmed arches, also has a stage where on Friday nights local band Mad Mariachi provides the entertainment and on Saturday night a DJ spins Latin American tunes.

The casual tapas style menu, which is generously portioned and designed to share, offers a taste of Latin American street cuisine, from Mexico to Venezuela, Cuba to Peru.

The extensive list of Entradas includes must-try dishes like Let's Rumba guacamole, served with premise-made salted corn and plantain chips;  or Rumba ceviche (lime-cured kingfish ceviche with ginger, tomato, avocado, red onion smoky chipotle and salted plantain chips).

Other offerings include Tuna Poke tostadas; Pan de Queso (Cassave cheese bread served in a Cuban cigar box); Arepas Venezolanas; Mussel Escabache and Baja, Lamb or Los Birria (smoked beef brisket) tacos.

Also recommended are the Empanadas Portenas (traditional smoky ground beef with olives, peppers, spices & chimichurri); as well as the Cuban toasted sandwich (pork, smoked ham, homemade pickles, American mustard and Swiss cheese); Gambas Al Chiplotle (woodfired garlic, chilli prawns & citrus mayonnaise) and spicy Latin American chicken wings (weith tamarin-chipoltle & cilantro).

As well as the Entradas there's a selection of Pinchos (skewers) including octopus; pork neck with Moorish spice & pineapple; chorizo with Aji sauce; and the must-try miuxed mushroom with queso fresco & truffle oil.

Accompaniments include Arroz Latino (Latino rice); cassava or sweet potato fries and Mexican table sald while for dessert there's Churros; lemon & tequila sorbet or Rumba Empanadas (marscapone & apple with vanilla ice-cream)

Drinks-wise, there's a fun selection of cocktails, including  some to share, like the Old Cuban Bowl, The Rumba Zombie and Rumbarita (6 strawberry margaritas & Estrella beer); frozen cocktails liek Double Trouble or Death by Tequila; and shooters such as Cuban Kiss and Latin Kamikazi.

There's also creative house cocktails like Chita-Rita Pisco Sour; Ananas Picante and Rumba Patron Silver Margarita (Patron Silver tequila, Ancho Reyes original, agave & lime), jugs of Sangria (red, white or rose) as well as a couple of non-alcoholic cocktails like Cranberry Fizz.

The concise wine list includes a selection of boutique Zilzie wines from SA as well as Chilean, Argentinian and Spanish drops while beers include Corona, Estrella Damn and Kona Longboard.

Otherwise the spirits list includes an extensive selection of Agave, as well as Pisco, Australian small batch gib, rum, vodka and Japanese, Scottish or American Whiskey.

Good to know - Rumba Bar & Kitchen is by the canny team behind Lina Rooftop, Soko Rooftop, and Mina Italian.

Need to know - There is a limited amount of street parking nearby - try Amelia or Baxter St. Or park at Valley Metro, which is a 5 min walk away on Alfred St.