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    Rumba's Cafe

    4.2 (372 reviews)
    InexpensiveCuban
    Open 6:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Rumba's Cafe Photos

    RUMBA'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Rumba's Cafe

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    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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    3 years ago

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    The Cuban

    The Cuban

    4.1
    (1.2k reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    For being a Monday night, I think I picked out the perfect spot while in Hoboken! The Cuban…read morerestaurant is certainly more spacious than meets the eye from street view. It has a very long bar with a half floor in the back for additional booth like seating and also a mezzanine for additional seating above. We were very attracted to the restaurant from the outside with their fun music playing from the speakers. We proceeded to have dinner and a couple drinks to end the first Monday of the year. My coworker and I shared the garlic shrimp with toast and the trio of empanadas (spinach, pork, chicken). We'd rate both dishes, a 9 out of 10 each. One point knocked off because the garlic shrimp was a bit oily and one point knocked off because the sauces were a bit too sweet. For dinner we ended up sharing Churrasco plate which is grilled skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, yucca fries, and a watercress salad. We ordered additional side of rice and black beans to share. In addition to the appetizers, this was the perfect meal to feed us two. The steak was pretty good and the server even asked if we wanted the hot sauce which was so spicy but very delicious. I highly recommend getting some of it to pair with your steak. We did order a Mojito since the server said they make fresh in-househouse. It was in fact, so delicious and would highly recommend especially the guava flavor. For dessert, we decided to give the chocolate filled churros a try. It appeared with a raspberry sauce. That was a 7 out of 10 for us so I'd say skip on that. Romeo came out to about $140 for two including the Mojitos and dessert. I feel like it's pretty fair pricing. Otherwise, service throughout the night was amazing, staff was very attentive and server very polite to recommend a couple of dishes. We certainly appreciated being in an awesome booth in the back. Would likely return again for dinner!

    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.

    Photos
    Nice bar
    Nice bar
    The Cuban
    Cheers!

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    Cheers!

    Rumba's Cafe - cuban - Updated July 2026

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