Rumba Cubana

Greetings!

I'm back.....from my 3 year hiatus and I'm here to stay, promise!  I get a little ADD when it comes to writing projects, seem to be into them for some time and then forget all about it, kind of like I am with reading books.  So my apologies to those who actually read this:)

Moving on - Since 3 years ago, I've been to many restaurants as you can imagine!  However, now I am looking at them from a different perspective...A mother's perspective!  I have a 10 month old boy who has just entered the phase of "can't sit still because everything is so awesomely interesting!" Yeah, needless to say, it's not the most relaxing experience every time, but experiencing a receptive to kids v.s. non receptive place makes or breaks the experience all together. 

With that being said, Rumba Cubana in North Bergen NJ is one of our staples.  If you like Cuban food that is cheap, great tasting and fast, then this is your joint!  They have awesome Sangria too, a full bar with killer Mojitos and a really fun atmosphere.  They recently relocated to a bigger location with views of NYC from across the river.  We love it because it's casual enough for any day of the week and affordable enough so that it doesn't need to feel like a big decision!

Dish - My personal favorite is Ropa Vieja.  It's shredded beef that tastes like it's been marinating for hours and just melts in your mouth.  I get it with black beans and rice along with a side of Maduros (sweet plantains).  You want a party in the mouth?  This is it. 

Avocado salad is awesome too, and I have to add that I've never been a big fan of raw onions, but they seem to be big on them there and with a few squirts of lime, it's suddenly awesome! Any dish I've ever gotten there has been great!  Plus portion sizes are rather large so it's usually a two meal situation.

The drawback to this place however, is that if you go past 6:30pm, you will wait an hour or more for a table.  If you go on a weekend day, forget about it.....  They are currently taking reservations for large parties two months in advance.  So unfortunately, I'm not the only one who really likes this place. 

So if you stick to early dinners, your golden.  Not to mention, with a 10 month old, it's great because they are very accommodating and the noise level is not too quiet so if your child decides that screaming is the cool thing to do in the moment, you won't get death stares from neighboring tables.