Rumba at the Palm Jumeirah’s Vista Mare is a place that effortlessly transports you from Dubai to one of the most incredible destinations of all time, Cuba, set in the 50’s. It’s a mix of tropical paradise and charming nostalgia with photos of Havana’s colorful homes, salsa clubs, cigars, and vintage American cars.

Firstly, the venue is massive. They’ve created this awesome space where you have an indoor dining area, a lounge, a cigar room, and this outside terrace with beach views.

Really cool décor. Inside there’s this hip, trendy aesthetic with colorful industrial chairs and photos up on the wall of people singing and dancing. The name ‘Rumba’ translates to party so it’s music and dance combined, but also a way of life.

Inside they have a room they’ve called the Cigar Room or Casa Cuba. It’s a concept in itself where you can pick up some of the finest Cuban cigars they have like the Romeo y Julietas and Montecristos.

They’ve got this beautiful corner where they show you all the fresh seafood they have that you can order. This space is an ode to Ernest Hemingway, one of the world’s most famous writers, who lived in Cuba for over 20 years and is considered to be practically a native. That’s actually where he wrote 2 of his most famous works: The Old Man And The Sea, and For Whom The Bell Tolls. So you’ll see posters of Hemingway up and some of his favorite drinks on the menu, the mojito and the daiquiri.

The lounge area is just fantastic. Soon hopefully when live entertainment is back up and running, it’s going to double as a space for live music and events. They’ve got a resident DJ, a Cuban lunch menu, and a ladies night. Cant wait to go back.

The restaurant offers Cuban, Latin, and Spanish dishes and signature Cuban drinks that would make both abuelas (grandmas) and Hemingway proud. Their menu is designed to look like a newspaper, The Rumba Tribune. It’s got all the delicious items you can order and fun ‘did you know?’ facts about Cuba and its history so it keeps you entertained while waiting for your food.

Cuban food often involves a lot of rice, plantains and black beans. So the menu has that and with a lot of seafood and meat varieties. They have a section called ‘Cubanos’ for the classic Cuban sandwich made here with a perfect ratio of bread, roasted veal, turkey ham, Swiss cheese, butter, pickles, and their Mojo Cubano sauce.

Had the guacamole, croquetas, tacos de pescado, and picada cubana. All delicious small dishes, but what I’m really excited to try are the mains in my next visit. Particularly the Ropa Vieja which is classic Cuban comfort food. It’s a traditional dish with shredded beef brisket.   

Usually, I have to pick between a fun place that has a cool vibe or a restaurant that serves really great food, but Rumba nails both.

Website: www.rumba.ae. Location: Club Vista Mare, Palm Jumeirah. Operating hours are from 12PM until 2AM.