David’s Rumba Cafe

No one should waste their time going to this restaurant. Unfortunately it’s awful. This is not authentic Mexican and or Spanish food. The food is bland, tasteless, just old. The place gets two stars only because the service was ok and not horrendous. Sorry! Really really want to like this place as it’s the only Spanish food in this town…

Portion sizes have been reduced. Menu has not changed for years. There is no mole! Service was slow.

I’ve been here many times and always have a great time! The owner, Dave is very friendly and usually stops by your table to make sure you are enjoying your meal. The place is small and cozy inside. BYOB is also definitely a plus :)
I’m not a huge fan of the nachos because I think they could use a lot more cheese. I also didn’t really like the chicken enchiladas. The portion is small, and they were a bit dry. However everything else I have tried has been excellent! The burritos and fajitas are delicious, but my go to is the chiles rellenos, stuffed peppers with meat and cheese. I definitely recommend stopping by this super cute Mexican restaurant.

Went here with a friend pretty recently, and we were very impressed with what we got. I had the Rumba burrito, which puts a lot of other burritos I’ve had from other places to shame. Also, the service here is top notch and extremely accommodating. However, it was a little slow, despite me and my friend not coming during the restaurant’s «peak hours.» If you don’t mind the long wait, this place is definitely worth your time.

Great Local Spot. Arrived late on a Friday night to meet friends that were already there; at 9:15 pm they close at 9:30. Kitchen stayed open to accommodate us with good food and margaritas. I had the burrito which was excellent stuffed with huge chunks of chicken and extremely moist rice. My boyfriend has the fajitas which were cooked perfect. The only reason I did not award 5 stars was it was cash only without prior knowledge and service was slow. Had to repeatedly ask for glass for the pitcher of margarita mix. We were one of two groups in the place that late, so activity was not an issue. We will be back though. The good out weighed the bad

Good food, friendly but slow service. Come here for lunch with my co-​workers. The owner is very nice and accommodating.

Good food, GREAT people. Haven’t been here for awhile but this is authentic spanish cuisine at its best!

This place is decent.
The portions are a bit on the small side for the prices, and the burrito I had was nothing really to write home about. I went with 2 other friends and we all weren’t that impressed with the food. It seemed all a bit bland and the location is a bit inconvenient.
I wish my burrito had had more flavour, and we all left sort of feeling still hungry after our adventure out.

Moved into the hood and decided to order take out since it’s right around the corner from where we live. I got the pork tacos and it was so so dry and even though the tortillas were double wrapped, they broke apart anyways. The rice and beans were eh. Want to love this place but I don’t.

A nice room, flavorful foods, attentive service, out of the ordinary Latin American fare served by a caring owner and staff. I love the black bean soup, fish burritos and a tilapia dish called Pescadore Tropicale. A stand-​out in the Madison area.

I ordered the fish tacos and tostinos. Both were perfect. I need to go back soon!
Very nicely decorated and intimate dining area. Charming!

Im a madison marching dodger and we always get burritos here for band camp for lunch for a day and they are always delicious… every time i come on here people always give negative reviews to my favorite restaurants in town clearly you don’t live here and are very negative i have never had bad food in madison and i have lived here all my life!!!

We were not impressed with this place. The quesadilla was just okay but it was the tacos that were the real disappointment. The beef tacos were mostly grizzle/​fat and sooooooo dry! And the chicken ones weren’t any better. Service was good but that’s about all. Save your money and go to chipotle.

Nice place, very welcoming and the food is very good and fresh.

An adorable little Mexican restaurant that makes you feel like you’ve been whisked out of Madison, NJ to an authentic hole-​in-​the-​wall spot in Mexico. The décor is tasteful, clean and colorful. The service is speedy and friendly. The chicken enchilada was one of the yummiest I’ve ever had. My mom’s chicken burrito was okay. Prices are reasonable. Note that this place is BYOB.

There is a warmth and genuineness that will bring me back.
We were dressed casually, but were welcomed by David, the owner.
For a shared app the scallop with crabmeat and mango from the specials menu (really imitation crabmeat) was made with fresh mango and lime and had a nice hit of tanginess.
For entrees I had the MahiMahi special and it was delicious. It was perfectly cooked and flavorful in a red pepper sauce I find hard to describe, other than that it was well balanced and great to mix into the rice with which it was served.
My wife’s Shrimp Pinchos was from the regular menu and was 3 lightly seasoned skewers of shrimp, red onion, zucchini and tomato served with the same side of rice along with pinto beans. While simply prepared each element was perfectly grilled.
We shared the Tres Leches — cake soaked in condnsed milk, milk and I’m guessing topped w cream — dessert. This was a real highlight, delicious, artistically presented and perfect for two.
In the future we’ll take advantage of the BYO.
Net, it is a very comfortable place to return to, the food is great for a casual date (and we were basically grungy from a bike ride this time) and Dave is a guy you want to succeed.
Go.

This is the first restaurant I ate at when I moved into Madison. I’ve been twice and both times the restaurant was empty because I was there before rush hour. Chips and salsa were given to my party automatically. The waiter, both occasions, were nice, but you definitely need to try to get their attention if you want something, which doesn’t bother me.
I’m originally from California, so I don’t think this is «Mexican». However, the food is flavorful and delicious so I’m happy. I enjoy the subtle, light sauces and the ingredients taste fresh.

I go to David’s several times a month being it’s close to my part-​time job. The food has never disappointed, and even after being there a few times they always welcome me back and ask how I am. I’ve had their chicken, beef, and shrimp burritos and all have been very good. I think the Cadillac burrito has by far been my favorite out of all of them though. Their Picadillo appetizer would be my favorite thing on the menu as of now, and the spicy cole slaw that comes on top of it absolutely makes the dish. I don’t even like cole slaw.
Their dinner menu also looks fantastic, but I have not tried anything from it yet.
As for an experience there, I went with a friend for Valentine’s Day. They were very nice and catered to our every need. We were brought chips and salsa immediately after ordering and they brought us refills when asked. They are BYOB as previously mentioned, but they have a good selection of iced teas, lemonades, and sodas to choose from. Price-​wise, they are more expensive than Taco Bell, but very VERY fair.

So we discovered downtown Madison today. Definitely coming back again.
Our experience started with Rumba Café. Didn’t exactly look like a restaurant from the outside, it looks just like another house. But it’s there and march in!
Very nice service, probably because they are the owners.
BYOB
Tortilla Soup — like a comforting chicken soup. wish they add the tortilla chips and avocado inside though.
Ensalada Rumba Calamares — so good. deep fried calamari cooked in some kind of brown sour sauce on top of a bed of salad. quite sour to be honest but i like it.
Pork Ribs with Green Tomatillo Sauce — SO GOOD. my hubby got it and i couldn’t stop eating off his plate. Fall off the bone good. Tomatillo sauce was sweet and sour, nice pairing to the ribs.
Yum! Looking forward to try their other dishes.

I would give this place a 3.5…not 4, but I am being nice and rounded up. First, I love to eat salsa & chips and they only brought them only after a request. They brought out a handful of chips and about ½ cup of salsa… very chinzy. The burrito was good, but not great and it costs $ 9 for solely the burrito. There definitely should have been more than a couple of pieces of beef on it. We were told that because we had already recevied chips & salsa they didnt put them on our plate, but instead gave us a couple of zucchini pieces. I am glad someone is watching my intake! Would hate to O.D. on salsa & chips…
That being said, it is the best restaurant I have eaten at in Madison and I will go back as I heart Mexican :)