Rum Bar

Rumbar is my favorite bar in Miami. The bartender, Alex Rodriguez is phenomenal! He always remembers my preferences and goes above and beyond to ensure that I’m taken care of. Highly recommended!

The Spread: Seeking a quick dinner after a long day of travel, I popped into the lobby bar and ordered two appetizers. HUGE portions for both the (tuna tartar) Tostones Rellenos and the Ropa Vieja Empanadas. The tuna on the tostones lacked flavor, but I enjoyed the garlic aioli, which tasted like it had a bit of wasabi in it, and the plantain chips, which were extra chewy and crispy. The empanadas were flavorful and moist.
The Scene: The place describes itself as a Havana-​style bar. It’s a dimly-​lit, tropical, comfortable setting with rich, dark wood accents.
The Service: Pretty awful. I overheard the server say it was his second day at work, but man, that excuse can only get you so far! It took forever to get the server’s attention while seated at the bar to place a to go order. (I watched a colleague also get ignored for a solid 10 – 15 minutes after she received the menu. And when she finally flagged him down, and said she was ready, his reply was «Oh, you’re really ready this time?») The food came out beautifully plated… but I’d asked for it to go. And when I opened up the containers in my room, it was clear that the to go presentation was NOT a priority. Someone had thrown the contents haphazardly into the to go boxes. How disappointing.

The Rum Bar is located inside the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne. It’s right off the main lobby and has been recently remodeled. It has a colonial tropical décor. Come here on the weekends and you can hear the live Latin band playing in the lobby. Nice place to unwind and have a conversation over drinks, although drink are pricey. We were given a bowl of assorted nuts to snack on while we waited for our drinks. Service is top notch as you would expect in the Ritz. The crowd is on the older side.

I give this place a 5 star review for 3 reasons:
1. More types of Rum than I know what to do with (wait I know exactly what I should do)
2. Great service! My bartender listened to me when I said my mojito was a tad on the sweet side so he added much more rum and seltzer when my drink was already half empty!
3. Great ambience, they are going for an old Havana feel with dark wood and big leather couches/​chairs. Made me want a cigar, even though I don’t like them! The ambience doesn’t feel cheesy either (like most places in miami)
And oh yah, their salted nut mix at the bar is so good, making you thirsty for some more awesome rum.

Genre for rating: bar
This is a quaint, cozy rum bar at the Ritz Key Biscayne. It’s definitely worth the stop in while you are on the key. Besides a vast offering of rums from around the world, they also have a surprisingly tasty small bites menu and a handful of cigar choices, which you can enjoy on the outside seating area.
Food: ***
Service: ****
Atmosphere: *****
What I get: a unique rum, snapper or cheese plate

Ridiculously overpriced drinks poured with a stingy hand.
But, the fish and chip appetizer could serve as a fairly good dinner at a reasonable price point compared to the other food service options at this hotel.
Only comfortable if you can score one of the couches.
Head out to Dune, the burger bar and talk to Gino. He will set you up with reasonable drinks.

This bar is a beautiful bar. It is very classy and has a wonderful ambiance. It is located inside the magnificent Ritz Carlton in Key Biscayne that radiates elegance, so naturally this bar is amazing. They have very rare rums which are exquisite. Not to mention, m if you are a Mojito lover like me, where else can you get an amazing Mojito but at a Rum Bar. It has a cozy and intimate atmosphere. The service is top-​notch. This bar looks like a dark tropical cigar bar. It has the dark red walls and dark wood furnishings. Inside you can hear Latin music played in the lobby in the weekends. I very highly recommend this bar.

My husband and I opted to have some drinks and a low key dinner here while staying at the Ritz. We were there on a Saturday night during off-​season and there were only a handful of people there, so I’m not sure if the experience is different other times of the year.
Ambiance:
Rum Bar is located directly off the lobby of the hotel but has a completely different feel to it. While the lobby is open and airy, the décor of the bar is a bit dark and very masculine which provides a cozy and intimate feel. There are a variety of seating options that provide the perfect setting for any occasion (whether you’re just grabbing a few drinks or enjoying a late night snack). While I can’t see this place appealing to the younger party-​seekers, this would definitely be a great setting for an outing with a close knit group of friends or for a date.
Service:
Our server was great — he checked back often and made sure we had everything we needed. No issues here!
Food:
The menu had a decent variety of options from small bites to pizzas to sushi, and they can accommodate almost any request. We were given small bowls of mixed nuts and plantain chips when we were seated which were perfect for snacking on while soaking in the atmosphere (or waiting for your food to arrive!) We opted to split a pizza which worked out quite well. The pizza was good, nothing spectacular, but certainly hit the spot and was more than enough for both of us. We also shared a piece of the chocolate cake for dessert and again, it was good but nothing special. I suspect the food comes from the same kitchen that provides room service as their main focus here is obviously on drinks. Apparently they have a sushi chef on-​site certain evenings, so that might be a better way to go. The drinks that we had were all great — you definitely can’t go wrong there!
Prices:
Beers were about $ 7 each and specialty drinks seemed to range anywhere from $ 10-​$ 16. Food was slightly more reasonable but certainly not cheap.
Overall we enjoyed the relaxing and classic atmosphere of Rum Bar. I don’t think it’s necessarily a great destination on it’s own, but if you’re staying at the hotel or in the area it’s certainly a good option.

Rum Bar is a great place to have cocktails. My fiancé and I went for the first time just last weekend and we will definitely be going back. Alex was behind the bar on Saturday night. He made a stiff martini (with Bombay Sapphire). I had my first with two queen olives and the second with a lemon twist. My fiancé had a couple of Manhattans with Canadian Club. She said they were smooth. She was right — I took a sip and almost ordered one myself but decided against mixing.
Aside from making great cocktails, Alex delivered impeccable service. He was reserved and friendly at the same time — no pretense. He even layed out some munchies — mariquitas and mixed nuts. True to our Cuban culture, we devoured the mariquitas. What can I say? It’s in my blood.
The bar is dark — dim lighting, dark wood, dark furniture, and dark bar. It’s a classy place to sit back and enjoy some cocktails.
For the rum enthusiast, this is paradise. There are over 50 rums.

There is no flash here, just a classic, dark, watering-​hole, with plush chairs and stiff drinks. Come here as the clock nears closing time, when you don’t want or need distractions, just a smooth pour and a conversation.
One of my favorite late-​but-​not-​too-​late-​night bars. One comes for two or three drinks, never to get sloppy. The first drink should be had outside, sitting on the sand, listening to the waves. Second and third rounds, sipped slowly sitting in the cozy, albeit masculine, dark room.
This being a classic bar, I wouldn’t deviate too much from the traditional cocktails on the menu. Save the fizzy, elaborate, convoluted, and now almost cliché –tinis, –itos, and –itas for other establishments. The house specialty here is rum but they’ll serve you plenty more.
They do have a drink named after Hemingway, which I always find fitting for this throwback.

The Rum Bar is located in the Ritz-​Carlton, Key Biscayne. They have tons rums, cachaca, and piscos from 18 different countries, and a pretty decent cigar selection.
The bar has a vintage Habana feel to it and a Latin band plays Thursday– Saturday nights.
It’s a nice place to stop by and have a couple of drinks. They even had a mojito list. I tried 3 of them and they were all great.
The crowd is definitely older, but I’d rather that than one of 21 year-​olds getting trashed and vomiting under a table.