Lunch Under $10 at Cafe Rumba

Café Rumba in Glendale likes to keep it festive -- and wallet-friendly. The baja-themed Mexican grill on 59th Ave. and Union Hills is decked out like a beachside hut and is a local hotspot for Midwestern University students and Glendalians. There aren't many places around these parts where you can get a hot,...

By Hannah Hayes

July 12, 2011

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Café Rumba in Glendale likes to keep it festive -- and wallet-friendly. The baja-themed Mexican grill on 59th Ave. and Union Hills is decked out like a beachside hut and is a local hotspot for Midwestern University students and Glendalians. There aren't many places around these parts where you can get a hot, satisfying meal, complete with a drink, chips and salsa, for less than $10.

The lunch special ($6.75) includes a beverage, a generous heap of chips and salsa, Rumba fries (house made cinnamon crisps), and a Rumba burrito, which you can fill with pork, chicken, or beef; beans, rice, cheese, sour cream, and salsa.

We tried the Tropical Tacos with pork: one with mango salsa, and one with pineapple (2 for $6.99). Though the pineapple salsa was a little too runny, the pork, which is grilled in front of you, was delightfully juicy, and the mango salsa was mild and lightly sweet.

What we liked best: the affordable choices don't end with lunch. Patrons can build their own burritos, tacos, salads, or order off the menu, where nothing is over $10. Though a drink isn't included with most meals, almost everything arrives with chips and salsa (choose between medium or hot red, tomatillo, mango, and pineapple).

For vegetarian patrons, the burritos, tacos, and quesadillas can be made without meat.

Cafe Rumba is open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed on Sundays.

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