Audio By Carbonatix
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).
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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.
