Rum House
Ah, the old reliable Rum House. I’ve been coming here on-and-off since 2010. It has been the place I met up with friends after work. The place I suggest to dates when I can’t think of anything else that is tasty and casual. Where I head for deals on tropical drinks. So, when a friend group wanted to meet up for taco Tuesday and margaritas near their home base in the Irish Channel, naturally this place came up as a suggestion.
Located on Magazine Street and Ninth, Rum House is pretty easy to find and usually you can find street parking in the neighborhood. Have fun exercising those parallel parking skills. There are two entrances – one from Magazine Street and one from Ninth. Outside seating is very popular during late-fall/early-spring but it’s only mid-September and nobody in the group wanted to sit in the 90-degree temperatures. If you’re sensitive to smell -the combination of spicy food and car exhaust has potential to be off putting so you might want to stick to inside seating.
We got there around 7 pm and while it was crowded, we were still seated immediately. Speaking of crowds – this place is often crowded. Our waitress apologized for the noise level and seemed slightly overwhelmed herself. The very tall ceilings didn’t help. The décor is what you would expect – bright colors with tropical island vibes.
The tables are close together in most spots so expect to do a little squeezing through tight spaces to get to your seat. We were seated at a table near the wall which seemed to help with not feeling overwhelmed by everything. I was able to make it through dinner without needing my Loops and without feeling like I was starting to zone out of the conversation. Full disclosure - I think I started this adventure with most of my spoons since it had been a light workday. Typically, I don’t even try to do anything on days that I work because I often don’t have a lot of capacity in the evenings. But the stars and my energy aligned perfectly for this dinner.
While we’d missed their happy hour and didn’t get any deals on appetizers, on Tuesdays they offer drink specials all day. Typically, I go with their Painkiller, but I decided to branch out. I decided on the Blueberry Hill Mojito, a friend had a divine dessert-looking Funky “Cracked Out” Monkey, and my other friend went the traditional route with a margherita. We were all quite satisfied with our choices! Of course we got chips, queso, and salsa to start. The salsa had a little kick to it but the queso was pretty mild for those who aren’t big fans of spicy foods. My friends went with a variety of tacos, but I decided on the jerk chicken bowl. The jerk chicken had a decent amount of spice but wasn’t overwhelming. I briefly contemplated trying their key lime pie (I’m mildly key lime obsessed) but couldn’t find room.
Toast at Rum House - Blueberry Hill Mojito, Funky “Cracked Out” Monkey, and a classic house Margarita
I recommend Rum House for a relaxed meal and fun tropical cocktails. If you’re here when it’s not hot, snagging a spot at an outside table on the Magazine Street side allows for great people watching! It’s a good place to start out an evening of casual meandering to other bars or to just grab some dinner and head home. I know I’ll be back at some point. Maybe I’ll try the key lime pie next time around!