La Rumba owners Reynaldo Marcario and Luis Rodriguez.

Reynaldo Macario and Luis Rodriguez had known each for a decade before they found out they were born on the same day of the same month of the same year. The coincidence wasn’t uncovered until they had already decided to become business partners and open a restaurant and were signing papers that required their dates of birth. Reynaldo remembers, “I looked at his and realized it was also mine. It seemed meant to be!”

But Reynaldo needed convincing back in 2021; he had enough restaurant experience to know the demanding hours and tough road to success.

“We were at a restaurant eating and he wondered why more places in Asheville didn’t have black beans and plantains, and I invited him to my house to cook for him.”

Reynaldo drew from the family recipes he learned growing up in Veracruz, in southern Mexico, where the culture and cuisine are imbued with Cuban and Central American influences. Luis was born and raised in Guanajuato, in central Mexico, but his wife is from Veracruz.

“Luis was really impressed with my cooking and said, ‘We should open a restaurant,’ and I said ‘No! we should not open a restaurant.’ At the time, I had a job that stopped at 4 and had weekends off.”

Luis didn’t let the idea go and one day he called Reynaldo and told him he found a location. “So, I went to see it, and it became La Rumba.”

The 6,000 square foot space on River Hills Road had been a Bonefish Grill, which closed during Covid and never reopened. When the partners took it over, pandemic distancing restrictions were still in place for restaurants, reducing their capacity from 350 people to 230. In hindsight that was a good thing.

La Rumba Restaurant Latino opened on October 18, 2021, with 26 items on the menu. “We didn’t have the money to do any more than that,” Reynaldo explains. He was committed to serving authentic food of southern Mexico – not TexMex and not CaliMex.

There was customer confusion from the get-go; rather than the basket of tortilla chips and bowl of salsa inherent to every Mexican restaurant, a plate of elotes (corn on the cob, rolled in mayonnaise, butter and cotija cheese, dusted with salt and tajin with a finishing squeeze of lime) was set on the table.

“That was unexpected. Then they open the menu and there’s no enchiladas and no fajitas,” he recalls. “They saw puffy wrap and peach spicy and mango habanero chicken and didn’t know what they were.”

Rather than take a chance on the unfamiliar food, people closed their menus and left. “We saw people walk out every day; it was very hard for a long time.”

So hard that some members of the team began suggesting they try serving what people were expecting. Reynaldo admits, “One day I got mad and said, ‘These are my family recipes; they have been in my family for at least 80 years, and I am not selling my soul to be like everyone else.’”

They stayed with the opening concept; Reynaldo says he was there seven days a week to persuade people by explaining the origins of each dish, the heritage, the ingredients, and how it is cooked. He vowed to win people over and gradually, word of mouth – particularly rave reviews on Google and Asheville Foodies Facebook page –  helped lift their profile.

Ironically, it was Helene that provided the biggest boost. Though many of the stores along S. Tunnel Road were severely damaged or destroyed by the Swannanoa River, the water stopped at the sidewalk outside of La Rumba, and it did not suffer damage.

That was the good news; the bad news was the road and bridge to get there were unsafe and blocked off for six months to be rebuilt.

La Rumba closed for three weeks until they were hooked up to a [very expensive] system to deliver potable water.

“That first week was very slow because people thought we were gone. Once they saw our social media and saw we were open, they had to figure out how to take the back roads to get here. But one Thursday night we had a good crowd and then we had another good night, and it built from there. A lot of restaurants were closed, people still couldn’t cook at home, so they found us and it gave us a chance to show people who we are and what our food is.”

The original 26 items remain on the menu, which has expanded to 70 items, including over 20 vegan options.

The most popular item on the menu is one the first customers wouldn’t even try – the mango habanero chicken. Short ribs – which is how he sells barbacoa – are another big seller. He continues to introduce and create new dishes, like the filet ahumado – grilled skirt steak, seared in olive oil with peanuts, chipotle, red peppers and lime, topped with avocado, pickled onions and cilantro.

He touts La Rumba’s flan, made in house the old school way, a 4–5-hour process. They make only 30 per day, and regulars know to call ahead and ask to have a couple set aside for their dessert.

Reynaldo says he believes La Rumba has succeeded by staying true to what they are. “The idea is coming true. It has been a lot of hard work, but a great adventure for Luis and me. We are proud to be a local business in this community.”

More about La Rumba Restaurant Latino.

— Written by Kay West

— AIRfare is sponsored by McGuire Wood & Bissette

Photos courtesy of La Rumba
First photo: La Rumba owners Reynaldo Macario and Luis Rodriguez
Second photo: The spicy filete ahumado, new to the menu
Third Photo: La Rumba’s famous flan, only 30 made per day