Coming Soon: Rumba Is the New Jazz-Heavy Cuban and Latin American Joint Taking Over Evita's Digs

2022 was a big year for Brisbane-based hospitality crew Potentia Solutions Leisure, with Lina Rooftop and Soko Rooftop both opening their sky-high doors, and Mina Italian first welcoming in diners as well. How does a restaurant and bar-running (and -loving) crew top that? By kicking off 2023 with another new venue, obviously: Rumba, a Cuban and Latin American-centric joint.

While this cocktail- and platter-slinging spot is a fresh arrival, officially launching on Thursday, February 2, it'll draw Brisbanites to familiar digs. Potentia has farewelled Argentinian eatery Evita on St Paul's Terrace, with Rumba taking over its site. New year, new focus, clearly.

Evita

While the full menu details haven't yet been revealed, patrons can start looking forward to share-style meat and fish bites, a big focus on roof vegetables, plus homemade cheese bread served in Cuban cigar boxes. Drinks-wise, expect creative concoctions that nod to the venue's regions of inspiration — and plenty of them.

The vibe: relaxed yet boisterous, colourful but raw, and stripped back while soundtracked by Latin jazz. Azulejo prints and bright hues will cover the place, and there'll even be the remnants of a car in a hole in the wall.

A roster of DJs and bands will set help set the mood, too, in the kind of space that'll be worlds away from Lina and Soko's luxe rooftops — but promises to be lively and enticing in its own way.

Unsurprisingly given Rumba's name, wearing a comfortable pair of dancing shoes is also recommended.

Find Rumba at 365 St Paul's Terrace, Fortitude Valley, officially launching on Thursday, February 2 — then operating 4pm–12am Tuesday–Saturday.