Rumba island bar & grill at 6445 4th Street North | st. pete rising

Rumba Island Bar & Grill has abruptly closed its St. Pete location at 6445 4th Street North, leaving employees and customers with little explanation.

Employees tell St. Pete Rising they arrived for work earlier this week expecting a normal shift, only to find the restaurant locked and learn that it had permanently closed.

An employee at the restaurant's Clearwater location also confirmed the St. Pete location's closure.

The outdoor dining patio furniture has been removed, chairs are stacked inside the restaurant, and there is no notice explaining the closure at the 5,300-square-foot building.

Rumba Island Bar & Grill, which also operates a location in Clearwater, is owned by Indian Shores-based Baystar Restaurant Group.

Baystar Restaurant Group, led by restaurateur Frank Chivas, has operated restaurants in Pinellas County for more than two decades, including Salt Rock Grill and Island Way Grill.

The outdoor dining patio furniture has been removed | st. pete rising

The St. Pete restaurant opened in 2023 in a building formerly occupied by WingHouse Bar & Grill.

The restaurant specialized in seafood and island-inspired cuisine, serving dishes such as grouper sandwiches, jerk chicken rice bowls, fresh fish, rum cocktails, and tropical appetizers.

It also drew regular crowds with daily happy hour specials and live music on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Baystar Restaurant Group has not publicly announced the reason for the closure.

St. Pete Rising reached out to Baystar Restaurant Group for comment, but the call was not returned prior to publication.

This story will be updated if additional information becomes available.

Rumba Island Bar & Grill's Clearwater location at 1800 Gulf to Bay Boulevard remains open.