Ruby's Cafe & Bar

Aussie-run nook of a restaurant with solid eats

by Melanie Berliet at Citysearch

Most afternoons, a small crowd surrounds the entrance to this Nolita favorite, where diners are willing to wait for tasty items like hearty salads and burgers denoted with Aussie-inspired names like the Bluey (served with sweet chili and lemon mayo) and the Whaley (topped with pineapple and a fried egg). Communal wooden tables are well-suited to the friendly atmosphere of lively chatter. Generally, the entire place is staffed by one waiter and a cook, so service may be slower when it’s busy. Though it's always great for lunch, don’t overlook Ruby’s for dinner; options like penne with sausage and rigatoni bolognese are plenty filling and reasonably priced.

07/05/08

Good Food, Very Average Aussie

by Bowlesy84 at Citysearch

When i came to New York i was very surprised to find that there was a place to find a little Aussie community. I got rave reviews about Ruby's and took a couple of people to take a look. Happy to say the food was amazing, cute Aussie names for the burgers, not too cheesy.

However this is not the place to go for the laid-back authentic experience that people love about Australia. One of the guys was British for one and the other although Australian thought he was all that and a bag of chips. Both of them far more interested in picking up the local girls than giving friendly service. We did get what we asked for in a timely fashion, so can't complain there.

So if you are looking for a little taste of home, or looking to find out what all the fuss is about, this is not the place. If you are looking for a cute little place to eat, with good food and the occasional Aussie accent then check it out.

• Pros: Good Food, prompt service
• Cons: Not a good Australian Experience

01/06/08

Great customer service Best burgers anywhere

by voice2 at Citysearch

Fantastic , sensational............

I don't know what people are talking about the staff are extremely pleasant and polite and service is fast and good.

Looks like there has been some changes there as a new group of staff are now working there and they have made it a very pleasurable place to hang out and eat.

The food is amazing the best burger I have ever eaten in my life! I'm addicted !

I will be back there for sure! for my next burger fix :)

• Pros: fast and friendly service with Best burgers anywhere
• Cons: dont take credit cards

10/17/07

Are you kidding???

by tjc10011 at Citysearch

So my work associate and I decide to google Ruby's because we heard how great the tuna panini is. I checked out the website and made a point of taking a look at the delivery map to be sure they delivered to our office. Indeed, we were well within the 'zone 1' delivery area so we called and ordered lunch. The woman who answered the phone said they didn't deliver to our area. Not wanting to get into it with her, we apologized and said we must have misinterpreted the map on their website. I offered to go pick it up instead.

It was quite a walk, but we were hell-bent on trying these tuna paninis.

When I got there, the frazzled waitress asked what I had ordered and then proceeded to PICK IT UP OFF THE FLOOR OUTSIDE THE KITCHEN DOOR!! Yes, it was wrapped and yes it was in a small handle bag, but c'mon, people-- no shelf space? can't keep it on the counter by the register? There's just no excuse I can come up with why you would keep a customer's lunch on the floor.

I quickly paid for the lunch ($19 and change) by handing her a $20 bill. She paused and asked if I wanted my change.

DID I WANT MY CHANGE??

Clearly she needed it more than I did and I walked out.

So let me get this straight:

You suddenly on a whim decide you don't deliver to a location that is within your delivery zone.

You make me come pick it up and upon my arrival you pick it up off the floor and hand it to me.

And then you want to keep my change??

Here's the thing:

NYC is a big city. Lots of restaurants. And yes, the sandwich was good. Very good. But don't for one second think that a tasty sandwich will compensate for shoddy service, attitude from a waitress that works in a dive, or poor manners.

Clean up your act, Ruby.

• Pros: Good tuna panini
• Cons: Absolutely everything else about the place.

06/07/07

Yummy :)

by shaboomy at Citysearch

My friend and I were looking for something cute and affordable for lunch today, a quick diversion from work, and we stumbled upon Ruby's. Its adorable and the food was AWESOME. I had a burger with sweet chili on it, with cheese, served on ciabbata and it was EXCELLENT. My friend loved her salad. The service was good, well average at least...we clearly didn't experience what others on here did. Anywhoo...great little place for lunch. I've already recommended it to some friends in town.

• Pros: Adorable atmosphere, tasty eats, affordable
• Cons: they don't take credit cards

03/25/07

Great Food, slightly snobby environment

by supernaturalove at Citysearch

I love the food here, and despite the influx of models and hipsters I think it's worth a visit. I admit this place does not have great service. however, it's sooo tiny and casual I wouldn't really expect anything else. This place is literally about twice the size of my bathroom, and the servers usually hang around outside and talk to their friends. It's weird but if you want food, you often have to call them out and ask for it. They don't seat you, and if you ask, they'll just point somewhere. If you want great food, and no frills it's definitely worth a try.

• Pros: Good food, casual scene
• Cons: snobby serivce

11/13/06

great find

by fwhite1303 at Citysearch

Its small, so you will miss it if you dont look for it. Its usually crowded with models and beautiful Australians, so while you wait for your food thats worth waiting for, there is very good people watching. All the food is amazing! Love this place and great for take-out too.

11/06/06

great sandwich

by splashkpl at Citysearch

got the grilled chicken and veg sandwich to go. it was realllllllllly good. Can't comment on the service because i didnt eat there.

• Pros: tasty
• Cons: slow

08/28/06

Slack Service, bad coffee.

by rhinoruss at Citysearch

Service was bad (we had to plead with the waitress for cutlery, napkins, water, salt and pepper). The staff made us feel so uncomfortable being there. The coffee was so average, even after asking for a new cup it was no better. The food sucked. How can you stuff up avocado and toast? All under the nose of the owner, who was in the cafe at the time. Just a badly run operation, from start to finish. Give this place a miss.

• Pros: good location
• Cons: staff attitude, food, coffee

05/30/06

Awesome food and chilled out place

by spanky77 at Citysearch

This place has the best burgers in the city. Get the Bronte burger - it is amazing. The pasta is also great. I have been there several times and the food is always great. The latte's are also amazing. Really cool and chilled out place with great music. Perfect if you want a nice chilled out time.

• Pros: Great food, Chilled out, Value for money