Little Ruby's SoHo — Restaurant in New York

First time ever going to Ruby’s Cafe, and I was left beyond fascinated by their food. I accidentally came across Ruby’s Cafe, after being rudely treated at Mother’s Ruin and walking out from their establishment. My friend and I were looking for a good brunch option, and the first thing that grabbed my attention was the outside seating decor from Ruby’s. After seeing their Brekkie food options, I knew we had to eat here.

I’ll begin with the food… IT’S EXCEPTIONAL! Delicious! I never knew avocado toast could be flavorful, it’s one of the best I’ve had, it also easily fills you up. The B.L.A.T was also very tasty. The bread they use is so crunchy, nicely toasted as well which adds an even nicer crunch to it. I was curious about the Chia Muesli, and I’m glad I ordered it, the rhubarb is the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity. Now, I’m not a fan of ricotta, and when I tried the hotcakes I was left beyond impressed! It perfectly blended together, the light addition of ricotta inside of the pancakes then dipped in chocolate… Amazing!

Please note Ruby’s Cafe does get extremely busy, we went on a Monday 3pm and there was a waitlist for about 40 minutes. The hostess/waitress who took care of us was very kind, she quickly took our name down, and regularly gave us updates on the table. She also picked up the slack of her coworker who honestly is the reason why I almost gave this place 1 star.

We were seated first, quickly looked at the menu to confirm what we wanted since the Brekkie Menu was almost over. About 5 minutes later two people are seated in the table next to us. The waiter, a very tall blonde young man quickly went to their table, immediately brought them water and took their order to make sure they got the brunch menu. He definitely saw our table, but decided to skip over it (I know why but okay). We mentioned it to his coworker (the young waitress), and she came speed running to take our order because she wanted to make sure we got the Brekkie Menu.

About 10 minutes after that, the male waiter finally comes over and says “Hi how are you? Are you all set to order?” Please… After we had been sitting there for 20 minutes now. I didn’t want to snap because I had just snapped at the bad service from Mother’s Ruin, but honestly if it wasn’t for the waitress I would’ve lost my cool. Give that girl a raise, she definitely knows what great customer service is!

After that, the waiter returned with the food, he started making an attempt at joking with our table, being nice and asking if we were fine. After the initial bad impression, he started convincing me when he brought over a complimentary margarita for my friend. However, then he completely went missing again, and lost me. His coworkers once again were picking up his slack and came running to pack up our food, and drop off our check. If his shift was over, he should’ve said something, but after how he had been treating us and the “favoritism” he showed to the other table, I wouldn’t doubt this is just what he does, shame. Please note: Another party of six also complained about his service to the waitress.

Their Brekkie Menu is so worth it, and served daily. I’ve recommended the place already to all my friends. I am eager to return to try out their other items. Honestly, I am giving this place a second chance because of the other employees (NOT the male waiter) and the food. If it weren’t for that, I...

Food

These are my reviews on the things I ate, not what was all ordered as I came in a group.

Fries with Truffle Aioli Crispy and had a good potato consistency. Not much taste to the fries even with all the seasoning. Sauce gave a good kick to the fries, which was much needed. The sauce, though, tasted just like ranch.

Crispy Brussel Sprouts Brussel Sprouts weren't too soft or too hard, a good medium. Dressing and herbs gave a good mix of taste, barely noticed the quinoa. Dressing all fell to the bottom and soaked the bottom leaves, leaving them to be very salty and hard to eat.

Ruby's Ragu Braised Beef had a strong kick to it, well seasoned. Mixed with the sauce, the beef became a little too salty to eat on its own. The pappardelle pasta was cooked al dente. The pasta didn't soak up any of the sauce taste. it definitely needed the beef with each bite. The burrata didn't really add much, but it did help with the taste for the pasta.

Bronte Burger Ciabatta was toasted just fine. It wasn't too hard but definitely wasn't too soft. The meat to slice ratio was a little off. One slice had a lot, and the other slice the meat was barely there. The slice without a lot of meat caused it to slide around after each bite. There was a very herby taste to each bite with the meat. Spinach and tomato were just the right amount to not overpower the burger or cause it to be too big. Sweet chili and mayo were only tasted during bites without the meat present.

Iced Tea Peach

Was unsweetened tea with peach flavoring. The flavoring gave slight hints of peach, not enough to be considered as peach flavored. Did come with a slice of lemon.

Place

Consisted of outdoor and indoor seating. Outdoor seating was a little hard to sit, as it was on the street the terrain wasn't flat and level. Indoor seating was slightly cramped, but there was enough room to eat comfortably. Was sat on the side of the kitchen. With that being said, the air is not cool enough inside to have an open kitchen. I was sweating through the entire meal without feeling like I was cooling down. Nice place but needs more air.

Service

The host was very nice, and our first 2 waiters were as well. We originally sat outside, but we asked if we could be moved inside as we were having trouble with seating on the uneven terrain. The host was kind and allowed us to switch inside. Our waiter helped us move our utensils and menus inside. The second waiter came out to take our order and was very attentive to what we were saying and answered all our questions kindly. Though it did take around 10 minutes of waiting before we had our order taken. Our third waiter wasn't as kind as the others. We were wrapping up our meal and empty dishes were on the table, without saying "excuse me" or any kind saying, the waiter just snatched dishes and cups out of infront of us and reaching over the table as some of us were still dining. When we finished eating and were given the check and a take out box, the waiter just dropped it on the table.

Final thoughts

The being a quick meal, it was enjoyable. It could have been better but was a decent...

Live in the neighborhood and I've been here a few times but had a weird one tonight. On the menu, it lists unlimited sparkling water, $2. As someone who has replaced drinking alcohol with sparkling water, this sounds great! Ok, last time I was here, I asked for the sparkling water. They brought me a bottle of Saratoga, which costs more and is not unlimited. I didn't say anything that time, but the server didnt specify and neither did I so, OK I let it slide. This time I made sure to point to what I wanted to the server on the menu so it was clear. Server acted confused about this and pushed the cocktail specials. I said no thanks, we don't drink alcohol. A few minutes later a different server comes to the table with one sparkling water in a glass with a lime and a sprig of something, it looks amazing! I say yes great, but we ordered 2 (two of us at the table). The server acts confused, says OK and walks away with the sparkling water, not putting it down as expected. Me and my partner are confused and laughing to ourselves, a bit incredulous (customer service is so weird in nyc sometimes lol). A good while later, our main server comes back and says the sparkling water is no longer available but that we could purchase a bottle of Saratoga. I asked what he means by that when the other server had just come out with a glass and took it away. He says sorry, but again we could purchase a bottle of Saratoga. I tell him forget about it. Didn't see the server again until it was time for the check. Since this is the second time Little Ruby's has stiffed me on the sparkling water, I ask why keep it on the menu if your servers don't want to serve it? Are they irritated that I don't order alcohol? I know this might seem trivial, but why frustrate/lie to your customers to their face? I know it's pretty common for nyc restaurants to act weird to their customers, but c'mon a little service goes a long way and I probably won't come back because of this :/ (I know, they don't care lol and no, I don't have anything better to do than write this :))....