Ruby's Jamaican Kitchen — Restaurant in Groveton

Not sure why all the bad reviews. But I’m glad I went and tried for myself because I was not disappointed. First of all it’s a tiny place, with only one communal table, so be prepared to take out. Even though they were moderately busy the wait time was no longer than your standard wait time for takeout. The staff were incredibly friendly and the customer service was so graceful. The cashier answered all of my questions as it was my first time and didn't seem annoyed or impatient at all. They were even giving out free slices of cake, a hearty portion, of the best carrot cake I’ve ever had! I ordered in house not over the phone and the wait time was normal. The food was great. I got the oxtails dinner portion with rice & peas, collard greens, and plantains. It was delicious! I think the people calling the food bland are used to very spicy Jamaican food; which this is not. It is definitely mild, but tasty. The oxtails were braised, fall off the bone tender. Not tough like some places, and the portion was definitely hearty. The food was not overly salty like some reviews claimed which I’m so happy about. I really have no complaints about the food. I will advise to check the menu before going as I planned to order so much food before realizing certain items like soups and dumplings are offered only on the weekends. Also the location is off Richmond Hwy with very limited parking. It’s a bit expensive as my order came up to $33 including tip and a drink. However, oxtails are always one of the most expensive items on any Jamaican restaurant menu and with inflation everything is overpriced. I do think it’s worth it, since there are very few Jamaican restaurants in Northern VA. I’ll definitely be back to try some of their other menu...

I have been eating here for about 9 months now. The positive is the food. Everything that I have ordered has been great to eat. This is the best Jamaican food I've had in the area by far.

The negative and reason for 3 stars is the online ordering service. On multiple occasions and as recently as yesterday I placed an online order and always pay for it during the ordering process online. The order was placed and the restaurant had at least 20 minutes to prepare my food before my arrival. I arrive 5 minutes after my designated pickup time. The ticket was still hanging in the prep area and had not even been prepared for pickup. Long and short of the matter, I waited another 35 minutes in restaurant for my order with the last item for them to make was a salad. No apologies were given.

The more frustrating issue is other patrons ordered in restaurant and received their food within 5 minutes depending on the number of customers in store. My order was a wrap, salmon platter, oxtail platter, beef patty and salad.

This issue has happened to me my last two visits and twice before. I understand some patrons pay for their online orders when they arrive in restaurant and it may be a hesistancy to prepare their food beforehand. But for patrons that pay online and have a designated pickup time, the establishment needs to have the food ready. It may be another couple of months before or if I return but this issue needs to be corrected. I would hate for this place to lose business when they have a great product due to these service issues. Its not much to ask...

Let's start with the positive. The place is pleasant, clean and the staff was friendly and enthusiastic. There's ample parking and it's easy to get to. The beef and chicken patties are great. The boiled dumplings and boiled yam was great. The vegetable patty was ok. Now to the entre's! I bought the jerk chicken, ackee and saltfish. A serving of festival, boiled dumplings and boiled yam and rice and peas. The rice and peas, boiled dumplings, boiled yam was excellent and that's it! The jerk was not jerk. They sell pan cooked chicken but not jerked anything. What disappointed me was not the method they used to cook the chicken but the fact that this was not jerk chicken by any measure. It was bland and had absolutely no jerk spice. There's no "spice" to the food at all unless you're going to buy hot sauce and add it yourself. I don't know about the other items on the jerk list but I would advise customers to not buy the jerk chicken as you're really paying top price for jerk/barbq bones and only jerk/barbq bones. Not "jerk" chicken but jerk/barbq chicken bones. The black cake is not true Jamaican fruit cake. True Jamaican fruit cake is soaked in alchohol. This cake looks good, tastes ok but it's not the real deal. The festival I bought was over fried and total crust. Not worth the money. The ackee and saltfish made me sick for two days. To be honest this purchase was ate in the day and given how long it was out, maybe that's why it made me sick. But nevertheless i certainly wouldn't advise buying...