Worst food ever! Was greatly disappointed in the quality of service. There was a FLY cooked into my meat balls, and my coffee was luke warm and tasted like dirt! Staff were also extremely rude. Never coming back again!
Sarah M.
Place rating: 3 Brisbane, Australia
My partner spotted a picture of the eggs benedict at Ruby on instagram, and requested we tried it out for breakfast over the weekend. So, when we woke up ridiculously early for no particular reason on Sunday we decided to pop down to give it a go. Ruby has a very cute vibe, and has both indoor and outdoor seating. It was raining the morning we went so we decided to sit inside. Super quick and cheery service service from the lovely waitress despite the fact it was 6.30am on a Sunday and I’m sure she would have rather been on bed! My partner got the eggs benedict bagel and I got the acai granola bowl. I am a massive acai fan so I was super excited to see this on the menu. The food looked absolutely awesome, really well presented. My acai bowl looked so promising — a layer of blended acai on the bottom, followed by a layer of crunchy granola, coyo(coconut yoghurt — pretty much the best thing ever), fresh banana, blueberries and pineapple, topped off with a piece of honey comb — but as I got to the bottom I realised they hadn’t fully blended the acai mix… If you have ever had acai that isn’t blended properly you’ll understand why this is a disappointment… It kind of tastes like dirt and has the the texture of a ball of sticks. It’s gross to say the least. Overall, Ruby is a super cute café, with pretty good coffee and a great menu but I was definitely disappointed with my acai bowl. I will be back at some point to give it another shot though!
Leilani H.
Place rating: 3 Brisbane, Australia
Thumbs up on food & drinks — meh on coffee so depends what you’re looking for I guess! This is a drive-by review as I work in the area and have only stopped either to grab a take away lunch or get coffee never to sit and hang. My faves so far — sweet potato fries w/chili aioli and the peach mango fizz.
Blake A.
Place rating: 5 Morningside, Brisbane, Australia
My housemate and I continue our Saturday breakfast tradition. We wandered to Paddington in search of food, stumbled across Ruby and loved it. The best seat in the house is at the back– overlooking Red Hill and Paddington. The weather was pleasant and the breeze glorious. A perfect compliment to the house style cheese burger and fries which went down a treat. My stomach aside, the prices seemed reasonable for the quality of food, service and ambiance. And if you’re a P! nk fan, one of the staff reminds me of her. :D
Lee-Anne S.
Place rating: 4 Brisbane, Australia
We had a ladies who brunch morning at Ruby today and it was fabulous. There were five of us plus a toddler. The staff were patient and friendly and were so great with the little one. The coffee was so great and the food was fresh and tasty. It was delivered quickly and with a smile. Prices were reasonable and they were happy for us to hang out for a few hours drinking coffee and chatting. What I really loved about this place was that they allowed us to book a table. A lot of places around Paddington won’t accept bookings, but Ruby were happy to take our booking a few days in advance. When there’s a toddler involved that’s really important. I’d definitely go back, without question.
Joey P.
Place rating: 4 Brisbane, Australia
Ruby Café is one of my favourite spots for brekkie. I’ve been there numerous times but mostly only Sat/Sun and only ever for breakfast. Have never done lunch. Service is always quick… mind you, they pretty much know my order now(yes, I’m boring). Food is great and the main thing, the coffee is excellent. I love sitting in Ruby’s with a coffee and the big broadsheet Sydney Morning Herald spread out all over the place — I have an iPad but there is something about broadsheet papers that I can’t give up.
Mem R.
Place rating: 2 Hobart, Australia
Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby, do ya do ya do ya do ya, disappoint me? Yes. Yes, you do, Ruby. I’m sorry. Perhaps it was another case of overhype, but your typeface is so lovely and your kit-out is so charming and I was so desperate to fall in love with you. But you don’t do all-day breakfasts, and while my lunch special of pulled pork pasta was tasty, it was also kind of weird.
Jeremy H.
Place rating: 4 South Brisbane, Australia
I’ve been here once, so this is a ‘first impressions’ review. They’re good. We were looking for places to go for breakfast, and a few people had recomended Ruby. Well, I’m not one to say no to breakfast(and if you are, I dont want to know you) so we went to check it out. While relatively busy on a sunday at 11:00, we were able to be seated straight away. Nice décor, nothing to write home about, but pretty and functional. Coffee was fantastic, and the Confit duck and potato hash was AMAZING! As was the Breakfast peas with bacon speck. I also got a virgin mary, because why the hell not, and it was delicious. I’ll definitely be returning to check out the rest of their amazing menu!
Oliver H.
Place rating: 4 Brisbane, Australia
Ruby is rare in that it’s one of the few places that I’d definitely much rather dine in at as opposed to opting for footpath tables. Usually the prospect of eating al fresco trumps even the most thoughtfully decorated interiors but at Ruby, the striking red ceiling(to match the name), woven bamboo wallpaper interspersed with cream panels decorated with images of red-breasted robins, plus the lovely views to Cairns St, make the inside a clear winner for me. And then there’s the inspired breakfast and lunch menus, which make Ruby a real standout on the competitive Paddington café scene. I’ve stopped in for breakfast and had the ‘coiled fennel and chilli sausage, tomato and pepper chutney, fried egg and watercress’. The meal was well present with the spiraled sausage(similar to Boerwurst in that respect) covered by a fried egg and topped with the watercress. The sausage is meaty and with a decent bite of chilli, but not so hot as to be overpowering in combination with the piquancy of the tomato and pepper chutney which coated the sausage. I’ll definitely be back to hit up a few interesting-sounding options from the lunch menu like the ‘smoked salmon and red quinoa burger with soy roasted beetroot, kewpie mayo and a side of fries’ and the ‘roasted kipfler potato with lavender salt’.
Ellie W.
Place rating: 4 Australia
It’s Saturday morning, 10.30am; there’s only one thing you could possibly be doing. Brunching(yes, it deserves to become an adjective). You know you’re in for a culinary treat if you find yourself in a three-person line waiting to be seated in a café with an abundance of full tables. And the line up isn’t an unpleasant one — there’s waiting stools, the waiters take your coffee orders and the timing is perfectly in sync as we are seated with hot coffees in hand. The blend is Vittoria, and is brewed to strong perfection, enabling you to focus on the menu in hand to make a sound decision for the most important meal of the day. The offerings are approachable takes on the classics — strawberry bircher muesli and bubble ‘n’ squeak hash cakes with poached eggs and basil hollandaise, for instance. The eggs were cooked to perfection, and oozed yolk over the hash cakes(which were loaded with potato, sweet potato and peas) creating a wonderful texture, packed with flavour. As for the strawberry bircher muesli — a successful adaptation; the strawberry really gives it a whole new dimension and would be something I’d contemplate ordering for myself(never been a fan of the bircher). The place has a fantastic ambience; high, ruby-red ceiling and a number of seating options — soft cushioned benches, bay windows and al fresco seating. It’s also well-staffed, meaning that coffee and food orders are taken straight away and water glasses are constantly full. You’d be fooled into thinking this place has been open for years — it’s about to turn 2 months old. So get your brunching face on and sip your next latte at the crest of Given Terrace.
Sun E.
Place rating: 4 Brisbane, Australia
I really didn’t think it was possible to squeeze yet ANOTHER café into Paddington’s bustling scene — and I definitely didn’t think anything new would be potentially better than my old faves. I’ve only had a coffee from Ruby Café so far, but I’ll be back for breakfast ASAP. Great location, cute décor, amazing coffee and very intriguing menu is ticking all my boxes. Looks like my old loves better watch out, there’s a new mistress in town.