On business in Portsmouth and I heard some good things about Ruby's Wood Grill in York from some of the guys who work at the Shipyard.
Most importantly they said it wouldn't be crazy crowded during the tourist season, which I happened to be right in the middle of. I hate lines, so it was a simple decision and I was headed to York.
I decided to grab a seat at the bar. Quickly the bartender was over to take my drink order. They have a pretty decent selection of beers including a few local micro-brews on tap. They tout there large beers, which are full pints ... better than a lot of places will give. Â
Looking at the menu and my Yelp App I knew what I was having for dinner. The Pasta from Hell is the most recommended item on Yelp and I love spicy food. I ordered the pasta (which comes with a blackened chicken breast sliced into it) and a side of garlic bread. The food was out quickly and was steaming hot. I tried the sauce alone first by dipping in my garlic bread. It was extremely flavorful and had a nice kick to it. I proceeded to absolutely destroy the bowl and wiped up the remaining sauce with my garlic bread.
The price couldn't be beat for the food and 2 beers the total pre-tip was under $25. Certainly nothing to complain about there. I'll definitely be back to Ruby's.
Service was great. Â A little shocking to have the cooks yell for the waitress when their orders are up, but once you know this happens, you get used to it. Â If you startle easy, sit at the tables in the bar area. Â The waitress, who was in training as bartender also, made a fantastic cosmo! Â The chicken tenders as appetizers were very good. Â LOVE the sauce they come with. Â The bison burger was phenomal!! Â Perfectly cooked and a very good mixture of different toppings resulting in NOOOOO need to add anything to the burger at all. Â Don't mess with perfection! Â The mac and cheese was the best my husband said he has ever had. Â Ample portion! Â Needed to take food home as we were filled up with the portions supplied. Â Looking forward to going back to try something else!!
Review Source:As a local business owner, I share my favorite places with clients that come to the York's. Â They first ask about housing, school systems and the many other related real estate questions. Â When we wrap up a tour of the area familiarizing them with the many attributes that the York's has to offer, the last question is usually where would you recommend we have a casual lunch or dinner. Â The quick answer, Ruby's! Â Their meals are consistently good and the meal n drinks are well.....let's just say very generous. Â One of my favorites for lunch is their chicken/mayo salad on a huge bed of lettuce w/ a thick and creamy blue cheese dressing. Â For dinner my favorites are the Pasta From Hell, a fettuccini tossed in a "hot" spicy cream sauce w/ tomatoes, parm and topped off with blackened chicken. Â Now that is delicious and I usually get two meals out of that one. Â Sometime garlic bread on the side. Â My other favorite for dinner is The MacDougal Pizza, BBQ sauce, grilled chicken....I always request it blackened finished off with bacon and mozzarella. Â Now that is nice. Â For apps my favorite is the double order of double dipped chicken wings. Â You guessed it hot and spicy! The staff and owners are a huge part of the experience for us. Â Ruby's is a place we find most of our friends at so it is like old home week every time we go in.
Review Source:I am in York once every 3-4 months and I make sure to stop by Ruby's every time I am passing through. Â Their pizza is fantastic! Â Crispy on the bottom, fresh sauce, and tasty cheese. Â I have never had a soggy pizza at Ruby's and I must have ordered at least 20 pizzas from them. Â Another reviewer said their one-size pizza is "small" but I can only ever finish half of it in one sitting. Â Plus, their pizza is infinitely better than the generic York House of Pizza. Â My husband also loves their pasta from hell which is a "must try" if you're a hot sauce lover. Â On top of everything else, the waitresses are super nice and I like the fact that they get along and talk amongst each other. Â I love seeing co-workers who like each other instead of grimacing as they brush by each other. Â I cannot recommend Ruby's enough. Â I even had dinner at Ruby's the night following my morning wedding!
Review Source:Yet another reason why the York area is screaming for decent pizza. Totally overpriced for a tiny, personal pizza. Â One size? Â WTF? Â How do you have a wood oven pizza joint and serve a pizza that looks like it came out of an Easy Bake Oven??? Â They call this wood fired? Â The crust was as soggy as a wet washcloth and way, way too much sauce on the plain cheese pizza. Â Again, epic pizza FAIL in York! Â Don't waste your money. Really...DON"T!
Review Source:I was not impressed by the service, a bunch of young girls giggling to themselves, they were nice but not very attentive. The food took a LONG time, over 40 minutes, and I was almost disappointed that it tasted good because of how frustrated I was. I got a cheese pizza (called The Wimpy, I've never been a fan of insulting your customer for their food choices) and it was really tasty. There were a lot of pizza options that looked good but I'm picky so I stuck with cheese. My fiance got King Edward Island Mussels with bacon, blue cheese, and a shallot sauce. He enjoyed them a lot. We also got garlic bread, which I enjoyed but he did not.
Review Source:GROUPON CUSTOMERS BEWARE!!!!
We've been to Ruby's several times over the past few years. Â I was excited to tryout groupon and this time of year, my family is on a budget for entertainment. Â RUBY'S WILL NOT TAKE THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF GROUPON .Although, NO WHERE are you informed of this until bill time. Â When I asked if I could have my credit card credited if I came back with the printout, I was informed, No, I'd have to use it on my next visit. Â SO a meal that should have cost my family about $40, cost us over $80.00!!! Â I've filled a refund with groupon so we shall see. Obviously treating customers like that isn't going to make them rush back. Â Very unfortunate experience with a restaurant that we've supported for years.
This was the only place that looked appealing to us during  a quick stayover in the area. A quick wait on a Friday night, very friendly service - the server had a heckuva memory and was super friendly. We had chowder which was delicious on a chilly night, and I had the blackened burger (my once or twice yearly restaurant burger) and it was great. Only bummer was that they charged me .50 for three slivers of onion - I find that ridiculous. My son's pulled pork sandwich was tasty but he said it was too liquidy and that he "drank the sandwich". Fine for that evening, should really get 3.5 stars, but we didn't have that option. Liked the large menu and happy atmosphere.
Review Source:Some of the best pizza I've ever eaten. While staying in Maine on vacation, we ate at Ruby's 3 times! Â Twice for pizza, and once with just entrees, and each time was really great. Â There are lots of options for seating. Â They have a bar with tables, a traditional dining room and a sports bar area as well.
Review Source:Ruby's is a great little local restaurant. My boyfriend loves their flat bread pizzas, and I thoroughly enjoyed my pulled pork sandwich. It was the size of my head and the pork was so saucy that it melted the bottom half of my bun. Good fries too. Atmosphere is laid back and family oriented, a lot of locals, and service is friendly.
Review Source:One of the more local places, a nice change from all the tourist restaurants once you head towards the beaches. The food is constantly and consistently excellent, although once in a while there's a little something wrong (but everyone makes mistakes, right?) Â Wait staff is friendly and atmosphere is usually very nice, family dining. The back patio can get very loud during any sports game though. Highly recommend.
Review Source:Been going to Ruby's for 18 months. Â It's consistently good. Â Awesome clam chowder. Â Fantastic chicken wings (with ranch.) Â Nice specials when you get the coupons in the mail. Â The Odyssey pizza is my favorite pizza. Â The artichokes make it soggy and my suggestion would be to wring out the artichokes before throwing them on the pizza. Â And we add pepperoni, which makes it awesome. Â It's a nice local place to grab something to eat in a chill atmosphere.
Review Source:My first experience will also be my last visit to Ruby's. We sat in the bar and the young (20's) wait staff were so loud hurt my ears. They were busy laughing over some video they were watching on their smart phones.
When my pizza arrived, it was just dough underneath the sauce - uncooked. I pointed it out to the wait staff who gave me 1/2 off the meal.
Everything I said in my first review still applies to Ruby's. Â I still adore this place. Â
I went back there recently and tried the Pasta From Hell (I pussied out and got the mild dish). Â That's what warranted the update - their pasta is as good as their pizza, folks.
The last time I was there, I also noticed that a lot of customers were like family. Â Most people knew each other by name. Â I actually felt a little odd as an outsider (but not odd enough not to enjoy my time there). Â
I was positively enchanted when a little girl in a poofy dress ran up to me and asked me to look at her (imaginary) mouse. Â Her parents grinned and summoned her back to their table.
While the above paragraph is not part of the service at Ruby's, it's a signature of the experience overall. Â
Don't tell anyone, but if I could get away with it, I'd totally wear that poofy dress (in a grownup size). Â You know you would too, ladies. Â :)
I love Ruby's. Â On the bar side. Â Odd locals banter and you can listen with abandon. Â Probably my favorite pizza of anywhere...the Kenny with jalapeno's. Â Special beer every night...the ones I like...Newcastle, Bass, Guinness, etc. Â Always stop here and get a pizza to take to the beach.
Review Source:Okay so maybe I am a bit biased on this one since I used to work here back in 1997 - 1999, but that was over 7 years ago and the place is still turning out amazing food. Â Ruby's changed owners a while back, actually purchased by a bartender I had worked with name Karl. He kept the menu pretty much the same and when I go there now you would think the place still had the same cook. Â The menu is vast, with many vegetarian options and since they have a brick oven they also have a specialty pizza menu. Â The restaurant is pretty well known for its ribs and pulled pork, but my personal favorite is the create your own quesadilla. These too are cooked in the brick oven. Â If you like beer you won't be disappointed. Â They have over 12 different beers on tap both at the inside bar and at the outdoor bar in the back. Â And this brings me to the best part. Ruby's has a screened in out door porch/bar that has TV's so the game is always on. The atmosphere is casual and fun. Â If you find yourself on the seacoast in southern, ME you'll want to check this place out.
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