Ruby Red Flamingo

Packed on a Friday night, but prompt service. The burnt butter ravioli was to die for.

So so so where do I start. I have been wanting to eat here ever since it has opened and yet, it has taken me so long to get here. But finally! It was early on a weeknight so we got a table but even for a weeknight the place soon filled up. Apparently theres4a bar upstairs where you can have some drinks and wait for a table.
I wish we could try more but two girls can only eat so much and we love pasta so we ordered the Cannelloni Verdi and Mezze Maniche with prawns, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and creamy sauce. The cannelloni was super delicious, very tasty creamy filling that just melts away. For a «small» serve it was pretty big with 2 cannellonis. The prawn pasta was also fantastic with abundant fresh prawns and excellent flavour. The pasta? Perfectly al dente. If all the dishes are like these two I can see all the fuss about this place.
The only thing that puts me off is the no booking policy, that’s probably one of the reasons why I haven’t been yet… in case I couldn’t get a table. Anyway, can’t wait to come back and try other things.

I have a hate hate relationship with places that don’t take reservations, I never really understood the concept, I understand places who do half reservations half walk ins but none at all… yeh don’t get.
Anyways Ruby Red are happy for you to travel up to the bar and wait or give you a call if you go wandering.
Staff are amazing at Ruby but I find the lack of menu awkward and it tends to look like you are just staring at people under the outside menu when choosing.
BUT with these couple of negatives the food shines for Ruby and hellooooo its delish! Fresh bocconcini, tomato, basic to start was light, fresh and the best way to get that palette juices flowing. The beverage menu isn’t great and my bfs dislike for Italian beers didn’t help, BUT once again the food out shined what was lacking.
Crab chilli pasta deliciousness was to die for, the serving was epic and it was all so fresh but simple.
To finish you have to get coffee and hell it was worth it.
Surprisingly the bill didn’t make my purse shake in fear.
Love.

Although this place sometimes has a long wait, it’s totally worth it. I’ve been here a few times and everything’s been wonderful. It’s got a great atmosphere with all the quirky old crockery and décor. If you have to wait for a table there is a cute upstairs bar where you can enjoy a drink while you wait. Great Italian food. No complaints here.

I will give this another chance because I see potential, but this rating reflects my most recent visit. Sadly, my work Christmas function fell on one of the hottest days of the year. We were able to book as we were more than 10 people, so no problems there. We had booked weeks beforehand.
We were set up at a long table at the back of the marquee — outside. Neither of the marquee’s fans were set up in a way that reached our table. Instead, the air-conditioner’s exhaust vent (that blows hot air) was right next to our table.
I was a little upset that we had ended up outside on such a hot day but then I saw that it was possibly stuffier inside. They had a sign up that they’d experienced power outages that day and so I’m attributing the stuffy, slightly smelly interior (particularly near the toilets) to that.
That’s the bad. The food was good, but I was a little surprised by heavy pasta and grilled meats on the banquet menu, given the heat. The restaurant does not put a menu online because it says it wants to provide seasonal variation, but the food choices were all so heavy for the heat.
The cocktails were delicious, but we got blank stares from the wait staff if we tried to order a standard cocktail that was not on the menu. Otherwise, the staff was attentive. The cocktails were good. The setting was generally nice and interesting. I’ll definitely give in another try when it’s not summer!

I have eaten here many times and invited friends along.
Every time the food is delicious and decent portions
All of the pasts is cooked to perfection
The lamb cutlets are amazing!
Drinks are excellent and I love the fact the you don’t have to book and they send you up stairs to a have a drink/​cocktail in a really cool atmosphere.
Service is unobtrusive and attentive, cant fault it
If you like good old Italian home cooking, you will love this as I do!

Still good Italian style food using our great produce, with a wide variety of reasonably priced dishes. Service was just as warm and friendly as last time and they were only too happy to customise dishes to the best of what they have on hand. It’s a relaxing, informal atmosphere, what will be the next décor trend after the seventies recycled quirkiness that has popped up around Adelaide these last few years?

Thursday night dinner. Great ambience, warm interior, great service. Feels lIke we were invited to a casual dinner party event. Love the upstairs bar to have drinks while waiting for your table to be ready. Since there were only 2 of us, it didn’t take long, possibly only 20mins. Had the rabbit pasta and gnocchi. The gnocchi is fabulous, total must-​try. My eating partner described it as fluffy clouds that melts in your mouth, and indeed they were. Rabbit pasta was flavourful and the portions were big.
Worth going again :)

Casual and yet refined in a hippy kind of way, welcoming and not given you’re often made to wait for a table (but not long), authentic but also modern and exciting. This restaurant should be on your list if you enjoy Italian fare, or even if you don’t. Staff are knowledgable and friendly, suggestive not pushy, personable and kind of make you feel at home. Do yourself a favour.

I was definitely hesitant to visit Ruby Red Flamingo; you see, I NEED to be able to see menus online before deciding to dine somewhere and with no menu online, I was a little scared — but life is all about pushing your limits (sometimes just a little bit.!)
So I planned to come here with a friend for her birthday dinner and we both had a fabulous experience! With a helpful waitress we were able to make meal decisions and chose two entrees and a main to share — and it was all divine! A polenta dish with a cheese sauce and our beetroot ravioli were both standouts. We also ordered a ‘refresher’ drink which was super yummy and, of course, refreshing!
Great Italian food was on offer with a mix of traditional and contemporary flavours — a really special experience!
It got a little bit noisy as the restaurant began to fill, which did make conversation difficult however this was my only complaint — I think this great experience might go some way towards helping me overcome my fear of visiting places without online menus!

Oh man, this has been a while coming, but I feel like this was just yesterday…
This is a COOL. AS. PLACE!!!
The first person we saw after we walked into the most fabulously comic-​like door was a casually dressed fellow who showed us to our seats — where it became clear that everyone was just having a good time — staff, patrons, chefs — and the casual relaxed atmosphere has the staff casually dressed too (big like!).
The food is so tasty. There are entrees, mains, and desserts to make your mouth fill with a pond of saliva… We has some very fancy octopus and seafood as entrees, and then a delish squid ink seafood fresh pasta. I dream of those plates still.
There is no reservation taken, they just want you in the door and at a table enjoying yourself. The staff are all well informed of the meals on offer, which had me sold on the squid ink pasta, and they are all ready to have a chat and a laugh with you!
Will definitely go again. Soon. STAT!

Oh my gosh!!!
This busy little restaurant cannot be missed. I came on a Friday night, so it was filled to the brim with people (note, you can’t reserve a table for a group under 10). The staff took down our names, as they didn’t have a vacant table and sent us upstairs to wait at the cocktail bar.
About 10 minutes later we were called downstairs to a vacant table. We were given some bread and told the specials.
We both ordered a main and shared them. All I can say is the salmon is to die for!!!
Definitely give it a try, but skip if you’re feeling hungry and want to eat straight away!

I’d put off coming here, thinking it wasn’t for me. We tried one Saturday night only to be told there’d be at least a 45 minute wait. Since we weren’t willing to wait, they sent us off with a card for 2 free small plates at lunch, and told us to try their new Tony Tomatoes restaurant around the corner.
Weeks passed, and I was willing to try it again.
The fact that you can’t book for less than 10 people was off-​putting. I was told that by 6pm there would be a bit of a wait. Nevertheless, we turned up not long after they opened on a Saturday night (5.30pm) and were seated right away. It filled up quickly after that.
I was pleasantly surprised to see families dining here. I hadn’t thought it was that kind of restaurant, catering more to the trendy and child-​free who have time to hang around drinking, waiting for a table.
Not quite sure about sizing, we ordered the polenta and mushroom entrée to share, and the large cannelloni verdi and mezzo maniche con gamberi, also shared.
The mezzo maniche con gamberi was the star dish, although the polenta entrée was nice too.
However, everything was smothered in cheese which made it all feel very stodgy.
The service was also patchy, with two waiters attending to our table, not sure what the other was doing. One of them thought we were ready to leave after eating our entrée, when we were still waiting for our mains.
Overall, I found the experience a bit pretentious and the food not that great.

You can find me on a Friday evening holding down the corner table next to the fire with a few friends.
The food is great and good value. The staff are outgoing, explain the menu well, encourage sharing of meals and are friendly and personable.
The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable and I love sitting outside under the marquee during warmer months.
The cherry tomatoes set off the steak which comes with full garlic cloves and lots of flavour. The gamberi pasta is to die for (personal favourite). The veal scallopini was fantastic to taste. The Atlantic salmon is amazing as when I’ve had it, it was cooked to perfection.
I’ll be back, holding down my corner spot. If you want to fight for it, meet me @ 5:25pm on Friday ;)

Even though we had to wait an hour for dinner on the Wednesday night, the food was amazing and made up for the long wait. I thought that the food would take a long time to come out but surprisingly the service was quite fast.
The waitress was super friendly and more than happy to suggest a few dishes off of the large menu.
The dishes are designed to be shared so we got to try do many different options. Although it would have been good if serving cutlery was provided.
All in all a great new Adelaide restaurant and definitely somewhere I’d love to visit again.

Really enjoyed our meal here! Nice atmosphere, warm lighting, welcoming staff.
The waiters — who were very conscientious and attentive — chose our dishes for the group and we enjoyed a range of the beautiful menu.
Was a little loud and windy in the marquee area but this added to the lovely, vibrant buzz of the place.
Get in early to score a table and explore a few different share plates!

Loved it. It is a little funky, romantic and relaxed. I will definitely eat here again

Upon reading the reviews I had formed the opinion that I wasn’t going to be amazed by Ruby Red!
I must have been in luck the night I went as it was one of the most delightful culinary experiences I had ever experienced!
Sure you can’t book which is a bit frustrating, but we just enjoyed drinks at the trendy bar upstairs while we waited. My advice would be to go early, or don’t go starving hungry.
The décor is a mismatched disaster perfectly orchestrated — and really adds to the appeal of the venue.
The service was fabulous however that could have been because we had one of the greatest waiters of all time. It was an Italian gentleman with a thick accent which added to the experience because after much deliberation our party of five had no idea what to order so we handed the reigns over to him and everything he ordered was authentic Italian and very delicious. The food is all designed to share so I would recommend going in a larger group to get the full experience.
I can’t wait to visit again!

I went to this restaurant a little while ago now, and after reading Unilocal reviews, I was sincerely looking forward to experiencing the amazing customer service provided by the raved about infamous Jeremy.
First the food. Italian tapas, the menu is plastered all over the walls — I think this is the most awkward way to present a menu, often resulting in a room full of people all looking around in moderate confusion. One section of the menu happened to be written just above my head which gave me the uncomfortable notion that people were staring at me. Oh and the table and glassware was definitely fished out of Nonna’s 70’s sideboard. Service was excellent, our waitress happily suggested the beef carpaccio with tuna mousse, and then happily refunded it when we disliked it immensely. 5 gold stars and a $ 20 tip.
Anyway, we decided to head upstairs after our meal for a cocktail. It is very quaint up there, kind of like walking into someones rumpus room where they have set up a little bar. Jeremy (i wonder if he realises he is famous on here) was like the friend of the teenage son of the people who owned the rumpus room, earning his keep by making classic cocktails which he learned from the internet while smoking copious amount of Pineapple Express (I am completely making this up).
What fascinates me about Jeremy is his complete lack of customer service skills coupled with his fantastic ability to make a good Negroni. We ordered, and then it kind of felt like an invisible wall had been placed between us and the bar, because we had clearly become invisible. I kind of prefer this to fake friendliness and mindless chitchat.
Give Jeremy a break everyone, he made you a good drink, now you can go away.

I really wanted to give this place a try after hearing good things about it. They don’t take bookings so I was a bit worried about having to wait. I got there with a friend around 6pm on a Friday and was seated straight away, but I did notice that by the time we left about an hour and a half later there seemed to be a line-​up of groups waiting for a table.
The atmosphere is casual and laid-​back with a mix-​match of furniture, cutlery and glassware, giving the place a very cool, eclectic vibe. The waiting staff are energetic and very helpful, particularly if you are a first-​time visitor.
Like many places around Adelaide now, there is a small plate option (designed to share) or a large plate option (including their pasta menu). We ordered 4 small plates to share: the Gnudi (ricotta and spinach balls in a beautiful, fresh tomato sauce), Spiedini (chargrilled prawns, squid, capiscum and mushroom), Paillard (veal, roast potatoes and spinach) and Cannelloni (from their specials menu). The small plates were all between $ 10-​$ 15. There was also complimentary crusty bread.
It was a good amount of food for 2 people, but left room for dessert. For dessert we had the Tortino (chocolate pudding) to share and a couple of Espresso Martinis — yum!
They have a relatively small wine list, but you can also byo.
Overall this place had a great atmosphere, the food was great and the service was great — definitely recommended to others, but get in early to avoid the line-​up.