Ruby’s Diner

Great late lunch with 6 of us after the movies. The food is average diner fare, burgers, fries, sandwiches, salads… The service was exceptional, from our waiter checking on us several times, to the manager strolling by to check that everything was OK… Great solid place, wouldn’t hesitate to return in the future.

Calamari was ok. Hot, crispy, and came with 3 dipping sauces. All-​day breakfast cinnamon french toast had good flavor but was room temp. It would be good to heat them up a little bit or something before putting them on the grill. Servers were attentive. But I had to wait a while infront when I first came in. 2.5 stars for this one, but I might come back next time for the burgers. We’ll see.

When your movie doesn’t start for another half hour, what better is there to do than grab delicious milk shakes and frings? My husband and I did just that! We ordered 2 shakes: chocolate chip cookie dough and Oreo Fantasy. Both were delicious and not too thick or soupy either! We also ordered a basket of Frings but I saw other patrons order burgers and I was so tempted to order one. My husband reminded me that we only had 20 minutes to spare after receiving our shakes. Our service was great too. The women wear cute dresses and the restaurant is decorated to look very mod and retro! I want to come back for dinner, maybe after a day of shopping!

My wife and I stopped in here after a movie date. Everything was nice and clean and the service was good. We had burgers, Fries, and milkshakes. Everything tasted great.

I ate at Rubys diner today. The manager on duty I ordered a gluten free Ruby burger and I asked for it to be made with a half pound burger. Instead they brought me the All American burger. I have eaten at this Rubys twice now sense it’s got remodel the food is not good very good. And it seems that the ability of the server and the manager this time to listen to the customer was bad. Thank God for the little lady who was a hostess catching the gluten in my meal.
It broke my heart to not see this Ruby’s busy with customers. I got my start as a balloon artist. Many years ago I was the captain here and you can ask my good friend Kurt Aldridge. It was in Year six of rubies existence when I started there I left saying to myself they should lower the food prices to get people in here or they should shut this Ruby’s down. I am now a famous balloon artist. I would find it hard sending people to this review to eat. Too many people standing around doing very little. Is the owner of Ruby’s would like to call me he can google San Diego balloon guy I’m all over the internet. And I can give some constructive feedback…

A Classic Rubyburger (lettuce, tomato, mayo, and choice of cheese) and fries for $ 1.99 in honor of Ruby’s 33^rd anniversary was what brought me to this location yesterday evening after work. I’d meant to give them a try whenever I was finished watching a movie at the AMC 20, but I usually was full from the movie popcorn I tend to order.
Seeing how the interior booths were packed, I opted for a seat at the patio… shortly after, I placed my order for the Anniversary Special (along with upgrading the fries to garlic ones for a buck extra) and an order of the fried calamari strips ($ 9.99). I was surprised at how quickly I got my order; I figured that due to the large amount of diners inside and out, the kitchen would be slammed.
Be that as it may, my burger and fries didn’t disappoint; I’ve always felt that Ruby’s garlic fries were among the best offerings in the chain, and this location was right on target. The burger was satisfying, with a nicely toasted bun and melted Cheddar cheese (the other choices are American, Swiss, and pepper jack). The calamari was what really filled me up — served with ranch, cocktail, and tartar sauce, the strips weren’t overly fried and in fact had a decent crunch.
I was a bit surprised to see that while the exterior of this Ruby’s had a retro feel, the interior looked more modern than the Oceanside location I’ve visited a few times. But, the service was on point, especially at how busy the evening was due to the Anniversary Specials being ordered by many budget-​minded customers.
Definitely keeping this Ruby’s in mind whenever I stop by Westfield Mission Valley!

Friendly staff!
Awesome Milk Shakes!
I ordered a Bacon cheeseburger didn’t eat it cause the patty was extremely dry.

After loving Ruby’s Diner in Commerce City, CA, I was excited to stumble upon this one when I just wanted to eat and not worry about finding somewhere to go.
The service here was great! However, the food was average, at best. The cinnamon roll french toast pales in comparison to (I can’t believe it) IHOP’s CinnaRoll French Toast. The eggs were overdone, but still edible. This wasn’t the same quality of food I received in Commerce City, sadly. But at least I won’t be craving it anymore.

People are very welcoming when you come in and greet you with a smile. Every server smiles and shifts the overwhelming atmosphere to a über vibe.
I often go to Rubys when I am craving their tuna melt sandwich and their sinfully delicious sweet potato fries. By the way, they have free refills.
Fair word of caution:
do not go here if you are starving because they have a menu that is so vast and can be overwhelming, in the sense of wanting to eat everything, unless you are clear you know what you want.
Food: menu is organized well. Sandwiches, burgers, and salads. They have a great selection of beef burgers, turkey burgers and also for the vegetarian. Their veggie option is delicious. Pattie is cooked to perfection which is moist on the outside. Speed of food coming to the table is quick and impressive.
Atmosphere: clean, updated and modern diner. Love the colors and plenty of light.
Great place for a casual date or bring along your family.
Service: warm and friendly. Each Ruby’s employee greets you with a smile and feel welcomed.
Manager; Moses, he is very professional and courteous. He came to see how we were doing and how everything was. I was happily surprised, not many restaurants have the owner or manager come out to see how their guests are enjoying the experience and food. I get this service at a Ritz Carlton.
Overall experience I give it a 5 * and the see i.e. and food keeps me returning.

This diner is the best. I’ve been enjoying the food and culture. Service was awesome and the people are friendly. What an honor to see this place in existence. Kudos to Ruby’s!

Came here for dinner one Saturday night before a movie. We had an hour to spare. We got 2 shakes and a small clam chowder. I was craving the chowder.
It took nearly the entire hour to get our order!!! The shakes and the chowder came out at the same time! The establishment was not at all busy to say they were backed up or anything and there were tables seated after us that got their full meals before we even got our shakes. I guess, now I’m just assuming here, that because our order was so small, our waitress didn’t see us as a priority.
The shakes were good. I ordered the banana shake. Delicious. My husband got peanut butter. I didn’t even get a chance to try his but he said it was good. The chowder started off good but had a weird aftertaste closer to the bottom. I couldn’t finish. If service was better, maybe it’d be good… next time I’ll order ahead.

Good spot in the Mission Valley Mall for some diner food. Quick service, and a pretty vast menu of items to choose from. Ended up with the fresh roast turkey breast sandwich (complete with cranberry sauce!) with cajun fries and an iced tea. Wasn’t too pricey, and I had a great time with some friends for dinner.

Decent burgers. Definitely not the best. The prices are not that bad either.
Coming back for milkshakes though.

I used to always come here and specifically for their pepper jack cheese sticks, random but they were SOOO good! Sadly the cheese sticks are no longer on the menu! :(Asked for a corona and they were out, great! Settled for something on draft and waited 20 minutes to get our drinks! REALLY? We were so close we could have got up and poured our own drinks in 2 seconds! Waited about another 20 minutes, when we were literally just about to walk out and finally got our food. We should have known from the beginning when we had to get up and ask the hostess when someone was going to take our order!
The manager happened to walk by and ask how we were doing and we told him about everything, he was very apologetic and offered free desert, but I wasn’t really in the mood. He ended up taking our beers off the bill which was nice.
I do enjoy their burgers so that’s the only reason I’m giving 2 stars. Never had such a bad experience here, will not go out of my way to come here again :/

We decided to come here for dinner tonight because there’s a special deal. You get a burger and fries for $ 1.93. Why so cheap? It’s because it’s Ruby’s 93^rd birthday. What an awesome way to attract customers and celebrate Ruby! I normally don’t come here cause it’s a tad pricey but tonight was worth the trip out here.
As soon as we walked up to Ruby’s, there was a line out the door. We stood in line for about 15 minutes which isn’t bad compared to waiting an hour at other restaurants.
We got seated by the hostess and she got our drink and orders going. We all get waters and go with three specials. I get my burger with cheddar cheese while hubby gets blue cheese. My daughter also gets cheddar with her burger. The fries came out piping hot as well as the burger. They cooked the burger well done. No pink inside which is a good sign for me. Burger was moist. I loved the French fries as well. Hubby got garlic fries for a dollar more. They were addicting. Yum!
Service was good. We had to ask for refills. Our waitress checked up on us a couple of times which was a good sign. I liked that she was still attentive to us even though they got busy. Looked like they had a full staff working today. Great burgers and dining experience here.

Came here on a Sunday night after doing a bit of shopping.
PROS: great service, unlimited fries with any burger. Burger prices range from $ 8.99 to about $ 13.99. You can upgrade fries to Cajun, chili cheese, garlic, etc. for a few more bucks. The butterfinger shake was about $ 5.99 and fed two people: it was good!
CONS: the menu was a bit too small for my taste. They had about seven burgers and a few sandwiches followed by a few appetizers and salads. Not much options where my boyfriend and I could grab two different things and share. We both got burgers and it grew a bit heavy but hey, it’s a diner (can’t expect things to be healthy). Oh, and they were also out of onion rings and we couldn’t order the burger we wanted cause it wouldn’t have the essential onion rings :(
Overall, okay but not great.

Lucifer: I intend to survive this. Anything you say ought to take that into account.
Death: You know, I told my brother once, that if you kill the messenger, in the long run, you just get less mail.
Mike Carey — Lucifer Issue 26, Purgatorio
Back in the day when I was a latch key kid chicken and turkey pot pies were my typical dinner. I alternated between the Banquet, Swanson’s, and Safeway brand pies. I popped them in the oven and 30 minutes later dinner was served! The crust was good and crunchy as long as I baked it correctly. The pieces of chicken or turkey and the gravy was ok other than the high amount of sodium. I stopped eating the pies when they made them microwaveable. Making them microwaveable also made the crust mushy. :-(
Turkey pot pie was overcooked and had just top crust. Middle part of the crust was better than the mushy microwave pie crust but not airy and crunchy like a fresh baked Marie Calendar’s or Chicken Pie Shop pie. Edge part of the crust was terrible as it was close to reaching the carbonization point and had that burnt flavor. The right half of the pie was the most overcooked and you can see the turkey was stuck to the bottom of the bowl and turning deep brown. The turkey and gravy on the left halt of the pie was good. Flavor was very much like a supermarket Marie Calendar’s pie. The part of the pie that wasn’t overcooked was better than a frozen supermarket one but you don’t get the burst of flavor like at the Chicken Pie Shop or the Marie Calendar’s restaurant.
Apple pie was undercooked. The top crust was nice and crunchy but the bottom crust was a gooey mess and the apples were very tart. I use to make mistakes like this but by carefully watching the temperature, time, and the top crust I can properly cook pies. :-)
I tried the hamburger on a previous visit and the beef was pretty bland. In N Out or Smashburger have more flavorful burgers.

2015 Unilocal 100 CHALLENGE — ⁰⁴⁶⁄₁₀₀
I have been to a handful of different Ruby’s locations. I came to this particular location for the first time with my boyfriend’s family this past Mother’s Day.
PROS:
+ Located at the mall, in the very middle
+ HUGE location. By far the biggest Ruby’s I’ve ever been to
+ I think it’s either 1960s or 1970s themed. Definitely have not been to a Ruby’s like this before
+ Decent food
+ Pretty affordable (a little over $ 50 for 4 people)
CONS:
— Old and worn. We sat at a booth and it had a hole torn in the seat!
— Mediocre service. Were not very attentive, and forgot my ranch
— Must have waited 15 – 20 minutes just to receive our beverages
Overall, I liked that it was much larger and the theme was different than I’ve seen at other locations. However, service wasn’t that great!

Our group was pretty hungry after the movie we saw… so we decided to have a meal here at Ruby’s Diner.
It wasn’t crowded at all, which was expected since it was a weekday and since it was Cinco de Mayo. We were seated right away and our server took our drink order. Soon after he took our food order.
Food came out in timely fashion and everything looked nice and fresh. I ordered a Chicken Caesar salad with dressing on the side, other things ordered by my party: turkey pot pie, Chinese Chicken Salad, hickory burger, and so on.
Salad tasted very fresh, lettuce was very green. They didn’t over do it with the cheese and there was a perfect amount of chicken. Chicken was grilled well, but still juicy and tasty. I was happy with my salad.
Place was clean and I’m not sure when they remodeled, but the huge Ruby statue is no longer there. Their menu color scheme and uniforms are a little different also. There’s outdoor seating and I believe there is free WiFi.
I didn’t have a shake, but someone in my group ordered a chocolate shake and they liked it. Ruby’s also serves malts which is cool.
Parking isn’t a problem here in Mission Valley. The have several huge lots and an underground parking structure.

I came here for my first time and It reminded me of a up scaled Denny’s. The wait wasn’t long, considering it’s in the heart of mission valley mall. The workers are super friendly and helpful with recommendations.
I ordered there fried zucchinis, butterfinger shake, and there seafood combo. I upgraded my unlimited fries to Cajun and garlic fries.
I was originally going to order the fish and chips but for $ 1 more you can get the seafood combo that includes jumbo shrimp. The butterfinger shake was soooo delicious and they bring an extra cup on the side with extra shake in it! It was perfect to share with my hubby.
I recommend the seafood platter with garlic fries, Cajun fries were not spicy enough. There garlic fries have real greasy garlic in it, if your feeling spontaneous I recommend it. I also recommend the seafood platter if you like seafood like me. I would definitely come back here if I’m craving American food !