Ruth’s Table

Our first experience with Ruths was a few months ago when we arrived at 8:30am for breakfast (when the sign said theyd open at 8) only to be told «weve decided to not serve breakfast today» Oh. Okay. So we decide to give the place one more try since we like to support our local restaurants.
We arrived at 6pm. Ruths opened at 5:30pm. It took 1 hour and 50min to recieve our dinner. 3 other tables recieved their dinneres before us even though they arived more than 30 min after us. 2 of them were done with their meals before we even recieved ours.
What really threw us over the edge was the sneer, and glaring look we recived from the waitress when we jokingingly said «sorry we dont have time for desert»
It pains me to give a 2 star review, as the food was fantastic but their timing, the wait, and the waitstaffs attitude was compleatly unacceptable.

Good pre-​skiing breakfast food. We had the breakfast burrito which was crispy and tasty. Worth a stop if you’re in the Woodstock area.

We didn’t even get to eat. After a terrible experience at a restaurant down the street, we stopped at Ruth’s for dessert as it looked inviting and the menu looked great.
We walked in and asked if we could have dessert. The woman who greeted us (more like glared at us) looked at her watch, let out a loud sigh, and said sit right there. Didn’t hand us menu or anything.
We sat down, looked at each other, and walked out.
I have no tolerance for people who are rude. We were respectable paying customers. We didn’t even want dinner. Just a simple dessert.

First visit to Vermont. The family was up from Florida so we came up here for some skiing. Took a break from the snow and walked the town a bit. After picking the brain of a few locals we wound up here and it does not disappoint. The brunch was spectacular. All around great. Having a party of 10 with No complaints. That’s hard to accomplish these days and I’m impressed.

I have no tolerance for bad service as it is in addition to the food itself, what makes or breaks a restaurant. You can be a total dive but if the service is decent and the food great its a win.
In this case however we didn’t even get to eat. We showed up this past weekend with a hungry child and not only did no one acknowledge our presence but another group was seated before us. It is confusing when you walk in. No sign saying seat yourself or wait, and with no one to ask do you take a gamble or have to be in the know? There also seemed to only be 1 person running the show, we were wondering if she was also the cook based on how long we noticed people being serviced.
Rather than make a scene, we cut our losses, left and ate at The Village Butcher which was great and fast.
Their food could have been spectacular but we lost faith and didn’t care after seeing the service.

living in NYC and working as a server I suppose I have high standards for service. This place is currently failing. While the décor is very cute everything is lacking. Currently sitting here waiting for our entrees. Been here for an hour and just finished our appetizers, which took half an hour to arrive. The mussels were good but were incredibly sandy and our server didn’t come by to check in all. Hubs is getting antsy and insisting we cancel our order and get pizza next door. Oh and the table of three next to us just got their food even though they were seated about ten minutes after us.
Edit: it’s now 7:37, still no food. A half hour has passed since the sandy mussels. I’m pretty patient but I’m wondering how this place has business if they can’t turn tables in a timely fashion.

What a great find in Woodstock Vermont! This place was superb! The presentation, the freshness and quality of the food, the service, just everything! Do yourself a favor and give this one a try!

Ruths the place to be great food and atmosphere. It is the place to be for locals. The Hanger steak is delicious, risotto to die for. Great wine selection.

A restaurant is about great atmosphere, good consistent service and good food… this place has got one of the three spot on, the food, the other two seem to offer an individual quirky style!
Four of us visited here for dinner on a quiet Friday night, when we took a later sitting so the place was only about half full. Everything took ages to order and our waitress who admitted it was her first evening working there, tried her best but seemed overwhelmed by it all. She was really nice but it appeared that no one was in charge of Front of House. We should have known that we were in for a ‘relaxed’ evening after leaving two messages about making a reservation (which were never answered…) and eventually on our third call we made a reservation… only to find when we walked in that no one seemed to be expecting us, all in all a little bizarre!
We almost had to get up and uncork the wine ourselves, no one offered us a wine list, no one offered us water but when we asked things did happen. The owner chef Ruth appeared in the dining room as we waited and waited, to chat to a rather robust stout diner whose girth indicated he not only loves food but may also be cruising for a coronary! We think he might have been a reviewer as he spent his entire dinner either on the phone, using the phone to make notes or post etc however he did comment very favourably about all the food reserving special mention for the mashed potatoes! His dining partner also was in the techno swing texting away to whom about what we know not!
This would all have been fine… but we continued to sit whilst Ruth chatted and our dinner did not appear to be being cooked! Hunger was now on us so after 30 minutes or so we asked for bread, not an unusual request… and it eventually appeared. Ruth disappeared back into the kitchen and about 45 minutes later our dinners appeared!
And the food was bloody delicious!!! The mussels had bite and a great sauce and the schnitzel was simple but excellently executed. My partner however did not get the correct order of salmon appetiser (more confusion which amazed us as the menu is wonderfully simple…) but none the less it was an enjoyable dish.
So if you have no hurry, don’t mind a Fawlty Towers type of service style, and are willing to work with the wait staff you will have a great evening. We will go back as the place seems to be getting a reputation for being quirky which is original, and this won’t change if they don’t employ an organised front of house manager.
One other small comment is that the lighting didn’t create the right ambiance, our table was dark but the floor 5 feet away was well lit. Could someone not adjust those IKEA stylish lights?
We sincerely hope they prosper as Ruth is great cook… and he was right about the mashed potatoes… simple but very tasty!

The food is so good and fresh. Some of their dishes remind me of a Bristol that I was at when I went to Paris.

I tried 2 previous times to have lunch here but both times were closed because as one other review stated they keep switching the hours around. On my final attempt I had success.
We waited for a good 3 to 5 minutes inside the restaurant waiting to be seated. It was lunch time and they were somewhat busy but it only takes a moment to acknowledge a customer to let them know either you’ll be right with them or to choose a seat of your liking. Once we were advised that we could sit any where, we opted to sit outside where we were ignored for a longer period of time. I had to go back inside to let them know that we’re sitting outside. Our waitress finally approached us and rather than a warm welcome she simply asked, What do you want to have? I asked if they had any specials to which she replied, No, we just barely got done with breakfast and whatever is on the menu is what we have. We just added a dinner menu so it’s all crazy.
Not the best introduction.
The food came out looking delicious and in a relatively timely manner.
After that, our waitress never returned. No check in to see if everything was okay or a refill. Literally, never returned! I don’t know the waitresses name so I can not warn you to avoid her. She does have big curly gray hair.
Another waitress finally brought our check. I asked for a refill of ice tea. Sadly, it never came. So, just as the waitresses did, I shall never return.
So very disappointing. I was looking forward to a good local place to eat.
Good food, horrendous service.

Food was very good — we had sandwiches and tomato soup, all really fresh and a lovely setting outside on one of the main shopping streets in Woodstock. Straightforward menu using seasonal ingredients. Service was poor otherwise would have been 4 stars. The customers were about to revolt one Sunday at lunch.

Came here for Breakfast a few weeks back. Was delicious and fresh with fantastic prices. Just the breakfast place this town needs. Unfortunately they keep switching around there hours and menus. Keep your breakfast, it’s the best!

The best restaurant in central Vermont is new! Great salads, appetizers entrees. All new décor and friendly staff. Don’t miss this dining experience.

Very good food and a welcome addition to breakfast/​lunch spots in Woodstock. Everything tasted fresh and made to order and prices we’re in my opinion quite reasonable. Coffee and cappuccinos were excellent.
With respect to the one star review, I had breakfast there that morning too and the place was slammed, not an empty seat there. I can’t say that I felt like I waited all that long though and the staff was apologetic for the time it was taking. Food came out great and I went back through it Thursday for caffiene and Friday for breakfast.

Ruth’s just opened — we’d like to see it be a success.
It’s Wednesday the other coffee shop was closed.
Not enough help. We’ve been waiting 25 minutes food still
hasn’t been served. Coffee was good (they ran out of coffee cups).
One server looked as if she was at a funeral — never smiled or helped; and she created a very dour aura which
trumped the enthusiasm of the other staff.
Just found out printer was out of paper and order never
printed in kitchen… thank goodness it’s a lazy day and no schedule or we’d leave … we’ll give it another try, but not a way to open a new restaurant.
Ramsey’s Hells Kitchen would have a good 30 minute episode from today’s experience.
Just trying to help guys – we need another good coffee shop; so please get it together ‼
Post script. Our server was excellent, good personality and very friendly – she made everything bearable, but good service can only go so far when everything else is so disorganized.
It took over an hour to bring our food. Didn’t charge us (which was a good gesture) but missed ¹⁄₃^rd of the order. The funeral server is new but please, at least try and smile and don’t look like you’re at a wake.
Similar comments from other patrons. They’ve been open 2 weeks… clearly a disaster.
Ruth, it would have been nice if you came out of the kitchen to apologize to your patrons; especially given your experience and realizing how important customer service is.
Also found out they may be changing their hours — opening at 10a vs 7a and will only serve lunch and dinner.
So much for a well needed breakfast place… will leave a good tip but not sure if we’ll be back…
Oh, and the breakfast was at best mediocre…
I dislike writing negative reviews but hope in this instance it will motivate Ruth and team to «get it together.»
In the meantime I’d recommend the 4 Aces in Lebanon, NH for a great breakfast and Dana’s at Quechee Gorge.

Food was delicious and reasonably priced. However, it took way to long for the food to arrive. Wait staff pleasant but every one who came in waited at least 10 minutes to place an order. Btw it was not busy. Will not be returning any time soon.

Unique, delicious, and well-​priced! By far my favorite eatery in all of Woodstock and quite possibly in all of the Upper Valley.
As a vegetarian, I am usually limited at most restaurants to a salad or the like. Ruth custom-​made a dish for me and it is better than anything I’ve ever had. People that do not have limited diets have raved about her actual menu to me.
To the person that gave this place 1-​star: you cannot expect fast service in this place unless you call ahead or arrive at a slow hour. Keep in mind, Ruth is in the kitchen making everything fresh with her two hands.

Amazing breakfast and lunch! Caters to true epicureans with a considerate, accommodating, friendly staff. I ate the salmon over snow peas for lunch and was blown away. Another day I enjoyed breakfast and enjoyed eggs, freshly cooked bacon made to order, gluten-​free bread with a house marmalade spread. There have already been celebrity sightings after only one week open. I plan to enjoy many meals at this new and exciting place to eat!

Wish I could have tried the food. Instead, I waited next to the «Wait to be seated» sign for 5 minutes while being ignored by two waitresses. When the only table left on the patio was taken by people who arrived after me, I asked why they were allowed to seat themselves only to be told the patio seating is seat yourself. Glad that sign was nowhere to be seen. So Mon Vert Café down the street was excellent.