Ruins

Spectacular variety of food and drink. Not the best place to go if you want a huge amount of food but I have never had a bad meal here

I am a big fan of this place, here’s why, the staff first and foremost make it an awesome place to dine, they are totally friendly, helpful, talkative and upbeat! The bartender during our visit was fantastic! I recommend going when Crystal is working, my friend doesn’t drink any alcoholic beverages and when she asked Crystal what they had that was good non-​alcoholic, Crystal piped up she could make her a good concoction, she asked a few questions about types of flavors she likes and like a wizard made the most wonderful drink! She did the same with me, except I’m all about the alcohol! She made me an amazing drink using fresh muddled fruit, it was to die for!
The food was good I wouldn’t say IT was to die for or anything, we had the Brussels sprouts, Carbonara, and puttanesca. Don’t get me wrong they were good but nothing to write home to mama about. I give them five stars for the wonderful staff and the fantastic craft beverages!
Let it be know it is a tiny place only like 7 tables and four stools at the bar. On a busy night be prepared to wait and not be able to even sit at the bar. The menu is changed weekly so visit often to try different things! I will return!

Stopped by late (for Spokane) on Saturday night. It happened to be Cajun week. Lots of delicious dishes like crawfish etouffe, jambalaya, boudin, dirty rice, fried catfish, bourbon bread pudding, and beignets. Everything was great. Friendly service, cozy atmosphere. Hard to believe they have a different theme every week. We will be going back!

My favorite thing about returning to Spokane. Consistently creative menus and cocktails, great execution and just a lot of fun to experience week after week.

This is the place to come for unique. There will be different menu selections each time you go, as well as some very interesting craft cocktails. The food is «small plate «so this is not really the place to go if you are starving. I have now been three times, loved the food every time, and found the staff to be very helpful and knowledgeable.

It was pretty good. We got there before 6 and had to wait for a table but not too long. The food is small portions so we ordered 3 dishes for 2 of us. Prices are decent. I would prefer more proteins. Several pasta plates and a few proteins. And the dishes come out «when they are ready» not necessarily when you expect them.
It’s a pretty tiny space and apparently pretty successful.

The food was excellent, the drinks well crafted and the staff welcoming and knowledgable. My complaint was that the dishes for a table of 5 came out at vastly different times. The server should have waited until all the plates were ready before serving the table. To me this is a basic and fundamental principle of serving

We ate at Ruins for the first time this afternoon (10 Jan 2016). A great place, food was delicious and the service outstanding! I had Spam and Eggs with kimchi as well as Skillet potatoes while my wife enjoyed a superb brisket sandwich! It’s a small place but very welcoming. The menu changes weekly, so we’ll be sure to try out their new creations.

Love this place, great staff and amazing food.

Sorely disappointed with the food. I’m originally from Hawaii and there was nothing good from here. The poki lacked flavor. The spam musubis rice was a solid slab of glue. The fried rice was overly salty and parts of the rice was overly crunchy. Perhaps it was a bad night for the chef

Charming eclectic food/​drink in a charming eclectic place. Seemingly odd food descriptions on the menu come together like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle in your mouth. Awesome flavors and seasonings. I do wish there were more vegan options on the menu so as to peg myself as a regular.

Ruins has an ever changing menu but they specialize in craft cocktails and creative food. Located across the Monroe Street bridge from Downtown Spokane it is a hidden gem that is gaining a cult following amongst local foodies. I’d been hearing rumors that this place was owned by the former Mizuna chef and he was pouring his heart out in the kitchen. We stopped in on a Saturday and they were serving a brunch menu. I hesitate to describe the food or drink because I know it will be changing all the time. All I can say is, it was delicious, well executed, and I started my plans to go back the moment I stepped in. It feels like a cozy, vintage diner and you won’t believe the soulful cooking happening here. Thanks for doing what you’re doing Ruins! It’s art.

Hamburger was excellently prepared. I had the Red curry, cilantro mayo, jalapeño and fresh cabbage. Super Yum… Meat ground daily, buns made there. This place is legitimately awesome! Craft drinks and a cool and clean retro feeling atmosphere. Props to the owner and staff at Ruins
Dinner menu rotates each week, Mexican theme this week. I’m going back tnght!

Very comfortable place. But the star is the food and drink. Homemade sodas were great and the food was incredible. I had the lamb stew which was so rich and flavorful. By far the best food I’ve had on this trip to Spokane. Staff was very friendly and I will be back.

In Spokane there is defiantly a lack of places that are open late because late night hunger is certainly problematic. That is one aspect to the food scene in Spokane that needs more. Ruins is open later than most of the restaurants in Spokane which is good. I wanted to try this place for a while but sadly I was unable to get to it until now.
First time going into the ruins I found the atmosphere warm for it was welcoming and felt like I could be eating at a home. The lighting was simple yet elegant and provided a classy feel to the restaurants.
Now for the food. We ordered the brisket meatloaf which was juicy and tender. This meatloaf was delicious and potentially one of the best meatloaf dishes that I have ever eaten.
The second dish we order was the halibut. Unlike other halibut dishes this was unique because it was served with peas, prosciutto, and smoked tomato which added a nice touch with the well seasoned halibut.
The staff was friendly and nice and the ruins is a great addition to the restaurant scene in Spokane.

A pleasant surprise as I had not heard of the Ruins, but decided to take advantage of the Unilocal supper club. It is a small restaurant so felt pretty cozy. The wait staff were very nice but when the place filled up they were not as attentive as we would have liked. Our salads were very tasty and much bigger than anticipated. I had the brisket meatloaf with the fried egg. It was also very good, although not very warm. Table mates had halibut and gnocchi. Halibut was good but lukewarm. Gnocchi was very different than the traditional gnocchi and not very well received by my table mate. Desserts were blueberry pie and rhubarb bread pudding. Thumbs up on both of these!!! As the restaurant filled up it got pretty noisy so difficult to have conversations but overall a good experience.

Outstanding! I need to eat here more often. I had the BBQ duck that was incredible, my husband had the brisket meatloaf, very good. We had fried trout as a snack. so good. Crystal made me a hot toddy that was to die for. They make amazing drinks and have amazing food. They are small plates with a big presentation and outstanding flavor. They had my favorite dessert, crème brûlée, which was delicious.

Great menu, friendly staff, a very nice low key atmosphere. A perfect mix of vegetarian and meat dishes. Been here 5 times now. Consistent food quality, good drinks, good value. jeeze need I say more? A must try.

Lighting excellent, location good, drinks – yes!, service tip-​top, food *fabulous* and innovative. Many options for vegetarians, vegans, too. One total plus – no TV! which adds to the ambiance. Almost no restaurants/​bars in Spokaloo take that (classy) chance.
One of the things I love about this place is how Tony Brown takes risks with his menu. He doesn’t go for the usual fare yet simultaneously he’s not deliberately being outlandish either. So many chefs rely on meat for their «inventiveness» but the test of a true chef IMHO – just like as I find in Tuscany – is the vegetable, the grain and Tony does it beautifully.
Reasonably priced small plates, elegant intimate décor, decent wines and a unique staff all make it my new favorite place.

The Specifics:
The amaretto sour was good, but not $ 8 good. For that price, in Spokane, I expect a little more on the presentation, taste, and potency side. For $ 1 more, you can head on over to Clover for a phenomenal tasting and aesthetically pleasing amaretto sour.
But enough about amaretto sours, on to the food. The chicken and waffles came on a small plate. Well duh, it was listed on the menu under small plates. But for the $ 12 price tag and for something so small, I imagined I’d be pleasantly surprised by some delightful novelty.
I assumed that’s where the jalapeño waffle and plum BBQ sauce were supposed to come in to play. That is the adventure you pay for, some uncommon ingredients that an experienced chef can utilize well to give you a new, pleasurable, and exciting experience. Yet the jalapeño and plum flavors were lacking. If you gave me a blind taste test, I wouldn’t be able to discern that it wasn’t some generic BBQ sauce from the store. On a side note: the waffles were ok, and the chicken was cooked properly and decently seasoned.
Final Verdict:
Tonight was my first time at Ruins – a cozy intimate space – where our table received amicable and knowledgeable service.
I came in with big expectations, after stalking their menu on Facebook for the past few weeks. They like to change it up, and I respect that. Shows creativity and that someone behind the scenes is actually trying. I have only tried one drink and one small plate, so don’t consider this a comprehensive review. My first impression is that I wasn’t disappointed, yet I wasn’t amazed.
Maybe my expectations were too big for Ruins, or perhaps I chose the wrong drink or food. Though I’m open to the notion of visiting again, I see potential.