Ruby Blue

Leicester Square is overwhelming. It is packed full of bars, restaurants, cinemas and clubs, smothered with tourists and locals wandering around aimlessly. You need a solid reason or strong disposition to come here or you will be swept up by the wave of never-​ending humans.
The cinema is my draw, specifically the Prince Charles Cinema. A staple of the area, it stands out from the crowd by showing cult, art house and classic movies alongside the big releases. Although it does not favour showing the back-​to-​back movie blockbuster, it still stands up to the chains with comfortable and spacious seating, a cute little bar and a regular sing-​a-​long, currently, The Sound of Music.
I was surprised with a ticket to see Interstellar recently and as the showing did not start until 7.30pm, we were on the lookout for some quick pre-​cinema dining.
Ruby Blue is literally across the road from the cinema so was convenient. We made our way up the staircase to the restaurant, passing the bar. Ruby Blue is well known for its night life, it is essentially a bar-​come-​club, for drinking and dancing. This shows in the simplicity of the food.
We were welcomed by a small but friendly team. A triallist was working and looked after us for most of the evening (hope she got the job). The food menu reads like many grill style restaurants. Your central selection of steaks and burgers, with an outer circle of cod and chips, sausage and mash, etc. There are no huge surprises on the menu, but that’s not what Ruby Blue is about. It is about no-​nonsense, stomach lining food to kit you out for a nights drinking in the bar/​club.
For our starter, we opted to share a platter. It listed chicken wings, crab cakes, garlic bread, sticky BBQ ribs and tortillas with a selection of dips. The crab cakes were swapped with breaded calamari, which is not a problem, however we should have been given the heads’ up. Some people are allergic and may assume it to be onion rings, chow down and then boom, you have an inflamed throat and you can’t breathe. That said, all of it tasted fine.
For our mains, my dining partner had the burger which he liked. It was served well done (no one asked how he preferred it) with a selection of extras, one of which included jalapeño peppers which did not materialize. I opted for the pan fried chicken breast with new potatoes, wilted spinach and spicy tomato sauce. The chicken was excellent. The sauce was to die for. I am not sure what they put it in but it was very moreish and I could have been happy with just that and the chicken. The potatoes were plentiful, but at that stage I was too full.
It would have been tempting to have a hot chocolate brownie for dessert, but the clock was ticking and we had to get to the movies.
Ruby Blue is affordable, simple food to start your evening of partying, or like us, grab a quick bite before the movies. Being a member of tastecard, you get a whopping 50% off the already reasonably priced food. Do check the drinks bill though, as we were charged for two bottles of wine as opposed to two glasses. It was all very quickly resolved and the guys were very helpful.

Ruby Blue is a great place to continue your night out. It’s spread over multiple floors, both playing different music, there’s a decent sized dance floor and the music is great. You also can’t go past the giant pornstar martini’s! Lots of tasty drinks on the menu too. Great atmosphere, not as packed as other clubs which makes it much more enjoyable. Definitely recommended.

I was so dissapointed with this restaurant.
Firstly, it was a while before any music was put on, leaving a weird silence. I then ordered a bottle of still water for the table but was told they had run out, it had just opened and was a Friday night!
I ordered the pork taco for a starter, which was flavourless and luke warm, my friend ordered the calamari, which they said was the worst they had ever had and just tasted like onion rings. The only person happy was the one who ordered chicken wings. For the main I ordered the rump steak and potatoes with a side of macaroni cheese, I didn’t even finish the meal. The lamb was over done and fatty, the potatoes unsalted and no salt on the tables or staff nearby to request any and the macaroni cheese was inedible, tasting watery and as if it just came out of a tin. My friend ordered a chicken burger and couldn’t finish it as it apparently tasted like lavender. Not once were we even asked how our food was, as if they knew it was awful so there was no point in checking. All in all a horrible experience and I would recommend to stay clear.

Wow… Went in, got shunned upstairs, go to the toilet and the urinals are overflowing. Go downstairs to tell the bouncer and some member of staff comes over to say «IF SOMEONE ELSE TELLS ME THE URINALS ARE FUCKING BLOCKED I’M GOING TO FUCKING HIT HIM»

Sat down for 45min before a waiter/​waitress even approached our table. Perhaps we were wearing an invisibility cloak that I was unaware of?
When drinks arrived they were small and tasteless, thankfully ordered during happy hour otherwise would have been more unimpressed. Food was average and although the place was only half full the waiters were determined to leave us in peace even after asking for the bill 3 times without them returning!
My recommendation: Don’t book this for a special occasion anytime soon!

I scored a free meal here during the launch of the City Hawk app. It was a nice night out but Ruby Blue didn’t wow me enough to come back, which I always think is a shame.
When we arrived, we were one of two tables in whole dining area. They sat us in the middle of the restaurant, but we asked if we could move to a comfier seat with no luck. Before we knew it we were the only ones in the restaurant. Remind me again why we couldn’t move?!
Obviously, because the meal was free, we were dining on a select menu. We ordered the chicken wings, the fajitas and the ribs. The presentation was nice but the quantity and quality of the food was not outstanding. We shared a pitcher of pornstar margaritas, which were really good, but I’m not sure about the value for money on that one.
Reading some of the other reviews, I’m not really surprised as I see what they are saying. Ruby Blue isn’t known for being a restaurant, but more as bar. Clearly, the reason for this is the food itself. It’s not somewhere I would bring someone for a sit down meal in Leicester Square. They have the prime location, but I think more effort needs to be put into the food side of Ruby Blue if they want to build a better reputation for the restaurant.

It was quite a disappointment for me n my friends. We went there on a Friday night after 10. The music was loud but was definitely not groovy enough. Plus, where’s the vodka gone in Woo-​woo?

Foods ok but that’s about it. Loud music and a club atmosphere doesn’t make for a good dining experience. Dark and loud. Not great for conversation.
Make sure you pick two items from the menu as most of the wine and food they don’t have.
The staff are fairly rude and abrupt too. Avoid.

Went to Ruby last week on a random night out and come across it in the turning there ,
Had a really good night, love the décor of the bar ‚
had a good night they had happy hour and really nice food, the only minus is it smelt a tiny bit but really close
easy peasy night out

Incompetent staff, music too loud before 10 O’clock, water down cocktails.
If you decide to book a table in the bar make sure you check your reservation twice, you might get throw off your table.
Would never bring anyone to this place.
Only Suitable for rust after work crowds, pub crawlers & ladettes.

Decent music, friendly crowd, terrible value for drinks
I went to Ruby Blue last night for a friend’s bday party with pretty much the idea of getting hammered and dancing. In my opinion, that isn’t really a lot to ask for at a Soho club. Sadly, it was not to be.
Despite the bar not being that crowded when I got there, the bartender still took about 15 minutes to realise we were waiting to order drinks. Once he finally looked up, we learned that they were out of tequila (despite a bottle of jose being quite obvious on the bar behind him). I ordered a couple of long island iced teas. Now I’ve only just got my bartender certification stateside but even I know that a long island isn’t made up of a shot of vodka, lemon juice, and cola mixed in a tall glass. There are supposed to be 5 different types of alcohol in it!
For the area, the drinks were fairly cheap (cocktails were 6.40) but then again the quality was pretty cheap too.
Music was alright and we enjoyed singing and dancing but I think that was more the people than the club. For a place that self proclaims it is the most stylish club in London, it’s a joke.
I’m not going to be going back by choice, well not for a drink at least.

I am not a fan of Club+Restaurant places, but I decided to give this a go… and once again, I confirmed it: dont expect a good meal.
Starter: avocado and crayfish. Bland and nothing special. even the avocado was tasteless.
Burger… so so… dry meat, too much onion… nothing special, once again.
Service: a nightmare. Except the young blonde girl who served us (who was nice and efficient), the rest had a «I dont care» attitude.
One thing is for sure… I will not be back

We went here for dinner quite early on a Friday, and enjoyed the meal. Food was well cooked and the portions were large. Our waitress was a little difficult to find at times, but the place was busy, so I suppose that this is alright. She did check back on us from time to time when she had a minute to spare, and was very friendly throughout.
However, after dinner we moved to the bar area, and my, is this a cheesy place! Overpriced cocktails, horrid RnB (bad when it was released several years ago). A bit of a meat market as well, as everyone but us seemed to be there to pick up a 1 nighter… We left and went elsewhere quite quickly.
So the restaurant was good, but stay away from the bar!

I went to Ruby Blue for a Birthday Party and I wasn’t all that impressed. When I arrived there was no line, yet they made me wait outside by myself for 5 – 10 minutes, ridiculous! My friend had a guest list and after giving her name they lifted the velvet rope as if I’d won a pass to dinner with the Queen, ridiculous! As I entered I was left thinking that I would not have gotten in if it were not for the guest list, I hate that kind of pretentious BS, ridiculous!
After I found my friends, the club was crowded and you had to wiggle your way through the throngs of people, things became a little less ridiculous. The music was okay and for a string of 6 – 7 songs the DJ was playing songs I love so I was a dancing queen! After that the music was up and down, the DJ was a little all over the place so you had to just go with the flow. The drinks weren’t bad, I have no idea what they cost because I was there with the guys and they insisted on paying, so that part was super! I had a fun night, but it was because of the company, not the club!

I have been to Ruby Blue twice and I can’t say that I haven’t had a good time, but I just think the place is too big for the amount of people that tend to go there. The menu is very good however and the restaurant staff are probably the friendliest bunch I have come across. I think they are perhaps in the arts as they like to sing and dance!
Before eating, we went into the bar area which on a Saturday night I expected to be a lot busier. The décor is very decadent and elaborate and possibly a little too much — lots of purple suede sofas and ruby red curtains. I found it a little odd. The other bars area which I went to on the next visit is a touch more neutral and I much preferred this as the atmosphere was more relaxed. Unfortunately when we went to eat we were placed next to a table of 30 school kids who were at that age where they are excited to be out at night in London. It was a little frustrating and noisy but after a couple of wines you don’t notice so much!

I’ve been to Ruby Blue on their ‘Sizzling Saturday’ night for a friends Birthday, but after moving on from a great bar, the night went down hill after coming here.
The entry price is £12, which is reasonable, and even though the space itself has potential (downstairs is there’s an elongated bar area with a dance floor and upstairs a nice patio area) the whole club is devoid of good taste. For example, the areas are split into booths with overly decorated themes including a Wood Booth, a Silver Booth and the worst, the Fur Booth. The cheesy r n b/​commercial loving crowd is as bad as the decoration. If I hadn’t have been with such a large group of friends I would have found the boisterous, leery men that it’s full of very intimidating.
As if the commercial music, awful people (apart from my lovely group of course) and tacky décor wasn’t bad enough, I also discovered my phone had been stolen half way through the night. The staff were very unhelpful and by the time I managed to cancel it the thief had already run up a massive bill. These are the sort of people who hang out at Ruby Blue. Also, at the end of the night a huge fight broke out and the bouncers did a very unprofessional job of trying to calm everyone down and if anything more people were caught in the cross fire. At one point as I was collecting my coat I actually had to jump behind a table as all hell broke loose!
A really horrible night and I hear my experience is not uncommon. Best to be avoided at all costs!

Apparently this place triples up as a restaurant, bar and night-​club. I have only been to the night club part, and can’t say I thought much about it. Thank goodness the company I was with was good, and I was fueled enough by some alcohol, but aside from that I didn’t really rate it.
You can tell that almost too much thought has gone into the interior to try make it ‘grand’ and ‘elegant’. The main bar has trompe l’oeils of Renaissance images painted on the ceiling and marble looking floors. But all this ends up making the room just look tacky. But each room is designed differently, so the rooms which are more toned down are definitely more agreeable to the eye.
Fun for a laugh with a good group of people, otherwise, nothing overtly special. Our night ended with a group of rowdy girls break out in a fight… oh how civilized it all was!

Live pianist?
Really?
Went there a few weeks back for a friends’ celebration and my conclusion is that:
— the DJ is very very good (or was that time. It was a saturday)
— the drinks are decent, if low on alcohol. At least the prices are not unreasonable
— the space is very limited. Things do get better past midnight when everyone scurries to catch the last tube. Once the lights go one though, regardless of what stumbling drunks are in the recesses of the place, if you’re anywhere within sight of the bouncer, you will be made to stand up and walk to the street, rain or sunshine or destroyed feet. The man doesn’t give … well, a penny, I suppose.
Overall I think we had a good night, but mostly because we had a small area (2 small tables) where we could rest a little and leave our things.
The dancefloor is round the back and abysmally small, dark, and airless. So to be avoided. But the rest of the place is nice enough as far as London clubs go!