Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Ruben's

    4.1 (101 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Ruben's Photos

    RUBEN'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - Ruben's

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Female performer on Sundays for Brunch. Best Mexican brunch ever
    Lisa G.

    This is our to go place when down south. We love Sunday brunch and live entertainment on Sundays. The female performer is awesome and knows how to get the crowd going. She sings all rules of music. We are always ready to dance and of course the shots Ruben passes around. Highly recommend. Ruben is always great.

    Fresh Salmon Chef's Choice...Excellent!
    Larry F.

    We've eaten here a few times and this particular evening when we came I saw two fish specials walking in on the board so I asked and the waiter said the two fish specials were salmon or sea bass and I asked which might be better he said the salmon was fresh. He asked how would I like it prepared and I said please ask the chef for his own choice. I am so glad I did that! The chef wasn't super busy and he took great joy in preparing what he thought is the best method and he was right! He cooked a variety of small vegetables in a light teriyaki sauce and poached to the salmon in the same sauce with beautiful garnish and a wonderful presentation. I thought I was in the fanciest restaurant in Baja California! Even the house salad was better than most house salads on the north side of the border.

    Sampling from the buffet
    Missy B.

    We recently discovered Ruben's and we've back twice since our initial visit! First off, go on Sunday for brunch! I think it's better than the over-hyped La Fonda and not as crowded (though still busy). They have a buffet style brunch with bottomless mimosas, or you can select meals from their menu as well. We've been for the buffet and for a typical dining experience on a Saturday and both times the food was excellent! The buffet has everything from chilaquiles and omelettes to seafood and other traditional Mexican dishes. There are obviously fresh-made tortillas (quesadillas, anyone?!) and they even have paella! There really is something for everyone. We enjoyed sitting back down at our table and laughing at all of our randomly (yet perfectly) put together dishes! Service at Ruben's is top-notch. The servers are always hustling and are quick to fill up your drink and bring you whatever you need. You'll even see Ruben himself running around, greeting guests and making sure everything is running smoothly. The view is insane so definitely sit on the patio if you can and the weather is nice. Otherwise, there's plenty of room in the dining room as well. There's even seating at the bar if that's more your style. I highly recommend you check this spot out. I think you'll find you favorite new brunch spot, too!

    Outside patio with
    Ryan M.

    Still killing it! After covid I was worries spots like Ruben's may not survive or that the buffet would stop. They've adjusted and now have the buffet served cafeteria style and the food quality hasn't lacked. Went last weekend and it was $22 a person w/unlimited mimosas and of course Ruben himself is out there working his ass off and pouring shots in peoples mouth assuring we all have a good time.

    Wendy B.

    Ruben had a dream. A classy, big, gorgeous restaurant that offered fine dining. And he made it happen. And even though the huge back patio (intended for brunches and wedding receptions) is still incomplete, that is something we must get used to if we are to immerse ourselves in the "there's always mañana " Baja way. That's ok with me. It was quite beautiful inside, tastefully decorated, rich with stone work, tile and lots of wood, with white table cloths, flickering candles, and quite elegantly modern in attitude. And the hospitality that would not quit. We were guided here by someone who knew Ruben and had no doubt he would make us happy. It was a memorable evening. We tried to be discrete in ordering, our group of 6 friends. We failed miserably. And we really barely sampled the menu. First, a huge bar where we sat around, imbibed, and admired the new surroundings. After being seated at our table, we ordered a bottle of wine to share, then started with a tableside Caesar salad, something I haven't seen in a couple decades. Had to try it. The waiter pushed out a cart laden with tons of small dishes and bottles, even the raw egg, all the ingredients necessary for making an authentic salad. It took about 5 minutes, each ingredient added one at a time and expertly blended. The performance was fascinating. Out came a couple of baskets of garlic bread. Mind you, not just any garlic bread. Thinly sliced, delicately buttered, still soft and hot. Then out came another appetizer. Guacamole. Not your Grandmother's guacamole. This one was generous, lumpy, even had cubes of cream cheese in the mix. Served with thin pita chips, it was unusual and tasty. When I saw Shrimp Scampi listed as an appetizer, I knew this was my "dish" for the evening. And I was so right. Despite only 5 large, sweet shrimp, it was the copious amount of garlic, wine and butter sauce that pushed me over the edge. I cleaned my dish, left not a drop of sauce, greedily sopped it all up with that great bread. I shall probably go to hell for this. And I spent the rest of the evening, and most of the next day, fiendishly calculating how to get that dish again. Nobody took my blatant hints, but some day, I shall. The rest of the group each naïvely ordered a bowl of the lobster bisque. Eating light? Right. Who knew it was so huge? Who knew it was completely sealed with a buttery puff pastry lid? Who knew it would be another showpiece as the waiter cracked open the middle and drizzled sherry into the hot soup inside. It was creamy and rich and filling (I stole a spoonful). My only wish would have been to discover chunks of lobster meat inside. This one was a smooth one. No matter. I was still sopping up that amazing scampi butter and tearfully moaning words of endearment. The grand finale was yet another tableside showpiece. If you have never seen Mexican Coffee made, this is* the* place to do it. The cart came out displaying the bottles of Tequila and Kahlua. First they glaze the edge of your glass with sugar, then caramelize it by fire. Then comes the igniting of the different alcohols that have first been poured into a ladle. And a generous sprinkling of cinnamon that sparks like fireworks. Still blazing, they pour it into your glass. Then comes the hot coffee. And lastly, a generous topping of whipped cream and a cherry. What fun. And how delicious. After all this great food and several spectacular shows, each couple only paid $75. Total. Where can you do all this in the states? And where can you find kinder hospitality?

    Shrimp Echilada

    See all

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Liz A.
    13
    152
    57

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Yummy steak and potatoes! Great decor on the drinks! Helpful staff. Clean rest rooms! Easy location and parking.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Guy S.
    78
    87
    14

    2 years ago

    Great steaks and amazing table-made Caesar salad. Always a wonderful experience! Perfect for everyday or special occasions.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Larry F.
    290
    160
    215

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Nik F.
    189
    114
    204

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Missy B.
    4995
    605
    1654

    8 years ago

    Helpful 24
    Thanks 0
    Love this 15
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ryan M.
    32
    97
    9

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Bob M.
    0
    15
    0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 11
    Thanks 0
    Love this 9
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Liz T.
    357
    44
    63

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Eric H.
    135
    31
    16

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of T. B.
    1
    79
    22

    4 years ago

    Best fajitas have ever had service was great will you bring your own wine. Tons of space great parking.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Chad H.
    185
    38
    36

    4 years ago

    Mimosas and bbq clams in the shells. Great selection and view of the ocean. Plenty of seating and food options.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of J S.
    88
    621
    116

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Edgar S.
    8
    185
    50

    8 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of VB L.
    1142
    945
    1702

    12 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Cris S.
    86
    227
    327

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lisa M.
    105
    26
    6

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Denny B.
    1
    1163
    1546

    9 years ago

    Helpful 10
    Thanks 0
    Love this 10
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ryan N.
    189
    16
    4

    7 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 3

    Ruben's Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Ruben's

    I've been coming to Ruben's Sunday brunch for about 10 years now.

    Mentioned in 14 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    Get access to customer & competitor insights.

    Verify this business

    Tapanco - Table side salsa

    Tapanco

    4.3(281 reviews)
    11.2 km
    $$

    THE BEST TABLE SIDE SALSA IVE EVER HAD! AMAZING DRINKS AND FOOD AS WELL!…read more Customer service: 5/5 The customer service was seriously great! My boyfriend and I wanted a nice dinner, and I looked up on Yelp and found this place! (YAS MEXICO YELP- COME THRU!) as soon as we got there, we were instantly greeted with a warm welcome. Our servers, were absolutely amazing. They knew some English, although my boyfriend is fluent, I appreciate they tried hard for me! lol :) Food: 5/5 My boyfriends and I ordered drinks, which included a mango margarita, a whiskey, and a lemonade. The drinks were seriously phenomenal! Perfect amount of sweet and alcohol! Then we ordered the food. They're a steak house, so I had to go with the steak tacos. It was amazing! The steak was so tender and seasoned to perfection. However, Our table side chili was the star of the show. My boyfriend even ordered 2 rounds, and we ate it the next day! I should've bought that stuff by the pint lol All around experience/pricing: 5/5 Zero cons, my experience here was nothing short of amazing, and we cannot wait to come back for more! The cost was also reasonable for what we received. $1,125 pesos, and $59 USD. Some may think it's a bit high for Mexico, but in LA it would've easily cost 100.

    Unfortunate the only good thing here are the flour tortillas!! As far as the food terrible, and…read moreexpensive!

    Photos
    Tapanco - Interior looking out to the garden area

    Interior looking out to the garden area

    Tapanco - Chilaquiles Sencillos

    Chilaquiles Sencillos

    Tapanco - Margarita de Marucay

    See all

    Margarita de Marucay

    Patagonia 1829

    Patagonia 1829

    4.7(70 reviews)
    14.7 km
    $$

    I had a friend visiting Tijuana so we went for dinner the last day he was in town…read more Despite living in TJ for a few years now I have not been able to try any Argentinian restaurant yet. The only I did try was "El Tucumano" which was located in downtown TJ, but that was over 5 years ago when I was living in San Diego. At the time we left feeling that the overall experience was mediocre at best. Anyway so this time we left Playas de Tijuana at 830 pm and heading to Rosarito. We were not aware the the restaurants there close at 9 pm so best case we could get there 5 or 10 minutes before the time they would close. Giving the time restraints we called a few places just to make sure we were going to be fine. The first place we called was restaurant "El Gaucho", they said they close at 9 pm every day and they take orders till 845 pm. Since it was 842 or 843 pm they said to look for another restaurant as they were not taking us. Then, we moved to the next place we found on Google, that place was Patagonia. Although they also closed at 9 pm we thought we were unlikely going to be accepted, but the hostess on the phone said that they were going to accommodate us, she just asked if we knew what we wanted to that they could get started as the kitchen was about to close. Since we knew what we wanted to order we could order on the phone, making things easier for everyone. We got there exactly at 9 pm, we sat down, got a soda and a glass of wine and by the time we got the drink the food was already there, just out of the grill. Timing was beyond perfect, it could not get any better. We got a parrillada for 2, but indeed, the food that comes with it its for 2 big eaters, to be honest this would have been more than enough for 3 average eaters. The cuts were really tender and flavorfull, without significant fat pockets. It was really tasty, similar to the parrilladas you would get in good restaurants in Argentina. It came with 2 or 3 different steaks; flank steak, skirt steak and short ribs. The parrillada came also with corn on the cob, chorizo and morcilla as well as a side of fries . We also got 2 empanadas to start with and for dessert we got an alfajor (we were stuffed but we could not leave without trying a dessert). Overall we were were happy, I am Argentinian so I can definitely appreciate a good quality parrillada and it's not that living away from home for 25 years made me forget the standards I developed when I lived in Argentina. I was happy with the food, the generous servings we got along with the fair prices we paid and mostly with the fact that i could proudly show a Mexican friend how good the Argentinian parrilladas are. A few years ago I visited Mexico and they proudly took me to different places to try Mexico's best cuisine and I ended up getting nothing but their finest. Now, despite the limited options Tijuana has I was still able to catch up and get them to sample some of Argentinian's best beef. I could not be happier with the overall experiene at Patagonia in Rosarito.

    Enjoyed this restaurant! Due to the outstanding reviews on Yelp, decided to trek on down from the…read moreSan Diego border to Rosarito to check this spot out. Patagonia is located right in the heart of downtown Rosarito, within a short walking distance of the beach and well-known Papas & Beer nightclub. Was slightly hard to find at first, though there is a small red sign from the storefronts on main street (Hwy 1) indicating where the restaurant is. The restaurant is actually located in a charming garden court slightly off the main street, co-located with a few other restaurants and shops. Got to the restaurant a little before 1:30 pm on a Friday, not too long after they opened for the day. Only one other set of customers was there at the time so I was able to be seated immediately. Was surprised by how small the spot is, almost felt like you were walking into someone's home rather than a restaurant, though I very much appreciated the old-school, "homey" feel and decor. 4-5 tables inside, another 4-5 tables outside, with the kitchen right in the front of the restaurant where you can see all the food being prepared. A couple of cats randomly roaming around the restaurant also added to the charm, LOL. Seems to be a family-owned restaurant judging from the size, decor, and the fact that the waiter who took my order was also helping in the kitchen. The waiter who greeted me spoke pretty good English so language barrier was no issue. I ordered the 16 oz grilled ribeye steak (Bife Patagonia), which comes with your choice of french fries (which I chose) or salad. There's not an extensive drink list here - mostly some wines, sangria, juices, and water - so I just went with some mineral water rather than the usual beer I would get at this type of restaurant. A few minutes after ordering they waiter brought out a few pieces of complimentary bread with homemade sauces. Small portioned, but very tasty! They then brought out the french fries before bringing out the steak, which I thought was a little odd (these are typically brought out at the same time), but wasn't a problem for me. The ribeye was very well-portioned, juicy, and damn good. Wouldn't say it's up there with the best I've ever had, or even the best I've had in Mexico, but it was good. At 695 pesos (~$35 dollars) I thought it was great value relative to comparable steakhouses both in Mexico and the U.S. Altogether with the 2 mineral waters I ordered (50 pesos each), my total bill came out to 795 pesos (~40) which was actually much less than I was expecting to pay going in. Patagonia does accept credit cards and they have their own free wi-fi. While most people who go to steakhouses like this dress up nicely, there is no dress code here. I was very casually dressed when I went here, as was the waiter and all the other workers who were there at the time. Very charming restaurant with good food at a great price! Definitely recommend checking out at least once if you happen to be in the area!

    Photos
    Patagonia 1829 - Kitchen

    Kitchen

    Patagonia 1829
    Patagonia 1829 - Beautiful outdoor seating in the courtyard.

    See all

    Beautiful outdoor seating in the courtyard.

    Chamuyo - Cooked to perfection.

    Chamuyo

    4.9(42 reviews)
    35.5 km

    Quickly yelped a place to eat that was nearby and Chamuyo popped up. My husband and I stopped in,…read morewe did not need a reservation - this was a Saturday evening over Memorial Day weekend. We were greeted immediately and offered indoor or outdoor seating. We opted to eat outdoors. A tiny regret as smoking is allowed and people were smoking. But they soon left so not too much of a bother. We started by ordering drinks - they have a full bar. My husband ordered a double tequila & I ordered a Paloma. Not too strong or too weak, just perfectly prepared. My husband ordered the Chamuyo Shrimp U10, and I ordered the Rib Eye Center Cut Steak- medium well. Both came with a side of the criolla salad. The food, ambiance, and service was great. There was also about 30 minutes of live music by a duo performing son jarocho. Not sure if that's the proper phrasing but it was a nice treat. I'm not sure if they are regular performers or they just happened to be there that day. Overall a great dining experience to celebrate our 10 year anniversary.

    This is a must restaurant every time we visit El Valle with the family. The meat quality is…read moreexcellent and their customer service is always on point. We have a great experience every time we dine and the asado comes with a full bottle that never disappoints. If you are a meat lover this is definitely the place for you.

    Photos
    Chamuyo
    Chamuyo - Tomahawk with grilled vegetables and mashed potatoes

    Tomahawk with grilled vegetables and mashed potatoes

    Chamuyo - Decor- sunflowers were everywhere this weekend.

    See all

    Decor- sunflowers were everywhere this weekend.

    Ruben's - mexican - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...