I miss this place. Good for catering. Albert (owner) and Jessica (manager) are two of the nicest business people around. I used to eat here A LOT when I worked down the road. I think I must be feeling nostalgic for Emeryville these days. The downside is that parking on the street is ass-especially with all the construction on Hollis. Good clean food. Coffee (imho) SUCKS-weak at best, and the pastries are from the same folks that make the pastries for Peet's. Good cookie selection. Always a great fruit salad and interesting sandwiches. Good morning bagel as well. read more

More than five whole years in this stinking town and I've just finally made it inside to partake of their sammiches and salads. Mind, I've had Albert's yummies many times over the years due to catered events at work, but I'd never actually gone inside his storefront before. It's cozy. Not pretentious or over dramatical in effects. A great place to unwind in the middle of a hectic day. The sandwiches are good, the salads even more so. And the staff is courteous and always smiling. Albert's a pretty awesome guy, too, if you ever get a chance to meet him. He's highly involved in the Evil community. He also does most of the delivery runs for the shoppe. Maybe I'll see you there on my next lunch break. read more

Click those Ruby slippers and wish you were in Bette's Ocean Diner. This is not Bette's Ocean Diner and is really miserable, and was hoping for some good solid yummers. Not to be found here unfortunately. read more

Ruby's Cafe has the best customer service around! And great food. They are always welcoming and if you take a moment to say hi to the staff, they reciprocate with warmth that it makes you feel great! read more

Ruby's is so close to where I live so I decided to try it today. I had the curry chicken salad and my sister ordered the sandwich special (the fuego). The curry chicken was tastily speckled with almonds and raisins, although I question their choice to serve it with raspberry vinaigrette - good thing i ordered the dressing on the side. My sister's fuego was GOOD. Grilled, spicy chicken breast, a smooth layer of avocado, melted cheese, shaved red onion, all served on crispy toasted bread - YUM. I think it should be added to the menu permanently! read more

Really good interior for a cafe. Good seating. Great place to do a little work. Good parking.

Nice and healthy selection of sandwiches. Love their Roast Beef sandwich with horseradish sauce! Love their Roasted Chicken sandwich with avocado! Love their Roasted Chicken sandwich with cranberries! read more

When I'm in Oakland area, I eat here... It's great, open late... Kinda hip... Oaktown style. Outdoor breakfast is great. Good spot. read more

Very friendly service, including kid-friendly with my youngster. Stays open until 4 pm/ late enough for an after-school snack. We like the turkey sandwich, which is ample. Nice smoothies and coffee drinks. Great music playing in the background. Death to Starbucks! In ode to the small business coffee shops...long may Ruby's stay open! Update: our apologies to the Ruby's staff for my little girl's misbehavior last month--locking herself in the bathroon was definitely UNCOOL, and she got a swift consequence for it. read more

Been there for coffee before, but had lunch there last week and loved it. I had the roast beef sandwich and asparagus bisque that came with a large slice of fresh bread. The soup was awesome, and the bread dipped in the bisque was perfect. The roast beef sandwich was excellent and was on a very good quality bread. This place will become a regular spot for me. I was greeted by the owner Albert who is very welcoming. I also like how they showcase local artist's work. Very nice. read more

I'm obsessed with this little cafe! Soooo charming! I got a few things. The chicken avocado sandwich was on the softest, yummiest focaccia bread ever. Ripe tomatoes and crispy lettuce and the perfect amount of mayo and avocado. The crab corn chowder had a yummy broth, but my cup that I took to go had barely any crab or corn in it. It comes with French bread so I dipped the bread in the soup until the bread was gone, it was delicious. I also took to go the Caesar salad. Delicious. I brought my friend a raisin bagel with cream cheese, she enjoyed it. They have a wonderful selection of cookies and a few cakes. Maybe I will try some next time! Street parking is abundant and there is plenty of seating inside and outside. Can't wait to go back. read more

Ruby's Cafe - Crab corn chowder and bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Emeryville, California

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Ruby's is a dependable place for a mediocre lunch. I've tried a couple other sandwiches, but the only one I like is the pesto/tomato/mozarella one which, while good, gets old fast. The salads and sandwiches are around $8 each, which is more than I'm happy to pay. What I like most about this place is that it's pretty far away from my office, so I get to take a long lunch break to walk there. Unfortunately, their outdoor seating is always in the shade, so I can't sit outside and enjoy the sun during my lunch break. Cute decor, and the corporate crowd is slightly more hip than the one frequenting the Starbucks/Subway down the block. read more

This place is a gem among stones. Quiet yet enough bustle to keep you interested. They have great art up on the walls, the staff is friendly and efficient AND the owner is genuine and truly interested in customer service. Another big bonus is that they have gluten free bread. Gotta love it. Do yourself a favor and stop by for a salad, sandwich , pastry or a cup. You won't be disappointed. read more

Ruby's Cafe - Some of the current art that is up. - Sandwiches Near Me - Emeryville, California

The food is over priced and inconsistent and the owner doesn't care if he makes a mistake; doesn't offer to re-make or credit you for next time. A sandwich and a drink no side or dessert was 17.00. My sandwich is dry what a waste of money. I notice the owner is only nice to certain customers I use to frequent 2 or more times a week but after today I'm good. read more

I so wanted this place to have good sandwiches. But they are strictly average. Also priced at 10.75$ (!!) they don't deliver. If I am paying more than 10 bucks for a ham and cheese it better be good! My ham and cheese was so sad. No other condiment than mustard and the bread was dry. My friends Turkey cranberry was better than mine, but nothing impressive. They do have good coffee/ tea, especially the chai latte. read more

This is my local 'walk my dog" lunch / coffee shack as part of my economic recovery challenge continues. Thus..what you do get are smallish yet filling tasty sandwiches but also means they don't try so hard and I don't pay so much kind of place. The coffee drinks or "just hot/strong enough" house pours are quite good and there will be a moderate chance you won't complain. . Go in.. stand in line, order.. get a number sign and sit down. Your food is happily delivered to you while they take those number signs away, leaving you with your order, some utensils and drinks. I will certainly return as since its down my street, and I never really thought of it being a big deal in yelping it in the past. read more

Stopped in for a quick breakfast bite and got the croissant breakfast sandwich with egg, cheese and ham. The sandwich itself was ok. There was plenty of egg and the whole thing was warmed up in a panini press. I usually like my croissant sandwiches with a fluffy croissant...not flattened and crispy. I guess I should have asked? Anyway, location and decor is nice but I thought $5.10 for a small breakfast sandwich was a bit high. read more

Love these guys. Great coffee, tasty food, fast service, smiling faces. Inexpensive & filling breakfast. Their baked goods are DANGEROUS too! So good! Lost a star for somewhat high prices. (e.g. bagel with lox is like $12.75!) read more

Once or twice a month I have class in Emeryville on the weekends. It is very important to choose my lunch fare wisely because after lunch I still have a few hours to sit in a circle and act like I am learning. That is hard to do if the greasy food you just ate feels like a lead brick in your stomach. This is why I like Ruby's Cafe which has become our usual Saturday place to grab soups, salads, or sandwiches. Okay, so that is because it is literally the only open place in walking distance on a Saturday, but luckily they are pretty decent too. They may not have a ton of options, but the items I have tried so far have been great: fresh sandwiches with interesting toppings. The delicious baked goods make me happy and give me something to munch on in class when I am pretending to listen to other people talk. Everyone is extremely friendly and the food comes out really fast every time (and since we usually travel in a large herd, that is pretty impressive). read more

For all you that work on and around Hollis, this is a great place to come grab a quick lunch! Lunch time crowd can create a line that snakes out the door, so if you're in a hurry to grab-&-go i'd call in and pre-order your food. The staff are really friendly and if you frequent there enough, they'll soon become your buddy and remember what you like. They're sandwich selections are great & you can have them cold or grilled for panini style. My 2 favs are the Roasted Chicken Breast with mango chutney or the Grilled Eggplant with roasted red peppers and feta cheese! Both very yummy and very filling as the sandwich sizes are pretty big. They have great Soup of the Day selections, if you want to make your meal a half salad/sandwich with a bowl of soup. read more

Great sandwiches, friendly staff, good coffee, decadent desserts. What's not to love? :) read more

Great spot to stop for your morning nosh or lunch. Very friendly staff and tasty, healthy food. Very good pastries, excellent bagel sandwiches, good soups salads and sandwich options for lunch. I like the soup and half a sandwich combo - just right to keep me going but not leave me overfed and sleepy in the afternoon. There is seating inside, and they display art that you can purchase from the artist, they change it up regularly. there are 3-4 small tables out front if you want to watch the sidewalk traffic on Hollis. read more

I love this place. I've never been disappointed at anything they serve (this is my general survey after a munch here and a munch there of the various things the BF has ordered). I always get the same thing though: the turkey sandwich with cranberries (yummy!!) and half a garden salad. I like how I actually feel HEALTHY after eating this. They're now open Saturdays. read more

Since the only other options anywhere near by are Subway, Quizno's, those questionable quiches at Starbucks and an expensive Mexican restaurant, Ruby's is a godsend for anyone who works within walking distance. The lunch line is epic, but I started taking lunch at 2 pm and haven't had a problem with it since then. I also highly recommend their breakfast sandwiches, great healthy alternatives to whatever you can scrounge in the office when you've left the house in a hurry and didn't have time to eat. Not the best lunch spot I've ever been to, but it's fantastic for where and what it is. read more

I had the Chicken Fuego Sandwich, which isn't on the menu and is extremely delicious. It has a little spicy kick to it. Unfortunately, it doesn't come in half-orders. I also had the Curried Chicken Salad and the Ginger Cookie. The Ginger Cookie is soft, chewy and moist. I want to order an entire box of them next time I'm there. I went during lunch time and the line was out the door, but it moves fast. Also, the food is prepared very quickly. It is a very clean establishment and the bathroom is well maintained. read more

I've always WANTED to like Ruby's, but a few things have accumulated that have left me no say in the matter ... 1. Weird hours. It hasn't been open a few times when my hubs and I have tried to go. 2. A friend got my birthday breakfast from here and asked for turkey bacon instead of regular bacon ... Which ended up being sliced turkey AND bacon. 3. When I was eating the above birthday breakfast sandwich, I found a LOOOOONG piece of black hair in it ... Woof. Won't be eating here ever again. Sorry, Ruby's. I tried. read more

4 stars awarded the quality of lunch time food they serve is awesome. Businesses on Hollis St. in Emeryville have no food to eat. You have to cross the bridge to go to the MEGA Fast Food mall on the other side of the freeway. So Ruby's becomes the place to go all the time for me. It can get boring and I wish there were more options but it is fast and convenient. Menu is easy and the customer service is nice. I had the Oven Roasted Chicken sandwich and a side of Minestrone soup which came in a combo for around $7. This is cheap and good food. I posted a pic of how they packaged it too which is was plus. I had the order TO-GO. The soup came in a cup and the cap was taped up. This was very helpful because I dropped the cup twice.. and it did not spill due to the tape on the cap. Awesome! read more

Ruby's Cafe - When you order Half Sandwhich and Soup To-Go, they pack it like this.. Very helpful with the Soup in a cup to sip later. - Sandwiches Near Me - Emeryville, California

Just your typical sandwich fare here. I ordered a roasted turkey sandwich with aioli, which I shared. It was alright. Also tried half of a roast beef sandwich, which was a little lackluster. The roast beef was missing something, it just didn't have much flavor. Maybe some extra mustard, or onions, or something would've helpeed. I liked my roasted turkey much better. To tell you the truth, I like my 5 dollar foot longs at Subway much better. Sorry Ruby. read more

Bad coffee alert! Wifey and I stopped in today for a post lunch coffee 'n cookie fix. For whatever reason their self-serve coffee was totally off today. The decaf was luke-cold. The organic italian roast tasted sour and stale. The italian dark roast tasted like dishwater. The coffee chocolate chip cookie with sea-salt was pretty tasty. When working in E-ville I often stop by Ruby's for a quick sandwich, which is delicious and convenient. If I were yelping based on coffee alone this would have been a 1 star review. read more

Mmmmm, mhmmm. mmm mmmmmmm mmmmm. Oh, sorry, my mouth was full. I tried their roasted turkey sammich & had a chocolate chip (chunk) cookie. It was all delicious and I'll happily pay a little more to get a quality sandwich here than a fast food Subway or Togo's sandwich. It's a bit chilly out today, I think I'll try their soup... read more

Let me get this Yelp out of the way, because it's affecting my productivity here at work as I'm looking forward to a 3-day weekend. Our office frequents Ruby's on Hollis street in Emeryville because they are a convenient place to grab a quick bite when you didn't bring breakfast. Keep in mind, I knew they were pretty pricey, but as I said they are convenient. In any case I used to order a BLT on a croissant, which cost me $9.00 and some change (pricey). So one day the owner, Albert, suggested I just get the croissant and bacon and it would save me a lot of money. From that point on, I never ordered the BLT but would just order bacon and "sourdough TOAST". It had been a while since I'd been there, because again, they are a bit pricey. Yesterday one of the staff said she was hungry and that she was going to get something from Ruby's and asked if I wanted to order. I said yes and called in the two separate orders, which my request was "sourdough toast w/ extra butter and bacon and jelly on the side". The lady who answered the phone quoted me $3.75 for cost of my order. I gave my card to someone else that was going to pick the order up and when she brought back the food, card and receipt, I later looked at my receipt and saw that I was charged $5.50 for bacon and sourdough toast. No mind you, when I opened my order it wasn't actual sourdough bread...it was a form of it but cut in a square in shape of Panini. So I'm thinking it's some type of specialty bread they are using, but I specifically asked for sourdough toast and that I shouldn't be up-charged. I then called Ruby's to let them know [based of what I was quoted over phone] they over charged me; I speak with Ashley and explain. Ashley (very sweet) let me know that she couldn't do the adjustment over phone but I could come back in and she'd do a cash credit. Now here we are at today...I call Ashley to order the same as yesterday "sour dough toast w/ extra butter and bacon, w/ jelly on the side" and then she tells me that because it's a "specialty breakfast sandwich" that's why it was $5.50. I then tell her that I ordered "bacon and toast" and the owner is the person who said to order that way, it would save me money. Ashley places the order and I proceed to walk to Ruby's to pay for and pick up my order. When I arrive I greet Ashley as I normally do but she is not her normally cheery self. She does speak, then tells me she'll be right back and immediately goes to the back. The gentleman who prepares the food (super nice) gives me my "toast and bacon" and I continue to wait for Ashley to return. She then returns and says Albert will be right out to speak with me. Albert comes out to tell me that the price of $5.50 for bacon and toast is correct. I say to him "are you serious?!" and he proceeds to tell me [like it is normal and okay] that "TOAST" is FOUR DOLLARS because I got butter and jelly. I damn near passed out and proceeded to ask again "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!!! So you are telling me that you are charging $4.00 to put butter on toast w/ jelly on the side?" He says yes [with a straight face] and begins to try and explain his logic to me, by telling me the price of bacon. I couldn't even listen to it, because it's not even a good cut of bacon. Which now that I think about it, that is why the difference between toast and bacon is $1.50. Albert could not believe that I was outraged by the price he is charging for TOAST. Albert seems to think that $4.00 for toast w/ butter [and two packets of Smuckers grape jelly] is worth $4.00. I paid the five dollars and fifty cents and told Albert they would never get another penny from me, and I felt like this was extortion. The more Albert tried to justify his pricing the more outraged with disbelief I became. As I began to walk out he then asked if I wanted to hear what he had to say. Of course I told him no, then the @%$&*! called me "honey"...now why'd he do that?! You don't know me, I'm already not in the best of moods so you decide to add insult to injury and call me "honey"?! Wrong thing to do Albert... To me, that's the most condescending, disrespectful, offensive word to use toward a woman in a moment such as this. Great staff at Ruby's, but Albert you get the donkey of the week award in my book! read more

I pass this place all the time and never went in until today. I'm not big on sandwiches, but their special today "The Nader" was really tasty. It had chicken breast (that tasted like it had been rubbed and rested before cooking) avocado, tomato and lettuce on a croissant. Mmm mmm good. read more

So I used to work right across the street from Ruby's (@ title nine). I don't think there was a soul in my office that did not visit Ruby's from time to time due to their proximity. The staff is all very nice and they knew me and most of my coworkers by name. Service has never been my issue with this place. I just feel like they charge too much for what they sell. I am all for paying $8 for a sandwich but you better give me a treat. Most of the sandwiches here come on Foccacia (greasey). If you are going to order a sandwich I would probably go with the Chicken + avocado. The chicken + chutney sounds good in theory but the reality is that it's too sweet. I think the best this place has to offer is the soup. But they buy it locally they do NOT make it. Soup come with a slice of bread but if you are really hungry I would get the 1/2 sandwich 1/2 soup special and eat the sandwich in the afternoon when your hunger starts yelling at you again. With all that said the best caffeinated concoction here is the Chai Tea Latte. I would say it's the best that I had in the bay area next to Tully's on Shattuck in Berkeley. It's on the heavier side though. They swear there's no cream or half/half used but it tastes like alot more dairy than tea. Also it's sweet as heck as is so you don't need any sugar. I don't like their regular coffee. P.S they do to go orders (breakfast bagels anyone?) so you can call ahead and run over real quick. read more

Great spot for a quick but tasty breakfast. The breakfast bagels are awesome! Good food, good coffee, really friendly service

This is an easy one: Get a Chicken Fuego. Well, unless you don't like anything with even a hint of spicy, or if you don't want to eat anything that's a little unhealthy for you. All their other sandwiches are decent but not amazing. Also have to mention that one time they forgot my order when there were over 10 people in line and 8 or 9 waiting for their orders, but they promptly noticed, made my Fuego, and gave me a free cookie. read more

Ruby's is a whole experience, not just the food. Owned by a fast-talking, neighborhood-oriented New Yorker, it's home food away from home for an awful lot of people who pass by during the day. Yeah, the menu doesn't change much. I've been going there for five years and still love it though. It's consistently good food, friendly service and great art on the walls. Ruby's puts a lot of effort into being a hub of Emeryville activity and it really shows - everyone in town goes there at some point. Personally, I love the chicken mango sandwich, and the mozzarella sandwich. Perfectly-sized portions for a hungry person, plenty of tables to sit at, and nice light for reading if you want to stay and sit. I highly recommend. One interesting tidbit - there's no wifi, so bring your own internet if you need to camp out there. read more

Asked for a green tea in my own spill proof thermos, what i got was charged $3's!!! Then I couldn't even use the tea! It's loose tea, which might explain the price but doesn't! No discount for my own cup, and the tea bag came on a stick hovering over my thermos.. uuuuh sure, am i supposed to wait with the lid off my thermos, not convenient and crappy service. read more

Ruby's Cafe - $3 for hot water! Go to Peet's! - Sandwiches Near Me - Emeryville, California

I literally (in the correct sense of the word) used to live above this shop in the warehouse lofts on 62nd. Maybe ironically then, I've only been here a handful of times. That's more because I work in SF and can't get home before they close than anything. Ruby's is okay. Unlike other reviewers, the service I've gotten there has always been friendly. Maybe it's because I rarely pay attention in the morning when I'm rushing to catch the bus and the only other time I can make it there is on Saturday afternoon right before closing. At any rate, I'm unimpressed with the powder formula they use for their chai lattes. I do, however, like their mozzarella sandwich. I request it with less toppings than are offered and they always get it right (plus I get a friendly jab from the sandwich maker about being that "no tomatoes person" every single time). Their offerings are fine, just nothing spectacular. I wish they were open a few hours later on weeknights. It'd be more of a staple for me then. Not overly thrilled to hear about the owner campaigning against food trucks, which might be ironic, considering I've never eaten at one. I don't like hearing about people influencing politics with money though (which, as you might imagine, leaves me frustrated quite a lot). Overall, a nice place that doesn't really stand out but that I also really can't say anything bad about from personal experience. read more

4 stars in general- the fifth is for having gluten free bread. I had a chicken avocado sandwich and, besides the fact that I was eating a sandwich (rare occurrence for a glutard), it was really REALLY good. I've been passing by this place for over 3 years assuming I couldn't eat there because it's a sandwich place. I'm so excited to find another lunch place near work that's this good & this reasonably priced! read more

This is my go to sandwich shop, just round the corner from the office, but honestly I would travel a little way to get here if I had to. Great sandwiches, freshly made, not a huge selection, but very tasty. Salads are big, soup is good, and big selection of cookies and cake. Lunches are busy, but not insane. Well worth it. read more