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    Ruby's Diner

    3.3 (383 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Ruby's Diner Photos

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    RUBY'S DINER ATMOSPHERE

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

    Recommended Reviews - Ruby's Diner

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    Chicken strips
    Smitha A.

    We got there right at 12:15, prime lunch time. We waited at "wait to be seated" stand for about 10 mins before anyone even acknowledged us. We ordered the chicken strips plate and a gluten free classic burger with chili cheese fries. The fries were great. Everything else was meh. My daughter did enjoy the buffalo ranch sauce. We asked to sit outside even if it was chilly since the inside was a little smelly.

    Guacamole burger with grilled chicken on a gluten free bun and regular fries
    Sandi H.

    I always enjoy a Ruby's diner and like to see what the different themes are at the different locations. This one is a surf theme and has a tiki room in the back. I was so glad to see that they have gluten-free buns, so I ordered the avocado Burger with a chicken breast instead. The flavor was good but actually the combination of ingredients was a little too slippery and the sandwich fell apart so I just ended up eating it with a fork and knife. I think maybe next time I'll get the guacamole on the side. Service was absolutely stellar and I had a great time.

    Butterfinger malt
    Harrison S.

    Came here a couple days ago and the interior was pleasant. The kitchen area was really cool. It is set up like an old airstream trailer. I wish I took a better look around. Service was friendly, a little slow but friendly regardless. Ordered an oldie. The classic burger and a butterfinger malt. Burger was decent, not like remembered it but still decent. The fires were okay, definitely needed at least another 30 second in the fryer, a little soft. The butterfinger malt though... oooof just as I remembered. So delicious!!! It has been a long time since ive been to rubys but I'd come back to this location and give them another go! (Hopefully the fries will be nice and crisp next time)

    Ice cream
    Jessica Z.

    We came in for ice cream the manager assisted us fast, clean amazing service!!! Delicious ice cream. It's a little pricey 599 per scoop but worth it.

    Patty melt with Onion Rings
    Laura P.

    We're from out of state and this was my first experience at a Ruby's and I really enjoyed it. Service was ok - about what you would expect from a "diner" but the food was fantastic and the interior is so cool - I wish I look photos of it, but I might have to go back for a root beer float before we leave town! It's very mid-Century modern and the cooking area is in a hollowed out Airstream. At our table we had a 1/2 tuna melt with a salad, a bacon cheeseburger and a patty melt with onion rings and everything was delicious. The party melt was one of the best I've ever had - tons of onions, gooey cheese and a nice crispy caraway rye. The onion rings were also amazing in a super crispy tempura type batter - there were just too many of them - I couldn't finish!

    Menu cover
    Kevin H.

    Ruby's Diner Carlsbad, CA Food: We ordered the Fish & Chips and Seafood Combo, both came with fresh fried cod fillets, served hot I may add. The onion ring served hot also and was delicious. They also serve beer and wine. Service: super service! Ambiance: Old School diner vibe, employee in hats and uniform was great to see.

    Getting the bacon cheeseburger and a Swiss mushroom burger.
    Mike H.

    Service was great, greeted quickly and sat, waiter was quick and attentive, brought water and coffee refills regularly. Food- burgers are ok, I could take it or leave it. Flavor ok. Sweet potato fries. Great! Hot, a little crispy, good flavor. Regular fries were good too. Place was clean, staff friendly, service was fast.

    Frings
    Tucker W.

    Stopped in at 7:45pm on a Saturday night after outlet shopping. Sat outside by the fire and had super fast service and yummy comfort food. Vibe was perfect for a cozy, comfortable meal with solid classic diner foods

    Water
    Hannah H.

    yummy food lovely service Ruby's Ruby's yum yum yum yum yum yum yum so lovely!! I love! Very calming very beach but no sand!! yay

    Daniele F.

    Tasty food and quick service in San Clemente during our ball game break. We had cheeseburgers, BLT's, seafood combos, soup, calamari, and shakes!!! Naomi did a good job serving us and we relaxed and talked on the outside patio until we were done. Thanks Ruby's.

    Fun-loving Nick

    Not only did our food come out fast, hot and delicious -- our server Nick was the bomb! He seated us at the last hour and was still so full of kindness, energy and humor. A great place to eat after a long day of shopping! Say Hi to Nick!

    Simple Salad
    Tu-Quyen P.

    One of the few Ruby's Diners left in OC and I'm so glad it's at this beautiful location with plenty of parking and indoor and outdoor seating. Service is super friendly as typical of this chain which I appreciate a lot, and the portion sizes I feel are a bit bigger than I remember, so nice bonus! The turkey sandwich is forever my go-to and it's so good with the sweet potato fries. Perfect for a weekend lunch on a beautiful sunny day.

    Inside
    Ane V.

    One last stop before hitting the road. My SO and I decided to have an early dinner here. The place was not busy. The server let us sit anywhere we wanted. We opted for indoors and a booth. We both ordered burgers. The Ruby with Cheese. It was good, filling, and tasty. The fries were crispy and not overly salty. Our server checked on us in a timely manner. Location is pretty good. Outdoor dining is great if the weather permits.

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    Photo of Tory B.
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    9 months ago

    The food was so good service was fast and ambiance was good and cool I got the grilled cheese

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    7 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    We are happy you had great time at our place Please come back soon!

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    11 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Great experience and clean and family friendly and nice service. We always come on weekends not long of a wait

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    7 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    9 months ago

    Great place for lunch. Great service, food and ambience Putdoor area is very pleasant and you may see a few pets?

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    8 months ago

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    8 months ago

    Food and service is and was absolutely great! Like always. We have been coming here for years and still top-notch.

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    7 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    10 months ago

    Absolutely the best burgers around, fries and onion rings too. Great service and it is just like this, all the time

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    11 months ago

    Ordered the grown up grilled cheese... very good. Always clean with fast and friendly service.

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    11 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Amazing service. Very quick and efficient. The food is so delicious. The vibes in here are always amazing as well!!

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    1 year ago

    We love Ruby's! We love the service and the food and atmosphere with the music!! Thank you for always being the best! Vicki & Jennifer

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    4 years ago

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    Page 2 of 10

    Ruby's Diner Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Ruby's Diner

    Coastal Cowboy

    Coastal Cowboy

    4.4(292 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$
    Kid friendly
    Pet friendly

    We moved to SC in early May and have been wanting to try Coastal Cowboy ever since. No seed oils…read moreand garbage in their food, our kind of food. The first move is you walk in and order at the counter, the line moves quickly and the girl who took our order was very knowledgeable and friendly. You can tell these employees are trained well. They give you a number and you grab a table. We were there on a Saturday night at 6:45 and we had no problems getting a table. Pro tip: Order beers & appetizers at the counter and then hang and have a couple of drinks and order dinner with your waitress. The food: Tallow Fries - Must order, the best fries you'll ever have. With the homemade ketchup good lawd! We got 2 baskets for 4 of us. We should have gotten 3 baskets. Coastal smash - 2 Pattie's, no seed oil sauce, pickles, onions, cheese on a fabulous brioche style bun. My wife LOVED this. Brisket tacos - An absolute winner. Smokey, salty, tangy, plenty of umami with cilantro and pickled onions. Fire! The only thing i would have loved was some sort of salsa. Maybe there was and I missed it. Caesar salad wrap chicken - this was a sleeper hit. My daughter is a Caesar salad conissuer and this was right up her ally. And with avocado oil Caesar dressing, no garbage! Comeon. Grilled fish tacos - very fresh and good. I think there was a sauce but these were dry. It needed more sauce and some salsa. Mind you the quality was there, so I had no problem eating them. But they were a bit bland honestly. 10/10 friendly service 10/10 easability if ordering and seating. 9/10 Food This will become one of our favorite family spots no doubt. Thank you Coastal Cowboy for caring enough to be seed oil free and health conscious with your cuisine.

    Great menu and very clean place. Looks new. Ordering at the counter isn't my thing and then…read moreasking for a tip. Ugggg. I don't mind tipping servers however ordering at the counter isn't service. Cool that you can eat at the counter but still having to order in a line rather than a server. Restroom very clean! That's a huge plus. Pricey place however what do you expect from a tourist place. Ahhh. Restroom so clean I had to leave a gift Food was very tasty . Got fish n chips and a side of rice. The rice was A+. Fish and tarter was very good. . Why not give five stars. Well. Service for a 22 buck 2 piece fish n chips could use some help.

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    Coastal Cowboy
    Coastal Cowboy
    Coastal Cowboy - Dinning area

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    Dinning area

    The Riders Club Cafe

    The Riders Club Cafe

    4.3(1.2k reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    This place is so cute!!!…read more The food was really good and the buns are excellent. My only issue, was that the veggie burger made me super gassy, which is not the fault of the restaurant at all- they did what they are supposed to do- make the food I ordered, make good suggestions, and let me enjoy their beautiful patio happily- hence 5 stars... but man... the farts. That was surprising. They had a bunch of housemade sauces. I would not suggest the homemade ketchup. It's more like a homemade tomato sauce, which is a weird thing to dip fries into. As for the rest of the sauces, I would for sure pour them into my mouth. And a hard yes to the strawberry shake. That tasted like it was made from actual strawberries.

    These are the best burgers I've ever had. Everything I could ask for in a burger, and they do it…read moreright, every time. The variety of toppings is also plentiful and perfect to build the burger of your dreams. The best thing though, hands down, their waffle cut sweet potato fries paired with their house ranch. I can't recommend them enough. I love that they both always taste fresh and delicious. I would include a photo, but every time I order them, they are gone in a flash. Service is done with a smile and a friendly energy. As far as ambiance, I'd say it's like a casual beachside kinda joint. (in my opinion anyway, ofc) I've been a loyal diner here for the last 10 years, and I'll keep coming back.

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    The Riders Club Cafe - Front counter and grill

    Front counter and grill

    The Riders Club Cafe - Two Hot Dogs Meal and Fries

    Two Hot Dogs Meal and Fries

    The Riders Club Cafe - Outside signage.

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    Outside signage.

    GiGi's by The Pier

    GiGi's by The Pier

    4.0(945 reviews)
    1.4 mi
    $$

    Great location!!! Just steps from the beach, great views. Greeted by our host/server. We were…read moreable to choose our table and I chose one with a view of the pier and ocean. The food was good. A few surprises My sister ordered the Cali eggs Benedict the potatoes wee supposed to be smashed, they were halved. The avocado slices looked old due to the dark tone on them, not the normal green. My chilaquiles had black beans, not mentioned in the menu description; great surprise. There was supposed to be sour cream on my chilaquiles and there wasn't any. It would have cut some of the sourness of the chile verde sauce. I chose poached eggs in stead of fried ones. My eggs were over cooked and cold. I am pretty sure they were precooked. I would give them another try, maybe for lunch.

    Service: The service was excellent. The waitress was very…read moreattentive and energetic. Everyone there had a very positive attitude. Which is a big plus. Food: We started off with the coconut shrimp. The coconut shrimp was good. The coconut was crispy and the shrimp was well done for the main dish. I got the Cali Benedict. It was Soooo good. The hollandaise sauce was so tasty. The shrimp was fully seasoned and the potato's were well seasoned and huge. I recommend people getting this dish. Ambiance: The ambiance was great. There wasn't really a lot of people so that was nice. Just kids screaming and cry from time to time.

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    GiGi's by The Pier
    GiGi's by The Pier
    GiGi's by The Pier - Something delicious

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    Something delicious

    Hapa J's - Hapa Nachos w/ Kalua Pork

    Hapa J's

    4.1(1.4k reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$

    Was in town for a wedding and decided to give this place a try…read more If I could give more stars I would. Delicious! I've never had a Spam tempura and now that's all I want from now on! The bar area was cute and TV's playing sports games. We were seated quick, our food came just as quick and left with full happy bellies. Will comeback when craving a Spam Musubi and in the area!

    Went here for date night last week- it has a lot more seating inside than I had expected!…read more Good service- 5/5 The ambience - 3.5/5 - the ambience wasn't my favorite, maybe it's a little better in their main restaurant area but we were seated to the left when you walk in and while there are a few booths in that area it was mostly outdoor chairs and tables and sort of odd lighting. Just very very casual and not totally comfortable. Food- 3.4/4 out of 5 - I got the Luau plate and LOVED the chicken!! Everyone else was right- that chicken thigh deserves its own plate. I also really enjoyed the coconut pudding/jello thing that came with it and the sausage link. The pulled pork was just okay, not very well seasoned but not bad. The side of "dressed greens" was just some lettuce without dressing on it, and I thought the macaroni salad was fine. The last thing that really disappointed me were the sautéed veggies :/ they were just soo oily and had no seasoning to them at all. I didn't eat any of them or the un-dressed 'salad'. My husband got the chicken katsu plate, he said the chicken katsu was fine but the fries on the side were cold and not crispy, they were kind of chalky in the mouth and didn't taste fresh. Some parts were definitely a 3/5 but my chicken thigh was so good and the portions are *huge* so I feel like they deserve a 4/5? All in all, I think I'd come back if I wanted to go out with someone but save some money and we'd split one of the plates (the portions really are huge).

    Photos
    Hapa J's - DA BIG MIXED PLATE

    DA BIG MIXED PLATE

    Hapa J's - Feeling the Aloha at Hapa J's

    Feeling the Aloha at Hapa J's

    Hapa J's - OLD SCHOOL MAITAI

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    OLD SCHOOL MAITAI

    Brussels Bistro - Mussels Provencal!

    Brussels Bistro

    4.4(491 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    Second visit at Brussels Bistro and both times were solid. Perfect spot if you're looking for a…read moregood list of Belgian beers, both bottled and on tap. Food is also great. It's tough to find good mussels with a very of sauce options but they've got that covered for you here. First visit, I had the White Beer sauce and that was fantastic. It was just the right amount of beer to not be overpowering. Second visit, I had the Garlic and Crème and wow - if you like garlic, this is an excellent choice. Creamy, garlicky, but again not overpowering. My toddler had the chicken breast plate and luckily it was a hit for her (of course the fries more than anything else). The chicken breast was moist and tender, so that made this an easy choice. Brussels Bistro is now becoming a must visit when in San Clemente - can't wait to go back!

    Came on a weekend afternoon. Was able to find street parking a block away pretty quickly. Street…read moreparking was not metered and free on Avenida Del Mar. Place was not busy when we arrived. They had a few tables. They originally wanted to seat us inside, but we requested the open window seat. Our waiter tried to sell us wine when we sat down. We ordered the Creamy Chicken with Ratatouille for $29 and Steak Frites with red wine sauce for $34. The Creamy Chicken was really good and fun to eat with the puff pastry. The Ratatouille was alright, we were not a fan. We got the Steak Frites medium and felt like it should've tasted better. We did appreciate that we did taste the red wine. The Belgians fries were hot and crispy. They were quite generous with the salt. The decor was nice. The food was descent. The kept refilling our water without us asking which was nice. We did not like that the waiters kept rushing us to leave at the end when there were plenty of open tables. The place was packed by dinner time when we returned to the area.

    Photos
    Brussels Bistro - Inside decor

    Inside decor

    Brussels Bistro - Lettuce wrapped burger

    Lettuce wrapped burger

    Brussels Bistro - Inside

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    Inside

    Ruby's Diner - tradamerican - Updated September 2026

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