El Ruby Cafe - North Glendale

El Ruby is a longstanding tradition. I remember visiting El Ruby as a young student in the early 1960s when I lived in Southern Glendale. It was a larger restaurant back then, and it served the most delicious salsa fresca I have ever tasted, with hints of garlic, cilantro, and oregano in a sweet, spicy, thick tomato sauce. The tacos deshebrada had tender, flavorful meat with crumbles of excellent cotija cheese. I returned to El Ruby nearly 40 years later to find that the original restaurant was no longer there, replaced by a small strip mall, but El Ruby's was still there. The older lady who owned it said she had worked at the original El Ruby. The salsa had changed over the years, but the taco deshebrada was still just as good. The older lady retired around 2003, so I hope that the new cooks are maintaining the quality. This small restaurant holds a lot of nostalgic value for me, as it was where I first experienced authentic Mexican cuisine. To this day, I have yet to find another northern Mexican restaurant that can compare to the El Ruby of the 1960s.

The food is good. I ordered the Chile relleno and was not disappointed. The mole is sweet and delicious. They have quite a number of seafood options. I came here with a large group and was served quickly. The waitress was very kind. It got a bit hot inside the place while we were eating but other than that gret.

The Mexican food at this restaurant is delicious! They offer a few egg plates for breakfast and a wide selection of lunch and dinner options. All the dishes were served generously. The carnitas were tender and full of flavor without being greasy. The carnitas sope was particularly amazing! The gordita was thin, which I preferred, and loaded with meat, refried beans, cabbage/lettuce, cheese, and crema. The carne asada was tasty and tender, not dry at all. The chilaquiles had a good level of spice, with a distinct chile flavor rather than tomato. The rice and beans were also flavorful without being overly salty. Additionally, they offer curbside pickup for a convenient grab-and-go lunch or dinner option.

Great delicious tasty and value food served with chips and salsa chips were fresh as well, coming back when in the area

Best home style Mexican food in town. Highly recommend it. Owners super nice. Very homie environment.