posted by Archana on Australian, Burgers, Nolita, Vegging Out

2 comments

I came to Ruby’s Cafe a while ago before I even moved to its ‘hood with my friend who claimed this Australian spot had the best burger in New York City. We did have burgers that night, but sorry, Kunal, I didn’t think they were the best. Good, but not best. (I still love Shake Shack.)

I went back a couple of weeks ago and, though I toyed with the idea of giving the burger another go, I anticipated disappointment, so I went veg, which unfortunately didn’t leave me with much to choose from.

What’s in it for you: Roasted vegetable panini with pesto and mozzarella; roasted vegetable spaghetti with pumpkin, zucchini, roasted peppers and asparagus; roast vegetable salad with roast pumpkin, peppers, zucchini, goat cheese, pine nuts and arugula

What’s in it for them: Posh BLT (prosciutto, avocado, tomato and lettuce with aioli dressing); Blueys burger ( chicken breast, tomato, lettuce, sweet chilli, mayo and cheese); Whaleys burger (ground beef, tomato, lettuce, beet, pineapple, fried egg and ketchup); Bronte burger (ground beef, tomato, lettuce, sweet chilli, mayo and cheese); spicy Italian sausage made of rigatoni pasta, baby peas and tomato sauce

The good thing is, when sandwiches are involved, I’m easy to please. Give me a couple slices of bread, vegetables and cheese, and I’m set. And so I went with the roast vegetable panini:

{Roast vegetable panini}

The vegetables were crisp, the pesto was fresh and the sourdough bread had just the right chewiness—so who cared if I didn’t have all the options in the world. Plus, I’m used to that with most restaurants by now.

I do encourage any meat-eaters to try the burgers because they are something of a speciality. They have a  sweet chili topping that gives the normally savory sandwich a pleasant sweetness.

But if poultry is more your thang, my boyfriend liked his grilled chicken panini, which had a nice ooey gooey texture thanks to some aioli dressing.

{Grilled chicken panini}

I think what I like best about this place is how Aussie it feels right on a block that feels so NYC-straight-out-of-the-movies. The waiters are Australian, the clientele are mostly Australian and during the summertime, it feel like a slightly glam burger joint on the beach. It actually makes me nostalgic for my six-month stint living in Australia in 2005. Oh, how I miss it.

….Plus, they offer their soda in a bottle. And I LOVE that.

{LOVE}

Ruby’s Cafe
219 Mulberry St (between Prince and Spring)
212.925.5755
6 to Spring St.
B, D, F, M to Broadway-Lafayette