Rubi's Coffee and Sandwiches

This has got to be the most unwelcoming and depressing environment in the Berkshires. The balding old guy who always wears a dad hat is perpetually angry and takes it out on his staff and customers. The staff seem to be inconvenienced and disgusted any time a customer comes in to order something. There’s clearly an extremely toxic relationship between the manager and his underlings if he feels able to publicly berate them in front of customers. I can’t for the life of me understand why this guy hasn’t been fired. All this being said, the food is great, but the staff and general atmosphere make it a difficult decision to ever want to go there.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 4

Service: 1

Ruby’s has always been our go-to for cappuccino in this town that now has many coffee options. Our experience today was not pleasant. Though only a few people were there, the wait went on and on. The girl barista could either work OR talk, but not do both at the same time. The talking with friends won out each time, as I stood there waiting. Then her replacement arrived as she was starting our order, so she just stopped. He didn’t know where she stopped so he started over….also stopping work to talk numerous times. We always loved rubys for the excellent cappuccino, including each cup’s beautiful presentation. Not this time…the foam was just globbed on top. He set the drinks out and as he turned to leave I had to stop him to ask which was which. I just don’t get it…but now have a reason to try all the other coffee spots in town.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 1

I try not to leave negative reviews for businesses, but I was very put off by the actions of the management I witnessed while getting breakfast at Rubys. I was sitting there and heard one of the employees mention that somebody who was unhoused was sleeping outside the store to a manager. I was expecting some form of concern for this persons safety, but instead, the manager shook his head and stormed out to investigate, saying something along the lines of “Not surprised.” Luckily when I went out to check on the situation it looked like whoever was outside had managed to leave.

I understand there may be more to the situation than I am aware of, but the response given just seemed deeply discompassionate and unconcerned for the persons situation, who was clearly facing a crisis. I hope they are safe wherever they are, and I’m hoping they will be treated with more respect in the future.

Regardless, the coffee was good and the sandwich I ordered was well made. And despite the actions of the manager, the baristas who served me were very pleasant to interact with, and probably the most delightful part of the experience.

Chill coffee place with great seating inside and outside! Love the vibes

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place is so awesome. Highly recommend! The food, vibes, and coffee are 10/10. They also have lots of plugs, so it’s perfect for getting work done in a cozy atmosphere.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food & coffee - excellent!

Customer Service - atrocious. No greetings, just “what can we get for you” and then the staff proceeded to loudly talk badly about a fellow employee who was not there. Dropping swear words left and right in the presence of children. Just a really unwelcoming environment.

Also, what are the food safety rules for a barista making our food while wearing a tube top?

Ordered a salad with hard boiled egg on it. Took 34 minutes to come, when I inquired about the wait they pointed at the tickets behind them and said “do you see how many tickets there are?” Seriously, just go somewhere else.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 1

Look. So there’s a distinctive tension in the air (as well as lots of butter smoke) when you step into any spot that’s this busy.

There’s also a weird dichotomy for a place that slings gourmet grilled cheese all day that is also serving up coffee and espresso beverages. Sandwiches have to be fast and hot, and coffee likewise, but you tend to expect more of a chill vibe for a coffee shop.

If you can stomach some very NYC-coded atmosphere, (unprofessional, kinda rude, but lots of communication and sibling-like dynamics behind the counter) the grilled cheese is 100% worth it.

I had the one with the onion baked into the cheddar, and it will live forever in the hall of records within my tastebud mind palace. Also. Full disclosure: dairy sometimes does me dirty, and I had zero ill effects from Rubi’s delicious cheeses.✌?

⌚️Context of time: My husband and I absolutely accidentally found ourselves in the Berkshires during peak Labor Day weekend tourism. We were walking from parking 3 streets away to visit Yellow House Books.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 4

Service: 4

Sandwiches were fantastic! Indoor seating is lovely but the butter smoke in the seating room was insane. We moved outside and ate in the rain.

Rubi's charges $1.50 to substitute cow's milk with a plant-based milk. It's 2024! The scarce few cafes who still charge for a plant-based milk charge 50 cents, tops. On principle, this seems extortionary - and blind to the market. Lactose intolerant and vegan friends, let's keep supporting local cafes, but perhaps ones that are a bit more with the times.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 4

Disappointingly slow and unmanaged.

Two of us shared a classic grilled cheese and a grilled rueben on rye, both very good. But a little pricey, even for a tourist town.

This store is so full of itself, I went in there with the intention of getting a breakfast sandwich but they were unable to remove the cheese from a sandwich because they allegedly don't know how to charge for that. I explained that im breastfeeding and cannot eat cheese and this was too great an ask for the nasty clerk. Ridiculous, we left.

Seating inside and outside. Espresso was good. $3.25
There is music and bamboo shoots around the seating area in the back. Kinda hard to find, not on the main st, gotta walk down an alley or go around back to find it. Well staffed, there were at least 3 people on and it was relatively busy when i went in but i didn't have to wait long.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food is pretty good…for being over priced grilled cheeses, but staff and service are awful. They’re rude, inconsiderate, and so slow. We’ve been here twice and will not return.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 1