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In a cookie cutter city like Irvine, it is impossible to find an old school diner like those I love so much in LA, so, the only options are these chain diners like Ruby’s. Don’t get me wrong, I like Ruby’s, but there is no charm or character to it. Ruby’s is an excellent quick fix whether it be for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and the portions are ample enough that you leave feeling pretty satisfied.
We tend to come mainly for breakfast and my favorite item is the “really big breakfast” which I share with my son, who isn’t a fan of kids’ menus. This ample plate consists of 3 eggs, 2 sausages, 3 strips of bacon and ham, potatoes and toast and is really the perfect amount for the two of us. Lunch and dinner offers a bunch of diner-style foods such as burgers and sandwiches, but they also have a section of lower caloried items for those who might be watching their waistline. For me, going to a diner is really all about eating greasy spoon style, not diet style, so in general, I’m not going for those options. Ruby’s salads are pretty good too and they are HUGE! I’ve never been able to finish one portion of salad on my own. Their chili (pictured above) is pretty good too, they use shredded beef instead of ground beef and there are no beans in it — perfect for me! I don’t like beans in my chili.
If you’re a burger person, their Kobe beef burgers are pretty damn good. My son loves the “Greek” burger (pictured left) which comes with feta cheese. Naturally he’s not able to finish the entire thing so we have them cut the burger in half so we can share. The other burger which is pretty awesome is the guacamole burger. If you don’t want beef patties, you can opt for turkey, they’re pretty flexible here.
All burgers come with your option of fries, fruit, sliced tomatoes or cottage cheese. If you go for the fries, note that these are bottomless fries and these include garlic fries, chili fries as well as sweet potato fries. Both the garlic fries and sweet potato fries are seriously tasty! I like to dip my fries into their chipotle mayo (ask them for some) instead of ketchup.
Milkshakes are also done well at Ruby’s and there is a different flavor featured each month. Around the holidays, they have holiday-appropriate flavors to go with them — my favorite is pumpkin around Thanksgiving time. Ruby’s has always and will remain one of our ‘to-go-to” places when we are feeling like something comforting and consistent.
Although there are several Ruby’s Diners close to my home, my favorite location in the area is the one at Laguna Hills Mall.
Ruby’s Diner, 24155 Laguna Hills Mall Rd, Laguna Hills, CA 92653. Tel: 949-588-7829
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