Ruby's in Hackney

Notting Hill lacks in grown- up, cool places where one can set an informal business meeting, meet a friend for coffee (out of the ghastly coffee chains that are around) , or have a great cocktail with your partner before heading to a restaurant. This hotel lounge and bar could be all this… but despite opening only a few weeks ago, It was 3/4 empty at 7.30pm yesterday. There is too much harsh lighting; not enough sofas, too many high tables. Despite an interesting attempt to evoke the Caribbean origins of post- war Notting Hill, and its famous carnival, design overall feels artificial, because of some details that are truly bad. Mainly these are the “fake distress” aspect of too much of the furniture which drags the whole into cheap artificiality. If you do distress, do it with real, beautiful distressed old stuff - there are lots to find in galleries, flee markets etc but the cheap chemically done items are a no if one wants to create ‘ an atmosphere’.It is baffling to see that with probably the big budgets such hotel “brands” have, they don’t get it right despite good intentions. Bottom line this huge space lounge and bar looks like a lost opportunity for the place to bring in Notting Hillers who would help making this place a nice hub. This would probably delight the hotel guests and makes it a real destination hotel. But perhaps it is not too late for them to fine tune it- so that the neighbourhood does not have to cope with a huge slightly desolate and bright non place!

Servizio pessimo, tranne per il buttafuori che è una persona stupenda. Se ordini da bere poco prima della chiusura ti OBBLIGANO a terminarlo one shot, altrimenti devi lasciarlo lì. DUE GIN TONIC 46€.

This easy accessible venue based in the heart of Stoke newington is cosy, well staffed and equipped for a social gathering. The DJ provided did his best with the speakers, though if you require quality sound to enjoy your rave, you might be disappointed. To be honest once with friend, a few drinks and as the night wore on, this point pailed into insignificance. The doormen were friendly and didn't mind that some attendees had trainers on. Downstairs, underground, low roof contained the heat but popping upstairs to the smoking area outside gave some relief. Overall a good night with nice friends in the space described above.

The vibes were great here and the cocktails were really good. We came here for a birthday and it was fun. Happy hour and not too crowded at the start not too loud. It got busier at the end of the night but decent. Had club vibes and just an enjoyable night all round.

Cute little jazz bar with delicious cocktails

It so clean great all round for everyone

Should check with live music again

Upmarket young vibrant cocktail bar blink and U will miss the signage great range of cocktails knowledgeable friendly fun staff reasonably priced

This place was awesome! Very cool spot, the live music was fantastic and the staff were super friendly; we’ll definitely be back

Dreadful tunes, even worse service.

I love being here. On a Tuesday, when live jazz is playing this is such a timeless bar to be in. Drinks are really well made, and you can usually grab a table for two. Things get more boisterous on the weekends, great for a group, it's always busy and DJs play disco and party hits.

Had better cocktails in my life

Quaint downstairs bar with a mixed crowd

The waitress was really really rude.

Great basement jazz bar with cozy surroundings. Sound is pretty good too

Cool place to have a funny night!

Great little cocktail bar hidden away in the busy streets of dalston. They make a mean espresso martini. Would definitely visit again.

the smokey tommy was one of the best drinks i've ever had...hunting down mezcal verde asap.

Great atmosphere, fantastic music, friendly and helpful staff. Will be returning.

Been wanting to go here for ever as heard great things. Sadly the smaller bar wasn't open only the larger unattractive lounge where the bar staff can't offer bespoke cocktails and the cocktails are basically pre mixed out of a packet. (my partner doesn't drink alcohol and I don't consume egg so where another place would have proper mixologists who could come up with something off menu we were limited to the small basic menu). I hope to return to the smaller bar where I'm led to believe the experience is much different but I'd avoid the lounge especially where there are some fab bars in dalston / stokey.

One of my favourite cocktail bars in London, they make fantastic drinks, I've traveled across London just for one of their corn and oil cocktails. If you time it right it's also a good place where you'll actually be able to hear your friends or if that's not your bag you can go later and they sometimes have live music

Beste uitvijsboite van heel Londen

Un bar subterráneo que consta de 2 áreas, la primera que se usa como club y la segunda que se usa para espectáculos en vivo. Teníamos un mojito de moras y un martini de estrella porno (ambos buenos pero no excepcionales). El personal era amable pero un poco inexperto. Volvería otra vez

Good cocktails and nice jazz! 🎺

The place was a bit dark and not particularly clean, lots of sticky surfaces, but the cocktails were very nice.

This place is time traveling experience. (not that i know what a jazz bar in 70's would have been like.) loved every minute in this place. The cocktail bar section with live music is where my heart is. Gonna visit again and again. Also, they did make a cocktail on request and it was epic. Only problem is the size. And noise. Couldn't hear music very well because of all the chatter. 8/10 will visit again

Nos recomendaron visitar este lugar de un amigo al que le encanta el jazz en vivo, así que nos metimos en su bar de cócteles un miércoles por la noche y el lugar estaba a tope. ¡Un ambiente tan genial, buena música en vivo y los cócteles son deliciosos! El bar dice que intentan dar vida a los bares de jazz de los años 50 para el día moderno y que lo están logrando. . . Decidimos regresar un mes más tarde para la fiesta de fin de semana en su bar salón más grande al lado y eso también fue muy divertido. Nuevamente muy ocupado y fresco ambiente tranquilo. Un gran hallazgo.

Amazing cocktail bar! Sometimes they have live jazz, it's super authentic. The club is also quite good! Very nice environment

Nice cosy bar reasonable prices good cocktails 😊

Fuimos el jueves por la noche cuando tuvieron un concierto de jazz en vivo y fue genial! Disfrutamos de un delicioso cóctel y la música:) ¡Recomendaría este lugar!

A good cosy venue, but poor cocktails.

Went here for a friends birthday. Cocktails are great, bar staff are fast, prices are reasonable, crowd is friendly & the music is floor fillers!

Lovely ambiance, cosy atmosphere , and nice live jazz music . Friendly staff also . I was on my own walking in to see if friends had turned up , and the sweet girl working there came up to me straight away to make me feel welcome.

Looks shady from the outside, but the inside is very cool! Cocktails and music are good too!

Great jam nights and gigs, the rooms are small so it's very intimate with the musicians but this also means that most of the band is drowned out by the drummer, could do with some thought into either amplification or damping the drums a little. Other than that, decent drinks at regular extortionate london prices so nothing wrong with that. A good night out on the whole

Bar hyper cool! Bon son, serveurs hyper cools

Great cocktails and great atmosphere.

Lovely discreet bar. I would have never known it was there had it not been for my open mic night being hosted there and I definitely think it deserves more recognition. Would be a great cosy place for drinks for a date! Low lighting, a cosy feel and cheap drinks.

Great night. Good music. Lovely vibe. Doesn't get going till late though. So make it a final stop 😁

A bit of a dive with lots of drunk girls trying to do their sexy dance 🙄 otherwise great music and I fun dancing until the early hours.

Amazing crowd. Just too many people for my liking. Maybe I’m getting old 🤷🏻‍♂️

It's a murky dive with plenty of atmosphere.

El lugar se ve bien al igual que cualquier otro bar escondido. El vino tenía un sabor muy difícil de digerir. Vaciar en un viernes por la noche. Se olvidó de traer las aceitunas. No es el mejor servicio. Y los peores gorilas que he encontrado. No recomendado en absoluto! ! !

Perfect for the girls night out or the good friends night out who wish to talk, have and great time and dance. The music was so great that all the people entering the place had a dance step as soon as they stepped in to the bar. I had a plans at 11pm to see another jazz concert, but I didn’t want to leave the place. I’ll definitely will take my mates for the next weekend. Thanks for the DJ, great choice of music playlist!

Fantastic bar, service can be a little slow.

Cool bar/club. One room which is a table service cocktail bar with excellent drinks. Other room is a small club. Really nice combination

Nice bar in Dalston. Shame what’s happened to the surrounding areas but definitely a good spot for date night

Depends on what you're after (or the time of day), but I suggest take a left at the bottom of the stairs for some decent drinks and avoid the right.

Great cocktails, atmosphere and music. Nice friendly croud, will definitely be back

good 80s power ballads, and the signs are second to none.

A Mexican waiter served me the best Margherita ever. Gracias!

Great cocktails and a lovely cosy atmosphere, a little pricey but well worth it! Will definitely come back.

Good cocktails but they come at a price. Lovely staff.

Really good Jamaican food, small but well cooked menu. From starters through to dessert, it was class. Great drinks too and friendly staff.

Good music and drinking venue for shaking off the weeks grimes.

Special and retro ...post nuclear bar. Unique!

Great bar, amazing cocktails 🍹 Really good atmosphere, will definitely return next time I am in the area.

Beautiful and cosy place. Highly recommended for live music evenings

good music but poor drinks. average retro vibe.

decent atmosphere would definetly recommend!!

Basement bar that does what a basement bar should. Dark, boozy, booths, and great music from Elephant Disco and the DJs.

Great little lounge / club to get the party started not a big fan of the music

Great late night haunt in Dalston. Normally gets a bit messy!

Nice place to enjoy cocktails small and cosy.there is a dance floor and the music was really good..bar staff and bouncers really friendly.

Quirky n cute. Good cocktails but took a long time w only 10 people in the place. Somewhat romantic.

Great place for drinks! Highly recommend.

Best place ! Amazing staff and amazing bouncer ! Great cocktail (book for the cocktail bar if you can) it already be 2 times and I will definitely come back !

My favourite bar in East London... Hidden gem, great atmosphere and friendly staff!

Fantastic atmosphere, unbelievable cocktails, great selection of wine and beer.. my favourite bar in London!

Fabulous cocktails and great music, try the chilli apple martini!

Chilli Apple Martini is a total winner, amazing vibes, great tunes, lovely staff!!!

Discovered this little place at the weekend and loved it! Really nice vibes and atmosphere

Great vibe, staff and drinks....a little gem in dalston!!

Great cocktails and lovely staff

What a nice find. We were lured in here with the notice outside saying "nothing to see here" and decended downstairs into a curious and intimate bar where you can talk without blaring music. The cocktails were great and the laid-back atmosphere of this place entrances you into staying there a lot longer than you had expected.

Ruby's is great for a relaxed evening of great cocktails in a laid back setting. Just what Dalston needs.

Excellent place to go, amazing drinks

Deceivingly nice inside compared to the run down exterior.

Ruby's is in the heart of the ever trendy Dalston. It's pretty small and intimate which is a good thing. The cocktails are of course delicious, and the interior has a pretty retro vibe to it. If you're hanging out with beer drinkers, they do have a decent selection of craft beers too.

Friendly place, good ambience, hot bartenders! :-)

Great little cocktail bar, tucked away off the high road, good selection of drinks.

Shabby chic, with a decent selection of reasonably priced cocktails

Wonderful. Hands on owners, this place has soul

Cosy place with cool atmosphere, friendly unpretentious service, and great imaginative drinks

There's a fair chance you'll have wandered right past Ruby's without even noticing it's there, but that's just part of the appeal of this 'secret' cocktail bar. Timing is key to grab a seat in Ruby's, along with a bit of luck. The bar itself is pretty cosy, with no room for standing and at table service. With cocktails like 'Hotline Ting' - a fittingly delicious nod to Drake - the menu is creative and fun, not to mention kept fresh with constantly changing options. The staff are happy to whip up more classic drinks if you want, but c'mon..that isn't the reason you choose to visit Ruby's now, is it? Super fun and great for a date night when all you want to do is drink your way through an awesome menu and have a giggle.

Nice great chilled bar and lounge with matching atmosphere and DJ. Is a good place for friends to chill and their wine list is cool.

Bar bodega mono con una buena variedad de interesantes, sabrosos cócteles. Llegar allí antes que usted cree, que se llena rápido. Solía ser un poco más de un secreto, pero aún así es un lugar encantador para charlar un tranquilo cualquier día de la semana.

Excellent cocktails and atmosphere. When it is busy it can be crowded.

Funky cocktail bar. In a basement. Lots of interesting cocktails. Good date venue or for a stop on a night out in Dalston

Excellent divey bar. Stairs lead down from the street level, which always intrigues me. Great decor, atmosphere, drink selection, service. Not too crowded when I was there either.

Unexpected treat. Come with well-furnished wallets, but that's what treats are about...

He estado aquí para cócteles unas cuantas veces. Son todos muy buenos; bien preparado con ingredientes de calidad buena. Disfruté especialmente tener la continental Negroni, así que en realidad era bastante decepcionado la última vez que fui porque se habían tomado en el menú. Por favor trae de vuelta!!!!

Recientemente visité este lugar para la cena y las bebidas, pero me decepcionó a dejar sensación tan hambriento como cuando llegamos, pese a pedir el menú entero entre 2 de nosotros.La decoración es preciosa y es muy acogedor, sin duda volveremos para las bebidas, pero se evita la comida y comer en otro lugar.

fantastic bar, perfect to start or end the evening, can't wait to see what the new expanded space is like. cannot recommend this place enough, other than don't make it so busy that I can't get in!

Like the location of this place

Great cosy and cool cocktail bar. Great drinks with a bit of twist, served in quirky ways. Good service but can get crowded at weekends.

En el típico estilo Dalston, que no tiene una entrada o señal. Es demasiado moderno que importa. Por desgracia, detrás de la zero-esfuerzo-chic en exterior, compensa con su entusiasmo y su imaginación. Baje las escaleras y tratar de tejo en una de las mesas tenuemente iluminada. Hay varias fechas, así que probablemente no sea un mal lugar para eso. También habrá grupos de amigos y los más civilizada de Dalston bebidas catchup echo. Probar el whisky de Assam. El personal es amable y realmente saben lo que están haciendo.

Really like this place. Bit rough and ready, but nice drinks and lots of people all the time

I love taking people to this place, I have never got a bad review (...) Such a great little place, drinks, atmosphere and everything. Please don't ever change

Ruby's had amazing service and great food! Everyone in there was happy and there's nothing to doubt about the place we would defiantly recommend it and would eat there again sometime!