Nice little gem of a restaurant, fast and efficient service , and really good quality sushi for the price. I love the Japanese aesthetic. Pictures attached. read more

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I'm on a business trip in Albany and saw that Ruby City was just a few miles from my hotel. So, I decided to venture out the day before my conference to check it out by myself. They had a small parking lot in the back which is a plus. I got there close to 4p, the open at 3, so not busy. The owner/hostess greets me and seats me towards the front and explains the menu is online, awesome. Just scan the QR code and add anything that starts with AYCE. It was simple and with just a little guidance I get my first order out. I asked her if Ramen was included and the first thing she tells me is not to waste food. I shouldn't order too much. Ok, I don't disagree with that but to start off the experience being judged? Anyway, I wait on the ramen. I ordered the calamari and rock shrimp appetizer. Now most AYCE sushi I've been to gives you a few pieces of calamari and a few pieces of shrimp. Not here. Be careful. The portions are pretty big. They also add a lot of rice to the nigiri pieces. But the quality of the fish was pretty good. The mackerel was a little tough and dry but it was ok. There were a ton of choices on the AYCE menu. But in the end I didn't make a second order because the portion size and the amount of rice got me. $28.99 for the dinner AYCE. Not a bad price at all. I went alone and had to eat my entire appetizer by myself. Next time I will bring someone to share. read more

Was pleased with the food. It is a small place, with intimate seating that all pretty much see the kitchen counter, which is nice. The hot dishes are much better than other similar-format restaurants locally, including delicious made-to-order ramen included in their all you can eat (AYCE) menu. I think this is where Ruby City shines. They have more variety and in my opinion better quality hot dishes than the others. Portions are a larger, so start slow. It's made to order and you can tell much of it is scratch-made in house. Both the sushi and hot dishes are plenty large portions, even on the all-you-can-eat (AYCE). Start slow, order more as you go. The fish on the sushi and sashimi were not skimpy on size. Service is attentive. The owner lady seems very invested in your satisfaction but is also direct about the format of the restaurant and the rules. The waitress that was there at the time is super attentive but timid, might have been new. Nothing wrong with that. This is a much chiller atmosphere than some others in the area. Slower paced isn't the right wording but it's less chaotic than some other places nearby. There's an extensive selection of teas (including boba) that are made fresh, not included in the AYCE menu but they are huge. They also have milk teas and yogurt drinks. At the end of your meal, there are ice cream cups available in a couple different flavors (and some sort of pops) which are included in AYCE or available separately. This restaurant did not appear to offer alcoholic beverages, but might be BYOB idk, call and ask first. The QR code menu onsite is nice, can be overwhelming. My recommendation is to minimize the various sections and then look at them one at a time. Also, if you're eating from the AYCE menu, use AYCE in the search to limit to included items. For one price you can order whatever you want, with some normal caveats* Several guests seemed to misunderstand the concept here. The restaurant may do better by offering a flowchart for the different options, regular menu vs AYCE and also include information on the whole table needing to pick AYCE or Regular menu. *PROTIP: if you are planning to do AYCE then the entire table must do AYCE. That being said, you can order other items for an additional charge if you want. *NOTE: limit food waste on AYCE, you will be charged a fee for too much waste on AYCE items that you don't finish, and you CANNOT bring home leftovers from AYCE menu (to be fair, this is not unusual for any all you can eat type of restaurant, hot pot, buffet, AYCE, etc.). This doesn't seem to be enforced to punish people but to deter over-ordering then wasting. I would recommend it if you want to try another AYCE format, or even if you just want to order ramen. It's quite lovely if you can respect the rules. Will return. read more

Spent Valentine's Day night here for dinner and it was absolutely incredible! The Unagi sashimi, dragon rolls and Takoyaki were stand outs and we both enjoyed the all you can eat option. Yuki is an INCREDIBLE host and the staff were knowledgeable and friendly. We found our new treat yourself/date night spot. Looking forward to coming back and giving Yuki another warm hug. read more

My significant other and I came here for my birthday after our usual AYCE spot was closed. I had high hopes based on the strong reviews, but to say I was disappointed would be an understatement. First, they don't have physical menus. That's fine, I don't mind using a QR code. However, when I asked the waitress to clarify the ordering process (whether she would take our order or if we needed to submit it online), she responded with a noticeable attitude, implying she could take the order "if we couldn't figure it out." For reference, I'm 22. I was fully capable and did figure it out. Second, she repeatedly emphasized, at least five times, that this is a no-waste restaurant and that we would be charged for leftovers. We understood after the first time. To my surprise, they also don't serve mix drinks. Lastly, they were out of a significant portion of the menu. How a sushi restaurant runs out of fish is beyond me. That said, the restaurant itself is very clean and well-decorated, which I did appreciate. read more

Prior to becoming ruby city, this was known as Ruby's Asian bistro and it was my husband's favorite Asian restaurant and our staple for getting the Yaki Udon stir fry noodles around. At the close of 2023 they rebranded (or got new owners) that made it into an AYCE sushi restaurant instead. We were excited to try it out since Wasabi was our usual spot but another AYCE location in the area would be nice to switch between. Unfortunately the sushi wasn't good and the appetizers were very disappointing. The fried calamari was fried batter there wasn't the faintest taste or calamari in there at all. The seaweed salad had a fishy taste to it and was hard to get down. The shumai was steamed rather than pan fried (we like it pan fried better it gives it more flavor and crunch to enjoy). The rock shrimp, similar to the calamari, was just a lot of fried batter, that didn't have any seasoning to it and there was barely any spicy mayo added to it to make it "spicy rock shrimp". The edamame was slightly undercooked and lacked enough salt but that was the one appetizer we finished in its entirety. There wasn't a lot of variety in the special rolls that were being offered and even the basic everyday rolls didn't live up to our sushi loving expectations. Even the California roll was disappointing. It was full of rice and had a quarter of the amount of imitation crab that most places will put into a California roll. We were happy we gave it a try so that we wouldn't feel like we missed out on an AYCE experience somewhere in the capital region, but moving forward we'll continue to be loyal to Wasabi as long as we're living in the capital region. read more

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Wasabi, move out of the way. There's a new AYCE sushi place in town - Ruby City. It's a small cozy restaurant. The interior has barely changed in since college days, but it works. It's got a nice semi traditional japanese aesthetic to it. What really sells this place is how absolutely adorable, hilarious and FRIENDLY the waitress / owner (?) was. She chatted us up, made jokes and really just seemed like she was having a fun time too. Appetizers I'd say pretty darn good. Their takoyaki was legit - crispy outside and lava on the inside. Edamame felt freshly made, not mush like some other places. Ramen Who the heck has ramen at an AYCE? Idunno because that bowl was a full meal (only get it if you can split with someone), but it was WORTH it. The tonkatsu ramen is as good as if not better than some of the ramen shops in this area. Gooey egg, tender charsiu, perfectly chewy noodles and HEARTY broth. Sushi/Sashimi The quality of fish was pretty darn good (except the tuna, don't get the tuna). The first batch we got was mediocre to be honest, not fishy but the texture was a bit grainy... but that a second round was absolutely perfect. The salmon was fresh, fatty and delicious. The yellowtail was also so so so good. Their mackerel was also legit, thick slices with a slightly smoked and salted flavor as opposed to being a slimy sodium bomb. The rolls were a hit or a miss, but I'm willing to let that one slide this round as I'm rooting for their success. Wasabi still does some things better e.g. their rolls and salmon roe... but for everything else - I'm coming back to Ruby City. read more

We ordered a lot of food for AYCE (my gf and I), there's a disclaimer on the menu saying to "take the food appropriately. Waste of food will result in additional charges." Thinking we could TAKE the extra food home, we finished about 80% of the food and went to pay, the waitress that told us where to pay looked very nervous when she saw food back on our table, she called the owner over and the owner quickly became frustrated with us. She said we must eat the food we ordered and gave us two options, we could not leave and to keep eating, or she should present the additional charges. Even though it was confusing, we see that it was a possibility. We asked what the charges would be so we could leave, and that simple question could not be answered because of the emotional tension by the owner. After a couple minutes to calm down the owner, we ended up settling on a made up additional price based on the 10 pieces of sushi that we left. It wasn't about the price, but we had a bad taste in our mouth after our interaction with this person on the staff. Mind you, the sushi and the food service was just fine...there just should be IN CLEAR PRINT, 1.what the protocol would be if we did not finish everything we ordered, 2. how much to expect on additional charges, 3. a calm explanation before and after eating AYCE, especially by the owner. It seemed like this was a problem in the past and we were the victims of this unclear policy on this day. read more

Ruby City - The confusing disclaimer, should say "must eat all food ordered for AYCE, or pay an additional charge for each roll left" - Sushi Bars Near Me - Albany, New York

AYCE here was amazing! Definitely would recommend. I feel like a good tell of a sushi places quality is their rice and their salmon. Rice is above par for the area, but salmon had fattiness that felt very high quality. The options are plentiful, the spot is nice. The service was smooth, was surprised the spot wasn't packed. read more

Worth a try great sushi the calamari was delicious. We tried Ruby city for the first time for my daughter's birthday and it did not disappoint. We will be back. It took us a second to figure out how to order but once we did the staff was great about keeping the food coming. read more

Stopped in for all you can eat sushi. They have a digital menu so you can order on your phone, which we found very convenient. Food came out promptly after ordering and the sushi was good. Service was attentive and welcoming. Definitely coming back soon! read more

Ruby City - Sushi Bars Near Me - Albany, New York

Ruby City is an amazing all you can eat sushi restaurant! Yuki (manager) and her team are very welcoming when you arrive and eager to please! The environment of the restaurant is very beautiful and clean! They take a lot pride in every dish they serve! Make sure you try their speciality boba tea!! Delicious! They are passionate about their food and it shows in the taste and quality! read more

Great food, attentive service, chill vibes. AYCE very good comes with ice cream. We didn't finish a couple of pieces of sushi they only charged us $6 extra and let us take it To-go. Ive actually been here several times. Always a great experience. They also do giveaways on their instagram! read more

My favorite AYCE sushi place in the capital region. Their crab Rangoon is addicting. As is the seared pepper tuna. The people there are very kind and accommodating. Definitely a must try! read more

The service was absolutely horrible. The woman who was serving our table screamed at our table claiming we were sitting too long when we were actively ordering and waiting on rolls to come out! She continued to lurk and side eye the table the whole rest of our meal. Totally unprofessional and created such a hostile environment. I definitely do not recommend attending this restaurant as you are treated much better at literally any other AYCE sushi bar in Albany! read more

Sushi was not very good. Waited an extra 30 minutes for pick-up. There are much better places in the area.

Lady that sat us down was very nice. Food is good with a wide variety of choices. They offer habachi and ramen with the all you can eat option. read more

The quality of the fish isn't bad but the appetizers are not good and what made me not want to come back to this place is the people that work there. Specifically the lady that greats and sits you is extremely rude. There was a misunderstanding and she was so so so rude. I crave sushi but I will not be coming back. This isn't the real "Ruby's Asian bistro" restaurant. It was sold to different owners at the end of summer 23' and they are extremely rude. Completly ruined the whole vibe. Dont come here if u want to feel unwelcomed. IT IS NOT THE SAME RUBY's!!! read more

Amazing all you can eat dinner! Good came out so quick, the servers and owner was so nice.