I chose this place based on Yelp reviews and let me say...it did not disappoint! The music was fantastic. They have a live band that plays music both old school and current favorites so a little bit for everyone. There is a cover charge of $6 but that was well worth it. They even dedicated a song for someone that was there celebrating their anniversary. You can even dance if you choose to. The food was GREAT! I ordered the oxtail with collard greens. The greens were good and the oxtail was soooo sooo tasty. A friend of mines had the fried chicken dish and stated it was good but nothing to brag about. I stayed until they closed even though we had finished our food we just wanted to enjoy the music. It was a wonderful experience. read more

This restaurant has a lot going for it. Locally owned, and seems to be popular with the locals. It is sort of a strange location, but not "scary". Live music was great and staff was friendly. So why three stars? The biggest reason is we felt the food was very expensive for what you received. We ordered two cokes, one order of wings, two fried chicken meals, an oxtail soup, and a kids meal. After we were charged a "music fee", our total was $100. It's not that the food wasn't good, it was. We just felt it was a bit overpriced. Not a deal breaker, but just be aware. read more

The hospitality wasn't there, the waitress served someone else our green fried tomatoes, even though we were seated 30 minutes before them. On top that they charged an $8.00 fee for a band that cannot play. read more

I really want to give this place 3.5 stars PROS - The food was over all good. The live music act was good and interacted with the audience. Atmosphere was positive. Large TVs so you can watch the latest sports game on live. Bathrooms were clean. NEGATIVES - food took way too long to come out, no refill of drinks, unexpected cover charge for band, drinks served in a plastic picnic cup, dance floor is tiny. Tips - you will need to make reservations, order Soul food at a Soul Food establishment. Stay away from crab cakes if you are from the Northeast. Stick with the collards, yams, mac and cheese and fried Chicken wings and catfish. read more

Very enjoyable. The owner is very nice and was busting his butt off when we were there. The music was fun ad the food was delicious! It is pricey, but worth it. I'd recomend it for a good date read more

It was just ok. The area is scary ! The food is nothing to rave about! Hadthe fried tilapia and cole slaw & fries. Tilapia was average - Cole slaw is just bland and fries are just ur standard. Crabcakes werent bad! Drinksfrom thebar were filled to rim w ice - gone in 3 sips! Atmosphere is cold and small. Staff actually moved our table over while we were eating dinner! Its tight and ur on top of ur neighbor. For the $$ not worth it. Only positive wasthe live music was great! However overall wouldnt return, nothing special! read more

Live music Every night kitchen closed around 9pm this Sunday night. Great live band. Crab balls and fried pork chop were great. The Lord must've touched those collard greens. *Shakes* Ruby Lee's hand. PS the sweet potatoe pecan pie is worth it. read more

Just bought a home down here after coming down many years and was just introduced to this locale from another resident. Food is good, waitress (Tressa) was great and a ton of fun, but best of all was the music and atmosphere. Will definitely go back and recommend it to all visiters. Had a blast!!!! Sandy from Pittsburgh and now HHI read more

Had 7pm reservation and they are closed. Another couple is waiting outside and are also disappointed. Hours are from 5pm to 11pm. Why are you closed? Bad business practice. read more

We visited Ruby Lee's new location which has a lively atmosphere. As you park you hear the sounds of live music which leads you into the building. The decor and staff are upbeat, professional and friendly. The food was fantastic. My wife had the oxtails which were great. We were just coming from St Thomas where we thought we had great oxtails, but Ruby Lee's was a notch higher. read more

Bad place to go they mess up on your food and bring you the wrong check never again will I go there I asked for a plain cheeseburger and there was lettuce and tomato on it and then I told them I wanted chicken tenders and they forgot about it and then they didn't bring it out till later read more

I do wish the Ruby Lee's on the north end would re-open and be limited to locals only. Channel the tourists to the south end. They tend to ruin everything here in Hilton Head. read more

Ruby lee's is the best spot in town. If you want great food, music and atmosphere this is your place. read more

Ruby Lee's - Soul Food Near Me - Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Best food ever. Don't worry about the looks on the outside it's deceiving. Friendly staff family owned best grilled pork chops and fried chicken in our lives! Awesome sweet potato pecan pie:-) read more

Ruby Lee's - Soul Food Near Me - Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

See all

Oh my goodness. This was so good. We had blackened scallops, greens, and sweet potatoes, with fried green tomatoes as an appetizer. This was delicious. The scallops were cooked to perfection and the greens! I only eat my own collards, but these were seasoned so well. Literally everything was amazing and our drinks were great too. The music was pleasant. This is the place to eat when visiting Hilton Head! read more

Had a wonderful night listening to Earl and co playing music it was fun and current people were dancing and he was entertaining. The food which was served by Tressa was delicious she was attentive and the night was special. We had fried chicken mac and cheese coleslaw corn bread and banana pudding- yummm! The theme of the place is a sports bar so we watched golf at St Andrews as well! Don't miss this out of the way gem and be sure to make reservations as its a small venue. read more

The band was awesome and the food was amazing!!! Highly recommend!! I had the catfish, Mac n Cheese, and green beans. read more

Ruby Lee's - Soul Food Near Me - Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

See all

Entertainment great.. the food was terrible.. tasted like the sides were from a can .. the service was slow

Excellent! Food. The oxtails were off the chain! Small but quaint great atmosphere. Recommended by some friends didn't know needed reservations but they were willing to accommodate. Love entertainment great very engaging read more

Ruby Lee's - Night Out at Ruby Lees - Soul Food Near Me - Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

over priced chicken wings .... and if the live band is there, they charge you a cover charge withutyou knowing that they did .. whaaaattt???? place has character and the customers make the show ... service is very very old man falling down slowwwwwwwwwwwww it's an evening ......... only go if you have about 90 minutes to invest in dinner read more

Friend got the of tails. Ate everything on the plate so thumbs up there. I got the friend shrimp. They were huge but didn't taste as fresh as I would like given the location directly on the island. Best thing about the night was the music. Go for the live music. It was fantastic. Well worth the trip. The pictures in the flyer were a bit of a bait and switch however. It's kinda of a hole in the wall in a store front. I think you should know that before going. But don't be alarmed. It's totally safe fun laid back environment. Enjoy and dance! read more

Nice place and great food. My gripe and the reason for the low rated review is the service and this ridiculous "music surcharge". If your going to charge a $7 music surcharge then announce it at the door or have the waitress say something. We noticed at a later time that the menus had a small note in very fine print stating this but even then it was only listed on 2 of the 4 menus we had. My other concern was the service. We started the night with a very nice waitress who was very sweet. Towards the end of the night she was replaced by a very obnoxious server who after introducing herself never returned. We had to get up and track down another waitress just so we could get our check. All in all I don't know if I would return. The place was a really nice spot but don't nickle and dime customers for a music fee when you are already charging high prices for the food and drinks you already sell. I could understand charging a cover after dinner hrs but don't do this to you paying diners who are already paying $20 to $30 for entrees. read more

Great local "Joint". Much more than it looks like from the outside. Very nicely decorated. Family atmosphere. GREAT music. Sports bar without the sports noise. My husband and I like to hang at the bar for dinner. Recommend the whiting and the she-crab soup. True story: We were seated at a table having dinner one evening and the owner put on the song "To the Left, To the Left." You know the one. Well, every woman in the place immediately jumped up and ran to the middle of the room to dance. A couple came through the door and without a blink, she joined us as he went to the bar. It's that kind of place. Maybe not 4 star food. But more atmosphere and realness that you will find within 60 miles of Hilton Head. read more

Ruby Lees SOUTH Hilton Head We have been to Ruby Lees North several times and it was great. But this new place just did'nt have it. In the first place we got. screwed for a New Years Eve dinner at $ 125 per plate. It was good but nowhere near worth the price. The $ 10 mixed cocktail was weak and don't forget , the band was lousy. Everybody was complaining about the exorbitant dinner cost and the band. I know that they are trying to recoup some of the cost of their investment but at this rate,, they will loose business not increase it. Go North. Young Man , Go North. read more

Love ruby lees. Pulled pork sliders are absolutely delicious. It's so misleading from the outside. I walked in and loved how cool it was. I had excellent service too! Definitely would return. read more

Terrible. Showed up for 7:00pm reservation on Saturday 9/1 and the restaurant was closed. This was AFTER we got confirmation reminding us of our reservation. Called the south location and all we got was "yeah. Sorry. We didn't open. Someone should have called. You can come to south location but you have to sit outside". Totally unacceptable. Don't ever trust this location. You may make a reservation, get reminder, and then arrive to find they didn't bother to open. read more

Great food. The owner Tim knows his food, music, and sports. Try the She Crab soup

Great food and great people. The best new restaurant on Hilton Head Island. Loved the steamed & peel shrimp, crab balls, she crab soup, cornbread. I am looking forward to a return trip. read more

I order the macaroni & cheese every single time I eat at Ruby Lee's. Just a plate of macaroni & cheese. I keep telling my self "you should try something else - be adventurous". But, Ruby Lee's macaroni & cheese spells, "H-O-M-E-" for me. Maybe next time....smile read more

YIKES! Went there for dinner and ONLY found out when I got my bill that I was being charged $8.00 per person per band that happened to play that evening!!! My waitress never said a word about this nor did I have any idea how many bands were even supposed to play. This is a HUGE RIP OFF for local bands playing ambience music... Saw a mention of this in fine print at the bottom of the menu but had no idea it was to be per band... AND WHO READS FINE PRINT WHEN DINING! This is completely and totally the most disgraceful sham of a business practice I have ever seen! WILL NEVER GO HERE AGAIN AND WILL BE SURE TO NEVER RECOMMEND AGAIN. read more

My husband and I went to visit this place during our anniversary weekend. We had an amazing time. Food, drinks, and the live music was awesome!!!! The owner was very friendly as well. Just make sure you call for reservations first before going. read more

One of my new favorites in Hilton Head while on vacation. Went here on a recommendation. Our waitress was friendly let me add we had a party of 20. Food was great we had quite a few items from the menu the fried shrimp were good, the fried chicken was a hit and my wife loved her she crab soup and my son loves his shrimp and grits. Only downside was they were out of Ribeye oh well get it on my next trip. The sides were great and we watched a playful band called Target, they were great and they enlisted audience participation. We were also informed Ruby Lees is opening another location on the other side of the island. Best wishes they are able to duplicate the success at the original Ruby Lees. read more

After attending my nephew's Marine Corp graduation on Parris Island; my family of 7 stumbled across Ruby Lee Restaurant. We did't have reservations, but the owner quickly made accommodations for us. The food was great and the service was even better. Our waitress, Erleen aka Patty truly understands the value of great customer service. She was kind, fun to talk to, and passionate about her job. Although we all live out of state we will find our way back to Ruby Lee's. read more

My wife and I visited Ruby Lee's for lunch. Our meals very very good. The portions were larger than expected for lunch. As all entrees are cooked to order, the wait was more than the typical restaurant. The food was worth the wait. We will return. read more

A great local place! Great food, great service and the band (Stee and the ear candy band!) was great! Give it a try!!!

Food was good. Atmosphere was good but----- because of the live (generous adjective) music, we were charged 7 bucks a person for a music charge!!!!! WHAT????? We made reservations which we did not need ata lol on a Thursday night and the food took at least 45 minutes to come out. Simple seafood platter and fried fish plate. It is a very small place and it was not full so I did not get why it took so long. But if you decide to go just make sure you are ready for that $7 music charge per person!!!!! "I wasn't ready"!!!!!! read more

Great food & great live entertainment. Had seafood plater & will return once back in area. GO

Best place on the island for true Low Country food. Great fried chicken, sweet potato fries, greens, etc. Make sure you go when Deaz Guys are playing and you won't want to go home! They will rock the house! read more

Ladies night out during vacation in HHI. Quiet Wednesday night. Stee and the Ear Candy Band were absolutely amazing from the moment we walked in playing a range of R&B and pop classics. We were more than willing to pay the $7 cover for the magic tunes. Every song was a hit! Staff were friendly. I had the shrimp boil and was a good as a expected. Friends has the wings. My friends returned the she crab soup cause it was condensed soup thick and the shrimp and okra gumbo because it was shrimp sparse. we will return on next visit. read more

Terrible experience! Overcrowded I had the ribs and they were awful. Waitstaff understaffed. Not going back anytime soon!!!