What a great place, highly recommended for live music and a great atmosphere. It's a cigar bar so beware there is smoking everywhere, so if you enjoy cigars, cold beer, great music and people this is your place in St Petersburg, me and my wife had a blast and stayed well over 1 am being a Tuesday so it is lively all week! Best place thus far in St Pete! read more

Great place to get cigars and watch live music. They have a nice selection. Their staff is pretty knowledgeable too and guide you to a nice selection. Be careful about what you pick though because some of their recommendations are a bit pricy. They also have a good whisky selection as well. read more

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Been in this place one: loud noisy and rude. Impossible to find any redeeming qualities to this tourist trap. Then today I stopped by and noticed this vomitty mess out front. Disgusting. read more

Ruby's Elixir - Vomitty mess out front of Ruby's Elixir. Classy owners. - Bars Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

Ruby's hosts more jams than your grandma's pantry. Live music + cool drinks = good time. read more

Great music but impossible to enjoy due to the intense cigar smoke inside and out on the sidewalk as well. Won't be back

I went to Ruby's Elixir on my Mom's birthday. She likes listening to a local jazz singer named Cleo Heart and she happened to be playing here the night we came here. I never knew Downtown St. Petersburg was buzzing with so much life. Ruby's Elixir fits in perfectly with the neighborhood surrounding of late-night restaurants, bars, and clubs. The place isn't large and they only have select liquors and beers with one bar and a few tables and chairs, but there is outdoor seating as well and with a singer like Cleo Heart, you can be outside and still enjoy her voice. The place is lively and people dance on the dance floor and everyone was having a good time here. The people walking by would peek inside to see what everyone was laughing and buzzing about. The waitresses were friendly, albeit a little loopy. Overall a pretty solid place, we walked over from Ceviche and it wasn't a long walk at all. This place has lots of live musicians come through so I'd say if you like live music you should give it a whirl and see what you think. read more

Ruby's Elixir - Bars Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

Very impressed! Stumbled upon here after following the live music. Love the vintage, hip atromsphere with moody red lights. The drinks were a little on the expensive side but the live band and friendly staff made for it. Even the bouncer was friendly and dressed sort of like Ryan Gosling from LaLaland. read more

Ruby's Elixir - Live jazz band - Bars Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

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Couldn't be happier we found this place. Its small, its dark, its loud, but we had a great time. Happened on Ruby's by chance - searching yelp for places to go with live music after we left Canopy. The band playing was called Souliz, and they should be there every night. Awesome musicianship, wonderful singer, and so much energy that everyone was dancing - either in their seats or at the stage. Ruby's is a jazz club and cigar bar, so it is a bit smokey and like I said, loud. Also kind of compact, although if you went into the cigar area where the humidors are located (in another room to the side of the stage), you could probably get a seat. We got lucky and showed up just as another couple was leaving. The only complaint is that they had something called a cupcake martini on the menu which my girlfriend was going crazy over possibly getting. However, when we ordered it, we were told it was discontinued. Therefore, she was really disappointed and I thought it might put a damper on the rest of the night. As it turned out, we still really enjoyed ourselves. Stayed for a couple of sets and then made our way home. It might not have been as good or gotten such a good rating if not for the band, but that's usually the way it is at a live music venue. With a crappy band, this would have just been a dark, smokey, hole in the wall with crappy music. For that reason, I can't give it 5. The band is not part of the venue. That said, I'll be back, and if they are simply that good at picking their acts that the next band is just as good, then I'll kick it up to 5 stars. Great first experience though. read more

Wow! I have to thank my fellow Yelpers on this one as it was recommended on a "Talk" conversation. It goes to show you that Yelp does not disappoint. This is a really fun place and I had a great time. You can't beat a location that serves good drinks with a live band. Seating is a combination of lounge and round high tops and is not very large. There is some seating on the side walk. I spent my time here standing at the bar really soaking up the friendly staff. While the band was playing a wide variety of songs I was mesmerized by the talent of the barkeep that practiced an art of showmanship, crafting drinks, in a style which was reminiscent of the movie "Cocktails". The waitresses were very friendly offering a wonderful banter of conversation in between serving their other customers. One of the gems of this place is the back connects to the cigar bar and the Irish pub; offering a flexibility that is as generous as its friendliness. Definitely a place to go hang out. read more

Ruby's Elixir - Remy - Bars Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

Have been here a number of times, music is always great! No cover, just walk in. Drinks are reasonable. Really good jazz last night. read more

Ruby's Elixir - Great jazz, no cover. 4-18 -16. - Bars Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

Awesome awesome place. Came down for vacation to see the grandparents and ran into this joint. Let's just say the talent that comes to this place is excellent I was impressed both nights at this bar. The bar tenders are great and the prices are not overly expensive. If you are into live music with a down south Louisiana feel this is the spot. I cant wait to visit again this is definitely my go to when in St Pete. P.S. they dont ask for cover either so I made sure to give extra to the bands and bartenders. Love Ruby's read more

Rubys is my favorite spot in St Pete when in the area. I always make an effort to plan a night at Ruby's. Live music every night and a diverse crowd. 20-50 year olds. This is a cigar and cocktail bar so yes .....there is smoke. There is plenty of outdoor seating. Funny story... I was rocking a coral pinkish dress shirt on the last visit and the bartender gave a laugh when I ordered the signature drink. A Ruby's Elixer. I asked what was funny and she replied "you'll see" She made the drink and it was the exact same color as my shirt. Lol Tasty drink to start and then switch to the ample whiskey or bourbon selections to go with your cigar. read more

This is my favorite spot in downtown St. Pete! Live music, cigar choices, full bar, friendly waitresses, cool bartenders, and an old school speakeasy vibe. If you don't like smoke then don't go. Everyone there doesn't smoke but it's not somewhere you need to go if that bothers you. Monday nights are my favorite because Shawn Brown performs old school soul music and then another band comes on and does the same. It never gets so packed that it's uncomfortable so I stick to that night. read more

Ruby's Elixir - Shawn Brown and guest musicians performing on Monday night - Bars Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

Live Music, cocktails and dancing what a great way to spend an evening. I like Ruby's because they have great live mysic you can shake your tail feathers too. :-) My one complaint is that it's so smokey. Oh and they don't have enough funky music, so I guess two complaints. Lounge cat is a band that I think should play here often because it's funky jazzy that reminds of NOLA music but I never see them there. Just a personal suggestion . There service is great, the drinks are good, the music is good most of the time. Overall this is a fun place to go even if they don't have enough funky music ;-) read more

Always have talented musicians and friendly staff. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because I don't like smoke and wish they had a bigger dance floor. People make use of the limited dance space and the smoking is confined to a small area. read more

Ruby's is my FAVORITE. Love it here as the music is always amazing and the people who work here are the best. Could you open all doors to let the smoke out and nice air in? Or are there any upgrades possible for your ventilation system to suck out the smokey air faster? A long time ago every bar would be smoky. Now it's Ruby's. I respect there is a place for smokers just wish something more could be done about the air quality. Love this place so much. read more

Really nice place to see live music 7 nights per week. Eclectic mix of genres including blusey, RnB, much more. A true gem for music lovers. Smoke cigar on patio from cigar shop next door. read more

I love when I see great reviews of places I love! And I love this place, Ruby's is a stop for all my guests, it is a place I know I can go to really enjoy a bourbon and cigar all while listening to incredible artists. As one of the "older" crowd I enjoy the fact that it's a place where all ages can enjoy, frankly it makes the people watching better! Ruby's I love you like the most comfortable shoe! read more

I'm giving Ruby's Elixir one star because they do feature some great musicians. However, the bar staff is rude and added another couples' drinks to my tab. When I pointed out the error the bartender refused to fix it. My date ended up paying the bill just to avoid an argument. The bartender even ADMITTED he made the error....still refused to fix it. So if that is the type of service you like to get when you go out, then this is the place for you. This appears to be a common theme in some other reviews I've read. read more

This would have been a cool place with friendly waitress and reasonable drinks. They have live music without cover charge but they allow smoking....and there's a lot. Couldn't tolerate it even for the live music and cheap drinks. To each there own. read more

Ruby's is a bar/lounge with a full bar and night-life with a live band. Came here on a Friday night and it was pretty popular spot. Adjacent to the bar is a cigar lounge. The music and crowd was really good. The only thing is that your entire outfit, hair, and body comes out of there smelling like a cigar/cigarette. read more

What's not to love? Live music every night, no cover, great location. I truly love Ruby's. Like most, I discovered it almost by accident. While walking by the music caught my ear and lured me in. Since that first encounter, I've been back many many times. So with so much love, why only four stars? Service is slow, drinks are weak and small. I follow Ruby on Facebook in an effort to know in advance of who will be performing, but they do not do a good job of promoting their main feature -- live music. With that being said, most of my visits to Ruby's come about in the same manner as my first one- by happenchance. One word of caution: with the adjoining cigar bar (which has a huge variety of great cigars) this is a very smokey venue. Sidewalk seating is available. read more

$30 for 2 terrible excuses for an Old Fashioned. My girlfriend and I walk in and ask the bartender what's their best cocktail, he made us a couple Old Fashioned's. Perfect, since I love me a good old fashioned but after receiving my $30 tab for the two drinks and after having a couple sips, I think I'll pass on ordering anything else from there. Live music was good... read more

This place has its really good and its really bad. The place itself is awesome, the music is always amazing and the vibe is always chill. If Sean Brown is playing make sure you stop in. That guy's amazing Now the bad: On occasion (and by occassion i mean half the times ive been there) some drunken vagrant will walk in and start to make shit real uncomfortable for the ppl there. On one occassion it was a woman and a man blasted out of their minds pretty much arguing and causing a scene. On the other occassion i had to deal with some drunken bum asking me for the leftovers of my drinks and trying to bum cigs. I understand dtwon st. pete is still growing and it has its fair share of vagrants, but it's up to the establishment to control who comes in and out of their business. Ruby's needs to do a better job of that. If they can get that in order your looking at a 4-5 star place depending on the performer that night. read more

I love this place. It's one of those "can't go wrong" spots down here, and I would refer almost anyone to it any day of the week. That being said, I'd like to address yelp user "Kk. k" on the review he posted, just a few posts under this one: Sir, I have some questions about this "legit" review you left for ruby's elixer. It seems that you were trying to convey your distaste for the manager's personal style choices, and beyond that just some vague rantings about how you weren't satisfied as a customer. I am curious to know what exactly happened to give you your opinion? You've told us nothing of your experience, other than how it was the "worst of your life." What in the world happened to make it the most awful experience of your whole entire life? And if it was that f'ing bad, why not sound off on the situation in depth on yelp, a platform that happens to be perfect for doing so? Is it because you only signed up for yelp to write this particular review? And if you're so affluent that you aren't satisfied by what the 200 block has to offer, why not go to a different block? Better yet, go to Tampa. Maybe move there. If you are the demographic of people re-shaping St. Petersburg, it's time to move. But I don't think this is a real review. For you to call out a whole block of business owners by name and make vague threats... Over what? One block in the entirety of downtown St. Pete doesn't have your favorite restaurants so you have to travel a block over? There's just a little too much emotion pouring out in your words for any part of your stated objective here to make sense. I'm sorry that you got fired from your dishwashing job down there or whatever, but there's no need to try to run a smear campaign (and a sorry one at that) against a thriving community of people who love that block and the businesses that make it great. And next time maybe re-think using Ku Klux Klan as your username. That's just weird. read more

In the mood for live jazz or the blues? Then this is your bar. It looks like one of those cool, dark, unpretentious, low-key type of bars you see in the movies with a great music act energizing the crowd to into a mellow-jazz type of excitement. The place is a nice size but you're compacted in there. There are also tables just outside so you have more personal space out there with the benefit of being within ear shot of the music. Outside is also a good place to people watch on a busy weekend night since this place is located in the heart of downtown St Pete. I like the drinks bc they were strong. My only complaint is that according to the waitress they have discontinued one of their martinis but it was still on the menu and on the website - so don't get your hopes up f you want the cupcake martini. I do wish they had more martini options, especially since this is jazz bar. read more

One of Downtown's real gems. Wish it was a little bigger. Wait. No I don't. It's perfect. Always entertaining read more

I have been to Ruby's a few times, however, only at night and after a few other previous stops! Ruby's is in beautiful DTSP and has an ample amount of outside seating. During the few weeks/days of winter that St. Pete actually receives, Ruby's also has the heating towers for the outside tables. I have ordered a Jack and coke here but that is about all I can vouch for. The wait staff is always pleasant to deal with, even during a rush. The drinks are strong, and the prices are fair. Overall this is a nice little spot to grab a cigar, a cocktail, and pull up a seat to relax with your fellow St. Pete friends. read more

This is a real jazz bar, lots of fun, always an amazing band. Love it! Wished they had food to make it perfect. The place is small which makes it more intimate, definitely a most visit if in St Pete. read more

Smoky spot with attentive table service to watch live music on a small stage. Anna C. was friendly and observant. Bathrooms are clean. Dogs allowed. Fun local hangout, a notch up from divey. read more

Awesome music. we saw Josh Lampkin and also Jeremy Thomas. They rocked. The atmosphere of this bar reminds me of up north. very old school and lots of stone and brick. Love it. Do wish the beer was a little bit colder. But other than that everything was right on. read more

We were complained at the entire time we were at the place by the staff. We didn't do anything, we weren't blocking anything, we didn't anything. The drinks were terrible, they smoke inside the bar, the place is horrible read more

Fun place to go! Had lots of fun here with my friends. Good environment and fairly priced drinks.

Loud divey and perfect. We saw a band there that was awesome and very fun place to see music and have a drink. Not pretentious at all, felt very at home there even though it was our first time. It helped we were in town for a conference and went in a big group , still very accommodating and fun atmosphere read more

Continues to be a hot spot, not only with the St. Pete locals, but increasingly with folks from Tampa and beyond. Open most nights of the week, they offer at least one (more Thurs-Sat) musical acts that range greatly in style. Drinks tend to be on expensive side, BUT keep in mind you are NOT paying for entertainment. Tip #1: The best music starts after 9-10pm. Tip #2: If you are into Cigars, you can buy one from the connected bar (City Cigars); if you do not, you may want to hang out on the NW side of the place. Tip: The best music starts after 9pm. read more

If I could give this place a negative rating I would. The music is great but the staff and management are horrible. I came here for my birthday a few months ago and was dancing, having a good time until this waitress spilt my beer, that I didn't even get a chance to have but one sip. I approached her and asked her about it, she looked at my and rolled her eyes & said she couldn't help it if we were drinking & basically accused me of being "too drunk to notice that I actually spilt it." First of all, this was my second beer the entire night and was upset that I was being treated so horribly. So I went to talk to a bouncer & he said he'd buy me a beer no problem. Then I went to the manager behind the bar & told him that ____ told me he'd buy me a beer after what happened. Before I knew it the bouncer had denied that he ever said that and instead began yelling at me and my friends! The manager joined in and told us to never come back. I told him "gladly," and my friends and I left. Little did we know EVERY single bouncer working that night (total of 4) were following us, two of them even started taking their shirts off seriously looking to start a fight. One bouncer was screaming in my face (definitely on drugs) and beating his chest saying "you want some of this!" We kept walking and all of us tried our best to be the bigger person and ignore them, which was hard to do as they continued to not only follow us but threaten us! This bar is a joke and the staff is (obviously) all on drugs or some kind of mood altering substance! Whatever you do, DO NOT go here. Unless of course you want to get harassed and threatened. read more

I love this place for great music but the cigar smoke next door has made me sick. I quit taking all my friends who also get sick with the smell read more

First night in st Pete and I find this bar. Good space for live music. The band honey what was playing and they were amazing. I met cool peeps. Definitely check it out! read more

1st time = last time. Went to see Shaw Davis, a phenomenal guitarist, and left after 1 song due to the cigar & cigarette smoke inside. Owner's choice to allow it - I get it. My choice to never return. read more

Waitress have me plastic glasses for craft beers, but when I got to the patio everyone had proper glass glasses... the atmosphere of cigar smoke and a sunny patio was enjoyable as the contents of the cup. read more