Ruby's Fast Food

"This casual Albany Park spot has been around since 1997, but moved into a new location in 2022. It started out as a “turo-turo” or “point-point” restaurant, referring to when pre-cooked dishes are laid out cafeteria-style and you select what you wanted by pointing. Now, Ruby’s has expanded to sit-down and feels more like a sports bar, complete with servers, TV-lined walls, and bar seating at the back. But the food is the same: flavorful, and with hefty servings. Some of our favorites are the kare kare with fall-off-the-bone oxtail in a creamy peanut butter stew with a side of bagoong (fermented shrimp paste), as well as their garlicky dinuguan which has a pleasant kick from some chilis. But a must-order is crispy pata—a balanced combination of buttery pork meat and crackly skin. Biting into it creates a satisfying crunch loud enough to alert people down the block that they’re missing out on one of the best fried pork legs in Chicago." - john ringor

"Whoever thinks that soup is primarily a solo food hasn’t come face-to-bowl with pork sinigang at Ruby’s in Albany Park. Like many of the other entrees on this Filipino restaurant’s menu, it’s meant to be eaten with rice and shared. This tamarind soup has a pleasantly strong tart flavor that’ll perk you up like a thirsty houseplant finally getting some water. It’s full of juicy pork ribs, eggplant, spinach, and radish, all of which give the soup extra depth and complexity. " - josh barnett, john ringor

"Ruby’s Fast Food has been serving Filipino food in the neighborhood since the 90s, but moved to a new location in 2022. Originally a “turo-turo” or “point-point” restaurant, where you point at pre-cooked dishes in steam trays to order, their new spot is much larger. It feels like a neighborhood sports bar, with plenty of tables, TVs on the wall, and bar seating. Some of their standout dishes are the kare kare with oxtail in a creamy peanut butter stew as well as their garlicky and spicy dinuguan. But every visit should include an order of the crispy pata. The massive fried pork leg is a balanced combination of buttery meat and crackly skin." - john ringor, adrian kane

"It’s never the wrong time to eat lumpia, but under-the-weather spells are a great opportunity to capitalize on the delicate, crisp egg rolls that pack a serious flavor punch. Ruby’s, a local Filipino staple founded in 1997, serves theirs by the dozen — inhale them all at once or save some to zap in the air fryer later." - Naomi Waxman, Ashok Selvam, Eater Staff

"Ruby’s counter-service restaurant features a steam-table buffet, known as a turo-turo, where patrons “point-point” to the dishes they want. Nickie Rodica runs the restaurant featuring his late parents’s recipes. They were Manila restaurateurs who started their Albany Park counter-service restaurant in 1997. Ruby’s daily no-frills, high-value menu features richly developed dishes, like beef pares (star anise and soy braised beef), pork binagoongan (pork belly chunks flavored with fermented shrimp paste and lemon), bittermelon sauteed with tofu, and their specialty — crispy pata (deep-fried pig trotters. They have limited availability, call ahead)." - Sarahlynn Pablo, Eater Staff