My husband and I decided to check out the Ruggles in River Oaks for lunch on a Wednesday. The parking lot in front of the restaurant is tiny, and most of the spots are designated "20 minute parking only"* or reserved for the medical spa next door. The lot across the street is also reserved for other businesses, with a sign specifically warning Ruggles customers not to park there. We finally gave up and parked on the road about a block away.
Things didn't get better once we were inside. Ruggles is very small, and though there is some outdoor seating available, they didn't seem prepared to handle the lunch rush. After waiting on line to place our order, we managed to find a booth -- but we were lucky. Plenty of people came in after us and were forced to wait for a seat, or wander around the (crowded, noisy) restaurant aimlessly until they found one. A few customers walked out.
Ruggles was very busy and very noisy. There was absolutely nothing relaxing about the atmosphere at all. I felt rushed and even a tad bit guilty watching other patrons look for a place to sit, and I could barely hear my husband over all of the noise. Not a good place to be if you have jangled nerves, or are susceptible to other people's nervous energy.
Our food was actually pretty decent. I had a vegetable sourdough panini. I don't know if I loved the way the sourdough paired with the goat cheese spread. However, the serving of vegetables (onions, mushrooms and zuchini) on the sandwich was generous and very satisfying. The accompanying fries were also very good. The meal cost $8.95, which is not bad for a filling lunch.
My husband had the cuban pork sandwich, which is a dollar more, and he said that he felt like he didn't quite get enough for what he paid. He was also disappointed that he ordered sweet potato fries but was served regular fries instead. I think any problems with the order were probably due to the pace of the place; it's so extremely hectic in the dining room that I shudder to think what the kitchen is like.
Overall, I would recommend Ruggles for take-out. The food is actually very tasty, and I feel like I need to support anything or anybody who is trying to make Houston greener. I would not recommend going for a sit-down meal, especially around lunchtime. If you're in the mood for a sandwich in a less stressful atmosphere, there are other places available to meet that need.
*We spent about 45 minutes in Ruggles for lunch. When we left the restaurant, we noticed that the same cars were parked in the 20 minute spots as when we got there. If the restaurant is not going to enforce its own parking rules, the signs should come down. That would open up a lot more space in the lot.
