Rubes Creek Rube Restaurant Reviews

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  • Restaurant Review: Ricky Cancun Mexican Grill

    AKA, the restaurant I keep forgetting about, according to Young Adult Son

    • 915 Ridgewalk Pkwy, Ste 290, Woodstock, GA 30188
    • Health Score: 91

    OK, apparently my memory isn’t what it used to be. The Young Adult Son said that every time I go to The Outlets, I see this restaurant and proclaim, “We should try this restaurant next time.” Next time never comes, because I keep forgetting.

    What can I say? I have a lot going on in my brain. I can’t be relied upon to remember it all.

    So we ended up making a special trip to satisfy our curiosity. We hit the place kind of after lunch but not before the lunch special ended, on a sunny, chilly day after the holidays, when the Outlets aren’t overly busy. I found parking easily and was in a good mood for a late lunch.

    I was immediately struck by the relative smallness of the place, only a little bit larger than Campestre Taqueria, but Ricky makes up for it by having some outdoor seating options, sheltered with some sort of yellow covering with plastic windows and warmed with standing heaters. We didn’t need to sit outside, though, because the place wasn’t too busy at about 2 p.m.

    The service was competent but not overly friendly, which was fine. At least we weren’t left waiting too long for anything, including chips, salsa and drink refills.

    Because of the smallness of the seating area, only a couple of televisions are needed for those who can’t eat without the TV.

    The lunch menu wasn’t that extensive, and most everything comes covered with cheese. But everything came cooked adequately with sufficient sauce. The tamale came bursting with chicken and covered with the same sauce they used on the enchilada, and not a bad sauce either, some sort of chipotle ragu. Usually, though, tamales and enchiladas have different sauces. The tortilla of the enchilada was cooked just right, tender enough to cut through without too much effort.

    Young Adult Son enjoyed his quesadilla, which he ordered without bell pepper and onion, as is his custom. He said the quesadilla was crisp and delicious.

    The beans and rice also came out hot and fresh. And the price was right. Young Adult Son and I walked out of there with a bill less than $25 before tip.

    As far as the decor, I enjoyed it, particularly the bright green wall with six decorative fish and the mural of a smoking man, which I presume is Ricky. It’s not a place that’s “too cool for school,” you know, one of those places that’s kind of cold and modern. You can also tell the place has been around a while he paint is starting to peel in the corners of the hallway where people have passed by over the years.

    The bathrooms are one-seaters, which is fine if you’re not dealing with people’s happy hour bladders full of tequila.

    All in all, I wouldn’t mind coming back and trying a dish from the dinner menu in the future, something a little more Cancun-y, perhaps with seafood or tropical fruits. Maybe something with pico de gallo covering it instead of cheese.

    • 12152 Hwy 92, Woodstock
    • Health Score: 100

    In a dismal, cramped corner of a BP gas station, tucked between the video gambling machines and a row of unused coffee machines that have blocked by blankets for packing, is a taqueria, El Serranito.

    When you consider how little of the gas station footprint they actually occupy, it’s amazing they’re able to produce food. That kitchen must be tiny.

    The storefront for this place is hand-painted, which helps bring to life this particular vibe of homemade, made-to-order food.

    (They have another location in Marietta, presumably larger.)

    The gas station itself seems to be kind of quietly crumbling, at least on the inside. A corner of a facade is drooping. It is crowded to overflowing, a claustrophobic place. Since there is no seating area, El Serranito is obviously not right for a good sit-down meal, unless you enjoy trying to eat taquitos standing in an aisle or at a gambling machine. (Don’t gamble, really.)

    The menu consisted of a dude telling me what they have, and the lady sitting next to him would bark out our order to the kitchen. You could hear the sizzles of them, unseen, cooking your order fresh.

    Four bottles of hot sauce are available to squirt into take-home plastic sauce containers.

    I enjoyed my two carne asada tacos in corn tortillas, tasty and succulent. The Young Adult Son, who ordered a quesadilla that came with fries, really wished they would’ve used a different sort of cheese for his dish.

    Note that no complementary tortilla chips are offered.

    Altogether, not a bad location to dip in and pick up a little lunch. It’s located conveniently close to the Wal-Mart right on the corner of Highway 92 and Trickum Road, across the street from the Publix.

    I will post the price of what I ordered when I find my receipt, #%@#%!

  • Restaurant review: Vila Crepes and Cafe
    Crepe on a small table with a glass of water and an espresso
    The crepe

    • 1133 Woodstock Rd Suite 120, Roswell, GA 30075
    • Health Score: 100, Dec. 8, 2025

    So as I dropped the Young Adult Son at work, I felt hungry because I hadn’t had lunch yet and it was 12:30 p.m. Luckily it wasn’t as cold as previous days, so I felt more like exploring. Plus, it was my day off.

    I’ve been intrigued driving by Vila Crepes and Cafe, which opened in the former location of Knuckie’s at the Roswell Corners shopping center, wanting to stop in and see what it’s like. So about a week ago, I decided to stop in for a bit of brunch.

    Naturally, It’s not quite as affordable as a taco place but is somewhat comparable in price to the Five Guys next door, but with better food and far superior ambiance.

    Prepare for a class upgrade if you’ve been in a fast-food and fast-casual rut. This is a real restaurant with real restaurant equipment. You are served on real plates and cups. The napkins are cloth. The waiter will greet you at the door and hand you a laminated front-and-back menu. The menu is impressive for a place on the small side. It might be a bit bigger than Campestre Taqueria inside, but not by much.

    Like the Knuckies it replaced, the overriding color is gray, but they’ve made the most of it, lightening it up a bit with some white and brown wallpaper on one wall. The red accents from the Christmas decorations really pop among all the gray. One wall has a multitude of decorative mirrors and photos, four mirrors will gold frames interspersed among black and white photos of European city scenes in black frames.

    The decor is homey, even a little cluttered on the counters, which also counteracts the gray color scheme and makes the place seem less institutional and impersonal.

    The music choice added to the ambiance, some big band and crooner-type music, not out of place for an Italian restaurant.

    The waiter who I think must also be a manager/owner based what I overheard was very nice, welcoming and from Greece. She helped create a friendly atmosphere, adding to the neighborhood gathering spot vibe. Most of the clientele at the time I visited you would expect to find perusing the aisles of The Fresh Market nearby, so pretty representative of the area.

    She noted they are trying to adjust their hours of operation as they go

    There are a few entree items less than $10, though the burgers are nearly $20. So it’s definitely not a place you’d stop if you were expecting a bargain.

    I selected a savory crepe, the Benedict Morning Crepe, for $14.95, with Canadian bacon, a poached egg and Hollandaise sauce. The crepe wrapped up the eggs, ham and sauce in its thin filament, which burst open when you bisected it. It was plenty of food, too much, even. That and an espresso was plenty of food, and I got out of there spending $23.25, including tip. Not too bad for a tasty treat before grocery shopping. Alas, one unfortunate side-effect of this delightful meal: I became too full to do the grocery shopping I intended.

    I wanted to try one of the sweet crepes before I hit publish on this review, but I just haven’t had the time. I plan on adding a part 2 whenever I can, though, which I will link to from this review.

    Bon Appetit!

    Crepe on a small table with a glass of water and an espresso
    The crepe

  • Fire & Stone Italian Pizza Kitchen to open at the Woodstock train depot

    Fire & Stone Italian Pizza Kitchen will celebrate its grand opening at the Woodstock train depot on Dec. 16, according to a banner on its website, which said to check its website for more details! Except that’s where I saw this brief notice, and I see no other information on the website. Hmm! Someone somewhere dropped the ball.

    A location of Fire & Stone is open in Peachtree Corners, where it has an overall rating of 4 stars on Yelp. It’s not certain if this is the same Fire & Stone that used to be on Chambers, where the high-dollar steak place is now. (Young Adult Son and I like to visit the entrance to this steak restaurant, look at the menu posted, marvel at the high prices and then leave.)

    It’s joining a handful of restaurants serving pizza downtown, including Partners 2 Pizza (which is really mostly a takeaway place), Ipp’s (which has more than just pizza), and Vingenzo’s (ditto).

    Anyway, it’s good to see that depot being used. It’s been a while since Freight rolled out of town, haunted by a failing health inspection and overpriced food that really wasn’t worth it. It was quite busy the times I went, but that was before the pandemic.

    Not sure when I’ll visit this pizza place. It may be a while since it’s likely to be a bit on the pricy side since, of course, it’s downtown Woodstock!

    JD’s on Main opens in building that’s been a revolving door of concepts

    Actually, JD’s on Main, a barbecue restaurant sibling to JD’s on the Lake, has been open for over a month now, but still it’s been on my mind just because of the ill fortune of this particular location on Main.

    When I first moved here, it was an pit under construction that slowly took form as a two-story building with a basement. As I recall, the original concept included a speak-easy in that basement. The executive chef was some prodigy from Atlanta who got write-ups in magazines.

    But then the pandemic hit and the grand opening was delayed. And delayed. And then after it finally opened, it closed in short order.

    Next Public opened, and it was a fast-casual sort of Panera Bread-type place, a good place to grab a sandwich and a bottle of water. It was paired with Main & Mill, which I believed was on the top floor and was some sort of Americana type restaurant. Never went to Main & Mill.

    It is possible that Public/Main & Mill was that original concept that was the reason that the location was built. The timeline is a bit confusing at this point. [Editor’s note: Yes, Public and Main & Mill was the original concept that was delayed by the pandemic. This Scoop OTP article must’ve been what I was remembering. It’s an interview with chef Justin Balmes dated March 2020. The timing was kind of heartbreaking.}

    Public/Main & Mill was followed by Jekyll Brewing, briefly bringing a second brewery to downtown. The company went out of business and closed all locations earlier this year.

    Hopefully, this particular concept sticks around for longer. I’m not sure if I will ever darken the door of this establishment because it doesn’t really appeal to me. I’m rarely in the mood for barbecue, and I tend to favor Lockdown BBQ. But we’ll see.

  • Restaurant review: Campestre Taqueria, Marietta

    A tiny, tasty taqueria that’s not a hole in the wall

    • 2520 E. Piedmont Road, Suite 112, Marietta GA 30062
    • Health score: 100, Oct. 30, 2025

    Update (12/24/25): Added prices, including a 3% charge for not using cash. Good to know!

    For our first official review, the Young Adult Son and I decided at the last minute not to go to the new restaurant where we were expecting to but instead to travel a little further, about five miles from the Rubes Creek area, to a place also new. This taqueria was somewhat more reasonably priced, and when you’re waiting for payday, that matters.

    So we traveled on down past the restaurant we intended, turned left past the Cobb Antique Mall, over the railroad tracks, Noonday Creek and past Sprayberry High and made another left near Zama just beyond the intersection of Piedmont and Sandy Plains. We arrived at a small strip mall that clearly dates from the late 70s or early 80s, tucked away next to The Barking Hound, not as decrepit as some from that era. The strip mall also just south of the former site of the Sprayberry Crossing shopping center that’s being redeveloped into a mixed-use community.

    Campestre Taqueria shares a shopping center with Subway and a few other stores of minor importance. From the parking lot of this strip mall, it’s clear the eatery is sparkling new and designed with attention to decor despite the small square footage. The place has about a dozen tables, some four-tops and a few two-tops. Classy touches include the lighting and an white accent wall with bits of brickwork and bright yellow fluorescent lighting that reads “more tacos, por favor.” And cactuses in their tiny-thorned magnificence, all small befitting the space available. There’s also two sets of Edison bulb lights on the end of ropes, another atmospheric touch, at the other end of the counter from the register. Little touches like this shows caring even when the seating space is on the small side. This place seems classy, not cheap. So many taquerias, you have to disregard the environment somewhat and just focus on the tasty food. Here, you get atmosphere and taste. And no gambling machines!

    The menus are presented on digital screens, which seems to be becoming the new norm, which honestly I’m somewhat indifferent about, but I guess it may make it easier to update the prices.

    The salsa bar is not the most expansive ever, but it’s good for such a small space and contains a robust assortment of tastes and spice levels.

    Like most if not all taquerias, you must come to the register to order. You can choose from a variety of meats, including authentic Mexican options like lengua (cow tongue) and tripa (the stuff menudo is made from). I am not authentically Mexican enough to enjoy lengua the times I had it served to me — texture is too soft and chewy! – so I opted for steak, pork and chicken street tacos, while the Young Adult Son opted for the steak burrito. We split a horchata to drink, took home a arroz con leche. We also received a free sample of Carne en Su Jugo, a tasty stew with meat, beans in a spicy broth, from the kind, attentive young lady at the register.

    The Young Adult Son enjoyed his burrito but noted he could tell it was prepared first because the lettuce had gotten a little soggy by the time he got it. My taquitos were tasty, though I found I preferred the steak and pork over the chicken. Each taco is served on two corn tortillas and topped with cilantro and onion. I think next time I go, I will try the pozole. It’s certainly a treat to find a place that serves it.

    One strike against this place is the lack of complementary tortilla chips.

    This particular taqueria is probably not the least expensive of your taqueria options. You pay a bit extra for the atmosphere, which was pleasant enough that a few gents were spending their lunch break there chatting, whereas the ritzy East Cobb Anglos were getting their stuff to go. It was a nice cross-section of humanity.

    Price

    We ended up spending $36.96 for two people. This includes an $0.85 charge for not using cash, so it’s best bring some bucks to eat here.

    • Street tacos:
      • Asada $3.75
      • Carnitas $3.55
      • Pollo $3.25
    • Quesadilla pollo $13.75
    • Aquas Frescas horchata $3.95
    • Noncash adjustment (3%) $0.85