As November drapes the island in its quiet gray, and the leaves crunch underfoot on your way up from the ferry, there is a familiar warmth waiting on the edge of town. This is our follow-up to last year’s Spotlight article about The Ruby Brink, and truth be told, we were already fans. But as fall deepens and the holiday buzz begins, it felt like the right time to revisit one of Vashon’s most flavorful gathering places. If last year was the introduction, this is a celebration.
Step inside The Ruby Brink on a chilly afternoon and you’ll be greeted by the cozy hum of clinking glassware, the soft rhythm of knives at the butcher’s counter, and the intoxicating aroma of broth and slow-roasted meats. The space itself is part rustic island cabin and part culinary laboratory. You might come for the soup, but you’ll stay for the stories—the kind told through house-made charcuterie, seasonal small plates, and that cocktail you didn’t realize you needed until it showed up in front of you.
This isn’t just a place to eat. It is a place to understand what eating well can look like when it’s rooted in place, people, and purpose. The Ruby Brink is part whole-animal butcher shop, part cocktail bar, and part bistro, stitched together in a way that somehow feels effortless. Their philosophy? Use the entire animal, source from local farms, and let the ingredients speak for themselves. If you’ve never sat ten feet from your sausage’s source, or paired a crisp glass of island cider with house-pickled onions and braised pork belly, this is your chance.
The team behind The Ruby Brink are not just chefs and bartenders—they are curators of Vashon’s food identity. On Instagram, you’ll find everything from briny slabs of house-cured bacon to behind-the-scenes peeks at freshly butchered cuts, their surfaces marbled and camera-ready. On Facebook, their posts often highlight partnerships with local producers, whether it’s beef from nearby farms or seasonal greens grown a few miles down the road.
Customer reviews are equally enthusiastic. On Yelp, one visitor called the bone broth “life changing” and went on to say the steak was “the best I’ve ever had, hands down.” Others rave about the friendly service, the laid-back vibe, and the way the staff seems to genuinely love being there. One TripAdvisor guest even compared it to dining in a private club for food lovers. These are not overstatements. There’s something intimate about dining here that feels earned, not engineered.
And it’s not just the food. In an interview with Macrina Bakery, co-founder Audra described the dream of creating a place that felt both professional and approachable. The Ruby Brink has succeeded in becoming exactly that. The kind of spot where locals settle in for a long lunch, and out-of-towners leave wondering how they’ll ever eat grocery store meat again.
The cocktail menu changes with the seasons. This time of year, expect deep herbal notes, smoky spirits, and maybe a little mulled magic to warm the bones. The bone broth is still a staple, of course, and their Sunday brunch has become something of an island ritual. A rotating lineup of comfort dishes, biscuits that defy gravity, and baked eggs with a flavor punch that will make you rethink every sad brunch plate you’ve ever suffered through.
Personally, I find myself drawn back here often. Not just for the food, but for the sense of calm that settles in the moment you walk through the door. It is a place that respects the seasons, honors its ingredients, and invites you to slow down. In a world of fast everything, that matters.
If you have not seen it already, take a few minutes to watch the YouTube video tour of The Ruby Brink. You’ll get a sense of the space, the philosophy, and the intentionality that defines everything they do. The Seattle Met article called them part of a “meat revolution,” and it is easy to see why. This is slow food with sharp knives and good lighting.
So as the weather cools and the island settles into winter, do yourself a favor. Stop by The Ruby Brink. Order the broth. Try the charcuterie. Sip something dark and spicy. Then sit back and remember why Vashon, in all its rain-soaked beauty, is still one of the best places on earth to eat, drink, and savor.
This feature is part of our ongoing series from the Vashon-Maury.com team, highlighting the unique businesses that make our island so special. If you own a local business and would like to be featured in the Observer, we invite you to submit an article for consideration at vashon-maury.com/submit-writing. Please include as much detail as possible about your business (what you offer, what sets you apart) and share a short story about how you came to Vashon or what inspired you to start your venture here. We’re proud to support the Vashon-Maury community and would love to help tell your story.
Author: Vashon Island
Vashon is an Island located between Tacoma and West Seattle. This account manages the vashon-maury.com website full on useful information for residents and visitors of the Island.
