The Ruse

What a great place! Fantastic food, the cocktail list is clever and the service is superb...if Jess looks after you that is. We love Jess. Super friendly, attentive, knew the menu and gave valid advice. And didn't mind our tables increased happiness on the way through the cocktail menu (stay away from the La Primavera..even the bar acknowledges that).We had some tacos each and shared starters and dessert. Everything was very nice and we had a great night out. Definitely coming again on my next trip south.

Great location with a beautiful view. Sunday evening was great with the live music , the musician Lux Trevis was fantastic. Service is speedy and attentive and the drinks divine especially their free spirited selection. With options for all dietary requirements I was well fed. Vegan options were delicious.

First time visiting The Ruse. Really enjoyed the tacos - was able to have 3 vegetarian options. Also fish and meat varieties. Everything super tasty. Highly recommend The Ruse.

The Ruse has taken Mexican cuisine to the next level by recreating all you’re favourite Mexican dishes and turning them into restaurant worthy dishes. As I was dining with a large group it was suggested that we order one or two tacos for ourselves then as a table order sides and the big platters to share. This worked wonderfully as everyone got a variety of dishes and was completely stuffed by the end of the night. Desert was delicious, we order two servings of churros to share between the six of use. The service was on point and the view just topped it off. The restaurant is very flexible with dietary requirements providing guests with a variety of gluten, dairy and nut free dishes. Plenty of vegan and vegetarian meals are available and there is a separate menu for kids. Overall a wonderful experience and would definitely recommend!

Good food and tasty cocktails. Food a tad overpriced - ordered the chicharrones thinking it would be homemade for the price however I think they were store bought. Tortillas also tasted rubbery - not sure if they were heated up. Lovely location though and friendly service!

We had my husbands 80th birthday party on Saturday we could not fault anything. The food was delicious service was so professional and impeccable and the atmosphere and view were spectacular . . Thanks to Ben and Sina for making our celebration such a memorable one . We will continue to support this fantastic business.

Food is so good.Ordered (take-away) their jackfruit taco and a batata taco. They are vegan and so yummy.I also ordered a raw key lime. So good.Highly recommend the place for vegans.The staff was so friendly too.Thank you The Ruse. I will be definitely back to taste your lovely food.

Great little place with fantastic cocktails and Taco Monday only $10 per plate,super good value for a venue with a million dollar view overlooking the sleepy harbour.And great service and great music.A hidden gem

(4.5 stars)A gentle refit on a site that once housed a crab-themed seafood restaurant I remember visiting as a kid, sees a slick two-level bar called The Ruse make the most of those Ulladulla harbour views. Bringing along his Sydney-based cocktail experience from venues like The Victoria Room in its hey day, Ben Blair and his floor personable team have assembled a great list of South Coast-friendly quaffers.After a big day at the beach, the Margarita Claro ($18) is a clear margarita flavoured with avocado oil to soothe the palate with less acidity and salt than the standard. I could drink these for days against bright bowls of red snapper ceviche —aguachile ($22)—scooped out on crisp tostada.Spiked with Mezcal, the classic Tommy’s margarita ($20) isn’t a bad way to get acquainted with this smoky spirit, though if you ask nicely, you might get treated to an off-list Mezcal colada ($22) instead. Against pineapple, lime, vanilla bitters and coconut, tempered with brown rice horchata, the Mezcal’s smokiness really sings, taking what is ordinarily a sweet cocktail somewhere rather special. Both work against queso-stuffed jalapeño poppers ($13) their creamy cheesiness cut by dipping vinegar.Elevated by great corn tortilla, and a tasty house-made chilli sauce selection ($2/each) tacos here are both good, and generously proportioned. Prawn ($9) with a row of chargrilled crustaceans, pineapple, iceberg lettuce and adobo mayo. eats well. My star is the pulled pork cochinita ($9) made from pulled stands of pork shoulder made fragrant with achiote and citrus, dressed with pickled fennel, chimichurri and apple and corn ‘slaw.There’s less value for your spend in the bigger dishes, like camarones ($42) that sees four blackened and skewered crustaceans joined on the plate with dabs of avocado almond emulsion and a bright, sweet mango salsa. For an extra four bucks you can get some carbs (tortilla) to wrap them in, but it makes it a pretty pricy single prawn roll. Next time I’d stick to small plates and work my way deeper into the cocktail list. I’m hard pressed to think of better cocktails I’ve had on the NSW South Coast

Awesome food, service, drinks and views. We had dinner here on Tuesday night. Booking was essential particularly if you want a beautiful table overlooking the harbour. Check out the pictures of the view and food. Central American food was very tasty. We enjoyed Taco’s filled with chargrilled prawns and another with fish. Also had chargrilled Octopus which was awesome. Highly recommend this restaurant for quality, ambiance and value for money.