Had dinner with a friend who is a big fan; this was my first visit to a Rubio's. We came in a little after 7pm, they are open week nights until 9pm. We were served by an indifferent waiter at the counter. There were a few other tables filled with other diners and some coming by for take-out.
We filled our drinks from the beverage station. Several choices for brewed iced tea that was very good. I thought it odd that silverware was a mix of plastic (fork/spoon) and metal (knives). The food was served in reusable plastic dishes. I assume that the staff could not be bothered to the wash the missing metal utensils and plastic normally reserved for take-out was an easy fix.
On to the food - it was good! I had a salad with grilled salmon. Dressing on the side. Tasty combo and good lettuce. My friend enjoyed her favorite fish tacos.
Staff was cleaning, sweeping, doing the nightly cleanup routine working around us. Kind of annoying but we tried to ignore. After some time, we returned to refill drinks from the beverage station. It was 8:30 (remember 30 minutes before closing). Nope, sorry the tea containers had all been removed for the night. The fountain drinks dispenser had been broken down for cleaning. What?? I questioned our waiter. Yes, we removed them to clean and it would take atleast 25 minutes to brew more tea. And why did you remove them at all? "Sorry about that". Yes, I bet you were. And if I'd stayed around to watch, I bet you were locked up and out the door at 9:01 pm.
Final rating - 4 stars food, 2 stars service. So many other choices with better service - I don't expect to return here.