Ruby’s Wood Grill, York, Maine, May 2023. This is a rave review and I’m not going to pretend otherwise: these were excellent wings — well-charred, real heat that builds instead of just sitting on top, a properly thick coating that stayed put through the whole basket. Two ramekins of blue cheese because one is never enough, celery and carrots that actually got eaten instead of just decorating the plate. No notes on the wings. None.
And it’s not just the wings — Ruby’s in general is a genuinely good stop. Wood-grilled American comfort food, a real bar program, the kind of place that’s clearly run by people who care whether the food is good rather than just fast. If you’re in York and only eat at one place, it’s a legitimate contender for that slot.
Where This Was
Ruby’s Wood Grill, 433 US Route 1, York, ME — Google reviews. Hot wings are on the regular menu, and Wednesday is Wing Wednesday, all day, if timing allows.
If You’re in York Anyway: A Visitor’s Guide
York punches way above its weight for a small Maine coastal town — worth making a day of it around the wing stop, not just a drive-through.
- Nubble Lighthouse (Cape Neddick Light) — one of the most photographed lighthouses in Maine, sitting on its own small island just offshore. Not open to the public, but the viewing area and gift shop (seasonal, May–October) are worth the stop regardless.
- Long Sands Beach — a proper sandy beach with a long lighthouse view, metered parking right alongside. Good mix of sandy and rocky sections.
- Short Sands Beach — smaller, livelier, walkable to York Beach’s arcade-and-ice-cream strip.
- Mount Agamenticus — sweeping coastal views and real hiking trails a short drive inland, a completely different side of York than the beach towns.
- York’s Wild Kingdom — a combination zoo and amusement park, the only one of its kind in New England, if traveling with kids.
- The Museums of Old York — over 300 years of local history across several historic buildings, including a colonial-era jail and a riverside estate.