A new bistro and wine bar has just opened on Lower Richmond Road, bringing seafood-focused British cooking and a focused wine list to Putney. Ruth’s occupies the former Blades site at number 94.
The restaurant is led by Ed Baillieu, who grew up in Putney, and Callum Ross from New Zealand. Baillieu previously worked at The Hero, Kitty Fisher’s and Pitt Cue, while Ross comes from the Camberwell Arms. According to Hot Dinners, Baillieu conceived Ruth’s as “a neighbourhood restaurant that people can pop into regularly.”
Ruth’s Putney seats 40 across two rooms. The front room functions as a bar for walk-ins, while the back dining room offers candlelit evening service.
What to expect at Ruth’s Putney
The bistro focuses on seafood-heavy British cooking. Bar snacks include oysters, fried pickled mussels, and sardines on toast. Starters range from chicken liver parfait and smoked mackerel pate to grilled langoustines and cured trout.
Mains cost between £22 and £65, including cheese and onion pie, wild seabass, megrim sole, and bone-in sirloin. Sides include Brussels sprouts, roasted pumpkin, and leeks.
Desserts feature grilled lemon tart, banana split, Christmas trifle, and a carrot cake ice cream sandwich.
Wine and drinks
The wine list focuses on French wines from Burgundy, Champagne, Languedoc-Roussillon, Jura, and the Rhône Valley. Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Greek wines also feature. What is notable is that most wines are available by the glass, encouraging tasting rather than committing to full bottles. Glasses start at £6, with bottles ranging from £36 to £120.
Cocktails cost £8-10, including an enzoni and a margarita with chilli and cucumber. There’s also a custom Deya lager and Guinness. A discretionary 12.5% service charge applies.
Ruth’s is open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday and lunch and dinner Sunday, closed Mondays. The restaurant will close for Christmas on December 23 and reopen on January 3. The site at 94 Lower Richmond Road was previously occupied by Blades, which closed earlier this year.
For Lower Richmond Road, Ruth’s arrival creates an emerging wine destination cluster. Just weeks ago, The Wine Escape opened behind Ground Coffee Society, offering rare wines in an intimate bookings-only space. Now Ruth’s Putney brings bistro cooking and a wine program focused on by-the-glass availability to the same stretch of road. Whether they complement each other or compete, wine lovers benefit either way.
Putney.news will review Ruth’s in the coming weeks.
