Great view of the sound with cliffs and constant large boat traffic. Knowledgeable wait staff that makes the whole experience great. Craft cocktail menu is phenomenal. Come for the seafood and view.
Top-class restaurant with exceptional waterfront views. The food was very good as well, but my memories will be more about the ambiance than the flavors. This is a special dining room, and I'll remember it for a long time.
Great atmosphere but my crab cakes w kale and sausage was too heavy. My mom's black cod/sablefish was wonderful! The sunset was amazing and wowed my visiting mom. Service was great too. So we were all happy. One of my goto waterfront spots in Seattle.
Located in Ballard with a beautiful view of the sound. Getting here from downtown Seattle is no easy task, so plan accordingly. Our evening started at 7pm, with the dining room entirely filled on Saturday evening, it had a sense of being a great experience. We met another couple, and our table was a half booth with a view. We started with some cocktails and caught up with our friends, with our server occasionally checking in with us. I started with the clam chowder, and this was one of the best chowders I've had, with the clams steamed in
the shell, it was just so heavenly. My entrée was the wild king salmon paired with roasted potatoes and asparagus. Our wine of choice was Faille Chardonnay, butter went so well with our dinner choices. Dessert a nice Sauternes and chocolate to end the evening which noticeably we were the last table to leave.
I came here for Thanksgiving dinner and the buffet was delightful and delicious! Great service and a beautiful view of the water! I haven't tried their regular menu yet, but I'm sure it's just as good!
Balllad Icon:
All of the great time with this great establishment, we were regular here before and after the fire before we moved and when we come to visit we away come to Ray's
you will never have a bad meal,great views.
Highly recomended
First off, the view off the back of the restaurant is spectacular! Calm, serene, ducks swimming single-file across the water. Beautiful homes across the way, boats docked next to them. The surroundings alone will keep people coming to dine at this longtime Ballard seafood institution, but the cuisine wonderful as well.
My wife and I both started with their Butter Lettuce salad; light, savory, flavorful. She ordered their salmon with asparagus, beets and roasted fingerling potatoes (which she loved), I had the halibut with asparagus and couscous... Equally delicious! We split the Bananas Foster with bruleed bananas, SO GOOD!! Our server was efficient and quite friendly, knowledgeable with excellent recommendations. We had been dying to try this place for years, and it was worth the wait!
Loved the sablefish and the calamari. Location is fantastic. Try and get a table outside on the patio. We went on a summer evening and the experience was awesome.
Gorgeous view. I love the setting of this restaurant and come here for the ambiance and to celebrate a special occasion. It's on the top floor, above Ray's Boathouse, and is the less expensive restaurant of the two. The views of the Mts and Sound are wonderful, and it's worth it to sit on the deck on a summer day, although it can be windy. Has that docky, marina feel but in an upscale environment. Service is very attentive, and the food is pretty good, especially the desserts. One note - I can only comment on the vegetarian options; I just wish they had more of them! Usually only one thing one the menu (not counting salad) that I can eat. My family has gotten salmon and crab cake a lot and have commented favorable on their dishes.
My boss was in town last week so I thought that would make a good chance for us to try out Ray’s Cafe for lunch. We got there right after noon and the place was as busy as you’d expect.
I really enjoyed Ray’s and like I said earlier, I will have to come back to try the happy hour. I can see this place being very popular as the weather gets warmer. The food was really great and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Side note, their entrees made it difficult to pick :) Not a bad thing to have such delicious options! Happy dining :) There’s one last week!
Thursday Night Bites
+4.5
The food at Ray’s has a reputation for quality, but people really go there for the views.
Cafe salad (4). Best item we ordered from the HH menu. The vinaigrette is delicious, and blue cheese and walnuts are always a salad winner, but sneaking in strawberries? Awesome.
I had sablefish, which I’ve never eaten before. It tasted lightly smoked and was lusciously fatty, like pork belly.
Directly following my trip to Peru , I left on a research trip to the West Coast for two weeks. What was I researching? Glad you asked: a book on Stadium Eats ! Um, yeah, without a deal in sight currently (hint, hint, anyone reading this who is interested
One of my favorite places in Seattle is Ray's Cafe . It was one of the first nice places I want to when I first moved to Seattle and throughout the years I've spent many a sunny day out on the deck. It's location near the The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks mea
Great food. Improved a lot since I last came.. I got a hamburger both times I ate here. The first time I ate here (maybe a year previous) I remember it being very bland and not very memorable. The last time I ate here it was really good.
The service here both times have been really on top of it. The view is always worth eating here. It is also very nice that they have a big parking lot.
A Great Choice!. We went to Ray's Boathouse Sunday for lunch and discovered they are closed for a remodel--so we wandered upstairs to Ray's Cafe--it was an excellent choice. The chowder and pear salad's ingredients were fresh, attractively presented, and downright delicious. We ate in the bar area and Anna provided conscientious and professional service--along with humor and personality. A lucky coincidence that led us upstairs.
Just do it!
Give this restaurant an 7/10. The beer was fabulous. I had one of the draft IPAs with 75 ibu. Calamari was not fresh and too heavy on breading and salt. It also was not served with a classic tomato sauce. I had the Alaskan sturgeon which was very good. It was the fresh catch of the day. It was served with kale which was too strong overpowering the delicate favors of the fish. Same comment on the curry sauce driZzled Near the fish My wife did not like her clams with linguini pesto. I tasted it and it was light on the clams and a little too much oil. my kids had steak with a crab sauce which was ok. Service was great and so was the view of the sound. All in all not worth the money. Which was disappointing given a high recommendation from a friend
Nice view, good restaurant for a date.. I recommend Ray's Boathouse for a good place for a date because of the view and ease of access. The food is pretty good. Service is great. My wife really enjoyed her scallops. My steak hit the spot.
Awesome. Visited Ray's last week with my wife and friends to have dinner and we're so impressed with their customer service, so friendly. The food so tasty and well presented. definitely will be coming back.
Food is great and so is the customer service. My first time ever going and my wife and I were not disappointed! Exquisite presentation and a breathtaking view of the Puget Sound! Eat and drink to your heart's content!
I'm in love. First time in the Northwest. Unforgettable views.... Was going to have dinner but on a limited schedule and somewhat limited budget so went exploring more of Ballard after the most delicious oysters and drinks at the bar. Not sure what the food would have been like but definitely intend on finding out when I go back to Seattle! Thanks again to the pilot sitting next to me on my way there last month who recommended this place at sunset :)
Great food, fantastic views, cool sweatshirts...literally nothing but positives
Amazing food and Amazing views. Ray's Boathouse is an amazing Seattle Star right by the amazing Ballard Locks. Boats and Barges pass by the critically acclaimed restaurant in the historic city of Ballard. I absolutely adore different varieties of seafood. The Valet Parking is also a bonus. Ray's is a Seattle Jewel I will visit again!
A view with great food.... There are many times a local restaurant will be known for it's view, but fall down when it comes to the food. People go just to enjoy the scenery. That's not the case with Ray's, not only does it provide a nice picturesque environment, it delivers in spades with the food as well as the wine menu.
The food is excellent, and the service is top class. I enjoy both the salmon as well as the black cod. You'd think the salmon would be the top pick, being in Seattle where some of the best salmon can be found, be sure to have copper river salmon if available, but the black cod is really outstanding. It has a fantastic buttery flavor with notes of bacon, I won't draw any parallels here, but tastes a lot like fish I've had somewhere else :)
The other item of note is the excellent wine list. Ray's carries a vast and excellent selection of wines. Really something, good enough to make a wine connoisseur swoon.
A great restaurant that lives up to expectations.
Tasty chowder, smoked scallops
Crab Cakes. The crab cakes were the best that my boyfriend and I have ever had. The view was amazing and the service was great.
Ballard rocks! Ray's rocks even more!. I love this neighbourhood and thanks for me, my spouse agreed to take a drive from downtown Seattle to this cute area. Ray's Boathouse is right on the water so we got great food and awesome view. I recommend their dungeness crab and rock shrimp crab cakes and for those seafood lovers, their Ray's Seafood Salad was to die for, the best smoked salmon and scallop! It did take a while to get a table with a view but the wait was totally worth it and the lady at the front desk was polite, and kept everyone informed on how long the wait was. Their servers and staff were all smiles! . I love this place and next visit to Seattle, we are definitely stopping here for dinner. There was a table who ordered these grilled salmon on skewers that looked to die for! Gotta try for next time!
Mt. Mike And Sugarwine
+4.5
Excellent service, food, view. Stellar!
Toni Michelle Fields
+4.5
Excellent salmon service ok. We had the Copper River King Salmon the second day it came in, so it was unbelievable and like no salmon I have ever eaten. The view was also excellent. However, the server was a little snooty and my husband didn't love the price!
Romantic New Years Eve Evening. We ate here for our NYE celebration. It was the last night of a 10 day road trip and we were not disappointed.
I had the Sable Fish which was amazing! My boyfriend had the special which was Steak and HUGE crab legs. Also amazing. We were not disappointed in the food at all.
The service was very attentive and we enjoyed our servers personality. He was very knowledgeable about the menu and made great recommendations.
To top it off the Creme Brulee was a VERY nice portion (and for only $7!) and was to die for!
YUM YUM!
Although it was dark - we could imagine the view is amazing in the day light. Great Valet service as well.
Ray's Cafe upstairs. Lunch in the Cafe was absolutely delicious. Lunch began with the chowder and was perfectly seasoned, texture terrific. Entree were the two Cods on the menu, (one Cod-the other Sablefish) both were expertly prepared and had fantastic balance of flavors. Sablefish was cooked to perfection, seared and served over Red Rice, honey glaze with miso.
We have visited Seattle 4 times over the past few years and this lunch easily could rival some of the finest food prepared in Las Vegas which we just left the day before.
The atmosphere leaves a great deal to be desired as well as the appearance of the building itself which appears old and in need of maintenance. One would expect to find quite simple food by the looks of the place such as lobster roll or fried clams. One would not expect Sablefish cooked to perfection.Waitstaff was friendly however, their dress code was very casual. The waitress who was very amiable and efficient had no knowledge of the wine list.
Delicious & Friendly. I've had great experiences every time I've been here. Both in the downstairs dining room and the more casual cafe upstairs. Their king salmon is my favorite dish-so moist and flavorful. I also love their manilla clams and we always finish with the creme brulee. Yum!
Good not great. We ate in the cafe upstairs to save some money, also because we hoped for sunshine to sit on the deck (no such luck - it rained). The food we had was definitely not disappointing, but didn't dazzle us for the price either. I didn't leave craving more. The view is awesome even in slightly rainy weather; I imagine this has something to do with the price? Even though I liked it we probably won't be back as there are other better restaurants for the money. Overall, though - good experience with great service, worth trying at least once.
Happy Hour is AMAZING!!!. Get there early!!! Amazing deal...candied salmon on skewer to die for. Smoked seafood salad my favorite. Gotta go!!!
Our friends took us to Ray's Cafe, the more casual room upstairs, on one of the sunniest days of the year. Since the cafe doesn't take reservations, we were warned of a 45-60 minute wait, but after about 25 minutes sitting on the adjacent wharf enjoying the view and the weather, the buzzer buzzed, and we were comfortably seated on the large patio overlooking Puget Sound.
Despite being extremely busy, the staff were attentive. Our charming server handled our special requests with diligence.
Our dishes were all very good, but none were spectacular. We'd return for the amazing view alone, but the rest of the experience was pleasurable enough for another visit as well.
Best Sunset. Outside bar deck.....best place for drinks and appetizers
It was good, but.... Good. Definately good. But I was expecting melt in your mouth fantastic after all the hype I heard to go to this place. I went upstairs to the cafe. They did offer me the dining room menu as well as the cafe menu. So it was nice to have the option of either. But neither one particularly excited me. There were not many options. I ordered the clam chowder which was good. And the shrimp and crab cakes from the cafe menu. They were just ok. I had better crab cakes when I traveled to Cleveland. So that was a little disappointing.
Loved it. Celebrated my birthday here. Gorgeous view, impeccable service, and amazing food. The sablefish was unbelievable. What a gem in seattle.
Romantic and delicious!. My boyfriend & I went here on a whim & were very pleasantly surprised. It was romantic & comfortable. The food was very good & the service was excellent. I would definitely go back again for another romantic night or during the day when we can enjoy the view.
I have been to both the Boathouse and the Cafe. Service was great both times. At the Cafe it was almost overly friendly. Maybe I'm just not used to such pleasant service. Food was delicious both times. There is a reason this place is so highly rated here on Urbanspoon.
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Awesome food, service and views. My husband took me here for our Anniversary dinner and it was amazing. The waiter was stiff at first, to be expected with the fine dining atmosphere, but he loosened up and became engaging and friendly throughout the meal. There were families with young children which surprised me considering how adult the menu is, but Ray's caters to everyone so don't be afraid to bring your kids if they can behave or the waiter will give you the cold shoulder. We had the mussels which were amazing, then we both had the wild salmon (amazing, buttery, fresh fresh fresh) and I had the best gimlet of my life. Dessert was a decadent slice of chocolate cake and the waiter even gave us complimentary glasses champagne and some handmade chocolates. During the course of dinner we watched the sun set over the Pacific, saw either a seal or an otter, and then watched the lights come out like stars on the distant mountains? hilly peninsula? island? hell I was lit up and I'm not from Seattle so who knows...but I do know it was a wonderful experience. We spent around a hundred dollars on the entire meal. PS bring cash to tip the valet parking
Traveling Food Junkie
+4.5
Absolutely Delicious. Here is a secret. Arrive during Happy Hour and go to the upstairs bar first. Great drink and appetizer specials you can't get down stairs. Try all their shooters (food that is), but don't get too full. Headed downstairs for dinner. As good as all the specials of the day sounded, I had to have the Northwest Sampler. Salmon, Sable Fish (Black Cod) and Grouper each cooked to perfection and individually presented to showcase their flavor. Very attentive waitstaff. Only slight bummer was unexpected bones in sablefish.
Beautifull. Very impressive wine list as well as knowledgeable staff. Great dinner on a nice day!
Sunset & Sable Fish. Every once in a while you need to go to a restaurant that has a great sunset view. Our experience is that there is usually some compromises. Not at Ray's. We ate downstairs in the more formal dining room overlooking the Olympia's and the water. Beautiful between showers sunset and there was still snow on the mountains that cleared for a peek.
It was unanimous, we all tried the Sable Fish and it was wonderful. Helpful attentive staff and really good food from the appetizers to the dessert.
Felt a little like one of those bay side restaurants in Newport Beach, CA from the decor, but that is where it ended, so don't let the valet's and the beachy decor turn you away.
Bob & Wendy
Ok.... So been here twice, once to the restaurant, once to the cafe. Restaurant was wonderful, cafe was same. So I'd recommend the cafe to keep a bit of money in the wallet. But seriously, the fish is great, location is great!
Excellent meal! I was afraid that we were in store for "art food" - long on presentation but short on quantity. No fear though, while the dishes were artfully presented, the portions were reasonable. The best part though was how good and tasty the food was. The Sablefish was outstanding - the combination of ingredients had great depth. We were there after dark, so didn't get to enjoy the view of the bay. We'll just have to back the next time we're in town.
Never disappointing. Ray's is always great. Great food, great scenery, great service. When friends and family visit from out of town, Ray's is always where they request to dine out.
In a previous career, I was involved with the design and construction of the Ray's downtown location (no longer exists) and got to know and work with the owner. He is a "great" guy and very serious about the quality of the product he produces.
The sablefish is out of this world!!! Truly one of the best meals I've ever had. Great steamed clams too! Nice wine list & beautiful dining room. A Seattle institution.
View of the Olympics. Ive loved Ray's for years and endure the prices.
Ray's Cafe is much more to my liking, more casual, more reasonable pricing and overall a lot more fun. The food is so good, Black Cod is so delicious and the service is good as well. The salmon rocks!
I got married here so perhaps I'm biased but the food is good and the view is simply classic out across Puget Sound. A Seattle landmark.
Go for the Cafe Upstairs - You won't be disappointed. With parents visiting from out of town, I used this as an excuse to check out Ray's Boathouse Cafe (the "cheaper" upstairs locale). The views are amazing (can't wait for summer weather on the patio) and the food didn't disapoint either.
Our server was apparently in training ... forgot our Thai Mussels app (so we got it for free with dinner and they were a-mazing) and he dropped the ball on espresso with dessert - but overall the experience was awesome.
I would highly recco the Scallops with Red Curry and the Cajun Rockfish with Polenta. The Crab Cakes were just ok - they tasted a bit "bready" for me. Also, the Strip Steak with Crab wasn't really that exciting. For dessert, we opted to share a Rhubarb Tart and the Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Both were incredible ... definitely save room for dessert!
Good Food, Great View, Great Service. Six of us drove up to Ballard to try this place out. The young lady who waited on us had a stellar personality and did a wonderful job. Most of us had the seafood trio, salmon, sablefish (black cod), and halibut. While the salmon and halibut were good the cod was stellar. The sunset we enjoyed was the cherry on top.
Not only was the food here incredible, the service was fast and efficient. Grab a seat in the upstairs cafe and get lost in the spectacular view while you eat. VERY reasonably priced. Can't say enough about it. Enjoy with your family or a date.
Ray's Cafe!!!. On vacation in Seattle, we wanted to make sure and get as much seafood as possible before heading back inland to Minnesota. We researched a bunch of places and came across Ray's Cafe, just upstairs from Ray's Boathouse. The prices at the Cafe are more affordable, but the quality of the food did not suffer as a result. My wife and I both had some of the best seafood dishes in our lives. I had the crab and shrimp cakes that came with a black bean corn salsa. I use these crab cakes to judge all others. My wife had the halibut, which was equally delicious. It was really busy, but we were able to cozy up to the bar and have a few drinks while we waited. When we were finally seated, our table had just an amazing view. We were inside but right next to an open window, so we had the benefit of the stunning scenery but the not chilly breeze at sunset. Highly recommended.
Consistently great. Extremely consistent and best sunset !
Good to eat. I like this place very much, but had a bad dinner because I brought a Vegan to eat with Santino. Even though Ray's did a good job attempting to help, she was very rude and didn't eat anything. I highly recommend. Don't bring Vegan friends.
Great food!. Ray's always has a great selection and the view is incredible! Great place to take out of town guests! Make reservations if you're able!
Great fish and views. The upstairs cafe is one of our favorite places to take out of town visitors-- they have a great view of the sound, good seafood selection, and a nice casual atmosphere.
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Rays Cafe is very kid friendly!. Rays Cafe is on the second floor of Rays. They have a great happy hour - deals on drinks and food. We recently went for dinner at Rays Cafe with our 2 year old boy and 6 year old girl. The boy is allergic to nuts, dairy, and eggs.
Allergies are our biggest concern. Usually, when we ask about dish ingredients, most waiters don't have a clue, but our waiter was well prepared. The french fries and calamari were safe, but the fish and chips were not. No worries there - we easily found a good selection for everyone. He predicted a few other concerns for us and it was great to have that go so smoothly.
When a diaper change was required, I brought our son into the bathroom, not expecting to find a changing station, but there it was. And to wash hands, there was a stool for him to step on. Auto water and soap allowed him to do everything himself.
We went at 5, it was easy to park without needing a valet, and it was still before the rush. We sat near the back of the seating area. The kids had plenty of room to walk around and weren't distracting the other guests.
Going out for dinner with a 2-year old with allergies rarely gives you time to enjoy the food. Ray's was surprisingly well set up to make it great for us. We'll be back again soon.
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Wowed Me. I just visited Seattle for a week and was excited to have a great dinner reservation every night, carefully picking the restaurants before we left. I write a food blog and am very seriously into cooking, so I'm pretty critical when we go out to eat. I made a reservation at this place based solely on the reviews on this website. I was skeptical when we arrived there because this place was right on the waterfront, big and very busy. I thought "this place could be have very touristy kind of food - oh, well, the view is great". Well, yes, the view was incredible but I was surprised by the food. This was one of our best meals during our week. The food was beautifully prepared and the waiter was very smart about wine and turned us onto a Pacific Northwest wine we had never had before that was perfect. I would come back here in a minute. The chef knew what he was doing. I had the manila clams appetizer and I was in seafood heaven. I love manila clams - these were the best I ever had. GO!
Classic. I took a group of friends (10) visiting from New York, Omaha and San Diego. Wanting to show them the beauty of Puget Sound and wonderful NW food, Ray's was perfect in every way! Even accommodated a reservation on the same day! Food was perfect. The view amazing. Wait staff fun and knowledgeable.
Cafe is one of my favorites. This is where I take friends and family who visit Seattle. This is where I host parties and special celebrations. This is where I love going for no reason with my husband and kids. The food is consistently great, service is friendly and professional and who can beat the views.
Great place!!. Yummy and amazing views!! The service is excellent!! Would love to go back more often but probably just for special occasions.
Fab!. I love the seaweed salad- it's like the whole fresh ocean is in your mouth! Great experience.
My favorite.. I'm surprised to see that there are a few negative reviews here. For almost 20 years Ray's has been my favorite restaurant -- for dates, for impressing out-of-town guests, for celebrating both my graduations from UW, for treating my employees to dinner, and (in the cafe) for meeting friends for dinner-and-drinks. In all that time, I've never had a meal that's failed to delight. Ray's has also always been notable for stellar service.
Ray's Boathouse: 'Pretentious.' Ray's Cafe: 'Sublime.'. Best place to watch the sunset in Seattle? Ray's Cafe. When you go to Ray's Boathouse, just go upstairs to Ray's Cafe. More casual Northwest feel. Lots of windows, rustic wood beams, two fireplaces, and a more lively atmosphere - compared to downstairs which is more formal, stuffy, pretentious - and, overpriced. Upstairs at the Cafe or downstairs at the Boathouse, either way, the food is great and the service is prompt, attentive, enthusiastic, friendly. (I wish the new chef would bring back the french fried sweet potatoes though!) Great selection of beers and microbrews. And, you can't go wrong with an affordable bottle of Ray's private label wine.
Sweet patio. There are few better places to sit over lunch and a beer on a sunny Seattle day... (and the food's good too)
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Hit-and-miss (25 for $25, March 15, 2007). Ray's exudes Northwest charm like no other restaurant on the list, with views of wildlife like seals and herons right by the window. But it's the exquisite seafood that brings us back every time and the Alaskan Weathervane Scallops entrée did not disappoint. There were FIVE perfectly seared and seasoned large scallops served on top of a healthy helping of vegetables. The Grilled King Salmon, equally impressive, was melt-in-your-mouth tender. Crisp bacon accented the endive and apple salad that my husband enjoyed, while I puzzled over the cold piece of smoked scallop, better if warmed, in my creamy cauliflower soup. Dessert was a bit weak: the Just Chocolate cake, a dark floured cake had overly sweet icing; and the Glimpse of Spring, a citrusy pound cake ring, though tasted ok, sat like a life-ring that needed rescuing in the red rhubarb soup. The wine flight from Chateau Ste Michelle's Indian Wells vineyards was a good deal at $14 for three generous pouring, and the winery information card was a nice touch. Our server was not present most of the time: did not check on our entrées, or if we needed beverages with dessert, and could not be located when time to pay. The bussing crew and food runners made up the slack so all in all it was worth the drive to Ballard.
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Ray's a beautiful birthday experience -25 for 25. I just went to ray's yesterday for my birthday dinner. I was pretty nervous because a lot of the restaurants I have been to lately have been quite dissapointing. Ray's, was definitely not dissapointing. The first thing that I loved about this place, was the view. My boyfriend had asked for a table at the window, and wow, that view was just breathtaking. You are looking right out at the sound, and it's almost like being in a movie on your own private island, I could not look away. Then, there was the service. Our waitress, Erica, was fabulous!! She was so so helpful, and friendly. The food was so good, we ordered oysters, which were so yummy and beautifully presented. The wine was okay, and the rest of the food was amazing. We talked to the manager for a long time at the end of the meal and told her how much we had enjoyed our night. Also, we did not go there with the intention of doing 25 for 25, but the selection for the 25 for 25 was amazing, and we ended up sticking with that, except for the oysters. They had almost all of their main dishes as selections. I was very impressed, and I would definitely celebrate there again!!
One word: happy hour. Ray's is solid between the hours of 4-6 and after 10. Their food is really great value for the $$ in particular the tuna (sashimi) and the thai mussels and the salmon burger and the walnut/blue cheese salad... Fight for a seat in the bar in the summer, or wait for the winter and the crowds to thin out.
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Beautiful waterside, private restaurant that serves a wide variety of seafood and fish. The food is spectacular and the views even more so. The oysters were fresh, and I got to try a little bit of all kinds of fish and they were very good. Great company outing event spot.
Food
I came here with my coworkers and got to try a bite of all different kinds of appetizers and dishes and they were all excellent. I liked the oysters as they were fresh and the fish were all well cooked and not dry. The octopus was also another favorite dish of mine. For dessert, the regional ice cream that they have is better than the cake in my opinion.
Atmosphere
The restaurant is fancy and not too loud. The views of the sound are beautiful especially during the evening to catch a sunset. You are right by the water without any other buildings or boats blocking the view so it’s nice. I came here for a company outing and would definitely come here again for a business dinner.
Pricing
Prices are on the higher end but nothing unreasonable for a business dinner. The quality was good for price paid.
Service
Service was good and the people were friendly. We got good recommendations for our large party to split.
Other
There is a parking lot you can take advantage of since it’s a short drive from the rest of Ballard.
Family went last Thursday to celebrate my brother's birthday, it was first time for everyone but my dad. We tried a little bit of everything, I did the sablefish and it was so good. Family enjoyed their meals of ribeye, Crab legs, Scallops, clams, asparagus and ahi katsu. We were served by John & Airel from the Cafe side both very friendly and top notch service.
A cool boathouse, great view of the water, and you might see a seal popping up its head out and having a frolic, an ideal waterfront dining location. Food itself is good, good variety of shellfish with a local bias for good reason, particularly the sablefish is a standout. Pack a couple of cookies for later, they're a treat as well.
Great dining experience as we celebrated our lovely sister's birthday. Food was exceptional and well prepared. The service was fantastic and prompt. Our entire dining experience was fantastic! Thank you Ray's Cafe for a great dining experience! Keep it up!!!
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Just had a really wonderful meal here. I usually leave long-standing seafood dinner places like this feeling a little underwhelmed or annoyed, but Ray's was just above and beyond wonderful.
Every staff member was doing a wonderful job and greeted and spoke to us with the kindest smiles and attentive service. I was worried coming with our two year old but everyone treated us with such kindness and respect and they didn't make a deal out of it at all. We went later and missed the sunset, but the location is fun at any time and the ambience is really nice just as is. You see the water lit up below and we saw a seal wandering around.
The food was all DELICIOUS with good sized portions. We had fresh oysters, Penn cove mussels, sablefish, butternut squash and grilled salmon. Each dish was classic and cooked beautifully, but had little accents and special ingredients that set it apart and made it memorable.
Thank you so much for the lovely meal and the wonderful service. This will be our go to occasion dinner from now on.
Wonderful food and service! The restaurant had a congratulations card waiting at our table since I had marked on the reservation that my partner and I were celebrating an anniversary, which was a really nice touch.
I wish I could remember our server's name, she was very friendly and made us feel like valued customers right away, and was proactive in addressing my partner's gluten sensitivity, which I had also put in the reservation. She even gave us a recommendation for an ice cream spot nearby with gluten free cones.
For food, we split the sake sablefish and a salad, both of which were delicious but the fish was incredible, perfectly done.
Then, our server and the front desk staff facilitated my now-fiance's surprise proposal with dessert and they brought us congratulatory champagne. The dessert was also very tasty, I think we got the creme brulee and a mandarin sorbet. The above and beyond service combined with awesome food made for a wonderful evening. Thank you, Ray's!
Friend chose this restaurant and said it had an excellent view and atmosphere! When I arrived, I couldn't agree more! And all the dishes were very tasty, highly recommended!
The view itself is worth the trip. We were visiting Seattle for our vacation and picked Rays boathouse as our special night out dinner spot and the whole experience was beyond measure. It’s got the best view of the sunset with Olympic as the backdrop. Occasionally you see a sea lion popping out of the water and some ducks floating by. Simply picturesque! For food, first of all, love the complimentary bread! We ordered fried oyster with pork belly, clam chowder, and Brussels sprout as appetizers and our favorite was the clam chowder and Brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts were crispy like and well seasoned, while fried oyster with pork belly was a bit on the greasy side in my opinion. For mains, we got crab cake and river salmon. They were both delicious. Great service from the wait staff and lively, light filled atmosphere. Highly recommend!
We had a lovely dinner at Ray's. Chose upstairs for a more casual experience. Views were incredible of the Olympics. Ordered from the Happy Hour menu and a special Seafood seasonal menu. Ended up sharing 3 happy hour aps- clams, muscles and pokè and 2 entrees- crab salad and the squash and ferro. All was tasty, nothing was jaw droppingly delicious besides the oysters which speak for themselves.
Easy to get to, great parking, no wait at 5:30 on a Wednesday evening.
We arrived at 9 PM Saturday and was told by the host the kitchen was about to close. He graciously seated us anyway. We were still served with exceptional service. The drinks and food were amazing too. I had the King Salmon and two Martinis and my husband had the steamers. I’m mad at myself for not remembering our server’s name. Kudos to him!
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