Ray's the Steaks
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 5:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sat 5:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
Sun 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
86 Reviews for Ray's the Steaks
Enjoyed the atmosphere more than the steak but I will say I did not have the signature steak. Arrived early because I have been warned about the wait. The service was great and I was stuffed when I walked out. It's pricey but will visit again.
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There's not much to be said about Rays the Steaks that hasn't been said already. If you want a great steak without much fuss, this is the place to go. They definitely have the best steaks I've ever had!
The New York strips seem to be the most popular cut, since this is the specialty steak along with several other variations. But I like the other steaks that I've had better than the New York strip. Don't get me wrong, the New York Strip is really good, but not quite as good as the other steaks in my opinion. The Strip Diablo and blackened ribeye have been my favorites.
Because of the wait, and the fact that there is nowhere inside to wait, I usually skip lunch and go on Saturday or Sunday evenings when they first open at 5:00. I've always been able to get a table without waiting if I show up at 5:00.
On Sundays they have an all in one menu where you get a starter, entree, and dessert for one price. There are two different prices depending on which entree you get. For the starter I'd recommend the crab bisque, it's delicious!
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So I missed the H street event last night because my husband had to work late. I got treated to dinner at Ray's which was a nice surprise. It was even nicer that it's down the block from our apartment.
We only had to wait 15 minutes for a table. The place was packed and there were plenty of people waiting outside. All the servers we interacted with were super nice. I liked the fact that everyone seemed to work together to make the guest's experience better. Everything that came out of the kitchen looked fresh and delicious.
We ordered a hanger steak & 20 oz custom cut NY Strip. Both were cooked perfectly medium rare. The blue cheese and mushrooms were excellent toppings. The complimentary sides were just okay- but who cares? They were free! The creamed spinach could have been slightly creamier, and the mashed potatoes were blended with sour cream. I prefer garlic or plain old butter. We also ordered a crab bisque and shrimp scampi for an appetizer. Both were very good. The crab bisque was runnier and had less crab meat than your standard She-Crab soup but was very tasty. The Scampi had 4 large shrimp in a small order and was really good as well.
If you are a Key Lime pie fan, you MUST try their pie. It was great! I am very picky when it comes to Key Lime pies. A good Key Lime pie must be a perfect combination of sweet & tart. It can't be overly sweet. It also has to have the right amount of tartness to it. Theirs was just right. The crust was not a standard graham cracker crust. It had some kind of nuts in it.
Excellent meal, and I can't wait to go back.
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Out of all of the great DC-area restaurants, THIS is the one I pine for most since moving back to Atlanta. Ray's is a godsend for those of us who love cow but don't want to pay sacred cow prices.
The first time I went, I had a Cajun ribeye with roasted garlic. YUM--marbled and delicious. I never thought I'd stray from that cut, but the hanger steak may be even better. It's just as tender as a ribeye (if you cook it NO MORE than medium rare), and it's crazy flavorful.
The free sides are a nice touch, though I never ended up eating much of them because I was devouring my meat instead. I love how, if you actually manage to have steak left over, they'll refill your potatoes and spinach in the to-go box so you have a whole meal for the next day.
The blackened scallops and crab bisque are excellent as well--at Ray's quality and price points, it just doesn't get any better, anywhere.
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I am definitely a fan of this place - simple, delicious steaks and low-key atmoshpere. I love a good medium rare petite filet and they serve there's with roasted garlic and then I topped it with blue cheese. It was one of the most tender filets I have ever tasted. My boyfriend had the cowboy ribeye and he devoured the whole thing quickly. And then the sides - each entree comes with complimentary creamed spinach and mashed potatoes. I don't even love spinach, but that was some damn good creamed spinach. I just want to know what butcher they use because this place rocks. Oh, and yes the wait is long, but I suggest putting your name on the list and then going next door to the Mexcian restaurant and having some of their tasty sangria while you wait!
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I really don't understand the hype. After waiting for God knows how long for a table, the food was just sub-par. The hostess was rude and the service left something to be desired. We went in the summer and the lady's room was like an oven. For the price, I was not impressed. If I want a good steak, I'll go to Charlie Palmer. Don't waste your time sitting around outside to get into this place. Save your money and go to the Mexican place next door.
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Terribly rude service, hair in food, undercooked (frozen center) steak and attitude that would take more than mediocre steak to make up for. I sent my food back 3 times, my friends steak was wrapped in a piece hair, when the waitress was notified she said all the kitchen staff has short hair and took the steak away to only return with the check.
I finally made it to Ray's. So much has already been said about Ray's that I will spare all of you my discertation on how wonderous and memorable a meal at Ray's is. I will say, however, Ray's lives up to the hype. If you haven't been... go.
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My friend said I needed to try this place because I wouldn't find it out in CA so we went and I thought it was good. My friend left her name on the waiting list and then went to D.C. to pick me up. I heard it's almost an hour wait?
Cons:
1. HOT inside the restaurant. I was sweating while eating. The AC needs to improve.
2. Bathroom toilet doesnt fully flush.
3. Bone-in Rib eye/Medium done was okay.
4. We shared the steak together (it was $32/something) but the waitress said we had to add a $5 surcharge b/c we were sharing.
Pro:
1. No fuss place to eat. Nothing fancy. No website.
2. I like the butterscotch small goodies they give you at the end.
3. They comp our broccoli because it came out late. The broccoli was so fresh!
I posted photos of the food. I hope you enjoy!
Sweet mother of steak! I liked this place - a lot. Here is Example A of the "Do one thing and do it well" philosophy. There's really not much on the menu other than many preparations of steak, so if you aren't a steak fan you may not be happy. Though if you are not a steak fan, I would have to ask why exactly you were there? I ordered a 16 oz new york strip, which, while I'm not sure exactly how much it weighed, I am fairly confident that it was significantly more than 16 oz. I am a huge fan of the char, so standard preparation was perfect for me.
Other posters are dead on about needing to show up early to get your name on the list, though I was surprised that when I got there at 5:30 on a Friday, I actually could have been seated right away if my buddy was there - we got a 6:30 seating instead, and a table was ready for us right away. They definitely run a tight ship, so you don't have much time to linger at the end. I think I would be disappointed if I didn't know the drill, and showed up wanting a table right away, though if you plan ahead the process of getting a table works well, and the wait time serves to work up your appetite and steak anticipation!
The free sides are a nice, welcome touch. I really liked the creamed spinach, which as someone else noted was refreshingly light on the cream. I also got my steak "topped" with mushrooms, which I ordered because I wanted mushrooms though I planned to immediately push them off the steak and into side order territory, and I laughed when they arrived already on the side - so I think that may be an inside tip...want a little bit of good sauteed mushrooms to accompany your massive steak? Get the topping version for just $1 extra.
Refreshingly down to earth wine list - had a malbec that was excellent, and there were lots of very reasonably priced choices.
Places like Ray's make me smile - no frills, what you see if what you get - and what you get is one of the very best steaks you will find in DC.
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After skimming the glowing Yelp reviews and hearing the buzz about town on this place, I had very high expectations. Apparently, the place doesn't take reservations, but the trick is to go in person same-day at opening time and get your name on "the list" for the preferred later time of your dinner.
As a country girl who spent 6 years in Texas, I am a tough customer when it comes to a good steak. I decided to give Ray's the ultimate challenge.
I ordered a petite filet. Rare. No sauce, no dressing, no "char."
Anyone who has read "Kitchen Confidential" will know that this order is a signal to the chef: "gimme the best cut of meat that you can find in your kitchen." So was my test.
Ray's is special, in that it likes to cook the steaks on a high heat, producing a well-explained-on-the-menu "char." I wanted it rare to achieve the best chances for tenderness, and there was no char, even though I could have asked for char.
The flavor of the meat was good. The rare meat was tender, although I will dock one star because it was not among the most tender steaks that I've had. And from all this buzzin' hoopla, it should have been. Especially because the small filet was $28, and as is said, "you ain't payin' for the decor." Strangely, there was no blood on the plate from the rare meat (for which I was expecting and hoping).
We ordered a French red wine - made from semillon grapes - it was about $33, and was good.
We had garlic mashed potatoes and creamed spinach; both were delightful. The place itself is definitely no-frills and casual, which was fine. Because we played "the list," game, we only had to stand waiting about 10 minutes.
It's good. I recommend.
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The menu was simple and as stated before the emphasis is on the steaks... yes they are a bit pricey, but WOW they are excellent! We waited about an hour, which was expected at 9:30 on a Saturday night, and it was well worth the walk up Wilson Blvd to kill some time.
Hope you'll find the same experience we did... enjoy!
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This is really a 5 stars good steak house. The only thing is the wait time, have to be very patient to get a table.
Update 5/23/08: I went again a few nights ago and ordered the petite filet because the hanger steak was just too big for my appetite. I'm usually afraid to order my steaks too rare, but I decided to go with medium rare this time because I've come to trust Ray. And what did I get? A piece of perfect perfection - six ounces of heaven. I highly recommend the petite filet ($23) for those who want a quality cut of steak but don't have the appetite to down an entire quarter of a cow. :)
Also, I highly recommend Ray's to you ladies who want to show their bfs a good steak without pretentiousness a la Ruth's or Morton's. Mine really appreciated it, and he smiled throughout his entire meal - a first. :)
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Original 4/9/08 review: In appreciation of Ray's no-frills way of doing things...
FOOD. The hanger steak ($19.95) was excellent: perfectly seasoned, full of flavor. A dining buddy got the extra garlic (free), mushrooms ($1) and onions ($1) to top his steak, and they were all delicious and worth it. The crab bisque ($2.50 or $3.50) was to die for: creamy, huge chunks of crab. The onion soup ($?) was wonderful, but I prefer the crab bisque. The complimentary creamed spinach and mashed potatoes ($FREE!) were perfectly light, not too creamy, just the right match for the steak. Our wine, Faithful Hound ($42), was robust and complex and delicious. For dessert, the milk chocolate mousse and New York cheesecake ($?) were absolute perfection.
SERVICE. Our server was very available to us, even though it was a busy and kind of a crazy night. She was extremely friendly, and she gently offered suggestions for wine, dessert, etc. The rest of the staff was quick and efficient. A few plates were dropped, but it was handled excellently and professionally.
VALUE. We ended up paying $50 per person, including appetizers, steak, wine and desserts.
DECOR. It's a small room with white walls. Simple, stripped down.
TIPS. My biggest deterrant to trying this restaurant before last night was having to endure the wait. But we made a face-to-face reservation at 7pm on Tuesday for a party of four, and they were able to seat us at 7:30pm. The rest of our party wasn't arriving until 8pm, so that's when we made our reservation. Simple as that!
CONCLUSION. This will be my go-to steak place. No more Morton's or Ruth's!
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I love the food here and prefer it much more than Capital Grille and other pricey steak houses. BUT, the service is less than desired. The hostess who is ALWAYS there is extremely unfriendly, constantly rolling her eyes at customers, and just has an overall attitude about her. Their "get here at 4pm and put you rname on the list" system is horrible. Just take reservations, or don't! But don't have attitude when a new customer comes along and has NO idea about your weird wait-list policy. Yes, the steaks are awesome but there is something to say about customer service...
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When describing transcendent dining experiences, people will most often use the word orgasmic or some variation thereof, e.g., foodgasm and orgasmeat. Ray's the Steaks goes beyond merely fulfilling some foodborne horniness, it makes me want to change my anatomy. As it became increasingly apparent that I was being pwned by the 20 oz, custom-cut strip, of which I ate about 3/4, the smile I had worn throughout my meal quickly faded as I lamented the loss of such a quality piece of meat. It was there that I wished I had 4 stomach compartments--like the bovine I was dining on formerly had--so that I could eat more. Yes, the wait can be long and no, there really is nothing on the walls, but I've never desired to have an even bigger stomach. So CHEERS for Ray's!
Food - I respect Ray's b/c he won't allow you to ruin his meat. For the higher-quality pieces, such as the 28oz cowboy ribeye and the 20oz strip, you may only order it rare or medium rare --I was tempted to ask for my strip well-done just to see if the waitress would smack me. After you are seated, you'll be served some spicy cashews and focaccia bread. Please note, the spicy cashews are really spicy, not White people spicy; and I noticed one fellow inhaling his water after taking one bite of the spicy nut. We started with the blackened scallop appetizer ($9) and the crab bisque ($4), which was basically seasoning + LOTS of heavy whipping cream + crab chunks + a few sprinkles of parsley, which for me = delicious! I ordered the 20oz strip ($34) cooked rare and the wife ordered the hanger steak ($20) medium-rare with sauteed garlic (free). The meats were aged and cooked to absolute perfection (see pics). With each bite, I felt like I had to say grace and thank God for this delicious bounty. Even my wife, who isn't much of a carnivore thought her hanger steak was one of the best steaks she has ever had. Several notes on the steak: some Whole Foods do sell aged beef, but it's very expensive, so getting steak this flavorful at home is difficult. Second, the hanger steak isn't very tender but it is incredibly flavorful, as is expected of hanger steaks. The strip was well-marbled, lean and had a great flavor. Still it wasn't the most tender steak I've ever had. In general, they don't do much to season their steaks, though you can ask for mushrooms, garlic, onions, etc...and the rare is, as you non-meat eaters say, raw. Seriously, it looks like a 3" high piece of tuna tartar. One annoying thing is that the plate resembles a soup plate and I found it pretty difficult to cut my steak as it was approximately the size of the depressed area.
For the free sides, the creamed spinach was more spinach than cream (Hello fiber!), which is a good thing when you're ingesting 20+ ounces of beef. The mashed potatoes were also very good.Did I mention they were free? At Ruth's, a comparable strip costs $45 and their sides range from $7-$9, so Ray's is nearly $20 less than Ruth's. I don't know about you, but I don't think sizzle and butter are worth 20 extra bucks. For dessert, we had the milk chocolate mousse ($5), topped with home-made whipped cream (or maybe it was cool whip?), and strawberries, which was a perfect way to end the meal. They also have a key-lime pie and cheesecake, but I couldn't imagine eating something so heavy after all that. I called Ray uncle long before but the server still brought us out 2 pieces of their homemade peanut fudge.
Service - Rather than having 1 server, it felt as if the entire restaurant was serving us. This made for efficient, albeit impersonal service. It seems the theme for Ray's is you go for the steak not the decor or service. The food was prepared quickly and delivered in a manner in which we didn't feel rush nor did we feel like we were waiting forever. It was really crowded and they had reservations pretty much up until closing time, but we never felt like we were being hurried to leave.
Location - Located in a little strip mall in Rosslyn. For parking, the lot for the strip mall can get crowded, so I recommend making a left on Rhodes St and parking on Clarendon at one of the many meters. The green meters are free after 6p.m. and all day Sat/Sun, while the blue meters require payment until 6p.m. on Saturday as well. We arrived at 6:30p.m. on Friday and the next available reservation was for 8:30. We hit up Greenberry for a bit and with the gorgeous weather decided to take a walk around Rosslyn; it's about a 1/2 mile to several park areas near the Metro stop. We came back around 7:50 and sat on the swinging bench in front of the restaurant (there are two of them) and we were seated by 8:10. The decor really was nonexistent and the dining room was loud, so for a more upscale experience, I'll stick with Ruth's.
Ray's the Steaks has become my favorite steak place in the area and I will definitely go back. But before I do, I will be adding 3 more stomach compartments, b/c a good steak is a terrible thing to waste.
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I'm EXTREMELY disappointed I didn't get the same experience as the other yelpers! Our group came to this place due to its high reviews on yelp. Upon arrival, we were seated right away because we made it a point to beat the crowd at 5:30 on a Friday night. Our waitress was attentive and friendly. We all ordered their house special, a medium-rare 28oz Cowboy cut. The drinks, bread, and seasoned cashews (the BEST dish of the night) came quickly... the steaks arrived soon after.
While the outside and 1.5" outer layer was perfectly seared, we soon lost our appetite due to the rareness of the steak. We had no idea that after 1.5" of the edge, their "medium rare" = raw with .005" seared. (Did I order steak tartar??) We tried to choke down as much as we could; one of us had to send his back because his was raw with .05" seared right off the edge. The steak was disappointing in taste as well. It lacked seasoning overall. Unfortunately, the worse was yet to come...
I asked for the check and our waitress took a while to return with it. The bill came to about $192. I gave her 2x $100s and 2x $20s because I didn't have the exact change to pay for the bill with 20% tips. The hostess came to grab the bill and asked if I needed change, I replied, "Yes, please." A few minutes later, she returned to ask the same question; the conversation went like this:
"So... you wanted change?"
"Yes, please"
"Oh... well how much do you need?"
"Could you just give me all the change and I'll leave the tip?" (At this point, it's just embarrassing because all the surrounding tables can hear and she's making me seem like a cheapass. But come on, did she really expect me to leave 25% gratuity?!)
"Well, you gave me two $20s" (hands it back to me)
"Oh, I know, could you break those for me?"
She takes it and walks away. Then returns and asks, "So you want $10s or something?"
At this point, I realize I'm dealing with a dumbf*ck thats new to working with cash. I reply politely, "Yes, just $10s will be great"
She leaves with the cash again and takes close to 10mins to return with my change. She drops the bill on the table, mumbles something and bolts. Wow, what wonderful service. I open it and guess what I find? The 2x $20s I gave her and $7. I don't care about the change, but if you're going to round off to the dollar, you should be rounding down and not up for the customer. I'm beyond irritated at this point.
For a meal that I found disappointing, I was still going to leave 20% because the waitress' service was still satisfactory. But this sorry excuse for a hostess - who doesn't know how to calculate, give change, provide satisfactory customer service and expected 25% gratuity for average-service - has reached a new level of moronic customer service.
I just felt bad because this rude idiot caused their waitress to have a smaller gratuity.
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I was in DC for business, and a friend recommended to me this steakhouse. The wait time was a bit ridiculous for a Wednesday night(2 hr), so I killed some time at the Italian restaurant next door. However, I soon found that it was worth the wait...
I ordered the onglet, as it's a fattier more flavorful cut of meat, and you get a lot of value for your money. Let me first say that it was one of the biggest cuts of onglet I've ever received for under $20 (roughly 12-14 oz). Not only that but it was perfectly cooked and it felt like each piece melted in my mouth. The creamed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes were really good as well. Definitely get the smoked salmon appetizer if you can save some room for it; that was excellent as well.
Only reason this place doesn't get 5 stars is because of the wait. But I'll definitely be coming back here and enduring the wait anyways.
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One of my 2 favorite steak places of all-time. It's small, crowded, tough to get a seat -- but it's worth the wait. And it's definitely better than any of the "chain steakhouses" in DC (Ruth's Chris, Smith & Wollensky, The Palm).
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So good, focus on the meat which I love. So unassuming in the strip-mall. You do need to be there when the doors open though, or your waiting all night.
This is the place I make my dad take me whenever he is in town.
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Have been going here since 2003, and if I didn't live in Boston and have other commitments, and if Michael would agree to it, I think I would live in RTS. Go for the steak, but stay for the steak. And the wine, sides and the waitresses and the head chef. Black and Blue NY Strip is my fav, ultra rare of course. With a nice bottle of Luigi malbec the combo can't be beat and (depending on your bank) doesn't break the bank. Get reservations cause it's almost always mega packed. It sure was last night. Next stop: Ray's the Classics in Silver Springs !!!
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If you overlook the fact that it is downright hard to get a seating here at a desired time, this place is a Washington gem. The steak is cooked and seasoned to perfection and served with a generous amount of yummy sides. Try the crab bisque. The scallops are delicious too. To top it all off, everything is very well priced!
The last time I went there I drove in at 7:00pm, got a 9:45pm seating, left for a while to run some errands and returned in time to be seated. My dining party was with me in doing so. I wouldn't mind doing that again someday. Great food, totally unpretentious. A fun time.
Honestly (and I'm not alone here), I'd probably pick Ray's over the established institutions downtown such as Morton's, Ruth's Chris, and Smith and Wollensky. If you haven't tried it out yet, and you're in the mood for a good steak, you know where to go!
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When we arrived one recent Saturday, we were greeted with a two hour wait. Little did we know that you can show up at 4PM to put your name down (tip for next time, since I WILL be back). Since there is nowhere to wait in the little shopping area, we went across the street to Rhodeside Grill and had a few beers.
When we were finally seated in the spartan dining room, we were serviced in an efficient manner: no frills, no folding the napkin for you if you got up, and the occasional forgotten item.
But I came for the food and I got amazing food. Their hangar steak was truly one of the juiciest pieces of steak I have ever had. I've been to plenty of high-end steakhouses and this certainly rivals those. My friend had the Cowboy, a HUGE hunk of charred meat that wasn't nearly as tender or juicy as the hangar steak.
The creamed spinach was typical of most steakhouses, but their mashed potatoes were light and moist. I couldn't get enough and will be back soon for the hangar steak and the mashed potatoes.
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I like that they stopped taking reservations because it was nearly impossible to book one before. This place is the greatest. Good wine list too. If I want a steak I will either eat it here with friends or make it myself. I've been everywhere else and haven't found anything better than those two options.
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The lack of reservations is perceived to be a problem, but at 5:30 on a Sunday our party of 4 was seated immediately. They had a Prix Fixe deal that apparently recurs Sundays - $25, $30, or $35 (varying based on cut of meat and preparation) with bread, sides, and dessert. High-end steakhouse food, not high-end price - or decor, which isn't what you're paying for. We got out at about $45/person, which included wine.
As others have noted, steaks are cooked less than ordered - the menu claims this is to account for carry-over cooking, but those with larger steaks found them very underdone (still tasty).
The sides - creamed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes - are excellent. We pretty much finished ours, then found leftovers in the take-out containers had been packed up with fresh sides. Really nice touch.
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I don't know steaks, but I know there wasn't anything particularly special about theirs here. Generally speaking, I like my food prepared medium rare and ours came out still throbbing. Service, at first, was decent, but bottom line, the waitresses were crude and just plainly lacking common courtesy.
They only take in person reservation which is suck for many people who want to try it. I was not disappear, but not so excited about the steak. I'm from NYC, so the steak was average. The service need help...
If you are not local, then it is only one time deal steakhouse. The decor is great because they have none, the restaurant made good money for just a little decor. I don't buy those B.S whatever they print on the menu.
Anyway, back to the steak. I will recommend for local resident, but not for people from out of town.
Pros: Tasty steak.
Cons: They don't take reservations, have no managers, don't even answer the phone most of the time, but there is ALWAYS a wait. Opening at 5pm, you can come by and put your name on the list for a table. If you are lucky, you can get a table first. And I'm sorry, but... 2 people + 1 bottle of wine (cheap) + 2 salads + 2 steaks will NOT = less then $100. And yeah, the quality of steak easily rivals pricier competitors like Morton's or Ruth's Chris, but there is a total LACK of management. And I have NEVER had problems with my order or with getting a table at RC or Morten's. Plus, parking sucks.
Yeah, you owe it to yourself to check this place out, and yes, there's a reason there's a wait every day of the week. Great for only once per year though. I just don't buy the hype. A great steak is easy to find in any big city. One star for awesome steak and another because they "keep it simple". But minus one for not answering the phone, and minus another for no reservations, and minus the 5th for waiting in line and feeling rushed throughout your meal.
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wow, I can't beleive this place only got 4.5 stars! Absolutely amazing. I'll keep this brief since there are so many reviews.
1. Get the hanger steak. I know its the cheapest thing on the menu, don't be ashamed your waitress knows its the best.
2. Come for the steak not the sides. The creamed spinich is great, mushrooms were good, though harding befitting their steaks
3. Dive into their winelist. Very resonably priced, and since your saving dough getting the hanger steak, you had might as well splurge on the wine.
4. I went on my girlfriends birthday, and they kept giving us free stuff. Free birthday cake (without even asking!) Free appetizer(because we had to wait even though we came in early to make reservations).
Best steaks in the city and great wine, but don't fill up on the sides.
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After reading the other reviews, I thought there was some exaggeration regarding the wait time but it was no joke. We got there at 7:40p and was told we could be accommodated at 9p. Unfortunately, Ray's doesn't have a bar area so we opted to wait it out next door at Guajillo's for some drinks & appetizers. When we got back at 9p on the dot, we had to wait an additional 25mins for our table. For our trouble, they comped our wine. Needless to say, it's a good thing I've had 2 mojitos by now and something to hold me over.
There's not much on the menu to choose from besides steak and more steak (I'm sure there was fish as well but I don't notice that non-leggy food items). I have to admit the steak was very good especially the cajun and garlic seasoning. YUM! I finished every bit of it. The sides of spinach and mash potato were also good and free. The lobster bisque wasn't anything to rave about...a bit salty in my opinion. Price is reasonable considering the prix fixe like set-up.
I recommend doing a drive by to put down a request for a table and then going somewhere else to pass the time away. They don't take reservations over the phone. This particular dining experience needs organization and planning cuz they are busy -- we were there on Sunday night. Additionally, Guajillo's is a good stop over place for a real bar.
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I'm going to have to go ahead and agree with the rest of the reviews on here. Tasty steak. We decided to hit the least populated night i.e. Monday. The first time I tried going here, we went on a Saturday night at 6 pm and were told that we couldn't get a table until 9:30 pm. Yeah, that didn't work.
Being the carnivore that I am, I instantly decided upon the 28 ounce Cowboy Cut. Mmm...meat. It was tasty and I killed it as multiple people watched. If you're used to eating a medium rare steak at most places, order your steak medium here. My friend had the sirloin au poivre. That was might tasty, even tastier than what I ordered. We both had the crab bisque which was also pretty good, plenty of crab and good flavor to the soup. The mashed potatoes and spinach were good but make sure you finsh your steak. Mmm...meat.
You should do yourself a favor and try this place at least once, especially if you eat meat. Mmm...meat.
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What can I say about Ray's that hasn't been said already? Our food was fantastic, from salads to steaks, and the service was excellent. Attentive without over doing it, it was really a near perfect dining experience. The steaks were fantastic, the recommended wine fit perfectly, we were even given an end of dinner espresso mug of their fantastic cinnamon hot cocoa. Can't say enough, it was excellent.
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Everything on the menu - exceptional. Even the non-steak items (notably the scallops) are phenomenal.
Prices are quite reasonable for the quality of food. They are more than reasonable, in fact.
The only downside is the wait time, but even I don't find that too much of an issue. If you always know you'll wait 45 minutes to eat, just factor that into the dining experience. It's better than not getting a reservation at all (it used to be nearly IMPOSSIBLE).
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Absolutely delicious. The though of eating a steak at this establisment makes my mouth water.
I took my mother here several months ago. For appetizers, we had respectively the Crab Bisque & the French Onion Soup. Having lived in France, I can tell you the latter is quite authentic and very good. My bisque was a great starter as well. Not so creamy as to weigh one's stomach down.
For the main entree, I had a file mignon with pepper sauce. My mother had a steak with blue cheese. The steaks are quite big,16 to 20 ounces I think? I could be wrong. They sure felt like twice the size of a steak at other places. I'm partial to filets and mine was amazingly tender and juicy.
Of course, we had to wait for about an hour to get a table for two at 6 PM on a Saturday. The place is nice, but pretty small. I'd say it sits about 30 people. Parking is so-so. Frankly, taking the Metro to Rosslyn and walking is probably easier. Service is chaotic, but efficient. Don't expect attentive waiters. The focus here is on the food, and rightly so.
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My friend is visiting from Japan, and we were planning to have dinner tonight with some other friends, and had to decide where to go. I asked her what she wanted and she listed some kinds of things then says "steak." Well, a chime went off in my head and I made sure people would be able to make it an early dinner at Ray's The Steaks, after the good recommendations I've gotten both here and from friends. Well, it lived up to the hype. Prices were reasonable, if a bit more than I'm used to spending for dinner. My steak (the Cajun ribeye) came out perfectly cooked, with some soft sauteed garlic on top. Our steaks were served with some family-style portions of creamed spinich and mashed potatoes, both with and without garlic. It was all fantastic. We got there shortly after 5:30 on a Friday evening and it was packed by the time we left. So get there early, or wait. It's worth it regardless.
The decor was simple and unassuming, which I liked. It really put the emphasis on the food, which delivered. Note that they don't have fountain drinks, just bottled sodas from a small company. But it's good soda, made with cane sugar, so it's not a bad thing. The service was good, with two waitresses and a couple busboys coming by at various points.
So will I be back? Oh yeah.
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Very good stuff. Steaks are of course the name of the game, though one in our party raved about the fish. Don't believe her. Dont drive out to Rosslyn, stuggle to find parking, wait forever (no reservations!), and then sit down and order some damn fish. Get yourself a nice, juicy steak- your just reward for the previously mentioned indignations.
My personal favorite is the rib-eye, nicely marbled and cooked to a true medium rare as I requested. As for sides, the creamed spinich is tasty if a little greasy, and the mashed potatoes are good and heavily garlicked. Good wine list worth sampling. My saphire and tonic I guzzled down while awaiting a table was worth the 9 beans.
4 stars, will go again (early in the night).
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When I first moved in directly across from the plaza that houses Ray's, the lady and I walked perplexed with our bulldog in tow every evening . We would saunter slowly by the restaurant as pockets of people braving sweltering heat stoically waited 1-2 hr waits as we soon learned.
It would be 3 months before we tried the restaurant, walking in one evening at 9pm. No wait, no lines, we sat down and I enjoyed what I saw. No frills decor; worn, wooden tables; a simple wine list, a kitchen in view, and a bowl of spicy cashews as the waitress greeted us. Although 9pm, the restaurant remained full and noisy with on-going conversations.
Ray's doesn't accept reservations and clearly recognizes the lines of prospective diners outside. It's actually clearly articulated in the menu. They reserve the right to ask you to leave after you finish your meal, and if this clause in your dining experience is too much to ask, you're welcome to dine elsewhere.
As many readers know, Ray ages his own steaks, cuts out the middle man and streamlines the supply chain. His savings in cost are past on to diners. He also provides homemade mashed potatoes and creamed spinach a la family style at no charge.
I ordered "the cowboy", a 28 ounce monstrosity of a steak for $32. I'm accustomed to ordering "medium rare" at steak-houses, and having them return with medium. To hedge the standard overcompensation in cooking, I ordered rare.
Don't make that mistake. Ray's is a literal place, and my steak at my own fault, was short of just-slaughtered cow, complete with visible tendons. Ashamed, I refused to return the steak. I would later bring the steak home and reheat. The lady, however, oo'd and aaahh'd over her filet mignon.
We returned with two more diners last week, and I ordered the cowboy, this time-medium rare. AMAZING. Perfectly charred, seasoned, each bite was heaven accompanied by accents of blue cheese dressing (provided on the side). Working backwards, I had the french onion soup, although I recommend the crab bisque, a luscious soup.
Ruth's Chris and all other steak-houses beware.
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