Raymond's — Restaurant in Ridgewood

This review is based on the service. This incident occurred on Jun 27th 2020. We came to Raymond’s for lunch. We were asked if we wanted a big table that seated four or a one for two. We took the smaller one for two and asked for a high chair.

While we were waiting for our grilled chicken sandwich and French toast a big gust of wind came almost knocking down our table. If my husband wasn’t there to catch the umbrella it would have went straight to my one year old who was in a high chair across from it (please invest in heavier umbrella stands) The wind brought on rain, it was obviously not safe for us to sit there being it was windy and we didn’t want to have the umbrella open and risk it. We then asked the hostess if she could seat us at one of the bigger tables underneath the awning, she proceed to tell us that instead she would pack up our food instead of seating us at another table being there was wait of others, but our food had to arrive. I don’t understand why they just couldn’t seat us at a four person table when we were originally asked if we wanted to sit at one when we first arrived. Our food was already out, if they would have given us 15 minutes to just eat and pay.

What I am about to say is so hurtful I just could not believe it. After my husband asked the hostess why we couldn’t sit at a table and she told us it was because we were a party of two (we were actually three) and that the tables were for parties of four my husband asked her that it seems that it’s more about turning around the tables fast than the service and the hostess responded that sadly it is. After she realized what she said was wrong she tried to comp us the food. Which we didn’t even take because of the rude remark that we were taken back by.

I would like to state I understand that there’s a need to serve, and at your establishment it’s first come first serve. We were there first, we were seated, we asked to be moved because of safety and we were denied this.

I just can’t believe what my family and myself experienced that day. I’ve shared so many meals at Raymond’s and created so many great memories, but sadden that my last experience was this.

I have emailed the restaurant, someone reached out left a voicemail, I called back and never got a call back. No surprise, if the front of house is going to shambles, then so is the...

I went to Raymond's yesterday with a friend. She said they had good food. It's a cute place in a great small town. The staff was pleasant and very accommodating. The decor is top notch. I especially loved the faucet in the ladies room. The overall place has a nice nostalgic feel to it.

I ordered a ginger ale, the kale salad and added grilled chicken, and a side of fries. Everything came out fast and delicious. Since my friend and I were in a rush (no fault of the restaurant) we asked for to go boxes right away in case we couldn't finish our meals. We received them.

I couldn't believe how good everything was. My soda was bubbly. My salad was absolutely delicious and the fries were awesome. In fact the waitress said "good choice" when I added them to my order. Well my friend left before I did. I packed up my food, paid our bill on my card and tipped in cash (as I like to do). I said my good byes and left. I stopped to get icecream and started my 1hr drive home. My stomach started to bubble up within minutes. I immediately thought it was the dairy of the icecream. I barely make it home but I do. I put my left over in the refrigerator and allowed my body to rest.

Later that night I make dinner. I only eat a portion as I remembered my stomach issues of earlier that day. My stomach was fine no more issues. I have a beverage. No issues with the meal, nor the drink.

Today, I forgo breakfast. I'm working from home. I decide to have lunch, I pull out my kale salad from Raymond's. Two bites in my stomach starts to growl, twist and turn. It makes noises like yesterday. Something in the salad does not agree with me. It's such a shame because it was delicious. I have to trash the rest of my meal. I'm a foodie and a repeat customer. As much as I enjoyed Raymond's I can't possibly eat there again. I'm afraid of the same occurrence. I live too far away for bubbling insides.

I will note that my friend did not have any issues with her meal. She had a caesar salad. She also ate a few of the fries. I have to narrow it down to my kale salad because of the reoccurrence of my upset stomach today. My leftovers was my 1st meal of the day in the late...

Update (July 2021):

Finally, I got to try their lunch menu items, which starts after 11am. Surprisingly on a Sunday noon time, we got a table within 10 minutes of waiting. As usual, the restaurant was packed. But the service was efficient, so they were able to turn around empty tables pretty fast, and keep the lines short.

This time I tried the smoked chicken wings and Spiced Ahi Tuna Burger (with extra fried egg) from the lunch menu. The chicken wings tasted good with a mix of sauce. I felt the wings could have been little bit more moist. But I was throughly impressed with my Ahi Tuna Burger. All the ingredients, including the fried egg, came together so nicely. There was no smell of any fish. The paddy was filled with Ahi tuna. The other layer of the paddy is well cooked, but the middle part is somewhat smoked pink.

Food taste - 5/5 Food Prep Time - 5/5 Service - 5/5 Price - $$$$

Items Tried: Spiced Ahi Tuna Burger - 5/5 Smoked Chicken Wings - 4/5

Original post (Dec 2020):

Since we were in Ridgewood on weekday morning, we decided to try Raymond’s since we always see a huge waiting line in the weekends. It wasn’t really busy when we walked in, got seats right away. I must say the interior is gorgeous. Booth and tables were throughly cleaned. The brunch menu is short and refined. I was happy to see they focus on limited number of items, rather than offering 100 different dishes. We tried Egg Benedict and Mexican Burrito bowl. Both dishes were delicious. I was especially ecstatic with the Mexican Burrito bowl, as I found the dish very well made, with the ingredients they picked to put in the bowl together. Double pouched eggs added little extra delight to it. I tried to order the “Up Down” burger from special menu, but I was told it’s not served until 11 am. Seems like will have to visit them again durning lunch hours. Overall we had a wonderful experience, with all servers being very humble and...