Rae's Restaurant — Restaurant in Santa Monica

Rae's used to be a great local diner. We all went there for their great food and service. We stopped going for awhile, other places to eat and just busy, and then Covid hit and no one was there. They were finally allowed to re open and they now have a little outdoor dinning area taking up the little parking they had. You now must park on the street, so mind the signs.

It is under new ownership and sadly it is now so bad that we will never be back. It still has the cool neon sign, which I don't think works, but it is cute. The interior has fallen in to such disrepair and it is so dirty, that alone will stop us from returning, but it gets worst.

The floors are so old and they are clearly not cleaned often. The floor is falling apart. The seats are no longer clean. The place is just a mess.

The service has gone way down hill. When we were there, we sat at the counter and just waited for someone to help us. Finally, someone came along and asked if we needed menus. Odd, since I don't tend to know what a place has without a menu and the few things they used to have on the wall--specials--are for the most part now gone. We finally got menus and waited and waited and finally someone came to take our order. We were never checked on, our food was delivered with a bill and that was the last we saw of our server.

The food is no longer fresh or in anyway tasty. We ordered a lot of food and none of it was good. The burger, we ordered medium rare, it came burnt. We asked for cheese, there was none. The fries were cold. The pancakes looked good until they were flipped over to see they were burned black on the other side and no syrup was to be had and no one would stop to get us any. The bacon is made ahead of time and it is cold, but at least it is crispy. The eggs were over cooked. We never received our hash browns. We also ordered biscuits and gravy, which used to be great. It was thin gravy with two little biscuits. Not one item was good.

It is sad this place has turned into a dump, but that is what it is now and I would not suggest...

Came here to notice changes. Was baffled for a few but then recognized a familiar face. Perhaps i am still feeling the alcohol from previous night at the place across rae’s but surely enough and after a few bites into my food which lagged longer than usual, I may have recognized another familiar face. The new management and ownership is non other than the lady who walks around the brixton restaurant table touching asking about food. It is indeed! She is the same person ordering the workers here at rae’s now. Looking up more information and alas, sounds like her sugar daddy must have bought her out good ol’diner. The same man that owns the brixton is the owner of what was a family owned diner and historical gem in our community. The man who would complain of how business has slowed down for them while you would watch his lady walk around taking pictures of drinks or decorations. What a shame. I am sure we will soon see the crossings of their employees onto what rae’s used to be the fav local diner which probably took away from their business and pocket. Shame on city of santa monica and the neighborhood that allowed another family establishment dissolve to cater to the power struggle duo with money in their pocket to outrun the good with the now it family! Will never step foot in this place again, nor Will i ever have anyone in the community support this woman and her financier! Put some extra freebees out for the desperate dogs who have come uo with reviews to make you feel grandiose. Then scroll down to notice how she has responded to google reviews below with her...

Great place for breakfast! 🥞 My first time here at Rae’s and was a welcoming experience…not pressuring nor hassling me but inviting instead!

Love the atmosphere here. Lots of regulars coming in who are known by a first name basis and most of the staff have been here for years! You walk in can sit wherever you’d like when it isn’t busy of course…inside, outside patio, or the counter which is where I sat. There is a menu on a whiteboard or they have the full menu which they will give…

The pancakes are talked about as being the best so I’m going to try those of course…biscuits and gravy with eggs and potatoes sounds good too so I’m getting that! The food comes out fast. Less than a 10 minute wait and all my food arrived still piping hot just how I like it!

The pancakes are very good. Mine were a little burnt on the bottom but good overall..it had a slight bitter taste because of that. Good flavor, fluffy, hot and fresh! oh I do wish they weren’t burnt on the bottom though… The country breakfast, the sausage patty was the standout component on the dish. Salty, juicy, meaty, peppery! That along with the biscuit and gravy…best by far. The potatoes and eggs plain as usual need salt and pepper. How do you eat your eggs and potatoes? Hot sauce or ketchup, salsa maybe? Haha The service was good too…a few people checking on me.

Good food, priced right, all in a lovely neighborhood! Definitely a local favorite and now one of mine! Going to come back to try their waffle which looked amazing haha! Love this place....