Ray's Cafe — Restaurant in Seattle

This is review for the cafe on second floor, not for the restaurant below. Note: some review are misplaced, and actually related to the restaurant - which is a different thing great water views (canal and Sound) very good service; not too noisy. They have a big veranda - great, weather dependent good food. There are exceptions sometimes, but mostly it's very good. I remember raw tuna appetizer - really something to remember; fried flounder (not always in menu) not really cheap, but reasonably priced - including wines. It's actually good for a dinner, for lunch, for just a glass of wine with simple appetizer.

Before - or after - I recommend walk along the Marina (45min), or walk toward the Ballard and visit Ballard locks and surrounding park (one hour) It's good for couples, for family with kids, for friends. Recently they cancelled Happy Hours - it looks like they have enough traffic without it. They do not accept reservations - but I did find that you actually can make reservations online through Open Table. Parking usually isn't a problem. Good Luck!

ADDITION - TWO YEARS LATER. Cafe opened recently after the corona' long pause - and we visited it. I would say I will put now 4 stars instead of five. Mostly because of the wine list. Absolutely all vines - by glass, or by bottle - are local now, from Washington State or from Oregon. In the whole long list for red, white, rose wines - I did find only one bottle from California and one from Italy. And both are available only by bottle. I love my state - but I feel lucky they do not force me (yet) to wear in-state-made pants, and still allow using China-made iPhone, designed in California. Also, cafe became more expensive noticeably - but maybe that's common tendency, not...

My recent visit to Ray’s Cafe was a mixed bag, with some aspects standing out positively and others not quite meeting expectations. The cafe's setting is undeniably its strongest suit. Positioned to afford diners an amazing view, it offers a visual treat that few can match. This, coupled with the staff's commendable effort to create a welcoming atmosphere, did make for a promising start. The team was polite and attentive, striving to enhance our dining experience with their service.

On the flip side, the menu, especially for someone with a preference away from seafood, left much to be desired. Opting for the steak as the centerpiece of my meal, I found it disappointingly average. While I understand that the cafe prides itself on seafood, I had hoped for more from their alternative options. The steak lacked the flavor and tenderness that one might expect from a place that enjoys such a picturesque location and boasts excellent service.

To sum up, Ray's Cafe shines when it comes to location and service but falls short in the culinary department, at least for those who aren't seafood aficionados. The disparity between the quality of its seafood offerings and its alternatives is noticeable, and while the view and the staff do their best to elevate the overall experience, the food, unfortunately, doesn't always live up to the...

We ate at Ray's Cafe on a beautiful sunny day in Seattle. They have a great view of the sound. We ordered the happy hour caesar salad, calamari, and steamed clams. The happy hour portions are half sized and about half price so they are only an advantage if you want smaller portions. The caesar salad was small but pretty good. The calamari was very crispy but too salty. The steamed clams were prepared in a very mild butter and wine broth and tasted very fresh, but could have used a little more garlic and seasoning in the broth.

We decided to just order the $20 Grilled Wagyu Tavern Burger with battered fries and split it. The fries were good, but the burger was very underwhelming in several ways. One, the 1/3 patty was very thin, overcooked beyond the medium I ordered, and did not taste like a wagyu burger. It tasted more like a frozen burger patty. The burger had only American cheese, special sauce and butter lettuce on a very soft King’s Hawaiian bread bun and looked like a burger you would get at McDonald’s. My wife told the server, and she was very nice about it and offered to have the burger re-cooked and add a tomato but we declined due to time constraints. I would not recommend ordering...