Ray’s

The last 3 times we were there, they gave us a buzzer and had our table ready 15 – 20 AFTER OUR RESERVATION TIME. We regretted we didn’t go to Canoe, which we should have because of their world class service and good food. Haven’t been back to Ray’s since there!

Good but not super impressed. For the price I would have expected a bit better service and some dinner rolls. The scallops were a bit undercooked and a lot of sand in them. The risotto was delicious. Husbands steak was dry and had a bad flavor. Dessert was good but not spectacular. I guess I was expecting a bit more but overall the experience was good.

Fabulous night with friends. Food and service was out standing. Party of seven for happy hour, seated quickly and great band. Rays on the River never disappoints. Loved the Tuna tartar and shrimp and grit appetizers.

Nice place for drinks after work, but it took awhile to get our drinks at the bar. It has nice outside seating next to the river. We had their calamari which was cooked to perfection. It comes with mayo based sauce and cocktail.

I went there for Mother’s Day dinner buffet. We had to wait for our waiter to come ask us for drinks for 10min. We had to remind their manager to ask for the waiter… The waiter came to check on us for only once. He was careless. The food… It was def not worth ~$ 50 per person. The servers weren’t professional, the food was not good. Maybe the most delicious dish was the chocolate cake… Salmons were dried, chickens were cold, oysters were tinier than a penny… I’ll never go back there. Two stars because the chocolate cake was good.

Omg! This restaurant offers the best Sunday brunch around. There are so many options! They also offer bottomless mimosas for and additional $ 12. You can find anything from dungeness crab claws to omelet stations to prime rib on their buffet. There is a complimentary valet offered and there is a walking trail that is behind the restaurant that overlooks the river. The place gets pretty packed so it is ideal to make reservations…

HAND OF APPLAUSE TO THE STAFF. Particularly «Q». He was AMAZING. So patient with this crazy party.
The food was bleh… For once in my life I didn’t clear up my plate. I ordered Steak frites (medium well) Driest steak I have ever had in my life. Mac n cheese and mashed potatoes was my filler. Nobody really enjoyed the food. We left with portions still left over. Didn’t even bother to take it home. I have been told to try the buffet. So Til then. I stick to this taste in my mouth.
MY FIVE STAR REVIEW IS SPECIALLY FOR THE STAFF.

First, he live music is a must, particularly if you are 40+ Old standards mix with disco and Motown, great players and singer that’ll melt the hardest of hearts. Sit int he bar for God’s sake.
Tremedous food too! The NY steak is beyond compares. rich and luxe.

So enjoyed our dinner here.
Beautiful location along the river.
If there’s such a thing as elegant, classy, yet casual this is it.
We were very comfortable and enjoyed an upscale dining experience.
Our table of 9 had zero complaints.
Every dish was delectable.
We enjoyed an impressive wine list, amazing dinner and some great desserts.
Reservations recommended for obvious reasons. .
If i were a local I would appreciate this restaurant. Fresh and delicious.

The restaurant is located next to the Chattahoochee River. The view out is so beautiful during the spring and summer. You can ask to be seated next to the window and catch some sun and enjoy a beautiful view. We saw 3 kayakers. My attention was focused more on the scene than the food here. Food was just average nothing spectacular but the view is definitely worth a trip to this restaurant.
My co-​workers and I went to Ray’s for lunch. We ordered:
RAY’S CLASSIC CHOPPED CHICKEN SALAD, which had Gigande beans, diced red & green bell peppers, red onion, grape tomatoes, goat cheese, kalamata olives, marcona almonds, and dressed with red wine vinaigrette. This was ok, I will not order this dish next time.
BLACKENED SALMON SALAD was a Pan-​seared blackened salmon, served with a side of baby spinach, arugula, endive, sweet pickled peppers, marcona almonds, oranges, and dressed with sherry vinaigrette. My co-​worker said that this was very good and that he would order it next time.
JUMBO LUMP CRAB CAKE. It was served with whipped potatoes, creole mustard beurre blanc, roasted corn relish and grilled asparagus. I tried the whipped potatoes and it was pretty decent.

I had brunch here and that was my first time having brunch anywhere. The place was really nice, clean, and staff was friendly. You get what you pay for so it was worth every penny. I had so many choices to choose from: crab legs, omelets, sausages, salmon, pasta, pastries. I’m just getting hungry thinking about it all over again. I highly recommend this place to anyone. Then to top it off the river is outside. Where we sat we had a beautiful view of it from the inside and even saw people walking along it outside. I can’t wait to go again.

I have been to Ray’s 4 or 5 times so far and it’s always on business. Thus far, everything has been impeccable with respect to the food, service and atmosphere.
This is a formal setting which is perfect for business dinners, romantic evenings and special occasions. This is a higher end restaurant and not somewhere that your going to take all the kids to like Applebee’s.
For me, I have always had a filet for the main course and have tried most all of the appetizers and several deserts. Everything is as you would expect from a nice restaurant. There are only two restaurants that I have found in the Atlanta area that I know I can take my most prized customers to and know they will enjoy the experience. This is one of them.
Make reservations and plan on having a wonderful evening here.

The ambiance is a five, food is average as was the service. Overpriced as well. Ordered the halibut special and it was OK
Oysters were the high light of the meal. 9.00 salad that was mostly lettuce but freshly made. Deserts list was boring. So for 200.00 for three folks, I recommend canoe!

went for our anniversary. Set the tone for the evening when I arrived and told the receptionist that we had a reservation for 6:45 (at around 6:30) — the response wasn’t «welcome» or «we’re glad to have you» — it was «give me a few minutes». At 7 pm we were finally seated — I guess the purpose of reservations hasn’t set in with Ray’s yet. After we were seated, the waiter came up and asked us if we had any questions on the menu — didn’t mention any specials, tell us his name, or if we’d been to Ray’s before (we had not). My wife ordered the horse-​radish encrusted grouper, I ordered the broiled seafood platter. We ordered a couple of glasses of wine — again, with zero input from the waiter — he was merely there to tell the kitchen what we wanted — he didn’t even bring out our orders. The grouper was bland — no taste of horse-​radish at all — and this is supposed to be one of the signature dishes at Ray’s — I guess everyone likes bland grouper? Seafood platter wasn’t bad, though the lobster and salmon were both over-​cooked. We had heard tons of good feedback about Ray’s — but my feeling is this is one of those places that has been in business so long that they are now able to live solely on their reputation. For the money, there are many alternatives, that, for me, are a better choice.

To start off, the overall meal was extremely overpriced for what you received. The presentation of the meals were very good, but the flavor of the meals were just ok to good. You would definitely expect a lot more considering the price of the meals. The service was good, but could have been better. All in all if you’re looking for ambiance, and to spend more than you should, this is the place to go. If you’re looking for a meal that promises great flavors on a plate, look elsewhere. Good, yes but not great. All in all there are many other fantastic restaurants to choose from.

Can’t believe I have never wrote a review for Ray’s…I travel to Atlanta at least once a quarter and every trip try to come here at least once. This place is nestled right on the river and probably has one of the nicest grounds for a restaurant I have been on in a bigger city. It’s hard to believe you are this close to corporate America with how cool this place is. I would highly suggest if you are making a reservation getting a table looking over the river. These truly are the best seats in the house especially in the spring/​summer time. One of my favorite things also is in the spring/​summer is before dinner you can chill out out the patio and really take all this scenery in.
All the times I have been here I have never had anything but an excellent meal… from steaks, the salmon oscar, parmesanbe crusted scallops, trout… also during certain nights of the week they have live music or someone playing the piano etc in the bar. Just all in all one of my absolute favorite spots in Atlanta to eat.

We had two servers that didn’t seem to communicate, which became sort of annoying. The food too forever, to the point that we ate out appetizer and salads then they brought another basket of bread to hide the fact that the food was another 20 minutes after our salads were cleared. I had prime rib, which was cold by the time I got it. We did order everything at the same time so timing shouldn’t have been tricky. It was also 6pm on New Years Eve. We both commented that if they were that far off in service at 6pm we were glad we didn’t have an 8pm reservation because it would surely be a huge mess by then.
We’d been wanting to have dinner there since we started dating about six months ago, and we’re excited about doing New Years Eve there. We agreed it was very disappointing overall, and neither of us feel any need to return.
So as an update, after I left my original review a manager called and apologized and discussed our experience with me. At the end of our conversation he offered us a gift card to return and guaranteed a good experience. Still haven’t received said gift card, so I guess he managed to drop the ball and forget about that too. MAJOR fail. Don’t offer something then fail to follow through! It’s so simple to just do what you say you’re going to do…

Beautiful establishment. Great ambiance and the scenery is impeccable. However, I was a little surprised at the service, that’s why I’m not giving 5 stars. I was here for a company holiday dinner. I believe there were 2 servers assisting our table but I only dealt with one of them. He was just simply, okay. Not friendly but not mean. I’m allergic to shellfish so since we had a limited menu, I got steak which I usually wouldn’t do at a place known for their seafood. However, the Cowboy Ribeye was great! Better than some steakhouses I’ve been to and it was 22 oz.
I will definitely return. I’d love to return in the summer to be able to enjoy the outside area, I bet it’s very beautiful then also!

I’ve been at Ray’s for lunch a number of times over the years because my attorneys work up the street so it’s a great convenient spot for an upscale meal. The ambience is improved by the waterfront location (though my local friends tell me that the river is kind of gross, but it still looks great in the background!) and the food and service is always on the money. The food isn’t inventive, quirky or unique — it’s just always a quality American-​Southern meal. I’ve found that when I order a fish entrée I need to also order some appetizers or sides because the portions aren’t always the largest, but everything is always fresh and tasty.

The Sunday Brunch menu is worth the price, $ 41 with tip, the variety of food choices is good for meat eaters and vegetarians.
Now to the questionable part…18 percent gratuity when it’s 77 degrees hot. There are people sitting in every space available of the restaurant.
Someone in our group did not have her plates cleared. Two someones had to ask repeatedly for drink refills on beverages not included in the brunch price.
I would Not recommend this brunch for a date night. It’s good for group outings.

Did you know that they offer a brunch buffet on Sundays for $ 36!!! Oh yes they sure do!
They have quite a spread, they offer smoke salmon, omelet station, prime rib roast and ham (expertly slice for you by one of the employees), cold bar (oysters, shrimp, mussels, stone crab claws), grits, gumbo shrimps, maple sausage, bacon, assortment of lunch items, bread, cold cuts, and a table dedicated to pancakes, waffles, etc
Unfortunately we were sat a bit far from the buffet, so it kind of suck to walk a distance in heels while balancing two plates (sounds greedy but it helped cut down on my trips).
They have complimentary parking and a lovely view of the Chattanooga river were you can take scenic pictures. The staff was most helpful and very fast.
Oh, they have $ 12 bottomless mimosa, my friends says they were being stingy with the champagne though.

I was blown away by Ray’s on the River’s Thanksgiving spread. I came with my boyfriend and his family for Thanksgiving and it was a highlight of their 9 day visit. His parents drove from Texas and have already committed to visiting next year… as long as we can dine at Ray’s!
Here’s why Ray’s is better than other Thanksgiving buffets:
1. Gorgeous setting right by the river
2. Classy ambiance
3. Professional staff
4. Delicious food — and lots of it. There were delicious breakfast items (especially the grits), and high-​dollar items like eggs benedict and salmon, sweet stuffed crepes, etc. They had a full non-​Thanksgiving spread of items like a well stocked salad bar, fish and other seafood, vegetables, bread items, pasta, etc. THEN the Thanksgiving spread was to die for — delicious, moist turkey, real cranberry sauce, several mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and the most delicious mashed sweet potatoes I’ve ever had — marshmallows, pecans, the works. They also had a great dessert bar– banana pudding, red velvet cupcakes, lemon bars, pies, brownies, etc. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. Ray’s, if you read this, please consider adding those delicious sweet potatoes to the menu year round. I would eat a giant plate of them every day.
5. Amazing bottomless mimosa deal. $ 12 a person for truly bottomless mimosas. I hate bottomless mimosa «deals» when you can never get a refill. That was definitely not the case at Ray’s. They provided us with generous pours to begin with, and then even left a pitcher on the table so we could fill up ourselves.
6. Nicely organized valet.
7. Quality of the food– The food deserves another bullet point here for quality. Everything we ate was cooked perfectly and it was obvious that all of the items were top-​quality. They didn’t shortchange quality for quantity. The food quality is the reason we will be returning next year.
I love Thanksgiving buffets. No one gets saddled with the cooking or clean up duties, so you can truly enjoy the company of your family and friends. We had a great time.
It might be a fun marketing idea to allow people to $ 20 for a to-​go container… I was too full to enjoy dessert and would have loved some for later.

Had Thanksgiving Dinner here with the family. Everyone LOVED the meal. We will return. I got reservations that ensured us we would get both the brunch selections and the traditional Thanksgiving meal. It did not disappoint in any way. Some people dressed up, others wore jeans, no one felt out of place. It was a wonderful atmosphere and a wonderful experience. I will be back.

My family and I visited Rays on the River for Thanksgiving this year. Non of us wanted to cook, so we decided this would be a fun option given the variety of food they offered. We were also interested in the river views and general atmosphere.
We arrived and there was quite a crowd! The valet did a good job of keeping everyone moving. We made our way to the hostess station and were seated after about five minutes. We had a placeholder reservation on the books for 11:45. An earlier reviewer complained that his «reservation» was not honored and that he had an hour-​long wait. It should be noted that these times were not reservations per se, but were instead placeholders that would allow the party to have priority in line at that point in time.
This may sound like a semantic difference, but it’s important. Since the meal was buffet-​style, it would be difficult to have specific reservation times because people might stay for varying amounts of time. The reservation wasn’t for a specific time to be seated, but for a priority spot in line. The email was clear on this point.
Having said all that, it sounds like the crowds may have caused a back-​log later in the afternoon. I can’t comment on that since we went earlier, but we didn’t have any problems in the morning. They should probably consider better crowd estimates late in the day next year.
Okay, with all that out of the way, how was the dining experience? Overall, everything was great. There was an enormous variety of food, ranging from breakfasts and southern favorites to traditional Thanksgiving food and seafood. It was all pretty good, especially for a buffet-​style meal. There were tons of desserts and good drinks, including bottomless mimosas.
I don’t want to spend too much time going into detail on the food, since it’s not the standard fare. It was good for Thanksgiving, though. Another highlight of the venue were the views of the river. There is a pretty trail that you can walk on after you eat, though I was too full to do so.
This was a great experience that left me happy I made the decision to skip cooking this year.

Our Thanksgiving dinner here was over before it began. Our 5:15 RESERVATIONS were met with a ONE HOUR WAIT! Ruined the holiday. We left immediately when we saw the throngs of desultory masses waiting over an hour for their reserved tables.
It was a fire hazard. I’m not kidding. The overburdened parking valets struggled valiantly against the crush of cranky diners, and frustrated non-​diners, alike.
The fact that they accepted at least 2x the number of Thanksgiving reservations as they could handle is the zenith of mismanagement. Never again!

The Happy Hour here is awesome!
$ 1 oysters and a variety of small plates for half the price.
$ 3 Beer list including 420 and terrapin.
I recommend the following for Happy Hour:
–bbq shirmp
–pimento fritters
–blue cheese chips
–crispy lobster sliders
–calamari
–of course, the Oysters!
Also, they play live jazz music from 6:30pm…can get loud inside so if the weather permits I recommend sitting outside and enjoy the river view!

Like its cousin, Killer Creek, Ray’s on the River has its charm and it’s deliciousness. I have been coming to this Ray’s for a long time, well before the remodel. I used to really enjoy the live Jazz while munching on fried calamari and sipping an adult beverage.
This past weekend, we had the opportunity to enjoy another Ray’s private events. This was very similar to the Oyster Fest that was held at Ray’s Killer Creek. These events happen mid day on the weekend and are culinarily themed. This particular event on the River was a Pig Roast. We came for the pig and conquered!
All of the Ray’s restaurants have offerings are similar in that their specialties cross the realm consisting of chops, steaks, and seafood. I can say with all honesty, I have never been disappointed at any of the Ray’s restaurants and they will keep me coming back.

The building and décor was very nice. The service was good also. This place makes you feel comfortable and its just an overall good vibe.
The food is good but not great. We each ordered fish (grouper for me and salmon for her), and both tasted good but not great. We each had veggies for sides (Brussels sprouts for me, mixed veggies for her), and hers were better than mine. The starter salad was basic but very good and apparently the tomato soup was real good.
Overall I would come back. They do a good job here, and the food is good enough.

We came here (first time) for lunch, to celebrate a birthday. For a Friday it wasn’t too crowded at around 11:30 a.m. The great majority of tables seemed to be some sort of business lunches.
My wife had a salmon BLT and I had a french dip. Both were quite good, as were the accompanying salads. We also had a window table, so we got to enjoy the view of the river, kayakers, etc. If the weather were nicer, this would have been even better.
We took a stroll along their river path after lunch before heading out. That was nice also.
Recommended.

Sunday brunch.
Make reservations! Early reservations get the best seats in the house. We got to sit next to the window with the view of the river, garden, and patio.
Food selection is EXTENSIVE here. There’s something for everyone: meat lovers, vegetarians, pescatarians, etc.
I quickly got full off a plate of bite size samples. My favorite was their version of the mac and cheese. I had to be careful not to stuff myself with this and try other items. The salmon pâté was creamy and may have been better on crackers or another bread rather than the croissant (not buttery or flaky enough for me). The sausage smelled and tasted great. Tomato bisque had the perfect amount of tangy and creamy. Good thing they hid the oysters in the back corner. I spent the rest of brunch coming back for more. I think I ate 20 of them (best part of the buffet)! Service was great as the servers quickly replenshed the oyster supply. I was a little embarassed when one server scurried to the table when he saw me coming. I made sure to only get 5 max at a time to give other people a chance to try it! I thoroughly enjoyed it with the cocktail sauce and the spicy (Tabasco-​like) sauce.
The servers were attentive and made sure our tables were not decorated with dirty plates long. They were conscious of refilling our drinks. I really enjoyed their sweet tea. It was not too sweet.
Make sure you check out the garden at the end of the meal. You may want to walk off some of that delicious food! This would be a good place to bring my mom so she can try various foods and enjoy the scenary.

Elegant restaurant with a picturesque view and a decent menu.
Pros;
1– picturesque view of the chattahooce river.
2– outstanding wine selection
3– live music
4– fairly priced for an upscale eatery
Cons;
1– slow service
2– slow service made the food a little less warm
3– picturesque view but if sitting outside it comes with bad traffic sounds
4– food is good but not something that’ll make your taste buds have a long lasting memory
5– dessert menu is very sub standard, not at all creative.
6– states business casual on opentable but saw a lot of patrons in tees and shorts.
Food recommendation; any from the wine selection per your taste paired with Ahi Tuna as an appetizer. Main course: Halibut with squid pasta.
Don’t get the scallops with risotto, it was too bland and the scallops were too over cooked.

I visited Ray’s on The River for their award winning Sunday brunch. Luckily I made reservations because there seemed to be a long wait.
We were seated at what seemed like the best table in the restaurant with a perfect view of the Chattahoochee River. We placed orders for juice, which is not included in the buffet price and then got started on our first go-​round.
The buffet is spread across 2 rooms. The first room had mostly lunch/​entrée items with an omelette station, and waffle station with both original and red velvet waffles, and a cold station of salad toppings and cheeses. The second room featured shrimp, crab claws (not many) and mussels, all on ice and the other side of the room had the dessert set-​up.
There was an extensive amount of food but I found that the buffet had much more lunch cuisine than breakfast foods. My favorites were the Shrimp and Grits, the Macaroni and Cheese and the Breakfast Potatoes. The Shrimp and Grits were cooked in a rich sauce and paired with cheesy grits which made for a delicious combo. The Macaroni and Cheese has a solid cheese top layer and a creamy cheese filling cooked throughout; so good! And I’ve never had breakfast potatoes that I didn’t like so that made them an easy favorite.
From the dessert bar my favorites were the delicious gooey Pecan Pie, the Red Velvet Cupcake and the Chocolate Chip cookie. You could definitely tell that all of the desserts were homemade.
Overall the food was good but I don’t think it was worth $ 32/​pp. I would rather return and just get the Shrimp and Grits as an entrée and maybe split a dessert.

Ray’s could so easily be a solid 4 or 5 star restaurant. They are so close to superb! The restaurant is beautiful & the view of the river is simply hypnotic! We sat outside on the cute, quiet, small patio. The music being piped out was so annoying. The speakers were horrible & scratchy & OMG it was driving me crazy. New speakers needed!
Service was very slow… Brandon was working hard but he was too busy! After a long wait, I ordered a glass of wine only to hear they were out of that wine. So I had Louis Chadot, it’s always in my frig, I pay $ 12.99 a bottle and tonight I paid $ 16 a glass. But that’s normal.
Food was delicious! Really good! Brandon never read us the specials… But the grouper, the crab cake, the chopped salad, the Brussels sprouts… WOW! Great job Chef!
On the way out we checked out the lounge! Great piano player, lively area! Yes, we’ll be back!