Famous Original Ray’s Pizza

The pizza is fantastic but really overpriced. The place has a surprising amount of seating which is nice. But it all doesn’t make up for the fact that It’s about $ 4 – 5 per slice (for a non-​plain slice). If I want to spend $ 10 – 12 for lunch (two slices and a soda), I could have just gotten something besides «just pizza.»

Oh man, this place brings back memories of my NYC busboy days. Often times before or after a dinner shift, I would stop in here for a slice or two.
The pepperoni pizza slices were filling and delicious. What I do remember is that slices seemed a bit expensive. I do have to recognize that location might play a role.
For the most part, it was a convenient place to go to since it’s open late, and the slices were warmed up quickly. The one tip I can add is that the staff should be more friendly with customers.

Paid $ 4.50 for a slice of BBQ chicken pizza, which was OK, if terribly overpriced.
They didn’t have any change in the drawer, so they wouldn’t take my $ 20 bill. Fine, I said, and asked if they took credit card. They said they did, and then charged me $ 5.50 instead!
This happened to the couple after me as well… forcing customers to pay MORE to use their credit cards when YOU don’t have the change to let them pay cash is absolutely DISGUSTING.
Definitely never making the mistake of going here again.

Low-​end over-​priced pizza. I had a meat special slice ($ 5.75?) and it made me feel greasy and heavy all afternoon. The thin cheese slice was way overpriced even for New York City. I will Not go back to this place.

Zwei Stück schlechte Pizza für 9,80 Dollar. Vermutlich den ganzen Tag warm gehalten und dann kurz für den Kunden aufgewärmt. Die Leute haben keine Freude am Job und das merkt man.

Cockroach!!! Words could not explain how disgusted I was when I found a huge cockroach crawling up my leg as I was eating my pizza. The pizza looked like it had been sitting over night and they refused to make fresh pizza. The place was uncomfortably hot and they were very unfriendly.

Omg this pizza never fails to be one of NYC’s best pizzas. Today i had their sausage and pepperoni pizza. It was amazing.

$ 9.80 for 2 slices of pizza. Ripoff. I came in here today because i Needed quick lunch on the go by the time I got here. If I wanted to spend that amount of money I would have gone to any of the Chinese places I passed or even McDonald’s.
I came in here a bit before 1:30pm today. I saw the slices available already and selected the two remaining pizza margherita slices. The slices each had maybe 2 shriveled up pieces of basil.
When I was told the bill after being asked if I wanted it to stay or to go, I was shocked. $ 9.80 for 2 slices of pizza. For that price the whole pizza should have been covered with basil.

This was our first time in N.Y. eating N.Y. style pizza. Just like I see on T.V. shows the slices were wide and thin. We had a couple slices of pepperoni and a couple of veggie. They were both good and the crust was really good. They just didn’t have the wow factor I was hoping to get.

Although the specialty slice cost me about $ 6, it was definitely worth it. The pizza itself had everything I’ve ever wanted on a pizza, bacon, broccoli, chicken, red peppers, onions, cheese. etc etc. It’s like a heaven slice. WOW. halfway through and I was stuffed. The décor could use some work but this is more of a grab and go place anyway. I’m coming back here for that slice next time.

This is the least enjoyable pizza I’ve ever had… It’s totally flavorless. I asked for hot sauce to jazz it up and make it more edible… They don’t have hot sauce. What kind of a pizza place doesn’t have hot sauce?

Ate here for a Sunday lunch after a long run at the park.
Not sure if I’m hungry or their pizza is that good, but it was good. Alright employees were not Italian, so what! This review is about the pizza.
Slices were big, not greasy and not salty.

I had my expectations set kind of high for ray’s and it unfortunately dissapointed. $ 5.75 for an everything slice which is pricier than most places in Manhattan. On top of that it wasn’t even warmeed up all the way through. The dough was really fresh tasting though, I’ll give them that. Unless they run a deal though I’d say it’s overpriced and you’ll find better.

Pizza is crazy good and crazy expensive at the same time. $ 5 for a specialty slice? Dagggggg. That said, the BBQ chicken slice and the broccoli white pizza is tasty as hell. Garlic knots are slacking though.

More like rip off ray’s. The food is 20% smaller and $ 2 more than anywhere else. Not to mention the non Italians behind the counter. $ 6.95 is absurd for a chicken. Roll and $ 2.75 for a drink, get outta here. Next time I’ll take my hard earned $$ elsewhere. No quality, no quantity in this joint. And the name is just plain old rays pizza, nothing famous there.

Average pizza. You can get some really thick topping pizza here for like $ 4.50 which I was not expecting it to be that much a slice for those but I guess it is like a meal all in a slice so whatever. Their crust is good but not impressed w quality. Just typical pizza. If you don’t really care about the NY style then you may not mind it here.

I really had my heart set on a good NY slice, and of course when I see a Ray’s, I automatically get sucked into the typical idea that Ray’s is the pizza go to spot, it’s not.
Not the best pizza ever but decent. I like my pizza dough to be thin and crispy, I received a slice that was exactly the opposite of that *sigh*. Just the right amount of cheese and tomato sauce though, and it was not oily or greasy, that’s pretty awesome.
The workers were quick, shop could use some cleaning up done though. Very tight spacing, and it’s busy so you could imagine crowding being an issue.
Anyways, it’s alright. Nothing to brag about and not the go to spot either but eh, not all too terrible.

BEST PIZZA EVER! We were in NYC for vacation and wanted to try a few different NY pizza places. The location on Lexington was our 3^rd or 4^th place to try. My husband and I both ordered a slice that I think they call The Works or similar. It had meat, broccoli, spinach and tons of other things. It was so good, SO GOOD! I can’t remember what the kids ate, but it was likely pepperoni or sausage.
It was so good that we decided to try another location on the way to the airport. The one on 2^nd Ave was the closest to where we were at that point, so we stopped by there. HUGE difference in selection and taste. Lexington location is hands down better.
I would have given this 5 stars except it was hella HOT in there when we went. It was 95 degrees outside with like 90% humidity, and they don’t have air conditioning! Yuck!

So what’s so good about this place?
I’ve never had any desire to try Ray’s pizza until a coworker boasted about how their sauce is really good and their dough is like Pizza Hut. I should have stopped right there but being the fan that I am of Pizza Hut (Yes I am a suburbs girl and enjoy that cake like crust!) I decided to give Ray’s a chance. Mariela’s had closed around the corner, Certe’s quality gone down, and Bread Factory next door was my only other option for pizza. It was time to branch out.
I got two slices of cheese and a can of coke. They heated up the pizza very nicely to the point where the crust was piping hot and crunchy. It was also thick enough to still be doughy, a little too much dough that at the very end I opted not to eat it for it was too bland for me. Ray’s Pizza isn’t bad pizza. It’s just not very good pizza. I had to drown it with red pepper flakes and oregano. The cheese is good, the sauce not so much. I have to give the trophy to Bread Factory on this one.
I doubt I will go back to Ray’s. I’d actually say 2 Bros. Pizza down on Sixth Avenue between 37^th and 38^th is worth the trip instead. Similar pizza for a buck.
The service at Ray’s is good and the place is very clean. It’s toasty from the oven and the tv is nice. The only thing questionable is the giant bug light suspended in air in the back. I guess they are doing their part for pest control. That should count for something.

«Famous Rays… Original Rays… Famous Original Rays… Rays Original Famous…»
I mean by whatever you call it at this point you’re bound to get the same pizza.
The staff at this particular location were very friendly. And the pizza was fresh to boot.
(Also $ 4 beers was quite clutch)
Televisions in the back and hosts poor wifi and mobile reception. I’d say sit in the front but with the door open and by the oven your most likely to roast.
Chicken and broccoli pizza was good! Oh did I mention the $ 4 beers… yes, yes I did. She’s an easy win in my book.

Every New Yorker knows the Ray moniker for pizza. The funny thing is we all know «Ray’s» is secret New York slang for «mediocre pizza». Visitors to NY might not understand that, which is a shame.
Personally, I think pizza quality in NYC has been on decline recently. Sure, you have your Two Boots, John’s of Bleecker, Totonnos, etc. But the average NYC corner used to be the best place on Earth to get a pizza. That seems to be changing.
Anyhow, I digress.
I had a slice of pepperoni and sausage. The pepperoni and sausage themselves were completely average. Mercifully, their sausage isn’t fully laden with anise, which I can’t stand. The sauce was OK: nice flavor but it could’ve used a bit more sauce. Cheese was of average quality; you wouldn’t call this an «oily pizza» which would make some people delighted and others disappointed. The pizza was completely average on all accounts except one: it was too doughy. Neapolitan pizza should never be doughy. Save that shit for Chicago style. Our crusts should either be crispy or chewy, but in any event, thin. Not doughy.
If I buy other slices from this location I’ll update this review with my thoughts about whatever I eat. However, the slice I had «pepperoni and sausage» would be a ²⁄₅ rating.