Ray's Café

It's been at least 5 years since we've eaten at Ray's Café. We didn't like what we saw at the Ballard Seafoodfest, so we opted for better seating and eating environment here instead. It was an excellent decision. At 7+pm on a Sunday, the wait area was crowded. For two adults, we easily grabbed a table in the bar area, bypassing the wait. While the café is casual deco, they greatly benefit from being the upper level and having a fantastic view of Shilshore Bay. It wasn't quite sunset time, but it was still very pretty. Our needs are minimal, but I felt the staff was just the right amount of attentiveness without any hurrying. The Food:Blackened Salmon Sandwich, $22 - 4.5 StarsIt's slightly higher cost (maybe $2 bucks), but I honestly think the preparation and overall balance of the sandwich is perfection. There's a touch of mustard, the avocado is gorgeous, the blackened salmon is perfectly grilled. The bite of the stack-up is just right. Nicely done! The sandwich offers a choice of salad, fries, and more. I chose sweet potato fries, of course.Fish & Chips, $25, add 3rd piece, $8 - 4 Stars$33 is legit spendy for fish and chips. The thickness of each piece of cod is phenomenal. The breading is crispy but didn't have much flavor/seasoning by itself. Sauce is a must. It comes with coleslaw and fries. Spendy, yes but glad we tried it.

Food as always is super fresh and good! The calamari is not rubbery, the mussels were nicely cooked and had such a flavorful coconut broth, and the Caesar salad was done right. Our waitress was attentive and made us feel very welcomed!The hostess though could use more work. She completely ignored me when I walked up to the hostess stand, there were no other people there besides me, and she only addressed my partner when he came up. I injected immediately, but it was a bad start.

Popped in for Happy Hour and came away indeed Happy! Hubby had crab mac n cheese, a bit of a small portion yet tasty. I had the poke, it was delicious, and the chocolate pistachio tart, also delicious, Incredible water view, friendly charming bartender.

Alright, to be honest, I've only been here once during Happy Hour, and didn't eat a lot, so this review is based solely on that experience. We came right on time for Happy Hour (4-6pm daily) which is upstairs in the Cafe. You do not have to sit at the bar for the Happy Hour menu. I was a bit nervous about coming here because I heard it's expensive and I always feel like I don't belong when I go into an expensive restaurant. However, the front staff didn't seem to care that I had a well-worn jacket on, and welcomed us like any other person coming through the doors, whew! Service was friendly and respectful. Ordered a few cocktails off the Happy Hour menu which were around $8 and tasted good. Also had the clam chowder, which was fine, and the mussels in red curry were delicious, but one of my mussels still had the beard in it, which I spit out. And then we had raw oysters... which were not on the Happy Hour menu, so they costed $22 for six (or $4 each if you don't order the half dozen). I felt this was overpriced for what we got. We got two of each (there were three options). I loved how they labeled the type of oysters with wooden sticks next to each pair. I did not love their size. For example, they'd both be Olympia oysters, but one was an ok size and the other was teeny. I took most of the smaller ones... but wow, the amount of meat inside was tiny AF (I hope that term is allowed). They tasted good, but nothing better than other places where I've had oysters... and there was some shell in a couple of them. I'm not usually one for going to a restaurant just for the atmosphere... but it was Valentine's Day weekend and my gosh, I absolutely loved the view from our table, so it won this place so many stars. It was incredible watching the water and sky change colors throughout the late afternoon. Birds, boats, and even a seal passed by. Frickin' lovely. Looking through the regular menu (photos included), the prices here are steep but I didn't eat most of it, so maaaaaybe I'd come back to try something on a special day (not oysters, though). I WOULD come back for drinks and maybe a light snack during Happy Hour, as long as I get to sit at a table with a view of our beautiful waters.

Picturesque location with dreamy views. Lots of parking available, but don't be fooled! This location remains busy during dinner hours so be prepared to circle the parking lot. They accept walk ins. The wait times are not incredibly long. Most of their tables whether indoor or outdoor have water views. There is bread and butter to greet you at your table after ordering drinks. They serve local Seattle soda- a surprising treat! The food seems average in flavor, nothing spectacular but I would still eat here again. For a large restaurant, it gives you that small town feel. Servers seem busy or not super attentive, perhaps having a lot of tables to cover. Either way, we still had a pleasant experience! Recommend for date nights, anniversaries, birthdays, family dinners, group outings and everything in between.

They have a lot of good seafood here & everything tasted fresh. Nice location & amazing views.

Subsequent visits were great! During restaurant week, the trio that came with the appetizer, the main entrée and dessert were a great deal and ample portion. Great view and attentive waiter. Would come back again when I'm in the area.

Stunning view. Ceasar Salad with Anchovies and chocolate raspberry cheesecake where delicious. Our server, Joshua, was excellent.

We went here on a Saturday around 1pm for lunch. I was surprised at how busy they were! Unfortunately we didn't make a reservation and there was a 45 min wait for outdoor seating, so we opted to sit inside. The view from outside is beautiful and luckily we were still able to see out the window. Our server was nice and quick.For food, we got the Dungeness crab dip as an appetizer and wow was this amazing! Highly recommend (although it is pricy). For my meal, I got the creamy lemon ricotta rotini and wow it was definitely lemony and the pasta was super over cooked and squishy. I was not a fan and barely ate any of it. My husband got the ribeye and he said it was incredible. We added on a cluster of crab legs and those were cooked well.Overall, this place has a beautiful view and a fun, casual vibe indoors but the food is pricy for what you get.

Food was really great and service was good. It had a nice casual vibe with good views.