Ray's Drive Inn

What a neat place! Came here for lunch and my party of 3 was seated right away. It was my very first time coming here and it definitely felt like home! I love all the funky decor. I ordered the ground beef puffy taco plate and crispy dogs as an appetizer. The crispy dog was the best one I've had. So delicious. This place is famous for their puffy tacos, though. I liked them, but I think the oil that the tortillas was fried in was not fresh and I could taste it. I also thought the rice was a bit dry. It had good flavor, but it was so subtle, it kinda just tasted like white rice. So I'd really like to see the flavor on the rice really amped up. The salsa that is served with the chips was not spicy at all and really disappointing. Also not a lot of flavor on that either. I'd come here again and bring folks from out of town! It's an experience for sure!

A San Antonio institution since 1956, famous for their Puffy Tacos. Ray's is still a functioning drive-in, but I recommend eating inside. The place is truly one of a kind, dripping in unique antiques and kitschy decor. Service was slow, but genuinely friendly. We started with an appetizer platter, which included onion rings and tortilla-wrapped hot dogs that were somehow dry and oily at the same time, and a decent Tex-Mex style queso. The tortilla chips were stale, but the salsa, served in a squeeze bottle, was tasty. The famed puffy tacos were everything I hoped they would be. The thick, deep fried tortilla had a delicate crunch and great mouthfeel. The fillings were distinctly one-note, but adequately savory and satisfying. Shredded American cheddar cheese, salty refried beans, watery shredded iceberg: Tex-Mex cuisine to a T. While we will likely never come back here, it was a fun one time experience as a tourist.

For a second visit I recommended Ray's to a group of friends based on my initial visit and review. This time there was a Sunday lunchtime crowd and while the place is still interesting and the staff friendly they missed on a couple of critical items...food and service.First: Service. The person seemed very disinterested in giving decent service. Poor attitude, orders were wrong, drinks mixed up, and the ordering process was painful. It was almost as if they weren't listening at all.Second: Food, Fatty Carne Guisada. Mediocre beans and rice. Doughy/mushy puffy taco (was crunchy perfect last time), and muted flavors. It was all just OK. In this case I must complain more about the effect of inept service. Bad service can have the effect of spoiling one's appetite or being more critical of the food received. I felt "responsible" for recommending a place that didn't live up to expectations. I probably won't return. There are simply too many other Mexican restaurants to choose from. Bummer.

Service: great! As soon as I walked in I was seated. Menus were provided quickly and the waitress took my drink order. Once food was ordered we received our order within 10 minutes Ambiance: there's background

Service was top notch and grandma vibe which I loved . Food was delicious and came out pretty quick with their famous puffy tacos! If you come for dinner try to come early due to parking challenges. Overall, had a great time and would definitely come back

I had not been back to Rays since I was a little girl; probably 30 years ago. I didn't feel like much had changed. We stopped in for the crispy dogs and they were just as I remembered. The restaurant is filled with great memorabilia on the walls which just adds to the nostalgia Rays has with most San Antonians. The staff was awesome and very friendly. Stop by and have a crispy dog!! They are amazing.

We went to this restaurant based on a travel vlog we watched on YouTube (Matt & Nat). They are the inventors of the "puffy taco" and have a great selection of tex-mex cuisine. It looks like a place that is always busy. Luckily, we got a table pretty quickly and had food in front of us in under 15 minutes! We ordered mainly tacos but also a side of rice and avocado. I love when you can order avocado and not got guacamole (I can't eat raw onions). Their side order is just mashed avocado. Add a little salt and maybe lime and it's perfect! So good on all the tacos we ordered. We did a mix of puffy taco shells and soft corn tortillas. Everything was fresh and delicious and we loved the light, crunchy texture of the puff taco shell.

The food was outstanding- puffy tacos and fried pickles all around- the service was fast and friendly and the music was a great bluesy mix. Would definitely go again!

We stopped by because we read Puffy Tacos are a thing in San Antonio... So we decided to stop byBUT.... They were slow to seat us. The waitress took her time attending us.... It took 10+ min to seat us. It took about 10min to even get noticed after we were seated. Once she brought our waters, which took another 5 or so min! Our food was brought out after another painful 10min wait! The tortilla consistency was good (and it reminded me of sopes), however, the filling was not... I took a chance by ordering the carne guisada but it was inconsistent. I didn't realize the beef was ground beef rather than shredded beef. We ordered the Carne Guisada Fries as well, but all it had was sauce. It didn't have any meat, or cheese to be honest and it was literally the saddest thing we saw! We're not from Texas, so we will probably not return to the restaurant. Oh and most tables were empty! Other patrons were being served in a timely manner!

So, Ray's is one of the original puffy taco joints in San Antonio! You have Ray's and also Henry's they were brothers who started their own joints (in-family)The ambiance is very hustle and bustle like. I dined in at a small table, and people are often walking in and out to pick up their orders. I was greeted and seated promptly. My waitress Naomi was amazing! Salsa and chips came out to the table. The salsa was nice and bold! I ordered a combo plate with 1 puffy taco (chicken) and 2 chicken enchiladas! The food came out not long after I placed the order. The puffy taco was fried to a crisp and tasted so delicious! Warmed me to my soul! The rice and refried beans turned up the notch on flavor and goodness! There was also carne adobá which I sloughed into the tortillas that I had on the side.The enchiladas were coated in a delicious sauce and each bite filled me with pure ecstasy! This was serious business I tell you! This is an original location for amazing food! Check it out!