Ray's Boathouse Restaurant, Cafe & Catering

06/17/2008 Posted by cmus

This is a great place for either happy hour or more formal dining. Each time I've visited, both the food and service were good. It sure doesn't hurt that the location has a water view.

Pros: View, food, service

Cons: Parking

06/17/2008 Posted by desireedralle

Ray's Cafe...The atmosphere at this less expensive version of Ray's is amazing, you can't beat the view and the food is pretty good, not great, but good. The fish from the fish and chips has an odd flavor that I wasn't crazy about, but the tarter sauce was awesome. The calamari and crab cake apps were tasty. I will definitely go here again, just won't order fish and chips.

Pros: View

Cons: Bad Fish and Chips

06/09/2008 Posted by Syl16

Ray's cheff will never dissapoint you. Fresh wild fish, prepared in various ways, always delicious!

Pros: Best, sofisticated, delicious and healthy food, best customer service.

Cons: You pay for what you get.

06/09/2008 Posted by NevadaDanny

Chris Cornell, I heard was once a sous chef at Ray's Boathouse. Of course, he went on to a great career with a seminal band, Soundgarden. Now he has his own restaurant in Paris, Black Calavados. Ray's Boathouse was excellent during my last visit, and i'm eager to return.

05/14/2008 Posted by the206

We went there for my dads 50th birthday and we were expecting to have a good time as we always loved the atmosphere and the food there. We waited for at least a half an hour after our reserved time and by then it was already getting very late. The new menu provided by the new head chef didn't even have their famous clam chowder on it. How could you take something that everyone comes to your restaurant to eat off the menu. The tables also didn't have any salt or pepper. Even Burger King has salt and pepper available for you. The portions were so small that you would almost think that they were appetizers. All around I am very disappointed in the new head chef. He obviously learned nothing from the old executive chef and I think that Rays will lose many of its long time loyal customers

12/29/2007 Posted by sheagayle

We celebrated our anniversary with friends and family at Ray's and were disappointed. The T-Bone steak offering was thin, and average at best - I can find a comparable steak at the grocery store. This was a far cry from a $36 steak. The ribeye that was served with the Turf & Surf special was flavorful, but tough and the three small prawns that were served with it were unexciting. The crab cakes were good, but the serving was very small. The seafood sampler includes a crab cake, a very small piece of salmon, and a very small piece of the black cod. All were good, but the servings were small. The accompaniments all around were meager - I think I counted a total of six green beans with my sampler. The T-Bone was served very unceremoniously over a half of a small potato that was very plain and boring. Their sauces were good, but the dribble they provided wasn't adequate. The dessert menu might appeal to some, but the items offered were too complicated for my taste and some of their old stand-by items are no longer offered. The service was good, and our table was ready at the time we reserved. Overall - very disappointing. The view is great but we can get a comparable view with much better food elsewhere.

Pros: View, service, wine list

Cons: Price, value, serving size

12/07/2007 Posted by labaransky

I was invited out to dinner at Ray's recently by my aunt-in-law, and I will say it met my expectations in almost every way. I recently decided to go vegetarian, and I was pleased Ray's had an option for me - it was thoughtfully prepared and delicious! (not just rice and vegetables like I was expecting) My husband ordered the crab legs, which were slightly undercooked, and they gave him a claw instead of a leg, which was a bit harder to work with. My aunt-in-law was quite satisfied with her scallops and Swiss chard dish. The service was mostly good, but our waiter was lacking personality and seemed a bit put-off to be at work that day. Although he was quite attentive towards the beginning of the meal, it took a bit too long to get our check. Overall, a nice experience and I do recommend trying it out.

11/15/2007 Posted by elizabet1231

Possibly the best chowda in Seattle! They drizzle a little olive oil on top and that makes it. We went to the cafe upstairs for a lovely lunch. While Seattle was having a typical gray, rainy day the view is still wonderful. The restaurant is quite loud do to all the wood panneling but could still hear each other. My clam chowder was served minutes after ordering. This was a nice surprise as many restaurants take 20 minutes to get beverages and appetizers. Sourdough rolls were also delivered to enjoy. Would have been better warm but I solved that issue by sopping up my chowder base. Our entrees were served 5 minutes after finishing chowder. Entrees were hot and fresh. Again surprised by the timeliness. I ordered the cajun rockfish over polenta. Yum! The fish was perfect flaky and a nice size piece. The creole sauce atop had plenty of fresh vegetables. I was only able to eat half from filling up on chowder and twice the waitress stopped to ask if anything was wrong with my meal since I wasn't eating. She recommended that dish when I asked for a nice light white fish. Lunch prices are reasonable to moderate. Definitely not budget and if you add chowder and pop you'll spend $25/pp. They do offer a soup and sandwich or soup and salad combo. We used Passport card which is buy one entree, get one free. I'll go back and would like to visit during happy hour in the summer to enjoy the incredible deck.

Pros: Fresh seafood, many choices

Cons: Noisy, crowded on sunny days

08/31/2007 Posted by fredsox49

As first-time visitors to Seattle, I chose Ray's because I wanted an excellent seafood restaurant with a view. I also wanted to be away from downtown, where we were staying. When we pulled up to the crowded parking lot, I was afraind we were in for a tourist trap. Luckily, we were wrong. I had requested a table next to the window in my online reservation. At our appointed reservation time they didn't have one but had one better: a booth that faced the water. And what a view: my wife and I got to see the full sweep of the Sound, not just what would have been a more limited view at a window-side table. Given this, we were rather surprised at the high quality of our dinner, since we expected that the owners would figure the view would compensate for shortcomings in the bill of fare. The appetizers and entrees were excellent and the chocolate dessert was superlative. We arrived at the right time to see the sun set and, given that the table was not needed after our seating, the server never rushed or hurried us in any degree. All in all, a great and never-to-be-forgotten evening.

Pros: Beautiful view and excellent food

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

08/26/2007 Posted by rougeredrojo

If you've ever had the Chatham Strait Sablefish in Sake Kasu, you'll know what I mean when I explain that the flavors in this dish cannot be named. Cooked with the dregs of sake, the fish is at the same time smoky, sweet, and delicate. My family has been coming to Ray's for as long as I can remember and I'm sure we have tried almost everything on the menu, but the sablefish is the best by far. If you are a real calamari connoisseur, you might not want to order them here- they're nothing to write home about. The seared tuna appetizer isn't perfect, but it does fulfill my cravings on a hot afternoon (plus, it's on their happy hour menu!). Be sure to try the Rosemary Grapefruit Drop, which my waiter told me was crafted just for their cocktail menu by a genius who knew exactly what I wanted.

Pros: sablefish, view, cocktails, happy hour

Cons: too many loud children in the cafe

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful