Billy Ray's Restaurant in Prestonsburg is the kind of place that instantly reminds you why local, family-owned restaurants still matter. From the moment you walk through the doors on North Front Street, you're greeted with genuine Appalachian hospitality--warm, unpretentious, and welcoming in the best possible way. The food is classic comfort done right. Portions are generous, flavors are bold, and everything tastes like it was made with care rather than rushed out of a kitchen. The home-style cooking is the real star here--savory meats, perfectly cooked sides, and that unmistakable "down-home" flavor that keeps locals coming back and first-timers planning their return before they've even paid the bill. Nothing feels overworked or trendy--just honest, satisfying food that hits the spot every time. The wait staff and service at Billy Ray's is consistently friendly and attentive without being intrusive. The staff treats you like a regular, even if it's your first visit, and that personal touch elevates the entire dining experience. You never feel rushed, and questions about the menu are met with enthusiasm and helpful recommendations. The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable, making it ideal for families, friends, or a casual lunch stop while passing through town. It's clean, well-kept, and full of local character--exactly what you want in a small-town restaurant. If you're in Prestonsburg and want a meal that's filling, flavorful, and genuinely satisfying, Billy Ray's Restaurant is a must-visit. This is Eastern Kentucky dining at its finest--simple, hearty, and done with heart . Just a shame we couldn't fit in any of the delicious cakes! Next time! Thanks for a wonderful Diner experience. read more

I liked the location the atmosphere but the food not so much. I cut my burger and it had a big lump in it. Pass on this place. read more

Billy Rays - They said they put bread in their burger meat I tried it and so did Bryan it was gross. - Diners Near Me - Prestonsburg, Kentucky

Great food and customer service! The atmosphere is very classy, but also homey! One of my favorite places to eat! They also have the best daily specials read more

I've ate Billy Ray's for years. It's the best diner food in the area. Breakfast is top notch, especially the biscuits and gravy. Shrimp basket is probably my favorite. My wife ate a salad last visit and it was surprisingly impressive. Honestly can't go wrong here. Highly recommended. read more

Wonderful place to eat. We have a service dog and they love her and she loves to eat there. Eva the waitress is wonderful. Our doggie loves her. read more

Food was just so-so for the price. Service is good. There's not a lot of places to go in Prestonsburg though.

Ambiance is great. Plenty of desserts to chose from on the counter. I was disappointed in the pot roast tho. It was all gravy. Maybe less than a 1/4 cup of meat. read more

Best place to eat in the area,,, always good, takes awhile to get your food but we have never gotten a bad meal, Breakfast too... yummy service also good read more

Waited 30-40 minutes outside before even being seated. Then waited over another hour after being seated -- had to physically get up and confront both the server and manager just to ask where our food was. Meanwhile, other families who arrived 20-30 minutes after us were already eating. The server and manager gave excuses, telling me they were "doing all they could" and to "look around" the restaurant -- as if that somehow justified the lack of service. Both were completely disrespectful. Five minutes after the confrontation, two servers show up dropping food at the table. Mind you, two of the meals were the nightly special and the other two were just a grilled chicken breast with mashed potatoes -- nothing complicated. Absolutely unacceptable experience at Billy Ray's. Will not be back again. read more

We arrived 30 min before closing and received excellent service. Our order was brought out with little wait. Very good food! The staff was friendly and checked on us several times. We will return if we're in the area again! read more

Well where donI start. Billy Rays is an iconic landmark sort of place! It used to be a pool room and arcade with restaurant but now it's just the restaurant. You can still get the very very best in Kentucky cuisine! Some of their recipes are probably over one hundred years old i bet maybe more. So give Billy rays a try this Sunday after dinner! Y'all tell 'em legendary sent ya! Have a good day y'all! read more

Billy Rays - Kentucky scenery - Diners Near Me - Prestonsburg, Kentucky

This restaurant is a well-known local favorite and I have repeatedly made attempts to understand why. The food is not good; I have visited multiple times in an effort to "like" the restaurant, but after my last visit I am done. I do not recommend this place. I will never return; my meal was so bad that I don't even want to drive by this restaurant again! My meal: Sirloin tips that did not appear to be sirloin and had a sour taste--a first for me! The corn was bland (unsalted), tough, and so cool it didn't melt butter. The cornbread muffin was so hard that I only ate one bite; it was also cold and generally tasteless. The only edible items were the green beans (a bit stringy) and the green peppers. My son ordered a grilled cheese sandwich: it was okay, but I can make a better one and I'm a horrible chef! The Diet Coke was good and I liked the ice. Looking at the ceiling was a treat--love its design. The waitress came to our table once and smelled like an ashtray. That was unpleasant, but the biggest need for this establishment are chefs. The food is absolutely awful. It's entirely overpriced. If washing your hands in the bathroom, be careful: the faucet explodes water into the sink and will soak you. If I could go lower than a one-star, I would. read more

Billy Rays - Sirloin tips that did not appear to be sirloin and had a sour taste--a first for me! - Diners Near Me - Prestonsburg, Kentucky

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The only reason I gave this restaurant 3 stars is because of the customer service. Customer service was excellent. Otherwise it would have been a 2 star rating. I ordered sweet tea to drink, the fried mushroom appetizer, the seafood platter, and the tropical cake for dessert. Unfortunately, all of the fried food seemed like it was pre-breaded frozen fare. The fried mushrooms were decent. The only saving grace was that the food runner, not the server, went to the kitchen himself and made me some fresh-from-scratch creamy horseradish for the mushrooms. For me, this is a must for fried mushrooms! The seafood platter had 2 fish (unspecified) fillets, 5 fried shrimp, 2 fried scallops (yes, just 2), and 2 deviled crab. So, 4 fried proteins and 4 different frying styles. The fish fillets had a cornmeal crust, the shrimp were battered, the scallops had almost an overcooked panko-like breading, and the deviled crab was just plain fried. Most of it was bland. The only thing that really had any flavor was the deviled crab, which was flavorful but a bit on the salty side. The tropical cake was very dry and bland. So dry that I had to take sips of drink along the way. The icing was whipped and just felt like whipped grease in my mouth. The chunks of pineapple in the icing was the only thing that gave it any flavor. Not sweet at all. The restaurant had a decent atmosphere but you couldn't really hear the music that was playing except when entering or exiting. Overall a mediocre experience. read more

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I loved the mismatch of the tables and the chairs. It adds some quaintness to the restaurant. The side salad and the open face hot roast beef sandwich were both good. You can't go wrong with a hot roast beef sandwich in the Appalachian area, I can never get one outside that area. read more

Food was Ice cold and honestly inedible the food took an hour and 30 minutes and the server was rude. The floors was sticker and hard to walk on and the table was trashy and so was the floors. Don't recommend. read more

Update, so I took my coworker here and told him he'd love it. It was a terrible experience. I ordered herb crusted chicken and got what I would look like Waffle House would give me. Price ended up be a little high in my opinion. But you never know if you don't try. Previous review- This place was great! Super old school but absolutely great. I plan to go back any time that I go to Prestonsburg. The prices are great too! Honestly this is probably the best place in Prestonsburg. read more

Billy Rays - This was supposed to be herb crusted chicken. It had no herbs and was super bland. - Diners Near Me - Prestonsburg, Kentucky

I have never ate here and had anything I wouldn't recommend. Their home cooked food is good to the last bite. It's very inviting and comfortable while dining in. read more

Enjoyed breakfast at Billy Ray's. Good biscuits and gravy with nice service and good pricing.

Really wanted to like this place but sadly racism rears it's ugly head again. Came to visit family in town and they said this place had great food and service. Being almost the only restaurant in town you think they'd want to get good reviews. They split our party of 10 up into two booths. Which is fine but if the same people you came with are already on desert and you still haven't received your appetizer, that's a problem. After 45 mins I got cold fried tomatoes, a dry well done ribeye after asking for rare, corn bread instead of a roll, and what happened to my sides and soup beans? Never came until I asked and this server practically slammed them on the table. She never apologized or asked to make new food. Didn't seem to care. After all that I tried talking with the manager. I was still going to pay but obviously wanted a discount. She never once looked up at me or paid me any respect. Pretended to listen then suddenly walked out of the restaurant with out any explanation. At this point I realized what it was. I'm the wrong color. Everyone in there was white and me a brown person. She never came back in or tried to talk to me. I walked out, walked right past her, and didn't pay. My husband and I were the only ones who got bad service. Even his family that were with us had a fine meal. Its a sad world when this is how we treat the human race and what do we gain? If anything it's a loss for the server and owner because we're great tippers and ordered a lot of food. And it's hurtful to someone who may have a different skin color. read more

Service was great, friendly, polite, treated you like family. The food was amazing , we had a group of ten and the kitchen cranked it out . Becky was Awesome, read more

Good always been great and the services has always been fast and the servers always courteous!

We've heard about Billy Ray's home cooking and famous hamburgers so since we were in the area we thought we would stop and give it a try. I am so glad we did. I ordered the Pool Room Hamburger. It was piled so high with burger patties, cheese, pickles and bacon they had to use tall sticks to keep it from falling over. it was indescribable it was so good. The service was very good and your server very friendly and helpful especially when we told her wee had never been there before. Can't wait to go back. read more

My husband, son, and I ate at Billy Ray's after attending a graduation of my cousin's child. We have eaten here many times in the past, but decided to review this visit. Our past experience, for me anyway, has been very mixed about this restaurant. I have never had an incredible meal here, but most are just "OK." That's what I thought about this visit. All three of us opted for the Country fried steak special. This included two sides and dinner roll or biscuit. My husband and I chose mashed potatoes and cole slaw for our sides, while my son chose mashed potatoes and mac/cheese. He also chose brown gravy on his potatoes, while the steak had white gravy. The cole slaw was delivered before the rest of the meal. It was very good, but a little on the sweet side. The steak and white gravy was good, but it was obvious that the gravy was not "home made." My son's brown gravy was not edible. I thought the mashed potatoes tasted more like a processed dish (not fresh pealed potatoes). He also said that the mac/cheese was gummy and not very tasty. The roll was very fresh and very good. You have to go up to the "bar" to pay for your meal. Each person gets their own ticket, and the girl at the register didn't add up all of the meals, so she had to ring me up twice to get the meal paid for. Their "claim to fame" is the pool hall burger, so maybe that's what I should choose for my meal. But, it seems like every time I eat here, I come away saying that I won't be back. After writing this review, I think I will honor that promise to myself. Prestonsburg has many more places that have good meals to keep coming back here to be disappointed each time. read more

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Food was great and service was wonderful!! I ate the prime rib hoagie and it was straight fire!! Thank you billy rays for a family fun atmosphere, great quality food and even better service and pricing!! read more

Went to go eat. Walked up & they're closed due to staff shortage. Apparently they "will re-open ASAP", whenever that is. Joy sure if that means half an hour or a week. read more

What a cute place! Freshly made food (read: you'll wait a little longer for it than at Bob Evans) served within a charming historic building. Definitely worth a stop! read more

Great meal. From the Reuben to chopped steak! Incredibly friendly staff!!!! Will definitely fine there again.

Super delish snd wonderful wait staff. Love Billy Rays and look forward to dining there again.

Server was so nice but the seafood platter & sirloin tips (4 small pieces of steak) were tasteless. The cornbread are actually horrible cornbread muffins. Sweet tea was like water. Toooook fooorrreeever to get the food. Waste of time and money. The bathroom was disgusting. read more

This restaurant in Prestonsburg Ky, Has an amazing atmosphere, great food , friendly staff. My food was delicious, an plenty of it. The rest of team that was with are all in agreement that it's a 5 star experience... Thanks read more

Well first thing first ... friendly courteous prompt service with the best smile from everyone ! I came in from out of town late and stopped by, asked if kitchen was still open. I felt like I was long lost family with such a great warm welcome. Service is always most important for me but the food was great too ! I am only here a couple days so I planned on trying a couple other places in town but nope I will be here two more times to try some more options. It's a must try if you are close at all ! read more

As usual great service and great food. This place is the best in prestonsburg by far. I have ate here for years and only had a few not great experiences. Love it read more

OMG!!! This food is great! Very warm and homely environment. Waitresses could not be sweeter. Just passing through having a hard time finding a place to eat, and what a treasure I found. read more

While in Prestonsburg I looked on my trusty Yelp app for the local hot spot. When we arrived here it was straight up noon and the place was packed. Good sign. Sign on the wall said chicken and dumplings was the special. Sounded good to me so that's what I ordered. Unfortunately the recipe must have tons of Cream of Chicken in it so it was very yellow and tasted like someone dumped a jar of salt in it accidentally. I wouldn't recommend. But I paid for it and ordered a burger because I was still hungry. Burger was good. My father had the open faced roast beef and he loved it. He commented the roast beef was just the way he liked it, which was shaved. Service was ok, it was busy though. We didn't get any refills if that tells you anything. I can see how under different circumstances it would garner four stars. I would go back and give it another try. They have a large menu to choose from so it would be hard to say good or bad after one visit. Give it a try, the pie on the counter looked good. read more

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What a hidden gem in eastern KY! Just good ole fashioned style dining and food! Great service, friendly and helpful. Also, the homemade deserts were a great way to end the meal. I will be back! read more

My favorite place in Prestonsburg KY!! From burgers to the Primerib everything on the menu is amazing and well worth the price. From dining in to carry out the experience is always great. They pay great attention to detail even on the carry out customers. They make sure you have all the things you need or want to make your meal special. From condiments of any kind to napkins and moist towelettes your covered. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is a great experience and well worth the time to eat in. Especially on Friday nights with their romantic candle light dinners. It's the perfect date night place. It's perfect for familys, business outings and almost any other occasion you can think of. The staff is clean, well groomed, friendly and will go above and beyond to give you great satisfaction. The restaurant itself is clean, maintained well, decorated appropriately and has plenty of seating. They can accommodate small children with booster seats or high chairs, handicap, and all different shaped and sized people. Billy Ray's Restaurant is an​ iconic local restaurant and you won't be disappointed to stop in and grab a bite to eat. The only way to know and understand is to go see for yourself. So go, drop in and I believe you will agree. I say Billy Ray's is two thumbs-up in my book! read more

I've eaten here twice and both times were absolutely terrible experiences. The first time my family and I ate here, I got the open faced roast beef sandwich, which was pretty decent, but I got so sick afterwards and swore I'd never eat here again. The second time I ate here wasn't really by choice. I was helping a guy I worked with fix his computer and he took me here for lunch, so I got a burger since I'd heard they were good. This was, by far, the worst burger I've ever had in my entire life. It was dry enough to be considered beef jerky and so small, it shouldn't have been considered a burger in the first place. I've never been back again, with no intention of ever doing so, which is a shame since it's a locally owned venue and I'd love to support more places around me. If I recall correctly, the prices weren't terrible. read more

Not at all what we expected. Not only was the service terrible but the sausage was over cooked and flavorless, and the gravy tasted nothing like sausage gravy. My husband ordered the Hungry Man's breakfast and was missing an egg and the hash browns. Safe to say we won't be back. read more

So far the service was great, food option s is good. My friend Rogers said it deserves 4.5 Stars. My wife says it is fantastic the cost of the food was great so I would recommend it read more

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Cool little old fashioned restaurant. Large menu and came recommended by one of the locals. Only complaint was very limited wait staff which translates into long wait and not the best service. Food was good but had to count off a little for the service. read more