The most down to earth shop you can find in the East Village. Not only do they have the best soft serve, think Carvel but tastier, but they also sell other fun random things like grilled cheese, zeppoles, and batteries on the wall hahah. Tonight was our third time there and we finally were able to meet Ray! We plan to be visiting weekly during the summer. Thanks for the hospitality! read more

Ray's Candy Store - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

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Overcome the bizarro marketing. You will realize this shack could only exist in NYC. Come here for frozen/soft ices, dumplings, soda, popcorn shrimp, fried Oreos, fried fries, burgers, hot dogs, waffles, beignets, knishes: just anything. Ray's has it. Bring your kids, your junk-food fix, or the pals after a movie night. You'll stumble home happily (and calorie rich). 3 stars, it's no restaurant. read more

Read about this cute family owned shop on Yelp and had to check it out as an alternative to 16 Handles. Always love when my money goes to support local business. Old-school charm, literally serves every fried food and soft serve treat you can imagine. Sundaes, dip cones, fried fish, fried oreos, hot dogs, belgian style fries, oh my! The menu could be a little clearer, as everything is posted on cluttered computer paper. Also, if you are picky about cleanliness and order, this is not the place for you. Cartons of cigs were stored right next to the food prep area. After much deliberation and trying to decipher the cluttered menu, I had peanut butter and chocolate soft-serve (so much I couldn't even finish it) for $4. Smooth, creamy, no-frills fro-yo like when you were a kid. I highly recommend Ray's and will be back to try the pistachio soft serve! read more

One word: YUM! Stopped in for a a quick treat which ended up being froyo. You can combine flavors, so I went with the "small" strawberry and vanilla. For just four dollars, the small was about the size of my head! This froyo was so smooth, creamy and decadent I had to do a double take and make sure it wasn't ice cream! Ray's doesn't have the tang of regular froyo but it's so fluffy and dreamy I'd say it knocks all those other places out of the park. Head there today for a sweet treat! read more

This is going to sound like a complaint or a backhanded compliment, but it's meant sincerely. This is the -perfect- place to hit after going to a bar or on the way home for a snack. They deep fry pretty much anything (if you gave them your shoe, they'd probably deep-fry that). The soft serve is delicious and comes in a huge cone. When you want this kind of food, this is exactly the place to go. read more

This place may look a bit sketchy... actually really sketchy, but this is one of those instances where you can't judge a book by its cover. Their ice cream is SO GOOD! It's seriously addicting. And their belgium fries are great, and cheap! It's pretty much the perfect drunk food. read more

Awesome staff! Munchie & ice cream heaven. This place is open 24 hrs. This is a must check out place!!!! read more

Ray's Candy Store - Sundae oh yeah - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

Definitely coming back more often in during the summer for more soft serve, sundae and maybe some fries! i ordered the strawberry soft serve on my first visit, and I hit the spot perfectly! read more

Ray's Candy Store - Mango slush! All this for $3 - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

This place is amazing. If you judge it from outside or how it looks on the inside you may be very skeptical. But we decided to try it anyways. The deep fried Oreos are AMAZING. $6 for 12 deep fried Oreos smothered in powdered sugar. Hot chocolate and oreo milkshake also delicious! read more

This is a total hole in the wall!! And it's adorable and the people working there are super pleasant (have not met ray tho)! Egg cream is good (get the vanilla, nothing else - vanilla taste significantly better the chocolate and some of the other flavors) Beignets are DELICIOUS!! Super sweet but soooo good!! Also tried fried ores and the hot dog - both very good!:) read more

Amazing Beignets. Best in NYC. Served fresh, soft on the inside. Ray is a character and such a pleasure to meet. A great East Village institution. I will definitely return for more. They are addictive. read more

Ray's Candy Store - Fresh, hot beignets. Amazingly soft on the inside. Beats a doughnut any day. Will definitely be back for more. Addictive. - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

I love this place. They delivered me a delicious hot fudge sundae just as I had asked, with lots of extra fudge, which I had asked for. The fudge was delicious, the ice cream creamy and good. I will be trying their other things, including beignets and Belgian fries, look forward to ordering again! read more

Always a reliable source of cheap yummy eats. The staff is super friendly and the options are endless and delicious. A must-go if you're in the neighborhood! read more

I just read about Ray's story today on the internet, then i found his store and bought a chocolate vanilla ice cream. Wow, it was yummy, not too sweet. I love it, it reminded me my hometown ice creams, Tabriz. Thanks Ray, you are doing a great job in New York city. I look forward to meeting you next time. Alarin aghrimasin kishi read more

terrible service I had to wait 45 minutes for FRIED OREOS that should take 10-15 minutes TOPS. And they funny thing is I didn't even get my fried oreos. very dirty inside. Many broken machines. and workers talking to their friends while me and my friends were almost waiting an hour. this is unacceptable!!! read more

Love this place went here last night and got pistachio ice cream with chocolate dip and sprinkles it was heaven will be coming here all summer read more

Ray's Candy Store - Pistachio ice cream with chocolate dip and rainbow sprinkles - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

This place is weird but good weird. Beignets were more like little fried donut holes but they were warm and covered in sugar and fried and nice at 11 on a Wednesday night. 1/2 dozen beignets is really 12, a dozen is really 18. I don't know why. But the beignet man started singing when we ordered a half dozen so I'm all in. read more

BEST ICE CREAM IN NEW YORK!!!!!! This place is the cutest hole in the wall in Manhattan. Ray has the BEST late night snacks from fried oreos to the best soft ice cream in the world to hot dogs to grilled cheeses. Talk about comfort food!!! read more

So many memories of my dad taking me here as a little girl in the 90s. I would always get an ice cream cone with sprinkles or a lime Rickey for the best price possible! After the recession , prices inevitably went up here. Ray's , to this day is very affordable and maintains it's nonchalant, hole-in-the wall aesthetics and comfort . You need some good soft serve ice cream, get your ass to rays, you need a chili cheese dog, get your ass rays , you need a pack of cigs and a candy bar, get your ass to rays read more

This place is old school New York hole in the wall -- mom and pop shop. Best part is... pop still works there! At all hours of the night you can find Ray serving up cheesy fries and deep fried Oreos. Munchies approved. read more

Charming little shop that makes all sorts of goodies, the owner is a pleasant and friendly gentleman. The Nutella shake was wonderful.

It's like a little lost gem sitting here in the east village. I came here for the first time after working by it for years, it's honestly the best. They have carnival/ festival treats. I had there fried Oreos literally melted in my mouth. read more

Best fries in city. Best beignets... Never look at a zeppoli again once you have his beignets. Real egg-creams... real ones! He gives so much for so little. dont go to Papaya whatever, ew. Ray himself just turned 80 and runs the shop like a champ. He is adorable, and wise and just great. A must go to, seriously, a must go to if in the Village or you want to experience NYC pre-1980's. I have never seen it closed, after a club, it hits the spot. Go Ray!! read more

It doesn't get better than Ray's. This is the only place in the city I'll go for a chocolate malt, but they have everything you could possibly want. TRY ALL THE THINGS. read more

As a long-time New Yorker for over 30 years, I read about Ray in the New York Times last year and finally stepped in the store today to try his "deep fried Oreos". It was soooooo good. Thank you, Ray. Lots of love. read more

We went here last night after dinner nearby to check the place out and help support Ray. As nearly everyone knows by now, Ray is a 73 year old immigrant trying to keep this place afloat even as he is facing down $8000 in back rent. The future of his business looks grim, but a lot of people do care about him and are taking up money through a special fundraiser to help support him and his business. I hope it works out for him. What follows is my review for Ray's Candy Store: The store is difficult to find on purpose. Actually standing in front of the store staring at a sign for Belgian fries, Natasha pulls out her phone to verify the actual street address. We then cross reference the number based on the nearest visible number. Oh, apparently this is the place. Okay, that's interesting. We go inside, and are somewhat surprised. For a place called the candy store, there isn't exactly a lot of candy. I was imagining a place that had every type of candy known to man: Kinder eggs, Canadian Trident, Mexican Coke, etc. No. There is nothing like that here. What there is, beyond the Belgian fries, are egg creams, milk shakes, and candy bars with very well known names emblazoned on them. The set up is very small, and all of the signs are hand-written. It's definitely folksy. It's definitely old-fashioned. It's definitely not a candy store. Nonetheless, it has appeal. I had a large chocolate egg cream for $3 that was awesome. I think its popularity hails mainly from the late night crowd in the area looking for cheap eats in the middle of the night. That, and 73 year old Ray is kind of adorable working behind the counter. I liked the place a lot, and I would love to see it stick around. It was just a lot different than I was expecting. read more

Yo like o love this place but I was drunk af and I paid for chicken tenders and they gave me mozzarella sticks. Like I would have went back but I trusted them so I was already back at my apt so I couldn't go back. read more

Do you sometimes find yourself walking to the gym and all of the sudden you are at Ray's ordering a medium ice-cream? No? Ok so that's just me. Seriously, this place makes me regret moving to this neighborhood because I know I am going to be here so often. Oh well. They really have everything here: ice-cream, egg creams, beignets, french fries, onion rings, candy, and of course cigarettes (not random at all). There is also an ATM machine but they accept card so I guess it is just if you WANT to pay a $2 fee. But really this place is great. It is open 24/7 and the small ice cream(I think it is 12oz considering it is served in a to-go coffee cup) will cost you $4, medium is $6, and a large is $8 and I can not say that I haven't gotten a large and finished it by myself and couldn't move but it is delicious soft serve. It isn't fancy here whatsoever nor is it pretty enough to post on instagram but it has its own little charm/grunge/type of thing going on. I have tried three flavors (so far, that is) which were the chocolcate/vanilla twist, pistachio, and peanut butter, which is my favorite. The chocolate and vanilla is also really good but I really think peanut butter is the best one. The pistachio is good but it is neon green and my teeth changed colors so that's that... If you want good and cheap soft serve where they won't charge you $5 for 1 scoop of carmalized-hibiscus-vanilla-pinenut-whatevermakesyouricecreamfancy, definitely check out Ray's. read more

I was disappointed to not see Ray today Got it and my friend bought a big vanilla/chocolate soft serve for only $5. The ice cream was extremely soft and silky. I'll comeback for the pistachio soft serve and Ray someday read more

Felt like a New Yorker here. This place is run by a man with a lot of pride in his independent shop! Nothing fancy, just good whole hearted American dreams here. read more

I've walked past this place at least a hundred times, but never had the desire to walk in. But for some reason, last week, I walked right in. I was greeted by this old man with no teeth. "What can I get for you, tell me!" I got the mini Belgian fries, and boy were they huge! As I ate my fries, I asked Ray (the old man) how long he's had this store for. "35 years, and I love it! Back then my rent was $33 per month!" OK, so I've gone to see Ray like, 3 times over the past 5 days now. Malt milk shakes are delicious too. This is dangerous. Now that I know what goes on behind this ghetto little storefront, I'm gonna need to regulate myself before I develop a really bad habit. read more

Area was a little sketchy and the store was hard to find but it was WAYY WORTH IT!! Staff was friendly and helpful. Loved the fried Oreos and Fried Bananas; The Egg Cream was refreshing; my son loved it and the prices were more than reasonable. read more

When my friends and I used frequent bars around Avenue A, we used to stop by Ray's for some Belgian fries or ice cream. He was such a sweet old guy. Sometimes I would pop my head in the little take-out window to say hi to him, and he would always respond with with a big smile and wave "Hello, I love you!" I know he had no clue who I was but he clearly enjoyed working in the shop and loved his customers. read more

This place is SO much better than Pommes Frites. They have a ton of absolutely sinful bites that you crave after drunkenly making your way around EV & LES. Belgian fries? Check. With PLENTY of sauce choices? Double check. Oh, and portions large enough to share with your drunk buddies? Triple check. Not craving fries? Pity. They also have hot dogs, soft serve, milk shakes.. etc. etc. I know this place looks old and sketchy but I agree with Jason H--it's an LES institution. read more

Ray is the man. This place is legendary. Great late night food. Shakes are unreal. Don't come here expecting a clean, organic 2017 alphabet city type of place. Rays still whippin up good stuff after 30 years. Don't miss it if you're the area. read more

ok here it is.......... one of the last soda fountains around ray has been here for 40 years a very special one!!!!!! BEST: egg creams {black n white{choc.{vanilla rays still uses ubet choc syrup best jimmies in town lime rickies ice cream sodas malted {with pure malt!! martinsons coffee {hot or iced dutch french fries {every topping ya could think of beignets {made from heaven!!!!!! ray is very very devoted to his soda fountain!!!!!! stop by open 7 days a week {24 hours a day this is real new york!!!! {not many left read more

I ordered the deep fried Reese's cups and a Nutella milkshake and it was the best desert experience I've had here in NYC. They were made so quickly and the consistency and the temperature was perfect! I highly recommend. read more

Ray's is an institution. You go there and you're transported back to another New York. I love this place. Any guilt I'd feel from eating deep fried Oreos is overtaken by my fondness for Ray, this shop, the sheer deliciousness of a warm, fresh from the fryer, perfectly battered Oreo. Get a cup of milk with your order, walk across the street to the park, and love your life. read more

Don't go expecting anything fancy! This is as Home in the Wall is it gets. That's almost the beauty of it. Reminded my of the corner store by my school that I used to go to as a kid. Got the fried Oreos which were good. read more

I love this place I have been going since I moved to NYC 4 years ago and this place is the best! Is very cheap if you compare to other places in the Village, I love their soft serve, the fries, the iced tea, the hot fudge sundays, every single thing I had in here is very delicious. I went there yesterday that was Sunday and for the first time in 4 years I was not happy but it was the fault of the people that were working there that day, whom btw I have never seen before, they must have been new! There was a guy (who looked very young), and a girl the guy took our order but did nothing so the girl was doing everything and poor thing she had no clue at all! I was reading another review and apparently the rent of the place is going up and he might have to retire by this summer. I really hope this is not the case cause that is one of my favourite joints for ice-cream, I even like it more than Big Gay Ice-cream that is around the corner but is super expensive and is not nearly as good, just fancy looks and rock salt on the ice-cream. If Ray's is in trouble I would like to help, we shouldn't let all these small businesses disappear and have another seven eleven or some starsucks or something crappy like that in the neighbourhood because of the greedy landlords. We should do something and we should help Ray's Candy Store to keep in business. read more