This place is over rated by the locals. I order a trout plate for 9 something dollars. I got two pieces of fish, a hug slice of onion, one slice of buttered bread and five onion rings. Complete rip off. The fish was mediocre at best ms Gordon's fish sticks are just as good. I only got two for ten dollars!!! Making me laugh. The onion rings were mealy and left a flour residue in my mouth. Whataburger across the street is a much better option for price and quality. read more

Burgers are good, Fries are crispy and tasty. Great little burger joint. The restaurant is very clean as well.

It was great awsome splended terrific magnificent glorious and very very good service read more

Rays Drive In - New American Near Me - Lufkin, Texas

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We stopped in after our cross country meet on the way home and we were NOT disappointed. They were so gracious and accommodating to our large group (25 kids) I have a gluten intolerance and requested the gluten free bun (which was delicious by the way) and the lady taking my order highlighted the gluten free... I scarfed down my burger so fast I forgot to grab a photo but the bacon burger was juicy and the bacon was thick and well cooked... definitely a place we want to come back to when we come through Lufkin!!! read more

Holy Cow, the best double meat cheese burger I've ever had. Whataburger.... you suck!! This burger was Juicy and full of flavor. This was worth the drive down from Dallas with some downtown exploring thrown in. I had to pinch myself with those onion rings. Is this heaven? thank you Ray. read more

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Lufkin's best kept secret! This place has been around for many years and is a town favorite! Best burgers in East Texas! Best of everything really! read more

Very few of these original burger joints left complete with car hops and malts and the most delicious burgers and fries you'll ever eat. They have been in business for nearly 60 years and there's a reason why! It's a must-do whenever you are in Lufkin Texas read more

Always a favorite! Yummy cold drinks and best trout basket around. The option to dine-in, dine on patio, drive-thru or sit in car and dine

Ordered the Rays Special hamburger with a side of onion rings for my first visit here. I must say this was the best burger and rings I've had to date. Everything tastes fresh and homemade. You could tell the onion ring batter is made in house and not some frozen pre-made junk . The service was quick and did an excellent 2/9/19 UPDATE: no changes , still the best da** burger I've ever had. A MUST try if you're passing through. read more

A fantastic burger joint. They have car service if you want that. I had the Ray's special with onion rings, the best!

Always great food & friendly staff. Love the old-fashioned drive-in experience & you can't go wrong with a Ray's special!

Rays continues to be the staple for burgers and onion rings in Lufkin Texas The Rays Special is above anything Whataburger or any other burger place has tried to sale They always deliver read more

I am very surprised that no Yelper has yet found their way to this gem. This is the original of the two Ray's Drive in restaurants in Lufkin, Texas. I discuss the quality of the food in my review of Ray's Drive in West, so I will not be redundant here, as I think the quality is equally excellent in both locations. I suppose the atmosphere of the original location does give it a slight leg up on Ray's West, as the building has been there much longer, and it has carports served by carhops, while Ray's West only has a drive through. Any yelper from Southeast Texas knows how valuable a carport is in August, as the weather will be either hovering around triple-digit heat with swamp-level humidity, or it will be raining. Either scenario brings obvious benefit to covered parking. Ray's has been cranking out burgers since 1959, and I still have not found anyone who does it better. read more

As a Lufkin native, I can honestly say I don't think there's a better burger in town than a Ray's burger. The burgers are a good size (if anything they're a little big, but i never seem to get too full) and are always fixed well--fresh and not too greasy. I'm not a huge fan of large hand cut fries, but I like Ray's fries. They're a nice balance between fried and potatoey. Of course, if you're not in the mood for a burger, Ray's also has lots of other options. Chicken strips, frito pies, baked potatoes, any diner food, you name it. I haven't sampled the whole menu, but what I have had, it's all been good. I think my favorite part of Ray's is the atmosphere. I feel like it's the epitome of a small-town, family owned restaurant. It's got that old homey feel. Granted, when I go in there for lunch with my dad, half the guys in there come by our booth to say hello. The waitstaff has always been friendly. The service isn't fast food quick, but it's not that slow either. It really depends on when you go, because sometimes it draws a heavy lunch crowd. On a side note, the second location (Ray's West) is no longer open (mostly because one of the current family owners passed). I mention this mainly because this might mean traffic is heavier at the original location. I haven't had a chance to go since the Ray's West closed. Another cool feature is the car hop service. I haven't tried this (I usually prefer to go inside and sit), but if you'd like the old timey car hopper service, you can experience it at Ray's! For a good diner burger that doesn't leave you feeling like you need to run an extra mile tomorrow, I recommend Ray's. It's not some sort of fancy culinary masterpiece--it's just simply good. read more

This is a place I really wanted to like. Unique, small eatery, with lots of locals eating and greeting friends. It does have charm, is popular, and will go on being a great place to eat and hang out, no matter what some out of towner says on yelp. But I can't give high marks to all of the food that we ordered. I give props to the Western Burger that I ordered. Bacon. American chese. Onion rings. It's a solid burger that filled me up and hit the spot. My friend wanted fried fish, but is not a fan of catfish. She went with the fish basket and substituted in onion rings. The fish tasted like frozen fish sticks that were not even warmed up properly. The onion rings - were cold and nasty. It's possible that it was just a bad batch and I hate to leave a poor rating based on one visit, but that's what we experienced. As a side note, we did eat inside, but you do have the option of making this a true drive-in experience, like Sonic. Had we done that, it would probably have been a little cooler, but the food would still have been bad, except for my burger. Note that I am being told now that I should have gone with a Ray's Special burger. Fair enough. I will do that next time and may bump up my rating. But why have items on the menu that are substandard? If you do go though, I trust my friends' advice about the Ray's Special. read more

Old school drive in cafe service was good the food looks good but where is the burger? I ordered a Ray's special with fries the condiments were very tasty but the burger which was not bigger than a meatball is really over rated, my husband had fried shrimp,onion rings and fries his food was OK read more

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We went here August 8, 2015 after visiting the Lufkin Zoo. Love the decor and the service. The atmosphere was really chill and it was so cool to see the window trays. I got the Ray's Special, which turned out to be a double patty burger with grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, and cheese and a vanilla malt. Hubby got the catfish basket which came with 5-6 pieces, hush puppies, and fries, and the toddler got the chicken basket which was 4 chicken nuggets, fries, and texas toast. The place was cool, temperature wise, and it wasn't until as we were eating our meal just how great the A/C really made things. Finished up our meal, used the restrooms, which are 1 person at a time. No baby changing table inside, though, which was didn't bother us since the toddler is potty trained but I know that doesn't affect other parents. If you just want to sit in your car, there is a huge overhang where they bring you your food on the window trays or you can come inside and order at the register. food came out fast and was priced well. workers were very friendly. love this place. will come again if ever we're in that direction and will recommend to others read more

Update from earlier review. Dining room remodel has been finished. Look is a combination rustic country and 50's diner. Looks good, but the tall table chairs are not comfortable at all. read more

This is a family favorite! The absolute best hamburgers in Texas. If you are ever in Lufkin you need to try one!

Wow! An old school drive in and an amazing burger! We got really lucky getting lost in Lufkin and finding this amazing eating spot! I would recommend this to anyone in, around, or driving through Lufkin as the place to stop in! read more

Stopped here on a recommendation from a friend. The burgers were delicious. Old school drive-in with excellent service. The person taking our order recommended the onion rings. I was not disappointed. The batter on the rings was crisp and tasty. The shakes were good as well. The strawberry shake had chunks of strawberries in it which made it very good. If you want a great tasting burger and onion rings, go to Ray's. You won't be disappointed. If you found this review helpful, please click below. Thanks. read more

So this is a 50's inspired drive-in place, which is basically the prototype for what you see across the street: Sonic. Let me point out that it is ironic that Sonic, a national chain of drive-in restaurants, is located DIRECTLY across the street from a place that is the inspiration to that chain's whole existence. To be fair, Ray's has a sit-down space inside which is decidedly large and clean. So, if you're not looking to eat in the car, you're OK. The food is typical middle-American standard fare: burgers and fries. They do some chicken dishes, and other things, but you've seen it all before. The food is good, I'll give them that, and the atmosphere inside is nostalgic and clean. I think they serve beer, so that's a plus. read more

Scrolled through the reviews and didn't know if we wanted to eat here or not. Some loved it (5 stars). Others said slow/rude service, cold food, tasteless food (4-1 stars). But we wanted a local place and thought we'd roll the food dice. So, the booth we set down in needed the table cleaned ( I wiped it off with a napkin). Oh no was my first thought this is going to be a disaster. You have to order and pay at the register. We ordered the bacon cheese burger, mayo and grilled onions, burger cut into, a chefs salad with ranch dressing, an extra plate and two medium drinks. Our bill totaled, with taxes 15.88. It didn't take long for the food to arrive ( they brought ours and some others but sometimes they called names) but what surprised me was it was all in paper and styrofoam on a tray. Then I remembered they have car hops, like Sonic does. The chefs salad was ok. Lettuce, tomato, cheese, ham and one egg in a large styrofoam bowl. Plastic utensils and Ken's ranch in a container. The burger was TREMENDOUSLY GOOD, JUICY, GREAT TASTE!!! I couldn't believe it and was so glad. So, while nothing about the place says "eat here for the best burger ever", I will. read more

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Super good!!! I live in Oklahoma and came down here to visit my family. Tried this place for the first time and absolutely LOVED it!!! Super cute place and the food is great and pretty cheap. The double meat burgers were great! And the Texas toothpicks were awesome! The onion rings are also very sweet and good. The fries are good but even a large fry doesn't come with very many. Just a heads up. But, all in all definitely a great place to eat. Super yummy and I will definitely be coming back. read more

Mom and I got the breakfast sandwiches, which were very good. Want to go back for the huge burgers for lunch or dinber. Dining room filled up with firemen before we left which is a sure sign of good food! read more

Rays Drive In - A real diner with cowhide covered stools and marked off parking spaces for motorcycles. - New American Near Me - Lufkin, Texas

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Wow. Great Cheeseburger and i even ordered Onion Rings, which I usually don't like. But, yeah a must stop in Lufkin. read more

Man! Who knew Lufkin was slanging homemade burgers. It wasn't me...I know now. First of all shout out to this establishment for taking orders up to 5 minutes before close. Most places would have been like nope we are done, but this place epitomizes southern hospitality. Our carhop was sweet as bourbon pecan pie! She graciously took our order and did her best to satisfy a when we were unhappy with one of our items. So we ordered the regular cheeseburger with mustard instead of mayo and a side of onion rings. My grandmother passed away almost two years ago, but I couldn't help looking into the kitchen of this place to see if she was back there ‍. Yes...it was THAT good. All I can say is it tastes like someone's granny is back there kissing and hugging each patty prior to grilling it. The rings, however, are another story. Thinly sliced just like I like them, but just not hitting any notches on the flavor scale. It was definitely NOT going down in flavor town with those rings. Yuck! Next time I head to Shreveport I WILL be detouring for another burger. I'll just get my rings from the King of Catfish. My apologies but we devoured the thing before I could get a pic‍ read more

Have to honestly say I'm starting to love this place, and I seem to keep visiting every time I'm in Lufkin. They can really get the GOOD food out quick. Stopped in at lunch time on a Saturday. The place was packed, and I was afraid there would be a long wait. NOT the case! The food came out quick and it was delicious. Yes, you pay a little extra, but you are getting a lot of GOOD food. read more

A very nostalgic place. The burger was very good and the atmosphere is nice. You can order from the car and the car hop will bring your order or go inside and enjoy the scenery. The staff was very friendly. read more

Rays Drive In - Have a sea!! - New American Near Me - Lufkin, Texas

Stopped in for lunch after finding this place on yelp. I got the jr bacon cheeseburger and tots. The burger was delicious, very fresh with great beef and very fresh fixin's. The tots were a bit generic though and tasted slightly of fish. Not sure if they even serve fish here but they tasted a bit like they were fried in the same oil fish was fried in. I will for sure stop in again for another burger someday when in town but may go for the fries or onion rings next time. I saw several people eating the onion rings and they looked very good. read more

I didn't have any problems with this place but I wasn't impressed by the food. However I will say the fries were good and the waiting service to your car is nice. FYI the Ray's special burger is huge, like bigger than a big mac. Also I was hoping I'd see what another reviewer mentioned which was a vanilla coke drink, but it wasn't on the menu. read more

Pretty good. It's all basic American food. The chicken patty was too small for the bun. read more

Rays Drive In - We out here - New American Near Me - Lufkin, Texas

Fresh,and made the way I ordered...cookies a little expensive....but average price for two people is 16-17 read more

Rays Drive In - New American Near Me - Lufkin, Texas

We are from out of town and decided to visit Ray's after looking on Yelp. This is literally a drive in place where you order from your vehicle. Our server was so nice and made us feel at ease. We ordered a hamburger/fries and cheeseburger/onion rings. The burgers were great! Very tasty! We also loved the onion rings. They seemed like they were freshly made. All in all, this dining experience was a win for us! Highly recommend! read more

The fish is amazing wild have got five stars but the staff is kind of rude- onion rings not good- but get the catfish

The fires are ALWAYS NEVER HOT JUST LUKE WARM ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:) when you ask for fresh fries that's act as if it's a problem and really preference not to honor your request‍ The burgers are great and the fish is amazing . The biggest issue is cold THIN onion rings and Luke warm fries, which is totally unacceptable in place like that. read more

This was the perfect stop on my drive from Shreveport to Houston. Was looking for something other than a chain restaurant and yelp led me straight to this hidden gem. A good old-fashion drive-in. You pull up and a real person comes out to your car to take your order. No talking to a box. You can also eat inside and feel like you've stepped back to a different era. Clean, friendly staff and awesome food. What more could you ask for? read more

Rays is definitely one of the best burgers I've ever had! It is not greasy, it's quick, and very reasonably priced. The restaurant is newly renovated and has nice patio seating outside, and also has a drive in option available. Aside from everything else though you just can't beat a Rays burger! (and no complaints on the onion rings either) read more

Rays Drive In - New American Near Me - Lufkin, Texas

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Great local fair, Love their Burgers , Rays Special with grilled Onions. a Lufkin Tradition. Monthly Old Car and Bike Night. Now serving Beer! For something really unexpected, try the Trout Basket! read more

Decided to stop by while visiting. We ordered several burgers for the family. I had the jalapeño burger in which the jalapeños were not spicy. The consensus is that the burgers lacked flavor and the portion size of the fries was not good. The fries were also cold. The only positive experience was the price. read more