In midland and wanted some nice Italian food. I'd not heard of this place but it came up on yelp. My brother ordered the lobster ravioli, and I had the linguini with shrimp and clams in the white sauce. We also had calamari for an appetizer. My brother said he enjoyed the ravioli but that it was a bit salty and definitely not freshly made (let's keep our expectations realistic bc this is midland after all)...the linguini was excellent though and had plenty of clams. I chose the limoncello dessert and it was awesome. The service was ok and I'm adding a star for the amazing, strong brewed iced tea! Lol! My favorite way to tea. read more

See all

Very good food and service. Clean restaurant and friendly employees. Locals and neighborhood favorite. Lots of regulars. Great place family friendly. read more

Food was amazing service was top notch. Ray greeted us at the door. Highly recomend and I will be back 5 stars all the way around. Bravo read more

Rays Italian Bistro - Fresh rolls - Italian Near Me - Midland, Texas

See all

Recommendations: - Shrimp scampi imperiale - Fried calamari *** I wouldn't trust all the menu pricing on yelp, it's out dated and it seem like Ray's change their prices often*** In a rush but felt Italian so I stopped by Ray's to see what the reviews were about. Called in 30 min prior for a take out, they told me it'll be ready in 20 min and good to go. I arrived at around 3 where no customer was present to find out my food wasn't ready yet. Not a big deal but would prefer my food ready when I'm there in person for a pick up. Let's just start with 'the food were great'. Pasta(Shrimp scampi imperiale) I had was buttery with garlic and the taste just melted in my mouth. Shrimps well made just couldn't have enough of those. Calamari great, wasn't just fried, it was seasoned nicely and was garnished with some kind of cheese but dont take my word for it, just try it. I wasn't able to touch my calamaris for another 30 min after take out so it had a slight soggyness to it(so I recommend take out on that). Ray's restaurant had a little classy but casual look to it so anyone could go and enjoy their food. Price might surprise some but I'd say it's well worth the price. read more

Rays Italian Bistro - Shrimp scampi imperiale & Fried calamari - Italian Near Me - Midland, Texas

Pretty disappointed, this place had a solid 4 star rating, but it wasn't nearly a 4 star experience. The food took 2:15 minutes to come out to us; we finally just asked for them to plate it into to go boxes before it even reached our table. They also weren't serving pizzas that night which was odd. After all that wait it was mediocre. Won't be going back. read more

Excellent mid-priced Italian eatery. Veal Jerusalem is fantastic. Great staff. Nice atmosphere.

This was our first time coming to this charming little bistro, but it will most definitely not be our last. We arrived around 6, and even though we didn't have reservations, we were seated right away. The host made some jokes with the kids while we were being seated We only waited a few minutes for our drinks order to be taken, and another couple of minutes for the order to arrive and our meal choices to be taken. We had the bruschetta appetizer, which was delivered within 10-15 minutes of ordering. The bread was nice and crispy, and the tomatoes and basil on top were flavorful. I had the "Steak on a rock". They brought out a 10 oz filet mignon on a hot rock to cook the meat on. Years ago, we had this in Europe and were told to put salt on the rock to keep the meat from sticking. Being prepared to do so again, it was a nice surprise to see they had pre-salted it for us. It was served with a mushroom wine sauce, homemade fettuccine pasta and broccoli. My daughter had the spaghetti, which they brought her a child-size portion of, and tasted pretty good. My son had the grilled chicken, which was also served with the homemade fettuccine and broccoli. The chicken had a really good grill flavor to it. My son is a pretty picky eater, but seemed to enjoy this. The staff was very friendly and helpful. My son asked our waiter several questions about the food before making his decision, and he answered all of them in the same friendly manner. The bistro itself isn't very large, but tastefully decorated. It is BYOB, so we'll make sure to bring a bottle to have with the delicious food. By the time we were leaving a small line had started to form of people to be seated so best to go either early or call ahead for a reservation. read more

See all

Food was great but that's not the reason I am writing this review. We arrived at 5:40 and didn't receive our food till an hour and a half later, after expressing our concerns to our waitress she was very helpful; however, Ray, the owner, was not. He was not professional at all and seemed to tend towards a certain crowd if you know what I am suggesting. After inquiring about our food for a second time he finally came and talked to us, after speaking to him he chuckled at our concerns and went to go chat it up with other customers. I wouldn't return. read more

Always great service and food. Family enjoys after Sunday services. Highly recommend.

Food is good, but service is awful, I was waiting for 40 min to pick up my order and had to cancel it.

Great food and wonderful service . Loved the lemon butter salmon . The dinner salad with the creamy Italian dressing is wonderful

Loved food , great service and nice setting would definitely go back for lunch or dinner

I'd give the food 3.5 stars but the female manager I'd give her 1 star for her attitude. Food prices are high and I get it but $15 for shrimp scampi with only 4 shrimp???? read more

Great little find in Midland. In a small strip center & outsideedoesn't look like much, but inside, it looks like a quaint Italian wine bistro. Rays has a very extensive menu including, veal, chicken, seafood, beef & various pastas. The portions are very large & easily shareable. The homemade garlic roles are delicious-light & fluffy. My friend and I had the Capellini Pomodoro & the Veal Marsala. Both were excellent. Additionally, we both had mozzarella & tomato caprese salad. Again, large enough to share-the mozzarella tasted homemade. Service was great too-food was out in less than 10 minutes & prices very reasonable. Highly recommend & plan on eating here again when in town. read more

We love this restaurant and come here almost weekly. The service and ambiance are great. this is out favorite pizza place in Midland, wether for dine in or take out. Also really like the pastas. Have order multiple times the carbonara and the "la Rosa", both delicious. read more

Great food! Nice staff! The restaurant is very family friendly . Ray, the owner, is a great chief and gentleman

Literally the best Italian food in the permian basin. I have never had a single bite there that wasn't amazing. We've had chicken parmagiana, chicken piccata, pizza, salads, and my favorite- their calzone. It isn't on the menu, but Ray okays an order for it every time we call. THE BEST. You can feel the love and skill put into every batch of dipping oil for the bread, bread from scratch, marinara sauce, homemade noodles. Cannot go wrong with Rays- no matter what you end up ordering! And he has employed a great staff. Thank you for bringing your skill to Midland, Ray! read more

Great food! The 4 cheese pizza and chicken alfredo were delicious! The 4 cheese pizza was absolutely the best cheese pizza I have ever had! The service was excellent! Our server was especially accommodating! We had a very nice table in the back of the restaurant. Looking forward to next visit to Ray's Italian Bistro. read more

This is not the first time we place an order for pick up... They say it will be ready is 30 minutes but 1.5 hours later, you're still waiting. The pizza toppings slid of the pizza so we basically had to scrape it off one end and push it onto the slices. The fettuccine alfredo sauce was bland and watery.... And... They didn't put our salad in the bag. I can't believe we spent money.. again... for a mediocre meal. Lesson learned... We won't be back and I'll tell friends not to bother!!! read more

Extreme disappointment. My party was there Fridsy night at 7:30 Service was bad! 10 minutes for drink order to be taken 15 more to get most drinks ( they ran out of clean glasses so 2people in our party had an additional 10 min wait another 10 or do to even place our order. An hour wait for entrees which were good but not the quality we expected. Kitchen was too busy doing take out pizza to handle the in house crowd. Yes they were busy but over all we are reluctant to go back from what we considered a good place to eat read more

My dad loves this place but my sisters and I all say it gives us terrible gas. I have doubled over with pain after eating here.

I was really surprised how good this Midland Italian eatery is. As far as curb appeal, there isn't too much to get excited about pulling in but the food is excellent. The atmosphere inside is warm and inviting. I was eating alone so I can't comment on the acoustics for conversation, however, tHere were a few loud talkers but you'll have that just about anywhere these days. I selected the veal parmigiana and it came with a side of spaghetti. The veal was tender, lightly breaded and covered with ample cheese. The marinara is very complex, flavorful and was a compliment to both. They serve warm bread with seasoned olive oil dipping sauce ahead of the entree that could be a meal alone. I was unpleasantly surprised that this was a BYOB place but not a deal killer. Just be aware if you prefer a nice Chianti with your pasta you'll have to bring it with you. The service was pretty pedestrian. My sever wasn't rude or unpleasant, just not overly engaging. I asked about house specials and had very little feedback. This also isn't an automatic 1-star rating in this world of perpetually offended. I enjoyed the meal very much and still tipped 20%. I'll go back and try the chicken piccata next. read more

Great food and a comfortable homey atmosphere. The pizzas are great on Sunday. Parking can be a bit limited.

This restaurant is packed at all hours of the day for a good reason. Ray's is a true family Italian place. No fancy items, just simple done right food. I go to Ray's at least once a week. Whether it's his pizzas, pastas, or you ant to chow down a steak, Ray's is the place to be. When you go here, know that the owner cares about his customers, and when he's around, the place operates really well. These are good people, making great food. I hope Ray's stays here forever. read more

Best Italian food in Midland, Texas. Ray's has some of the best pizza in town as well as their pasta dishes. Frankly everything is good here. The food, fast service, and friendly employees make the difference! read more

My wife has eaten lunch here several times and said it was really good so she suggested we try it for dinner. I wasn't real impressed when we got there. You wait to be seated. We waited and waited and nobody even acknowledged we were there. More people started coming in so the waiting area was getting crowded. My wife told a waitress we were going to pick a table to free up some room. The waitress acted like she didn't have any idea what we were talking about. My wife even had to go get menus for us. But it got lots better from there. Our waitress really was pretty good. It is a small restaurant but really nice. You can dress casual or dress up. It is intimate enough for a nice date or a good place for a group to have some fun. I got chicken parmigiana and my wife got eggplant parmigiana. Mine was excellent. She must have really liked hers because she ate it all. It definitely isn't one of those chain restaurants. The sauce was just right - not too tomatoy. I cleaned my plate, plus ate some stuffed mushrooms, plus a salad, plus some bread. Wow am I stuffed - but very happy we came here. I will recommend this place highly. read more

Ray's is a popular go to for my group, as they are very accommodating for large parties and our constant need to BYOB. The food is excellent, portions can be a bit small, but the flavors are great! I've had several pasta dishes and appetizers and have not been disappointed yet. Some dishes are overpriced, but expected in West Texas. The garlic bread is amazing, always warm and with plenty of oil/balsamic vinegar. And they are very vigilant to empty bread bowls. The service is great, the staff is always so friendly and inviting and very interested in our experience. Like I said, it's BYOB so they are so kind to keep opening our multitude of wine choices. I would definitely recommend this place! read more

Food is excellent. Great pizza and pasta dishes that won't disappoint. Chicken piccata is our go to!

My boyfriend and I came for the first time, he got the baked cheese ravioli with a side of meatballs and was super good the sauce was excellent. I got the chicken and shrimp with lobster wine sauce and the shrimp was sour it was not good and made my whole plate smell bad. read more

We love Rays. The staff is friendly and the food comes out pretty quick. It is bring your own wine, they will open your bottle and provide glasses for your table. I would recommend making reservations for dinner if you go on the weekend. read more

Food was delicious and filling , my favorite place in midland so far!!! Will definitely be coming back with a bottle of wine!

I don't have any idea what happened to Ray's. It used to be our favorite place. We went in the other night and the service was terrible our food took 45 minutes and came out cold. Then we got our check and was charged $10 for the waiter to uncork our wine. I don't know if a new manager came in but they need to get back to the way it was before and that was great service got food and not waiting for it for almost a hour. Will definitely go to Venezia from now on. read more

This place was REALLY good. BUT we go & order a chicken marsala & a cockroach was in it. BE CAREFUL if you go! check your food! read more

Rays Italian Bistro - Italian Near Me - Midland, Texas

See all

Eat Italian in town!! You can't beat the price either. Entrees are around $12-14. I love this place because it's BYOB. Might need to make a reservation on Friday or Saturday night but most of the time you won't have to wait that long. read more

Rays Italian Bistro - Chicken Romano - Italian Near Me - Midland, Texas

A great place, atmosphere inside is warm and the food was good. They use a lot of sauce in their dishes if that's your thing. Bringing our own bottle of wine saved a bunch of money which we spent on really good appetizers. read more

I can't recommend this place enough!! The staff is wonderful & the food is amazing. The restaurant itself was extremely clean and well taken care of. read more

Love this place. The food, the service, the ambiance are fantastic. Everything is fresh. Ray is an amazing American success story.

This is our go to Italian restaurant in Midland. Everything is so fresh and great quality. Favorites are chicken Parmesan and pizza! I would much rather go here than Olive Garden. The food is better, cheaper, and local. read more

One of the best places to eat. The food is always good. Service is great too. My only suggestion is that the host should instruct the obnoxious patrons to lower their voices while eating there. read more

Very disappointed- just got a xl pepperoni pizza and spent nearly $20 it was ridiculously salty and couldn't be eaten. Called them and they said well that's how they fix it and they would not do anything about it! read more