Visited Ray's with three college chums on yesterday to celebrate a birthday and have an in-person lunch. The servers Jake and Jeremy were great! I ordered the Lobster Roll. It was quite a disappointment. The lobster pieces were too soft and the roll had no pizazz--just dipped in melted butter. The Parmesan fries and Caesar salad were excellent. They need to work on the Lobster Roll to give it a sauce (New England style) so that it has better eye and taste appeal. read more

Had a wonderful Lobster dinner with friends. Amber took great care of us! Delightful atmosphere. We will definitely return

I was in this place for my girlfriend's birthday and it was a good experience, since we went to the table they were very friendly, and I appreciate it, the food very delicious, the waiter was bad and I want to assume that it was his first days or something like that, but the place and the food very very good! I recommend it, we will return and we hope not to be served by the same waiter. read more

Ray's On the River - Seafood Near Me - Sandy Springs, Georgia

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I definitely will be back here when I visit the ATL! If you get the luck of being hosted by Yancy, his recommendations will not disappoint. Thank you Yancy for a wonderful dinner for a first timer at this gem of a restaurant by the river read more

The service was slow when you asked for something like ranch it came about 8 to 10 minutes after you asked, that means my calamari was cold. My steak order was wrong i ordered medium well but it came medium rare, they took it back and cooked the same stake over, that makes it dry because all the juices have come out of it. Then they didn't bring back my backed potato so I had to wait 10 minutes for that to come. There were a few more problems the drinks were bad the coke was bad the pineapple margarita was to strong nothing but straight alcohol , if I wanted straight alcohol I would have ordered a shot. Overall experience was less than what I expected. It's a good chance I won't return. read more

Absolutely perfect!!! The food was great, the restaurant was amazing! Our server, Austin, was completely incredible! If we could put 6 out of 5 stars for him, we would!!! His recommendations were spot on!! read more

Absolutely the best spot so far in Atlanta. Why? View: Just plain gorgeous; restaurant and the landscape. Service: Ryan was professional and very nice. Food: Perfect; Pimento Cheese Poppers and then Shrimp & Grits...best ever. And they have live jazz... I will be back...my favorite place in ATL. read more

WOW, what happened to r-o-t-r ??? slow svce & a cowboy steak loaded w/salt,,, certainly NOT what we've always experienced there,,, even the accompanying mushrooms were dried out,,, maybe a new kitchen staff or someone's 70th b-day party overloaded them,,, table of 4 next to us were complaining re their lobster specials - tough. all restaurants experience burps now & then,,, waiter, daniel, was pleasant enough while mike, the manager du soir, had his hands full last nite,,, nevertheless, no one in the back was supporting the front probably be some time before we return if ever read more

This restaurant went from a 5-star to 2-star restaurant, and it breaks my heart. Why two stars? Because the only excellent things were the scenic seating and the food. Ray's has been our go-to restaurant for special occasions and celebrations for numerous years. However, on May 15, 2021, we experienced the worst possible service. We arrived on time for our reservation and waited 30 minutes to be seated. I was perplexed as to why and the hostess did not explain. After seating, our server came over and said he would inform us about the Specials. The breadbasket presentation resembles a chain restaurant breadbasket. Not the elegant presentation Ray's is known. My party had to ask for everything they need. Examples include removing dirty dishes from the table, filling of water glasses, more drinks, etc. Also, he NEVER told us what the specials were. We were a party of 5; therefore, there is an automatic 18% gratuity added. By the way, I am a 20-25% tipper and for good service would have added the additional percentage. But the attitude of our server was two-fold. He knew he had 18% of $500 coming, and Two, he did not realize TIPS is an old English acronym that means TO INSURE PROMPT SERVICE. We decided going forward we will find another restaurant for celebration. I am disappointed because this experience forces me to Buckhead for the level of service on which Ray's On the River's reputation is built. How sad!! read more

A great place to take the wife for our anniversary. Ray's is great has a great locations and seating was amazing.

It was a gorgeous day so we were able to sit outside. The food was delicious and the service was great.

Dined early evening ...Service and most of the food was wonderful...filet was severely overcooked and dry...Server offered to return it, but would have skewed pacing of the meal...Expected some reduction in price...none offered...was surprised! read more

Great ambiance for date night, birthday, or nice dinner!! customer service & food was amazing

You are really paying for the view. I remember better food back in the 90s. I decided to take my new hubby there for Valentine's Day Sunday buffet. I was not impressed as the price was 42.00 pp, when I remember it use to be 25.00 back then. The silverware was dirty and had to ask twice. The table rocked which was unnerving. The buffet is now moved to the small part of the bar and it was a lot smaller, even though our waitress said they added 100 items to it... hmmm where did they go? No more bagels and no more ice cream sundaes. The shrimp cocktail had mold in the taste maybe due to The ice machine? As it sits on ice. Some pieces had mold taste some didn't. The omelet chef gave me a egg omelet when I had asked for egg whites. I don't like to see wasted food so I took it:( I have to have low sodium menu items. There was only one sausage type and it wasn't good. A lot of fried stuff. Prime rib was good but not spectacular. I asked for the au jus but chef said there wasn't any as the kitchen is limited.the raisin bread was good! So was the crab cake balls. Was a waste of money for a lot of bread. Desserts didn't look appezitzing either. There was no pasta carbonara any more. Sad. I am a great music lover , but the music was very limited and played only one genre of it. What's up with that!.!?! read more

Dinner was amazing. Maurice was wonderful. Very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu.

They make a huge commitment to service -- maybe even a little over the top. Food was excellent. I had the Ginger Soy Tuna and Anne had the Chilean Sea Bass -- both perfectly cooked. Very nice location and atmosphere. We were underdressed as we were traveling but they made us feel comfortable nevertheless. You won't go wrong here. read more

Service was excellent and the food was even better!! We came here last night which was a Friday night. We had reservations for 8:15pm and we were seated with no problems. The ambiance was nice and romantic. There was a live band closer to the bar area playing familiar tunes and then more serene and relaxing music near the dining room. The dining room area is situated right next to the river (hence the name). There are nice big windows in this area of the restaraunt that allows you a perfect view of river while you dine. Very beautiful. The wait staff was very professional and efficient. I had the Canadian cold water twin lobster tails, which were cooked to perfection. The macaroni and cheese was not so good in my opinion...not as flavorful as I would have liked. The margarita that I ordered was smooth and very good, no complaints. If you happen to dine in with kids, there are children's options available. The options are: Hamburger, Fried Shrimp, Pasta or Chicken tenders... All served with fries. The kids menu is not printed, but definitely an option. The kids portion is very generous. All in all I enjoyed my experience at this location and would definitely recommend it!! read more

Food: Everything we had from food and drinks was delicious. Everyone in my party ordered different things, and they were all good. I had the Parmesan Crusted Scallops. It was delicious, and the lobster risotto it comes with has lots of lobsters. The combo was just a little rich, in my opinion. Ray's also has my new favorite cocktail, Pama's Cup. Service: Even though we had a reservation, we were told it would be a little late and asked if we'd like to wait at the bar. We did and ordered drinks, but before they came our table was ready. The server made sure our drinks made it to our new table. The server was knowledgeable about the menu, but was clearly very busy and wasn't able to devote enough to time to each of his tables. However, there were multiple prom groups there who did not seem acquainted with nicer restaurants, so they were slowing service down considerably. Overall, Ray's on the River is great but not the best place I've ever eaten in the area. read more

Went there for Sunday brunch and left so disappointed!! I heard so many great things about this place! I was excited for brunch. Was celebrating a friends birthday and I expected the brunch to be much better. The quality of food was disappointing . Everything in the brunch buffet was cold and dried out. There were no bowls for the soup and I asked multiple people for them and nobody grabbed one for me. Overall the food was subpar. Nothing special. On the plus side. Hostesses we're welcoming and very friendly. We were seated promptly. Service was pretty good and the view was fantastic. Would like to return and check out dinner at Rays. Hopefully the food will be better ! read more

My boyfriend and I went here Saturday night and had a great time. We were about 20 minutes early for our 7:15pm reservations so we sat the bar and ordered a drink before we sat down. My boyfriend wanted to try out their Old Fashioned drink and it was amazing, we recommend it! The hostess sat us within 10 minutes and I requested a table outside to overlook the river. They were able to accommodate us. Our server (Justin) was very attentive and seemed knowledgeable about the drinks and menu. I got the surf and turf, lobster tail and filet mignon cooked medium. Lobster tail was amazing! Highly recommend, they cut it out and place it on top of the tail which I appreciate. The filet was good as well, but a tad too medium rare on one side. We also got a shareable side of mac and cheese which was delicious (definitely get it!). Skip the tomato bisque soup, it was like a spicy marinara in my opinion. The caesar salad was super good though! We had the brownie sundae sundae for dessert which was a perfect sweet treat at the end of our meal. Thank you! read more

We ate here yesterday for Thanksgiving and had the buffet. What a huge disappointment! They charged $50 apiece. We got there at 5 for our reservation. There weren't any sweet potatoes of any kind. This at a southern Thanksgiving dinner! I was told they had already run out of stuffing also although about halfway through the meal a waiter brought me a tiny bowl of something that faintly resembled stuffing and tasted like dry cardboard. Very few types of dessert. Turkey in gravy watery. My Tanqueray and tonic wasn't Tanqueray although they didn't tell me that. Just served basic gin and passed it off as the name brand. All in all a very bad experience and one never to be repeated. Thanks for ruining Thanksgiving Ray's!!! read more

There's little I can add that wouldn't echo the other reviewers who went to Ray's for Thanksgiving 11/23/17. For ATL natives like myself, this was NOT the Ray's we know and love. I've been to the Sunday brunches since the 1980's and they were always a treat. Yesterday was as far from that as possible. As others have said, they were out of advertised items by late afternoon. As far as the food they DID have, half the stations were empty of key items most of the time. There were people queuing up repeatedly for things like prime rib and turkey that just never appeared. In their favor, the wait staff was pleasant and the manager made the rounds to apologize to unhappy diners, which was most of us. However, around 8 pm, I overheard a couple of employees saying "well, technically, we closed 10 minutes ago, so a lot of the stuff is over." People were still being seated at this point. To sum up, I think Golden Corral or it's ilk would've done a much better job. If Ray's wants to keep it's loyal patrons, they should consider offering refunds or vouchers for yesterday's debacle. Very sad to see an ATL institution descend into such a poor experience. UPDATE 12/1/17: Since our Thanksgiving experience, the management has responded and taken full responsibility for the problems, which means a lot to us. Again, this was NOT the typical Ray's experience and I have no doubt that they'll work hard to avoid its recurrence. To that end, I'm changing my rating to three stars. UPDATE 3/11/2018 We went back to Ray's for Sunday Brunch. THIS was classic Ray's. Perfect and delicious. Hats off to mgr Naison. Four stars now. read more

My husband and I made a reservation here for our 3 year anniversary. We came all the way from Savannah. This was by far the best food we have had since moving to Georgia in 2016. The service was too notch!! I have already recommended this place to everyone I know for when they are in Atlanta. We will definitely come here again the next time we are in town. Best food and service in the state! read more

My friend and I had the best experience at Ray's. Dillion was fantastic and the manager was so attentive throughout our dining experience. The tuna poke was amazing and oysters were the best I've had in a while. My scallops were pretty good- but the lobster risotto made the dish. Would go back for the food, atmosphere, and kind and Attentive service!! read more

We recently visited for Sunday brunch. I'll spare the already known details... beautiful location, valet parking, nice interior albeit a bit crowded, long-time ATL institution, etc. The brunch layout is in what's normally the bar area with the desserts spilling over to the other side of the bar. It's a large assortment of choices as advertised on their website. While there were some items that were better than others, most of the food was of good quality but prepared and served in a very average and often inconsistent way. Standouts were the omelet station, the chicken and waffles, the French toast and the peel and eat shrimp. Disappointments were the mini crab cakes varying from "mushy" to burned, the ill-carved flank steak (carver, please cut on the bias), the dry and under seasoned chicken tenders and surprisingly, the wilted salad selections. While we were told our 1 p.m. arrival time would coincide with the replenishment and addition of more items, many were not replenished in a timely fashion and the kitchen staff seemed a bit perplexed to the point of inaction. To their credit, the waitstaff was friendly and attentive, refilling beverages and clearing used plates and utensils. The brunch is not cheap by ATL standards running roughly $43 per adult and $21 per child ages 5-10. There was an unlimited Mimosa offering for $16 but all other cocktails, wine and beer were offered at regular prices. The brunch is very popular so it's smart to make a reservation. In summary, it was just an "Ok" experience. With more attention to food preparation and serving, it could be much better. read more

The service was amazing and the food was great! Crab cakes were so delicious. We also had the lemon butter cake with ice cream and blueberry. 10/10 highly recommended for birthday or date night read more

I've been going to Rays's on the River for over 30 years, and have always left extremely happy with the food, and service. Sunday, March 31st was different. We were a party of four who was celebrating my 65th birthday. Everything was fine except for our waitress (yellow nail polish), and the shellfish. Our waitress was very unprofessional, and had to be reminded several times to bring us items that we had requested, such as water, and condiments for my coffee. We had to ask someone else who promptly brought the items that we requested. The crab legs were very tough and freezing cold. They definitely were not fresh. The oysters were warm...that is a bad song for raw shellfish. Although there were a lot of items to chose from on the buffet, shellfish was one of the reasons we choose to eat there. read more

Amazing!!!! The food was delicious. Actually delicious is an understatement. Our waiter made everything sound like it was heaven when he was explaining the specIal. We had this loaded plate as an appetizer. It included shrimp, lobster meat, oysters, chicken and some other stuff. I was full before my dinner arrived. I ordered the salmon that came with potatoes and a vegetable. It was cooked to perfection. The ambiance, the staff and the food was perfect. I will definitely return. The prices are a bit high, but it is totally worth it. read more

So I wanted to try something new today so I decided to take myself on a date to Rays On The River and sadly, I won't be back.. I came around 3pm and there was only a couple of tables in the restaurant. The entire time I was there I felt ignored by my servers, Lynn & Mike. I thought it was strange I had two servers checking on me but they only came once every 15 minutes.... I don't know if it was just me being alone or just this restaurant has lackluster service. Even the hostess, was very unfriendly and I almost didn't want to eat here but I decided to stay because I wanted the new experience. But both Lynn and Mike, walked past me many times, didn't check to see if I needed extra condiments, water refills nor another drink. I literally had to flag them down just to get another glass of water and my check. Very lackluster performance... maybe I went at the wrong time or maybe this is just how the service is at this restaurant. Although the reviews look nice online from my research, this restaurant is not the same when you visit in person. read more

We had a family dinner for my mom's birthday and it was wonderful! Great atmosphere and staff.

The food never fails. I had the horseradish encrusted grouper...like butter! Tender and tasty. I also had the lobster bisque (found a few shell pieces) and a salad. I love the champagne vinaigrette. It was my birthday and our server, Derek, who was awesome by the way, brought complimentary desserts. We usually get a booth, but sat at a riverside table this time. The tables are too close for private conversations...and it was very cold at our table. I noticed other women with wraps....I needed one. Overall, it was a great celebration dinner. read more

Reyes was offering a valentine brunch on Sunday, February 12. I drove all the way from Charlotte North Carolina to eat this fancy brunch with my sister for her birthday. This brunch was advertised on their website along with a special February Valentine's Day dinner on February 14. Buffay was supposed to be open from 11 until three with lots of good stuff to eat! We got there at noon and they were just opening the restaurant. They started seating people at about 12:15 PM and there was NO BUFFET!!!!! This was the only reason I came up for the weekend from North Carolina. The waiter apologized for the website. Even though this was a fresh ad with a list of everything on the buffet. We ended up eating off of the menu in a freezing, cold restaurant! Much more expensive than intended, and they did not have much of a choice for lunch. Slack! Very slack! Very disappointing! Even though the food was good. I was not expecting to pay $25 just for shrimp and grits. I was there for the advertised and not available! What a letdown! This was my sister's favorite restaurant, and she will never go back again! They were very vague in their answers about the ads on the website. read more

TERRIBLE SERVICE! We waited forever to get greeted after we sat down. We waited forever to get drinks. The waiter was chatting excessively to two other tables. We finally just got up and left because we were waiting for so long. This place has gone downhill over the last few years. We will not be going back. read more

This review is based on Host experince and thier attitude. We have eaten here other times and bar is always great spot for drinks and music. They are strict on dress code and hostess' attitude made for an unpleasant experience that turned us away from wanting to return. read more

Chris is amazing! We had so much fun with him and his discription of the dishes. I came to rays for a quiet night but I didn't realize I was expecting something fun. He got me out of my Comfort zone and I tried something I typically wouldn't eat and it was incredible. I highly recommend Chris! I wish I could have Chris everywhere I go to eat. He's amazing read more

My wife and I came to Rays to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary! And we were not disappointed. Upon entering the restaurant we met a lovely couple celebrating their 50 year wedding anniversary! And they such positive things to say about their night at Rays. It was an amazing start to an awesome night. Filled with good music, food, and atmosphere. read more

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Enjoyed the expert with the exception that my dessert was not included in my to go bag. Left a message and no one answered my call

Received certificate as a Birthday gift so I dined here after not doing so for many years. Well it's been a while and things have changed a bit. We had a nice meal (broiled seafood platter) and (crab cakes). Service: It was apparent to me that our server (Julian) was not well trained. We experienced an over a 30 minute wait time for our meals, without ever being told why. When our server finally came over to our table (never filled water, or asked if we would like more drinks) and I questioned the delay, his response was "well at least the food is good". WRONG, there are many restaurants in Atlanta with great food and great service. I realize Ray's has been here for a long time but competition is stiff with all the new Chefs opening restaurants in this market. We had to flag down the server to request dessert menus so again, service seemed less than desirable. Aviance: Upon entering there was a live band playing and this seemed much too loud for this type of restaurant. Also it seems many of guests were very casually dressed. Like I mentioned, it's been a long time and it seems the restaurant has gone into a different direction. read more

I've only visited Ray's twice, both times for their brunch buffet. My first visit in 2016 for my birthday was much better than my visit on Mother's Day 2018. They had trouble keeping the buffet replenished, resulting in long lines and the food wasn't warm. The omelette station was the best part, but for the price I expected a better selection of food. There used to be a "wow" factor in going to Ray's for the Sunday brunch and that is no longer the case. My mom enjoyed the ambiance, as that was her first time there, but we won't be returning. This is Atlanta and there are just too many options for brunch that offer great food and great ambiance. On a positive note, our wait staff was very attentive and friendly and we had a great view of the Chattahoochee. read more

Our private event server, Brian, handled our ever need. He was extremely attentive and patient, catering to any and every request we had. I will absolutely return in the future and demand Brian handle our party needs. read more