Two words "da best" NY pizza here in OC. Good prices better food and the proprietors are the nicest people. You get a feeling of them welcoming you to their house for a meal. Also tried the spaghetti with meat sauce and it's pretty good. Pasta cooked perfectly, meat sauce didn't have a lot of meat so I would get the meatballs instead next time. With that being said I would still recommend them. read more

We stumbled onto this small pizza place by accident . The place is small & casual but there are outdoor tables. We loved the crispy thin crusts in our pepperoni pizza. The price is amazing- the special provides 2 slices of pizza and a soft drink for the "huge sum" of $6.00. This may not be the choice for the "crust" man, but I love them thin and crispy. read more

So the pizza is really good. SERVERS SUCK ASS. The cashier was a complete douchebag and I won't stand for it. Honestly really good Pizza but would not come back because of how I was treated. read more

Ray! Please open you are missed. We've had to try several other pizza places and none compare to yours

The BEST pizza I've ever had, friendly people, delicious, i literally come here every week it's that good. If you're looking for great quality, delicious pizza this is the place to go! read more

Just wanted to compliment the service. Every order taken at the counter has started with Hello/Welcome and ended with Thank You. Not something I encounter as much nowadays. Every customer is treated kindly and given full attention. Customers range from some that know their order before they walk in, to some that have many questions, to some that are translating to friends. All have required varying levels of patience to complete the orders. As soon as a customer finishes eating, the table is wiped clean, ready for the next customer. Refreshing to walk in and find a clean table to use. Again, not something I always encounter. Tasty pizza slice and salad. Good quick bite. read more

This is a not-so-hidden gem. The pizza is crisp and not greasy and really really good. I don't like cheese pizza (it's usually bland) but Ray's has changed my mind!! read more

Closest to real NY style pizza that I can find in So. Cal. The owners are always nice and personable. Good pizza, my whole family likes it.

Reading all the bad reviews makes me sad! I love Ray's pizza. I get everyone has their own opinion but it still makes me sad! I've been going here for a little under 6 years and haven't had a bad experience ever! My boyfriend introduced me to the place hes been going there longer then I have. Ray is always kind to us and usually knows what we want to order (Pepperoni pizza, and garlic bread with coke and dr. pepper). They have speedy service we haven't had to wait long, we always find a place to sit. The food tastes amazing, the cokes (which is a big thing) taste good, because i have had bad fountain drinks. Personally i like the old arcade game machines he has in there. Anytime were in Irvine we try to stop there, even if its to take the pizza to go for the next day. read more

Ray's is awesome. My boyfriend and I love coming here and always get the special, which is two slices and a small soda for 6 bucks. These are big slices of pizza, I usually can only half finish my second slice, and the bf takes care of the remainder. I've tried the pepperoni, plain cheese, sausage, and hawaiian, love em all. Never too greasy, with a really nice thin crust that has a crispy shattery texture when you bite in. The ratio of cheese to sauce is just right (I don't have to pull off excess cheese clumps like sometimes happens at Gina's), and the sauce is nice and savory, it doesn't have that gross sweetness or metallic taste that too many pizza places seem to have. Always piping hot and fresh, usually we have to let the pizza sit a couple minutes because it just came out of the oven. Yum. The store is very small, with a nice big TV that's usually playing sports or MSNBC. They also have some old arcade games, I haven't checked those out because I usually zone out watching soccer. Another nice thing about Ray's is the owner! He remembers everyone and is just the nicest person. read more

Wife wanted a salad and I wanted a pizza so I stopped by here to get some slices to go. Ordered their two slice special (cheese). Thought it was just okay, nothing special. Service wasn't overly friendly either. Would much rather go to Blaze pizza not too far down. read more

I frequent this location and the pizza has never failed to satisfy. Quality NY style pizza and has a great combo 2 slices and soda for less than $8. The owner is also a very nice person. Never waited very long and highly recommend trying! Support your local small businesses!!! read more

The pizza is good New york Style and the people working there are friendly. We are coming they are open again

I used to be regular here and just today I was very dissatisfied with the owner's attitude. I asked for WiFi password because when I turned my wireless network on, it showed me 'Ray's pizza.' I asked him and he responded in very cold and rude way, "I don't have the WiFi." WHICH IS A LIE!! Maybe he should've said the WiFi is for employees or something. Poor attitude dude. Will never come back. read more

Ray's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Irvine, California

Friends have been telling me to try this place for months, but I'm very picky with Pizza and nothing compares to the pizza I had in Queens,NY years ago (other than Original Pizza) in Newport Beach. However this place is much closer to my house and the pizza is awesome! I love the thin crust and tons of cheese that almost slides off when you lift it up. Perfect amount of sauce:cheese ratio and delicious! 2 slices for $5...cheap too! It's a must try! read more

Listen, I love Ray's Pizza. I consistently go out of my way to pick up Ray's, even though there are plenty of pizza shops closer to me. I have no need for anything gourmet about my pizza, so I dislike personal pizza restaurants like Blaze. Ray's offers pizzas in large sizes so that I can feed my whole family. The pizza and sauce are delicious and in perfect ratio, and the pizza is actually seasoned! The customer service is wonderful, all the employees are smiling and friendly. Ray himself is there often and he always remembers us when we come in. We're from the Midwest, and so the genuine experience of having your face recognized makes it feel like home. I pray that Ray's Pizza never closes, because it is my family's favorite pizza place and the best pizza that I have ever tasted. read more

I always come here for great cheap pizza and never leave disappointed. Ray's is perfect for an after class pick-me-up, or for any other time. Cheap. Fast. Flavorful! read more

Great big floppy New York style slices of pizza with very fair prices. Great two slice and soda special for 5 bucks and change. This place has been a mainstay for Anteaters for twenty plus years. Great for a quick lunch or snack! read more

I come in every Saturday morning and Lucy at the front always knows my order. The pizza is always fresh and delicious!

I'm not sure why people compare this to NY pizza, because it's gross. It's doughy with bad sauce. I got this pizza for free and still it cost me too much. Yuck. read more

Well, I have to say my first impression was wrong of this place. The sign boasts "best pizza in Irvine" -- all jokes about Irvine and the relative merits of its cuisine offerings aside, the first time I came here, I was definitely not impressed. The pizza was completely unremarkable, and I thought to myself, if this is the best pizza in Irvine, I want to laugh or cry. But luckily for me and for Ray, I was convinced to come here again. Once a month, my colleagues get together for lunch at the university center, and it's the one time a month I escape from BC's on campus, so I look forward to it. Normally I stick with what I consider the only reliably good restaurant in the center, Le Diplomate, but the wait there is really long at lunch. My colleagues adore Ray's for both the relatively cheap price (only in comparison to the other places in the university center and on campus -- not in the outside real world) and how quick it is to get in and out if you're ordering pizza by the slice at lunch. On this particular day, I was in a hurry and I was low on cash, so Ray's sounded perfect. I wasn't expecting much based on my last experience, but I was surprised to find that the pizza was Hella Good. Maybe because I got 3 slices of cheese pizza during prime lunch hour and it was fresh and piping hot, but I really liked it. The crust was not too thick, not too thin, not too crispy, not too doughy - in essence, the perfect NY pizza. If you get the 2 slices + drink lunch special, it's a good deal. But if you're a pig like me and get 3 slices and a LARGE drink, it'll cost you. Nonetheless, I have to give Ray's props for the good pizza and for serving COKE products (Yay!Yay!Yay!) instead of Pepsi (at UCI, we Diet Coke fiends greatly suffer). However, I must complain that there is a $1 fee for using plastic - I suppose that's better than cash only, but $1 is pretty outrageous, IMO. Between the $1 fee, my extra slice, and my large drink, my bill came out more expensive than if I had gone somewhere else. But since this was the last really good pizza I've had in recent memory, I suppose I can't complain too much. Recommended if you're in the university center. read more

The pizza is greasy and just ok. They also charge you if you use your credit card which is against the master card merchant agreement. http://www.mastercard.com/us/merchant/pdf/BM-Entire_Manual_public.pdf (section 5). read more

Update: I came here a second time during the lunch rush and they were very unorganized. They need a better system of whose food to give to who. Several people after me got their food first. In the end my pepperoni pizza was overcooked and I'm not happy. read more

Best pizza in Irvine!!!! The owner Ray is so kind and generous. The pizza isn't too thick or too thin, just the perfect amount. It's one of a kind I highly recommend! read more

The pizza was ok, not great! Did not have a nice crust and bottom was kind of soggy........will not be going back!

They lost my respect the last week. I was there for their 2 slice special and was given bait-switch BS you'd expect from a car salesman. I wanted 1 pepperoni, 1 hawaiian then the dude said it's $.50 more for hawaiian. I said screw that, give me 2 pepperonis instead. Then he rang it up on the register as $5.39. Sounds right, $5 + tax. Then he asked for here or to go? I said to go, then he promptly rings up the register again for $5.50. I asked him does it cost extra for to-go too? He said no, the price just changed. Then the bastard gives me freakin' $14 back out of a $20. I had to ask for my $.50 change! And those cheap bastards only give you 1 napkin, how the heck are you supposed to wipe the grease off of their paper thin pizza with 1 napkin?! I'm never going back there again. Screw you Ray. read more

Ray's Pizza is the epitome of a family style pizza place. It's delicious, and I feel the quality and kind service are due to the small size of the restaurant. The owner is caring and serves most people that come in. The experience feels personal, it's as simple as that. When I came a few days ago, I split a small Margherita pizza with a friend. Margherita's not on the menu, but the owner was happy to accommodate us. He made it fresh - so fresh that it was too hot to eat for a couple minutes after it was brought to us! The taste was excellent, and the ingredients tasted like quality Ingredients. I have had many wonderful experiences here and will continue to return! read more

The fact that anyone could give this place more than a star makes me think any review on Yelp is BS.. That's how bad this pizza is. The sauce was crap.. The cheese was disgusting. I ordered by the slice, and it was obviously cut from a pizza that had been sitting there all day. Save your money and get one if those Mama Celeste pizzas in the frozen aisle at the grocery store. Tastes exactly the same but a lot cheaper. read more

Ray's pizza is a nice place if you just want to get a pizza and go. There is not a lot of seating and the place looks very old. The food is good, but not amazing. The staff is very friendly and talkative. They are very nice and good at customer service. read more

Not worth it, the large pizza cost us 24 bucks with 3 toppings. I could get 3 large dominos pizzas with 3 toppings for that much and dominos taste much better, the pizza tasted OK not worth the cost, slightly higher quality then the microwavable pizza's. read more

Hands down, the BEST pizza iv'e ever had. Iv'e had many pizzas from different authentic Italian restaurants, but this place beats them all. Best New York Style Pizza around! AND! Affordable at that! read more

If my boyfriend didn't go to UCI, I'd probably never know about this place. My boyfriend was a regular when he was in school and would always order the 2 slices with soda. It's not fancy place. It's probably slightly bigger than our bedroom. The pizza slices are pretty damn huge too. Ray himself is very nice and I think that's what keeps us coming back here. You just want to spend your money here instead of being raped by the man at chain pizza places. :P read more

Tried this place out for the first time today and was quiet disappointed. The pizza was super dry and bland. The garlic bread was too greasy and bland too. So much for " NY style pizza". The service was okay, the cashier seemed friendly and the food came out pretty quickly too. read more

They have great pizza slices here. Used to come for lunch frequently. I am usually not too crazy about pizza but the slices they serve here are sooooooo good!! Owners and workers are so nice too. read more

To be honest this was one if the worst pizza places I've ever been to. The pizza was way too greasy and tasted very bland. I actually ended up pretty sick after eating here. Not to mention the prices are astronomically high for their quality pizza. Papa johns taste better than this place. I would most definitely not recommend ordering pizza from here. If you're in that center and looking for pizza there is always Blaze Pizza, which is pretty delicious and in the same center by snow monster and chipotle. read more

Wayyy overpriced for what it is. $46 for 2 large pizzas?! I can understand the price if the pizza is gourmet and amazing but this pizza was mediocre at best. The pizza here tastes slightly better than your tradition chain pizza, but not worth the price. There are way better places nearby... read more

I really love the pizza here. It's a thinner crust but it's still a good amount. I've never gone to just get slices so my pizza is always made fresh which to me seems better than the reheated slices. read more

I go here for lunch at least once a week. This place has great pizza, quick service, arcade games, and an owner who has a fun upbeat personality. The pizza is cooked perfectly and is crispy and light without being burnt, plus the slices are huge! read more

As a native New Yorker, I'd say that the pizza here is the best in the entire OC, and is the closest you will be able to get to an authentic New York slice/pie. The fact that it's even called 'Ray's Pizza' also lends them credibility (it's a common name for pizzerias in the Tri-State area). The prices are even similar to what you'd pay back home. Highly recommended if you're in the area and are looking for actual New York pizza. read more

The pizza is really good, good texture on the thin crust. However, the service is really really bad. When I walked in I was not greeted, she literally just stared at me... and so I said hi, and was still greeted by nothing. So since she couldn't talk I started my order, and she was really short with me. When my pizza was ready they never called my name, she literally placed my pizza in front of another customer. So I asked if that was mine, and the pizza cook in the back said it was. HORRIBLE service. Will not come back. Rude girl was short, glasses and curly light brown hair. read more