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    Ray's Place

    4.5 (91 reviews)
    InexpensiveBars, New American
    Closed 10:30 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 2 months ago

    Ray's Place Photos

    Business Info

    RAY'S PLACE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Ray's Place

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    Bean soup
    Steven T.

    On my road trips I'm always scouring everything along the way for unique restaurants and this is one of them places. The place is 75 years old and famous for their homemade beef and ham sandwiches and soups. I travel with a cooler in my trunk so I took home a sample with me to try because who knows if I'll get back to this area. The place is old and dive looking with a local following. The bartender was friendly. I ordered the hot beef sandwich with cheese and onion that comes with house made spicy mustard with ingredients from England and I was told it's a must try. The beef sandwich looked amazing piled high on a plain generic hamburger bun. The beef is tender with gravy all in it and sloppy to eat. The mustard is like a wasabi style but yellow. The beef sandwich was good so I ordered the hot ham with cheese and onion to go along with a pea soup and the bean soup for dinner. The soups were not as good as the sandwich, not seasoned with the bean being my favorite. The ham sandwich was really good also with a flavor and texture of ham off the bone. Overall this is a unique place with a simple menu that is a must try if your in the area.

    Basic Bloody Mary
    Denise F.

    You can't go wrong with Ray's! I am a huge fan of their hot ham sandwiches. No cheese or condiments needed for me. The meaty ham and tasty gravy always hits the spot. Husband had pea soup which was served nice and hot. Bloody Mary and beers on a Saturday afternoon seals the deal. Capable service. Love the divey neighborhood vibe of the place.

    Steven G.

    Great roast beef sandwich! But what takes it to the next next level is the spicy mustard! Super reasonable for a delicious sandwich. Tavern atmosphere with a friendly bartender. 10$ well spent for a sandwich and a beer. Will definitely be back.

    the name of the restaurant
    John F.

    Exactly as advertised! No need for a menu at this place.... Just a chalkboard stand on the floor that says Roast Beef Sandwich and Hot Ham Sandwich w/cheese 50 cents more! (Also lists the soup of the day). Funny thing is the menu board isn't even located in an easy to see location.... Guess only the Ray's Place "virgins" like myself even need to see it! I walked in at 11:15 for lunch and there was a couple of people sitting at the bar. Soon after the door just kept opening, and it filled up pretty quickly. Oddly, it was all men! (One woman was coming in with her husband as I was leaving). Construction workers, businessmen and a lot of retired guys... quite a mix. Because I'm not at all local, and my chances of coming back are probably kind of low, I decided I had to try both sandwiches. Both with cheese, onion and spicy mustard (on the side). Out came two huge piled high sandwiches (Piping hot!) on paper plates that were about the same size as the sandwich. Kind of messy... In a good way. Steam was coming off the sandwich's so I had to wait a minute or two to take my first bites. I very much enjoyed each sandwich. Loved the slice of raw onion and the mustard gave both sandwiches a nice kick. If I had to pick a favorite, I would say I'd lean towards the Ham, but you really can't go wrong. The one improvement I will like to see would be a better bun. A nice hard roll or bakery type bun would make these sandwiches excellent! No frills dining at a local bar hit the spot.

    Hot beef with cheese and onions
    Samantha B.

    Stopped in as I was told it's a must in Eau Claire. Typical dive bar with a few arcade games and lots of spots to sit. Their menu is very small but they are known for their hot beef sandwich with spicy mustard. It's delish, it's cheap, beer is cold - what more could you ask for? They have trivia on Thursday nights as well

    a half eaten hamburger and half an egg

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    10 days ago

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    6 months ago

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    8 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    8 months ago

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    5 months ago

    Their mustard is delicious. You can buy it by the jar. Prices are fair and the beer is cold.

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    8 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Great people. Good hot sandwiches and a bowl of beans were the highlight. I would definitely go again.

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    1 year ago

    Great Service, Speedy service, Good food - Nice homey bar and restaurant that you should definitely check out

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Best ham and cheese sandwich in the area! Tastes the same today as it did in the 90's!

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    The service was ok but the pea soup was a bowl of pea soup flavored broth. We were so disappointed!!!

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    1 year ago

    Bartender was extremely rude. Very unwelcoming environment. Would not recommend to anyone.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

    The greatest bar of all time. The hot beef with cheese and mustard plus a spotted in a frosty mug would be my last meal.

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    2 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Hell yes to the beef sandwiches and hot mustard!

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    8 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    3 years ago

    RAYS for the WIN! yummy messy hot beefs! Friendly hometown appeal! 100% If you haven't tried one, grab a cold beer and enjoy!

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    8 years ago

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    Page 1 of 3

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    The Informalist - French Toast

    The Informalist

    4.1(249 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    Attached to the Lismore hotel by Doubletree makes this restaurant super accessible to…read moreout-of-towners. Service 5/5: we did not make a reservation, but staff did everything to accommodate us and get us seated. I really appreciate how kind they were and once we were seated, our server was attentive, making sure our drinks were always filled and that we were enjoying our meal. Ambiance 5/5: stunning environment. I highly recommend you take a peek and look at the bar because it's a bunch of little pennies and it is the coolest sight to see (I believe I heard them call it the penny bar too). I really enjoy that you could see into the kitchen while the chefs worked and how fluid they all seemed to be in their craft. Food 3/5: I was really disappointed by the food. I ordered the roasted lamb as a big fan of lamb and it was overcooked and very salty. Also, the mint gelée coupled with the root beer glacé de viande was overwhelmingly sweet. The dish was lacking a balance of acid and spice. My fiancé ordered the tater tot hot dish and I am thankful that he ordered that because we ended up sharing that the rest of the meal. Even he could not eat the Lamb and he is must less picky about flavor profiles. The hotdish was a cheesy parmesan dream with sweet corn, peas, mushrooms and I liked the textural mixture of pork and veal. Overall, I'm not sure if I would come back for a meal here. I have seen that their pizzas are really popular because they are woodfired and I wish we would've checked that first, but I wanted a cozy elevated dinner and I'm still really bummed that we did not get that.

    Been here before, but it's been a very long time. We were passing through the area and looking for…read morea place to eat. It happened to be a very busy weekend, and the Informalist was one of the few places that did not have a long line to get seated. Got in right away and seated for some brunch. The restaurant is spacious and well designed. It's a bit upscale, but perfectly capable of making people feel relaxed and welcome. We got greeted right away by the server and settled in with menus and waters. Our order wasn't complicated: some of the Custard Battered French Toast, a short stack of pancakes, and two eggs. I also ordered a London Fog Tea Latte (a little lavender, a little vanilla, and extra foam). It didn't take long for the food to come, but the London Fog took a while longer. The French Toast was amazingly good, and the pancakes and eggs were also very good. I was half done with my meal by the time my London Fog arrived, and the server was very apologetic (saying that the coffee shop was very busy). I might have been satisfied with that, but the London Fog was just okay. While there was some extra foam, the drink itself was flat, as if they just heated up the milk and mixed it with the tea. (They need to do a better job with polishing the steamed milk so that it creates a creamy texture, especially if they ar charging $8) Overall, a good experience, and a few tweaks would have made it excellent. Would stop again if I was in the mood for the French Toast.

    Photos
    The Informalist - Kitchen

    Kitchen

    The Informalist - Steak of the moment

    Steak of the moment

    The Informalist - London Fog Tea Latte

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    The District Pub & Grill - Buffalo Chicken Wrap with Cajun Fries

    The District Pub & Grill

    3.6(101 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    Just a few things to mention. Service was very good. We were sat right away. We ordered pickle…read morefries which came out quick and were very tasty. One minor complaint for me was the amount of breading with a thin sliced pickle in the middle. For my meal I ordered the maple bourbon burger, I will say the burger was very salty. I couldn't finish it all, so I ended up taking it home. Here's my main complaint. I'm finding out a lot of places are not very handicap accessible including the lack of handicap parking, before we left I needed to use the bathroom. I could barely get into the bathroom with my walker. My daughter had to hold the door as I squeezed myself in. I'm not a big person either. Just a tight squeeze all together. Once I got to the handicap stall, there was no lights towards the back. It was very dark. I also noticed there were no rails to hold onto as I tried to sit down on the very low toilet. I'm recovering from hip surgery and it wasn't easy sitting/getting off the toilet. I also happened to look up to see if there were lights and maybe there were burned out and that's when I noticed a extremely dirty exhaust fan. It looked like it hasn't been cleaned in a while. Not a huge deal, but The District always seemed to me as a big upscale restaurant, I felt a little under dressed. I love the vibe and the music and the customer service was great during my visit.

    This place is hit or miss depending on the day and the time. In general, I love it, but the staff…read morecan sometimes be clumsy at best. For eats, I can't recommend enough the Brussels sprouts. Their burgers are also excellent. I had some type of Paloma concoction recently that was da bomb, and they have a decent beer selection. There is one awesome bartender, and dammit, I can't remember his name but he reminds me of Ryan Phillipe.

    Photos
    The District Pub & Grill - Lots of space and very open!

    Lots of space and very open!

    The District Pub & Grill - Gyro flatbread chicken gnocchi soup

    Gyro flatbread chicken gnocchi soup

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    Grand Avenue Café

    Grand Avenue Café

    4.4(56 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $

    The theme here is books and menu items are titles. Driving around downtown looking for a homemade…read morebreakfast spot this was across the bridge. A nice neighborhood too. Luckily we beat the crowd and I was able to snag the last piece of quiche. Lots of groups gather here. I got a coffee that I think was local. There were 3 servers ours was younger and newer, Alyssa. I had to ask someone else for utensils before we got the food. We split some great hash browns. Basil got A farewell to sausages omelet and juice. We both enjoyed a local coffee. This was a great start to our trip out East to the Chicago burbs. I think it will be our stop from now on and should be yours as well.

    Review Visit: November 14th, 2024…read more Maybe not THAT grand... The short trip to Eau Claire was coming to a close and I needed some food before I hit the road home. Around the corner from where Tim lives is a cafe he's been to a few times. We took the short stroll there to get some breakfast and coffee in us. We popped in after the major breakfast crowd and before the lunch crowd made the small cafe packed. We took a seat towards the front by the window so we could get some natural light to go with our meal. Our waitress was a hoot. She was professional but really chatty and we all quickly got on the topic of horror movies, spooky things, and the love for reading. I got the house coffee with a biscotti stick to go with it. Tim got a latte thing. The waitress forgot my biscotti but quickly brought it over when I asked her about it. As for our meal, I ordered just the french toast and Tim got a full course meal. I wanted to eat somewhat light as I had the long drive but... when I say I got french toast... it was the most basic two slices of french toast I've ever had. It ended up tasting decent but for $8.49, it just felt like it needed to some with a side of protein or eggs or something. Tim said his The Grand Gatsby and Bread Pudding was good, even if he doesn't care for Mango, which is what his Bread Pudding flavor was. The biscotti was really good, even better dipped in the coffee. The coffee itself was your typical drip coffee that you'd find across the country. Not great but not bad. It served it purpose. While it was a bit of a letdown that my last meal before heading home was less than stellar but the memories made at the cafe (and the whole trip) are one you can't put a rating on. With that in mind, if we visit here again in 2025, I will definitely get a more substantial meal than two meager slices of french toast.

    Photos
    Grand Avenue Café
    Grand Avenue Café
    Grand Avenue Café

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    Ray's Place - bars - Updated May 2026

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