There was nothing in our lobster chowder at all... Weak bloody Mary's and anemic shrimp cocktail. Don't even get me started on the ambiance....pass... Don't stop. read more

Great service, friendly staff, great food, great environment! Super value for a reasonable price! It was a little busy when we arrived, so we ate at the bar. Our food came quickly and was very fresh! Definitely will come back to Ray's! read more

We had lobster rolls. My daughter got food poisoning. I called to tell them. The manager never even called back.

I hadn't eaten at Ray's for at least 25 years. My parents used to take me when I was little and I remember the water fountain that we would toss coins into. (The fountain is no longer there). My husband had never been and wanted to try it so we went on a Monday night. A good choice since it was not crowded. We sat upstairs overlooking the ocean. The place is not fancy but it was clean with a great view. Patrick was our waiter and he was friendly and efficient. We started with fried oysters, which were fine, and the seafood chowder, which was excellent! It was piping hot with lots of seafood in it including lobster, scallops, shrimp and haddock. The fish and seafood chowders are made in house and I highly recommend them. For the main course I had the baked seafood plate and my husband had the fish and chips. The main courses were good, not fantastic , but good. The portions were plenty big. Everything was hot and well timed. There is a bar on the second floor that overlooks the marsh. We looked in to see the beautiful sunset. A casual atmosphere with good hot Seafood was what we were looking for and we were not disappointed. We will be going back soon for chowder, steamers and a cocktail at the bar! read more

OK, I've tried Peteys twice - Very good overall. Had some catered lobster rolls from Beach Plum and they were excellent. Then tonight we tried Ray's Seafood Restaurant. The lobster roll was half the size of Beach Plum and the bun was cheap and crumbly as you were holding it. Tasted ok but at half the size, it was much more expensive than their competitor. But here's my real gripe. The lobster in the roll was supposed to be properly prepared and free of shell. There was too much shell in the mix including one very hard, sharp piece that caused me to break a tooth. We told the waitress at the time of the incident and received an "oh, I'm sorry". When the bill arrived it was for the full price. OK . . . guess sorry's the best you can do. On the way out, my wife mentioned it to another employee who called in the waitress (who apparently never mentioned it to her superiors) at which time we received another "Oh, I'm sorry". There was no sincere interest in the injury their food had caused, no offer to credit us for the poorly prepared food, just "Oh, I'm sorry". Well, so are we. Sorry we ever tried your restaurant. Never, never again. Try Peteys or Beach Plum . . . much, much better food and service. read more

After waiting an hour for a seat we decided to leave. Granted it was an unexpected summer like day in late September and they were sort staffed, but they weren't very hospitable when we brought to their attention that others who had not been waiting as long as we had been were being seated before us. Too bad as we enjoyed our drinks and were looking forward to some nice fried seafood. We needed up driving to the Beach Plum in Portsmouth and were eating happily in no time. read more

This place has gotten really good over the years! Lobsters are always perfectly cooked and the service is AMAZING. The fried clams are my favorite within 50 miles! The breading is light and they are never overcooked, which can be a problem locally. We always eat on the deck as the views of the ocean and marsh from the deck are gorgeous and peaceful. The bar staff really knows how to mix a drink - we are never disappointed. Rays can handle a crowd - even when its packed here, you get great service and hot food, no doubt! The staff is well organized and always there to take care of you. OK, now for what I feel can give this place a five star rating: They really need to work at their chowders and lobster stew. Yes, the lobster stew is filled with lobster, but the base is off-tasting. The chowder seems bland and floury and needs a boost. The outside rear of the restaurant outside can be a bit messy at times, especially when one can see the dumpsters from the deck. A side note: Personally, I would never go to a seafood place and order a hamburger, so I cannot for the life of me understand why someone would leave a bad review solely based on that. read more

This place really was A-OK. The service was good and the food was prompt and tasty! The prices are very reasonable.

Went to Ray's the other day with my husband for a late lunch. Was horrified! I ordered the lobster roll, which had a tiny amount of lobster on it, and even worse that the quantity was that most of the lobster was the tips of the claws, you know that rubbery stuff. It was a poor excuse for a lobster roll. My husband had the fried calamari, which was ok, but nothing special. We will not be going back. We did even ask the waitress about the lobster roll and she said that is how they make them. Not for me anymore! read more

This is the best spot to go get live lobsters. Best prices, fresh lobsters, and great customer service. I've showed up before they were even open accidentally to get some live lobsters one morning and they had no problem letting me in and helping me. They also have good menu items, and their steamers are delicious! read more

I went in on the 4th of July on the advice of the girl at the front desk of my hotel. After having had a lobster dinner at Markey's my hopes weren't that high that this would be that great. Ray's blows Markey's lobster pound away and is worth the scenic drive along Ocean Blvd to get here. I ordered my food and it came out almost instantly and it was a really good value. I got the 1lb twin lobster dinner. Thanks Ray's for making this a great meal. read more

I risk giving this 5 stars because it feels like a special locals spot. It's just awesome, fresh super-tasty seafood. Never had a bad meal there and the fish and chips were the best I've ever had - ever. Great for the family and right on the beach. Can't miss. read more

Yes the location is nice, great views & all. But we won't be back for the food. Clam chowder was lukewarm & very thin, sent it back. The clam fritters were bread only, no clams to be found. The special of the day was good: crab stuffed haddock with lobster sauce, but for $19 you'd expect it to be good! Overpriced, run down in a nice location. read more

My wife had to send back her Baked Scallops as they were undercooked. Then they came out overcooked and tasteless. My stuffed lobster tasted like it had been precooked and the reheated. All in all a disappointing experience read more

My husband and I split the seafood plate. It was plenty for the two of us. The seafood was fresh and very good. We sat on the deck with a very nice view of the ocean! read more

I always come back to Rays every summer. I Usually stick to the basics.. Fried clams, scallops, onion rings. Sometimes we will get the lobster which is always fairly priced. Rays has it all. I'm craving it right now. read more

It's unfortunate because I absolutely love this place and been going for years. The food I will give 5 stars but i was extremely upset with my waitress. She came over concerned to double check that we wanted two 1 and 1/2 pound lobsters without pointing out the vast price difference. Being that the prices are not listed on the menu and on a small tiny white board across the restaurant my boyfriend then pointed out we were ridiculously paying $20 per lobster. So I went up less than a minute after she asked me to say no I wanted the 1 1/4. The waitress refused to change the order. Mind you they could have used the lobster for lobster rolls or another persons order and accommodated the customer. If she new I wrongfully ordered there should not have been an issue to change it. My sister changed her order two nights before when ordering two extra lobsters and realizing half way through she didn't actually want them and they took it off no problem. I have a hard time as the customer understanding why they took it off for my sister two nights earlier and refused to change mine especially if the waitress herself new or had a hunch the order was wrong. I literally went up to her within a minute of asking me. Totally ridiculous and rude of this restaurant. Your better off buying your own off the harbor and cooking them yourself. read more

On a Saturday in October, we decided to drive up the NH coastline to check out the sites. Because it was a warmer weekend, there was a 20 minute wait for our table, but it was worth the wait. My decision for what to order was simple--a twin lobster dinner for $16.99, with fries, colewlaw, and butter. They also had some interesting local (portland, me) brews, so I enjoyed a blueberry wheat beer. My husband had the lobster chowder, which he said was filled with lobster pieces, and a burger, which was only $3 and was served with fries. This place would be 5 stars, but the service left a lot to be desired. We were starving when we arrived and had to wait at least 20 minutes to order our food. I waited at least as long for my drink. Then it was another long wait to finally get the check and get out. We got the feeling our waitress was favoring other tables over ours. This is not a place to come if you are in a hurry. They also have a gift shop and lobster pound, but the shop was closed as we were here off season. read more

Nothing fancy here, but the items we ordered were great. Scallops and haddock perfectly done. If you can, use the senior (or child) option, which gives you plenty on the plate for a lot less $. Waitress was super patient and accommodating. Pretty drive from Hampton to Rye. Nice lunch. read more

Location is great, view from 2 nd floor deck is excellent and the menu is what you expect from a sandy bathing suit dress code kinda place: fried seafood and cool drinks. Great for kids, service is pretty good, prices are a bit high for fried food with smaller portions but I think the premium is appropriate since you're renting a great view. read more

I want to love Ray's and have been several times over the past two years on vacation, but the clam rolls are so small compared to other local places. The lobster rolls are good, but again compared to others they are smaller and less meat overall. Service is okay but nothing great. Seems like each time we go we wait just to get water or a beer. Bottom line, not great considering you have some gems just down the road. read more

Nice food and lovely view over the ocean, a little pricey but the food it's worth it, great taste, not greasy,just perfect! Make sure you ask for their famous clam chowder, it's delicious. read more

Had twin 1 1/4 lb lobsters with baked potato and coleslaw. Good view, good food, good service and a decent price.

My husband and I live in Durham, NH and Ray's is our go-to seafood place. It has a really nice laid-back vibe, no worries about getting messy with your seafood, which is certainly something you will want to do. It has the standard New England fried options as well as great chowders. However, the real draw for us is the steamers (me) and steamed lobsters (hubby). He usually gets the twin lobster deal (2 1.25lb lobsters with fries and cole slaw, usually in the 20-25 dollar range). I also really like the lobster pie, flaky pastry crust with great big pieces of lobster in a creamy sherry-hinted sauce. We also really enjoy the bar scene, full of friendly locals, especially in the winter. I definitely recommend it to tourists as a great seacoast experience, and to locals as just a great experience in general. read more

the food was great but way overpriced...and REALLY, they charged us $2.00 for an extra CARDBOARD plate! how cheap. We won't be back.

I absolutely love this place. I tell all my friends to go to Rays for seafood. They are very reasonably priced and the food is always great. They have a great selection of fried and baked seafood as well as other choices such as chicken tenders and burgers. The chicken tenders are listed on their menu as children tenders which we always get a kick out of when we go but we always get an order. They make their own rootbeer which is delicious. I always get the lobster dinners which I love. For a great Lobster dinner with some crab cake appetizers and maybe some coconut shrimp I wouldn't dream of going anywhere else. Oh and when you go, try their lobster bisque and or fish chowder it will keep you coming back for more! read more

My wife and I stayed at Rye Beach for a week and wanted to get our fill of seafood. First we went to Petey's and it was a dissapointment. All the fried food was greasy and heavy. The next day we went to Ray's and it was very good. The fried food was light and delicious. In fact it was good enough that we went back again a few days later. Between the two visits we had fried clams, baked haddock, calamari and lobster. It was all very good. The onion rings were also outstanding. For the Rye Beach area, I'd say that Ray's is the best choice. The view of the ocean from the upstairs and balcony was a bonus. read more

We stopped in there yesterday on a trip back from Maine... I won't make that mistake again. The service was SLOW... Like molasses uphill in winter sorta slow. Parties seated after us were fed and had their check before our food came. We ordered the "special" lobster spinach artichoke dip that consisted of some burn concoction with 2 shreds of lobster and some weird green stuff swimming in about a quarter inch of oil. Then we shared the baked seafood plate which consisted of over cooked hard dried out pieces of lobster and some sort of white fish, scallops (which were actually good) and a bunch of mini-shrimp all covered in Ritz cracker crumbs. Over all this came to about $45, which I would have been more than happy to pay for had it not haunted me for the remainder of the night. read more

Bad clams. Two of us up puking all night, red rash on face. Call restaurant to report. They say it can't be? Stay away.

We went for the first time in 2014. We have been eating at ray's for more than ten years and we were extremely disappointed In our Dinner tonight. The fried lobster tails and fried fish and chips tasted as if they were cooked in oil that was very old. We plan to find a new place and let Ray' s stay in business for the occasional tourists. It is no longer a "great" local spot unfortunately. read more

What happened to Ray's...so disappointing. We have been going there for YEARS and this year was just awful. The food was totally different than in previous years and most of my family was sick after eating it. The bill was so high for such terrible food. I was so sad that one of my favorite places has taken such a downturn. :( read more

I went here with my boyfriend we walked from our hotel and when we got there they refused to serve us drinks when we had not had anything to drink yet. We didnt do anything for them to refuse us it was ridiculous. We were over a mile from our hotel my boyfriend had to run back and get our car so we could ho somewhere else. We went to peteys where we were served no problem. We will never go back to rays or recommend it to anyone. read more

The wife and I decided to take a nice ride on a beautiful sunday afternoon and the beach looked great. We got hungry and decided to get a cup of chowder along the ride. We saw Rays and thought" Its the beach, it has to be great ". WRONG !!..We each got a cup of..gruel...YUUUCCCHHHH !! The chowder was like milk..It had 2 slimy shrimp, 1/2 piece of scallop, and a piece of slimy fish. Campbells in the can has a much better chowder..The fact that it took 10 minutes to scoop out this crap added to the misery..Save your money and go somewhere else..CRAP!! read more

Horrible! We waited about an hour for take out! Got a half pint of shrimp (small) and pint (medium) of whole clams! Couldn't even eat the clams, the bellies were full of something nasty. The tiny popcorn sized shrimp were mediocre at best! Best part of the meal was my Hi-C lemonade. Paid $35 for this that was supposed to be shared between two adults.....yeah right, portions were ridiculously small and over priced! Apparently not all seafood joints on the Seacoast have good seafood! Don't waste your time, worst seafood I've ever had! read more

Our motel owner in Hampton suggested this place, after the 20 minute drive we had a substandard meal, and the seafood chowder had to be the worst I have had, maybe it was the wrong day.......Georges Seafood in Plymouth kicks this places ass!! read more

Went there for lunch today. We ordered clam chowder, lobster roll, fried seafood dinner and steamers (2 lb's). When we received our order we noticed some of the steamed clams (more than half) were under cooked. We told our server and she took one to the kitchen to show them. They offered to cook us some more. When we received the second order it was 1/3 of the first order. We let the server know. Nothing was done about this. We were charged $20:00 for under cooked food. Will never go back!!!!!! Poor management read more

While attending a wedding in the area we stopped in between the ceremony and the reception in search of fresh local lobster. We sat in the bar and were attended by a wonderful bartender who was kind and quite knowledgeable about the area and about Ray's. She suggested the "twins", two nice sized lobster which arrived perfectly cooked and indeed were fresh and delicious. My husband had the haddock which was actually quite good and not greasy. Our tables order of the clam fritters had too much breading for my taste and very few clams which left it a bit dry, but my husband and in laws enjoyed the "classic" fritter taste. The atmosphere is casual with a rustic New England coastal feel and the bar was filled with locals who were hospitable and genuinely welcoming. We travel often and will definitely stop in to Rays upon the next NH coast visit. read more

I loved Ray's lobster pie until we went today. I always get a small - which has always been round - and I usually buy one or two frozen to take home for another time. Today when I ordered a small it came in an oblong pie plate and looked like a large cut in half. I decided to give a couple of pies to friends so ordered three frozen large to go - since a small really only feeds one person. What they delivered to me were three smalls! And they swore they were the large and that they didn't have any smalls left. I will never go back there after their deception. read more

Stopped at Ray's today with my grandson and my wife, my wife and grandson split a lobster roll 14.99 and ordered a baked seafood plate for 26.95 and figured I would share some of this with my wife and grandson. First came the Lobster Rd on a hot dog roll with hardly any lobster meat on it, then came the seafood plate, I was in disbelief when I seen this little round tin with no words of a lie that was the size of the tin of your little tiny table talk pies, It came with a very small lobster tail which I couldn't tell if it was a half of tail or whole tail, about 3 or 4 tiny bay scallops, a tiny chunk of haddock and 4 or 5 of the smallest shrimp that I have ever seen. Cup of coffee 2.50 and a lemonade for 2.50. Definitely not worth it for the money, Stingy with the food and way over price. read more

Turely a tourist place. We went with a large group made reservations, still had to wait forever. Thought the drinks were over priced. I ordered the lobster pie, yes it was different but it clearly was lobster meat covered with lobster bisque and a crust placed on top. Different then what I have seen most places. I liked it. I thought the prices were tourist driven. One of the folks in my party got the seafood fishermans platter, not worth the price. My quest got the fish n chips, I felt the same way, not worth the price. Service was good place seemed dated but clean, bathroom you could use another. Will I go back............no. read more