I stopped by because I was craving a fish plate so I ordered their Friday lunch special. The fish plate was reasonably priced at $12. The fish was seasoned and fried perfectly. The sides were also good, but I would have preferred a different type of Mac and cheese. I ordered my plate to go but was able to sit at the bar and eat. Nita was still so welcoming and asked if there was anything that I needed. She gave me a cup of ice for my drink. And that was so nice because I wasn't specifically dining in but she consistently checked on me. What I loved the most was how welcoming and at home everyone made me feel. I look forward to going back again. read more

Ray's Uptown - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

My Sorors and I went there for Tuesday Night line dancing and game night! We had a blast! Our waitress was amazing! We had the soul platter and it was superb! The fish was tasty, crispy, and well seasoned! That chicken was off the chain! It fed all 4 of us! This place is so cute! It reminds me of a NOLA Cheers! I'll definitely be back and get cardio & grub on! read more

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Finally visited Ray's Uptown and it was good. I ordered the Friday special which included one piece of catfish, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, green beans and sliced bread. The fish was golden brown and seasoned to perfection. I could have used two pieces but I get it, it's a special. It was so good I was satisfied. The macaroni was good and cheesy but lacked salt. The potato salad and greens beans were really tasty. Overall I enjoyed and will go back! I would love to experience the restaurant at night with live music. It's def give old school bar vibes which I appreciate and love read more

First-timers. Cozy neighborhood setting -- seemed to be patronized by locals. Creole - soul food. The waitstaff were fun and engaging. Plenty of side conversations! Prices are reasonable and portions are good. We loved the catfish, green beans, potato salad, and red beans & rice which are seasoned differently than most. There was a misunderstanding about an order and we were served the chicken wing entree instead of the étouffée with chicken wing side. When I brought this to waitstaff's attention there was no effort to rectify. Compounding the mistake, the chicken was just good not great so I left unsatisfied. Lots of catfish no tartar sauce. Lots of French fries no ketchup. Salad no dressing. I got tired of flagging server down, particularly since it was a slow night. Once a different person tended to our table things got better. It didn't help that our other family members dined at a similar restaurant and were blown away by everything, reminding us that New Orleans is a city filled with great options. My sense is Ray's could be a solid 5 star place because there's so much going for it, just need to do the little things -- which are big things -- better. read more

The food was great! The service was great! The vibe was great! Within 15 minutes of sitting down we were being served. We had the seafood plater....not the big one, but it was still a lot for 8 people. Everyone took containers filled with nice portions home, and idn't leave a crumb on that platter. If you're in Nola you gotta try Ray's. It's worth it!!! read more

Ray the owner is awesome!! The chicken was not as seasoned as I would have liked, but it was served hot and moist.

Ive been to this restaurant before but tonight is a " never return" affect!!! So I'm uptown at a popular seafood spot Let's just say quantity and quality is not the only thing which keeps you coming back. I was there since 7:15pm and it was 9:25pm and my food still was not served to my table I asked for a side (macaroni and cheese) to cut my hunger cravings an hour in... I did not receive until the entree was served - at the two hour mark; even though i explained to my server i was ordering because i was hungry! Don't eat here if you have to eat at a certain time. Bring a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in your pocket... you are going to need it! Ok I think I'll stick to the dainty plates with great service opposed to the large oversized platters with SLOW A$$ service! Part 2: the Seafood platter arrived Fish was tough and rubbery Shrimp rubbery and stringy Bread / buttered burned toast 8 long French fries and 10-12 fries less than 1/2 inch long for a seafood platter expected to feed 3-4! Fried chicken wings - adequate but crust was hard Meat close to the bone was black. May have fried from frozen. Flavor of batter - non existent/ burned old grease taste! Yep my son let me chose the location for my bday. Well next time he can chose even its CANES. At least it wont take 2 hrs to get food and your experience of dining will not be destroyed. This is not good for a 7pm engagement. My sugar level was tweeking. A young lady came in to dine, was seated and served water. It was 15 mins before she had to summon a wait staff and place an order. After placing her order... she was told minutes later apologetically " the kitchen is closed"! This really I'mpacted me because the staff dodnt take her order at the time of seating. Devastating and the owner, Ray could have compted her next single dinner visit instead he went into the kitchen while his waiter had to break the news to this young lady! Lesson I learned: Don't eat at restaurant within the days after Mardi Gras - maybe the cook was overwhelmed! Don't eat at restaurant serving a party of 20+, in which the entire party was not present ; which stagnated all food orders! Can't always support your own ppl if there service sucks I come in contact with lots of tourists and cant say I will continue recommendending this establishment. Maybe they should return to the 7th ward because that's who was catered to more than random 1st time customers. The highlight of my night was spending time with my son and trying to introduce him to a new restaurant. Lets just say the only salty taste left in his mouth was the poor service and over fried food! This is definitely not a place to eat for a party of two. I understand they serve in order but the party of 20 started out as a part of 5 when we arrived. We ordered as soon as we arrived. The party of 20 trickled in an hour later their food was ordered and they received their food before us. Yes I was so so pissed.!!! The night totally ruined by this experience! If I could rate less than 1 I would! read more

Me and bae came to Rays for lunch today I had lunch special which was the fish only $12.50 bae had the 1/2 chicken which was seasoned so good customer service was good if you uptown area stop in n give them a try! read more

We are from Galveston & Houston Texas. On Saturday, February 1,2025 we visited Ray's Uptown that we saw on fb and just had to try the food out. It did not open on time, we had to wait a few minutes to open after arriving by Uber. The wife wasn't really friendly but the daughter-in-law was very friendly and great! When the food came out, the presentation wasn't very pleasant! We had the Platter that was advertised on fb. The chicken wasn't seasoned & almost burnt. The hush puppies were burnt, the fish wasn't cat fish and was cut in pieces not whole filets and the fries weren't even good, the shrimp were small., maybe frozen. The sides of collard greens and yams were ok but they weren't even hot, luke warm. The Toast was the best thing on the platter. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone, $80 wasted!!! read more

I loved the ambiance of the place. Great and casual atmosphere to chill and have a nice dining experience. I received terrific customer service. The lady (behind the bar) was all smiles and super nice. Another lady was sitting off to the side manning down the orders, she was very nice also. She checked on the guests coming through the door and made sure their orders were placed. On to the food. The price was reasonable. The fish was a little small but it was delicious. The baked spaghetti was also tasty. I could've eaten more of that. I wasn't too fond of the potato salad or the peas/carrots. It wasn't very flavorful. But that's minor. Overall my experience was awesome and I will return to try more items on the menu. read more

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I really love the owners and the people that chill in here. No attitudes or feeling unwelcome even though everyone obviously knew each other there. Fun place to have a couple drinks, I'm definitely going back and getting a pizza!!! read more

Food was is impeccable . The fish was lightly fried and seasoned perfectly. The service was excellent. Visited on a Friday night and there was a live band, which was outstanding. I will definitely go back. read more

on my gosh , me and hubby went on a Sunday and had was very satisfied with the food and service. we sat out on patio with the breeze as Ms. Diva (bartender) came out and delivered my drink/her specialty. it was so good along with the seafood platter my hubby and I shared.. MR RAY CAME OUT TO SAY HI AND ASKED HOW WAS THE FOOD.. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS SPOT TO EVERYONE.. THE SETTING WAS VERY WELCOMING AND COZY. read more

I had high hopes when I entered. Mellow R&B and not a heavy crowd. Things changed: an item was left off my order, all the items were not brought out at the same time (at least 5 mins apart, times 3), was not asked if I needed anything else (my drink was empty), music changed to hood ass cussing (during the game they advertised) and it took FOREVER to get the check, even though it was obvious we were done. I'm so disappointed. And the greens were straight out the can. In fact, someone else sent them back for being cold. Cold greens in New Orleans. What the hell?!? read more

My wife and I came to this establishment on Saturday to have dinner. We ordered our food and even drinks from the bar. When the food finally arrived several items were missing. After making the waitress aware one of the three sides that were missing came ten minutes after we initially received our order then another one came five minutes after that. The third never arrived. One of those items that showed up late was greens that actually were cold and seemed to be dumped straight out of a can. Even though we dined at the bar itself the waitress never showed up to see if we wanted another drink so we sat there for the entire meal with two empty beer bottles waiting for another. While we were eating there was vulgar music playing that I don't think was appropriate for a dinner setting or a restaurant that actually had some kids inside at the time. Finally I had to ask two different people for the check and that took another 15 minutes for the waitress to finally bring. She did however have time to answer personal phone calls and joke with someone who seemed to be her friends at the bar. I'm not sure if there is anything positive I can say about this experience except that the young man who cleared the table after we were done seemed to be the most polite and responsible person there. I know the owner was there because I saw him come out to greet others while we were there but maybe he's not aware of how bad things are. Either way I definitely won't be back a second time nor will I recommend it to anyone else. I will however warn everyone I know not to patronize this place. Horrible experience. I'm a New Orleans native and I take great pride in showing people around who visit but I'm so glad this wasn't one of those times that I chose to entertain guests. read more

This bar is a total vibe! Nice mix of an older and younger crowd. The DJ was excellent. He played old school New Orleans music, classic jams, a little bounce, and your current stuff. I met Mr. Ray and his beautiful wife, Tammy. They are so kind! The bartenders are top tier! They make you feel right at home--with a personal bar in that home. LOL. The inside is gorgeous. Nice bright lights, 3 large TVs, sturdy tables, and a beautiful bar. They have done an excellent job at making use of the space. It is wheelchair friendly. I will definitely be back! read more

I have been quarantining for a few weeks now and do not eat out anynore... sadly. I get my cravings for normalcy and saw on facebook a great deal for Ray's on the Ave. They offer $5 fish plates from 12 - 2pm every Friday during this pandemic. Maybe it is a permanent deal or maybe it is only because of 'rona. Either way, that is a fantastic deal especially for people who lost their jobs and are struggling. So I did not call ahead, I saw some people on Facebook tried to but wasn't able to get through so I simply drove over. There is a line outside with blue X's on the ground about 6 ft apart for you to wait for the take out window. Once you get to the take out window, you place your order and give them your name then you wait for your food. The line was about 6 people deep and I did not wait long maybe 15 mintues. The fish plates come out very quickly since that is predominately what is being purchased at that time. The lady in the window was very friendly and I even gave an extra tip for them being kind and doing this during this tough time. Got home and it was generous portion of food. The fish was fried nicely. The mac n cheese side was creamy and delicious. The peas may have been frozen or canned and didn't have much flavor. And the potato salad had a kick to it with spice that I really enjoyed. Overall, this is a great thing they are doing and I throughly enjoyed this delicious meal. Thank you Ray's for being awesome! #yelplove read more

Horrible service!! The things we originally wanted on the menu were not available, even down to the drink. No one ever came to check on us for an hour. Waited over an hour for two appetizers and one entree. Both came out at the same time. Was charged a $2.00 fee for a glass tap water. Not given plates for the meal but instead was told "y'all are okay with the little plates", as in the plates from the appetizers. This was just such a disappointing experience. The appetizers ( crawfish pies, and crab balls) were great. The fried chicken was just okay. I was so excited to try this place out, and hate that the experience was so horrible. read more

Took over an hour for half of our party to get food and another hour to get one of our orders wrong

This place is AMAZING! The food comes in generous portions and every bite is delicious! I will absolutely be coming back to this location. Both the blackened grilled fish and fried fish were well-cooked and perfectly seasoned. I loved that the fried fish came with a savory cream sauce on top. The shrimp pasta was my favorite with plenty of sauce and shrimp. This place does not skimp on the shrimp! We also ordered gumbo which was delicious as well. The gumbo has tons of crab claws, shrimp, and sausage. The flavor was deep and rich, and we loved it! Everything we ordered was perfect. Not to mention, our waiter was attentive, friendly, thoughtful and prompt! read more

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I had been to the when it was on St. Claude I believe. But this was my first time at this location. The restaurant is very spacious. I was here on Saturday afternoon around 3:30 or 4:00 and it wasn't crowded at all. I was with a small group. Our server was outstanding. He was efficient, got all of our orders correct, came back to check on us a few times and promptly brought what we requested. The food was good but maybe a tad bit heavy on the salt. I ordered the shrimp pasta which came with three chicken wings. The wings were perfect but the shrimp pasta had maybe 2 shakes too many of seasoning. The flavor was delicious regardless. The meal came with a salad also. The menu is not too big which may be good as it helps people make a decision. Bigger menus can be overwhelming. There were no desserts on the menu so I'm not sure if they offer any. There was parking out front on the street for free but it is very limited. One person in our party had to park around the corner on a residential street. I would return if I didn't see a line outside because the food was really tasty and they give you a lot for the price. read more

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The food was just OK, nothing spectacular. The fish barely will season, and the french fries were plane. The garlic wings was a little bit better than the fish. I wanted to check it out because a friend used to always dined there. Probably won't be going back. The presentation of the food was cool. This was done at lunchtime and they only had about 2 people there. Shortly after they left and then two more people came in and that was pretty dry lunch while I was there. I find it this particular location for a restaurant does not do well. Over the years it's constantly changing. read more

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Beautiful neighborhood bar. The vibe is great, the food is good and the drinks are A-1. Oh, and the bartenders are gorgeous!

unethical and a liar. paid elray to cater our table for a mardi gras ball and he never showed up with the order. insisted that he was on his way to the event but never showed. offering to refund us in 5 days. ray you are a thief and should be ashamed of disgracing your community. read more

Their Fish plates are off the chain, Fried chicken is delicious, potato salad with the peas is great.

Loved it, it was so much food and it was all delicious I had the gumbo and it was everything I was looking for in new Orleans read more

The place don't look like much from the outside but once you go in your eyes will light up and it's a vibe ! The staff was friendly and welcoming! It was quite obvious we were not from there lol. But they treated us well! The food omg the food! The guest Chef name was Chris. They have this thing where chefs come and prepare foods of their choice! I am glad I came that night because my first taste of New Orleans was great as expected! I will return when I come back in April! read more

Ray's Uptown - Salmond with crab Green beans and red potatoes - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Ive neem here a few times and thier creole soul food rivals anyone in the city. The new building is top notch and the food is consistently good. read more

Ray's Uptown - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Went here last night for a family reunion meet and greet. Half of the menu was unavailable, all they had was chicken, fish, shrimp and fries. They drinks are bottled..they had no lemonade, no punch, so finally I asked for 2 sweet teas. They had 1 bottle left. Eat before you come because the food takes an hour or longer to come. You will not get a paper copy of your bill. The waitress just showed us the total on her phone. The receipt comes to your phone, but all it has is a total. read more

i came in here while they were still setting up after their recent move and they still welcomed us warmly. while they're still on a limited menu. The mojito i got was delicious and sweet, and i had some of the famous gumbo and let me tell you: best damn gumbo i have EVER had. read more

My friends and I came into town for Voodoo Festival and we landing at Ray's. I don't know where to start. First of all we were treated with great southern hospitality that made us feel like home. The food was delicious. The prices were great. I definitely recommend this place if you're visiting New Orleans or even if you live in New Orleans. It's a MUST!!! read more

Ray's Uptown - Grilled Sausage with Red Beans and Rice! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Came in to have a few drinks with my fiancé on a Friday night. Decided to order the chicken wings and fries. The waitress wasn't very knowledgeable about how many wings came on the plate when I inquired and after closing out our order suddenly disappeared. We realized she got off after seeing her hurriedly exiting the door. It's seems that after she left no one was assigned our table as we had to grab servers and ask for our already paid for food. We had to search the place for ketchup because ALL of the table bottles were empty. Then after finally catching up with another worker places an order for bottled water and bother drinking. Well none of that ever arrived so we got up and left in utter aggravation and frustration. This was our first and last visit to this establishment. I don't care about how nice the atmosphere is if the customer service is horrible. We won't be back. read more

I had the gumbo and Catfish Treme. Omg it was sooooo good. The sauce on the catfish Treme was absolutely delicious!! Great taste, great presentation, fresh food. read more

Hole-in-the-wall soul food restaurant. Food was amazing & exactly what my husband and I were looking for. Will definitely be back when we're in town! read more

Ray's Uptown - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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if you're ever in New Orleans, please please please stop by this place. this is REAL New Orleans food. i came here last year after a day of sightseeing. this place was on my list of black owned restaurants to try in New Orleans. immediately walking in, i was greeted by the hostess (forgot her name). she was very caring and patient with me when my bf and i were trying to decide what to order. we ended up both getting Ray's World Famous Soul Platter that came with fried chicken wings , fried fish, fried shrimp, hush puppies, bread, and french fries. (are you full yet?) my bf was craving gumbo, so he decided to get that as well. somehow, he also ordered red beans and rice with fried shrimp as if we didn't already have enough food lol. we were SHOCKED when our food came out. everything looked amazing....and it tasted like heaven. Ms. Tammy (the owner along with her husband) came by our table to check on us. she was very personable and asked us where we were visiting from. this sparked a conversation between her, the waitresses, and other customers in the restaurant. suddenly the place felt like home. she said next time we come back to New Orleans to make sure to stop by. i definitely cannot wait to come back to this place soon. the only con about this place is they do not accept cards, so please bring cash if you decide to go. read more

Ray's Uptown - Ray's World Famous Soul Platter, Red Beans and Rice with Shrimp, and Seafood and Sausage Gumbo - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

My daughter and son in law stopped by after a concert . My daughter loved the food . She said it was delicious . One evening , I decided to treat the family . We ordered 4 chicken plates and 2 fish plates . My daughter wanted a shrimp plate . They called her back to say they were out of shrimp . The food had no taste . The French fries were greasy . No one liked their food . Not even my daughter and son in law . I spent $90.00 . I had to put Tony's Chachere's on my food to eat it . I only ate the breast . My son and I have been going to different restaurants to try the fried chicken. So far Fiorellas' Cafe on Franklin Ave had the best fried chicken . I will never eat at Ray's again . read more

Ordered the fish and shrimp pasta, was very good and filling. The margaritas are strong as hell but very tasty. Overall a good establishment, just need more workers because one lady was working but she did a great job! read more

Absolutely great service and environment. Nicest workers I've seen in a long time. Food is great and games outside are fun to play while you're food is being made. Will definitely be eating here again. read more

this place ain't even have SHRIMP they took over an hour tryna bring out the food at different times for everyone ridiculous. save yourself and go to Raising Canes! read more

I use to love Rays but I'm not sure if it's because they move every few months but the food today was very disappointing. The red beans tasted like blue runner straight out the can smh read more