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People who like this restaurant, and how many others they like.
- Foodie - 325 others
- kenclem - 241 others
- Knappster - 217 others
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216 people have voted
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Menu for Ray's Boathouse
Critic reviews for Ray's Boathouse
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The Stranger
August 16, 2006 - This waterfront-dining institution offers both "cafe" and dining-room seating and a wide selection of fresh Northwest... full review | all The Stranger reviews |
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Seattle Times
rated it 3/4 stars
October 05, 2001 - Obtaining the highest quality seafood and doing as little as possible to mess it up has been this Shilshole Bay... full review | all Seattle Times reviews |
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Seattle Weekly
May 25, 2000 - Ray's has become such a cliche of Seattle delights, it's almost impossible to believe it could also be good. Believe... full review | all Seattle Weekly reviews |
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Citysearch
rated it 9.3/10
A Seattle waterfront staple, especially when there's celebrating to be done. full review | all Citysearch reviews |
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Seattle Magazine
Ray's romantic, seaside dining room is an institution-on a clear day, the Olympic Mountains fairly jump into your lap... full review | all Seattle Magazine reviews |
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User reviews of Ray's Boathouse
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"Fab!"
by lovepoeart
(54 reviews) May 11, 2008 - I love the seaweed salad- it's like the whole fresh ocean is in your mouth! Great experience. |
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"My favorite."
by David J
(6 reviews) April 21, 2008 - I'm surprised to see that there are a few negative reviews here. For almost 20 years Ray's has been my favorite restaurant -- for dates, for impressing out-of-town guests, for celebrating both my graduations from UW, for treating my employees to dinner, and (in the cafe) for meeting friends for dinner-and-drinks. In all that time, I've never had a meal that's failed to delight. Ray's has also always been notable for stellar service. |
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"Ray's Boathouse: 'Pretentious.' Ray's Cafe: 'Sublime.'"
by Richelieu Gourmand
(3 reviews) January 03, 2008 - Best place to watch the sunset in Seattle? Ray's Cafe. When you go to Ray's Boathouse, just go upstairs to Ray's Cafe. More casual Northwest feel. Lots of windows, rustic wood beams, two fireplaces, and a more lively atmosphere - compared to downstairs which is more formal, stuffy, pretentious - and, overpriced. Upstairs at the Cafe or downstairs at the Boathouse, either way, the food is great and the service is prompt, attentive, enthusiastic, friendly. (I wish the new chef would bring back the french fried sweet potatoes though!) Great selection of beers and microbrews. And, you can't go wrong with an affordable bottle of Ray's private label wine. 1 person likes this review - Recommend |
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"sweet patio"
by Laurent B
(2 reviews) July 28, 2007 - there are few better places to sit over lunch and a beer on a sunny Seattle day... (and the food's good too) |
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"borderline"
by muffintop1029
(85 reviews) March 27, 2007 - We ate at Ray's Boathouse back in November, also for the $25 promotion. While my guest's ling cod was fabulous, my alaskan king salmon was just terrible with parts of the filet still cold and frozen. As it was a birthday celebration, I didn't want to put a damper on the night by sending the dish back. I merely chewed and swallowed. Tonight, our party of 3 attempted the March $25 promotion and our experience was split down the middle yet again. The cauliflower soup of the day was wonderfully smooth and the generous pieces of smoked scallop a wonderful touch. The pan-seared scallop appetizer topped with bacon and leeks served as a decent amuse bouche in preparation for our entrees. We found the the grilled halibut in muscat grape cream sauce to be a tad bit on the dry side, but borderline enjoyable. Two of us had the sablefish in sake kasu. I had high hopes for this dish after having read reviews touting this as Ray's signature dish. Both of our dishes came out rawer than it was intended; one absolutely needed to be sent back to the kitchen. Our waiter was extremely gracious about the return and the dish was nicely prepared when brought back to us. While the sablefish, otherwise known as black cod, was tasty enough, I was not at all a fan of the honey soy sauce that tasted much like brown sauce that can be found at any corner teriyaki shop. It lacked the sophistication that I seek in a restaurant such as Ray's. All of the desserts we had, including the coconut rum creme brulee, the chocolate-pepper cake, and the rhubarb-strawberry twist were uninspired and a blah end to our meal. Our wonderful waiter made the savvy gesture of gifting us with a bar of gourmet chocolate to compensate for the returned dish. Wihle the food was borderline, the service was delightful and very amicable. |
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"Hit-and-miss (25 for $25, March 15, 2007)"
by Kerana
(10 reviews) March 26, 2007 - Ray’s exudes Northwest charm like no other restaurant on the list, with views of wildlife like seals and herons right by the window. But it’s the exquisite seafood that brings us back every time and the Alaskan Weathervane Scallops entrée did not disappoint. There were FIVE perfectly seared and seasoned large scallops served on top of a healthy helping of vegetables. The Grilled King Salmon, equally impressive, was melt-in-your-mouth tender. Crisp bacon accented the endive and apple salad that my husband enjoyed, while I puzzled over the cold piece of smoked scallop, better if warmed, in my creamy cauliflower soup. Dessert was a bit weak: the Just Chocolate cake, a dark floured cake had overly sweet icing; and the Glimpse of Spring, a citrusy pound cake ring, though tasted ok, sat like a life-ring that needed rescuing in the red rhubarb soup. The wine flight from Chateau Ste Michelle’s Indian Wells vineyards was a good deal at $14 for three generous pouring, and the winery information card was a nice touch. Our server was not present most of the time: did not check on our entrées, or if we needed beverages with dessert, and could not be located when time to pay. The bussing crew and food runners made up the slack so all in all it was worth the drive to Ballard. |
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"Ray's a beautiful birthday experience -25 for 25"
by manda
(7 reviews) March 20, 2007 - I just went to ray's yesterday for my birthday dinner. I was pretty nervous because a lot of the restaurants I have been to lately have been quite dissapointing. Ray's, was definitely not dissapointing. The first thing that I loved about this place, was the view. My boyfriend had asked for a table at the window, and wow, that view was just breathtaking. You are looking right out at the sound, and it's almost like being in a movie on your own private island, I could not look away. Then, there was the service. Our waitress, Erica, was fabulous!! She was so so helpful, and friendly. The food was so good, we ordered oysters, which were so yummy and beautifully presented. The wine was okay, and the rest of the food was amazing. We talked to the manager for a long time at the end of the meal and told her how much we had enjoyed our night. Also, we did not go there with the intention of doing 25 for 25, but the selection for the 25 for 25 was amazing, and we ended up sticking with that, except for the oysters. They had almost all of their main dishes as selections. I was very impressed, and I would definitely celebrate there again!! 1 person likes this review - Recommend |
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"Oh the cucumber hollandaise!"
by kristen
(5 reviews) March 19, 2007 - Ray's happens to serve possibly my favorite salmon preparation in Seattle: coho with cucumber hollandaise sauce over mashed potatoes and asparagus. The key here is the cucumber hollandaise sauce, both creamy and cool, which marries perfectly with the three components of the dish. Especially the salmon. Sure, coho is no Copper River, but the sauce brings out the rich buttery undertones while neutralizing the less subtle flavors. And on top of the salty mashed potatoes and summery asparagus, everything works together perfectly. I could eat this dish over and over--and I have! Order while sitting out on the deck on a sunny June day for best results. |
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"one word: happy hour"
by benny
(22 reviews) November 02, 2006 - Ray's is solid between the hours of 4-6 and after 10. There food is really great value for the $$ in particular the tuna (sashimi) and the thai mussels and the salmon burger and the walnut/blue cheese salad... Fight for a seat in the bar in the summer, or wait for the winter and the crowds to thin out. 1 person likes this review - Recommend |
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