Ray’s Boathouse

I first want to go on record as saying that the servers and staff were terrific. Very friendly, warm and welcoming, but what an enormous disappointment on last night’s visit, from someone who really wanted to «love» this place the way so many locals do.
The menu was skimpy, to say the least, as we were hoping for way more than the dozen or so entrees that were offered, and with menu prices in the $ 33-​$ 50, I would expect much, MUCH better execution.
I went with Pan Seared Jidori Chicken which was described as a hearty and rustic «half chicken» with spinach and goat cheese stuffing served with mashed potatoes and a steamed vegetable (brocolli rabe, making it’s second appearance, as it also garnished our $ 19 [underwhelming] Dungennes Crab Cake.)
The chicken was cooked fine, but wasn’t the freshest tasting bird, especially for a $ 30 entrée. The stuffing was MIA as was any actual wow-​factor in presentation, either in portion size or at least some killer mashed potatoes, but they, too, were Applebee’s level average, other than being salty. I was hungry, too. Ate every mediocre bite.
My wife’s scallops were not only somewhat inconsistently cooked (looking very «seared» though noticeably different textures and temperatures), the most remarkable thing was how they were seasoned with the same very salty seasoning from the crab cakes. The accompanying vegetables and starches were equally mediocre and really, noticeably scarce, especially at $ 36.
The best thing was the crème brûlée, though the butter lettuce salad had a nice crunch with the hazelnuts. At $ 19, I would hope that your dressing would taste house made, and it did.
When the Hot Towels (yes… Hot towels, like you just had a massage,) arrive, it will help prepare you for the $ 150 check for dinner for two with two drinks, a Pellegrino, split app, salad, and desert.
John was a great waiter though. And I understand they are under construction.

I am very disappointed. A number of people highly recommended this place to me and I don’t understand why. My family was visiting from out of town and we were all bummed that we chose to eat here. The food was average and wayyy overpriced and the service was subpar.
We started off with the smoked scallop salad and the seared tuna. The smoked scallops just weren’t good and the salad dressing was kinda sweet and reminded me of a cheap salad from a place like café express. The tuna lacked in flavor and then had way too many sesame seeds. If the tuna actually did have flavor you wouldn’t be able to tell.
We then ordered the sablefish, ribeye, and crab cakes for our entrees. The sablefish was actually really good if you like Asian dressing. But not $ 30 good. The ribeye was decent and the crab cakes were average at best.
The waiter was definitely new and didn’t do a good job of listening. I definitely won’t be coming back here as it is way over priced for what is served. It’s nice that it’s on the water but that’s the only plus.

I was in town visiting my sister and she heard this was the place to go… We quickly learned that was not the case. The restaurant smelt good upon entry, but once we were there for a bit the service was sub par. I was underwhelmed by the service and food provided. Seeing as we are on the coast one would expect the prices to reflect the fact that local seafood was provided, we saw the same prices of being at a middle American seafood diner. One would hope the seafood wasn’t shipped to a place like Seattle… But I guess you never know. The server was especially inept in his listening skills, we had to send a few items back. For the prices I believe the food was not worth our time. Perhaps this is a better location for happy hour on the pier.

Had a great dinner with my dad at a table overlooking the water. We ordered probably a bit too much food but wanted to try several different dishes — raw oysters, beets salad with goat cheese, snow crab tower, the hamachi appetizer, scallops and smoked fish. All of it was prepared to perfection, plated beautifully and tested delicious. Will definitely go back for a good dinner with a good company.

I’ve eaten here many times before upstairs where it’s loud and kids are abundant. This time we decided to go all in and do a fancy dinner downstairs. We were not disappointed. Our bill for the evening was ~$ 175 and totally worth every cent.
The service was sublime although the young gal who seated us could have done a better job of choosing a spot for us… but she didn’t seem open to suggestions.

Went for wine and desert. Desert not their thing. I will stick to their seafood menu. Gave it 3 stars because they do have a decent seafood dishes.

My husband and I finally decided to give Ray’s a try after so long. We went there for their happy hour, and my oh my, I’m so glad we did.
My first impression of the place was it was pretty classy. They have a coat check and a very cool looking restaurant. We decided to give the bar happy hour a shot (they have another happy hour upstairs too!). I can imagine it could be much better in the summer since the sun sets later so we can have longer view of our beautiful Puget Sound, but we managed to have a glimpse of the sunset, and it was very nice!
We were very happy hour with their happy hour menu. Everything sounded so great and the prices were very reasonable, so we went for the clams, mussels and frites, and the ahi tacos. My, they all tasted FABULOUS!!! The staff were so nice to us as well.
We had such a GREAT time at Ray’s. I highly recommend this place. We will be back for the regular menu soon!

Ray’s boathouse is awesome. Happy hour review — Loved the view! you can enjoy HH at the bar and take in the scenery and watch paddle boarders in the water. happy hour runs everyday from 5 – 6. and they have great selections. i ordered the following:
— Pasta Carbonara — House smoked scallop, bacon, egg
— Rock Shrimp & Chips
— Steamed Manila Clams w/​white wine sauce.
I would come back for the carbonara and the clams. the rock shrimp i can do without. Check this place out if you get the chance and enjoy the sunset at the bar.

Came here on a Sat for my birthday lunch. Had a 15 min wait. The views upstairs for lunch are great and we lucked out it was a sunny winter day and the Olympics were all snow covered. It’s worth the view to come in and eat something!
I had the Kussi oysters to start. Whoa, awesome. Little, but plump and juicy, full of flavor. Not too briny. Very happy I tried these. The bartender drink special was a peach purée with sparkling wine. I enjoyed this drink, not too strong peach flavor, but just right. They do offer bread and butter. It is a cold roll… kind of like a sourdough… crisp outside, soft inside. My family ate that all up.
Our main meals: This is a mix of results. My daughter and I both had the Alaskan crab legs. These were not pretty legs. I have had beautiful crab legs from the grocery store. (for a lot less cost!) They were medium in size. I went ahead and decided to try them rather than complain. They were cooked okay, not overdone. The butter sauce… didn’t like it. Regular butter would have been better. My daughter’s crab legs looked slightly better. She definitely had the better plate… her’s came out of the shell easier, and tasted good (I had to taste!). The potatoes on the plate are crisp and yummy. We skipped the broccolini though. I personally think for the money you spend here, the crab legs should be good looking crab legs. Not dingy looking with stuff on them. You know the kind… covered in some sea stuff that doesn’t wash off easily. My only disappointment. My husbands cod though… whoa, he got a full order and it was HUGE. Lots of large fish. He ate until he could eat no more. He was very pleased with the flavor and size of the plate. My son got the kid meal times two. He is not a seafood guy. The kids beef sliders were good. He also had the chicken tenders but did not like them. Said they were chewy. My husband tried them and said it was an odd taste. My daughter tried it and didn’t like it either. At that point we sent it back with no issues from the waiter.
Dessert we had the Espresso Panna Cotta. It was light in flavor, but still very tasty. My boys had a raspberry tart that they said was great.
Our server was attentive. We had a great meal here. I can’t say I would come back for those Alaska crab legs though.

I love this place, the food is delicious, the ambient&atmosphere its unique and the service it is great.

I visited Ray’s during Christmas with reservations at 6PM. I was told that they don’t normally do buffet style with the exception of holidays but, if their normal selection are just as good as what I had that night, Ray’s is a restaurant that you definitely want to go to.
The customer service was good. We originally were seated upstairs near the entrance to the balcony/​food but, for some crazy reason there was a draft and requested to be moved. The moving went through smoothly and our waitress promptly checked with us through out the night to see if we needed anything.
Their buffet was pretty good. There was prime rib. There was their famous black cod. There was a large assortment of shellfish. I was happy that they also had a large variety in greens and desserts. I definitely pigged out and it was a well worth of $ 59 per person. Overall, it was good service, good food and a good venue. You can’t really ask for anymore than that.

This place has really good crab legs. I ate the king crab and they were fresh. The food is really good here. The view is even better! It’s a historic restaurant that’s been around for a long time. It’s in an older part of the city but worth driving the small winding roads to get there.

We came back to an old favorite that we haven’t visited for a while. As always, a great, romantic environment for a special date. We had a great table in the corner for dinner. Didn’t see much marine traffic because of the darkness of the dinner hour.
Our waiter was very nice and explained the specials. Our drinks were prompt and everyone was very nice.
We ordered the Roasted Chioggia Beets and the Sauteed Calamari. Both nicely prepared, but not the best for the prices.
Our main courses were the House Smoked Sablefish and Halibut special. As we usually expect from Ray’s, the quality of the fish was the best, the problem is that the recipes were all VERY BLAND. A big shame to not make the most out of such outstanding cuts of fish.
I agree with my fellow Unilocaler’s MUST HAVE DARK CHOCOLATE specialties on the dessert menu.

Love this place! We came in on thanksgiving day and it was packed, but the staff made no qualms about it. Even though we didn’t have a reservation, they seated us at the bar with a perfect water view. Best seat in the house, in my opinion. Veronica was very attentive. She brought me a white peach Cosmo, and let me tell you, if you order this drink, be prepared to get sauced! It’s amazing and you won’t be able to have just one. We had these little puffed pastries with cheese for a starter, and they were sheer perfection. A nice crispy bake on the outside and incredibly light on the inside. For dinner, we had the perfectly cooked filet minion and the well seasoned crab cakes. I think I’ve found my new favorite restaurant in Seattle!

Oregon Pinot noir by the glass was stale
Salmon cooked to medium was raw
Waiter was nice
No chocolate on the dessert menu
I liked sitting next to the fire on this cold and rainy night

A decent experience overall. Made reservations for our anniversary dinner.
Stopped in at 6:30pm in late November, so it was dark and there was no view. Ambiance is classy, slightly romantic, and very dim. Definitely has an old, «country club» feel.
Service was just okay. We found ourselves waiting for service several times.
Started things off with the ½ dozen oysters (2 of each variety) and crab cakes. The Compass Point oysters were my absolute favorite. I’ve had better crab cakes before, but theirs is decent.
I myself ordered the scallops for my entrée. Was tasty and cooked well, but the portions were dainty. 3 medium-​large scallops and assortment of vegetables and fingerling potatoes. Honestly could’ve eaten at least 4 of these plates.
The girlfriend ordered the smoked sablefish, which was really good! Smokey, sweet, almost teriyaki like flavor (but in a good way). I’d highly recommend this.
All in all, the food was good-​great. Portion size is embarrassingly abysmal, especially when you’re spending ~$ 40 on an entrée. Not a bad place to go, but I wouldn’t come back.

We enjoyed watching the sunset from our table over clam chowder at Ray’s! After and afternoon of brewery hopping we filled are bellies with several happy hour special items, and they were all delightful! The service was very friendly and accommodating.

Went to ray’s for restaurant week and I was very underwhelmed. The soup and mushroom toast were both okay, as was the short rib gnocchi. However, my cod was seriously lacking in flavor to the point where I had to ask for salt and lemon (I always prefer my dishes under salted) and even then i couldn’t eat it.
My dessert (pumpkin panna cotta) was also pretty bland and came with a stale cookie.
On the bright side, the restaurant itself is beautiful and the service was great. Don’t think I’ll come back though.

Classic Seattle high-​end seafood eatery, with top drawer service, comfortable seats, and spectacular water views. Those in the know go around sunset, because that’s the framed window view here.
This is probably the freshest/​best quality seafood I’ve ever had. Ray’s is not inexpensive, but it is one of those restaurants where you do get what you pay for. And, if something is not right, they will fix it pronto. Excellent cocktails too. The perfect date night spot, about 20 min from downtown (assuming the 99 bridge is open).

I made reservations here for our 6^th wedding anniversary-​looking back on it now I wish I’d made reservations anywhere else. We’d never been to Ray’s before and expected something more than what we ultimately got. Our meal took nearly 2 hours, the service went steadily downhill from beginning to end with the one redemption at dessert. I actually really liked our server I just wish he had cared more about us.
We were seated right when we arrived and immediately I noticed how overdressed we were. Frankly I know the pac nw is known for its relaxed style but if I’m going to drop $ 200 on a meal I’m wearing my GD spanx and a dress. People everywhere in jeans and tshirts. We looked good and that’s all that matters. Up your game Seattle!
Ordered a couple cocktails including the special with rye and orange bitters that my husband enjoyed.
For appetizer we had the the warm Rosemary gougeres. The cheese sauce was delicious, the puff pastry was light but slightly over fried.
We both had a salad– classic Caesar for him, butter lettuce salad for me. Both were large in quantity but lacking in finesse for the butter salad. Inconsistent chunks of dried apricot and cheese, but overall tasty.
For dinner I ordered the porcini dusted sea scallops. I was nervous with the lentils these came with because they can go wrong quickly. And they did. They were so salty. I barely ate any of them. I can assure you no one cared, or asked me if my meal was good. For $ 35 I expect more than 3 scallops and I would have Loved if they had been cleaned properly. Sand in my mouth/​crunchy bits in my teeth is not my favorite texture. Granted I never said anything because we had waited so long for the main I was just done.
Husband ordered the ribeye and added a king crab leg. Reminder: We’re celebrating. If you’re going to put roasted duck fat fingerling potatoes on the menu they better be roasted in some duck fat and these certainly were not. Ribeye was nothing special but it was large enough.
At this point a table of 16 something had joined the room mid meal. This table essentially took our waiters entire attention. No one could be bothered to clear plates or ask us how things were. We watched other tables that came after us of the same size come and go. More than 100 minutes in I am regretting my earlier sneak request that the waiter add something special in the way of a pirate skull from whatever dessert sauce they had to my husbands dessert– we were celebrating our anniversary (have I said that?) and we married on talk like a pirate day. I was truly ready to go now. He finally takes our dessert order no less than 25 minutes after we were done eating our main course. The bus boy had kindly and finally asked if we wanted a box for the extra steak, which he then took from the table by stacking my plate nearly on top of it to carry back to the kitchen. Gross.
The one redemption I spoke of earlier was dessert. My crème brûlée was delicious and my husbands mouse was just meh but they did add that skull I asked for.
I hated writing 2 star reviews. If you’re going to go to rays, expect a stellar view and maybe lower your expectations.

Like this place, great spot to hang out on sunny days ;)
Love the way they cooked their scallops, seafood. Crab/​artichoke dip and calamari are some of my favorites.
Would recommend café if you with friends and want to chat and laugh but if you’d like more formal experience go to the first floor — restaurant.
Both good. Choose sunny day :)

The Northwest Room is a fabulous venue for any formal event, especially for wedding receptions. Today I attended my second wedding reception at Rays. Both receptions were in 90 degree days with perfect weather, gorgeous sunsets, and great friends!
The view is obviously one of the best in Seattle. This evening as it began to get dark, in the distance a fog seemed to move in on the horizon. That plus sail boats created one of the most beautiful views.
The food at this venue is wonderful: local flavored and ingredients, with buffet tables and with servers offering different hors d’oeuvres. They also give wedding parties the option to bring their own cake, for a cost.
Having done a family wedding here I know how easy it is– set up, center pieces, table linens and clean up are included in the cost. AND VALET PARKING for all your guests! While the rental is only for 3 hours, with all of the preparation done for you, that means 3 hours of partying!

This place is a must go in Seattle. I agree that it’s kinda touristy but it is for a reason. There are 2 levels one is more fancy and upstairs is a more casual part. We went to the casual part. The outside balcony has stunning views of the Sound. They have blankets if it gets cold. There is plenty of room. I ordered seafood salad and it was very refreshing.
The service was great, they are very helpful explaining the menu.
Hands down, the best seafood I’ve had in Seattle. It’s also kids friendly with a lot of space. I recommend making reservation prior to arrival especially on a nice weather day and during busy hours of the day.
I live in Seattle but I always bring my visiting guests to this place to show them a true flavor of Seattle with amazing views and tasty seafood.
Thumbs up for this landmark!