Clara & Ray’s Ristorante Italiano

This was my first time here. We arrived a little before 5p on a Friday evening with a party of 2, and had no issues being seated right away. We began with wine, Coppola Cabernet for me, and Mondavi Cabernet for my friend. Both lower end, yet respectable blends. We started with the Zucchini Fritte, which had the perfect amount of breading and fried to golden brown, served with homemade marinara. I’d heard rave reviews of their “NY Style” pizza, so we decided to try it. We got half cheese and half meatball. Absolutely delicious, and just like any slice I’ve ordered in the city. My friend recently moved from NYC and agreed it was on par with NY. Well done Clara and Ray’s, I can see why you have such a good reputation! I’d definitely recommend if you’re missing a NY slice!

Wonderful experience from start to finish! I can’t say enough good things about this place. The moment you walk in, you’re greeted with a warm welcome and the amazing aroma of fresh garlic and authentic Italian cooking. The restaurant is spotless and thoughtfully put together, creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere. The Margherita pizza is absolutely delicious, and the garlic knots and salads are all made fresh with great attention to quality. The dough is outstanding—light, flavorful, and perfectly prepared. And the tiramisu… truly spectacular

I have found my new favorite pizza place. This restaurant has it all! Great food! Great atmosphere with the best service! The sauce tastes homemade. The pizza dough is homemade. The ingredients are so fresh and delicious.

I don’t leave reviews often, but this was one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had (I got the Clara & Rays Speciality Pizza + 12 garlic knots). I have only great things to say about my experience - peaceful atmosphere, food didn’t take long, very polite service. You can tell the ingredients are high quality.. no lethargic feeling afterwards. Highly recommend 🙌❤️

2ic heard bout this spot. So we decided to give it a try. . Its a famiky run spot. Which i love. The biggest issue is saw was help.. it just seemed like they were short staffed. Or personally were not out where they needed to be. Everyone was nice. But took a whike to be seated. And the food took a long time to be brought out now I am assuming it was all made from scratch...which I can absolutely appreciate....but didnt expect the long wait. The food was decent. We just had pizza. The slices were big and they have a lizza.( Montrious)...biggest i have ever seen . . Overall I am on the fence. The food was decent . People seemed friendly...I like famiky owned places. But I dont know if it was good enough overall to go back for round 2. But if I had a party or somerhibg. Maybe I would use.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absolutely fantastic pizza! The crust was perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, with just the right amount of chew. The sauce had a rich, fresh flavor that paired perfectly with the generous toppings and gooey melted cheese. Every bite tasted fresh and made with care. The atmosphere was welcoming and the staff were friendly and attentive, which made the whole experience even better. You can tell they take pride in what they serve. If you’re looking for delicious, high-quality pizza, this place is definitely worth the visit. I’ll definitely be coming back! 🍕🔥

They did a custom pizza for me that I was only able to get on long Island ny. I sent them the picture and they nailed it.. all their food look delicious and well made.. if yall looking for a good ny style pizza then this place is it. Plus all the other dishes they have looks on point. Definitely worth a drive. Go check em out. You will not be disappointed.. Picture I posted is a chicken marsala sicilian pie😋🤤

I thought I would never find a NY style pizza in South Carolina. But this place is the best thus far. Customer service was absolutely fantastic. And the restaurant is very clean. I think they definitely have a new Customer.

While the food was very good as usual. The service this time and the last time was slow. Had to wait to be seated for a table of two for no apparent reason in a dining room that only had two tables in use. Maybe three tables. Had to wait forever for adult drinks. The staff just didn't seem interested in working. Same way last time. They seem to operate on what I call "Island Time". Meaning, "I'll get to it eventually but not with any speed".

The cannolis are worth the trip alone! They have original and chocolate, chocolate was so yum!

Merciful Moses, last nights meal did not in any way reflect the great reviews I read. -seated by 6:20p. several groups already seated. -Sophia was our waitres: poor service. Had to ask for straws, napkins. Nothing she could do about the wait for our food. She did refill waters. -wait time to salads was 20 minute, They came out BEFORE the appetizer. -had to ask about the Caprasie salad, finally served 30 min after ordering, served with no plates, had to flag down another server and ask for plates. -meals WERE SERVED 40 minutes AFTER order went in: Chicken Marsala over broccoli - dried out meat, hard to cut/chew. Didn't look unappealing but surely was poor quality. -Chicken Milano over broccoli: presentation was not only unappealing but tasteless. small-bite chucks of dried out chicken, oversteamed mushy broccoli the color of green-gray, "roasted" red peppers were actually small, skinny strips of red pepper, nothing "Roasted" about it. This dish was so tasteless and unappealing I could only eat it with lots of salt and parm cheese. Entire meal was simply poor. -chickenAlfredo was okay according to my spouse. -Calzone was mostly gooey white cheese, small crumbs of sausage, not good enough to eat it all. -all in all, big disappointment. Did we complain? No, the dinner was a treat, it would've been thoughtless to embarrass our friends but they were aware of the issues and they didn't choose to complain. One simply doesn't leave a good review nor return to the Ristorante Italiano

Tracey did a fantastic job waiting on us this afternoon. We were in the mood for Italian food and decided to give this place a try. All we can say is that we both were blown away by the quality of the pasta and pizza that we shared. Cake for dessert was also delicious. We will return another time.

We traveled one hour to try them out and we will not be returning. I ordered a ginger ale and they were out. Then my husband ordered a vanilla cream soda and they were out. Then we ordered chicken parm subs and guess what, they were also out of sub bread as well. Our waiter was horrible. She never came to check on us and we had to ask another waiter for things. We needed drink refills and waited and waited. Over all just a terrible experience.

It's very obvious that a review was posted by Aidan F. to discredit my review. If you don't like an honest review or can't take constructive criticism than you shouldn't be in business. The food is majorly overpriced and average at best. There are many more places to eat that will give you better pizza and not rip you off with skimpy toppings and way overpriced beers. I make good money,and I know times are tuff,but I don't think this is a place I will be returning to. They also have their grandkids running as wait staff. Not a good representation of the people that own it.

Came on a Saturday night at 7 pm. My boyfriend and I were sat immediately. You can tell they were busy (staff were constantly on their feet), but service was still great and food came out quickly (and was steaming hot!). I had the chicken fettuccini which was wonderful. My boyfriend had the chicken parm pizza which he said was very very good. Staff are very kind and it feels like a wholesome family run restaurant. 10/10 recommend the chocolate dipped cannolis for dessert. We will come back!

Caroline was our waitress and she was so friendly and accommodating! The food was delicious and the atmosphere is lovely. This will be one of our regular stops when we are in Lexington.

This place has become my number one choice for great pizzz and Italian food. Only complaint is my drive from IRMO! Wish they would open up a location here.

Amazing food, with great friendly service! Will definitely be a returning customer!!

The pizza was not worth the price. My dad and sister didn't like the watery sauce for pasta. If you don't go out much and think this place would be good... it's not. Waitress was pretty unfriendly and so slow. We did birthday candles for my dad and not a single happy birthday or friendly word. We tipped 18% but honestly kinda regrettable (as a server). Don't recommend, until staff does a hospitality and timing management lesson for their servers.

This place was actually pretty good, it's bit of a drive for us so we don't go that often. The pizza is really tasty though. The staff is super nice & it seems to have plenty of seating, it actually feels like an Italian restaurant which was nice.

Me and my wife decided to try this establishment at 6 PM Saturday night, October 4. The host asked our name and how many people it was a very busy night and we we were told it would be 15 to 20 minute wait after 45 minutes and seeing people being sat down ahead of us we questioned whether our name was on the list and we're told no it wasn't. The hostess asked us our name and we told her three families were sat ahead of us and she said it's so hard to sit just two people! Not an apology so we decided to leave. We will not recommend this place or be coming back to spend our money!

I never write reviews but... This was genuinely the worst service I've ever received. We arrived at 6:15 and waited 45 minutes to be seated, with no where to wait besides outside on the curb or in your car. Once finally seated, we ordered wine and waited 30 minutes for it to be delivered (after kindly reminding her 3 times). We continued to have to ask our waitress if we could please have some water because she never came to our table. I'm always understanding about that if it's clear they're busy and running around taking care of other tables, but every time we looked for her, she was either with her friends in the front or back in the kitchen. We finally got to order food at 7:45 and waited another 45 minutes for it to arrive. It was good, but not worth a 3 hour dining experience for. We did not leave until after 9:00 PM. Apparently they have been known for poor service for a long time now. I hope they are able to get things together; it has the potential to be a great local Italian joint. The pizza looked great and we may try ordering it to go, but we will not be back to dine in.

My husband and I finally tried this restaurant, Everything was amazing. Definitely our new spot for pizza & Italian food. A+++++

We had an excellent cooked pizza to-go a few years ago. Recently we dined and had a meat pizza with tiramisu for dessert. A nice homely warm restaurant with friendly staff.

Warning: if you appreciate delicious, well-prepared food, take the 4-star reviews here with a huge grain of salt. We had high expectations for Clara & Ray's based on those reviews and are deeply disappointed. I love to support local places, but after $50 (for 2 meals) and one VERY upset stomach, we will never, ever eat here again. I love Chicken Parm. It's a dish that should make my taste buds tingle and jump for joy. This $23 Chicken Parm dish lacked any discernible flavor. It included 4 small, cold, 1/4" thick pieces of tough, stringy chicken breast, drowning in about 1 lb of cheap pasta. One of the chicken breast pieces was almost as tough as chicken jerky - I chose to throw it out rather than risk a dental emergency. The too tart tomato sauce did not taste homemade and was burned within an inch of its sad, tragic life. Thanks to a review in January '23 - where a diner found a small cockroach floating in his child's Coke - I found myself looking for dead roaches in my food which does not make for a relaxing dining experience. It didn't help that both of our meals were BURNED on the bottom (see photos) of the foil containers. There were black and brown chunks mixed into the food. The side salad was almost pointless: iceberg lettuce with 4 thin slices of raw white onion (yuck!), 2 teensy pieces of tomato, and 3-4 toothpick size pieces of carrot on top. Stouffer frozen pasta meals would have been better than this food - and far less expensive.

It was terrible, food was dry and unflavored. Workers were very snappy and impatient. Also the space Is quite small. Over all it was not a good experience and I would not recommend.

Pizza and calzone were top notch! Order came out of the oven just as I walked in the door to pick it up. Now THAT'S good service! Will go back!

Pizza is consistently very good when we go. They have amazing sauce, better than anywhere else in Lexington. However, they remain the most expensive for pizza and pasta dishes and have limited hours. We always order extra sauce since there is never enough on the pizza and there is also an extra charge for that (you can see if you zoom in on pizza that there's barely sauce on all the outer slices of the pizza and not enough cheese on the outer edges either, inside slices were perfect tho) They also charge $8 for one cannoli now which is expensive.

We went for the pizza and were not disappointed. We ordered the garlic knots, the Sicilian pizza, and the margherita pizza. Both pizzas were delicious! Even the table next to us was jealous of our pizzas. Word of advice, if you order the garlic knots they will ask if you want sauce, but the sauce is an extra charge. Our server was great!

The only reason I tried this place is for the homemade meatballs. I'll pay a little more for delicious food. 2 orders of spaghetti and a meatball sub was 66$ Food was subpar. Little taste in my dry meatball sandwich with hardly any cheese. Homemade sauce was not great either. I got take out and the service was good but I was charged over 3% to use my credit card. Not worth the value in my opinion. Salad was iceberg lettuce

Quality of service was amazing, food came out hot and delicious looking. Price was well matched for quality of food. Not my first time coming here and I recommend it to anyone who wants a nice dinner with a good family environment.

The food is always amazing and has never failed to impress! The employees are helpful when looking at the menu. It is a bit expensive but the atmosphere is very friendly and clean! I would recommend this to everyone.

Wow. What a fantastic place. They had signs that they had won best pizza in Lexington County for multiple years. Forget Lexington County, this may be the best pizza in the whole state!! We had the Margherita and the Ray's Meat Pizza. They were both fantastic. The Margherita may have been the best I have ever had. Service was fast and friendly. Highly recommend!!

My wife and I had gone to another pizza place in Lexington a few weeks ago and really liked it. We've gotten hooked on Clara and Ray's and always thought that was the best. After visiting the other restaurant I said this may be as good as Clara and Ray's life and my wife disagreed. So we had to go back to Clara and Ray's to settle the score. We ordered our usual Neapolitan style with mushrooms,onions, pepperoni and sausage. I took my first bite and said 'You are right...it wasn't as good as this!" Still the best pizza I've had in the whole city of Columbia or outlying areas. I have a friend from New York and he only will eat a basic plain cheese pizzas. He claims that's how you tell if a pizza is good, by the cheese and the sauce. I do agree with him, But I also like to order some condiments on my pizza. I ordered a par baked pizza, just cheese, And took it to him, since he had not eaten at Clara and Ray's. He recently found a great pizza in Aiken that he has been raving about. He called me the next day and said that the Clara and Ray's pizza was excellent. Said he had it for lunch And decided to have it again for dinner. Great crispy crust, very fresh sauce and a great taste and pull on the cheese. Can't go wrong.

You should spend your money somewhere else and this is why. We tried this place number of times. Over the last three years. Servers are lovely, food was to say kindly bland. Ordered a side of meatballs, they need to cut back on either the parsley or whatever else you put in there. It was so overwhelming. You couldn't eat the meatballs. Not to mention that they're dried out. Every time we order this, shame on us as we do it every time. So it's my suggestion is not to spend the money on that. Order a side of sausage ,two sausages dried out. It was terrible and we keep doing the same thing over and over again so that makes us stupid, but we're hoping they would change. The sausage was just too dried out sticks of pork, terrible. But their biggest problem is that they make the pizzas for the takeout orders and make you sit there at the table,. We were there for over an hour waiting for a pizza. The way I know this is we were picking up a pie for a friend and they ordered it half hour after we ordered our food sitting at the table. The pizza for the order to take out was sitting up on top of the oven and we still not even got ours for the table bizarre. It's pizza, waiting for over an hour for it. Then it came out we had to ask for plates we saw our waitress three times. When she took the order one time she was walking past and got two more beers and I had to stop her and ask her for our pizza and the check. Once she came over to check on us if we needed anything. So it is not worth the money they charge. Remember, they also charge for credit card use on top of the high prices that you're paying.

Best Italian restaurant in Lexington. Great ambiance and always good service. We have been here on numerous occasions and have never been disappointed in the quality of the food.

What a wonderful surprise to finally visit this location!! I'd passed by it many times and looked at it when leaving Jewelry Warehouse/Traditions, but never went in. The Villa was our long standing "place to go" for pizza over the last 40+ years and we were so sad to see them close. This will become our new pizza place! Their menu is vast and I'm sure we will try some other things too. Some may think it a little pricey, but the food, service, and atmosphere are well worth a few dollars more. A PERFECT date night location!

My family and I have come to Clara and Ray's multiple times and we have yet to be disappointed. The service is always on point. Kristin is amazing and makes us feel like family. I've had everything from Pizza to Ravioli to the meatball appetizer. The Knot-chos are wonderful and really hit the spot. I see many more dinners here in the future.

Solid four here! Great casual Italian eatery. The inside is bright, with a clean decor. We sat at a table where we had a view of two monitors showing Italian villages and cities. The menu offers a nice variety of appetizers, such as, mozzarella sticks, garlic knots, and pepperoni ring. There are salads: house, arugula, caprese, to name a few. The menu continues with sandwiches, dinners, sides, and of course pizza. They offer thin crust Neapolitan, and the square Silician. There are lots of toppings to choose from, and if that doesn't strike your fancy, try a specialty pie. We had the Capri...short on veggies? not a chance! Rays prepares great crust. It's hand tossed, and the result is a thin, crispy and delicious crust. Ours was topped with sliced zucchini, tomatoes, a few onions, and a smattering of broccoli. What we liked the most about this pizza was how fresh it came through, and I think the key was how the veggies were steamed al dente. There was a bit of a wait for our food, but taking pity on us, they brought out a fresh roll with some nicely seasoned dipping oil to keep us occupied. Note that Clara and Ray's has been voted best pizza in Lexington in 2020, and 2021. You can't go wrong here. Fresh, tasty food at reasonable prices. Finally, the staff is very friendly.

Most authentic cannoli I've had since being in Italy. Amazing pizza and the meatballs with ricotta! Chefs kiss. Don't miss out on this place!

Been here a few times and always good. This time we ordered well done pizza to try. Wasn't too crazy about it, but thought we would give a try. Overall still the best place for pizza.

Best Pizza by far in Lexington and really in Columbia area. Great people as well. It is our only go to for Pizza

I found my way into Clara & Ray's and decided to get pizza to go. Bottom line it was an excellent choice. The hand made crust. The fresh toppings. Extremely friendly staff. The interior has a warm and inviting appearance - one that immediately helps you relax and enjoy the evening. I look forward to my next visit.

Flavor and service make this restaurant great. Pizza was as great as others have said. Meatballs & spaghetti was cooked perfectly. Meatballs firm but light, pasta cooked just right "to the tooth" and the marinara sauce had a wonderful herb & garlic taste. Cheese ravioli just a bit over cooked but the filling was tasty and the tomato sauce's flavor overcame any short comings of the ravioli's pasta. All at a good price. Definitely worth the drive staff could not have been nicer even at a few minutes before closing. EDIT: PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT! Heated up leftovers spaghetti and the house filled with the wonderful aroma of garlic, basil oregano and I was inundated with requests to share. If you bring Clara & Ray's food home be prepared to share

Had a delicious fresh pizza with the friendliest servers! This was by far the best pizza I have had in Lexington. Also comes with complimentary bread. We will definitely return very soon.

This place is amazing! We love New York Pizza and this place delivers the goods. The service was excellent. We had appetizers (the garlic knots are a must!), Margharita pizza and Clara's pizza were so great! Top it off with delicious cannoli!

I enjoyed the lunch I had here last Friday. The menu is full of appetizers, sandwiches, pizza and salads. The restaurant is extra clean and the service is friendly. My friend and I split a medium NY style cheese pizza, a side of meatballs and a side of pasta with meat sauce. The food was very tasty and with Frank singing in the background, it doesn't get any better. I even had leftovers for another meal! I will return here !!

Slow slow slow slow service. Did I mention SLOW service. Pizza was very good, Price very high for pizza, appetizer, & salad. I am going to blame service/price on lack of employees thanks to Bidenomics. Very nice staff otherwise We must support local businesses, hopefully this economy will change for the better.

I just wanted to update everyone with this: sign up for their emails. Right now they are offering wonderful family meals to go and 25% off for First Responders, Doctors, Nurses, and Medical Staff (you have to show your Work ID).

The pizza is the best in town and the service is !!! We've been going to Clara and Ray's since their opening...nothing better!

Very yummy and friendly environment! We like to get the chicken parm and their pizza has a great crust and sauce! A must try in the Lexington area!

The other night I had another fantastic pizza from Clara and Rays in Lexington! Their cheese pizza is one of the best I have had. They toss the dough, homemake their tomato sauces and use the finest ingredients they can find. Their cheese is so good and their toppings are great also. My wife loves their outstanding eggplant parmigiana and will begrudgingly let me taste it. Tastes Great!! They are a little pricier than some but have the quality, plus, if you ask, they have a discount card that gives you back 10% of what you spent for you next order!

Outstanding NYC style pizza. I say this as someone born in NYC, raised in NJ, who visits NYC plenty for work. I actually know what NYC pizza is. Sauce is a touch sweet for my tastes but that's just my tastes. Loses a point on price; much more expensive than Kovachi's which is an equally good pie.

Pizza is good, I won't be back due to the 3.75% that they charge you to use a card. Absolutely Ridiculous and Greedy !!!!!!!! $50.00 for a extra large and a medium pizza TOO MUCH !!!

Fair. Given it a chance twice. Food was not great and not hot. Servers are friendly. Pizza was a little bland needs flavor and more sauce.

Finally found my go to pizza spot after months of searching. We moved here in September and have tried countless pizza places and Italian restaurants. This one is the real deal. I ordered takeout and walked inside to pay. The smell was fantastic. They were busy with takeout orders but only 1 couple was dining in. The Neopolitan pizza is just like NYC and I lived there and ate pizza almost every day for lunch. It's a real Italian family atmosphere with their young kids helping behind the counter to get takeout orders ready. Prices aren't cheap but I did get a flyer with some super bowl specials on it which were very reasonable. Caprese Salad also top notch! I'm sold, no more looking for my go to place. My food was ready in under 30 mins so very efficient as well, take that mellow mushroom and your ridiculous 3 hour wait on New Years.

I would avoid this place. Average food like this is only worth it if the service is good. It was not. The wine my wife got was like a 3oz pour. Had to call it to their attention. Had to ask for appetizer plates, had to ask them to clear table, had to ask them for pizza plates. Then there was a baby roach floating on top of my daughters coke. No apologies from 2 people aware. Barely an acknowledgment until the bill came with a 10% discount "because of that thing in the coke." Wow. Overpriced and they charge 4% to use a credit card. Give me a break.