Casual place for seafood with Olympics & Puget Sound views, upstairs from sibling Ray's Boathouse.
"Ray’s Boathouse's second-story cafe is more casual than its sibling restaurant, a bit tackier, and there’s a 100% increase of fish and chips on tables. But the food is almost as great, and the balcony deck is a huge draw. Tables are strategically placed where the sunset should only scan the side of your face, they have heaters (and tasty chowder) if it gets blustery, and you might even see some sea lions." - aimee rizzo, gabe guarente, kayla sager riley
"While we’d usually recommend Ray’s Cafe during the summertime for their phenomenal view, it turns out that this waterfront staple is one of the few places open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You can make a reservation to sit upstairs in the cafe and choose from their usual menu of seafood-related dishes along with a few a la carte Christmas specials. Or, if you’re looking for something a bit more special, Ray's Boathouse downstairs will be serving a three-course menu for $75 per person. " - kayla sager riley
"When summer hits us like a ton of (relatively painless) bricks, the waterfront balcony at Ray’s is the first place we'd like to be. It's one of those pricey seafood-laden tourist traps that we can't help but love. Stick to fish and chips, crab cakes, and drinks, plus the free bread basket that comes on the side, and it'll be a success. You’re really here to put on your sunglasses, drink some ice-cold sauvignon blanc, and take in the view of Shilshole Bay that we can only describe as "sweeping." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"The seafood at Ray’s is good, but where you eat it is important. Skip the tacky cabin-like interior during the colder months and get yourself out onto their patio. When the sun comes out, it’s a different restaurant—a feel-good situation with a massive balcony deck on the water, plenty of tables, string lights, and coastal cuisine that can check a box. In other words: Seattle summertime gold. Sit outside with all of the other happy people, split a bottle of overpriced Sauvignon Blanc, throw some ice cubes in there, and eat good ass crab cakes and fish and chips while enjoying views of the Puget Sound. " - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"We’ll be honest, our favorite thing at Ray’s is probably their free bread basket spread with butter packets. But an order of their crunchy fish and chips is a close second. They’re very crispy, breaded with panko, and we have a very hard time resisting their battered fries dunked in tangy tartar." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley