Ray’s Family Restaurant
801 Saint Charles St, Elgin, IL, 60120
Ray’s Family Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Elgin for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Elgin for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Elgin for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
801 Saint Charles St
Elgin, IL, 60120 - Phone (847) 741-7110
- Website https://raysfamilyrestaurant.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :6:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Breakfast
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : No
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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J T.
The best place in Elgin to get breakfast! Cheap and not a long wait for food, no matter how packed it is!
(5)Sarah H.
Convenient location and great prices this resturant is your typical "family" diner. The menu item that stands out from all others is their soup.
(4)Saul J.
I love the breakfast. The best thing about this place is that I have been coming here since I could remember. Fast service, a bit crowded but the home feel..... u cant go wrong with Rays !
(5)Joanna K.
Ray's is a family owned restaurant. This place has been around for a while. They offer delicious breakfast items! It is extremely affordable. I took a friend with me here we both got an omelette, the bill came out to be around $10 for both of us! When you get to this place, expect a short wait. This place is very small and compact, but their food is to-die-for! The wait is definitely worth it. What I love about this place is that their breakfast is not as greasy as the other places. After you've enjoyed your breakfast, you don't not have that overstuffed grease feeling in your stomach. The owner is extremely friendly, he is usually going around making sure everything came out okay. My favorite things to get here are: - Denver Omelette - Waffles - French Toast
(5)Dale A.
Frindly people, large variety on the menue, The food is always fantastic with very fresh salads and the selection is great for the kids too... they also have ice-cream :) The best part is the cost. You can bring the family and not go broke. We fondly call the resturant "Under the Bridge" as it is located next to the rout 20 overpass.
(5)Nathan S.
This is just about the perfect diner. The food is great, the atmosphere is fun, and the prices are pretty good. The owner is always there to say hello and welcome you in, and the staff remembers you even after just a few visits. If you are looking for a quick breakfast or a good burger, this is the best place around.
(4)Gayle S.
Since writing my first review we have taken other family members here and they love the place too. The wait staff is awesome and now they know us :-)
(5)Michael B.
Ask the host to tell you a joke, he always has a good one to tell.
(5)Alain S.
This place is an elgin institution. You always know a legit diner by the amount of old people and regulars there are. Well this place is the most legit place ive ever seen in elgin and they've been doing it right.for years. My dad used to take me here when I was a kid for steak and eggsand it was always great. If you go anywhere else for a diner smack yourself
(5)Ken N.
Rays is a perfect spot for a great breakfast have been eating there for 3 years and it is all good. Nice to see a owner that cares about his food and customer's cannot be beat for quality, quantity and value for your dollar. Give it a try !!!!!!!!!!!!! Only down side it is in Elgin not the best area in the burbs..
(4)Karli C.
oh man!!! all I have to say is TRY IT!!! this place is great. A friend introduced me to Ray's last year and I was really impressed. everyone is nice, they are fast, and the food is great! It's just super hard to park in their parking lot, but aside from that, not a darn bad thing to say about this place. LOVE IT!
(5)Joan D.
great food may have to wait for a table on weekends but it is well worth it!
(5)Joanne C.
Best coffee. Great service. The owner and servers make it a very nice place to have a meal. Whether breakfast lunch or dinner you will always get a great meal!
(5)Joy K.
Thank you for amazing service and good food! Spoke with the owner who has a wonderful attitude and works very hard alongside everyone else. So hospitable and welcoming to all. Our family felt right at home!
(4)Kara M.
Good food that's close to home. We grabbed some late dinner from Rays and brought it home. I had a fresh taco salad and my husband had a skillet. I really appreciated that the waitress was friendly and easily made substitutions to the side on the breakfast skillet. My husband and I both agreed that we'd return with our kids and other family members.
(4)Tina P.
I LOVE this place! If you like snooty servers, high prices, and terrible food... this is NOT the place for you! Family, wholesome goodness... From the warm welcome at the door from the AWESOME owner, to the extremely friendly staff, and the DELICIOUS food... you will NOT be disappointed!!! You will feel like a part of Ray's family! Even though we've only been here 3 times, the staff recognizes us and remembers our usual order! The owner even offers us coffee as we're waiting in line for a table! He has the best jokes, and the best coffee and homemade hash browns around!!! xoxo
(5)Steve H.
A great diner with the typical family atmosphere, noise and a hundred things going one. I have only been there for lunch but it has a broad menu and solid food. Definitely a place to go when you are in the area and need something good but quick.
(4)Rick M.
Consistent food quality and service. Portion size commensurate with hole in the wall rent. Big portions. Good family style food.
(5)Paul W.
Rays is a great little diner with good food at reasonable prices and a very friendly staff. What more could you ask for? We ordered the Monte Cristo with ham and a side of hash browns. Chicken soup with rice was included. Food came out fresh and fast. Our server was always there with a refill on drinks and the owners works the register with a smile and a sincere thank you when you leave. All of this is consist ant with the three times we've been there. Highly recommend Rays Family Restaurant.
(5)Andrea K.
My family has been coming here since before I was born. We always love it an have a great time! The owner an his family are awesome, as is the clam chowder. Ask the owner for the special ketchup if you have a good sense of humor.
(5)bridget t.
We stumbled upon this place while going for a Sunday drive...searching for breakfast at 1p. We were a little skeptical from the looks of the outside, but know that some of the best food places do look a little drab. And, the fact that the parking lot was PACKED was a good sign. We had to wait a few minutes which gave me a chance to watch the food come out of the kitchen and the servers. Everything looked wonderful and the servers, cashier and host, even though they were BUSY took the time to make sure everyone and everything was okay. It was very tight seating and difficult to get through the tables and a bit noisy...like a true diner, it added to the charm. The food was GREAT! And, they will give you as many butters as you want. And, they take debit/credit cards! One of our new favorite Sunday spots!
(5)Ara R.
I LOVE this place! Their skirt steak & eggs is always delicious. Staff is very welcoming and friendly. I recommend this place to everybody. You might have to wait a few minutes but the wait is well worth it.
(5)Diane K.
Ray's is one of those perfect little greasy spoons. Super friendly owner and staff. It is always really crowded, but they still get you seated pretty quickly. Great place to go for diner food!
(4)Kristen V.
Only have tried breakfast but is always good! Had a veggie omelette with mozzarella, veggies were fresh! Was excellent! Place is small and sometimes might have a short wait. It's the only family style locally owned breakfast place in the area. Parking can be a little tricky having to park in the back lot which is very small. Street parking is usually full. Would recommend and definitely will be back!
(5)Jefferson S.
This was one of the best family restaurants my wife and I have ever been to! Delicious food, positive family atmosphere, and incomparable service! Iten was a very sweet waitress and the manager was also very kind. It was very busy but we were seated within 5-10 minutes, coffee and water was ALWAYS full, and staff was extremely attentive by always asking if we were ok without bombarding us. New favorite restaurant by far!
(5)Dave B.
Still impressed with Ray and his operation. Great food and great service. We love you Ray!
(5)Edgar R.
First time here, great food! So fresh. The owner greeted us at the door because they were so busy. Our waitress was the spikey haired girl! Great service, so attentive without being over bearing. Great joint, would recommend it to everyone!
(5)Dan N.
Thank you Yelp, another Gem. A great local neighborhood dinner, it ain't very big, everyone seems to know everyone and the prices are more than reasonable. We stopped in for breakfast on a Saturday morning, we got seated right away and were in and out quickly. I had a skillet which was excellent and my wife had Pancakes (2 thumbs up!) Only thing I can complain about if anything is no brewed Ice tea its from the coke machine. But I can live with that. I would love to go back for lunch sometimes and try some other things. Count us a big fans!
(4)Grace N.
I have been coming to Rays for 20 Years..I live how friendly and how courteous the staff is. I don't even mind waiting I rather come here than any other place.
(5)Kevin W.
Yes, yes, and yes. Everything you want in a diner. Wonderful staff. Cool environment. And tremendous food. I swear there's a 1/4C of butter in the hash browns. Killer breakfast specials leave you feeling full for hours and cost less than a cup of coffee and pastry at Starbucks. Leave an 80% tip and you'll still walk out having had unlimited coffee refills, a full belly, and spent less than $10.
(5)Mango S.
Good food and service. Although it gets packed really fast so be there early. On top of that, you see the owner working next to everyone else - you just don't see that anymore.
(5)Juicy L.
I am from Las Vegas and we do not have diners like these back home. So when I saw that this place was 2 min away walking distance from my uncles house I had to try it. Let me start of with the princess... beyond cheap like super reasonable. I had their creamy chicken soup which I loved. Then my sister and I shared the chef skillet with a side of pancakes. Honestly it was good but nothing special. Over all it was a good experience even tho it was super small and crowded in there our waitress was still really nice to us :)
(3)Aj R.
Great place, great food and great service! You can tell this is a local favorite establishment. The 30 minute wait didn't bother us at all while waiting to be seated because of how well they accommodated us. To see the type of teamwork was amazing. I definitely recommend this place.
(5)Ryan L.
Wow, wow, wow! Although this place is small inside, the food, prices, and service are all outstanding! This is your typical greasy spoon restaurant with one major difference: quality. The soups, sandwiches, and entrees are all prepared using fresh ingredients. I cannot wait to come back here!
(5)Bill A.
Ray's is the diner you remember from your childhood where the staff actually remembers you and treats you as their guests. No frills here just honest food and reasonable prices. You won't find mango habanero chutney on their menu but you will find tasty breakfast meals and traditional fare. They understand that a bowl of soup shouldn't cost $7 - 8. The place is a little small so it fills quickly at peak times.
(4)Amy R.
Found Ray's on Yelp. This is the first time here. It is so good! The owner greeted us at the door because it was so busy. We were seated very quickly. The food was great. So fresh, good size portions and so inexpensive. We had the spikey haired waitress, she was so fun, very attentive without being over bearing! Would recommend this joint to everyone!
(5)Kelly D.
We found Ray's on Yelp. I knew the location, had seen it before, and was skeptical of such good reviews. Don't let the location or outer appearance fool you. There are two entrances, one in front, the other, in back. The parking lot is small and the majority of it is in the back. When we pulled around, there was only one space open. We walked into a small but very busy little restaurant. There were a couple of people in front of us and I was afraid we'd have to wait but we were seen to immediately upon entering. Thre were 2 small tables open and were asked if we would like either, or we could wait for a booth. We chose a small table and even though by the door, we didn't feel crowded, despite folk coming in constantly. We sat down and I barely got my coat off and we were being served coffee. As soon as he left, the waitress came by with menus. The menus were clean. Having worked in food service, this tells me they are conscientious. We chose and had no sooner put our menus down, than the waitress was there ready to take our order. I had a grand slam while my husband had a Denver omelet. While waiting I noticed numerous people come and go. Each of them were greeted or sent off with a personal acknowledgement from what I assumed to be the owner. "Heeeyyyy! How are you?!" was heard quite a bit, with much back slapping and inquiries of health and new years statuses. It appears there is quite a menagerie of regulars. The food was very good. My 2 over easy eggs were perfectly cooked; not hard or rubbery. Bacon was cooked to perfection, not crispy but not undercooked. The pancakes were huge. My husband's omelette had plenty of vegetables. The hash browns are real potatoes, shredded, not frozen. The OJ was good and coffee too. As we were done, I asked if we pay the waitress or at the front and her response was to say either, then ask if this was our first visit. We said yes, and she turned to the man greeting everyone, whom I now know as the owner, Faik, and said, "Faik, we have new customers". He greeted us warmly, asked how our food was, and said he hopes to see us again. She then told us, it is a family run affair and began pointing out nephews, a husband, a cousin, niece etc. She has been there since 1973!!! Holy cow. All in all, it was a great experience for breakfast at a neighborhood establishment. I was most impressed by the" old friend " feel from the staff. We will be going again.
(5)Keith R.
My work schedule allows me to have mid-week weekends. Some weeks I only work 3 days and if it happens that I get 2 consecutive weekdays off, I get a mid-week weekend. So one mid-week weekend, or Tuesday as some people might call it, we had a day of errands to run and needed a place to fuel up. With our first errand completed, I searched for a place to eat. Ray's happened to be within 5 minutes of St. Joseph's Hospital in Elgin. I used to work at St. Joe's, and I would always hear that Ray's was great for the morning meal, but never made it a point to try it out. Wish I tried them earlier. This place is on the East side of Elgin, near Rt. 25 and Rt. 20. You might miss it, it's pretty small. When we walked in, at 0900 am, there were 2 tables left. Our server was almost the same server you've seen in movie diners, wearing that waitress dress, white orthopedic looking shoes, plastic-rimmed cat-eye glasses.... Or maybe I was imagining it. Because this place just looks like every diner I've ever seen in a movie. Goodfellas. When Henry meets with Jimmy to discuss his case and Jimmy asks Henry to whack somebody. Reservoir Dogs. Mr. Pink discusses his philosophy on tipping, while the virtues of the song "Like a Virgin" are pored over. Pulp Fiction. Honey Bunny and Pumpkin discuss various disadvantages of robbing liquor stores, banks and jewelry stores, and why restaurants are the ideal place to knock over. Casino. Ace catches Ginger with that smarmy James Woods, I mean Lester Diamond. Lester then gets his tuchus handed to him in the parking lot. I understand that all of the situations I've listed are gangster-y in nature, but none of the above activities occured at Ray's. The only crime committed was the murdering I put on my Denver omelette. The short order cooks here are really true to the name. I pretty much asked for it, the waitress turned around, turned back around and dropped an omelette in front of me. It also happened to be very good. I'm a little particular about omelettes; I'm not crazy about filled omelettes, where the egg is cooked, the ingredients put in the middle and the egg folded over, like a blintze. I like where egg and ingredient are molded together in the pan, then folded onto a plate, because that's how I do it at home. And that's how they do it at Ray's. And the ratio of egg to ingredient was perfect, every square inch of egg had some ham, green pepper, or onion in it. All omelettes come with hash browns and toast. The tap water tastes good and the coffee is refilled early and often. I vote that you come out to Ray's and eat a home-cooked meal. (see what I did there?)
(5)Amanda L.
We really like Ray's for three things: breakfast, speed, and price. Two people can get a good sized breakfast, coffee, and walk out spending between $10-15, depending on what they got. I've tried a full variety of things on the menu and the only thing I didn't care for was the biscuits & gravy. If you have a sweet tooth in the morning definitely get the chocolate chip pancakes--they put love in that batter. The only downfall is that on the weekends they are always packed to the gills, so if you don't like a crowd this isn't your place. Tables turn around quickly, but they are also very close together. Service is always prompt and friendly.
(4)Oliver G.
Good food with generous portions.
(5)Shaun H.
Excelent food, excelent service, excelent prices. What more can you ask for.
(5)Pablo S.
Always go there to eat on weekends.I live in Chicago every weekend around this area and stop by here for breakfast ..very.friendly ...excellent price....love their homestyle hash browns.. You won't regret it just get there early get packed fast for breakfast
(4)Alvin V.
Food was great. Place is small and crowd during the weekends. I know why this place is popular. Service is great and food comes fast and hot. Excellent.
(4)Bob A.
Yes sir ree bob, this place was all right. First visit today, and I really enjoyed the meal, the waitress was very friendly, end less refills on coffee and soda. As Arnold said, "I will be back"
(4)Eugene G.
If you are looking for good breakfast for a reasonable price RAYS is a must! It's a very small whole in the wall kind of place but the wait is worth it! It's Elgin's hidden gem! So if you're looking for good breakfast food, good coffee, great prices, and you happen to be in the area stop by RAYS!
(5)Drew M.
i can practically guarantee you will love this place. The only downside is the ridiculously long lines some days, but that comes with great service and food.
(5)Tish D.
Great neighborhood place with awesome food and great service. Menu is simple with classic breakfast items. I like my hash browns extra crispy and they always make them just the way I asked. Waitress very attentive and filled water and coffee constantly even though place is packed!! Must try if in area.
(5)Anita M.
Family small restaurant. Busy even on a weekday. While we waited in line the owner was attentive to us, asking if we wanted water or anything, asked my mother if she wanted a chair. Staff is friendly and move fast to keep up with the crowd. Patrons seem to know one another- seems like the place they come to see one another. The owner personally greets everyone. Very friendly, great home-cooked food. We had breakfast- it was fab. Would definitely come back.
(4)David L.
Really fast service, attentive staff, seated right away, served coffee right away. Food came out within 7 minutes. They accommodated us, and .over us to a booth once one opened up. Had a mushroom omelet that was pretty good, pancakes were a good size, coffee tasted good. Highlight to my morning was an amazing chocolate milkshake that was perfectly balanced and creamy. Prices a reasonable!!
(5)Rose D.
Love. This. Place. I just had to write an update for Ray's and give them one additional star. We absolutely adore this little old-school family restaurant! The family who runs it is so friendly & welcoming - they know how to make you feel like family. The servers remember what we usually order...one in particular, even if she is not our server that day, will come over & say hi & notices if we are trying something different. We normally go here for breakfast or brunch but we've tried the lunch sandwiches & dinner specials & they were also quite good - down home type food. Their parking lot is tiny, but don't let that deter you. And don't be surprised if the line is to the door waiting for a table. The wait normally goes pretty quick - and the owner makes sure to let you know if there are seats at the counter if you would like. He knows my hubby & I like sitting at the counter so he comes & gets us as soon as two stools together are free.
(5)Eric G.
I've gone here a couple times over the years. The service is very good and friendly. I typically go here solo so even though there's always a line when I go, Ray himself does his best to find a spot for me. The place is really small but they make use of every inch of the place to provide seating areas for their customers. The entrees are very good, especially love having the mushroom and swiss omelet. They have a parking lot in the back but I usually park on the street with no problem. Ray's is truly a Gem in Elgin and it seems everybody knows everybody here.
(4)Avinash K.
This place is packed.. Really good service and super friendly staff and it is pretty small. We had lot of stuff here - a portion of onion rings which were good, pecan roll - which is pretty good too.. Then I had the tuna salad crossiant which was pretty good and my friend had choc-chip pancakes with hashbrowns - there were 3 large pancakes and hardly manage to finish one.. I helped him with the other one and there was half of the third left.. The staff actually said - " There are so many more dishes you guys should come back and try those too".. This was brilliant and I thought it was really honest, not like the usual " see you next time" or whatever..!!
(4)Michelle D.
Amazing food!! My husband had the Mexican stew special and I had spaghetti with meat sauce and bolts entrées were so good!
(5)Marty G.
Ray is very nice and hospitable and our waitress was the same. Great service goes a long way, and everyone at Rays makes you feel right at home. The reason for 3 stars instead of 4 is that the food is really very average if not below average. The coffee was OK, the gyro was pretty good, but both the cheeseburger and the hash browns needed some work.
(3)Scott K.
Based on the reviews, I stopped at Ray's on an infrequent swing through Elgin this week. This is about as good as it gets for me--great food, great service, efficient. Wish it were closer to me--I would be a regular for sure.
(5)Veronica B.
It's like being at home.... From the moment you walk in, you personally greeted with a handshake & big smile from the owner. The service is excellent, awesome breakfasts, lunches are great too. Nothing pretentious just good old fashion eats. if your ever in the Elgin this is a must breakfast joint!
(5)Michelle M.
Thanks yelp, because if it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't have ever found such a gem! Went today at 8am with daughter n husband....no wait (by the time we left there was one) food was really good, and this place used butter to fry their hash browns and real butter not oil for their toast!! Would give it 5 stars but need to go back once more and give lunch a try before I give it the ultimate score! A definite go to, and don't be afraid of the outside.....looks are deceiving and that's a good thing. For those that have to wait, they offer you a drink while in line. How sweet is that ;)
(4)Brannon M.
Second time at Rays this morning. The first time out (a few weeks ago) I had the eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Pretty good, but nothing to write home about. The coffee is a diner-great. Warms you up and gets the motor running. For a total bill of $13 (two of us) it was a great value. This morning, I decided to up the ante a bit. I couldn't decide between the banana pancakes or chocolate chip, so I let our server decide. She was happy to oblige: Banana pancakes. Nailed it. At least 20 slices of banana on top of three monster pancakes. Whipped cream made it a pretty epic tower of goodness. They were great! What you need to know: Great service: the coffee cup is always full. Great food: don't worry about leaving hungry. Decent atmosphere: a little like grandma's. And yes. You're likely to miss it your first time around the block :-) Highly recommended!
(4)