Ray`s Family Restaurant in Elgin

I feel like I get my value.Have not been disappointed.

Amazing family restaurant! The owner greets you and low prices for their great food!

If you feel like a home cooked meal but dont feel like cooking...this is the place to go. The owner was there to greet us and ensured great service. I saw him shake plenty of hands, hugs, etc. Our server was very nice and the food came quickly. If there is a wait be patient....you'll be seated quickly.

Good things come to those who wait. This restaurant has never failed with their service or food. My family and I don't mind waiting for a table because we know the food is going to be great.

My stepfather Juan comes here all of the time. Now I understand why. Food is delicious!!Service is spectacular!!EVEYONE is treated like family!!Busy, but fast!!Love this place!A must try.

I dine in this place often! This is the best place to eat. I visit this spot regularly. The food is very tasty, the staff members are professional and the prices are decent. I enjoy eating in this spot to have a nice meal.

Love Ray's! Excellent service, food & prices. We go there every week so we must like it LOL!

Great Burgers and Bannana Spit - Comedy by Ray too

No frills diner serving America's top favorite comfort breakfast foods. Limited options for those with a dairy, gluten food intolerance/allergy. The space was clean, very dated as typical diners are filled with history. The coffee was hot and after flying in from a red-eye flight, it was a great stop to pick up a hot meal.

Great family diner. I had the corned beef Skillet, great flavor, not salty, all around delicious. My wife had the Hungarian goulash and she loved it. It's not something you see every day so as soon as she saw the specials she had to try it and wasn't disappointed. The service was quick and very friendly. I definitely recommend trying this place.

The restaurant is a really nice place to eat at. My family has been going here for close to 10 years now and we like going because the waiters and the owners are friendly. They take time to talk to customers, fill up drinks and even have a fun birthday song! During holidays the place can get pretty busy, and the lines occasionally stretch outside the restaurant (it's uncommon for that to happen). A great place to eat at! Side note, there aren't many keto, vegetarian, vegan or other alternative diet options available.

Ordered a carry out for the first time this morning. A man called back 10 mins later getting me confused with another customer. That was the first sign. When I picked up the food the man gave me a sales pitch that they been there 50 yrs bla blah. Well the pancakes were way over cooked and the squirrels wont even touch the food. There are a lot of drivers that been driving over 50 years but it still doesnt mean they can make a simple turn. Nuking some frozen pancakes now.

This place is very fast and has delicious, reasonably priced food! I'm so happy we stopped in. I had a steak and eggs that were cooked perfectly and my husband had an omelette.

Friendly staff, great flavors, and comfortable place.

Great little breakfast joint right before starting your work day. Always have a pleasant experience with the servers and good food. They even open at 6am M-F!

Food was great, good prices, follows covid preventive very well. Cannot say enough good about this place. I will be back!

Best food and the great service from wonderful who work there

The food is excellent, prices are low, service is amazing, and the atmosphere is what you want out of a diner. Not once has their food come out late nor have they ever messed up an order. Get there early because parking is tight unless you park under the adjacent viaduct.

I constantly come purchasing some food here. I enjoy the quick service and well cooked food. Never disappointing.

Diner style, delicious breakfast, soups and many more dishes! Friendly environment, feels like home! Busy, fresh and quick!

The menu and service were beyond our expectations. I absolutely loved the vibes of this restaurant. Fantastic place to take the family out for lunch.

Great home cooking always fresh. And heat service

Went in with my wife and baby, right in the middle of a sunday a.m. rush. We expected to wait a few minutes, which we had to. Through out our 15 min wait Ray came up several times to let us know he hasn't forgot about us. originally we thought we knew what we wanted but watching servers walk by everything looked delicious. Had a grand slam and corned beef hash skillet. We were both very happy and satisfied. They do a very good job of getting tables seated and served during busy rushes. We will definitely be back to enjoy the rest of the menu.

One of our favorite places to eat on a Sunday morning. The food is definitely worth the wait!

Love the food but most of all, I love the people. It's like being with family and friends every time. Always forth the wait. The selection of food is incredible.

Been driving past this place on my way to work for about three years, and my wife finally decided to have us stop in. Good decision. Nice independent restaurant, quick and attentive service, delicious food. Was even greeted at the door with a handshake. Will definitely stop in again.

Can be tough to get seating if packed on weekends but the food is great and service is great. Highly recommend

Went here for Sunday breakfast, despite being crowded was seated very quickly! Food was delicious, filling, and affordable. Definitely will be back, the owner was very friendly.

It's all about the family atmosphere. The owner always makes sure to great everyone as they sit down, he checks in on you, his staff are amazing send the food is great too!

Had the biscuits and gravy, great!👍 the waitresses were so friendly and helpful. Very enjoyable experience also the best cup of coffee I've had in a while. Will definitely be going back soon.

Always a great place to eat! There's usually a wait, just a few minutes, but because everyone loves going here. They are so quick and efficient at getting you seated as fast as possible. Food is always great and so are the prices.

Amazing service with food to match. Very good family atmosphere and affordable prices. Will be coming back.

Had a delicious vege omlet. Food was served fast and hot. Waitress was very nice. From the time we ordered until the time we received our food was around ten minuets

Classic, "old school" family restaurant/coffee shop, owned & operated by the same family for 47 years. Owner and staff are very friendly, attentive, and appreciative; great service. Not fancy, but cozy, comfortable atmosphere with lots of repeat customers who know the staff and each other. Great food at good prices. The internet calls this the best breakfast place in Illinois; I have to agree!

Really good, everyone was incredibly nice. I can see why people picked this place as the number one dinner in IL. I would like to see them change their catchup to Hines or a better brand in general. If you never been there go though the back entrance because it's really crowded.

My home away from home. Always loved their skirt steak breakfast and lunches. These guys always makes me feel right at home. I also love Fikes jokes.

Delicious food and amazing customer service! We had a longer wait and Ray was still so attentive and helped make it a pleasant experience even when we were waiting. Will definitely be back if were ever in Chicago again!

Such nice welcoming people food is so delish every time with very reasonable budget. They are so fast! Love it here famous for their soup

After one satisfying visit, I'm already planning another visit. I just learned of this charming old school diner from a friend. Travel and Leisure Magazine recently named them as #25 best diners in America.I enjoyed meeting owner Fike aka Ray. They have 6 counter stools for that authentic diner feel too.I settled on the Chicken Fried Steak with 3 eggs, hashbrowns and a toasted biscuit. I arrived at 10am and I'll be skipping lunch today, with this ginormous feast. I moved some of the sausage gravy to a biscuit half, for a sample. I loved it all! Great service to boot. Everything is reasonably priced and they have lots of specials also.

Great food family dining

Very crowded and no real room. Food is decent. I usually enjoy not feeling rushed to eat so they can quickly seat the next group. Feels more like a marathon than a casual dining experience.

I've eaten here numerous times, love the food. Seating is always an issue though, it's a small place. Usually we order to go.

Loved it! Food is amazing and made with fresh ingredients! The staff was amazing! But had a long wait. Wish the place was bigger

I never have a bad experience here I LOVE the food and the service is ALWAYS on par. Whether you're ordering carryout or dine in. Yes, it's a small location but it's always packed for a reason. The owner never makes you feel forgotten even with the chaos.

Ray's is great. A refreshing normal place, not winning any awards for fanciness or food awards, but comfortable and local. Just a nice diner that has food and friendly staff. It's a great place to meet up, grab some coffee some eggs, and chat.

I celebrated my birthday this evening in this great place. Well it was a brilliant evening and the restaurant was surely one of the reasons for that strong celebration. The team participated in a sweet manner, the cooking was appetizing and my friends were extremely cheerful. We shall surely come back again for more events. Thank you very much.

Very friendly service. Welcoming you with a smile and a handshake. 👍

We went in there starving at 3 o'clock unaware the hours had changed. We had said that we were sorry and would go somewhere else, Ray was there and informed us what they had and insisted we try it and stay. He served us himself while he let all the staff leave at their normal time. Not only was the food amazing, but Ray is a stand up guy. VERY caring and friendly. Can't wait to go back to see what's on the whole menu

Excellent service! Good food, It’s a very small restaurant. Older restaurant from the 70s. The people are friendly. The food is good! The prices are right. Service was fast and they all work together. They are only open until 3:00. If you go to Elgin you need to try them out.

I hate to make the weekend breakfast line any longer, but Rays does it right. Everybody will wait a few minutes. The owners are over-the-top friendly and treat you like a welcome guest. The old school dining room is a bit crowded. Everyone gets along. The breakfast stuff will arrive fairly fast and it is clearly cooked with care and delivered with pride. Good food, great pricing. Five stars for Ray’s.