Had been waiting for the perfect time to eat at Ray's at the Bank. Checked their website to see if reservations were required due to it being Valentine's weekend with nothing posted that reservations were required. Waited an hour for them to open so we would be sure to get seated only to be turned away at the door because we did not have a reservation. Poor management!! We live over an hour away and did not get to experience their wonderful menu that was planned. Sadly disappointed and do not think we will return to give them an opportunity. I hope that no other couple had this experience there. I would have gladly made a reservation had it been posted on their website!!! read more

My husband saw this restaurant, about a mile from our hotel (Hampton Inn and Suites). I didn't review it as I was happy to let my husband choose for once. This is a quaint little restaurant that was nicely decorated for the Christmas holiday. We chose our table and were attended to immediately. There were two other tables of 5 and 4 customers when we arrived around 1:30 pm. I noticed they close at 3 and open again at 5 pm. The special of the day was red beans and rice with andouille sausage served with corn bread which my husband ordered. I was surprised because I was pretty sure he chose this restaurant because it had the word "ribs" on the menu. He said his beans and rice were a little bland and his cornbread was average. I tasted it and have to agree it could use more seasoning. I ordered the brisket platter which included two sides. I ordered cornbread salad and macaroni salad. The brisket was delicious served baked as two types of sauce were offered-red and yellow (mustard). I have to say I liked my brisket without the sauce. A slice of Texas toast was also on the platter. I offered some of the brisket and the toast to my husband so I can't comment on the buttered toast. I chose the cornbread salad because I had never heard of it. It was interesting. It was a cold salad that included crumbled cornbread, diced celery, onion, green pepper, corn, and I think pimento binded together with a light dressing and served in a scoop. The macaroni salad was plain ole southern elbow macaroni with a tangy mayo based dressing. Both salads were tasty and I enjoyed them. Good food but nothing that says I would drive out of the way to come here. Our server was working alone and was efficient as she waited the 3 tables, including serving wine and drinks from the bar. We took a pint of their smoked pimento cheese with us and had some of it for dinner with some sausage and crackers. It was tasty. We didn't get dessert here but noticed a bakery across the street that was calling our name.. read more

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Scores: Bar selection 3 Appetizer of blue points: 5 Dinners: Crab cakes 3 (degraded for lack of flavor & size for price) Prime Rib very fatty (25% inedible), tough, but flavorful 3 Sides: Ceasar salad was very good 5 Baked potato, loaded, was done nicely but weak on bacon and cheese 4 Asparagus was nicely seasoned, ends untrimmed and stringey/grainy 3 Service: 5 read more

One of the absolute best kept secrets in the shoals. We have never ordered anything we didn't care for. From seafood, steaks and desserts they do a great job read more

Ray's At The Bank - Brisket Sandwich and cornbread salad! - New American Near Me - Florence, Alabama

We go to Florence three times a year and are always looking for good restaurants. Saturday we were looking for a place to have lunch and found this hidden gem. It is a small and quaint restaurant with fresh food, friendly staff, and amazing food. I have food allergies, and they were able to accommodate my needs. I had a salad with salmon and hubby had the brisket plate. Both meals were outstanding. We will definitely go back the next time we are in Florence. read more

Anyone that eats at this restaurant should go up stairs to where they store their supplies. It's a cat haven with several cats roaming the whole upstairs. The cats have been all over the supplies and even rip them up. Doesn't seem to sanitary to me???? read more

Had higher expectations than the experience delivered, but not horrible. Food was adequate , server was good, pleasant setting. Musician was just setting up to perform when we were finished and departing...sorry we missed the live music, it cold have elevated the visit. read more

My wife and I enjoy lunch and Dinner at Ray's. For lunch the Roundabout burger may be the consistently best high end burger I've had. Dinner is a great selection of seafood that is hard to find in the area and good steaks. Plan for parking but in the case we have a special occasion we always consider Rays read more

Our food was perfectly prepared. I had the Grouper with lemon capers sauce and grilled veggies! Beth our server was very attentive. My wife and I shared a piece of hot butter cake with vanilla ice cream and OMG it was so good! The musician played harmonica and acoustic guitar and his voice and play was just as great and created a mellow ambiance. We have been here once before and will come back! read more

We were seated immediately at our reservation time. Great food. The prime rib was perfect. Service was great! Will definitely be back.

Great food and great service. Ask for Andy he will take good care of you. Try the bread pudding. You won't regret it.

Nothing special. The food was ok. We both had chicken and dressing, green beans, baked beans. The atmosphere was nice with exposed brick. The service was also just ok. Nothing bad but also nothing spectacular. read more

Absolutely great! I had the pimento cheese bacon burger and potato salad. The burger is the best I have had in Florence. The potato salad was also very good. The butter cake with ice cream topped of our meal perfectly! Delicious. read more

Ray's At The Bank - a hamburger and coleslaw - New American Near Me - Florence, Alabama

Perfect ambience. Server Beth was very attentive. We ordered dozen oysters, filet and lobster tail, stuffed shrimp all delicious with great flavor. Very nice wine selection. read more

This is a jewel in Florence! The Hemingway daiquiris were tasty. Dinner specials made it hard to choose, but the blackened mahi-mahi was amazing. Sides were fresh and delicious, especially the portobellos. Service was excellent (thanks, Brandy!). To top it off there was a guy with a guitar who played wonderful background music at the perfect level. Nice atmosphere. Note: They fly in fresh seafood multiple times a week! read more

This place is wonderful The food is like nothing I've tasted The steak has a unique smoked taste to it The burger was great The best part is dessert it amazing Our the waiter Derrick was aweome !!!! We will definitely be back to eat here read more

Ray's got its groove back! There were 8 of us and we all raved about what had: the oysters with mignonette sauce, the crab cakes, the filet (medium rare done to perfection), the bread pudding and brownie desserts (some of the best ever). Must admit that the creamed spinach side was not a hit - lol. There was a bit of a wait for the entrees, but it's not fast food. Kudos to the chef Katrina Hudson and wait staff for a wonderfully memorable dining experience. read more

I had higher expectations, but honestly wasn't blown away. The food was good, not great. The atmosphere was very dimly lit to the point where we had to use our phones to see the menus, other tables were doing the same as well. I liked the guy playing the guitar in the background. read more

Love to eat lunch at this restaurant. The food is 5 star. Nice size portions. The menu selections are numerous. Cute part of town. Florence is so lucky to have such a great gem. read more

I started eating the occasional lunch and supper here and it was always excellent. Once COVID changed things we were lucky enough to use Ray's for lunch catering at work on a regular basis and have no also been able to return for dinner service several times. This place is just so good it's really hard to believe. Lunch is southern casual with emphasis on smoked meats when they are fresh out of the smoker - the brisket would give some Texas places a run for their money. Dinner service is completely different with fresh seafood and oysters and excellent steak options. The desserts are consistently amazing with family members often requesting the bread pudding for birthdays and the butter cake is equally to die for. Solid restaurant with casual lunch and a fantastic, formal dinner menu. Weekends also usually have live acoustic music. read more

What a hidden gem. We stopped by yesterday and had an amazing lunch. Can't wait to try them for dinner. Everything is made from scratch. Don't hesitate! Just go! read more

Started with two glasses of cab that were excellent! Ordered the pimento cheese appetizer with house made pickles and candied bacon. Smoked prime rib medium rare was spot on. The smoked flavor gave it a unique taste. Great atmosphere. One of the best in the Shoals! read more

Well, the ambiance is romantic and chic, the staff is friendly and gracious, the food is nouveau Southern seafood and steak, but the prices are a little steep for what you get. (I left hungry even though the two of us spent over $60.) Other than the prices, we loved it. Almost every dish had a unique, gourmet spin on a traditional favorite. But $11 for a small cocktail? That perturbed me. read more

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Well we didn't get food poisoning so they got that going for them but that might be because we just gave up on the idea of dinner after 2 hours of wait, server takes one person's order and scurries off to see about another table then disappears then does a couple frantic laps around the dining room then returns to us and repeat. Over and over. They were out of half the menu and what we did finally get was either inedible ( crab cakes hot on the outside raw and cold on the inside) or just wrong (wedge salad with no blue cheese arrived as wedge salad with nothing on it ). The server kept apologizing for their staffing and menu options and was so frazzled he made his own job way harder than it needed to be at 8:30 on a Saturday night with half the tables empty. There were servers milling around with nothing to do apparently and the kitchen staff kept bringing dishes to our server to deliver to tables. This was the second and definitely last time we will ever go there. read more

Ate here when I was in town and it was phenomenal. First class all around from the menu to ambiance and service. The server explained how entrees were prepared and gave us plenty of time to decide while enjoying our drinks. All of the seafood choices were amazing, as well as the perfectly cooked steaks. Best Caesar salad I've ever had! We ate here before COVID, but a friend of mine from Florence said that they have been offering incredible pick-up options that change daily, so get online or call ahead to see what treats they have to offer! read more

Food was great, service was very attentive. I was able to make reservations for 10 for a graduation party. Nice atmosphere. Thanks for making a special occasion more special. I would give them 5 stars but it is pricey. Would only visit on very special occasions. Could not afford to frequent there. read more

Ray's at the Bank- It is criminal to not eat here! I celebrated my birthday here with friends on a Saturday night. Walking into this new restaurant for the first time, I felt cautiously optimistic about this new establishment, and I was not disappointed! The house was full and hopping with a lively crowd: groups celebrating and cozy couples were seated in the swanky dining room. White table cloths, dimly-lit exposed brick walls, and candles flickering at tables enhanced the mood; a fine compliment to the live musician strumming a guitar in the back. I shared a raw oyster app and ordered the house red wine to accompany my entree. The oysters were fresh and light, the red was tasty. For an entrée, I selected the filet medium rare, mashed potatoes, and green beans almondine. Steak was cooked perfectly and the sides were well seasoned. I would order all three again! Friends sampled the seafood tower with lobster, jumbo shrimp, and oysters, raved about the salad ray, and allowed me to try the salmon enteee which tasted every bit fresh and cooked to perfection. I chose the moonshine cake for dessert, which was light, velvety, and moist, served with fresh coffee! This restaurant offers a more casual lunch menu which I cant wait to try! The special listed today was brisket tacos- YUM! Portions were more than fair (plenty) and the food was top notch (the seafood tower was huge!)! You will have quality over quantity at Ray's. Everyone had clean plates after our meal! I will be back many times again! read more

A Florence native now living elsewhere I still follow the goings on in my hometown and family and business take me back home fairly often. I was interested to see that a high school classmate opened this restaurant but had not had an opportunity to dine there until today. I shouldn't have waited so long. In fact I should've made a special trip to Florence just to eat at Ray's at the Bank. Located in yet-to-be rejuvenated East Florence, the restaurant sits in a block of stores and businesses in various states of commercial success. Ray's is the brightest spot in the neighborhood. Juicy burgers and smoky brisket were the order of the day on this visit but there are plenty of other offerings, including seafood, bbq, steaks and chicken. In short, something for everyone! read more

Ray's at the Bank was an absolute gem! We read all the other reviews, poor ones mostly complaining about the cost or the wait, and we went in with the mindset of being patient,.. and we were well rewarded! The crab cakes were awesome without any sauces, which were fantastic on their own. The oysters came with a sauce made with shallots, red wine vinegar, and pepper that was so good we drank it on its own. We never have room for desserts, but we got the bread pudding, and the brownie with toffee and Kahlua, and they were mind blowing. The waitress claimed to not know what was in the whipped cream, but also admitted she wouldn't tell us even if she did! Love this place, come with patience and an open mind and you will leave happy and satisfied! Yes, it was a bit pricey, but our chef Katrina made an outstanding meal, more than worth it! read more

Service could certainly be better. Be sure to Ask for the daily special prices! They are crazy expensive and they don't volunteer them. $70 for a steak is bad enough but then they stick your for a crummy $1 charge for something as benign as blue cheese. We will not be returning, too bad the crummy service isn't better and cheesy charges, the food isn't bad. read more

This was a wonderful meal. The table started with the crab claws just enough prepare us for dinner. The triple tail oscar was perfect. The guys had prime rib. We finished with creme brulee and the fabulous best bread pudding, In my opinion is the best in the south read more

Family took me to Ray's at the Bank Mother's Day weekend. Called to make sure they had the famous Dale's breadsticks. They assured me they had them. To our disappointment, they did not have the breadsticks‼After arriving, we were seated quickly, but they didn't take our drink orders for 30 minutes. We hungrily waited one hour for our food to arrive. The angus burgers were supposed to be topped with pimento cheese and FRIED green tomatoes. The tomatoes were slices of uncooked green tomatoes. The buns were the size of small Wal mart hamburger buns. To our horror and disbelief, our salads were brought after the entrees‼ They gave us free desserts, and boxed up our salads to take home. The worst restaurant meal in years, but the desserts were good. read more

Couple of years since I've eaten here. Food and service are fine. Avoid cocktails. Go with the wine. Any bartender that shakes a cocktail fir as long as this guy does is diluting the alcohol way too much resulting in a pretty wimpy drink. Same problem 2 years ago. Can't screw with wine. read more

I love this place ! Y'all need to eat here. The prime rib is awesome. So is the oysters.

my friend and I we walk into this nice restaurant expecting the most of what we pay for but guess what we pay 13 dollars for a burger and chips each totaling out to be 26.68 however on the website the burgers had fries and when we heard chips we weren't upset just expecting to get actual fried chips made by the restaurant not a freaking bag of lays ORIGINAL chips. why pay 13 dollars for a burger and a bag of chips when I can go to a gas station and get the same thing for 6 bucks it was outraging it's overpriced mediocre food and honestly disappointing read more

I had dinner here with 5 girlfriends to celebrate a birthday. The service was wonderful and the ambiance was very nice! I shared the seafood tower (appetizer), salmon and Salad Ray with a friend and all were excellent! We all got a separate dessert and passed them around and all were very good! My favorite was the Moonshine Cake! You must try this place! read more

Ray's At The Bank - Seafood Tower appetizer - New American Near Me - Florence, Alabama

We went there for lunch. Bar B Q plate was OK. Burger was a big bun with small beef patty. If you are going to make a burger...at least make the patty a reasonable size. If you want a crystal burger, you can go to Crystals. I had dinner there in early April 2018 and the dinner was very very good. I had the salmon in a wine sauce with shrimp and oysters. It was extremely good! I am raising my rating and putting it back on my list of places to dine. read more

10 men for dinner on a Friday at 5 PM.. Service was a little slow at first, particularly for the starter drinks. Hannah was our server, and she was great, we bantered back and forth with her. The food was great. Some might think a little slow, but great food takes time. We were there almost 3 hours, all of us said we had a great time. It is a little pricey for this area, but worth it! read more

Lunch at Rays at the bank was very disappointing!!Our tea was sour, my hamburger raw!! Prices for lunch was very high!

Cool ambiance, great cocktails , yummy appetizers, good wine selection , delicious dinner, fab dessert.