Ray's cafe has the best prime rib I've ever had. The service was incredibly welcoming and Felix, the owner, was so friendly. He talked to us a bit and even hooked it up with some fried chicken. The fried chicken was so tender and had that perfect crispy outer layer. After we were all done he even let us try the ice cream there which was a nice dessert. I highly recommend this place and will definitely be back on my next visit! read more

I just love their gourmet food and daily menu offered. Totally whole in the wall.. hidden gem of a restaurant in Hawaii. Totally recommend them, especially their prime rib that's always on the menu and their fresh fish on the menu especially yellow tail and butterfish. Their fried chicken is also awesome! read more

Sirloin was fantastic. Only side was sticky rice. Family enjoyed the prime rib and lobster. Will definitely try again when I return.

There's a reason why hole in the wall joints have a special place in my heart. It's places like Ray's Cafe that make trudging through sketchy neighborhoods worthwhile. Lol I only have two words. Prime. Rib. Oh my lord. I don't know if it's the $18.95 price tag or the juicy and perfectly cooked slab of meat that makes this place so tantalizingly good but either way, this place is my new favorite go to spot when we're in Oahu. For years, we've always passed by this place because the hubs used to work down the street from it. His co-workers would always bring back and brag about the ribs here. We told ourselves we had to go but never got around to it until now. It's safe to say that we've seriously have been missing out. For starters, who honestly sells a 24 oz. prime rib for $18.95?! That's unheard of! Not to mention they also give you 2 scoops of rice and a house salad. Neither of which I ate by the way. Nope. After one bite of that delicious prime rib, I was determined not to ruin my palate with something meaningless like a salad! Any other day I would be down for rabbit food but that day I was a true carnivore and left no trace of that poor cow on my plate. While the place itself is probably no bigger than my college studio apartment, it manages to carry a pretty hefty menu including a Cowboy Steak! I'm going to assume that's some sort of tomahawk steak. There were only 6 small tables there but it looked like everyone was there for all the same reason. The hubs and I agreed that it was by far one of the best prime ribs we've ever had. Right up there with the $60 Lawry's prime cuts. No joke. While I'm reluctant to recommend this place out of pure selfish reasons, this joint really is a diamond in the rough and I hope they never leave and keep making delicious and juicy prime ribs until I die or can't eat meat anymore. read more

Ray's Café - His and Her Prime Ribs - American Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A little restaurant, but their menu was a nice surprise. Came in for breakfast starving so we ordered the steak and mushroom omelette, lobster omelette and an order French toast. Oh my goodness!!!! The steak was cooked perfectly, medium rare and oh so tender. They were quite generous with the amount of lobster in the omelette. $5.00 got you a plate of 4 slices of french toast. Everything was awesome!! I'll have to come back to try out their rack of lamb! Customer service was good. Bring CASH because that's all they accept. read more

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=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE A vegetarian's nightmare. Seriously, if you're faint of heart (or need to be, after eating all of this meat) when it comes to eating meat, Ray's will not be for you. Animals run scared in the other direction when you say the words "Ray's Cafe". Big on meat, big on portions, big on reasonable / cheap prices. A local's favorite and wholly-recommended! === 2. FOOD I was feeling a little sluggish and needing more iron today so I picked up some Prime Rib ($17.50) for takeout - which is 16oz(?) of thick, juicy goodness with a couple of scoops of rice. And that is the style of Ray's dishes: simple, yet satisfying - no fluff! Sure, I could go to Tiki's and get the smaller prime rib Kama'aina special for a $2.50 less and get some aspargus and fancy mashed potatoes with it...but you're going to spend a lot more than that in parking and not relax like you can in Kalihi :) There's nothing more I can say that hasn't already been said about their breakfast, chicken, pork, lobster, prime rib and steak, or burgers. You're going to come in for something greasy and go somewhere else for something healthy. There are daily specials that change, well, daily, so call ahead or simply go on weekends for things like prime rib and crab/lobster. === 3. SERVICE It's good for a casual, dive of a place. The food comes out pretty quick (prime rib by the way, is cooked ahead of time and so comes out super fast). Bring cash with you because no upstanding dive would take the assortment of credit cards or Apple/Android Pay! === 4. ATMOSPHERE Each table sits four and there's only a few tables to choose from, which leads to a wait at times. You're not coming for the ambiance - you're coming for the meat and to satisfy the hungry friends you brought along with you, so don't look too closely down below or in the corners. Parking involves snagging a meter or otherwise on the streets; and as the sign on the window listing their hours says: Door Open, Open, Door Closed, Closed! read more

Ray's Café - Prime Rib ($17.50): takeout edition means you just get rice and no mac salad. No need for extras when you got meat this big! :) - American Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

DISAPPOINTED. Had such a great experience, I requested we order a big family meal on Mother's Day. Kids ordered first thing in morning and were order #8. We picked up at 5pm (as scheduled). Had to wait over half hour. Given order all taped up. Got home, found that instead of the lovely potatoes we had last time--we all got white rice. We were short 1 salad. Only 1 of the 3 orders with king crab had clarified butter. However, roast beef and crab was delicious. So, if you don't want to be SAD on Mother's Day (or whatever holiday) suggest you pickup early, check INSIDE THE TAPED BOXES--before you take order out. PROBLEM SOLVING talked with owner and he said they ran out if potatoes (reminder we ordered in the morning) anyways he said next time we came in he would provide us with two complimentary meals. This is a small business--we want them to succeed--and because owner willing to resolve problem I am leaving rating as is. read more

Ray's Café - Delicious prime rib and fried potatoes with Au jus. Yummy - American Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

When you see this place, if your not familiar with the area. You wouldn't know that the best prime rib is here. I want to fancy restaurants, this is the top. The Prime Rib and the sauce was very delicious. Find parking, I promise you won't be disappointed. Call in advance, they was closing early. read more

Ray's Café - PRIME RIB - American Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Never dissatisfied nor disappointed real definition of "hole in the wall" & always worth the drive from the west.

Delicious fresh seasoned very lightly breaded fish with rice and macaroni salad. Generous portions. Very reasonably priced. Fast friendly service read more

Good food and good prices but terrible service. Called ahead for three entrees and showed up 20 minutes later. Upon checking in it was clear that they hadn't even started my order. After waiting for twenty minutes on site (at which point others who came in to order takeout after me were being served), I get asked for a third time what I ordered. I could see if they were just that busy inside and were backlogged but to serve others who ordered after me is completely ridiculous, unprofessional unacceptable. And it takes a lot for me to write that. read more

Hubby told me about this really good place with Specials. We were in the area, after getting some awesome shave ice! Found street parking nearby. Free on Sundays and Holidays only. Met the owner Felix. Nice guy. Ordered the Fresh Grilled Salmon $11.95 and Hubby got the Grilled Ono with Chicken Combo $11.95 Holy crap it was huge! Salmon filet was massive and so was the Ono. Really good fish I must admit. Rice on the side with toss green. Hubby had rice and Mac salad. It was a great lunch! Mahalo Felix! read more

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Oahu's best kept secret! Parking is a little tricky here, but well-worth the effort to hunt for street parking. Awesome food at super reasonable prices plus the management are the epitome of what ALOHA is all about . I've been here 3 times and no matter how crazy busy they can be I am always greeted with such warmth and friendliness and man da food broke da mouth (forgive my lapse into pidgin) Do yourself a favor check it out. If you appreciate the charm of a Mom and Pop establishment and ono food, you will love Ray's Cafe...this I promise you! read more

Small, hole in the wall place, with Flavorful Food!! Their Friday Prime Ribs are better than some of the higher priced restaurants I've eaten at! Our company has ordered our lunches from here several times in the past! Parking, not really, but you're lucky if you get a street one nearby. Inside is small, maybe with 6 or 7 tables, but I always say it's worth the wait for Ray's food if there's a line to get inside. Service is always great! Cute Lil elderly people work there, I believe they're all family. Try it, all kine local grinds! Worth the visit to Ray's! 5 stars here! read more

Can't go wrong with prime rib. Juicy flavorful prime rib! Bring cash. Breakfast all day as well

The best quality and size of steak for your money...can't get any better then this..also local support our local businesses

Really good prime rib with a nice price, $24 for a 24 oz. Ordered rare but got medium, still okay though. Nice and soft but need to dip in the au jus to make it over the top. Comes with a good sized salad. I finished only half. I guess I got a lunch or dinner later. read more

Ray's Café - prime rib pretty good nice and soft. I ordered rare but wasn't quite rare. - American Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Rays is the go to place for a gigantic slab of prime rib! But it's only sold from Friday to Sunday! The price for a huge and I mean HUGE slab of prime rib is only about 16.00!! It comes with a starch and side salad too! And if you feel like splurging then add some king crab or lobster tail to your order! And it's still under $40!! They only have au jus sauce for it so if you enjoy horseradish with your steak then go make your own before going. I do anyway. Some other worthwhile items is the crispy fried chicken! Don't leave days without it. So this hole in the wall is nestled in kalihi just a few more blocks past zippys and it's right there! Parking is limited and it's only metered street parking. Or if you're lucky you can find parking on a side street or maybe on the side of the building too if you plan on running in with a buddy of course. They only accept cash so be prepared! If you dine in there's a few tables there that can be either shared with others or on your own. The restaurant is kinda hot inside and there isn't much parking there so I normally just do take out. read more

They're overwhelmed. Overworked. Called ahead. Didn't register or remember. Don't blame them.

Parking is nonexistent unless you're lucky and happen to get one on the street. The restaurant itself is kind of run down and filled with locals, but the food didn't disappoint. The prime rib was so damn good and the price couldn't be beat! Definitely coming back for more prime rib!!! read more

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My go to at Ray's is the steak and mushroom omelet which is served all day. The steak is tender and cooked to perfection. The omelet is filled with mushrooms and also cooked to perfection. This dish never disappoints! The steak here in my opinion is as good or better than the one I just had at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. And way cheaper too. Again, my opinion! read more

Ever seen those movies where a character eats something so good and time slows down and a love song starts playing?! Well I had my moment at Ray's Cafe. Song was "close to you" by the carpenters. Simply magical.. Located on North King St., it's easy to miss this place but if you're driving on King St. and pass the H-Mart, you're nearby. You'll have to find street parking but since we came in the morning, there was plenty. FYI this place gets very crowded later on in the day so I highly recommend calling ahead of time and getting take out. We got the breakfast special (with french toast, eggs, and bacon) and the loco moco. Wow there was a lot of food! It's always a good sign when the food covers at least 3/4 of your plate. It's an even better sign when it actually tastes as good as it looked. Everything was amazing! The owner is a friendly uncle that makes sure you're tended to and well fed. Trust us uncle, we were! I just regretted not getting the prime rib. I got a lot of recommendations to get the prime rib or the steak. So i'll definitely be back to try everything. For the price and the service, I'd only wish I found this place sooner! read more

Ray's Café - French toast, eggs and bacon - American Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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This owner should be given an award for his humanitarian service to his community and the people of Hawaii. The food was great some of the best fried chicken I've tasted in a while. read more

The food is always outstanding. Chef Felix is always on point and your never disappointed with the quality and portions for your money. Find out where the deputy sheriff and police officers go, that's how I find really great restaurants. read more

Always Good! Mahalo for great service and delicious food Prime Rib and fried chicken is our go too meals next time going to try the oxtail stew read more

Food is delicious, generous portions,. Service and ambiance needs improvement. Sometimes they're friendly but often rude. 4 stars for delicious food and great price. read more

I've been going to Ray's for years. I don't know why I didn't write this earlier. The prime rib, fried chicken are the dishes that I get regularly but, my friend Paul had me try the ox tail stew. That is really broke the mouth good stuff. There are a few tables and street parking is tight but, it's worth it! read more

Tiny hole in the wall type place but with a home style cooking feel. Not the cheapest place to eat (and cash only), but the portions are huge! My family (of 4) split 2 dishes for dinner and still had a little bit of leftovers. The toughest thing about this place is the daily menu. If you like the specials (my mom loves their oxtail stew), call them the day you plan to go to see if they have your special. Also, go earlier in the day because they do run out. We only visit Oahu once a year, and this year we called around 4 on the day they had ox tail stew, and it was already sold out. So definitely find the dish you like, the day he makes it (if it's a special), and order lunch that day because it might be sold out by dinner time. Also the prime rib is huge and delicious! read more

It's been a while since I ate at Ray's so it was about time to pay them another visit. As luck would have it I was finishing work early so I called ahead to see what they had for their specials. As soon as I heard prime rib I knew I had to stop by. It was late mid afternoon so I had the place to myself since it was in between the lunch and dinner crowds. Sat down and ordered the prime rib medium rare with lobster. A bowl of tossed greens was served prior to my meal. The prime rib and lobster was every bit as good as it was the first time I ate it. Next time I think I need to try their steaks and hope that they have king crab legs too! read more

Ray's Café - American Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Rayyyyyyyyyy rayyy rayyyyyy!! Ray is the word!! It was a toss up between ray and Helena's but since only one is open on Saturday!! Rayy totally win!! Mahalo, Fran!!! Came for a late Saturday lunch with Fran! And it was fun!! Tiny little spot. Still so many people. Cash only!! The menu is simple!! All things ono! The ribeye! The fried chicken! The butter fish!!! So much goodies!! We went with fried chicken since that's what I came for. And the butter fish since can't commit to the full ribeye! It was everything and then some! I like how small the rice portion is compared to the chicken and the fish! The salad was simple! The fish was amazing! And fried chicken!! Onooooo! Mahalo, Fran!! Great food and even better company!!!! I'll be back! read more

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If you ever come to Hawaii please make sure you finds your way to Rays it was the bomb. Service was excellent. Small spot in neighborhood made me feel at home read more

Best Prime Rib deal in Hawaii. It's probably at least a 24oz portion of prime rib for the same price of other 12oz serving of Prime Rib that others sell read more

On July 3,2020- we stopped by ray's cafe for the first time. We ordered two plates: mushroom, bacon and cheese omelette with potatoes and a ham steak with eggs and rice. My husband enjoyed the huge pieces of mushrooms in his omelette and I had a huge ham steak. This place is a hole in the wall with a wide variety of plate lunches with prime rib, shrimp and king crab legs. Charl T. read more

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I came here for the first time today. I've read many favorable reviews and I was always curious about this place. I've also spoken to people who have been here and they all loved it. A friend suggested that we should go for breakfast so we went this morning. Got there a little before 7:30 and we were greeted by a nice friendly man named Felix. I ordered the fried chicken and my friend got the prime rib and the king crab legs. The chicken was terrific, very juicy and tasty! I should have asked Felix how they season the chicken because it was the bomb!! My friend's plate was piled high and I tried the prime rib which was so delicious! I don't eat crab but my friend devoured every last bit of it. I would definitely come here again and the prices are very reasonable! read more

So I FINALLY got to try this place called - Ray's Cafe. And I must say, this place is legit Yo! My Yelp buddy Judy C. & her hubs invited a few of us down for din din tonight, and I want to extend all of my MAHALO's to ya! Ray's Cafe is located in the heart of Kalihi...........just a few doors down from another great eatery Island Style BBQ Corp. Ray's is a small hole in the wall place.........kinda reminds me of the Ono's Hawaiian Food in Kapahulu, where the restaurant is very small, and tons of people are waiting outside to get a table to eat here. Upon arriving, I meet up with a few cool Yeeps - Jerrae R., Jeana P., Doug, Judy C. & her hubs, and one of Judy's friend. Lucky for us, we were able to secure two tables.........and upon sitting down, guess who we run into? Yes gang, the KING of Ray's Cafe - Paul C. the hostess of the mostest for the UYE Ray's Cafe parties. He was there with his beautiful ohana tonight. As we sat down, a lady comes out to take our order............and for me, I came here for just one thing! Frrrrrried Chicken! Yes gang! I am a hard eating Frrrrrried Chicken man! A few of the gang ordered Prime Rib, Pork Chop, & I think my friend Judy C. ate a Fried Chicken combo with Opakapaka. What can I say about Ray's Fried Chicken? Gang look at da pics........and the pics will tell you it all! While eating I think I had a Chickengasm! The Fried Chicken was very plump, juicy, and flavored just perfectly! Not too salty.........just perfect I tell you! I also managed to try Jarrae's Pork Chop, & Doug's Prime Rib. I gotta tell you folks.............chef Felix is a master chef, as the Prime Rib was so soft and flavorful. It can easily rival any fine dining Prime Rib I tell you! I will have to come back here another time just to eat prime rib! Noms! As for the Pork Chop, it was very plump & juicy too........the chops had some kind of light breaded seasoning to it. Perfectly done.......... There was so much people here this Friday night, and business was just a very steady flow of people...............lucky the service is efficient, so they turn the tables quickly, cuz everyone who is waiting outside wants to eat!!! Parking is the only bummer about this place, as there is no private parking lot. You will have to roll the dice, & look for street parking if you want to come here. Last of all.........the food prices are really reasonable! (Cash Only) My Fried Chicken plate was just a mere $7 bucks, but I left chef Felix a good tip, as I enjoyed his grindages so much! If you're ever in the Kalihi area............you gotta check 'em out gang! read more

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We've heard and read good reviews of Ray's Cafe so we had a chance to come however the parking issue is crazy nuts! Around and around, back rounds and back until someone had left from the side street meter parking next to the old goodwill. The walk wasn't far but man the traffic on N King Street, Yikes! Anywho... entered and was quaint and old school which I admired because gotta support small and family business of course. The server/cook took our order. I wanted to stay and eat there but the meter was running so we got it to take out. The wait wasn't that long but we got to enjoy the atmosphere. The walls, the menu, the surroundings was pretty cool. Order was done and headed home. Hamburger Steak with gravy and fried chicken combo also a chicken cutlet with gravy too. The only con is someone had a heavy hand on the salt especially on the gravy . But with the salad it balanced it out. The hamburger steak was a texture of meatloaf which I didn't mind, the fried chicken was good. The chicken cutlet was breaded nicely and was good too. We will be back to try different plate lunches on their menu (thumbs up) Mahalo Ray's Cafe! read more

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The five stars are for the quality of the food and absolutely not the restaurant, atmosphere, service or parking which if you have been here you already know is non existent. Missed Paul & David's UYE here earlier in the week, loved the review, and wanted to know what I missed. Well, I apparently missed a lot. Went at 2:00 on Friday afternoon, around the block several times after locating the cafe the first time, missing parking the second but scored one of the two parking spaces, metered, on the third time a block away. Walked thru the screen door and into one of the smallest dining rooms imaginable. Okay I saw all the pictures of the UYE and all the people and still don't see where they all sat. There was a family of six, two guys from Maui, HB and myself making it seem full. The two guys from Maui said you make a lot of friends here because no table is off limits for add ins or considered sacred for a party of two! Anyway, really wanted to try the prime rib but it was still cooking. Shifting gears we both looked at each other remembering the pictures and went with the "winner winner chicken dinner"! Absolutely hands down the best fried chicken we have ever eaten. Crispy, juicy, flavorful and golden brown. Must be a well known item because they sell in mega-quantities up to 50 pieces of thighs, drumsticks and an add on cardboard sign for wings. Light bulbs went off as we decided we found our chicken wing Sunday football pupu take out place. I made it thru 2 of the 3 pieces of my chicken and Keith ate all three of his. He never eats 3 pieces of chicken but had that feral look in this eye that said he was not leaving until he consumed all of it. As we were ready to pay, the prime rib was ready to start serving. Never one to miss an opportunity to indulge my inner carnivore got one to go for midnight snack. Total bill for two outstanding chicken dinners and the prime rib dinner was $28. How was that prime rib you ask? Excellent this morning with homemade crispy hash browns and over easy eggs! read more

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Ray's Cafe is a little hole in the wall joint in Kalihi. It seats about 25 people. You don't come here for the fancy decor, but for the awesome food. The owner and chef is Felix. He's a very nice fellow and he offers daily specials. He serves certain foods on certain days, so be sure to call if you have an entree in mind. The prices here are very reasonable and the food is very good. I ordered the prime rib with fried chicken on the side. The prime rib was huge and lasted me three meals! It only costs $17 and comes with a starch and salad. The prime rib was seasoned well. I ordered it medium well and it was just a tad bit overcooked. The fried chicken was delicious. It was super crispy on the outside. The meat on the inside was moist and juicy. Felix makes oxtail stew on Fridays, which I really want to try. The only thing that sucks is that they have no parking. It's strictly street parking and a pain in my behind. I would be here more often if they had parking. read more

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I've only had Ray's chicken and breakfasts in the past, and don't get me wrong, they're definitely good! I was so desperately wanting to try Ray's prime rib at Paul C.'s UYE, but unfortunately had work. I found the time to come in for a late lunch this past week and was thoroughly awed. I didn't even have prime rib. I ordered the butterfish special. For $15, I got three, maybe four times more butterfish than I would have gotten at some other place. My brother ordered the rays special: hamburger steak and 2 pieces of fried chicken for, get this, $8!!!! What?! Crazy!! How do these people stay in business. My brother said it was one of the best hamburger steaks he's had. My dad, on the other hand, apparently has a more sophisticated taste and ordered the lamb because he saw it on yelp. It wasn't on the menu for the day, but Felix said he had one order left that he could make for my dad. So nice! He was probably saving it for himself or his family or someone special. I had a few bites and it was amaaaaaazing. I need to come back for the prime rib, obviously, but I would definitely try some of the other offerings. Felix is very personable, he remembers his regulars and makes great great food. Don't come for the ambiance, or expect table cloths or glassware. Parking is also limited to what you can find on the street. Come for the food, you won't be disappointed!! read more

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Convinced my sister and her family to come here for dinner. Had given her heads up regarding the atmosphere and parking of this joint. This place closes at 7pm so we had an early dinner today. We were blessed as both cars found street parking and there was a table to sit all of us 6 when we arrived. As we looked at the "Today's Special" menu board, we noticed several items were sold out but we decided to order the remaining specials along with our cravings. Felix was our waiter who also did some cooking so he was hustling back and forth along with handling takeout orders. He's the man!!! Each dinner came with a large bowl of tossed greens accompanied with bottles of ranch dressing and thousand island dressing. And when our dinners came it had 2 scoops of rice and a LARGE portion of protein. We shared the prime rib (monster cut if it exists), grilled mahi mahi, seafood combo, fried chicken, pork cutlet and a breakfast plate of hamburger and eggs (came w/ 2 whole slices of toast!!!). The food was very flavorful and of great quality. We ate until we were full with some leftover for my sister to take for lunch for tomorrow. Just before we left the restaurant, we spoke w/ Felix and mentioned PRIME RIB is served every Friday to Monday. The table near us had today's special of steak and lobster - it was a huge piece of NY steak w/ 2 large lobster tails for $27.95!!! We are thinking about coming next week when Felix mentioned instead of lobster tails, it'll be king crab legs. We'll be back here again for sure! read more

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