This hole-in-the-wall is a winner! Don't let the exterior keep you from going in or interior cause you to run out. Both are pretty rough. However, the "A" rating on the door for food safety and hygiene should to extend to great taste and very generous portions. The food was reasonably priced and the waitress provided friendly, attentive service. The food preparation seemed slow, but then again it was 11:00 on a Saturday morning so take that into consideration. Give them a try. Your stomach and wallet will thank you! read more

This is a hidden gem, argue with the best pancakes I've ever had along with some great eggs, sausage, corned, beef, hash great service will definitely be back read more

The food was very good. The service wasn't so good. The waitress i had didn't refill my coffee. Hell, she barely came by. I waited and waited to get my bill. Then waited and waited to pay. The other waitress seems to be great. The food was good. read more

I had a hankering for some fish and grits and I wanted to try a new place. So I ended up trying Ray's Diner. It is a little hole in the wall place, but the food was really good! I did end up ordering the fish and grits and the plate came with eggs and toast as well. That was a nice surprise! I also decided to try the sweet potatoes since it was a special on Sunday. The meal was really good! The fish was perfectly seasoned and fried. And it was a good portion of fish. Grits were good too! Just a nice hearty meal. Staff was friendly and the food came out in a decent time. I highly recommend this place if you want some southern cooking, and don't mind the small diner, hole in the wall kind of vibe. I loved it! Will most likely be back when I'm in the area. read more

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Very quaint local diner. My thoughts are the inside could use a refresh, it looks tired. Staff was super sweet and food was outstanding. Prices were fair, 40.00 for 2 people for breakfast. Definitely glad I checked it out. read more

Ray's Diner - Inside - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Not sure what the big deal is about this spot. The staff were not friendly, food was subpar... the cleanliness is suspect! I appreciate and am grateful for the food but will not return. read more

8 or our group were here for lunch today. We had orders for a Liver/Gizzard basket with collard greens, chili dog, BLT, Hamburger, two Chicken Fried Steak lunches with hash browns, turkey wings on rice. The hamburger was huge, with American cheese, large tomato and lettuce and a sesame seed bun, and was said to be very good. The BLT was liked and the tomato was very good. The turkey wing was not crispy at all so it must've been stewed or boiled somehow and put on top of rice (as they did have stewed chicken on rice also). It was not considered that good. The chicken fried steaks were very well done and seemed to be almost overcooked with brown gravy on it. The hash browns were not good at all, not really crispy, but almost seemed to be left overs from an earlier breakfast cook or yesterday. We both said we would not order this again. The service was good. Our waitress was nice and kept checking back on us. The overall rating was a 3.3, which is one of the lowest ratings our ROMEO group has given a restaurant in a long time. This was our second visit and not as good as our initial visit years ago. read more

Ray's Diner - Chicken Fried steak, egg and hash browns. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

My Mom & I tried out Ray's Diner for the first time. We were really disappointed. The food was very mediocre. I cook better food at home. Also my fish and grits were both too cool to enjoy. Who wants cold fish & grits?!!! I feel like I wasted gas , time and money coming here. The restaurant itself needs to be cleaned and renovated. It looks terrible inside. The seats are all busted and dingy. The floors are dirty and the place just looks old, dirty and worn out! We will NOT be returning!!! read more

Ray's Diner - Fried Flounder with Grits & Eggs - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Food always hot and fresh. The waiters are nice and the always come by the table to check to see if the food is ok. The service is fast and I never had to wait over 10 mins for my food. I recommend this place for some good country cooking. Breakfast,lunch or dinner the choice is yours. read more

The food is excellent and service is friendly. Don't let the location fool you. It's a simple place and you can just seat yourself.

Great breakfast spot if you are in the Columbia area. We come from Houston to do some work and have eaten at this gem everyday. Server is super nice and friendly. Feels like at home when at the restaurant. One of the owners Steve came by the table to speak because they noticed we were "new regulars". Will be back anytime we are in the area. We only had the breakfast but they do serve lunch and had daily specials on a board in the front. read more

Ray's Diner - Special board - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Ray's has been a staple for my family for years. We frequently order omelettes, salmon patties, grits, potatoes, loose salmon, ham, onion sausage, etc. The staff is nice and the food is delicious! Give them a try, you won't be disappointed. read more

Everything was Delicious! My friend and I came here yesterday for breakfast. You seat yourself. I got us a table and then she arrived. The waitress was immediately at our table taking our drink orders. Once she brought our drinks, we ordered. The food came out fairly fast. We both ordered the special. Pancakes, scrambled eggs and a choice of meat. I had Turkey sausage and she had bacon. They brought us the syrup and it was on. As you can see, I only was able to get pictures of the menu because when the food came, I was on it, lol! The place sits off in the corner, so you could miss it. The inside looks a little dated, and you can see the kitchen from the dining area. A lot of people seemed to know each other and the staff. Great food and Atmosphere! Will most definitely return! read more

Ray's Diner - Menu - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Let me say the food is amazing... the service could be a little more welcoming but it was very busy when I went. It's a nice size restaurant. For to-go orders, there is a small seating area. Maybe 2-3 people can sit, so I opted to wait outside. It does not take long for them to make the food. I had the ham and cheese omelette which was better than any omelet I had. You can taste the authentic flavors. They got bonus points because of the onion in hashbrowns.. it gives them the flavor. I will def return sooner than u think!! read more

Ray's Diner - Ham and cheese omelet with Hash browns and biscuit. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Easy parking.Food was delicious. I would recommend. It was a nice breakfast place to enjoy. read more

Ray's Diner - Western omelette with hash browns. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

First time here-ordered the veggie omelette and was wowed. Very friendly service, great food, good time. This is what a local breakfast place should be! I'll be back. read more

Ray's Diner - Veggie omelette - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

I ordered the country fried steak, macaroni and cheese and the fried squash. The service was fantastic and the food was delicious. The restaurant has a very cozy atmosphere and everyone was really kind. read more

This picture looks funny because I got a new phone yesterday so this is a picture of the picture...This business appears to be a hole in the wall. I almost though my GPS was taking me to auto zone. It was a bit shocking how crowded this place was. After receiving my breakfast, it was no longer a secret why rays diner has so many returning customers.The food came out QUICKLY, HOT and FRESH. Servicer was excellent!! The pancakes was truly buttermilk pancakes. You've really gotta give this place a shot. Idk who the hell Ray is but he's hired all the right people to keep this establishment going well. read more

Ray's Diner - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

When entering we were greeted warmly by several of the workers and asked to take a seat. Our server Joanne was awesome! Not only did she give recommendations, she was polite warm inviting and interacted with us on such a friendly level. Our order of coffee (was delicious) the two meat breakfast of grits, toast and eggs and the deluxe breakfast that came with pancakes eggs and bacon came hot fresh and very timely to our booth. The flavors and seasonings were great and definitely not bland. Ray's remind me of back home New York diners, where the service,food and staff bring the place together and make you feel comfortable and welcomed. I even had the pleasure of talking to one of the owners and he told me that they have been there for 11 years. That speaks volume of integrity and dedication to provide an upstanding stable of service to the community. We will absolutely return to enjoy one of their many lunch options. read more

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Everything about this place was good! Today was my first time here. Our waitress was attentive and friendly. I got the eggs (fried hard) grits, turkey sausage patties, hash browns and a pancake. Usually turkey sausage is dry but these were so juicy while also greasy, which I loved. The grits was smooth and creamy. The hash browns reminded me of home fries. They were seasoned to perfection and cooked with onions. The pancake had the perfect crispy edges and had a slight sweet taste ...almost like cornbread. I can't wait to try their lunch option. No this isn't a fancy restaurant but that's how you know the food is going to be bomb...and that it was ! read more

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Amazing pork chop sando! This place reminds me of similar restaurants I used to frequent in North Omaha. Chop comes on the bone so I got to nibble around the nest parts before getting the pork ready to eat between bread. I also liked the rice and gravy. Great quality and super affordable! read more

Great soul food my goodness this food is a hidden gem. Highly recommend the chicken wings and turkey legs! I'm getting hungry while writing this review. This food is scrumptious if I lived closer I would go everyday read more

You may smell like diner food when you leave, but you will be full from the home cooked options. Ordering to-go is the go to for Sundays because the seating is limited. Good service and genuine people. read more

My food was good! Great spot for soul food and they serve breakfast all day. I've had the bacon egg and cheese sandwich (delicious) and they are no stingy with anything. The fried chicken salad is good too! My only complaint is that you will come out smelling like the food, but it's not a bad smell, I just don't like to smell like food. read more

Well let's see. I felt awkward walking in. Never been here before. Bf asked the girl behind the counter if we just seat ourselves.... crickets... didn't even look at us! Mmmm. So we just sat down. Waitress came to fetch our drink orders and give us menu's. Western omelete for me, grits n biscuit. He is having 1/4 far meat chicken dinner. So when my omelete came it looked huge! And it was! I tasted it and it was soooo tasty. Nothing like a local joint. I totally enjoyed it. And my grits were good too. Tastes like maybe seasoning salt in there? Bf ate his all up too. Then he ordered a piece of pound cake?! Lol it was tasty too. They have a few cakes under domes on the front counter.. fresh baked. Would love to come back here when in town! Valerie our server was fantastic. read more

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The food was delicious and cheap, the staff was very friendly and accommodating for our little one. A hidden jem of a diner.

Breakfast is the BOMB. A few of us Retirees eat there at least once a week. Great food, great service and great prices******

Great delicious breakfast On the money service wait staff Good clean family environment read more

Good call quality food very friendly service clean atmosphere. The only reason I wouldn't give it a five star is It's way too much food. lol

Ray's Diner is a great neighborhood spot. I had a great meal and really enjoyed the atmosphere of community. My food was delicious. I enjoyed my eggs and bacon. The staff was very attentive and ensured my drinks were refilled as well as check to ensure everything was great. read more

Ray's Diner - Egg Breakfast. Eggs with meat (bacon for me) and hash-browns. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Great southern food and service. Does not matter if you order breakfast or lunch because the food is good and you will be full and happy.

We just purchased a home in a neighborhood that sits between Farrow And Two Notch so we've been on a hunt for a nice mom and Pops a diner. With recommendations from yelp and Google we decided to go to Ray's diner. This restaurant is located off of 2 Notch Rd. the outside entrance is clean and welcoming. Upon entering the first thing that stood out to me was the filthy carpet however based upon the reviews I remain optimistic and proceed it with my order to go. Firstly let me say if you're looking for upscale brunch or dining perky upbeat Customer service this is not the spot but if you just want some greasy old school Gas station corner diner type breakfast this is the place. Customer service was not bad she was just straight to the point I was focused on getting orders correct and out in a timely manner. They literally had a packed house! In my opinion the entire inside needs to have a thorough cleaning but let's get to the food! I'm a true Southern Grill at hard so I chose to get stewed salmon and grits with toast. The grits were creamy but lacked flavor. The stewed salmon was literally just that I did not see one piece of onion in my entire meal. Maybe my expectations are too high I've just never seen stewed salmon with no onions or green peppers. Honestly the toast was my favorite thing, Nice and crispy the way I like it and buttery with the hint of saltiness! My partner got pancakes and turkey sausage and eggs. The pancakes were absolutely amazing! Nice and fluffy with a little crisp around the edges. But the turkey sausage needs to be thrown out immediately I could taste the freezer burn in them. Overall I gave them three stars but I will be back to try a lunch or dinner option to see what all the hype is about. read more

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This place is legit! I googled breakfast places in Columbia while visiting from California and this little place popped up. Since I was in the mood for some good grits, we decided to try it. From the looks out front, you would never guess it to be a 4.5 star restaurant but now I see why. Cute little hole in the wall with proper southern food. My family completely enjoyed the meal. My son and I had the country fried breakfast. Country fried steak was delicious and seasoned well. And the cheese grits were out of this world! I also took a slice of hummingbird cake home for later. Great service too! Everyone was so nice. Overall, a great experience. Just wished that we had tried it sooner. read more

Ray's Diner - Country fried breakfast with cheese grits - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Twelve adults plus 4 kids had brunch on a Sunday. I canvassed the adults and all 12 agreed that this diner earned a 5 rating. That's no small feat getting 12 adults to agree on anything dealing with food. I phoned Ray's a few days ahead to see if they could accommodate 15 and was pleasantly surprised to learn that they have a back room for groups to use. Hallelujah, my search was over thanks to fellow Yelpers accurate reviews. It was a squeeze to fit 16 in the backroom but it worked for us. There was a small 2-person table added that became the kids table. The parents could enjoy their meals more not having to worry about the kids because it was just family and friends in the room. The only breakfast meat not ordered by someone in our group was fish. Our 5 rating applies to every other meat dish. I had the liver pudding, don't frown, and it was "kicking' good. Special kudos to whoever makes the biscuits. In a contest, I would put this biscuit up against any in the nation and I have eaten lots of biscuits at lots of places costing way more. I would come just for a biscuit fix, if I lived nearby. Note: Breakfast is served all day. Valery was our server. She handled us 16 plus other tables out front. Impressive! We got our food hot and as fast as the cooks could fix it. Kudos to Valery and the cooks. Our bill was $114. That's so low for 16 people, I was smiling. There was also a 10% group discount on the bill for the group. (Yep, you read right-a group discount not a surcharge.) I never knew there was such a thing. So Valery got a $25 well deserved tip and I was still under my brunch budget. So if you have a lot of people to feed on a small-ish budget and don't want to cook, serve and cleanup after, head to Ray's instead. There was an Oxtail special on the menu board folks. If I wasn't leaving town after brunch, it would be Oxtails for dinner. read more

Ray's Diner - Sunday Brunch in backroom: 11 adults & Kieth (add on) + 4 Kids =16 - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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The breakfast was a delicious Southern meal. Everything tasted fresh and delicious. It was great eating a South Carolina meal in Columbia, SC. read more

Excellent reasonably priced food with friendly staff. The fried chicken sandwich was very good, the fries were excellent with the seasoning. My wife had the smoked sausage and eggs with hash browns and biscuit. The biscuit was excellent, hash browns were very good sausage was ok but over easy eggs were overcooked and one was broken otherwise perfect. read more

Highly recommended for breakfast or lunch. Went here around 11:45 AM, the server was extremely nice and accommodating. I had lunch and my Aunt had breakfast. The server had one of the owners Ray come over to our table to introduce himself. Told family members about this establishment and they've checked it out also and liked it!!! read more

Nice little hole in the wall type spot. I ordered liver pudding, grits, and eggs (to go order) wait time to order and receive food was a bit lengthy. Not ideal if you want a quick breakfast before work. And they don't answer the phone to take to go orders. But...the food was good. I would come back here to enjoy my meal outside of busy/morning rush traffic. read more

Ray's Diner - Liver pudding, scrambled eggs, and grits. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

My aunt and her boyf come every Saturday for breakfast and our server said they are her best customers. :-) My granddaughter and I were visiting and joined them in a booth and had a wonderful breakfast. Their veggie omelets looked amazing. I had scrambled with cheese and tomatoes, with home fries. My girl had a short stack of pancakes with bacon. Delicious, fast, and the server couldn't have been nicer. read more

best place to get some good breakfast I personally love the omelettes everyone nice especially the cashier she's so understanding and patient with everyone. My spot for sure read more