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. read more

Ray's Diner - While waiting - Diners Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

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Such a hidden gem! Glad we came! Heard good reviews! Did not disappoint! Excellent food, good coffee, reasonably priced, wonderful service, attentive! Can't say enough good things. We will definitely be back! read more

I have been going to this place for as long as I've lived here. If you're ever in town, its a must stop. It's not a chain restaurant, and you're welcomed right when you walk in. It's always packed but that says a lot about their food. I love their breakfast menu. My go to is always the gyro skillet and that comes with either toast or pancakes. Everyone is friendly and checks on you and you just feel a sense of family energy/vibes. Prices are reasonable. The only thing is parking can be hard since the parking lot is small so you may have to park on the side streets in the neighborhood. I don't waste time even trying to look for parking in their lot. read more

Ray's Diner - Gyro skillet and banana pancakes - Diners Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Food was delicious and service was excellent! Great old style diner! Definitely a gem! Bev and Ben

Classic diner and food, with a cozy atmosphere. I love the vibe of this restaurant especially because of the friendly yet quick and efficient wait staff. Big appreciation to Itenn(sp?), who made sure my coffee was always full and that I was set with my breakfast. First time and it won't be my last :) read more

Very good breakfast food, prompt service, great diner atmosphere Will be back again Love this place! read more

Local diner. Parking in rear. Small place and on a Monday morning that was not busy. Staff attentive. As was management. Good diner food. Few contemporary items. Standard fare done well. read more

Great place for comfort not just for food but the environment makes you feel welcomed no matter where you come from, I'm just amazed at how the service goes above and beyond to always satisfy my pick up orders. I will recommend arriving early in the morning cause this place will get packed fast read more

New owner is horrible and will run Rays into the ground. We have been very loyal customers for 15+ years. We have gone from going 2-3 times a month to 2-3 times a year. He has raised prices at least twice since taking over. Now he is making some items that used to come with your meal al a carte. The servers are still awesome and the food is still good but not worth what they are now charging. read more

This place is the real deal. Walked in the door early saturday morning and was personally acknowledged and greeted by the manager. We didn't know there was a wait, but after being informed, the manager walked us to the line! So far, service is A+. Now for the food. Wait staff was on top of everything before you could ask - clean table, water, menus, drink order besides water. We followed the recommendations on Yelp for the combination skillet. I had the Chorizo Combination Skillet, which came with 2 melt in your mouth, buttermilk pancakes. My son also had a skillet. The food came out quickly, fully cooked and piping hot :-) Aside from the fact the portion size was too big for us to finish in the restaurant, everything was delish!! We even took pics and posted them to social media. You can't go wrong with this place. And even if you have to wait to be seated it is so, so worth it. We will be back... read more

Ray's Diner - Chorizo skillet with buttermilk pancakes - Diners Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Ray's Family restaurant. Every "Family" restaurant should use Ray's as the model for every restaurant. The food, the wait staff and exceptionally Ray are the best!!! Ray is there every day, he greets you when you walk-in, he is constantly on the run. The waitress fly!!! Tables are full and when it someone leaves that table is cleared and ready within seconds. Kudos to ones that clear and clean them. Food is served fast and hot, and is excellent. Can't go wrong with anything on Ray's menu. Way to go Ray and to your staff.......thank you read more

This is a wonderful locally owned family style restaurant. What a blessing Ray & his staff are to so many! This was me and my son's first time but they were incredibly friendly, welcoming and responsive to whatever you need. Food was awesome! Coffee hit the spot. Come here for good food and great service! read more

Ray's Diner - Picture of Ray and his staff and main dining area. - Diners Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

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We were looking for a place to get something to eat. Not being from the area, I saw the reviews for this diner. This place was the most delightful, delicious place to come to. The atmosphere is amazing and the staff is so welcoming. The food is to die for! We just wish that it was closer to us. You cannot go wrong coming to Ray's diner. Our waiter and the other staff were on point with their service and the food was fresh and delicious! They deserve 100 stars!!! read more

I was traveling from Milwaukee to visit a customer in Bartlet, IL. I arrived early, so I decided to look for a place to grab breakfast. Ray's was on my route to the customer & had good reviews on Yelp, so I decided to give it a try. The positive reviews are accurate! The place was packed with a group of locals. It is a family operation, that strives to make all of their customers feel welcome. I found an open spot at the counter and was immediately offered coffee. The menu is extensive. I ordered a skillet, and it was served to me in less than 10 minutes. It was amazing! I also saw that some customers had burgers. They looked amazing too! I would definitely like to return with friends & family to try some other items on the menu. read more

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 diner 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 todsy, 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. read more

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Great place for breakfast. Got the country fried steak skillet with biscuits and gravy topped with a couple eggs, delicious and fresh clean food. read more

Food and service were OK, but one of the staff was wearing a Trump hat so I won't be going back.

Small qaint diner with GREAT food. We went for breakfast and I'd like to go back for lunch. Service was THE BEST!

Restaurant was clean, excellent service, good value for food, and fast. Will definitely come back again.

Date of visit 1/21/18 Had to try this place given all the great reviews. I let out a chuckle when we walked up to the place seeing the outdated exterior but that is part of its charm I thought to myself. The staff was warm and friendly but I was not impressed with the interior of the place. It looked old and dingy. I felt like I was eating breakfast in the basement of That 70's Show. Booths were uncomfortable. We sat in a corner booth near the bathrooms and the hallway beyond was packed with old chairs. There was an old large tiled mural on the wall that looked worse for wear. It wasn't quaint nostalgic. It just seemed old and kinda rundown. The coffee cups even had local advertising on them! I thought the prices would be more of a deal here given the neigborhood feel of the place but that wasn't the case either. Prices were reasonable though. I tried the rib eye skillet; my wife had a waffle. Nothing remarkable about either dish. It may be a good restaurant to return to if I had lived close by but all in all there was nothing there that stood out to make me want to venture back again. Bit disappointing given all the great reviews. read more

Ray's Diner - Their coffee cups have local advertising on them! - Diners Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

You can never go wrong you feel like it might be someone's mom cooking you breakfast. I love this place it's just like being at home, except someone cleans up after you! I always had to do the dishes! It took a long time with no dishwasher and 4 kids. read more

Amazing little diner! The people are all so friendly! A little crowded, but that just makes it even better! We love RAYS!

The best restaurant in town!! Never a disappointment, I usually get the country fried steak, always fire!!

I live 14 miles from Ray's and have many of choices close to me. I will always travel to Rays as the food is great and I feel at home

This was my first time there. The food was very good and the staff was very friendly and quick. I would highly recommend this place. I can see why it is so busy. read more

First time there today. Great food and service. The owners make you feel like you're family. My husband and I came from Mount prospect because he has been here before and wanted me to try it. Great homemade cream of broccoli soup today! If your looking for good food, good prices and good service I would give it a go. Two thumbs way up for this place! read more

Great food and service. You better come hungry, they have large portions. Cute local spot, with that hometown feel.

The best breakfast spot in Elgin. This establishment has been a neighborhood choice for many years. Mr. Ray is known as family to a number of the patriots of this establishment. So much so that Mr. Ray has attended funerals of his patrons in the past. Great Food, Great but small space, and family vibes all over! read more

Recently remodeled with all new lighting fixtures. Very good fast and friendly service. The food is good. All around good place for breakfast and lunch. read more

Just a great place with great food and great service will definitely be coming back. Had corn beef hash.the place was really busy. But ran like a colck read more

Always fresh.Good size portions and great prices.I love the diner vibes.Soup or salad with your entree .Soups are delicious,usually 2 choices. read more

Eating at Rays is like eating at home with family! People from all walks of life sitting down together to eat a delicious home cooked meal at a super reasonable price.......find more places like that! read more

I picked up my order and my toast was missing. I ordered 4 meals . They told me to come back and get my toast or they will give me extra toast the next time . Toast is included anyway that's not good customer service. Why would I come back for toast and risk my food getting cold . How about you stop harassing for tips on to go orders and make sure my food is inside the bag. read more

Everything that a diner should be, that is Ray's. Cozy, reasonably priced and excellent, hearty food.

If you are looking for a reliable place for a classic diner breakfast look no further. They have all the comfort foods your looking for. The family business is a joy to have a meal with. read more

The name says it all...this was our first time here but it won't be our last. From the minute you enter it felt like home..one of those old style diners where everyone is family. Ray is a gracious hilarious host and our waitress was friendly and amazing. Coffee was refilled without having to ask and food was very comforting. The menu is very extensive so we will continue coming to try all the other dishes! read more

Been going here for years! The service is unmatched by any other restaurant. Food is good and the service is great!

Love Rays! Great little family diner with friendly service and excellent food. Love the fried haddock, skillets, Italian beef, the soups, and more! read more

Very small restaurant that packs a punch. The owner is the nicest man on the planet. Even if there is a wait, they really move people in quick -- well oiled machine. EXCELLENT prices for filling delicious food. Very homey feel. read more

Best family breakfast restaurant in Elgin! We were new to the area and the owner went out of his way to welcome us. Great food large portions read more