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    Ray's Diner

    4.7 (281 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 2:30 pm

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    Ray's Diner Photos

    RAY'S DINER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Ray's Diner

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    Ronald K.

    Ray's is always great. On weekends can be busy due to the great food & service. Have never been disappointed with any food I ordered. Have been going to this restaurant since the 1950's when it was called Kramer's Corner.

    Chilaquiles with Chicken
    Andrea A.

    We really enjoyed our lunch here! The moment we walked in we were seated in an extremely busy environment. A man with a coffee pot came over to offer us coffees and something to drink. After he walked away I accidentally spilled some water on the table but didn't have many napkins to wipe it down. Shortly after our waitress came to take our orders. Meanwhile the man with the coffee pot came by like a ninja and wiped it away before I could even say thank you The busy feel to this restaurant was seriously so cool to watch. They take their jobs seriously and work so hard! The tables are a bit crowded for large families to fit in there comfortably, the waiters were having to walk sideways through chairs but that didn't slow their pace at all. I hope the space expands to accommodate more guests! The food was delicious!!! I had the chilaquiles with cheese on the side because of my lactose intolerance. The salsa on the chilaquiles were perfection. I've never had chilaquiles at a restaurant that didn't over do it on the spice. THANK YOU for such a delicious meal. The Sunny side eggs were perfect on top. I wish I would've taken a photo after I mixed the eggs in! My daughter even went to reach for them during my photo hahaha! My husband had the country fried steak and eggs with a side of pancakes and shared some with me. It was delicious!! I rolled my eyes after I took a bite and said "yum!" a bit too loud hahahah! They offer free samples of their cinnamon butter (SO good!) and have a website where we can purchase more for home. We had so much food on our plates to save for dinner. Next time we come I'll wear my stretchy pants

    Chilaquiles with scrambled eggs

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    Photo of Maria M.
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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Best place to eat in elgin. They always have a wait but it's so worth it. Love how small and cozy it is. The waitress are amazing.

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

    I love this place the food is so good and the owner is always on site making sure you order and food is rite

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    10 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Very good food for such a convenient and low price! Definitely a great place to sit down and eat!!!

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    9 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Has very reasonable prices with good old fashioned atmosphere and good food. Friendly service at each visit.

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Love this place best place ever service is extremely friendly food is great everything was so great

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    6 years ago

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    5 years ago

    GREAT family diner. Small but great food and awesome service. Expect to wait a little before being seated.

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Gravy was thick and the owner had great jokes. I definitely recommend checking out this place!

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    5 years ago

    Awesome owner outstanding breakfast each and every time!! Love the omelettes and steak and eggs!!

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

    I have eaten here for years good breakfast place you will have real hard time finding a better place than this one

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

    HANDS DOWN the best customer service not to mention the food is would recommend this spot to any one

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    6 years ago

    First time here in over 30 years and it is as great as I remember. Fantastic service, breakfast was wonderful, priced right.

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    4 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    Page 3 of 8

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    Triple Berry Cafe

    Triple Berry Cafe

    4.3
    (47 reviews)
    6.2 mi

    At first glance it seemed not busy at all but inside there was a couple people so that's a good…read moresign. Sat down right away and got to ordering. I got the vanilla iced latte decaf and i'd give it 7/10, the flavoring was a little off but was still enjoyable. Food wise we got french toast 5/10, bacon 7/10 and a bruschetta wrap 7/10 there was a lot of the balsamic, fries 10/10. French toast just didn't have much flavor and it seemed like just a cinnamon slice of bread. Wasn't giving much french toast vibes like with a brioche piece of bread. I'd give this place another try though as I really love the inside and our server made sure everything was taken care of.

    I had breakfast here on a Wednesday and Saturday morning. Both times were peaceful, quiet, and…read morerelaxing. I enjoyed the service and my order was ready in a fair amount of time. I first had the veggie bliss omelette and the berry bliss pancakes. The omelette was satisfying and the berry bliss pancakes stood out on their own. The fruit and sweet glaze did not require any additional syrup and made for some delicious pancakes. I liked the barbacoa skillet the second time around. I think the meat could have had a little more seasoning , but the side of sour cream and picante sauce helped bring more flavor to the skillet. This time I had plain pancakes and they were no were as good as the berry bliss! Triple Berry is a solid breakfast spot for some good eats.

    Photos
    Triple Berry Cafe
    Triple Berry Cafe
    Triple Berry Cafe

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    Mockingbird Bar + Garden

    Mockingbird Bar + Garden

    4.4
    (167 reviews)
    5.7 mi
    $$

    Mockingbird has been an East Dundee fixture for a few years now, and it's now better than ever. It…read moreused to be a tight squeeze, with very limited indoor space, but they've now more than doubled their space and increased some of their food menu. I've been there many times, pre-renovation, and now twice since renovation. One of the things I like most is that the owner so clearly loves what she's doing and is almost always there, interacting with customers and bringing cheer and warmth. The place feels--especially in the summer time--like sitting on a European street. The food is always tasty (the deviled eggs especially), the drinks are creative. I could use a slightly wider cocktail list that incorporates varying base spirits and experiments a bit more, but what they serve up is good.

    I believe Mockingbird was closed for a while, as they expanded some, but not sure if it was any…read morelarger (then again, my friend and I didn't sit inside). It was a nice night, so we sat outside. Their outside has some beach chairs in one area and some covered seating in another. We sat kinda in between off to the side and it was nice. Nothing too fancy, but also didn't feel like lawn chairs at a friend's either. Food was good, but couldn't bring myself to giving more than 4 stars. It was tasty, but could have been better. My fiend ordered the fennel and sausage wood fired pizza and thought it was good but didn't rave about it (see photo). He did like the flavor of the crust, which from past experiences I remember, If you like mushrooms, definitely try their wild mushroom pizza. They are made for one person, unless you want to share for something lighter. I had the Wood-fired Hanger Steak (see photo). Looking at it, it looked sad. The steak was flavorful but a little tough in parts. But if you compare my photo to what's on their website, you will see a noticeable difference. The description matches what I received, but come on people. Throw some ]thing colorful on the plate - would have preferred the website food, though I think it's the wrong photo based on description. LOL Our server was kind, friendly and attentive. Another gentleman popped in once and awhile to ensure everything was going well. Very friendly. We will be back, but not sure I'll order the steak again.

    Photos
    New interior
    New interior
    Website photo of Wood-Fired Hanger Steak. Not sure if this is accurate photo, didn't match mine or description
    Website photo of Wood-Fired Hanger Steak. Not sure if this is accurate photo, didn't match mine or description
    Interior

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    Interior
    Sweet Berry Cafe

    Sweet Berry Cafe

    4.1
    (444 reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$

    We had not been here in awhile and it's one of my wife's favorite breakfast spots. I was never all…read morethat crazy about it because of their breakfast potatoes. If you have read my reviews I judge all breakfast restaurants by their hash browns. I don't know when it happened or what made them change but you now get to choose between the 2 breakfast potatoes or hash browns!!!!!!!! Happy Day, this changes everything for me and warrants a new review. Again it's a really nice place, the seating is really well spaced, I always feel that I have some privacy and personal space. Everyone is always friendly and the service is excellent. This time my wife got the Portabenny which is just what it sounds like 2 portabella mushroom caps as the base of a benedict. It came with some fresh asparagus and my wife really enjoyed it. She also really appreciates the fruit side that you can get, they actually cut fruit themselves and you can choose what you want. I got the southern skillet, poblano peppers, onion, andouille sausage, fried chicken, cheese and turkey sausage gravy. Very good, very large, I only ate half and had breakfast for the next day. I don't get pancakes very often, but I did today and they really have great pancakes. The food is very good, they have a great variety, I really appreciate that they try and bring some uniqueness to their menu, and now that they have hash browns, that may be our new go to spot.

    Came to SB Cafe in Elgin on a Wednesday afternoon. The restaurant was clean and the service was…read morefriendly. I was seated quickly and I ordered a garden skillet with a choice of pancakes. The skillet-less skillet with over medium eggs came out rather fast. I liked the food and everything was enjoyed. Nothing stood out or was over the top. I had plain pancakes so I could evaluate them without being distracted by extra toppings. The pancakes were alright and toppings would probably punch them up. I think this can be a nice stop for a solid breakfast.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Buttermilk Pancakes
    Buttermilk Pancakes
    Sweet Berry Cafe

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    The Graceful Ordinary

    The Graceful Ordinary

    4.3
    (285 reviews)
    7.7 mi
    $$$

    My son took me here for my birthday this past April and what a dining experience it was!…read moreFirst off, the ambience was extremely elegant and upscale. The preparation of our entrees was beautiful and the service was excellent. I highly recommend, especially for a special occasion.

    Firstly, anyone saying the food doesn't taste good or they leave hungry is smokin crack ..... also,…read moresounds like you probably would of enjoyed a buffet instead. This place is incredible... the food is to die for. It's the first place I've been to and did not feel like bloated or so full to where I was sick because the portions were perfect. Nothing here fell short, in fact it's the first place in the burbs where the food wasn't overly salted or fried in some type of oil. Everything tasted fresh. The flavors were busting up in my mouth every bite I took, even down to snowball fight drink we had. I highly, highly recommend the bread cheese appetizer- this was something super unique to me as I've only had grilled up cheese one other time in Brazil, Queijo Coalho.... There was a beautiful twist on this cheese- crunchy, creamy, sweet, savory and the honey and tabbouleh were such a great finish to this dish. Pair this with the fresh bread and it was chefs kiss! We had the beer braised short rib and seabass- two completely different flavored entres that we absolutely perfect. The short rib you literally can't go wrong with- melted in my mouth with every bite - and hats off the the chef who cooked the onions so perfect to actually be able to taste them instead of just carmelizing or salting them! I would call this your typical Midwest comfort dish. The seabass was much different the salad was tangy with the lentils being rich- add a nice cooked crispy top seabass and you got yourself a unique dish of flavors that will have you thinking what's in it after hours! But the star of the show was dessert of course - OMFG - s'mores ice cream sunday ....... I died and went to heaven literally. I have never tasted ice cream that mimicked everything I've ever wanted my ice cream to taste like. It was the perfect temperature (trust me a lot of restaurants it's either rock hard or melted) this was epic. Creamy, almost pudding like and being able to taste every note was wild to me. The graham cracker - yes the freaking graham cracker was the best one I've ever tasted in my life. Clearly I've never had a graham cracker without preservatives before. The chocolate syrup .... Jeeze let me tell if I could swim in it I would.... The service was friendly, prompt and right on time. The server knew all the cues and timing of all the food to come out. She checked in everytime we got something to make sure everything was just right... you can tell she takes her job seriously but also knows how to interact with people - something a lot of servers lack these days so we really appreciated the service. As for the atmosphere- this place blows a lot of the chi city restaurants out of the water. The organic feel but fancy! Oh, and I can actually talk and hear myself think without blasting music over my head. We will be back ... but honestly please change nothing here- everything you're doing here is fantastic!

    Photos
    Dining room
    Dining room
    Avacado toast
    Avacado toast
    The Fox River just outside the restaurant

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    The Fox River just outside the restaurant

    Ray's Diner - diners - Updated June 2026

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