First off some reviewers commented that the tenderloin is a premade purchased breaded park patty. That is not the case for the king tenderloin, but the smaller tenderloins are premade. I ordered the king tenderloin, fries and a chocolate shake. In the past I also order a hamburger. All the good was very good. The tenderloin was tasty, not greasy, and massive, fries were good, milkshake was ok. I would recommend visiting Ray's. read more

Ray's Drive In - Tenderloin sandwich and fries - New American Near Me - Kokomo, Indiana

Ordered some mushrooms and a mini tenderloin and a coney dog. My total was $15 I thought was expensive since there Wednesday specials is $1.50 coney dogs and mini tenderloin. I called and asked he said since I didn't ask for the Wednesday specials price . Wtf this is stupid . Didn't know I had to ask for the special price. I'm so disappointed I've been coming to Ray's for years for the baked tenderloin dinners on Thursday. Gonna have to find something else now read more

Food was dry and overcooked. Not tender at all. We had the king tenderloin. The only thing that made it any good was the condiments. Too dry. read more

My first time trying the tenderloin sandwich. It was huge!!!! Tender and delish I'm new to the area and was determined to try the local fare. Yum! read more

Food is pretty good! Service is ok. Only one girl taking orders and taking care of all the cars/ people sitting on the benches. Probably needs a little updating. But overall not bad. read more

Food is very good. Prices ok but seems like servings seem smaller. Biggest complaint...no inside eating. Great and HUGE TENDERLOINS!!

Used to love Ray's tenderloins and onion rings. Today onion rings were soggy with grease and the tenderloins were frozen and not what I asked for. read more

Ray's Drive In - Gross! Not crispy soaked in grease. Very disappointed! - New American Near Me - Kokomo, Indiana

A pork tenderloin, or simply "tenderloin" was not on my food radar for most of my life. Oh, I'd see them on menus, people around me would order them, but for some reason, even up close they didn't merit a look-see from my side of the table. That's changed. For the uninitiated, a pork tenderloin is a sandwich, wherein a boneless pork chop is placed on a counter and hammer until very thin, breaded, deep fried, placed on a burger bun, often served with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. I'm willing to be persuaded otherwise, but in my mind, this is a distinctly Midwestern thing, and narrower than that, Iowa and Indiana seem to be the champions. Of course, restaurant proprietors want their tenderloins to be tasty, so they concoct different formulations of breading and seasonings; but another factor among some operators is SIZE. Some satisfaction is derived by chefs and diners alike if the loin on the plate is as big as their plate. Iowa even has a "Tenderloin Trail" you can attempt to conquer, a dozen or so of the best offerings as determined by the Iowa Pork Producers Council. I set out to hit a few of the stops a couple months ago, and weird, just noticed I hadn't written them up. I will. But Indiana, they excel in "big" tenderloins. First one I had was last year at the Oasis Diner on US 40, the "National Highway." Read all about it here. But on this trip, I set out to hit the iconic Ray's Drive In, in beautiful Kokomo, IN. A small eatery, with perhaps a dozen tables in the dining room, and carhop service to diners in the parking lot, Kokomonians (?) will tell you Ray's is a must stop. And I agree. I ordered the "King" Tenderloin, and my table mate went for the regular 'loin." There is a distinct difference. If you love pork, and you're looking for excellence in flavor and texture, you'll be happier with the King than the regular. Even if you can't finish it (I couldn't). They even have different breadings. Ray's King Tenderloin rates in the top three sandwiches I've had anywhere in the world, at any time. It's worth a side trip. I had every intention of ordering onion rings but "tots" came out of my mouth, and compared to the fries (they are priced the same), the tots order seemed a little skimpy. Didn't matter, I helped myself to the fries (another dish not finished), and if I would have skipped the taters all together, I could have made more of a dent in the 'loin. Did I say I loved this sammich? I did. I'm sure the other entrees and daily specials are home-cookin' quality. And BTW? It's pretty cheap to eat at Ray's. read more

Excellent tenderloins! Was in town for a visit and was told this is the best in town, I agree! I've had tenderloins elsewhere and they don't even come close! Nice and thin and crispy! Car hop service was fast and convenient. Thanks Rays! read more

HUGE tenderloins! No indoor dining, a true drive-in restaurant. Very personable carhop

The previous review had the correct way for a tenderloin sandwich to be made what we got was a processed pork patty that is referred to as an Al Pete. It is a ground pork patty with heavy breading. VERY DISAPPOINTED since the the pictures on Trip Adviser showed true tenderloin sandwiches. read more

Hole in the wall type establishment. Nothing fancy at all just plain old great tenderloin. Very nice wait staff fast service. King tenderloin was huge. They split it so we could take half home with us. Would go back if in the area. read more

Ray's Drive In - a menu for a meal - New American Near Me - Kokomo, Indiana

I won't be back! The food the last several times was terrible and this last trip was the WORST! It actually made me ILL! The car hops are great and super sweet BUT they need someone in their kitchen to uphold some type of standards! The meatloaf was super SWEET, I think to mask the food had turned, the green beans are canned and super over cooked and the mashed potatoes are instant and the gravy is canned. Overall not worth the price. And definitely not worth becoming ill. read more

Hasn't changed since I was a kid (50 years ago), and that's part of its charm - the nitty, gritty, blue collar, down home, friendly little dive of a place that serves the biggest and best 'King Tenderloin' in Indiana. Located on the more impoverished north side, stubbornly unmoving though the modern chain restaurants and retail stores located way on the south side of town long ago. It's just Ray's. You will either make the short drive to the north end or not. Great people, clean if not modern building you'd pass right by if not for the sign at the street. To give you an idea - to get to the men's bathroom you go behind the register, wind past the kitchen through a dimly lit twisting hallway that is maybe all of 30" wide, turn left past the storage area, turn left again behind the grill, and in the hall on the right by the back door and back of the kitchen is the men's bathroom - hasn't changed or updated in 50 years. The hard tile floor and basic 60's era small square tables are very basic, you don't go for the ambience. Known for the 'King Tenderloin' which without exaggeration is about 12-15" around, you have to go at least once. My wife and I each ordered a King during our visit to Kokomo last weekend for a high school reunion. We each cut around the bun leaving a lot of tenderloin to take home, and each of our sandwiches yielded 5 more sandwiches of normal bun size. That gives you an idea, so the nearly $9 King Tenderloin will make you another 5-6 regular size sandwiches at home. We had milkshakes and onion rings to go with, both good, the rings your standard puffy battered variety. Shakes made with real ice cream as far as we could tell. But the server was very helpful, friendly, warm...we met a friend for lunch and stayed 2 1/2 hours - just a great place to visit and take your time, or drop by for a quick meal. Don't go for the looks or atmosphere, or maybe go for exactly those reasons, this time capsule of a restaurant serving the best Indian tenderloin hands down - no 2 alike, each individually prepared. As our waitress said when she brought ours, 'These turned out pretty nice'. Summaries the whole place I'd say. read more

King tenderloin - super crusty crunchy Ritz cracker shell, thin sliced pounded pork, simple pickle onion mustard tomato toppings, real solid delicious eye pleasing platter sandwich. Side of onion rings - fall apart onion with light golden coating, batter added flavor cooked just right. Want to come back for dinner options, seems likely to be tasty. Blue curtains and gentle pleasant decor all well maintained. Waitress and server very friendly, attentive, and makes you feel at home. read more

After hearing glowing reviews (although, to be honest, I'd not looked at Yelp for reviews), I expected more. Now, let me something straight. Nostalgia is a great thing. I love it, But, at times, I think restaurants try to build their entire business around nostalgia, when they SHOULD be building it around food. Nothing was particularly bad here. Matter of fact, the tenderloin was above average and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The fries were overcooked (a LOT!) and appeared to be frozen and out of a bag. My wife's chicken and noodles were quite bland. The service was adequate...not awful, not stellar, just so so. However, the whole place had a "dirty" feel to it..the floor was unswept it appeared, and everything seemed dingy to me. I see it as a place with great potential, but they'll need to work to live up to that. read more

My father, Bill Weidner, and uncle, Albert, owned the majority of stock in Ray's Drive In, from 1976 until it closed due to the major recession in1983. Clyde Ray still owned the property. Mr. Ray sold the entire business in 1983. My father then worked for Mr. Ray across from the drive-in in another business named Tri-State Meat Processing, Inc. Through many decades my father, as manager and my uncle Albert as assistant manager, my mother, brother, my sisters and me worked at Ray's along many wonderful and memorable people. The room was added to Ray's after Mr. Ray sold it. My father had wanted to add inside dining many years before in the middle section or as we knew it, "section two." Mr. Ray nixed the idea. I wonder if the drive-in would have remained open if section two would have been converted to inside dining. Mr. Ray was a good man. He passed many years ago along with my father and uncle. My immediate family moved to Texas by 1984. I was still in the USAF. I have dreams from time to time of my family at the drive-in. I love my family and I am grateful to Mr. Ray. I pray that Ray's will remain open. It has a special place in my heart because it was like a second home for many years. God Bless Kokomo and Ray's Drive-In. read more

Great drive in! Had the king tenderloin, delicious and giant! Breading was crunchy and flavorful. Very friendly staff. Came in 30 minutes before close and they were happy to help me (took to go cause, cmon, they have lives too!) read more

Ray's Drive In - Tenderloin about as big as the steering wheel! - New American Near Me - Kokomo, Indiana

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Best tenderloin in the world! Order the "King and split it!!!! They only do their special breading on the King so order it!! Huge menu with daily specials. read more

Ray's Drive In - Outside Drive in - New American Near Me - Kokomo, Indiana

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This establishment is one of our must go-to spots whenever we are in town. They make one of the best tenderloins we've ever tasted. The King Tenderloins are big enough to feed 3 or 4 people. Love that! And the staff is very friendly. read more

Ray's Drive In - King Tenderloins - New American Near Me - Kokomo, Indiana

Well, where to begin... we tried this place based on what others have said. But I'll have to disagree with the recommendation. The King tenderloin was more of a novelty than quality. I'm glad it came with condiments, otherwise it has zero flavor. The catfish dinner was greasy and well, just terrible. I'd rather just make Gordon's fish from the freezer at home. The staff was friendly but that's about all. The only thing we got that was good was the fresh strawberry pie. $40.00 later, we were finally able to leave this place. read more

If I were rating Ray's Drive In based on taste and atmosphere alone, I'm sure I would give it 4 stars. That being said, this cozy, hometown, old-fashioned drive-in DEFINITELY deserves 5 stars for a few important reasons...... 1. THE KING TENDERLOIN!!!! Before I had the privilege of eating at Ray's (I went for the first time this past Saturday before the INDY 500), I had read (http://kokomotribune.com/archive/x518864292/Rays-Drive-in) that this place claimed to have the biggest pork tenderloin sandwiches in Indiana. Exciting idea, huh? I wasn't sure I believed it, though. How did they KNOW theirs were the biggest, I wondered? I wanted to go anyway, out of curiosity, and my profound LOVE for pork tenderloins!! Well, let me tell you.......they were NOT lying or exaggerating!!! This tenderloin was MUCH bigger than my head! The bun sitting on top of it was downright comical! And just so you know, they do have 2 other sizes of pork tenderloins- the average sized tenderloin and the mini tenderloin. :) However, you can get the GIANT "King" Tenderloin for $6.99! Not too shabby for this MONSTER-SIZED sandwich! I'm telling you, it's HUGE! You won't be disappointed. :) I folded it in half to eat it and the bun still looked dinky compared to it. haha I was only able to eat about 1/3 of it and took the rest home. That's how incredibly huge this sandwich is! haha 2. Many Menu Choices The majority of the food (that I saw anyway) was fried, so not the healthiest of food choices (haha).....but it was all very good. My dad got a pulled pork sandwich (just the size of a regular hamburger bun- very small compared to the King Tenderloin lol) and fries. My mom got the fried shrimp dinner with fried mac and cheese (VERY yummy, she said), my brother got a chicken salad sandwich, and my cousin, fiance, and I all ordered the KING. :) Next time we go, I'm sure the three of us will order just one. :) Anyway, my point is, there are lots of choices, considering this is a drive-in. And everyone enjoyed their food. :) Oh, I almost forgot, if you love corn, try the corn nuggets. Yummy! Literally....deep fried balls of corn. haha 3. You can eat in your car, outside on a picnic bench, or in the restaurant. 4. It's been serving the people of Kokomo, right there in the same location, since 1947 and there are pictures up inside to prove it. :) 5. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful! 6. It's a very refreshing place to go if you want to get away from touristy, crowded, chain restaurants!!! 7. Did I mention the KING Tenderloin? ;) As the sign out front says, "IT PAYS TO EAT AT RAY'S" Enjoy! read more

Ray's Drive In - a car parked in front of a restaurant - New American Near Me - Kokomo, Indiana

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A very limited menu but when you make tenderloins that big and tasty just stick to what you know & do it well & Ray's does just that. It's a Kokomo institution- almost anyone inside is an old timer. It's better to get it to go as the dining room is on the small side or hey it is a Drive In- get the full experience in the summer. One of Indiana's better tenderloins. read more

I was introduced to my first Indiana Pork Tenderloin Sandwich this past weekend when my boyfriend and I went to visit family and attend the Indy 500 (so much fun, by the way). What a shock when my "King Tenderloin" sandwich was delivered to our car window. That thing would not have fit in a 9x13 cake pan!!!! I kid you not!!! And the taste....mmmmmmmmm. I'm 919 miles away and all I can think about is setting my GPS on Ray's and returning for another one. Over 1,800 miles round trip just for a sandwich??? Stranger things have happened. It would be worth it!!! read more

If you want some old school diner food, this is the place to go! A friendly guy took our to-go order at the counter and asked if we wanted breakfast or lunch. Wait...we can get either one?! My boyfriend and I shared a regular tenderloin and an order of pepper jack cheese cubes to take back to the nearby ballpark. After we finished, we had already decided to go back later for another meal! Also, they have a king size tenderloin which must be HUGE because our regular one was the size other restaurants claim to be large. Next time we're in Kokomo we will definitely come back. read more

If you want comfort food this is your place to go. They have been around for as long as I can remember. The King tenderloin is the the only one hand breaded these days and my hubby and I got one last time we went. We had them cut it in half and give us an extra bun. We took home enough leftover loin for 3 more sandwiches at home. Their burgers are made with meat from a great and local meat market that I shop at myself, they are great! Can't beat the Wednesday's dollar night either...makes for a cheap quick middle of the week meal to give mom a break from cooking! read more

Watch what you order as I've routinely seen the cooks putting lettuce, tomatoes, onions, etc. on sandwiches with their bare hands instead of using gloves. read more

Wow, If i were asked this in 1999 i would've given them 4 stars at the least, but I went here in 2011 last, wont be back either. My french fries there were worse than the kind they serve at the high school, the chicken was worse than the frozen stuff you but at the store, my moms breaded mushrooms were literally black, and her husbands food was awful as well.... Service gets a 2/5 (1999 wouldve gotten a 5/5), Decor gets a 1/5 (1999 it would've gotten a 3-4/5) and food gets a 0/5 (1999 would've been 4/5) Someone got a tenderloin recently and from what im told its mostly breading and grease now, and doesn't simply taste good anymore... it pays to eat here? I think not because youll end up having to eat somewhere else anyways! read more

Not good at all. We stumbled across a spot in Face Book raving about this place and wanted to check it out. Our mistake!! My wife had an omelet which was average at best. I had the King Tenderloin Sandwich and it was dry and over cooked. The sandwich was huge but the quality was terrible. The King Tenderloin is more of a novelty than a meal and I don not recommend it. The place was old and dirty not some place I would visit again. It lacks the character normally associated with old school drive inns. The staff was friendly but not very attentive. Place could use a good sterilization surprised they pass health inspections. If your looking for a good meal in Kokomo you won't find it at Ray's. read more

uncaring, not clean, hair in hubby's food all three different times he ate there in past nine years,,management could care less, just wants to sell food, hairy or not read more

Ray's has been in business long before I was born and wouldn't be in business as long as it has if not for it's good food! Daily Specials plus delicious regular menu and you can't beat that ENORMOUS hand breaded tenderloin. And don't forget it's one of the very few drive-ins around anymore I believe year round! read more

Rays used to be worth the drive but not any longer. Their Tenderloin sandwich may indeed be gigantic around, but its also thinner than a dime. Look elsewhere if you actually want MEAT in your sandwich and not just breading. read more