Note: this review will be biased because this is my go-to lunch pizza place for over 10 years and I've developed an attachment based on the food, people, and atmosphere. With that said, it's a cozy little space in university center that produces solid New York style pizza. I usually get the Ray's special that consists of 2 slices and a small soda. The price is good relative to what you're getting. I recommend asking for your slices to be well done if you like your pizza crispy. It's also a decent place to hang out with friends as it has a decent variety on the menu (including beer) and arcade games available. I must recommend this place because it's become a bit legendary and it's always nice to support your local small business! read more

Ray's Pizza - 2 pepperoni slice special - Pizza Near Me - Irvine, California

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Ray's is my favorite! I am a girl who loves carbs and loves some pizza and this is the best place around. Ray's is a no frills establishment inside the center by UCI, you can come in for a quick slice or a whole pie and you won't be disappointed. Their pizza is classic New York style and I love it! I don't like a lot of crap on my pizza so it is a classic pepperoni for me and I am always a happy customer. The only thing that bothers me is that I wish they were open later. It seems crazy to me that a pizza place by a college campus would close so early. Great pizza at really great prices, can't go wrong. read more

This place is amazing!!! I lived in New York for years living off their pizza and this place is reminiscent of a real New York slice. Plus the price is right! Amazing pies!!! read more

i love this place i love these guys i adore the pizza its fresh delicious and well priced its a must get out and get some now masks are over enjoy and eat up!!!! thank you rays you are theeeeee best pizza in america!!!!!! a native nyer who loves you try the tomato pesto omg yummy read more

Excellent pizza! I love the veggie and the variety of vegetables they put on it. The cheese pizza--I've had better, BUT the crust is oh so heavenly. It totally made both pizzas extra delicious. In addition to that, the service was quick. So the reason I didn't give 5 stars... Was because I think the slices are a little small. But other than that.... LOVE it! read more

Ray's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Irvine, California

I'm new to the West Coast.. after hearing some reviews,this place came up several times when comparing it to NYC style pizza. So I gave it a shot. I actually had it 2-3 times.. wasn't too bad. A bit pricey but, we paid. This last weekend though would be the last time I do business with them. To keep it short, I ordered 4 pies, 3 plain and the 4th with toppings. Not only did I not get what I ordered, the pizza was delivered to me all tumbled over itself. This was Uber's fault they said. Ok. This is not why I won't do business with them anymore.. the reason is because of their customer service. They don't believe in the "customers always right" policy and we're extremely rude and arguing with me over the phone after I am already frustrated. DONT DO THAT! I mentioned I would post a review and it didn't even phase them. I can't do business with places that don't care about their customers experience. I'm sorry. I have plenty of pizzerias that deliver, taste just as good, and are half the price.. but most importantly will treat their customers right! read more

Amazing Pizza! Amazing customer service! The crust was not too thick, exceptional crunch with every bite! The sauce had something about it that I just can't figure out but it was absolutely perfect! The guy pulling slices for me even cut the cheese slice for my 17 month into little bite size pieces upon request! I'm excited that this is right around the corner now and I get to eat it as often as I want! read more

The best Pizza in Irvine. I've been going here for over 20 years. The Spaghetti and Meatballs is also really good, with a generous portion size + garlic bread. read more

The pizza here is amazing but you'll come back for ray's welcoming and friendly personality he's the best

This is our go to pizza place! Ray, his son and the staff are all very friendly. This is the closest to New York style pizza I've had in California. They have good specials. Pizza sizes are good and it always tastes great! read more

Their NYC pizza was good, but it was pricey. The restaurant is kind of old and it felt like I was in the 80s or 90s while dining there. It took a long time to make the pizza and that was okay with me because NYC pizza usually takes a while to make. I would like this place better if they allowed us to have more toppings for the price they're asking for. The pizza was crispy, but the cheese and sauce were decent. Overall, this pizza place serves decent NYC pizza. I would probably try other pizza places because this place is too pricey for what you get. read more

after trainspotting 2 I had a nostalgic moment. we saw the original trainspotting at angelika theatre on west houston and broadway 20 years ago. we were the only ones under aged that day watching a movie about heroin. what a difference watching the movie in Manhattan 20 years ago and 20 years later in irvine. man did we get old quick. still one of our favorite movies of all time and the wife discovered ewan mcgregor for the first time which is very hard to live up to...lol. so when I saw rays pizza of course it brought me to rays, famous rays, original famous rays that was all over the city. this place in irvine was nothing like any of the rays, and I should've never order after seeing their dough press. no true pizza place uses a dough press, and this rays is nowhere near ny or ny style. read more

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As someone who grew up in NYC, and as a recent transplant, this is no Ray's Pizza. Crust needs to be redone, it's always in the crust. Still haven't found an authentic NYC slice here in SoCal. read more

tl;dr Best damn pizza you'll find for $3 Been here a few times for UberEats pickups but never really had a chance to try the pizza until today. Am currently kicking myself for not trying it sooner because this is seriously the best damn pizza you can get in Irvine. How do I know this? Simple, because for $3 you're not just gonna get one of the most monstrously massive slices of pizza in So Cal that will absolutely dwarf the size of a full pizza from the competitors around like Blaze Pizza, but from the taste of the first bite down to the last morsel of the soft, almost pillow-like dough of the bread and crust will have you hooked and coming back for more. Not to mention the added benefit of them being available for delivery via UberEats makes it so that even if you're too lazy to go and pick it up, you're never out of luck to get some of the best damn pizza in Irvine. read more

If you want one of the best pizzas in your life (definitely the best in OC), this is the place. I've been coming here since childhood and I have never once been disappointed. I recommend anyone and everyone who wants their pizza craving fulfilled to come here. They offer a thinner slice yet I do wish that they offer delivery but once you do receive your food, it seems even more gratifying when you pick it up. Easily the best pizza place in Irvine. -Fun fact/side note: I ordered 4 sandwiches from Le Diplomat next door. I was absolutely starving and knew I could get a quick slice from Ray's. I ordered a slice and it came out within 1 minute, hot, and ready to eat. Such perfect service and quality lead me to review them after not doing so for many years. Keep it up Ray's! read more

I got a slice of sausage pizza and it was truly the best. I really loved it. Can't wait to go back

I ordered pizza from here for my daughter's birthday party and it was delicious. It's probably my favorite pizza in this area. I recommend to anyone who just wants a good old fashion New York pizza. Also, this is a good pizza for kids because there are no overwhelming spices or flavors. So far this has been my preschooler's favorite, as well as my husband's. So I guess it's a family favorite, and anytime the whole family agrees on dinner, my life gets a little bit easier. We placed the order the night before with a delivery time and address. Service was great and they delivered the pizza on time. A couple weeks later, we tried to order for delivery to our house, but found out they don't actually deliver :( They had done it for us before because it was a large order for a party, but it's not a usual service. Next time I am craving pizza, I will go to Rays and pick it up though! We ordered a variety of pizzas including basic cheese and pepperoni pizzas, as well as some specialty pizzas. Overall the pizza was delicious and not too salty or greasy. The crust was just right- not too crispy or tough to chew or over cooked. The sauce was perfect and toppings delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed both the veggie pizza and the "supreme" style pizza (can't remember if that's what it's called on the menu). I've been trying every pizza place around since moving out here from the east coast, and I just couldn't find my go to place until now. This is what pizza is supposed to taste like!! read more

Excellent pizza!! Their amazing crust and pizza sauce is delicious! Lots of flavor with their toppings! Friendly, and fast service! Have been many times and Will go continue to go back! Best pizza in Orange County! read more

Ray's Pizza - Cheese pizza! - Pizza Near Me - Irvine, California

woah. just WOAH. happened to come across this place while trying to find another restaurant .. so glad we decided to eat here instead! totally blown away on how their pizza was so .. perfect! the light crisp of the crust really got me. will definitely come back again! so impressed. thank you! read more

Food: 4 Service: 4 Ambiance: 3 Average: 3.6 Need a quick and easy thin crust pizza fix in Irvine? Ray's got your back. For just around $7 you get two fresh slices and a small soda. I usually go here after I eat tender greens because they just don't give you enough food there. The cheese here is melty, chewy and delicous. There's a thin layer of pizza sauce that has just the right amount of tart and the crust is crisp and fresh. When you order the pizza, the throw the slices in the over for a minute to get them piping hot. I usually get a slice of pepperoni and a slice of sausage. The pepperoni is solid, but the sausages on the sausage pizza is unique. There not the usual small balls of sausage, but a flatter & larger circular piece of sausage that complements the cheese exquisitely. Wash it all down with ice cold coke, there's not much that's better. This is a family owned establishment so you'll often see Ray himself serving up slices and taking orders. He's been here for a very long time and he's still in business because he does the best new york style pizza in Irvine. read more

The pizza is great and Ray is awesome! My wife is from the East Coast and knows NY style pizza; this is it. There are plenty of tables to stay and eat outside; little small dining area inside. I live on the other side of Irvine, but worth the drive to see Ray and get some good food! read more

As yelp describes...OK The pizza is OK and the prices are bit high, The older man (i think the owner) is a bit aggressive and creepy, Will only go back in a pinch....much better pizza and value out there read more

after reading the many stellar yelp reviews, i came to ray's pizza with very high hopes for a good east coast slice of pizza. it didn't happen. this pizza was dreadful. i've recently come to the realization that that there are certain foods that are tastier upon reheating. one of them is lasagna. another is pizza. the act of reheating a slice (properly, that is... don't even think about microwaving it and turning it into a chewy, greasy blob of wasted calories) brings out the flavor of the crust, crisping the bottom and allowing the sauce and cheese to meld into a heavenly amalgam of pure bliss. i ordered a veggie slice. it came topped with zucchini, peppers, olives, and something else (onions?). it was awful. it reminded me of elementary school cafeteria pizza. it's only saving grace was the crust, which was crispy on the bottom and on the edges (as a reheated slice should be). the sauce was practically nonexistent and had no flavor. the cheese tasted low quality, flavorless, and oily. and the toppings looked nice but were bland and tasteless. it was so, so disappointing. not even a healthy sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes could save it, and it was all i could do to choke it down. thankfully i only ordered a slice and nothing more. sorry to say, but this is one of the worst pizzas i've ever eaten -- and that is saying a lot. read more

In a city of ever changing franchises kicking out mom and pop restaurants, not to mention the trendy new ~t r e n d~ of ever ending personal size "build your own" pizza restaurants, rays has stood the test of time. A true OG of Irvine and uci. Nothing beats a classic New York slice and rays does it the best in all of the OC. read more

$20 for a large? Are you f*cking kidding me? Called in for a pick-up of 5 large pizzas for my class. 3 Combo 1 1 Hawaiian 1 Cheese Total: $103 WTF? Really? This better be some quality pizza that'll rock my world. That price is close to Lamppost and I could have easily ordered from them. I don't mind the price, but for what I got, I wasn't too pleased. The pizza was fine but not worth $20 a pie. I understand coming in for a slice because you work here or attend UCI but F me running, that's way too high for mediocre pizza. $11 for a large at Papa John's (which subsequently doesn't delivery to UCI...which is STUPID). The guy on the phone was rude and you could hear how much he didn't care. The dining area is small but it's a standard hole in the wall pizza joint. Tables are limited and it's counter pick up. There are a couple of arcade games put in more for ambiance I would presume and at 11am, it's all pretty clean. I'm not a pizza expert because I rarely eat pizza and quite frankly, don't like pizza, but I do know value for money and this isn't it (not even for Irvine). If I want to pay $20 for pizza, I'll go to Lamppost. If I want mediocre pizza, I'll go somewhere else. Not here. read more

Ray's is ok - probably the best in the Irvine area, but that isn't saying a lot. I miss REAL pizza - Lou Malnati's and Ledo's in Chicago, Sally's in New Haven and Tommaso's in San Francisco. Ray's is decent. I usually get the cheese and pepperoni. The crust could be a little crispier. The sauce could be saucier. It's still a good slice of New York-style pizza, though. The one thing that puzzles and annoys me is why they don't deliver. I suppose they get a lot of traffic from the university, but I hate having to drive over. Is it that hard to find a driver? They used to have one. Don't they know I'm lazy? Sigh. Oh well. If anyone knows of a better place, please... let me know. I've tried Gina's, Ameci's, Z's, First Class, Lamppost, Roundtable, Joey's, Main Street, Papa John's, Red Brick and most of the rest. While it's not all that great, Ray's is above average; sadly... that's enough, for now. Why, oh why, can't the pizza gods show mercy on me? Excuse me while I off myself... read more

Hard to find real NY pizza in CA. Ray's clearly hits the mark. Cheese and sauce are perfect. Crust way better than most CA pizza. Crust taste is excellent but the texture fall a little short of the NY tough dough standard - but not by much! Rating For CA 100%. For NY 85%. If you are used to REAL NY pizza, you will find something very familiar here, and that is a very good thing! My favorite CA pizza!!!!! read more

Ray's Pizza - The picture says it all!!!! - Pizza Near Me - Irvine, California

I've tried both the pizza and the pasta here, and I'd say...go straight for the pizza. The pasta was overcooked though the sauce was good, full of tomatoes. Ray's is actually my favorite pizza place in Irvine so far, though that's not really saying much. It's NY style thin crust. I agree with other reviewers who say that it could be crispier, but I was pretty damn pleased with my pizza. It was not greasy at all and was rather delicious, quickly served, and cheap. It even brought back memories of Berkeley food... Not to mention--Ray's also has a Bust-a-move arcade machine. That really won my heart over. read more

This is the best pizza We ever eat!!!! It is sooo good that i can eat the whole large pizza by myself and can't wait to be hungry so i can have some more!!! Must try if you haven't!!! read more

I have been on this new search to find some good pizza by the slice close to where I live and one of the first stops was Ray's. Because I wasn't that familiar with the little shopping center, I strolled around each way til I found it. As soon as you see it, they hit you with a couple arcade games. Now how awesome is that? That reminds me definitely how the east coast would do it, pizza and old schools games. At this point I figured that the pizza had to be pretty decent. Here is my reasons why I give Ray's 4 star and locked them in for another visit. 1. Great signage 2. Arcade games 3. Pizza was good tasting (3 star rating) 4. The older gent behind the counter was very friendly (not sure if that was Ray) 5. And the special is 2 slices with a drink for $6 (you can't beat it) Again the pizza was about a 3 star because it was pretty decent, not too greasy or small but everything else added a star to this overall experience. Thanks Ray for bringing some of that east coast flavor to the west read more

I have been coming to Ray's pizza for about 10 years! I use to have weekly appointments at the plaza and my mom and I (who happens to be from the Bronx) would always have dinner there every week! The pizza combo is a really great deal as well as their whole pies can feed my family & then some! I love the vibe, and Ray himself is the sweetest. I come back from time to time with my husband- mostly because I no longer live in the area but I soon hope to bring my little one and hope she loves it just as much as I do! read more

NOTE: This is a review of their catering. We ordered trays of pasta and salad. They also threw in some garlic bread for free. The pasta didn't look very appetizing and tasted the part. Cold, burnt, congealed cheese on top of overcooked pasta. The garlic bread was stale when it arrived despite being warm. If we weren't catering to students, we would have thrown about half of the food out. I would recommend avoiding this place for catering. read more

Ton 10 Reasons Why I Love Ray's Pizza: 1) A meal here won't make your wallet sweat. 2) Your food comes out super quick if you order by the slice - quicker than fast food! 3) Ray loves his customers. 4) Ray loves to joke around - one time I saw a kid come in here with his arm in a cast, and Ray says to him "What happened to you, somebody beat you up?" Or when the lady from Golden Spoon comes over and greets Ray by saying "Hello Mr. Ray," he sometimes replies back enthusiastically by saying, "Hello Mrs. Spoon!" 5) Ray actually had a pizza shop in Manhattan until the 1980s when he opened up out here. 6) Ray always puts your straw in your drink for you. 7) The pizza leaves you feeling satisfied, but you don't feel gross after eating it. 8) If Ray is working and a Lakers game isn't going on, you can bet that either CNN or MSNBC is playing on tv. This is great because I can be at home watching tv, wait for a commercial break, then go eat at Ray'sand pick up where I left off. 9) If you're a regular customer and you haven't been to Ray's in a while, he asks you where you've been. 10) It's the best New York style (thin crust) pizza in Irvine. read more

Not very good . . . disappointed, nothing like East Coast NYC pizza. Truthfully the pizza at Costco is even better! read more

If you're some sort of pizza snob, go elsewhere. For those whom can appreciate pizza that doesn't have to be made of all organic ingredients like cheese made from unicorn milk, read on. I've never had "real" NY pizza, so all those bitching about "this is not real NY pizza etc. etc., piss off. Of course it isn't going to be the same. So get over yourselves. Now, on the the pizza. It's fresh, wonderfully crispy and chewy. Not crunchy. The toppings aren't piled on 2" thick, which I like, but there is something to be said about the simplicity of the pizza at Ray's. The prices are very reasonable. No frills, just good pizza. Ray might seem a little grumpy at times, but I think he's misunderstood. He's just got that NY attitude. Talks fast, talks loud. But I don't take that as a bad thing. He always says thank you and enjoy. Tried the pastrami sandwich here and it was not what I was expecting. Sorry Ray. When I think of pastrami, I'm thinking of a roll, filled to the brim with savoy meat with some yellow mustard and pickles. This was more of a sandwich sandwich, with lettuce, and tomatoes. Wasn't bad, but not what I want or expect in a pastrami. Not a lot of meat in it. I think from now on, I'll stick to what Ray's excels at. Pizza. read more

3.5 Stars...if .5 was possible in Yelp Life. I'm pretty torn between thin crust and thick crust, and can't hate or rave both types of pizzas (FYI Ray's Pizza serves NY style thin crust). The service was quick and customers seemed to like coming to Ray's...or looked like they came to Ray's on a consistent basis aka loyal customers. I got the Pepperoni pizza, but wasn't full enough and came back for the Cheese pizza. Surprisingly I liked the Cheese pizza more, and it seemed like there was more flavor to it. If you're around University Town Center (UTC) and in a pizza mood I'd recommend Ray's, but if you're starving for food I'd suggest to wander off somewhere else. read more

Ray's is my fiancé and my go-to pizza place! We love the pizza and anti pasta salad. Also, the owner, Ray, is awesome!!! He is so sweet and attentive! We can tell he wants to ensure we have a perfect pizza experience every time! Thank you, Ray! read more

Very good pizza and decent prices. A good option lunch with their slice deals. The best pizza in the UCI area in my opinion.

So I've never had their pizza, but their pasta is pretty horrible. I had a coupon from the student saver coupon book for some sort of discount off of their pasta lunch special. This includes a salad of iceberg lettuce (not good), a soda (the best part of the meal), and their daily pasta (yuck). It was rigatoni with red meat sauce. The sauce was super watery and the meat was dry and tough. I couldn't finish this, and I was starving. So sad! The food alone deserves 1 star, but the man helping me behind the counter was so friendly I have to bump them up to 2 stars. This place obviously thrives off of being across the street from UCI. That being said, I will probably come back to try the pizza to see if it changes my opinion. read more

Pizza was not bad. But this is not NY pizza. Not even close. If you think this is NY pizza, then you really have no clue what NY pizza is. It doesn't look like NY pizza, it certainly doesn't taste like NY pizza. This place might get 3 stars, possibly 4 if it took out the phrase "New York Style" from the outside of the building and the word "Ray" from its name. That's just a huge ripoff of Ray's Pizza in NYC. read more