New Fall Dishes & Drinks at Ray’s!

Crisp Fall weather has arrived and with it comes a new menu of cozy dishes in our first floor Boathouse and upstairs Cafe! Grab a table and order one of our new Fall cocktails with your meal as you take in the views from our dining rooms or on our covered and heated Cafe patio.

Delicious new menu items include:

Boathouse

Seared Albacore whipped goat cheese, roasted beets, beet relish, pistachios
Grilled Spanish Octopus cannellini bean purée, chickpea ragu, Uli’s chorizo, micro radish mix, crispy potato
Seared Pacific Northwest Halibut cauliflower purée, roasted cauliflower steak, grape & pomegranate vinaigrette, toasted hazelnuts
Dungeness Crab Cakes griddled focaccia, braised greens, old bay hollandaise, fennel, green apple, scallion oil
Pan Seared Sea Scallops white grits, Uli’s chorizo, micro arugula, radish, goat cheese, shallots, garlic, sherry
Braised Delicata Squash wild mushrooms, miso, farro, butternut squash, coconut-squash emulsion
Albacore Tagliatelle house made pasta, amatriciana, olive oil poached albacore, pancetta, shaved Parmesan

Barrel Aged Vieux Carré Sazerac 6 year rye, Martel Blue Swift VSOP cognac, Dolin Rouge, Benedictine, Peyshauds and Angostura bitters, on one big rock
Tequilling Me Softly Mi Campo Reposado tequila, St. George spiced pear liqueur, agave, Fee Brother’s black walnut bitters, served up

Cafe

Kale & Apple Salad chiffonade of Lacinato kale, lemon vinaigrette, sliced honeycrisp apples, pickled shallots, toasted pine nuts, Grana Padano
Grilled Wild Alaskan King Salmon garlic whipped potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, tomato-beurre blanc, crispy fried onions
Release the Kraken Kraken spiced rum, cinnamon-clove brown sugar simple, lemon, on the rocks with soda
Cowboy Cappuccino Four Roses Bourbon, St. George ‘Nola’ coffee liqueur, demerara, Scrappy’s chocolate bitters, up topped with cold brew infused egg white foam

Reserve a table in the Boathouse online today. Cafe is walk-ins only. We’ll see you soon!

Batched Cocktails & Kits To-Go

Bring home a craft cocktail in a bottle! Our seasonal selection of batched cocktails is now available for pickup on Toast. All you have to worry about is “rocks, or neat,” and choosing a worthy glass. Just grab from the fridge and pour, no mixing required!

If you prefer to make your own beverage, opt for our Private Selection Manhattan Cocktail Kit complete with Ray’s Custom Woodford Reserve Bourbon, a bottle of Dolin Sweet Vermouth and house-made Brandied Cherries. It’s the perfect cocktail kit to spruce up your home bar cart! Stock up for the holidays now via Toast.

Cocktails include:

Barrel-Aged Brooklyn – 1-liter, $50
Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Luxardo maraschino liqueur, Dolin dry vermouth, Amaro Ramazzotti. Aged onsite in small American oak barrels. Add on House-Made Brandied Cherries (10oz) for an additional $10.

Barrel-Aged Negroni – 1-liter, $50
Hendricks Gin, Carpano Antica formula vermouth, Dolin rouge vermouth, Campari, aged onsite in small American oak barrels.

Private Selection Manhattan Cocktail Kit – 1-liter, $100
One liter of Woodford Reserve ‘Ray’s Private Selection No.1’ Bourbon, 750 ml of Dolin sweet vermouth and house-made brandied cherries (optional).

House-Made Brandied Cherries – 10oz, $10
Dress up any drink with brandy-drenched holiday festivity. This also serves as a sweet, boozy topper for ice cream and desserts!

New! Ray’s Family Meals To-go

Try our new Ray’s Family Meals to-go with four delicious family-style menus! Each ones comes fully cooked and is hot and ready to eat at pickup. Family Meals are available to order online daily from 11:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. only on Ray’s Toast page.

Order a meal for one to two people or build a bigger family meal by adding two or three of the same meal or mixing and matching. We’ve also included recommended wine and cocktail pairings for each meal that can be added on for an additional cost. Cheers!

Ray’s Family Meal Menu:

True Cod Fish & Chips Meal (serves 1-2) $30
Cup of Ray’s New England Style Clam Chowder
2 piece True Cod fish and Chips
Cookie Bag (house baked cookies that change daily)

Pairing suggestions:
Torre Oria Brut Cava Sparkling Wine (bottle)
Underground Wine Projects ‘Mr Pink’ Washington Rosé 2019(bottle)
Black Cherry Margarita (serves 2)

Ray’s Famous Sablefish Dinner (serves 1-2) $62
Caesar Salad
1 large Crab Cake with orange-tarragon aïoli
Sablefish in Sake Kasu

Pairing suggestions:
Willakenzie Estate Pinot Noir ‘Pierre Leon’ Willamette Valley, OR 2014 (bottle)
Sokol Blosser Estate Pinot Gris Willamette Valley, OR 2018 (bottle)
Barrel-Aged Brooklyn Cocktail (serves 2)

An Evening of Seafood (serves 2) $80
Bowl of Ray’s New England Style Clam Chowder
Ray’s Seafood Salad featuring Oregon bay shrimp, house smoked Alaskan Coho salmon and house smoked scallops
Pan Seared Sea Scallops with squid ink spaghetti OR Alaskan King Salmon with sweet corn purée and sautéed asparagus
Mississippi Mud Pie

Pairing suggestions:
Treveri Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine from Washington (bottle)
Seven Hills Sauvignon Blanc Walla Walla, WA 2019 (bottle)
Ray’s Barrel-Aged Negroni Cocktail (serves 2)

Ray’s ShellFeast (serves 2-3) $105
Bowl of Ray’s New England Style Clam Chowder
Prawn Cocktail
Mediterranean Mussels with Thai style red curry, coconut milk broth
1lb King Crab with butter and lemon
Grilled Asparagus
Grilled Corn on the Cob
2 rolls with Butter

Pairing Suggestions:
Bollinger Champagne (bottle)
Treveri Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine from Washington (bottle)
Ray’s Private Select Woodford Reserve Perfect Manhattan (serves 2)

Educator Gift Card Special all September!

Back to school looks different this year for almost every family and educator. Parents and caretakers are becoming educators and teachers face the challenges of not being able to educate in person.

To spread a little back-to-school cheer this September, Ray’s is offering a gift card special: for every $100 you spend on Ray’s gift cards you will receive a complimentary $20 Ray’s gift card now through September 30, 2020!

Buy a $100 gift card for those who are making this new way of schooling possible and keep the $20 for yourself (or gift it to anyone who needs a pick-me-up)!

You can put that $20 gift card to good work with our new Ray’s Woodford Reserve Private Selection Perfect Manhattan, a bottle of Washington wine, daily Cafe Happy Hour and more!

Gift cards are available in any amount and can be purchased online (recommended) or at Ray’s Guest Relations desk in the Boathouse.

Ray’s Custom Woodford Reserve Whiskey Has Arrived!

Our Woodford Reserve whiskey barrel has arrived from Louisville, Kentucky filled with our custom-blended Private Selection No.1 Bourbon! Purchase it now by the 1-liter bottle via *Toast or in-person for $60. You can also sip it in a cocktail with our Private Selection Perfect Manhattan available now in the Café

Woodford Reserve Ray’s Private Selection No. 1 – $60
One-liter bottle
Proof: 90.4 (45.2% ABV)
Nose: Orange peel, leather, cherry-soaked oak, fruitcake. Alcohol is present but in balance.
Palette: Honey graham crackers, caramel, toffee.
Finish: Long, rich and decadent.

Private Selection Perfect Manhattan – $16
Woodford Reserve ‘Ray’s Private Selection No.1’ bourbon, Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth, Dolin dry vermouth, Angostura bitters, served up with a house-made brandied cherry.

How Our Custom Whiskey Got Here
Our GM and Co-Owner Doug Zellers, Ray’s Wine Director Chip Croteau and Manager Emmett Niland visited the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Louisville in late winter 2020 to taste and hand-select the blends to create Ray’s own custom bourbon.

Traveling from downtown Louisville took them through picturesque country landscapes complete with horse farms and beautiful scenery. Upon arrival, the team was greeted with incredible hospitality from Brown Forman and the team at Woodford Reserve. They were taken on an exhilarating tour of the grounds, admiring the historic landmark that has been making and aging whiskey since 1812.

After a tour of the grounds, distillery and rickhouses where the barrels live while they age, they began the tasting and selection process.

Woodford Reserve whiskey is crafted from a grain recipe of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. This recipe balances the sweetness of corn with the spice of rye, and the nuttiness of malt to build the base for an incredibly flavorful bourbon!

They started the tasting with four different single-barrel samples, all pulled directly from the barrel with proofs ranging from 130-140! After the tasting, they chose their least favorite of the four and eliminated it.

Woodford’s master taster then created three blends; each blend comprised of two barrels. Our team blind-tasted the samples of these three blends and chose the favorite. The ultimate decision was meant-to-be as it happened to be the blend compromised of the two best-liked single barrels from the initial tasting of four. Thus, Ray’s Woodford Reserve Private Selection No. 1 Bourbon was born!

It was a dream come true for our team to create a custom bourbon and age it in a personalized Ray’s barrel! Each barrel matures at its own rate, so this is a truly unique whiskey unlike any other.

Purchase a bottle for home or gifting or enjoy a cocktail at Ray’s of this limited-time bourbon, available while supplies last!

*Please note that per Washington State law you must purchase food when you order bottles of liquor or cocktails to-go.

It’s Summer Patio Season at Ray’s Café!

It’s that time of year! Our upstairs Café deck is bathed in sunshine and offers gorgeous views of Shilshole Bay and the Olympic Mountains, plus colorful summer sunsets! Soak up some vitamin d while enjoying your favorite fresh seafood dishes, Ballard beers, and daily Happy Hour specials.

The Café is serving up Ray’s favorites like True Cod Fish & Chips, Ahi Poke, Dungeness Crab Cakes, Oysters on the Half Shell and more with summer specials like Wild Alaskan King Salmon with sweet corn pureeFarm Lettuce Salad with seasonal berries, Zucchini Feta Cakesand more. Sip chilled Washington wine, ice cold beer, or a Black Cherry Margarita while you take in the fresh air and spectacular views!

Daily Happy Hour from 4-6pm brings drink specials like Bad Jimmy’s Brewing ‘Bad Light’ Golden Ale, Negronis, Moscow Mules, Margaritas and more. Dishes include Caesar Salad, Crispy Calamari, Tuna Poke, Manila Clams, Penn Cove Mussels and more all at special Happy Hour pricing!

We’re now accepting walk-ins only for parties of five people or less and we kindly ask that you wear your mask at all times when not seated at your table eating and drinking. All of our tables on the deck and indoors are spaced 6ft apart and we are practicing social distancing in all areas of the restaurant. 

The Cafe is open seven days a week! Joins us Sunday-Thursday from 11:30am-9pm and Friday and Saturday from 11:30am-10pm. We’ll see you soon!

Cafe Happy Hour Starts Today!

Seattle’s best seafood restaurant offers Happy Hour in our upstairs Cafe Monday through Thursday from 4-6pm!! Enjoy fresh seafood, cocktails, wine and beer all at special Happy Hour pricing while you take in gorgeous waterfront and mountain views!

Ballard’s best happy hour is a must-try for you and your crew, and we look forward to seeing you today!

Ray’s Cafe Happy Hour Menu
Monday – Thursday 4pm – 6pm
(no substitutions)

Beer & Wine
Bad Jimmy’s Brewing Bad Light  4
Rotating Red or White Wine  7

Wells
Mixed Drinks 7
Martini 10
Manhattan 10
Negroni 10

Cocktails
Moscow Mule Absolut vodka, ginger beer, lime  8
Margarita El Jimador Blanco tequila, lime, sour, triple sec, salt rim  8
Irish Mule Jameson Irish whiskey, lemon juice, ginger beer  8

Fancy Booze
Buffalo Trace Manhattan  12
Grey Goose Martini  12
Bombay Sapphire Martini  12

Food
Clam Chowder  4
Classic Caesar  5
Chilled Calamari + Basil Bruschetta citrus marinade, sesame, jalapeño 6
Butter Lettuce + Bay Shrimp horseradish vinaigrette, roasted tomato  8
Ahi Poke “Nacho” * marinated yellowfin tuna, jalapeño, sambal aioli 8
Manila Clams sherry wine, Calabrian pepper, butter, oregano 8
Penn Cove Mussels Thai-red curry sauce, scallion 8

Sun, Patios & Cocktails… Summer has arrived at Ray’s!

Relax with us on our Café and Boathouse decks all summer long! Soak in the sun and the gorgeous views as you enjoy our fresh, local seafood menus of Dungeness crab, clams, mussels, wild salmon and perfectly grilled steaks… plus ice-cold Ballard beers, chilled Rosé and cocktails!

Here’s a peek at some of our favorite sunny-weather libations:

Cafe

  • Endless Summer Plymouth gin, fresh lemon, strawberry purée, house-made lavender syrup, tiki bitters
  • My Tie Fighter Bacardi white rum, falernum, triple sec, lime, hibiscus, float of Goslings dark rum

Boathouse

  • Pocket Full of Posies Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice gin, Gifford Créme de Violette, house-made lavender syrup, lemon
  • Black Cherry Margarita El Jimador reposado tequila, house-made black cherry shrub, sour, triple sec

Grab your sunglasses and we’ll see you soon!

Bring Ray’s Catering to your home!

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Bring Ray’s into your home this fall to cater Dinner Parties, Galas, School Fundraising Dinners, Cocktail Parties and special gatherings!

Our talented catering team brings you Ray’s signature service, fresh local seafood, wine from our award-winning lists, cocktails and more.

We create custom menus for breakfast, lunch or dinner events, or keep it simple with bites and bubbly. Contact our Director of Catering, Amanda and her team, to book your party today and start planning your fall events!

Email [email protected] or call 206.789.6309.

Shellfest Returns to Ray’s, Jan 9-22!

shellfish

It’s almost time to Shell-ebrate with Shellfest returning to Ray’s Boathouse and Cafe, January 9 – 22! Chilly winter waters are perfect for harvesting pristine shellfish and you’re to partake at Ray’s in the form of specially prepared shrimp, crab, oyster dishes and much more. Prices start at just $6.

Sample Offerings (each sold separately; selections and menu items may change as we try new and exciting recipes):

-Full Pound Steamed Manila Clams with pork belly, vermouth, butter, chives
-Penn Cove Mussels Marinara with fresh basil, and angel hair pasta
-Sautéed Blackened Shrimp with onion, bourbon, butter, garlic bread
-Crispy Fried Rock Shrimp Tacos with pico de gallo, chipotle-sour cream, shredded romaine lettuce, tortilla chips, salsa
-Chilled Peel & Eat Prawns with lemon-spice poached, Louis dressing
-Half Pound Popcorn Shrimp, lightly breaded, fried golden brown, served with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce
-Dungeness Crab Bisque with sweet corn, creamy veloute
-Pan-fried, panko crusted Washington Razor Clams with saffron-shallot jam and jalapeno tartar
-Baked Half Shell Oysters, a half-dozen with Uli’s Andouille sausage, leeks, and smoked paprika-butter
-Steamed Half Pound Snow Crab Legs with drawn butter and fried potatoes
-Prawn Cocktail with classic cocktail sauce and lemon

We also offer delicious wine and cocktail suggestions for each dish. Boathouse reservations can be made at 206.789.3770 or here. Cafe reservations can be made at 206.782.0094 or here. We’ll see you soon!