Rays On The Bay

My wife and I tried Ray’s since we were staying at the Sheraton. Although it took a while to get seated, we enjoyed the sunset and high surf from the bar. The food was very good, although somewhat pricey. Pretty much on par with what I’d expect from the great view and wonderful outdoor seating area. There aren’t a lot of finer food options in the greater Kona area so we’ll definitely be going back to Ray’s on our return trips. I only wish the rest of the hotel had the same standard (we won’t be staying there again).

My wife and I went here twice and this review is an average of those two experiences. The first time was for Valentine’s Day and we had a three course fixed price meal (four stars). The appetizer and desserts were just okay, but the main course of steak and lobster was excellent. The lobster was some of the best I’ve had, especially smothered in a sauce containing bits of sweet sausage.
We also came back for their standard dinner (two stars). I was really looking forward to having that lobster again, but they notified me after I ordered it that they just ran out. We had the sushi box, pork buns, short rib, a fish dish, and bread pudding. All were pretty mediocre unfortunately.
One very unique highlight for the restaurant’s location is that there is a viewing platform where you can see giant manta rays if you get lucky. They usually come out only after the boats leave after 9pm. When we finally spotted one, it was a super cool thing to see. They can get up to 16 feet wide (the manta mural in the viewing area is life-​sized). My recommendation would be to skip the food, grab a couple cocktails after 9pm, and hang out in the manta viewing area.

We were staying at The Sheraton and heard about the Manta Rays we can see while dining at Rays On The Bay. We already went out to dinner so we mainly came here for wine and dessert. We got here on a Saturday around 8pm and got seated fairly quick. We asked to get seated near the viewing area of the manta rays and we got a pretty good seat. We didn’t see the manta ray’s but we loved the listening to the ocean, the energy in the restaurant and the service was great. We ordered the following:
Kids chicken wings with fries ($ 8) — huge wings, they were crunchy and cooked perfectly. The fries were good too.
Bread Pudding ($ 8) — I’m not a big dessert fan but this was good. It was moist, perfectly sweetened and a touch of sugar. I won’t get it again but it was really good.
Beet Salad ($ 12) — I love beets and this salad was delicious! I totally recommend this salad.
Hibiscus Bourbon ($ 12) — My husband is a bourbon drinker and he said it was a really good drink.
This is a great restaurant, beautiful views and excellent ambiance. I would come here again and order from their main menu.

This place has lost their way. Sheraton’s generally pride themselves on good service but Rays on the Bay is far more focused on bad attitudes and rules. ALL tables are now reserved and sit empty while guests are told nothing is available for hours to enjoy a drink and pupus. Skip this place or, if you want to see the manta rays, just go look by the water after all the boats have finally left, well after sunset. Avoid the restaurant and bar
I’m only gold with Sheraton now but know they can do better. They just don’t care.

Great star gazing place. Awesome wave in the front you can enjoy. Great ambiance and live music. Service isnt quite good though

I have allergies and they Resturaunt didn’t cater like they said they would. My father ordered ribs but got a different cut of meat. All the staff is very friendly with wonderful entertainment. I would go back for pupus and the entertainment!

Our group had a great time at Ray’s. We went for drinks and dessert. Drinks were really great and strongish. Chocolate fondue was nice too. Location is what you pay for. Saw a few shadows so maybe we saw the Rays, and hey I hadn’t even finished my first drink yet! Strong surf and a badass guitar shredding chick playing 90s covers really rounded out a great night. No 5stars because of tourist churn&burn mentality from staffers, but everything else about it was rad if you can overlook or laugh off the shortness of the Sheraton crew.

Wonderful view but limited bar seating for the crowds that were there. Getting a drink was not easy and every night they seemed to run out of every wine I had.

Obviously a great location, especially during high surf. And yet, sadly, the management of the place ruins the experience. Food is average at best. Dishes come out wrong, cold, etc. Doesn’t seem like anybody cares.
4 of the 7 or so wines by the glass were out. Three days later, same thing. No replacement with a similar wine either. Even the waiter was embarrassed.

Rude service — like rude and sarcastic bartenders and horrible food. I felt like I was eating spoons of salt, everything was over salted. The view is great but you can get a great views almost anywhere on the island. It’s also very expensive for really bad food. Head over to the Kona Brewing Company instead. They have great food and great service.

2 stars for the location and the fact that you can watch manta rays while you eat. Service is consistently poor. On our most recent visit, the waitress wouldn’t ask the bar to make a drink for my husband that was no longer on the menu (the drink was on the menu 18 months ago). She was also very short and rude when responding to a question about a dish. We were just trying to make sure it was vegetarian… No offense lady.
Skip this place– drive 10 minutes south to Annie’s Island Fresh Burgers!

We had a great experience at Rays! At first I wasn’t too sure about eating here because of some of the reviews, but we liked it so much that we returned. The first time we ate there, we sat around a fire pit close to the water. I loved the relaxed atmosphere of the table situation, and the amazing views didn’t hurt either! Kawika was our server and was absolutely fantastic! He was professional, funny, and efficient. He really made our dining experience great and suggested some really good beverages for us to enjoy.
A few memorable yummy dishes I had: the beet salad, the Farmer Crisp flatbread, and the side of mashed potatoes. OMG those potatoes were DELICIOUS!
The restaurant is right on the water where manta rays gather to feed. The hotel shines lights off into the water to attract the rays close to shore. We saw a good few after dinner and it was awesome!
Anyway, we were pleasantly surprised by this restaurant. Yes, it’s a bit pricy, but you’re in Hawaii… what do you expect?

My husband and I Went to Rays on the Bay as a suggestion from a friend… We were thrilled to find a really cool indoor/​outdoor vibe perched right over the ocean. We sat at a fire pit table, and even though we were told we couldn’t light it, it offered comfy chairs and a laid back style. The food was okay… Not bad, not great. The drinks were tasty, my husband enjoyed the beer selection. Our server, Jaxon, was great, he was attentive, and friendly.
Though we saw a few boats, we didn’t see any rays, but that’s understandable.
Would definitely go back if I find myself on the big island again

The views from this resto are rediculous. Peep my pics, brah.
Definitely a romantic spot to take your wahine for dinner.
Live Hawaiian music bumpin, as you eat ono fare… perfect.
You def want to check out the people swimming with the rays, at night.
I’ll be back, my kama’aina.
Mahalo

This is a really nice, upscale restaurant. I’ve never complained about this in my life, but the drinks were TOO strong. I ordered a Mai Tai and it lasted the entire dinner. In fact, I asked for some more pineapple juice to dilute it a bit. The food is ok. Nothing too exciting and in fact, it’s overpriced. The service was very good. Our waiter was attentive and accommodating.
Now for the manta ray. Yes, manta ray. That’s all we saw was 1 that evening. Understandably, you can’t control nature, however, keep that in mind when coming here as I know most are not coming here for the food only. You are going to pay for expensive food in hopes to see some rays. And you may not see what you were hoping to. There was also a boat doing a manta ray swim in close proximity to the hotel that was probably attracting most of them. I also heard other patrons mentioning that some of the lights were not on that the resort used in the past to attract the rays.
Overall, it is a nice restaurant with ok, expensive food, and it has a great view and ambiance.

Nothing special, but not bad.
We went for dessert and drinks at the end of our trip — and to see the Rays — it’s kind of our tradition. I ordered the Hibiscus n Bourbon and, while it basically tasted like an old fashioned, it was nice on the hot Kona night. The hubby got a whiskey sour, it was tart and not artificial tasting. Not bad at all.
Our desserts were decent. The Kona coffee crème advertised in the menu tasted more like tepid butterscotch. The brûléed plantains were just warm bananas. The lilikoi whip was anemic. That being said, it was all edible and we finished most of it, so that should tell you something.
With so many dessert destinations on the island, I’d recommend going elsewhere. Especially since the main reason for our visit, the Rays, were no where to be seen. Check out other options.

Reserve!!!
We stayed at Sheraton for 6 days and had dinner here 3 times.
Food: The food is not worth the price in my opinion. Very expensive. The food is okay but the portion is small. My boyfriend got a small fish and a few vegetables for $ 32. I got a roll of sushi for $ 17.
Service: You should reserve a table ahead of time. It gets busy on weekends. The last night we went we were lucky our 3 friends invited us to their table otherwise my boyfriend and I would have to have waited much longer. Tip: when they ask you if you want frys or rice make sure it is included or they will charge you $$$
Manta rays: The place is beautiful. They have lights facing the water to attract manta rays at night. The first night we went we saw 6 manta Rays. The next two nights we didn’t see much because people went on tour boats to swim with them away from the restaurant.

Was staying at the Sheraton hotel and decided to make a reservation one evening with family at Rays on the Bay. Our table was right next to the railing and we could see the ocean and sunset on a beautiful night. Our server was very friendly and answered all of our menu questions. I ordered the New York Strip Steak and mashed potatoes on the side. My steak was very juicy and cooked in a garlic butter type of sauce. Was very good! The mashed potatoes were delicious as well!
Others in my party had the F.B.I. — Crisp flat-​bread (Pinenut pesto. Alii mushrooms. caramelized sweet onions. B.I. Chevre. Waimea Arugula. Mozzarella. white truffle oil) B.I. Beets Salad (Local grown beets. Zac’s Baby Greens. Wailea Ag hearts of palm B.I. Chevre. Sunshower petite greens. Dijon vinaigrette), and Spider Shrimp Rays Signature Pupu (Phyllo shrimp with a Lilikoi chili dip). Everyone liked their dishes. For dessert, we ordered the lilly koi ice cream with fresh berries/​fruit. The ice cream was so sweet like passion fruit; it was delicious!
I would highly recommended this restaurant to anyone who wants a nice, more upscale dinner with an amazing ocean view. They had nice live music playing the evening we were there. Reservations highly recommended for dinner.

This place is located in the sheraton and offers a similarly amazing view as the resturant at the royal kona.
While on the pricey side the service, drinks and food were outstanding. I really enjoyed a gluten free ocean vodka martini.
The poke and coconut shrimp were beatifully prepared and delicious. Both fish entrees were superb. I had the mong chong, my girlfriend the mahi.

Amazing views with great service, but I wish their food was better for the price. But I must say, the price is mainly high because of their view. Perfect place for a romantic date with an intimate and classy ambience.
Pupu appetizers: spider shrimp appetizers, ahi poke, and wings is really good, but the vegetable rolls are bleh.
Their entrees aren’t too bad: spicy tuna rolls have a really good and spicy mayo sauce. Their fish dishes has an amazing sauce, but cooked too dry. The most interesting dish was the whole catch for two, a deep fried entire fish (with its eyes, head, tail).

Tolle Location, Mantarochen schwimmen drum herum. Allerdings gehört die Bar zum Sheraton Hotel, ist also mit diversen Gästen voll gepackt… kann lustig sein;-). Die Live Musik war etwas laut. Die Cocktails ok…