Famous Original Ray’s Pizza

An Upper West Side institution for many years. Stopped in for a quick couple of slices. If you like large, thick slices with lots of cheese, you will like this. I ordered 2 and actually had a little trouble finishing the second because I was full. The sauce left something to be desired but all in all this is a good place to go. Large seating area and comfortably cool on a hot day.

This is quite possibly the worst pizza I’ve ever had. I love the famous original Rays in the theater district and was hoping this spot would carry the same quality. I had a slice a few weeks ago and was pretty disappointed. I was hoping that was a fluke and went today for another slice. I ordered a slice of the Hawaiian. The crust was doughy still and couldn’t support the weight of the thickly cut toppings. There wasn’t any crisp to the crust. Trying to eat it was challenging as the contents kept falling through the slice. The worst part was a single slice was $ 5.17! Not worth it!

Not as good as I thought, but pizza came in large quantities.

awesome place for eating pizza slices

Rays Pizza is the Upper West Sides best place to get a slice and be thoroughly satisfied. Ignore the misleadingly low rating that this place does not deserve, Rays is without a question a five star slice. They are very generous with the toppings and are a very decent size, I usually only need one slice to satisfy my hunger. I very highly recommend the bacon/​chicken slice if it is available. It’s been in the neighborhood for 52 years and is still going strong, also Jerry Seinfeld gives the restaurant a shout out on an episode of his show (along with Zabars, another classic of the Upper West). If you’re in the neighborhood, absolutely grab a slice.

Some of the worst, most overpriced pizza i’ve ever had. Seriously the most expensive slice that i’ve seen in nyc. Amazing considering how cheap the ingredients tasted.

Pretty good pie. A bit too cheesy. But the crust is nice and crispy. The specialty pies are a bit heavy with cheese and the crust gets doughy pretty fast.

So being that the person I was with was craving meatballs, we stopped in while taking a walk. This place has very fair prices with mediocre food.
The heroes are only about $ 8 and come with soda. They take about 25 minutes to make. The bread is crunchy and delicious. The meatballs are pretty tasty, but order extra sauce. The eggplant parmigiana is a bit soggy. We ordered wings with fries for about $ 11. The wings didn’t have much meat and were also soggy.
I’d say it’s fine for a cheap meal. The bathrooms are gross. There is a crude saying written with spray paint in the dark men’s bathroom. We don’t plan to return, but then again we have yet to find a fast food pizza joint we have any attachment to in this neighborhood.

Pizza was delicious, hefty slice, and quick service. Toppings are limited but vary sufficiently. The slice was an understandable amount of money considering the size and the quality. I’ll leave 4 stars due to their sauce. It could use improvement. Overall very happy and full!

The bad reviews for Ray’s are simply misplaced. I have enjoyed every variety of pizza that I have tried. The white pizza is loaded with two types of cheese and a hint of garlic. The buffalo chicken pizza has the perfect amount of heat.
For everyone complaining about the plastic ware or the bathrooms— I suggest you check out more pizza joints in new york before ripping this place.
Note: this place is pricier than other places, but the slices are hefty and loaded… you definitely do not need more than one.

First time visiting and wasn’t happy. The plastic flatware is very cheap, the knives didn’t cut at all (they actually bent/​curved as you attempted to cut) & handed us about 40 napkins for 5 people (they were so flimsy and cheap). The pizza tasted okay, the cheese and sauce tasted fresh but the cheese kept falling off the slice making it difficult to eat. The place itself did look clean though.

Very average pizza in a sketchy location. I really wondered about the overall cleanliness of the place and decided to take out, after initially thinking I’d eat my two slices there. Service wasn’t horrible, probably better than most NYC pizzerias. Will probably go back since it’s a block away, but then I’ll eat at home.

After a long time, I came back in here to sample a slice and I was disappointed because they changed the sauce. It was very sweet… too sweet… and just ruined the rest of the flavors for me. The cheese and crust were still good, but I don’t think it was enough to make me come back with so many other great choices in the area. It was just okay.

$ 5.17 for a specialty slice. The most expensive slice I’ve ever gotten, and nothing special when I tasted it. Didn’t help the help took my six dollars and claimed I only gave five and wouldn’t give me change. Normally I wouldn’t care but hell if I’m paying a full six bucks for one slice of pizza! They tried to argue with me about it, after the guy had watched me count out the bills in front of him –_–
Despite my conviction to get my money’s worth, I ended up throwing out about a ¹⁄₃^rd of the slice because the chicken tasted a bit off and it just generally didn’t taste that good.
P. S. Fair warning: I was using cash, but bear in mind their credit card policy is to require photo ID, so if you don’t carry you license with you you’ll be out of luck.

To be frank, my girlfriend and I picked this place entirely because they had a bathroom and were not rude about us using it. We went down the street starting at the American Museum of Natural History (awesome) and decided to eat at the first place that would let us use the bathroom, a rarity in NYC.
The bathrooms were pretty gross, but this review isn’t for the bathroom.
I ordered two slices of amazing looking meat covered pizza. My girlfriend was smart and started with one. The slices were just under 5 bucks a piece, I thought that was a bit much… until I saw the size. I am a larger person who can definitely put food away, one slice would have been plenty.
The pizza wasn’t covered in excess grease. The toppings were generous and the crust was cooked to perfection. I didn’t have a single chewey, burned, or rock hard spot in my entire meal.
The décor of the restaurant is about what you’d expect for a NYC pizza place. A lot of loud signs and posters to draw you in. The inside looked like it was last updated sometime in the early 80s, but it was clean.
The staff was polite to us when we had questions and the food came quick. They even took the time to thank us for our business.

We stumbled upon this location after a romp at the American Natural History Museum.
It’s great for a quick and cheap lunch if you’re not into paying an arm and a leg for a plain sandwich.
The portions are large (cheese slice, can’t say the same for anything else), and the prices were not too bad.
Plus they actually had delicious garlic knots which were a big plus in my book.

Rolaids needed and everything needs another 10 minutes in the oven. Try explaining to the guys that sauce comes with mozzarella stix. They don’t even take there eyes off the soccer match on the big screen tv. Great job. Attitude but no english. Garbage

Unbelievable. The cashier here is the rudest person I’ve ever met. He had the audacity to overcharge me and after I clearly pointed out the prices above him, he finally agreed that he had made a mistake. Even as I was leaving, I saw him get into another argument with a customer about an order.
I also made the mistake of eating here. I ordered the chicken parm and it took about 30 minutes to come out. I was one of 3 patrons in the pizzeria at the time. The chicken parm was dry, tasteless, and cold.
I’ll never come here again and I suggest you stay away. Overpriced, terrible service, vomit-​inducing food.

This review is mainly for the rude cashier, not sure if he was also the manager because he seemed to be bossing around his staff very rudely.
Came here with a large group of friends after the NY Marathon and we ordered a large amount of food. After waiting about 30 minutes (other than 2 or 3 other patrons, the place was empty), most of our food came out we politely asked him if the mozzarella sticks that we ordered were coming out shortly as they were the last food item we were waiting for. He rudely asked us if we had paid for them and we had replied that we put the order in with him. He then yelled at us and said that he did not charge us for them (if the place offered itemized receipts, this would save the hassle of getting their orders wrong constantly, as many other patrons complained that their order was incorrect.) Fine — we told him not to worry about it and to forget about them.
The food was also sub-​par. The chicken parm sandwich was really dry.
The only positive experience was the nice man who brought out all of the food.
I will definitely not be going back to this place.

Considering the first Ray’s pizza opened up on Prince Street, it’s probably safe to say this isn’t the true original. Located in the pretty confines of the Upper West Side, this Ray’s is just a stone’s throw away from Central Park. Ray’s or not, the sad news is the pizza has more has more issues than a magazine rack.
I’ve given this place plenty of business over the years. More for convenience rather than preference, it was always easy to default to this Ray’s because unlike the many other pizzerias, there was ample seating, spacious interior, and even a bathroom to boot. Considering the decent counter space, it means there could be as many as 8 – 10 pizzas on display at any given time. A good thing in most respects for variety, but as the years have gone on, the pizza has just been less appealing every time.
The crust. Something needs to be done about this super dry crust. It has effect that some hard French baguette can have, which can sometimes get the roof of your mouth. There is also something missing flavor wise, but that is usually overshadowed by the choices on top.
Then there is the sauce. The bane of existence for any pizza joint is two fold: bread and sauce. This Ray’s is mediocre in both. Instead of getting a sweetness kick from the tomatoes, I’ve been getting more blandness every time. It’s almost as if I’d want white pie to avoid the sauce completely. As a matter of fact, I’ve already done this (and it was not pleasant).
Forget the toppings. From pepperoni to sausage to bell peppers, everything was tasting like the lower tier. Cheese fiends might be disappointed with the pseudo-​rubbery stuff baked on this dough. I’m not sure what it is, but the saltiness and the meltastic quality of good cheese is lacking here. And so are the rest of their pies.
The last time I was here, I went with a total non-​pizza option, a bowl of spaghetti meatballs while my friends ordered up some garlic knots. Both items were again bland and just had this unremarkable quality about them taste wise. Disappointing on the food front, my two stars give them a thumbs up for solid customer service and a decent interior.