Ray’s Steak ‘n Cheese

They moved across the street to where Rays Too used to be. The establishment is now known as «Nice ‘N’ Greasy Steak ‘N’ Cheesy»
1713 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA 22 209

It’s back and OPEN! Move over Philly cheese steak, THIS is what a cheese steak should taste like! Absolutely delicious. They offer a ¹⁄₃ lb sandwich for $ 8, and a ²⁄₃ lb sandwich for $ 11. Beware: do not come in expecting to have a Philly cheese steak; they warn you that they are not attempting to replicate that sandwich.
Onion fries are superb; tater tots are standard.
Looking for a greasy good time? Love Ray’s Hellburger, but hate the lines? Steak n’ Cheese is only a few doors down, and since most people don’t seem to realize it’s open, there’s no wait for a table! If you’re a fan of Ray’s meat genius, this is a must try.
Accepts credit cards.

I know it’s closed and is back as Ray’s Hell Burger Too again, but I figured I’d put a review here to encompass what I’ve noticed lately about the Ray’s series of restaurants, since Steak + Cheese was the Ray’s location I’ve visited most recently.
2 – 3 years ago, when I first went to Ray’s the Steaks in Clarendon, the meat was so flavorful — and rivaled, in my opinion, Ruth’s Chris, without the fuss and without the high prices.
About a year ago, it wasn’t quite as tasty. I thought it must have just been that I ordered the wrong cut.
A few months ago, I went to Ray’s Hell Burger. The burger was cooked correctly, but the meat lacked flavor. It was bland. Not much Maillard reaction flavor going on to help it, either. And it wasn’t from lack of salt to bring out the flavors, because the very blueish blue cheese spread they globbed on like thick paste was saltier than the Dead Sea. I love blue cheese, but had to scrape it off; even so, it was still very blue cheesy and still too salty. The burger was juicy, yes, but so is water.
And about a month ago, my curiosity brought me to Ray’s Steak + Cheese. The steaks were sliced (not shaved) prime rib and top sirloin, tender, but smashed together to reform a steak-​like mass and then griddled. The edges that touched the griddle were tasty after seasoning it myself with the array of condiments (including salt and pepper, which didn’t seem to be used prior to its delivery to my table) because of the Maillard reaction, but the rest of the meat was, again, flavorless. Cooked to medium rare inside, like a reconstructed steak, it was different but could have been good with more flavorful meat and if there hadn’t been the contrast of really cold spots & hot melted cheese — a little off-​putting. While I still enjoyed most of it, it wasn’t anything sensational or special. Just different.
Overall, I still give the Ray’s series 3 stars, because it’s still better than a lot of offerings out there, and is reasonably priced. But for all the hype, it no longer really delivers. I think back to the flavor of the meat 2 – 3 years ago, and the only thing I can come up with is that they either changed meat sources or they don’t sufficiently age their meat. Or maybe I’m just spoiled by the rich flavor of local grass-​fed beef these days.

Yes, I realize this isn’t a REAL Philly cheesesteak and I’ve had my share when I was going to school in Philly… but its definitely not bad. We went when it was luckily not that busy at 5:30PM so plenty of tables and places to sit. I got the steak and cheese with jalapenos and shared taters. The taters were great, reminds me of grade school, but still super delicious! Also, we could have probably shared a steak and had taters, but our eyes are always bigger than our stomaches. My fiancé finished his, but I took a quarter of mine home, I love left overs, K?!
The set up is pretty much you order your food, have a seat and wait for someone to bring you your steak and cheese. There are a bunch of condiments on the table you can choose from. Easy self serve. I would come back for another bite — this review would technically be given a 3.5 star review, but I’m a hard ass and it didn’t elevate me to 4 star status.

Been here twice. Once on their opening night and one time a few weeks later. First night was awful. They ran out of mushrooms and jalapenos but still managed me to charge for all the extras I ordered.
The cheesesteak itself was piss poor. Not put together well at all. The chef in the back look like she had zero clue as to what she was doing. I could hear her yelling at the entire staff. Went home extremely disappointed getting served a steak and cheese with nothing in it except steak and cheese. No tomatoes or nothing like I ordered.
Went again a few weeks later. Thinking that it was their first night and they weren’t exactly prepared. Once again. I left extremely disappointed. I have never seen or interacted with such rude cash register girls. I know how Ray’s works… I can accept they only take cash so they don’t have to pay all their taxes. I can accept the unorganized way they do business in all their restaurants (except the steak joint). But I can’t accept the employees there being straight rude because I asked for extra jalapenos. When I’m saying rude. i’m talking about them laughing at my girlfriend because she asked if they had raw onions instead. I’m talking about them basically throwing the tray of cheese steaks on the table in a rude manner and a pissy ass face. If they were boys I would of smacked their ghetto asses around.
The cheesesteak 3 weeks later… once again HORRIBLE. Cold Jalapenos on the side. Crappy bread and tasteless meat. So much grease the bread falls apart. I know cheesesteaks are supposed to be greasy. but in philly those cheesesteaks have more grease than a persian club and they still don’t fall apart. Ray’s apparently got them from some yuppie ass bakery that doesn’t understand how to make bread for greasy burgers and hoagies.
You Unilocalers can go ahead for yourselves and look how empty the place is. Word has got out. the place sucks. Horrible customer service and crappy food.

I really have no clue what makes a «cheesesteak» different from a «steak and cheese», and for once I am happy to plead the ignorance is bliss motto, because this is just damn good quality meat served up with no frills for those of us who like to embrace our carnivorous side. I love the fact that Michael Landrum always sticks to the basics and lets the quality of the meats take the forefront in his preparations, and Steak and Cheese is no different, joining the now legendary Hellburger and the original great The Steaks.
As I read through some of the reviews for this place, before even coming here I was already laughing at the ridiculous things people find to complain about in a place that is so singular in purpose. Granted the internet’s slogan has inevitably become «with great access comes great stupidity» but I thought surely some things would escape this factor, like the simple combination of meat and cheese on bread. But, no, I should have known, that as soon as you go anywhere near cult classics in the food world that no amount of disclaimers will save you. Ray’s warns the shopper that it’s no Philly «cheesesteak», and yet the number of comparisons is inevitable. I would like to point out that even in Philly, amongst native Philadelphians, there is rarely a consensus about what makes a great cheesesteak or who has the best, and usually the ones that everyone else knows about (e.g. what the world has come to know as a cheesesteak) is laughed at by locals. So, here we are, with another version, opening itself up to scrutiny even though the owner could care less about your stupid whining about Amoroso bread…
There is one thing (not including the $ 2 side of tater tots) on the menu here: steak and cheese. This poor whipped guy brought his lady friend with him during lunch when I was there and had to leave because she wasn’t satisfied that the place called Steak and Cheese only offered said item… it’s OK guy, she’ll find a backbone from someone soon. But you, reader at home, don’t delay. When you only put one thing on your menu, it had better deliver, and this absolutely does. The quality of the steak clearly shows from bite after bite, and the cheese is melted to the perfect consistency, still a bit stringy and just a bit gooey, and perfectly glued to the meat. You can add in lettuce and tomato at no cost and mushrooms, peppers and jalapenos for 50 cents each extra. If I could find one complaint here it’s that really all of these toppings are kind of basic and therefore should all be free, but 50 cents on an $ 11 sandwich shouldn’t break anyone. The tots were surprisingly good and very crisp, and I kept wishing I could snag some of that cheese to douse them in.
Now, I really am not going to spend forever trying to convince you how good one sandwich, the only sandwich, a place offers is, but since I’ve got some space left I figure I might as well rebut some of the silly arguments from folks who are trashing this place:
1. Incorrect address: This is Unilocal’s fault, not the business owner.
2. Not a Philly cheesesteak: Shut up.
3. $ 11 is too expensive: You do realize that Subway charges $ 8 for their version… which has been sitting cooked all day long and is nowhere near this quality of meat. If you’re complaining about spending $ 3 more then your opinion is about as worthless on this place as your bank account.
4. The bread is wrong: It’s toasted and holds the exact amount of meat and cheese as is placed inside of it. What more do you expect bread to do?
5. My sandwich isn’t pretty enough /​the meat is in clumps: Perhaps you misinterpreted this restaurant that serves Steak and Cheese as the National Portrait Gallery. I can see how you would be confused.
6. Not big enough: Really? Because I like to think I’m a pretty voracious eater, and this easily filled me up. I guess if you like to eat to the point of feeling sick you might need a second one, but I don’t look forward to your next review as it might never come…
7. Confusing seating: Ah, I see you’ve left the house without your helmet again. Where is your emergency contact bracelet?
8. They charge taxes on the advertised price: I didn’t realize this practice was exclusive to Ray’s. Perhaps I should go and devalue every review I’ve ever done by 1 star for them applying a tax.
9. «I am a connoisseur» of …: See #2. And no, you’re not.
10. You have to get condiments from a table: Yes, because if you’ve ever been to a Ray’s establishment during lunch or dinner, what you really want is all the orders slowing down because you were too lazy to squirt your own mayonnaise and your friend needs steak sauce.

Ray’s– I’m dissapointed in you.
First off, someone PLEASE change the address, its at 1700 Wilson NOT 2300. It’s a few doors down from Hellburger, and honestly, if you’re in the mood for a Steak and Cheese, change your mood and get a burger at Hellburger instead. After trying to find the place for a good 30 minutes we finally arrived to an unnammed restaurant with a sheet of paper on the door that says «Ray’s Steak and Cheese» Ordered the only thing on the menu with grilled unions and lettuce and tomatoes.
Agreed– its «Steak and Cheese» and not a «Cheesesteak» but does that mean its supposed to be flavorless? A flavorless steak in a sub with cheddar cheese that fell apart even before I took my first bite does not equal delicious or fun.

If you are looking for a cheese-​steak — go somewhere else. Those of you who rated this establishment badly because it didn’t serve a good ‘cheese-​steak’ should just go home, you don’t get it. The sign clearly says outside that they are not serving cheese-​steaks. They are serving steak and cheese sandwiches.
Take a look at the amazing sandwich they serve, it is quite literally a few medium sized steaks — yes complete steaks, with a ton of cheese on a roll. For condiments, they have out what you’d add to a… wait for it… STEAK! Get with it people!!! Try it, stop comparing it to something you drive 3 hours for that isn’t even remotely the same. There isn’t any shaved meat here. There aren’t ambrosia buns either — this is something new.
P. S. the tots rock

I’m not a Philly Cheesesteak connoisseur, but I really enjoy a good steak and cheese from time to time. Thus, I was excited when I heard about the new Ray’s Steak ‘n Cheese. Sadly, it did not come close to living up to my expectations. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a terrible steak and cheese. It just wasn’t very good. And for $ 12 a sandwich, I expect very good if not great.
The menu is limited, the toppings cost extra, and if you want mayo on your sandwich, they point you to Hellman’s packets sitting on the condiment table. For $ 12, I don’t think it’s too much to ask for the «chef’ to mayonnaise your roll. The meat seemed to be pretty good quality, and there were no fatty bites as you occasionally get with a steak and cheese, but it simply wasn’t that flavorful. I had to add considerable mayo, salt, and pepper to make it worth eating, which is not the sign of a well-​seasoned, high-​quality, $ 12+ cheesesteak.

Wow where should I start… just to give you a quick background — I consider myself somewhat of a steak and cheese connoisseur and I drive to Philly on occasion just for the cheesesteaks…
I walk back to the cashier to a see a hand written menu with the only option being an 11.99 steak and cheese –plus extra cost for toppings… I thought OK this might be some gourmet take on the sandwich, hence the higher price, so I’ll give it a shot… I look back in the open kitchen to see the cook grabbing palms of RAW meat with his bare hands pressing it down on the grill then proceeding to touch every utensil and utility in the kitchen with the same hands. i’m talking spice shakers, oil bottle, spatula, prepping table etc etc… I I inform the cashier and a feeling of uneasiness hits me as I wait for my food.
Then the sandwich comes out — the meat was still clumpy resembling it’s raw clumped up form before being placed on the flattop grill, it was half burnt with an even texture that worsened with its unbalanced placement in the bread– it seemed like it was just stuffed into the bread… the bread was actually decent for not being amoroso rolls but that’s about it… tater tots were good, but still average mass food distributor fried greasiness…
Nothing gourmet and neat about this joint. Save your time, money and health/​hygiene on this one guys. The owner may have had a «vision» but he forgot to convey it to his employees in terms of food appearance, preparation, taste, texture and cleanliness. The food was not even mediocre, it was gross in all aspects.

I am a huge fan of Ray’s.I’ve eaten at Ray’s The Steaks, Ray’s at East River (Praying it reopens), Ray’s Classics and Hellburger. I was looking forward to trying the Cheese Steak.
I have to say I was disappointed. $ 12.50 for a cheese steak with jalepenos after factoring in the Arlington County and State taxes was high, even for high quality beef. After all its just a sandwich.
The sandwich itself was ok, I found the meat clumped together in sections and the combination of american and provalone did not work for me. Adding steak sauce helped but you should not have to add steak sauce to get seasoning on a $ 12.50 sandwich. I wish the charred jalepenos had been served hot and placed on the sandwich instead of cold in a plastic container.
I probably will not repeat, instead I will contiue to patronize Hellburger.

Mediocre Steak and Cheese served in the same confusing and unnecessarily restrictive manner that all the Ray’s properties are known for.
I wanted to like this place, Steak and Cheese is normally delicious, and I am a huge fan of Ray’s the Steaks especially.
Upon entrance: everyone stands there a bit bewildered, should I sit? Should I wait for a waiter? Should I make my way to the register? If you are going to change your concept every few months, atleast make it clear to the customer what the concept is when you enter! (The correct answer is make your way to the cash register, where as always it’s cash only).
Options: Steak and Cheese with or without charred jalapenos (which ridiculously come on the side) tater tots and a drink. No choice of cheese, or seasoning or anything beyond lettuce and tomatoes.
The Food: The Steak and Cheese is big, and for $ 11 is neither a good nor bad deal. I think the average person will have a hard time finishing one. However it’s soggy the steak being fatty and at points very grisly. Nothing like biting into a big pocket of fat to turn you off. The steak lacks all seasoning, just has no taste even with the cheese on top of it. Mostly the flavor is grease, some mediocre cheese and fat, gross.
The tater tots are really good, well seasoned and perfectly cooked, well done.
Overall, unless this place really picks up its game, adds new and exciting options I am very doubtful it will last more than a few weeks. Why bother, there are lots of places to get a mediocre sub, and I can’t say this is better than the $ 5 steak and cheese at subway.

A place that serves only one thing should be nothing short of spectacular at it. While the steak is juicy and the cheeses (American and Provolone) are melty, nothing on the sandwich makes you think, «Holy cow this $ 14 sandwich was a steal!»
One of my biggest peeves was the lopsided split of the bun — it is split so lopsidedly so you get mouthfuls of pure bread at times, and there’s just SO MUCH BUN. Another thing to note is that the charred jalapenos are served cold and on the side. What, was it too much trouble to throw a fresh one on the grill alongside the steak?
I guess on the plus side I can’t ding Ray’s for false advertising. After all, the handwritten sign didn’t say «steak and cheese and bread and freshly grilled peppers».

This newly opened Ray’s establishment offers some of the best «Cheesesteaks» I’ve ever tasted. Of course they prefer to call it a Steak and Cheese sandwich, not to be compared with the Philly variety. The steak is absolutely superb, and the toppings are plentiful, ensuring that you don’t go home hungry. Also, you have an option for tater tots, or as those in the know like to call them «Tots», and they are a perfect compliment to an already tasty meal.
One thing to remember when dining here is that it’s a cash only restaurant; however, there is an ATM by the register to assist those in dire need of the deliciousness that is a Ray’s Steak & Cheese Sandwich. The reason I am rating this place a 4 out of 5 stars is the price. If they lowered the cost of the meal by just a couple of dollars, I would gladly bump this review up to 5 stars.

2 or 3 stars… going with two because this place is way overrated.
I don’t get it. It’s really not THAT good. Yes it’s a nice cut of factory farm meat. Do I prefer a cheesesteak from Café Philips in NoMa? Yes. Do I prefer the ones from Philly? Yes.
The meat was a bit dry. It was somewhere between a steak sandwich and thin slices of steak on a normal cheesesteak. The bread was doughy and needed some juice.
Tater tots are frozen ones that they didn’t make… they tasted like ones you might find at a school cafeteria.
Why people rave? Beats me. I like Hell Burger a lot. they have good creative touches that make a great burger. This place seems like an idea because Rays Hell Burger too didn’t survive and threw something together at the last moment.

I wish I could elaborate more on what other Unilocalers have reviewed about this place. But I can’t. This place is pretty straightforward. Steak and cheese sandwich with both provolone and american cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce. Peppers and mushrooms cost $ 0.50 extra each.
This is definitely not a Philly cheese steak, but a great sandwich nonetheless. I didn’t mind that the bread was falling apart a bit, cuz the combination of the steak and cheese were too good to even care. Tater tots were crispy, but nothing special.
Just a quick note, the address here on Unilocal is wrong. It should be 1725 Wilson Blvd. I had a hard time finding it because I went purely on the address on Unilocal,but as previous Unilocalers mentioned its in the same shopping center as Ray’s Hell Burger.

Stopped by on a Sunday evening, thinking it was going to be super packed. It wasn’t!
This is probably due to the frailly handwritten note, strategically taped to the door saying «Steak and Cheese now open». If one didn’t know that it was open, one would walk right past without a doubt. The place is dimly lit for a fast food joint imo. There were plenty of tables available for our picking, but i can’t imagine it being this way for long. Once words gets out, it’ll be over! This is probably the main reason why i gave it a 4 out of 5 stars, so that it’ll be harder for them to detect it.
The steak n cheese was awesome, probably best i’ve ever had (I’ve had a handful of steak and cheese). The meat was quality, cooked perfectly with perfect seasoning. Got it with the fixings, and tots. Everything came out fresh and delectably deelish! Only thing i think they could’ve improve is the bread. The sandwich was a mess to eat (not that it wasn’t worth the dry cleaning bill), but the bread definitely contributed. one side was much thicker than the other, and this didn’t hold the sandwich well. I don’t have any suggestions as to what they should be, but the one they have could be better. Other than this, i’ll definitely be coming back every chance i get, at least until everyone makes it impossible to even place an order.

I found out about Ray’s Steak ‘n Cheese via ARLnow and knew I had to try it when I saw a picture of it. I got there around 12:30 with Lauren M., and we waited in line about 10 minutes or so. They had two cashiers going, but every now and then, the second guy would take a break to help distribute food. As mentioned by others, it’s cash only but they have an ATM inside. There is a good amount of seating if you want to enjoy your meal there. They have a table near the register with all the condiments and free water.
For my order, I decided to add mushrooms to my steak ‘n cheese. Lauren M. and I shared an order of tator tots. The sandwich is pretty big and used quality ingredients, so the fact that it cost $ 11 didn’t bother me that much. The bun was fresh and held together very well considering how much meat was piled on. Taste wise though, it was good, but not great. The sandwich can be a little messy, so don’t make the mistake I did and eat the sandwich without the wrapper. The rib-​eye was plentiful, tender, and tasty. However, I think I personally like my steak cut thinner, like a cheesesteak. The lettuce and tomato didn’t really do much, as I didn’t get much of it in my sandwich and they were basically overwhelmed by the meat and cheeses. The tator tots were a perfect addition to the meal. They were delicious and perfectly crispy.
Overall, I really enjoyed the steak ‘n cheese and do recommend it to others. I’m not giving it 5 stars because I don’t think I would go out of my way to come back unless someone asked me to go with them.

Cheesesteak? Nope. Philly? Nope. And who cares.
Real, thinly sliced, juicy steak. Medium rare and crispy grilled edges. Not your mother’s Steak’Ums. The bread is all of it and you can probably bypass the condiments.
Just like you might bypass the restaurant. For now, a humble hand-​written piece of paper on the glass door marks the spot. But I’d you’ve been to Hellburger, you know where to go.
The steaks are pricy but worth it. Split one and grab a side of tots for $ 2.
Check out the «vintage» (but fresh) sodas in the back. Ginger ale hits the spot.
Cash only as others have said and yes there’s an ATM, but it was kicked at 9:15 on a Saturday.

IMPORTANT NOTE: CASH ONLY AND THEY HAVE A FREE ATM IN THE BACK.
In typical Landrum fashion, you’ll get outstanding meat for a very low price (I know, «GASP! $ 12 for a cheesesteak!?» Rest assured, this meat is really thinly sliced prime steaks… it likely costs 6x more than the garbage you’ll get on a bun on South Street [I’m from Philly, I can say that… And yes, garbage can be tasty]).
I got mine with peppers and mushrooms. As the bun was already stuffed, I was faced with dipping into a pile of ketchup… I also got the tots, which seem double-​fried (how do you make fried food better? you fry it again) and are as good as you’ll find in town.
The meat was tender, juicy, and a little bit browned… Absolutely perfect.
I’d love to give this place a five-​star review, as I’ve done with all the other «Ray’s,» but I’m going to go with a superbly strong four as it is such a single-​faceted establishment.