Ray’s Drive-In

Awesome place for burgers and fries these old-​school joints are going to be few and far in between

Classic 1950’s style burger joint. The burgers, fries and shakes are excellent!

Tastes like a fast food burger to me. Not worth it.

Amazing burgers & fries! The patties are kinda thin so if you wanna be able to get a good bite atleast get a double burger but they also offer a triple burger & other menu items that are good. It’s small, so when they get busy they get crowded really really fast but the staff stays super organized & friendly every time!

I’ve tried this place twice and won’t be going back. They must have been cooking the burgers and fries with the fish. Gross.

No bad, but certainly not great. The beef was good, however the bun and condiments were very unimpressive. The fries weren’t the golden crispy notes of goodness you expect.
A girl in my group got a very stale bun. Would have brought it back but when you pick it up to go to eat somewhere else the hassle isn’t worth it.
I am hesitant to give it another chance even though I’ve heard the fried pickles and shakes are good.

Fun and tastes for the money.
Order a double or triple burger! Single is barely a patty. It is good, don’t get me wrong, but they are skinny slim meat patties.
Fries are good. Perch sandwich was very good! Especially for $ 3.50!
Great place for kids and family outing.

Shakes are great and they have really good double-​cheese burgers and fries, but those of you that are looking for «big juicy thick burgers» (and then posting negative reviews) are in the wrong place and just don’t get it. These are classic «drive-​in» burgers — thin cheesy burgers on classic buns. You can order and eat 2 – 3 of these burgers. It’s reminiscent of a classic place in Chicago called Bill’s on north Western Ave. I love this place and stop by whenever I’m in Grand Haven.

Maybe it’s because I’m from Chicago, but I think the food here is just plan bad. I have to admit I only had burger and fries. If a greasy, over cooked, tiny burger is your thing than this is your place.

The burgers and fries here are good. This place is good for a quick meal. Me and my family enjoyed sitting outside.

Been going to Ray’s for decades — all the way back to high school days. Have eaten everything on the short menu, and enjoy all of them. With no indoor seating (only a couple of outdoor picnic tables), Ray’s is as much a drive-​in as takeout joint. I’ve spent many an hour sitting in my car in the parking lot, devouring burger and fries while listening to sports talk radio.
4 stars instead of 5 because Ray’s does not serve high quality food. Thin, lower grade patties compare with White Castle for both flimsyness but also addictiveness. Likewise the fries. But if you were to try to compare to Five Guys, which serve highest quality burgers and fries made to order without mass produced meat and hand-​cut fries, you’ll be on the wrong track. Ray’s does not come close to that level of quality, grade and flavor of meat, freshness of potatoes.
But Ray’s must be judged on its own merits, being in an entirely different category than Five Guys or Bagger Dave’s — those are «craft» burger boutiques while Ray’s is fast food. So because they are in a category with McD’s and BK, Ray’s stands head and shoulders above the global fast food chains for both taste and quality. From that perspective Ray’s is a four-​star, and factoring in the incredibly low prices I would be tempted to push it to 4 ½.
I find the burgers to be delicious despite the meat, I don’t like the heavily breaded perch but the more lightly battered cod is very good, the chicken is fine, and of course the fries are beyond addictive. One negative: no matter what flavor I try, the shakes all taste like vanilla to me.
Take the time to visit this throwback icon drive-​in, serving better food than chains and a far greater value to top it off.

Delicious! A must stop every time I come to Michigan!
Love getting a burger & fry’s!

I love the Ray’s milkshakes.
The standard Drive-​In food is good as well but the milkshakes I used to drive there just for that.

For dinner the second night, we went to Ray’s Drive-​In. It was a short walk from the Airbnb, where the smell coming up from the floor vents reminded me of Happy’s basement. Ray’s Drive-​In was another anachronism, harking back to the glory days of Augie’s on the East Hartford /​Manchester line back in Connecticut.
Girlfriend and I each ordered a delux hamburger, an order of fries, and a drink and the total for dinner was under $ 10. We sat outside and ate at a picnic table, and watched the locals come to Ray’s. It’s been open for almost fifty years. They put a healthy amount of mayo on those burgers.
My only regret is not having a vanilla shake to balance out those well-​seasoned fries… I was saving myself for Dairy Treat!

Great burgers, awesome shakes and delicious fries the kids love to get food from here.

Great burgers all the time.

The location is a cool 1960s looking take out place with a neon sign. The burgers are pretty cheap but unfortunately not very impressive. The meat is pretty good but the mayo has a weird taste. I think they might use miracle whip. The buns always taste stale and I am pretty sure all of the ingredients are typical Gordon food service frozen stuff. The shakes are pretty good but made with syrup. I would be more impressed if everything was made from scratch.

When I went to bed tonight, I actually closed my eyes and could not get the vision of the cheeseburger, fries and chocolate shake from my mind. It brought me back to high school and the thrill of walking over on those special occasions for lunch sitting at the picnic tables — the smell of the French fry and dipping it in the shake — its not what one usually does as ketchup does go better most of the time — however at Rays it was the whole experience especially at that age — and those fries! — I almost compare the experience of going to phaffs drug store while attending Ferry School and sitting at the soda fountain counter in sixth grade. — the TV show «Happy Days» had nothing on us when growing up in our great town!

In all of my travels to Grand Haven I’ve never once stopped to check out the «world famous Ray’s Drive-​In», so I finally took it upon myself to find out what this little burger joint was all about.
Ray’s is definitely a «hole-​in-​the-​wall» establishment, so for some that may be a turn off, but for this guy it’s a huge plus, as I’ve always found the «hole-​in-​the wall» and «mom ‘n pop» joints are where it’s at… Ray’s definitely delivers.
The burgers which are kind of akin to the «slider» were tasty and cheap, I mean a triple cheeseburger for $ 2.50 is practically unheard of, and fries for a $ 1.35?! You literally could eat there with the change in your pocket. But don’t let the small price tag fool you, the food delivers a nice punch of flavor. The burger was pretty damn good and the fries were some of the most perfect crinkle cut fries out there, I probably could have ate a pound of them on my own.
My only complaint of Ray’s is that the parking lot is pretty small, and there’s no where to sit with the exception of two picnic tables by the side of the building, which you can sit at when you fight with the other patrons for a spot. My recommendation is that you get some Ray’s to-​go and find somewhere nice to enjoy your food ‘cus odds are you won’t be doing it at Ray’s.
Aside from the parking and seating situation, I’ll most likely hit Ray’s again in the future; however, I’ll definitely be taking my next order «to go».

Great burgers, french fries are the best, and super thick milkshakes. If you are going to complain about the thick real milk & ice cream shakes, go down the road to McD’s for a runny fake shake. They ARE thick here, suck your brains out! Outstanding perch dinner, perch sandwich, and shrimp dinner. And you will always get more fries than ordered. Fast friendly service that is always appreciated. I eat here 2 times a week or more. If you see a line out the door at any restaurant, stop there and try the food (this is that place).
Voted the best locally for many years, so who knows best…1^st timers with no real knowledge or locals? you choose.