Marlin & Ray’s

Chain has been closed by parent company Ruby Tuesday

Well after my last review one of the owners contacted me. They gave me a gift certificate for another meal. This time around I would give it a 3.5 stars if I could.
Anyway I got the all you can eat Crab legs ($ 24.95) this go around and my friend got a pasta dish. First impressions of Crab Legs were so so. They didn’t ask about sides and brought a small plate of bland rice and no tools for the legs. I had to ask for some crackers. After about my third order they brought me an order with a small bucket for shells, crab crackers, a little fork and a tool to open the shells. Not sure why they didn’t bring this originally.
Overall the crab legs were ok but not sure they were worth the price. Although, I am not sure if anyone else offers this in the area. My friends pasta was good, but they said a similar dish at Red Lobster was better. The Salad and Muffins were the same as my previous meal just mediocre. The service was better but wasn’t great still. I think your best bet if you go is to get their Happy Hour specials.

Food here is nothing special. Somebody in the kitchen must be heating up the frozen fish in the microwave.

Saw this new addition to Hilliard-​Rome Rd and decided to try it out on a whim. We were pleasantly surprised. Service was just OK, but the food was very tasty. Bottomless salad and corn muffins were a nice touch while we were waiting for our meals. I took a chance on the ribs (at a seafood joint?) and was blown away. Certainly not Kansas City quality, but excellent quality for Ohio. Juiciest ribs I have had in quite some time. (since KC actually)
I look forward to returning and trying the other menu options. So glad this place replaced the sad Ruby Tuesday’s that was here before.

Another fast food restaurant I had never been to and with that «needed’ to give it a try.
It was empty for sunday lunch, so we checked the menu if it was worth it and as soon as I saw bottomless salad and basil pesto talapia I was sold and sitting.
I got just that but on a platter with shrimp for my son and mac n cheese, also for him.
The talapia was horrbile, I asked for the pesto on the side and am I glad I did!
It was mayo with basil WTH? REALLY?
I asked the waitress for any sauce that does not have mayo in it, she said she doesn’t think they have something like that?!!
Even the sweet chili was with mayo?!! I have never seen anything like it and with that tried to eat my talapia sans anything, disgusting!
Lukewarm, no spice, seasoning, watery as hell, it was just plain gross!
The shrimp were too spicy for my son so my husband ate them.
The mac n cheese looked promising but tasted like velveeta, the mini biscuits I didn’t bother to try but my husband said they sucked as well.
The salad was fine, they tried to be like Olive garden only with a not as good italian dressing which didn’t match at all, so after 3 bowls even that didn’t do it for me anymore!
I talked to the manager and refused to pay for this garbage, so at least no money was wasted and I am wiser.

Mgr saved the day coming to get us drinks after being ignored by both bartenders. Food is great.

tl, dr: poor service, food isn’t great, won’t be going back.
My husband, 5 year-​old daughter, and I went to Marlin and Ray’s one evening at dinner time when we were craving seafood. We were seated promptly and given the dinner menu, specials menu, and happy hour menu. The happy hour menu clearly states that the food prices are only available at the bar, but the drink specials are available in the dining room. When I ask for one of the drink specials I’m told they only serve them at the bar.
My daughter ordered popcorn shrimp from the children’s menu, they were too spicy for her to eat. When I informed the staff they said that was the way they came and didn’t offer to replace them. I ordered blackened salmon and it was alright, nothing special and a very small portion for the price. It came with their mac and cheese which had the consistency of velveeta. My husband had the shrimp po’boy with the same overly spicy shrimp my daughter was served, but on a huge dry roll he couldn’t choke down. The food comes with a bottomless salad that we were thankful for because it at least tasted alright and helped to fill us up from our lack of food. It seems we were supposed to have been served mini corn muffins, we were given a little pail with one each after our meal was already finished. They tasted of jiffy mix and were filled with red pepper.
We were going to say something to the manager, but we never once saw one. Our waiter seemed to be having trouble with what few tables he had and wasn’t even worth complaining to. I would have given no stars if I could.

My ribs and jumbo shrimp were good. Wife got an $ 18.00 plate of steamed crab legs. Hers did not come with a side. $ 18 for crab legs and they can’t throw in a 25 cents worth of broccoli? Not a single smile on ANY employees. I felt like I was inconvenient to them.

Their happy hour from 4 to 6:30 is exceptional. Fish tacos and steamed muscles each are just two bucks. Tasty, not greasy, not bad for a land-​locked state. Decent drink prices too. $ 1 for a mini-​Corona that’s ¾ the size of a normal Corona. It’s actually cheaper to eat here than a fast food joint if you sit at the bar. Their main entrees are pretty darned good too. Nice service, clean, friendly. All-​around a pleasant experience. Gets packed around 7 on weekends, so get there early.

Reasonable prices for the portion size, good staff. For a chain, the food was good and well prepared. Great for that quick seafood fix. I’ll come back again.

I have been trying to check out this place ever since it opened and finally had a chance this past weekend. My first reaction was that I like it. Yes, it stills looks very similar to Ruby Tuesday in the booths and placement of the tables but the décor tries to take you to a dock or harbor somewhere. This place has numerous big tables to allow large groups and would be a decent place for Happy Hour with a group with decent deals.
Is the seafood fresh and flown in, not sure, but I was happy with the taste of my blackened tilapia (11) with grilled zucchini. The tilipia was perfectly grilled and I love the cajun seasoning that gave it a little kick. The Mango salsa on top cooled it down a bit but I would not have needed it on my fish. The rest of the table tried scallops, shrimp, and the crab cakes. Their meals ranged from $ 14 – 16. No one was disappointed with their meal and very happy. I tasted the scallops and I am a fan. Cooked perfectly which I know can be hot or miss whenever you go to a restaurant. You also get a bottomless house salad when you order. I would suggest asking for a little dressing because they put too much on our first bowl.
My in-​laws actually gave it rave reviews saying it was better than a local seafood place in their area that is more expensive then Marlin & Ray. If you think their fish prices are too much then i would suggest ordering a sandwich or coming for $ 2 fish tacos at Happy Hour. They also have some decent deals on adult beverages for Happy Hour. All-​you-​can eat peel and eat shrimp for $ 11.99 is another decent deal between 4 – 7 pm.

I see why most of the reviews have been positive as the service was also very good and I felt like she was close whenever I needed something. This is a good place for someone who is watching their carbs and trying to eat healthy. I hope that time doesn’t dilute the food or attention the detail that I think they have right now. Their prices make it a little easier for someone like me to do fish outside their own grill and supermarket.

I will keep this short and sweet! My wife loves seafood and even though in general I am not a fan we decided to stop in since it is just down the street. I was very impressed. Yeah the food was hot, good, and good portion, but the service was awesome. The host was friendly and our server was just awesome. Friendly, knew the menu, and was able to make suggestions. If they keep this up I see no reason they wont prosper… they have returning customers in my wife and I!

Not much to say. Had the fish tacos. Eh!!! The jalapeño corn bread mini muffins were tasty. Service was fair. Would not recommend this restaurant.

I love seafood. best when bought fresh and cooked at home, but there are a number of good «high-​end» seafood places in town. Marlin and Rays is a welcome addition to the «mid range» seafood market.
Mid-​range seafood can be scary. I am about to start a campaign against Red Loobster. It is GARBAGE — greasy, rubbery garbage!!! Its sad when the consensus best thing about your seafood restaurant is a FRIGGIN BISCUIT!
But I digress. Marlin & Rays (despite the corny name) has a great menu. Lots of choices, great variety, reasonably priced. Its not Columbus Fish Market, or McCormick and Schmicks, but it isn’t trying to be, either.
Its always a plus to offer «bottomless» anything at a restaurant. Each entrée comes with bottomless salad and these really good little jalapeño corn muffins. Just the right amount of jalapeño to still have the sweetness of hate corn muffin, but with a noticeable KICK!
Our table had surf and turf, pasta with shrimp in cream sauce, panko crusted grouper, skewered shrimp, and skewered scallops. All was delicious. Not huge portions, but excellently prepared. Fried zucchini as a side was a nice change of pace and the sauces were very rich and very tasty!
Overall, I was impressed! Great little biscuits, but there was actually some really good seafood to be had! What a pleasant surprise.

My friend and I wanted to try the new Marlin and Ray’s. We went on a Friday evening. The place was packed. The hostess said it was a 25 minute wait, so we decided to stay. Well, we didn’t wat 10 minutes. The staff was friendly, the food was fabulous, and the prices were decent. Wait I really liked is, the waitress served our appetizer (the best calamari I’ve ever eaten) and allowed us to finish it before bringing us our salad and cornbread (both delicious and bottomless). After the salad, she brought us our main entrée. Well, we were blown away by our flavorful food. It was cooked perfectly and was super delicious! Before this, Columbus Fish Market was my favorite. Now, this place is. The food is way better and damn near half the price.

I would say that Marlin & Ray’s in on par with Joe’s Crab Shack. The food was descent, nothing outstanding, but it was the second day of their grand opening so everything needed to taste at least «good». Call me cynical as I was sitting in the formerly Ruby Tuesday restaurant booth, but I can imagine the quality of food going down after a month.
They provided some complimentary jalapeño corn breads, which were tasty but a little too dense. When I first saw them I for some reason thought «Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits». Not even close, but still not bad.
I ordered a fried clam po’ boy. The fried clams were pretty good. Not too much breading, crispy and plenty of clams. The bread though was way too thick and stiff. I contemplated sectioning off portions of bread to my friends with a fork and knife in order to get to the tasty fried clam. The side of shoe string fries were pretty yummy, so much so my girlfriend stole half my plate (who is a McDonald’s french fry fiend).
I also got a strawberry lemonade. If there’s ever such a thing as a triple shot of lemonade, this drink had it. This was the tartest, sourest, most lip puckering lemonade I’ve ever had. They tried to cut the sourness with ice, but I wanted a drink, not ice. It’s a «damned if you do damned if you don’t» scenario. I don’t think I’ll order that again.

The food was amazing, the server we had was great. Prices are a little high compared to what they say they are going for. «Price point at or lower than Ruby Tuesdays» is not happening there and we went during «lunch». I was bothered by the fact that the door staff was very formally dressed and the wait staff is running around in white shirts (polo and t) and jeans. The management, although visible, wasn’t greeting any customers or conversing with guests. He seemed very uptight and didn’t make us feel welcomed to his location. It wasn’t till they saw me writing a review on my phone that he said any thing at all and it was inaudible and before we could attempt to answer he was gone. I love how the place looks. It still has a lot of Ruby’s flare with a «crab shack» twist. The week day hours stink, they don’t open till 4pm. On weekends they open at 11am. I am not sure if I would go back. I just didn’t feel «it» when we were there.

Just ate here and, the food was terrific. The calamari was very good. The fish taco’s and the oyster po’boy were awesome. A great alternative for good seafood than the $$$ seafood resturants in Columbus.