Ray’s Real Pit BBQ Shack

The fried corn, beans and ribs are all delicious. The brisket was quite tender, but not particularly flavorful. If you’ve never had fried corn, you have to try it. It’s a good amount of tasty food for a decent price, I think the combo was about $ 15. It’s totally a neighborhood joint, so don’t expect anything fancy, just good food at a fair price. I look forward to going back and maybe trying the fish or shrimp. If i could get a ribs and shrimp combo … oh baby… that would be nice!

Oh, their BBQ is so cool! Tried their fried corn and mac&cheese and I have to admit that I can assure you that all I have tried before wasn’t even close to what this place offers! Awesome!

I’ve been coming to Ray’s for the last five years and my husband and I loved this food and the people but the last 2 trips I’ve made here the brisket has been horrifying. They have shorten the plates the prices went up and the food is horrible. Today lost out on another $ 12(hoping it’ll get better) for a meat plate that had absolutely no season, no flavor and the brisket didn’t even taste done. The fat was still white and the meat did not taste fully cooked. I feel disappointed as I tried to support small business’ but they have lost a customer today.

Good food, decent price for large portion. Fast service. The person that left me the most positive impression at this joint is the man who cleans up the tables, floor, and restroom. He worked non-​stop (at least during the 40 minutes that we were there for lunch 06/​23/​2016) and did not fail to smile at any one who looked at him. A very friendly presence.
One suggestion and this is VERY important. For the ladies who call out customers’ names at the pick-​up counter, please please DON’T LICK your finger to open a bag. That’s an unacceptable excuse in food industry. Cut a thick ring of cucumber and leave it at the counter, dap your finger on it if you need to open a bag for customers. I was relieved to catch you (tall lady) doing this for another patron and not me. It was disgusting. So, please change this behavior, otherwise you will loose customers.

Save yourself the trouble of going to any local BBQ chain like good company or Pappas. This has Some of the best sides out of all barbecue places within the loop. Absolutely the best brisket and ribs with in the loop. Definitely give this a shot. You know it’s good when it’s a shack ;)

I’m not going to pretend to know anything about barbecue at all, but they have some damn good stuff. I got to try their sausage plate, ribs, and brisket, which were smoky, juicy, and tender. And that fried corn on the cob? I never say this, but OOOHMYGOD. Their spicy rice and cucumber salad were pretty excellent as well (potato and macroni salads were eh). For the portion size and quality, price is very reasonable.
It’s located by a gas station on OST in a very unassuming part of town. I never would’ve known to come here without the reviews here, and am glad I came to give it a try. The place would be perfect with outdoor picnic tables and BYOB…

Definitely good food, potato salad reminds me of the potato salad I grew up on in New Orleans. The chicken and brisket were very good, the barbecue sauce is ok, but not great. The rice and beans were also tasty. The ribs had great flavor and tenderness, however, they were a little overcooked as they completely fell off the bone. Overall the food is really good.
It’s more of a place to pick up food not necessarily to eat there. The staff and service were great but due to them being connected to a gas station, the space is just not on a level to actually serve seated guests!

Nothing is bad here. The BBQ is tender and seasoned well. The seafood menu is just as good as the BBQ. I’ve eaten every thing here but a burger and the Jake fries. Good portions too. It is mandatory at Ray’s to get an order of fried corn.
I don’t really care for the homemade BBQ sauce because it’s not vinegar based. I don’t like sweet tasting BBQ sauces but many other people like it. That’s the only negative I have for Ray’s other than they need a bigger spot. Not really an eat-​in establishment. Space is limited.
Don’t hesitate to eat at Ray’s. Service and food is A1. Top 3 BBQ places in the city.

Last Friday I spent 48.00 for 2 burgers got s 2 meat combo and slice beef plate and 2 drinks I generally have had good results but Friday was the worst the beef plate I had eaten some and bad taste smelled it was sour after being sick i threw it out due too late to return I except the loss but you lost a new customer

My food was delicious and reasonably priced!
There were so many choices I had a hard time deciding. I ended up with the rib plate with beans and spicy rice. Ribs were fall off the bone and the rice was actually spicy.
I normally don’t care for barbecue sauce, but the sauce here was everything!
The cashiers were friendly and the service was quick!
Definitely will be back and recommend this place to anyone looking for good barbecue.

BBQ brisket is good! Prices are reasonable. Fried corn on the cob is unexpectedly good! It has a light batter on it and juicy on the inside. Had the catfish today… ehh! Stick to the brisket. Banana pudding was freshly made and still a little warm. Yummy!

Great food! Just the right amount of smoke. I got the combo with ribs, brisket, fried corn and potato salad. Even though I was hungry, there was so much food, I couldn’t finish it all. Bbq sauce also hit the spot. I’ll be going back next time I’m in the area.

This place represents everything good in the hood! The cashiers are friendly and funny! The food is awesome!!!
Tried all the meat!
The sausage is killer Delish!
The ribs were falling off the bone
The brisket was amazing!!!
The chicken was good but I would stick to the beef.

The best bbq I’ve ever had. Everything was delicious and I didn’t feel greasy. I got the ribs, spicy rice, and potato salad and there are no leftovers. Service was super courteous also! Definitely recommend!!!

The food was delicious. We had the catfish, barbecue plate, and shack burger. We were all very impressed with how good the food was at this place. We have a new spot.
The shack burger is insanely huge. Bring your appetite to the table for that one.
The location on a rainy day is not the best as there were multiple leaks throughout the building that were visible.
This was our first time, and well most definitely be back.

I’ve always looked for a new place to get my baked potatoes from since Thelma’s closed down. She was a mean lil hussy but her baked potatoes were cold!
I randomly stumbled in Ray’s one day and I was grateful that I did.
THE BAKED POTATO IS COLD! I love how soft the potato ends up being and they top you off with an appropriate amount of meat. I didn’t even know you could add bacon bits to the potato but I’m glad my hungry ass did.
The BBQ here is also good. Especially the beef brisket. It’s actually a clean restaurant in the hood. You would stereotypically think that a black owned restaurant is somewhat poorly managed but the upkeep of the restaurant is spot-​on!
the only thing that is trash is the parking (since its in a gas station). I would love for this place to expand in the mere future. This is a restaurant that you can never get tired of coming to if you’re big on BBQ. It should be considered a top BBQ spot in Houston at some degree.

Went today and the bbq was really good. The sausage was awesome and the brisket was not fatty which I liked. 1chicken 1 lb brisket and 1lb sausage cost 65.00 with two medium drinks and two quarts of sides. I will be back. I want to try the mac and cheese and the fried corn next time.

As a carnival, this place is meat lover Approved! Excellent baby back ribs and beef brisket!
Friendly staffs, and very warm hearted owner, Ray!
delicious smoked baby back ribs with pickles and oinons. Soft, juicy, and flavorful beef brisket is so tasty that you dont even need the sauce at all!
Thumbs up and def. Will be back again! …if i can leave work before they close so ealy at 8pm…

Some of the best bbq I have had in Houston and definitely the best on the South side of town. Not to mention the fried corn is truly amazing. Remember to ask for extra sauce if you get it to go.

I didn’t enjoy this place as much as my husband did and if he was the one writing this review he would give it a 5-​star but guess what this ain’t his Unilocal!Honestly, I’ve had better ribs and brisket and I’m not a big fan of the BBQ sauce they had on the table, Sweet Baby Rays is better! The lines were long and they just weren’t moving fast enough but that could just be me being impatient. Service was great, the lady that took our order took her time explaining parts of the menu and answering my questions being it was our first time. I think they’re charging too much for their food and there’s not enough seating inside. I would go back to try it again but my husband would have to be the one to initiate it because I would never suggest it.

My friend and I ate here today and really enjoyed it. The food was delicious and well priced. I ordered the rib tips with potato salad and fried corn, while she ordered the sliced beef plate with fried corn and a baked potato.
Everything was delicious, but I did have to pick out the cartilage in the rib tips before I could throughly enjoy them. The potato salad was sweet, yet savory and the fried corn was excellent. The sliced beef was tender and the baked potato was huge and had toppings galore.
The restaurant is small and over time it got crowded by people waiting to get food and take a seat. The place isn’t much to look at but the food makes it worth going for sure. The staff was nice and took great care of us from ordering to taking our trays when we were done. Parking is limited in the front, and the parking the back was tricky to avoid deep tire marks and mud, but we found spaces. We will definitely be repeat customers!

Today was my second time to visit.
Pros:
Fried corn on the cob, ribs, rib tips, fried catfish, cole slaw, potato salad, chicken, sausage, BBQ sauce. These were all good or very good
Cons:
Employees need to know the menu better. Two different employees told me that the Shack burger is a double meat burger. I was told that it was a ½ lb burger, so that means each patty should have been ¼ lb. Instead it was more like a 1 lb burger. Two ½ lb patties is just way too much meat. I like double meat burgers, but they should be made thinner. I had to take out one of the patties
Loose cut brisket not smoked long enough. It was still a little tough. It also needed a little bit more rub on it; there was not much flavor
Overall it’s a decent place to visit. They just need to improve on their brisket and their knowledge of the menu.

Ray’s Real Pit BBQ Shack is the transformation of a successful food truck to a brick and mortar location. The owner, a retired Harris County Sheriff, present when I dined there, was extremely friendly, interacting with every customer that came up to the counter. There is obviously a culture of fun and friendly service as every staff member provided great service and went out of their way to make all patrons feel comfortable.
Their menu has a wide variety of options to chose from. The ribs and sliced beef are as tasty as several previous reviews have pointed out and will not disappoint.
Even though I was in on a week night, Ray’s BBQ Shack stayed busy. Most customer were getting their food to go so there was still plenty of available seating. With the amount of traffic coming in and out, I assume this location is packed on weekends.
Definitely a great location to visit if you want great BBQ.

I would never have known to find good BBQ in a gas station plaza, one of the best BBQ I have ever had, the ribs were fall off the bone with yummy BBQ sauce, fried corn on the cob was a first for me and it was so devilishly buttered and sweet, the beef brisket baked potato was humongous, that potato was as big as my face, no joke, I have nvr seen a baked potato that big in my life, it is seriously good enough for 2 ppl, very limited parking here but it’s worth the struggle if your craving BBQ

This review is for Ray’s take out.
My husband and brother in law got take out from Ray’s Real Pit BBQ Shack and they had fun getting the food — location wise and interacting with the woman taking the order: «Swiss chard? Is that your name?» They brought back: chicken, sausage, rib, brisket, grilled vegetables and deep fried corn.
While I was glad for some vegetables (it was a small quantity) the deep fried corn was surprisingly good especially with hot sauce so would highly recommend it. As for the meats I thought they were ok, esp when compared to the other bbq places I’ve eaten in Texas. The meats were a little cold by the time we ate so I prob should have warmed them up.

Coming to Houston, BBQ was maybe second on my list of priorities. After doing back-​breaking research (read: a casual, cursory skim through a Zagat list), I was halfway to tears from disappointment and intense hunger when we headed to one of the bigger names on the list only to find it closed because of the New Year weekend.
Short on time with a full tourist-​trap itinerary in mind, we settled on Ray’s as it was on the way to the Space Center. «Settled» detracts from the possible strings of meaty barbecued fate that dragged our rental SUV to this little pocket of meat heaven.
I straight up have zero reservations about eating at a place connected to a gas station, so I was still holding out hope for a solid Texan BBQ bite. Everything on my 3-​meat plate was spot on, from the perfect ribs to the tender brisket to the surprisingly stellar sausage. I spent the day at a BBQ festival a few months back, which in no real way consolidates any sort of expertise, but this was definitely top notch meat. I heard good things from my friends that grabbed the fried cob corn, but I was too busy INHALING hush puppies (WITH CORN!).
I left Ray’s super happy with two things: the first being that the Houston area has a great place that vaguely shares my namesake. The second being that if this is the level of Houston’s best BBQ, I’m stoked to see what the endless smoky, mesquite sea of other highly hyped places has to offer.