Clara & Ray’s Ristorante Italiano

Went for the first time tonight, and I don’t think I’ll go back. Ordered 3 xl pies for takeout. The place was packed, and the wait was over an hour. That would have been fine if the food was worth the wait. The plain cheese pies were fine…nothing special. I ordered a margarita pizza that was disappointing. Had barely any cheese and a few little scraps of basil. The girl at the counter opened the box and said, “That doesn’t look right. It needs more basil.” So she asked the girls on the line to fix it. They added another scrap or two of basil, and the first girl said it needed more. The other one snapped that it was fine…I paid $85 for 3 pizzas. I don’t expect the toppings to be rationed out so sparingly at that price point.

I’ve lived in Lexington my whole and for some reason, I just went to dinner here for the first time the other night. I should not have waited so long! The food was delicious! I had the chicken parm and my husband had a Stromboli. Our server Ellis was fantastic! Very personable and polite! We would request him to be our server next time! I will be back many, many more times!

This afternoon was our first experience at Clara and Rays Ristorante Italiano, but it won’t be our last. The food was very fresh, hot and delicious, and the tiramisu was so good! Our server, Riley, was excellent, too! Thank you for a wonderful dining experience!

Food was fantastic! I really like the pizza and will definitely order pizza to go in the future. Service was okay. The reason I won’t be back is because the restaurant is extremely hot. My pregnant wife and I were sweating from the first moment we walked in. It was very uncomfortable and muggy.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 5

Service: 3

ALWAYS fabulous food. Their pizza is one of, if not the best, pies anywhere in South Carolina. They are from Long Island, as is my wife, and their pizza is faithful to the "New York" tradition. Premium ingredients, delicious flavor, and the owners and employees are unfailingly polite, warm, and gracious. We have eaten here countless times, and I can't think of a single experience that was less than ideal. Thanks as always, and cheers!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Garlic Knots, Chicken Parmigiana, Slice of Pizza

Excellent!!!! Everything was awesome!! I had Sicilian pizza, my friends had chicken parm, others had neopolitan pizza, and some appetizers. It was delicious! 😋 There were eleven of us and the service was outstanding! We stayed a bit past closing and the staff was very gracious! (We didn't realize they closed at 8pm) It's small and quaint. Just a lovely little gem with wonderful Italian food. Give them a try!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Garlic Knots, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Sicilian Pizza, Chicken Parmigiana, Pizza Grande

I got the fettuccine Alfredo, my husband got chicken Parmesan and we shared garlic knots. We both agreed that our food was very poorly seasoned. Not what we’d expect with Italian food. Probably won’t return.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 4

Wonderful food and great service!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The margherita pizza was delicious! Sauce is made in house and pizza dough is of great quality. This is the best pizza in town.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Their pizza was great!!! They were super nice! I appreciate the fact that the restaurant closes at 8, but we were there until 9, and they were very chill about it. Thank you!!! 🙏🏼

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

My wife and I enjoyed our first visit after reading the reviews. Our server, Jenna, was excellent and the food was absolutely wonderful, with both of us taking part of our entrees home. The tiramisu was quite good. The wine list is adequate. The only entree missing was lasagna.We will certainly return soon.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Spaghetti and Meatballs, Garden Salad

The food is authentic, the service is friendly, and the atmosphere is simple and welcoming. Everything about the dining experience was worthwhile, from the moment we stepped inside and were greeted with a smile from the hostess. The Stromboli was perfect for my girlfriend and I to enjoy together, and the mint chocolate chip cream cone and cannoli were exquisite! Definitely coming back again and again!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Excellent restaurant. Great service, superb food, average price. The stromboli was terrific! Unfortunately the dessert I was hoping to try was sold out. I will definitely be returning!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Authentic New York pizza, best pizza I've ever had.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

I had a spinach and basil calzone with breaded fried zucchini sticks. It wasn't bad but there was too much ricotta vs mozzarella so the inside was a bit too moist and messy, the exterior of the calzone wasn't very crispy but it was ok. They forgot the marinara sauce to dip my calzone but luckily there was a little condiment cups worth with the zucchini. The zucchini sticks weren't very crispy. Okay flavor wise but not memorable.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3