Rays Real Pit BBQ Shack

Ordered a pound of brisket and a pound of beef sausage. The brisket had no flavor except for salt and the sausage was really dry and had a weird taste. Not impressed.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 5

I’ll start with the positives: excellent customer service and a clean, (the young lady that gave me my order was very courteous and professional). Well-maintained interior. Nice decor and seating, clean restroom.

Now, the food. Unfortunately, I was highly disappointed. After reading great reviews and receiving recommendations my expectations may have been high, but not drastically. My friend and I shared a three-meat combo to get a good sense of what this place had to offer and here’s the rundown of OUR personal experience and tastes.

Brisket – This was the biggest letdown. It was incredibly dry and completely lacking in flavor. Easily the most regrettable part of the meal. We didn’t even finish it.

Pork Sausage – Great flavor, but like the brisket, it was too dry.

Ribs – The standout of the meal. Cooked to perfection, it was tender, moist, and with that beautiful smoked pink hue that shows real effort and time in the smoker. If I ever came back, it would be for the ribs alone.

Potato Salad – A close second in terms of disappointment. Instead of a proper potato salad with diced potatoes that soak up the flavors of mayo, sweet pickles, and seasonings, this was basically mashed potatoes. The texture threw everything off, making it feel like a lazy attempt rather than a traditional side.

Beans – Decent amount of meat, okay flavor, but there was a spice in them, almost like cinnamon and that didn’t work for either of us. Wouldn’t order them again.

We did not finish either side. Waste.

Peach Cobbler – Easily the best part of the meal. No frills, just a solid, homestyle peach cobbler done right.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 5

I would have given 1 star simply because the Mac & Cheese is spicy. Who serves spicy mac and cheese at a family restaurant? 🙄 Mac and cheese should cater to the palates of children but this one does not. Service was okay. Lady that helped me was nice, but another rep I asked about their hours was rude, told me next time to look at the door. So I'll remember that when even consider going back to Ray's, to look at the door and remember not to enter.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 2

Catfish and shrimp my sister was it was too salty. I feel like I wasted $20 on a meal that I have to continually scrape off the matter.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

Bad experience. I believe I had food poisoning and will not go back.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 2

Recommended dishes: Loaded Stuffed Brisket Baked Potato

I’ve eating here a few times, but I never made it here on a Thursday and I wanted to try to smoked ox tails. No, I’ve been two or three times prior on a Thursday hoping to get oxtails, but they were sold out so you have to go early but anyway, usually the food’s always really good. I always write it in the top five of my barbecue spots in Houston. Yesterday I went early they had oxtails so I ordered oxtails mac & cheese beans, fried corn, brisket, and spicy rice. I spent about $70 and I had a carrot cake. I was so let down this visit. Confirmed to me that the food is inconsistent and I was so let down.
The carrot cake was all right. It was sweet. Oh I had sweet tea. Also it was a weird taste. I think it was sweet tea with lemon. It was nasty. I got the oxtails. They were dry, super dry and not that tender either. the brisket was terrible, no seasoning, dry, tough, like a pencil eraser. I was really heartbroken because usually it’s good tender and seasoned well.
The mac & cheese was awesome. It was really good.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Loaded Stuffed Brisket Baked Potato, Salad, Fried Corn on The, Cake, Baked Potatoes

OVERRATED! ....The meat has no good or seasoned flavor (link or sausage) and they need to work on that BBQ sauce (it tastes like bought it from a metal can @ krogger)

Definitely not what it used to be, and the little black girl with glasses taking orders had a terrible attitude. Talked to me like I was her child, Talking with her hands, grabbing her forehead as if having a nervous breakdown because i asked question about menu. Maybe overworked. I left her to have her Zoloft episode. Done with this place.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 1

Very good 👌

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Experience/Environment: Pretty good. Enough seating in dinning area. Pretty popular place as dinning area was full, the line was long (but didn’t take too long to order), and there were people coming to pick up as well.

Price: Average. Not inexpensive but not outrageous.

Food: Catfish was good, shrimps were big. Barbecue sauce was not my preference so that was disappointing for me. It had a strong cinnamon taste. I think the batter on the corn on a cob did too, so that was sad lol. But if you’re into it, you’ll love it!

Service: Basic. Limited. lol. You order, they bring you the food. But there really isn’t any interaction or checking in.

Thank me later ;) Smile, eat, hydrate. Live honest and don’t settle. Hope to see you out there! xo

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

the food here is always exceptional, but the service I received Sat. was pitiful, mainly from the pickup person. The young lady never acknowledged my presence in front of her for 2 minutes and ignored me once I asked for my meal. please do better rays before you start losing loyal customers

Service: 2

Food is great, but its very overpriced, you get 5 oxtails with lil meat on them. Feels like a ripoff. Give better portions pls.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Pork ribs were delicious, however the brisket had way too much fat on it for me.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: BBQ

Customer service and food has gotten worse over time. Just look at who’s cooking in the kitchen. They can barely keep workers. I will not be back.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

FIRST TIME EVER AT RAYS WAS RECOMENDED BY A COWORKER AND WAS A TOTAL FAILED !! WASTED 40 DOLLARS THE MAC N CHEESE HAD NO FLAVOR ASKED FOR 3 MEAT PLATE MOIST CUT BRISKET N ONLY PUT ONE SLICE MOIST ONTOP THE REST WAS LEAN N DRY NO TASTE ONLY GOOD THING WAS DIRTY RICE AND HOMEMADE SAUSAGE .. THE CASHIERS WILL GIVE THEIR BACK AT ALL TIMES ONLY GOOD SERVICE CAME FROM THE CASHIER IN REGISTER 1 THE SHORTY LADY THATS IT NEVER AGAIN!!! ALSO HURD A CUSTOMER ASKING THE MANAGER A QUESTION AND SHE ANSWER DRY AND VERY UGLY FOR A BLACK OWNED RESTAURANT AND A STAFF LIKE THIS IS TOTALLY DISCUSTING

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 3

Service: 1