Ray's Waterfront - Seward

We ate here at our first night in seward and arrived early there because it was long after 18 o'clock. this is a very touristy opposite, extremely busy, loud and too expensive for what they get. in the following night we went over the road to eat at a place and had a good meal without waiting. we had the crab cake that was good, but not the best I ever had. my wife had a steak and kartoffel that was good and I also had fish and chips that were good. we sat at the window, so we had good use of the harbour. the personal seemed to be in a hurry to turn tables and move people as quickly as possible. there are other possibilities with less cost, including a mile to the south towards the small city.

AWFUL!! Everything on my plate was cold and dry. The halibut was tough and dry and tasteless. My wife's salmon was inedible. Even worse than mine. Never again.

We went to Ray's with a friend from the cruise we had just been on. We are all used to Fine Dining in Expensive Restaurants, but Ray's is more like an average dining, expensive restaurant. We started with cocktails, which were probably the best part of the meal and were not overly expensive $14-16 apiece). The appetizers roasted garlic very good) and a dozen oysters were good, but not fine dining quality except the prices of $16 and $40, respectively. Oysters were pretty tasteless and very small for the price. Our entrees were all fresh fish, which was overcooked and overly seasoned. We had a blue cheese sauce for the halibut, which overpowered the fish. Not a fan. Save your money, go to the grocery store, and prepare your own meal. I am sure you can do better.

We arrived in Seward and asked some locals to recommend the best seafood restaurant in the area Rays was endorsed enthusiastically. It was lunchtime and the restaurant was full but after a short wait we were seated at a window table with views across the harbour and the mountains beyond. The windows were open probably ventilating in the recently post Covid world. A good idea but the restaurant was a little chilly with the breeze through the windows, so recommend taking a fleece or a few layers to keep warm whilst eating. The unforeseen consequence of this is the food cools more quickly on the plate, so ended up eating with more haste than I would have preferred. The menu is limited and seafood focused. The salmon and halibut dishes were very good and flavoursome. The service was friendly and the views impressive. An enjoyable visit.

Summary: Service great, some of the dishes were fantastic. Pros: Calamari (not shown) was brilliant with a beautiful spice on it, 5/5. Creamy Seafood Linguine had a little too much thyme for my pleasure, but a solid 4/5. Crab cakes were great, fresh and crispy 5/5. Halibut fish and chips were solid, the frits have a nice broken claw, and the Koleslaw was surprisingly well balanced 4.5/5. Seafood knower (not shown) looks rough, but tastes great 4.5/5. Cool decor and great views of the small marina. Above-average service with friendly waitress and fairly rapid fulfillment of food orders. Cons: expensive (but this is Seward) Total: I have held back 5 stars as I think that should be reserved for places you really blow away with the combination of food, service and value. This is a fantastic restaurant and I would definitely come back, but I wouldn't say this is one of a kind of place.