No one can really beat Ray's in the DC metro area. The burgers here are just that darn good, and everyone knows it. Even folks living in the District (like myself) make trips just to get some Hell Burger. It's not big, it's very unassuming, and if you don't know where you're going you can easily miss it. But when you're there, the vibe is bustling and the options are great - Ray's has many of their own versions of a regular hamburger, but you can get a classic one if you want. I'm a fan of The Mack, which is pretty close to a classic burger but with Ray's special sauce; the Let's Get it On is amazingly greasy with its sauteed vegetables. There is no hostess and you just sit wherever you can once you get your burger, but I've never waited more than 5 minutes for a table so it's never a problem. ...read more

Ray's Hell Burger is by far my favorite burger institution in the greater D.C. area and is the brain product the same chef and owner of Ray's Steaks (also a fantastic place to get your cred meat fix which I shall talk about later in a list not geared toward the cheaper eats). Ray's is the epitome of a restaurant that knows what it does well and sticks solely to that. I admire this in an eatery. My biggest pet peeve is when restaurants, businesses, people, etc... try to over extend themselves and instead of doing a handful of things well ends up doing a wide array of things poorly. Ray's Hell Burger excels at exactly what you would guess. Burgers. Good old fashion sirloin ground practically in front of you burgers.No matter how busy Ray's is (which is quite busy and quite often) I always get fantastic attention and care from the crew there and always a numero uno product. I'd give insight on what to order, but really you cant go wrong... definitely get a bigger burger and skip the fries if you do anything as the fries are good but nothing amazing... but do get the fresh homemade root beer they serve on draft as it is beyond worth it. And also DO bring cash as they are cash only; however, if you do forget they have an ATM in the back that has zero fees (nice of them) but your bank will no doubt hit you up with a couple buck surcharge and why deal with that when it can be easily avoided and instead place those extra couple of clams down for drinks later or snacks after your evening libations?! ...read more

One would be hard pressed to find a better burger for the money, and maybe at all. Ray's does away with frivolity - they weren't serving french fries when I moved to Courthouse in August - on its mission to deliver the best burgers around.\t\n\t\nComing in: Have a friend start looking for seats while you order.\t\nWhile in line: Grab a laminated menu off the wall and bone up on your topping choices. Be ready to unhinge your jaw if you get more than a couple.\t\nAfter ordering: Grab napkins. There's nothing neat about eating a hellburger.\t\n\t\nSome complain about the crowd. I see it as a testament to the Ray's experience.\t\n\t\n ...read more