Ray's Hell Burger

Skip fastfood, head to Ray's!. After hearing all of the hype regarding Ray's Hell Burger, I had to investigate the most talked about burger in the DMV. What I was not told was that Ray's Hell Burger is more of an experience than just your average burger place.

Upon entering the restaurant you may at first be overwhelmed by everything going on around you. Waiters passing by with burgers in their hand, yelling out numbers and squeezing between the crowded tables is a typical scene when arriving. Be prepared, you can only pay for your food in cash, however, they conveniently placed an ATM in the back for their customers. Surprisingly the staff is very friendly despite their hungry customers, crowded tables, and long lines.

When your food arrives you will be pleasantly surprised at the size of our burger. Personally I had to cut mine with a knife. just to dig in. Although I was a little shocked that ordering a burger MEDIUM was VERY pink, almost rare in portions, the taste was out of this world.

Ray's Hell Burger creates a twist on the American Classic, however, you may want to take a small crash course in ordering before diving in.…

The Best You'll Find Around on the American Classic. 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.…

Best burger in town. Washington has a paucity of places that take pride in making a great hamburger. And some of the best have only sprung up in the past couple years. One of the most anticipated openings was the 2008 debut of a burger shack in an otherwise nondescript commercial strip that happened to have housed the Hell(burger)-raising local favorite Ray’s Steaks. It’s not a patty; it’s a hunk of chopped chuck from the scraps of Ray’s prime cuts that makes you earn its taste by opening wide and wrap your jaws around a half-pound of seared flesh. Tender enough to chomp through it with ease but substantial enough to enjoy yourself doing it—and even hope it took a little longer as your taste buds soak up every ounce of the succulent juices. Though they still linger with every bite, I couldn’t put it down—because of the instant gratification it inspires and because it made because there was a pool of flavor still resting on my plate.

You’ll find better burgers, but you’d be hard-pressed to do it in this town. In a day that I read Hemingway and watched USA beat Canada at their own game, neither made me feel as proud to be an American as gorging on a half pound of prime beef. And neither made me feel as much a man. To put it one way, four paper towels later, the smell of my hands still made my mouth water. Though the Hellburger sparked a slew of competitors cashing in on the $7 burger movement, Ray’s is still on top until proven otherwise, flipping all attempted usurpers back to the grilling board.

Extras: Ray’s also supplies a wide range of drink options, from wine and Belgian beer Delirium Nocturnum (sister to the more celebrated Delirium Tremens) to root beer on draft and a variety of gourmet sodas perfect for an ice cream float—if you still have room.…

Makes even Virgina look appealing!. 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?!…