Ray's Shanty

Arrived right at 4pm on a Friday(Oct) and within 10 min all table were occupied. Food was delightful! Crab cake was very good, fries shrimp was yummy , hush puppies were scrumptious and Coleslaw was great! Our waitress, Diane, was so sweet and attentive! Worth the short drive off the island to eat there! Strongly recommend trying this gem!

The décor is “nice,” but it’s also random and does nothing to cover up the bigger issues here. My party of two agreed to sit at the back bar to avoid the wait for a table, and we instantly regretted it. Our seats were surrounded by staff clutter—personal coffee cups from dunkin, water bottles, and even a Sonic cup parked right in front of me like it belonged there. I attempted to discreetly take a picture of all the clutter but only managed to get the sonic cup in one of my pictures. From where we sat, we also had a perfect view of the kitchen, which looked like an absolute disaster zone, and immediately made me question the cleanliness and care being put into the food. That alone should’ve been a red flag. Because of the lack of cleanliness, I decided to play it safe and ordered a hotdo

It did take a while to get seated, not holding that against them because they were very busy. Just prepare to wait. The inside is beautifully decorated and welcoming. Service was frustrating once seated though. They forgot our silverware, our cups were empty for a while a well. We had ordered Halibut and it was undercooked. It took a while to get a server to take them back. Food was great though.

UPDATE/EDIT: They have the best crab cakes i have ever had! Of course we had to stop in again after we were so happy with our meal the other day. A little pressed for time today so only did a dish each with no apps. I had the broiled crab cakes and wow! Chock full of crab! My boyfriend got the blackened swordfish and practically inhaled it. We were so happy to have the same waitress again! Denise is welcoming and attentive. We can't wait til our next visit to ESVA! What a phenomenal meal! My boyfriend and I shared an appetizer of drum ribs which were lightly fried and so tender! I ordered the broiled scallop platter that came with 3 hushpuppies, coleslaw, and a garden salad - fantastic! My scallops were broiled beautifully. Like candy 😋 My boyfriend got a beautiful and generous piece of b

Found this place on the way home from Virginia Beach. I’m glad that we stopped here. The food was really good and the price is very reasonable. The service was excellent. They brought the food very fast. The steamed shrimp was very fresh, cooked perfectly and huge size of shrimp. The soft shell crab was so big and delicious. In addition, the price is very reasonable. I should’ve had 2 of those 😁the clam strip was really good too. I like the fresh cut French fries that come with it. I definitely go back here when I’m in the area.