{budget}fab*

va bites: ray’s hell burger

Posted on 04. Jun, 2009 by dara in socialite

A few weeks back, Mr. President himself made an unannounced visit to Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington, VA. Prior to his visit, I hadn’t heard of Ray’s, although it appears to be an Arlington favorite. That same week, I received my issue of Food Network magazine only to discover that chef extraordinaire Bobby Flay was giving his 411 on the Best Burgers across the country. And guess what Virginia’s best burgers was….yep, you’ve got it, none other than Ray’s Hell Burger.

With that said, the coincidences were just too much…I had to pay this place a visit. Ray’s is located in a small strip of retail stores and doesn’t have a sign across the front. Not even signs claiming that the President had visited! These guys were all too humble. After driving past it once, we quickly parked and entered. The atmosphere is laid back with handwritten signs and double-sided menus printed on copy paper. There are “rules” to how Ray’s works. You place your order, are given a number and then stand around and wait for it to arrive. While you’re waiting, if you’re planning to dine inside of Ray’s (which is teeny tiny) you’re anxiously awaiting a table to open up. One of the rules was that you cannot stake your claim on a table until after you’ve ordered, this allows others who have food or food on the way to eat and then move before your food arrives.

 I got a Cajun blackened burger and cheesy tots. For four people, who each got burgers, tots, and drinks, our total was approximately $40. At $10 a person, that’s surely {budget}fab! I do have a tip though, the cheesy tots are definitely large enough to share so I would recommend getting one order per 2- 3 people. The burgers are HUGE so you won’t be able to eat the entire burger and all of the cheesy tots.

Tags: arlington, best burgers, president obama, ray's hell burger, va, va burgers, va restaurants