Fa-Ray’s Family Restaurant in Barberton is like dining with friends | Local Flavor
Fa-Ray’s Family Restaurant makes me smile.
With its good food, cheerful staff and casual atmosphere, it’s like visiting friends for a home-cooked meal.
The Barberton restaurant, a local institution for nearly 75 years, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week at 1115 Wooster Road N.
My wife, Susie, and I hadn’t been there in quite some time, but we were treated like family when we had dinner the other night. You get the feeling that no customer is a stranger at Fa-Ray’s.
Lebanese Americans Joe and Emmeline Boshara opened the restaurant in 1949 as a drive-in with carhops on roller skates. Specialties included chicken, fish, shrimp, coney dogs, chili and ice cream.
“It Always Tastes Good at Fa-Ray’s!” the advertisements pledged.
Origin of Fa-Ray’s name
I had long assumed the place was named for “King Kong” actress Fay Wray, but its meaning is more personal than that. The Bosharas combined the names of their sons Fred and Ramon “Ray” to create “Fa-Ray’s.”
The founders passed the business to Ray and his wife, Liz, who turned it over to their son David Boshara. After expanding four times over the decades, the restaurant seats 180 guests and averages about 800 customers a day.
The two-section dining area is bright and clean with booths, tables and a half-circle counter with seven stools. The decor includes a giant sign from the original drive-in as well as photos of Lake Anna, Barberton Public Library, Anna Dean Farm, Lake 8 Movies and the statue of town founder O.C. Barber.
Local Flavor:The Enchanted Café in Barberton leaves us spellbound
We enjoyed the friendly banter between Fa-Ray’s servers and regular customers — many of whom were addressed by name.
“Hello!”
“You want a menu? I didn’t think so.”
“Here’s your coffee.”
“See you tomorrow?”
With more than 100 items, the menu might be a little overwhelming for newcomers: omelets, pancakes, paninis, combos, sandwiches, soups, salads, burgers, sides, appetizers, daily specials, pastas, chicken, fish, steak, dessert. It’s difficult to narrow it down.
“There’s a lot of stuff I like on here,” Susie said.
Our delightful server, Lexi, who has worked at Fa-Ray’s for six years, helped us navigate the menu, explained the specials and patiently answered all of our questions.
Here’s what we tried at Fa-Ray’s
It was a cold night so I started with a cup of chicken dumpling soup ($4.59), but after the first spoonful, I regretted not ordering a bowl. The hot, savory concoction teemed with meat, dumplings, carrots and celery. I ate it so fast that I felt a little sad when it was gone. Hopefully, no one saw me pick up the cup and slurp the last drops.
For the main course, I ordered a meatloaf dinner ($11.49), which Fa-Ray’s makes fresh daily. I had hankered for meatloaf all winter, and this dish was calling my name. Lexi asked if I wanted gravy. Yes, please.
Two giant slabs, smothered in brown gravy, arrived on a white plate. The juicy, garlicky loaf was as comforting as it was filling. A man with a lesser appetite would have waved a white flag, but I found the inner fortitude to devour it all.
Dinners are served with a potato (baked, french fries, mashed, home fries, tater tots, potato salad) and a choice of coleslaw, cottage cheese, applesauce, vegetable of the day or hot rice.
I ordered hot rice, Barberton’s famous side dish, and decided that Fa-Ray’s zesty-tomatoey version is among the best I’ve had. For my potato, I selected home fries, served hot, crispy, salted and sliced as thin as chips. They were tasty on their own, but I swished some around in the leftover gravy for extra flavor.
For her meal, Susie ordered a Western Burger ($7.69): two beef patties topped with American cheese, barbecue sauce and an onion ring, served on a golden bun with lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles on the side.
“It hits the spot,” Susie said. “I’d get it again. It’s delicious.”
As a side, she ordered homemade onion rings ($4.39). A half-dozen, large, crunchy rings arrived on waxed paper in a plastic basket. She asked for a side of ranch dressing and contentedly munched away.
A banana split for dessert
Sure, it’s winter, but we couldn’t resist having Hershey’s ice cream for dessert. Fa-Ray’s offers an ice cream window during warm months and serves scoops, sundaes and eight kinds of banana splits all year.
We split a split.
We ordered a Cookie Monster banana split ($4.89), which is served with one scoop of cookies ’n’ cream, one scoop of cookie dough, sliced bananas, chocolate syrup, whipped cream and maraschino cherries.
Oh, gosh, was it good. So sweet and chocolatey.
“This is definitely the cherry on the top of an enjoyable dinner,” Susie said.
My wife should be in advertising.
With tax and beverages, our total bill came to $35.28, not including tip.
For the first time in history, the Boshara family is not involved in Fa-Ray’s Family Restaurant. David Boshara turned over the business in January to a group of four regular customers who dine at the Barberton landmark with their families.
Our advice to the new owners: Don’t change a thing.
Fa-Ray’s is fa-raybulous the way it is.
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com.
Details
Place: Fa-Ray’s Family Restaurant
Address: 1115 Wooster Road N., Barberton
Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day
Services: Dine in or carry out
More info: 330-745-6091 or http://www.farays.com/
Local Flavor:Great Oaks Tavern is great fun in Wadsworth
More:Memories of Tangier: Ed George wonders what to do with memorabilia
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Fa-Ray’s Family Restaurant in Barberton is like dining with friends
