Friday, October 4, 2013

Ben and Jack's Steakhouse- near Flatiron

People who like steakhouses REALLY like them

Most Yelper's like this place very much with of course some complaints

Ben & Jack's Steakhouse

3.5 star rating
89 reviews Rating Details
Category: Steakhouses  [Edit]
255 5th Ave
(between 28th St & 29th St)
New York, NY 10016
Neighborhood: Flatiron
(212) 532-7600
Make a Reservation
Nearest Transit Station:
28 St. (N, R)
28 St. (4, 6, 6X)
33 St. (4, 6, 6X)
Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 am - 11 pm
Fri 11 am - 11 pm
Sat 12 pm - 11 pm
Sun 12 pm - 10:30 pm
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Price Range:
$$$
Parking:
Street
Attire:
Casual
Good for Groups:
Yes
Good for Kids:
No
Takes Reservations:
Yes
Delivery:
No
Take-out:
Yes
Waiter Service:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
Yes
Good For:
Dinner
Alcohol:
Full Bar
Noise Level:
Average
Ambience:
Classy
Has TV:
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes
Yan T. said: "This place is a hot mess of mixed identities and I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more 10 years ago (that was the average age of the patrons), but they've got good beers and the spicy okra and prawn po boy kind of hit the spot…" read more »

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89 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 6 friends
    • 23 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    8/16/2013 1 photo
    The Knights of the Round-belly Table were long overdue for a meal together, so we decided to cross Ben & Jack's off of our list. Initially our intentions were to indulge in the pairings available for Restaurant Week, however, there weren't enough meat options so to the regular menu we went.

    On our table we had: a Porterhouse for Two, 3 Ribeyes, cream of spinach, and German potatoes.  Needless to say, there was a good 15 minutes of silence at our table before someone took a breathe to comment on the food. Everyone was satisfied with the cut, cook, and flavor of their steak and we all agree that the steakhouse deserved a check-mark for good eats.

    Honorable mention to our server, Milot, who was so pleasant and attentive.
    • Get in my belly!!
  • Review from

    • 71 friends
    • 8 reviews
    New York, NY
    8/10/2013
    Highly Recommended. I've been to this restaurant two separate times and both times were equally consistent with the excellent quality of the food and service.  The staff is friendly and helpful without being overly intrusive throughout your meal.

    As you walk towards the kitchen of the restaurant you can smell the steaks being cooked and you cannot help from getting excited with anticipation about your upcoming meal.

    Right on par with some of the best steakhouses in NYC.
  • Review from

    Las Vegas, NV
    7/27/2013 3 photos 1 check-in here
    Ben & Jack's is by no means a bad NYC steakhouse, but it didn't provide the wow factor that I had at another Midtown steakhouse the last time I was in town.

    I came in for restaurant week, and for $38 I received a bacon appetizer, filet mignon medallions, and cheesecake.  The bacon appetizer was not half as tasty as the same dish from the other restaurant, so that left me disappointed.  The filet was good, and had a decent sauce and also came with mashed potatoes and broccoli.    Cheesecake slice was small but was ok, nothing amazing.  Again, all the food was good but nothing jumped off the plate as amazing.

    What really bummed us out was the service.  We had a 7:30pm reservation and had to wait quite a bit for our table.  The owner invited us to sit in the bar and had a drink, so it was a bit of a letdown when they put our $8.25 Blue Moons on our tabs.  It was implied that the owner was going to buy us the drinks, so we felt a little cheated.

    Then the entire meal was rushed.  Waiters were on top of us wanting to take our order and bring our courses.  I know RW is not a huge moneymaker, but it should be a showcase of how good your restaurant is.  If the service is always like this, then this place is worse than I think.  I imagine they're just trying to turn over customers for RW, and that's just missing the point.

    Somehow the check just appeared after dessert before we had the choice of coffee/tea that was on the RW menu.  We were over it by that point so we paid our check and left.  Probably overtipped for the service we received, too. :(
    • Filet mignon medallions
    • Bacon appetizer
    • Cheesecake
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 11 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    9/10/2013
    Ate here for restaurant week with a couple of friends back in June.  Service was very mediocre, we were seated when our whole party was there but then sat for about 15-20min before anyone paid attention to us.  We had to ask for menus and water, while a large party next to us was heavily attended to.  Eventually we ordered and the food was good.  Nothing spectacular to write home about, it's a good quality steakhouse in NYC and the prices on the regular menu seemed fairly normal.  

    The restaurant was packed with what seemed to be a lot of families or businessmen and some tourists.  Not sure I'd go back there during non restaurant week times.  It was just ok, nothing special.
  • Review from

    Greenwich Village, Manhattan, NY
    7/26/2013 1 check-in here
    Went here with my brother and friend for restaurant week, arrived to a 7:30 PM reservation and had to wait 15 minutes (no big deal..), got sat down. The waiter upon hearing we were there for restaurant week, seemed to take less of an interest in us. Got a basic starter salad, sirloin steak ordered medium that arrived medium-rare (not a huge deal either), all though the steak was quite good. Ended with some quality cheese cake. Decor was typical for a steak house in the area, an upper level has private tables with a bathroom. Overall an OK experience due to the terse server, food was above average.
  • Review from

    • 42 friends
    • 20 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    8/9/2013 1 photo
    My friends and I came here for Restaurant Week because the menu was worth is for the $35 dinner. The RW menu had 12 oz steak, which was pretty good. We couldn't finish our plate though because the portions were humongous.
    • 12 oz steak (medium to well done)
  • Review from

    Hoboken, NJ
    4/14/2013 1 check-in here
    So it's Ben and Jack's...you can never go wrong, but I felt that this past experience and my first trip to this location didn't live up to my first visit to the 44th St. location, which is closed for renovations. They actually had us in their system as 44th customers, and were quick to greet us as such when we got there.

    We don't deviate too much when we go to a steakhouse, so we got our usual of bacon and a porterhouse for two, cooked black and blue. The bacon was delicious as always, but the steak wasn't quite cooked correctly. No charring on the outside (which makes up the "black" part of a black and blue) and the steak was more medium rare than rare. It was still good, but not as good as my previous experience at the 44th St. location.

    The service was sloooow, especially towards the end. We weren't in a rush, but we were clearly sitting around for awhile before we were brought the check.

    Not sure if this was an off night, or if things in general just don't match the other location.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 1 review
    New York, NY
    7/8/2013 Seated via OpenTable
    I brought a group of 10 to B&J's for a business dinner.  Most of the guests were international colleagues for whom English is a second language.  I felt that the staff was incredibly accommodating and did everything they could to make my guests welcome and comfortable.  The food was great too!
  • Review from

    Voorhees Township, NJ
    2/4/2013 1 photo 1 check-in here
    The last time I dined at Ben & Jack's was for my birthday years ago at the 44th Street location. Fast-forward a few years and Ben & Jack's once again is the location for another birthday celebration. Due to the renovations closing down the 44th street location it was the 5th Avenue location this time around.

    While waiting for the remainder of my party to arrive, we ordered wine for the table, and I started my night with a good old fashion Manhattan; I think that is a classic steak house drink. The wine was right and the cocktail was nice. The rest of the party arrives so now it's time to get down to the important stuff, food. Since everyone was in anticipation of Ben & Jack's steak, my wife was the only one that ordered an appetizer, clams on the half shell.

    The food portions here are enormous. I shared the steak for two with my wife. My older brother ordered a steak for three for him and his boys, and my younger brother a filet mignon. You expect the steaks to be huge but since we had a couple of non-steak eaters at the table, I was able to witness the size of some of the other entrees available at Ben & Jacks. The lamb chops, which were ordered by my Mother, is definitely an entrée meant to share with another individual.  My sister in-law ordered the chicken parmigiana. Her entrée was also a portion fit for a king.

    I didn't have the opportunity to try the chicken-parm. The lamb chops were cooked and seasoned properly. There was nothing really special about the side dishes; fact is they are no different than the sides at some other steakhouse, and I have had much better. The steaks are delicious. They were cooked exactly as we requested. There was a nice char on the outside with a juicy medium interior. I wasn't really enthusiastic about the deserts. The apple strudel would have been better if it was served a little warm. It was cold, and didn't really taste any different from something you would see in the desert cabinet at your local dinner.

    Overall everyone in my party enjoyed the  dining experience. Even though the steak was good, Ben & Jack's does not make my list of top five steak houses, and BLT Steak is still my favorite place in NY. That does not mean I will not return.
    • Apple Strudel and my Manhattan.
  • Review from

    Leonia, NJ
    1/8/2013 1 photo 1 check-in here
    Lunch Review:

    Got the french onion soup.  The soup was traditional, served up in the crock pot. Cheese was Very soft and super creamy and was not burned onto the sides of crock pot as I feel it should be.  Broth and onions in it were good but far and few between.  Overall this was just a typical meh french onion soup.  Would skip it next time.

    Ordered the filet mignon sandwich.  Regret not getting the Kobe burger or one of the monstrous sizzling steaks on a hot plate.  Three of us all ordered the same sandwich.  One rare,  One medium rare,  One medium well.  All of the sandwiches came out medium rare.  what gives.

    The sandwiches came out with vegetables on them (lettuce/tomato)  that was unexpected, didn't think it would be any thing else besides juicy meat on this sandwich.  And the meat to bread ratio was too much bread for the amount of meat.

    The bread was well.  Very crunchy and toasty.  Could have used a nice healthy side of au jus on it or to dip it in.  That would have done wonders for this sandwich.  Instead I resorted to dipping it in there own Steak sauce.  Which i might add was pretty darn good esp if you like horse radish.

    Overall I enjoyed this sandwich but for 40$ there are better things to be eating.  The waiter scoffed at me when i asked for ketchup for the french fries.  His exact words were "american ketchup?"  I reply yea...... what other kind of ketchup is there.

    Plus one star for the man who came in with the crumb scraper at the end of our meal.
    • fillet mignon sandwich
  • Review from

    • 56 friends
    • 130 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    1/28/2013 1 photo 10 check-ins here
    A hop, skip and jump away from my office.... I love this spot.

    We went here a few weeks ago and accidentally they got rid of my leftovers.  The manager was so upset. They got us extra drinks and cooked me a fresh steak to take home.  It was so unnecessary and absolutely amazing service. They were supremely apologetic.

    So we came here just last week and it was restaurant week. We were 6 people without reservations.  It was packed. But the Manager recognized us and gave us a private room upstairs.

    What can I say, I love this place...

    My faves on the menu:
    Bacon Strip
    Oysters
    French onion soup
    Steak Porterhouse for 3 or 4
    Mashed potatoes
    Steamed broccoli
    Mushrooms

    For dessert, I like the pecan pie.

    Now, the drinks here are heavy handed. So don't be shocked if you get tipsy quick.  And the beer is served is a frozen/frosted mug.

    So for a steak lover like myself, it is simply heaven.

    I'll be a regular here in no time.
    • French onion. Yummy.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 7 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    8/26/2013
    Overall normal good NYC steak house.  The bar menu is what brings me back (that and I live practically across the street).  Love their steak sandwich, possibly one of the best in New York :-)
  • Review from

    New York, NY
    12/3/2012
    I haven't had a steak this good since my first time at Luger's.

    I came here with some MEN after downing about 7 free scotches at the Macallan event at the Altman building on Friday.  What a better way to top a night of scotch drinking than by eating 5 lbs of dry aged meat.  There is no better way.  There is no other way.  It had to be done and I'm glad we chose Ben & Jack's to do it.

    This place is not your trendy STK/Striphouse type place.  The lights are bright enough where I can see the other people at my table and more importantly, my steak.  It's where MEN come to get fat and don't have to worry about some hooah bothering you when you have steak juice dripping down your face.  And the steaks walk the walk.

    We started off with some baked clams and some bacon.  The bacon was unbelievable.  Perfectly fatty and meaty and not overcooked like some places do it.  The bacon here rivals those served Luger's.  We then got a porterhouse for 3 which was cooked perfectly rare as ordered.  It was slightly warm in the middle with a deep red color.  Just the right amount of seasoning where it was neither bland nor oversalted.  Some places season their meat way too much (see Del Frisco's).  Naturally, we had the hash browns and creamed spinach as our sides.  The creamed spinach was fantastic but I still think Strip House has the best.

    Overall, I was pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed with how delicious the steak at Ben & Jack's was and I will most definitely be coming back.

    Tell your friends.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 5 reviews
    Vancouver, WA
    8/24/2013
    I came here during restaurant week and loved it. I almost cancelled my reservation after reading some of the reviews and I'm so glad I didn't. My waiter was amazingly nice and attentive. The Ben & Jacks martini was delicious. I had the green salad, salmon and cheesecake - amazing. They were such huge portions, I couldn't finish it all! I was genuinely pleased with this place and recommend the martini!

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