Some people who like it a lot say they can't understand the negative reviews.
I often wonder about that too. Could be the food is really just hit or miss, who knows.
Benjamin Restaurant & Bar
Categories:
American (Traditional),
Pizza
603 2nd Ave(between 33rd St & 34th St)
New York, NY 10016
Neighborhoods: Midtown East, Murray Hill, Kips Bay
(212) 889-0750
- Nearest Transit Station:
-
33 St. (4, 6, 6X)28 St. (4, 6, 6X)Grand Central - 42 St. (7, 7X)
- Hours:
- Mon-Thu 11:30 am - 12 amFri 11:30 am - 1 amSat 11 am - 1 am
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
- $$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
83 reviews for Benjamin Restaurant & Bar
Review Highlights What's this?
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"...dessert was phenomenal ( brownie sundae, key lime pie, or cheesecake." In 5 reviews -
"Pistachio crusted rack of lamb with tomato cous cous." In 7 reviews -
"Cinnamon and Cocoa Dusted Duck Breast." In 5 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
83 reviews in English
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Review from Akash P.
Hollis, NYPORK CHOPS WITH THAT SWEET SAUCE AMAZING.
First tried this place after getting a groupon. Went back twice after that. Service is regular, food is amazing and feel is family like.
Its like mamas cookin' and the prices aren't that bad either.
Cheers -
Review from GarGuPi L.
Flushing, NYWith over 3,500 restaurants just on this small island (http://traveltips.usatod…), keeping a restaurant afloat is almost a miracle. How many times have you seen a new storefront hang their banners, then within a year goes dark? Yet like daisies and the relentless business savvy entrepreneurs and restaurateurs, new ones never fail to take over empty spaces, renovate (or gut out) the interiors, and present new ideas and dishes. And us New Yorkers' palates are almost always forgiving, willing to try something new.
So for Benjamin Restaurant to stay in business for the past three decades must mean it is doing something 'right'. Although there's no bells and whistles about this place, everything on the menu is very 'safe', apparently a big no-no on Top Chef contests, but sometimes we eat out of comfort, not to be wow or surprised. Humans, afterall, tend to be creatures of habit.
So there sits Benjamin, just a good ol' typical American bar situated on a corner locale in Murray Hill. You see lots of regulars dining inside, either chilling over a bottle of beers at the bar counter or grabbing a bite at the tables. There will always be bar foods on the menu, running from buffalo wings, fried calamari, and sliders. Then there's the sandwiches and entrée salads, pizza, and to raise the culinary level up a notch, there will always be grilled fish, steaks, yet always paired with some form of starch, whether it's the creamy mashed potatoes or the more saint-like option of steamed vegetables.
I love to brunch at a bar. A bar has sort of a bipolar personality - at night it's rowdy, boisterous, and lawless, the daytime is the total opposite of being demure, calm, and almost innocent. Skipping the 'brunchy' restaurants in favor of a bar is my secret to a quiet weekend. However, our sole waitress was overworked as she had only server there, though there's a busser to assist her. We enjoyed our afternoon with a basic garden salad (with the sadly mealy tomatoes), a plate of fried calamari with pesto and spicy tomato sauce (bready, but as expected), a bit dried out grilled salmon filet sided with a scooped of mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables and a sirloin steak entree. The main disappointment is the vegetables. Carrot sticks and cucumber slices should not be the only varieties. And cucumber? Squash would've been a better choice, but of course, the former is more economic for the owner. While the proteins were the star, I felt the vegetables once again have become the ugly-duckling, again. For dessert, mom chose pecan pie. Most likely not homemade, the nuts were abundance, but the caramel bottom was too excessive. It served more like the glue for the nuts to the crust. Just eat around the it before you experience tooth decay.
Overall, we had a fine time there. It is just a neighbor joint, like everyone knows your name if you go there often enough. Not a destination restaurant, but having a regular face on the block all the time is a very comforting feeling.-
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Pecan pie
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Review from Justine J.
Philadelphia, PAFood = 2
Service = 3
So the bacon was the worst I have ever had. Today is the day I learned that you really can screw up bacon. It was a weird brown color and completely flat. It seems like they put the bacon on a press so it'll cook faster. It also tastes really strange. You know those bacon bits you put on salad at the salad bar? It's shitty versions of those. So stay away from their bacon.
The truffle Mac and cheese ($11) was small - like the size or a standard cup of soup. It was very filling though. I got a little worried when they brought it out when I saw how tiny it was, but it filled me up so it got the job done temporarily. Not the best I have had, but it was average.
The service was good though, saving this place from a two star. Our service was nice and timely. She may have not been that helpful in advice and/or recommendation, she still tried. I've encountered many servers who half ass their responses. -
Review from Matt F.
Manhattan, NYTwo and half but not quite 3
But I'll be generous and give a 3
Rack of lamb was good. Little overdone but quality of cut helped save it. Service was ok. I went out of convenience. There was no atmosphere but it was a Monday.
No bread while you wait for your food. Just as well I suppose -
Review from Scott S.
New York, NYNew menu doesn't help the incredibly slow service, loud smoky environment, and messed up pricing. Got the wrong food, overcharged for meal items, had to wait for food (which was the wrong order - lucky we do not have seafood allergies as we were served seafood ravioli instead of the cheese we ordered). Matzo ball soup was flavorless, both soups were burning hot. Messed up meal came after everyone was finished eating and was half-cooked. This place is no longer a good option for a decent meal. Horrible service, not even an apology for the mess-up. One f-ed up experience. Now we understand the B rating. Go somewhere else. -
Review from Alyssa B.
Midtown East, Manhattan, NYThe mussels with white wine sauce was definitely our favorite. We also got the calamari appetizer which was pretty standard. The leg of lamb special with puréed sweet potatoes was delicious however the Cajun swordfish was mediocre at best. Overall pretty satisfied with this place. Service was good and pretty quick and you got a 10% discount if you pay in cash. -
Review from Emily L.
Copiague, NYThis place should have a much higher rating. I always find the food delicious. There was a period of time when I ordered from here almost every day and I was never disappointed. I particularly love the cobb salad and the roasted chicken. -
Review from John W.
New York, NYReturned here recently...had a great experience overall, maybe just a bad day for everyone previously...1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/1/2008
Food was great, as were the prices; server thought he had a "sense of humor" and chose to be abusive… Read more »
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6/1/2008
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Review from Basile V.
Kips Bay, Manhattan, NYNot really good -
Review from Art L.
Benjamin Restaurant and Bar located on the corner of 33rd and 2nd Avenue is very close to the AMC Kips Bay movie theatre. I have always walked by past it's very large windows and always see many customers by its windows. I finally got a chance to try and saw that there was a bar (to the right and seating at the center and along the windowed side that extends down 33rd Street. We chose the window seating. Although this area is tight and smallish, the dining room had a very European ambiance, with wooden colored walls and dim lighting.
We ordered the Garden Salad, Teriyaki Glazed Ahi Tuna, and the Rack of Lamb. All of these items were excellent. The we ordered the garden salad with balsamic Vinaigrette. it was pleasing to see that this salad was really made for two. There was a nice balance of greens and it was not served too cold. We asked for two smaller dishes and the waiter obliged.
The teriyaki glazed tuna was excellent. We had this medium rare and it was done that way with the pink only showing in a small middle section. The string bean tempura that was served with it was done well and still had some snappiness to the bite. The best thing about this dish was the glaze. I expected a heavy teriyaki glaze, but to my surprise the glaze was almost dry, but you could still taste the teriyaki sauce. I don't know how they did it but it enhanced the dish and made it not heavy.
Finally we had the Rack of Lamb. As I recall, we had 3 or 4 lamb ribs, which were done rare. The crust was crusty but the star of this show was indeed the lamb, which was excellent quality. In another pleasant surprise the couscous had amazingly good flavor. Normally, I'm used to the variety that is made in chicken broth, but at Benjamin's they add something to it that makes it so much better.
As for the service, it was attentive and reasonably paced. My dinner date noted that the music was at a nice level, enabling conversation. I felt it was very Starbucks-like, but it did make for a relaxing atmosphere. All in all, this is a good place for couples to go to before catching a movie at the AMC. -
Review from Joe K.
Manhattan, NYGreat bar food and great happy hour specials -
Review from Mike B.
I'm not sure why it has a bunch of low marks. the missus and I went here the other night for dinner before going to the movies and we enjoyed the food.
the menu is somewhat upscale pub food, which is a plus. I may be a cheapskate sometimes, but when it comes to food I am always willing to pay a little more for better quality grub.
the grilled pork chops were excellent. they had an apple and cranberry glaze, which was delicious. very little fat in the chops and the grill marks left a nice smoky bite to them. it came with sweet potato fries and some other vegetables. the sweet potato fries were kind of odd - the batter came off them, though they were cooked. hmm. anywho, for about 18 bucks, the portions were good and the quality was definitely up there.
the interior of this place is sweet: dark wooden bar and dim lights.
I'd go back. average pricing, good food, and some decent beers on draft (Goose Island!) add up to a solid pub in my book. -
Review from David W.
Murray Hill, Manhattan, NYCame here and used a groupon. Garden sald was good, coconut shrimp was excellent, entrees were solid and key lime pie was good. Service was fine and atmosphere was cozy. Overall, it was a nice dining experience but I probably would only come back with a Groupon. -
Review from Maria O.
Brooklyn, NYThis was another date night restaurant the hubby and I were able to afford because of the wonders of local deal sites. We came here to celebrate the last day of work before a week-long vacation and were in a particularly good mood between that and the few beers we had enjoyed with our coworkers beforehand. That said, we were hoping to really like this place, because the servers were super friendly and the service was perfectly paced, but the food just didn't impress as much as we'd hoped.
We started with the sesame crusted tuna and caesar salad. The tuna was yummy but the dipping sauce is to be used sparingly! The caesar salad was a caesar salad. No frills or fancy greens here. I had veal sorrentino, a special, for my entree and the hubs had the pan roasted duck breast. Both were decent though not particularly memorable. Dessert was key lime pie which again, was decent.
Benjamin's is pretty out-of-the-way for us, so we probably won't be coming back, but I'm glad we gave it a try. -
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