Ben's Place

I travel to Raleigh on a regular basis and always look forward to dinner at Bens Place. I stumbled upon this restaurant by accident one night coming in from the airport and now its a must whenever I'm in town. The food is excellent-- I'm never disappointed. I have noticed some turnover in staff lately but I think it is for the better-- more seasoned and professional. I highly recommend giving this place a try... Pros: food, service Cons: hard to find, need sign on 70 more

Nice family run restaurant with really good food. The chef's specials are exceptional. Staff are attentive and friendly. Refreshing change away from the chaos of Crabtree or Briar Creek... Pros: Food, variety of menu selections, comfortable setting, large patio Cons: limited vegetarian dishes more

Holy cow! Went this past tuesday. No waitress for almost 20 minutes then took almost an hour and a half to get our meal. About 45 minutes into waiting the waitress finally comes over and says they are backed up. Finally told way after they were short people. 2 or 3 of the owners./managers walked around the whole time and no one bothered to tell us that. Neither did they offer us any appetizers or free drinks or anything. Food finally arived at about 9:30 and half of it was cold like it was sitting around for awhile. I understand these things happen but they should have communicated the problem immediately instead of not telling anyone. talked to a bunch of other people there and they had the same problem. No one told them anything. I blame management for not being proactive and letting people know. Pros: none but this was first, maybe last time Cons: had 2 hr wait to get food. service non-existent more

On last visit, Bens was non-smoking, no more smoke around the bar, you can now breathe while having a good cold one or enjoying good food at the bar without worrying about if a smoker is next to you. The Blue Plate Monday specials are great. $10 plate of comfort food. We will go again next Monday. Pros: Good Food, Clean Restrooms Cons: Average Service more

The staff was very indifferent when we arrived (party of 4) for afterwork snacks and drinks. No smiles, no welcoming jestures- just plopped us in a booth and walked away. About 10 minutes later we finally were asked for our drink order. The beer selection is ok- nothing to brag about. Pros: Location Cons: Smokey/smelly atmosphere, below-average food, bad service more

In reference to the review entered before me, ""Mr. Mystery Tab""... I happened to be at Bens Place the first night this guy, Peter, claimed to have had a ""mystery tab"" (aka he drank too much the night before to remember anything). This guy actually pulled his pants down in the middle of the bar then flicked off and mooned the bartender. What a drunken idiot! A couple of weeks later, after being banned from the restaurant, Peter shows up to apologize. After promising never to behave that way again, the restaurant owners graciously allowed him to return as a customer. Obviously, we all know by now that was a mistake! Perhaps, the hundreds of dollars a week spent on booze would be the reason ""Mr. Mystery Tab"" cannot seem to remember when or if he pays his tab each night. Good riddance-- Pros: Food, service, friendly and comfortable environment more

Initially a neighborhood local. I LOVED the place. Spent more money in a month than I should have. All changed after one evening in early June 08. While enjoying dinner and beers with friends from out of state, Dan (owner's son)chased me down trying to collect a $17 tab from mid-April??? Keep in mind I had been going there three times a week since this mystery tab but some reason Dan decided he wanted to collect the $17 in June. Go figure. I promptly closed the existing tab ($150) paid the mystery $17 and never went back again.... HORRIBLE customer service!!!!! more

The Cheers of North Raleigh. Nice selection and good quality food. My favorites are the homemade hot chips and the grilled fish tacos. I strongly recommend both. The chips have a great mix of spice with the sauce and cool with the blue cheese. The grilled tacos come with a corn relish and a southwest sauce that add some flavor and spice. Ben's also has great outdoor seating. You should check it out. Pros: Great choice and food Cons: Service can be slow sometimes more

My husband and I started going to Bens Place several months ago. We love the food and the atmosphere is so comfortable and relaxing. It is great to have so many options on the menu. We usually stick to the pub grub but recently started trying the fancier entrees. Wow! Now we're hooked for sure. We highly recommend this place to anyone who has high standards about what they eat. I am extremely picky and have never been disappointed. The staff are very attentive and accomodating as well. Pros: comfortable atmosphere, food, service, live music on weekends Cons: nothing more

What a refreshing change from all the chain restaurants popping up all over Raleigh! A nice family owned restaurant with an interesting variety of clientelle. The food is incredible and the staff are very down to earth and eager to please. Once you try it, you'll love it. The specials are a must! I don't know what the person complaining about smoke is talking about... there is a large non-smoking section of the dining room separate from the bar area and a large patio with plenty of fresh air. I think some people have nothing better to do but complain about something. Bens Place is MY new favorite place-- Pros: food, food, food Cons: more people need to know about this place... what a find! more

We have been to Ben's off and on since it opened. Food is usually good, especially if weather permits and we can eat outside. Otherwise, the atmosphere is ""smoky"" to put it politely. Even in the ""non-smoking area"", which is like an afterthought off to the side, smoke still permeates. Tonight as rain was approaching, we chose to order takeout. Big mistake! Now remember, it's the end of May, we only live blocks away, and somehow what we did get of our order that was correct was luke warm and unappetizing. All condiments were left out of the orders. Buffalo wings had no blue cheese dressing, or any dressing for that matter! The Fish tacos had no southwestern dressing, and a few dry pieces of corn and beans. A side of spinach had been requested to be substituted for the fries, a pile of cold soggy fries were thrown on top of the tacos, very obvious they were not fresh. The calamari at least had the proper sauce, but were alas, cold and soggy. Again, we live blocks away and were there to pick up the order immediately after placing it. It seems there is a lack of concern or respect for anyone other than those who want to hang around the bar crowd and smoke. Service is usually just ok when we are there, take out is out of the question. I guess all we can say is Bye Ben's it's been only ok knowing you. We will most likely not be back. Pros: Parking Cons: Heavy Smoking, not attentive to orders more

Unfortunately, though the food was really good, their ventilation system does not remove smoke well at all! Thus the ""non-smoking"" room might as well be smoking, since the door is open to the bar area where smoking is obviously a big draw. I had called in advance to be sure we'd be able to avoid smoke, and was told we'd be in a separate room, ""with the doors closed."" On the day of our visit, I received a call to alert me that Tuesday is Trivia Night, and it would be busy (service might be a bit slow). Again, I questioned the smoke issue, and was once again assured the doors would be closed. THIS IS NOT TRUE!!! the manager's response to my complaint was a sullen shrug of his shoulders, with the response that he was ""sorry"" but that he couldn't close the door, since people would be in and out of the dining room all night. He even intimated that it was against the law??? Since my friends were not as bothered by the smoke as I was, we stayed for dinner. As I said at the beginning, the food was good, and the service was decent. HOWEVER, I'm still trying to clear the burning from my eyes, and it's been two hours since I left the place. Pros: good food Cons: smokey atmosphere, even in the ""non-smoking"" area more

I have been a regular at Ben's since it opened at the beginning of 2007. Don't get me wrong the food is always good, especially the quesidillias, steak, and just about everything else. One of my complaints is that the service has gone downhill since two of their head waiters have either left or been fired. These guys knew our names and treated us like one of the guys. The wait staff now is very inexperienced and impersonal. On top of that, there is no ventilation system whatsoever. You would think for a smoking restaurant they would at least prepare for this problem. I am a smoker myself and find the smoking situation appalling, especially on Tuesday night trivia. The owner's girlfriend/wife/whatever needs to stay home and never return. She's always in a bad mood and does nothing but stand around with a disingenuous look on her face smoking ciggies and looking over everyone's shoulder like were about to steal something. If Ben's not careful his girlfriend/wife will run this place into the ground by the end of 2008. I hope this isn't the case because the FOOD is DELICIOUS!! Oh by the way, Why do you keep on booking Bobby ""clear 'em out"" Hinton on weekends. Have you not noticed before he starts to play there is a full house of people in the restaurant....fast foward to an hour later and the place is empty!! He is probably the worst musical act on the face of the planet. Everytime we go out for a couple of drinks we have to leave immediately because his music is unbearable. Even the wait staff gets PO'd when he's set to perform because all of their tables leave. It's time to put Bobby ""clear 'em out"" Hinton to bed! Wise up BEN. Pros: food, outside patio Cons: owner's girlfriend/wife, smoking-no ventilation more

Excellent food and service. The wait staff was very attentive-- never had to ask for a drink. I really like the menu selection- good for groups that want different things. Some of us ordered the fancier entrees and others ordered sandwiches and fish tacos off the pub menu. Best steak I've had in awhile. This place is a great alternative to downtown. It can get very crowded on weekends but they take reservations. The crowd is diverse- good mix of age groups and types. I always meet new people- everyone is very friendly. Pros: non smoking section, large patio more

Ben's place has good food and the bartenders are great, very friendly and attentive. The crowd is rather unique , there is a large diversity of people in there at any one time. Overall and good place to go. Pros: Good food & service more

A few co-workers and I went to Ben's Place for the first time. There were 6 of us and I was surprised that for a Friday night at 5:30, the place was still relatively empty. The hostess struggled to put two tables together for us, while a group of waiters looked on. One of us actually had to help push the tables together. Pros: Decent fish and chips Cons: bad service more

I have gone several times and admit the food is good......would enjoy more if it wasn't so smokey. The dinner menu and the crowd it attracts don't coincide. Is it trying to be a smoke filled sports bar or an upscale restaurant? Who wants to go and eat a $ 15 entree when you have people puffing away at the next booth watching Nascar. Decide on the crowd you wish to attract and adjust your menu accordingly. You have the opportunity to be a great addition to our neighborhood, but unfortunately I don't see you lasting very long. Hope you don't wind up like Darryl's or Houlihan's. Pros: good value Cons: smoking and loud obnoxious patrons more

I've been twice, and I've enjoyed it both times. The fish tacos are outstanding, the pork tenderloin is delicious (and the portion is huge), the grouper is divine. We have a supper club that meets once a month, and everyone enjoyed his meal the night we went. The food is really good and reasonably priced. We've recommended it to several friends. more

Use to go there alot. good food. waitstaff pretty good unless very crowded. Agree with previous review about the ""regulars"" Not all but some are jerks. Use to do trivia there on tuesdays but they get po'd if someone other than them win and they make rude comments. Haven't gone back in over a month because of them. Pick up a book and read instead of drinking at the bar 3-4 nights a week. Pros: good food Cons: smokey, regulars more

Very good food and waitstaff . Smokey yes, but they have a non smoking room which isn't too bad which is where we go. Would get a 5 except for some ass@*les who are ""regulars"" there. Bunch of jerk-offs who ruined it for a bunch of people who used to go and found out they were right when we went there. Pros: food, service Cons: regular clientel bunch of jerks more