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Amber A.

Joined 1 year ago

Great atmosphere in one of the sleekest dining rooms in Houston. Great cocktails and specials featuring local ingredients.

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mrsmartguy

Joined 3 years ago

One of the best restaurants in town. I am relatively new to Houston, but I have dined at Benjy's on Washington several times. Not only is the food outstanding and the prices reasonable, but the decor is great, and the service is excellent (most of the time**).

My wife and I have enjoyed the happy hour upstairs, which tends to be crowded. The 1/2 price pizzas are crispy and made with high quality ingredients. The drinks are good, but some are slightly sugary.

We have also had dinner in the main dining room downstairs. The complimentary snacks are a welcome and tasty start to a meal that includes huge portions. The food was cooked to perfection, and the flavors are rich and comforting.

I still give Benjy's a 5-star rating despite a couple of shortcomings. Once when I went for happy hour, 75% of the parking lot was dedicated to valet parking, and at the time of day I was there, there was only about 10 cars valet parked, and there were no spots left, so I had to park on the street. I have nothing against valet, but management should think twice about blocking off so much of the parking lot so early in the evening. The second complaint is that the happy hour beer selection is disappointing. I think it may only be one choice, and it is some no-name house beer. It's not bad (it's not great either), but they should offer a couple additional options.

**As for the service, it has been attentive each time we have been, except once at dinner, when our server was more concerned with what was going on elsewhere in the restaurant while taking our order. He asked us what we wanted, and as we told him he didn't even look at us. And after we finished he told us he didn't get any of our order, and we would need to repeat it. It was annoying, but it hasn't kept us from becoming repeat customers.

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WhosWatching

Joined 3 years ago

mmmm. I had always wanted to go to Benjy's and finally went for lunch with my sister. We both liked the food a lot. The snacks they have on the table are really good too. My dish was some sort of Mexican fusion dish with seafood. It was sooo good.

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spotimpuff

Joined 3 years ago

Excellent Food. After weeks of hearing about Benjy's from my daughter, we decided to have Sunday lunch there before going to a play at the Hobby Center which is nearby. Although what we read online said "dressy," we were the only ones in the restaurant besides the hostess who fit that description. We loved the architecture and decor of the restaurant. The menu is amazing. I had the Caesar salad and the Heirloom tomato and spinach crepes which were both equally delicious. The only drawback was our waiter, Antonio P. Although he seemed to have a lot of knowledge about the menu and the food, I would not recommend him as a server. I would, however, highly recommend the food.

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juliainhouston

Joined 3 years ago

Great Lunch Spot. As I'm enjoying my lunch at Benjy's, I'm wondering, why haven't I been here sooner?!

I met a friend here for lunch and we were both blown away by our meal. I had the spicy beef udon soup, and it was wowza! I asked if I could get it extra spicy, and boy did the kitchen deliver. It was spiced just right (for me) and the waiter was courteous enough to bring me a side of Sriracha sauce and sliced jalapenos. Given my Asian heritage, at first I was a bit weary this dish might disappoint, but it didn't.

My friend had the crispy tofu steak. It too was yummy! Deep fried tofu topped with a curry tomato like sauce, flavors came together like perfect harmony.

Tasty lunch + great service + plenty of parking + no valet = wonderful lunch!

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jwcoffeenut

Joined 3 years ago

nice place to hang out. this is in a nice location, easy to get to, great for hangout, food is good, prices are not out of the park. Bar can be a bit crowded, and difficult to get service, low on wait-staff.

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Nikki Metzgar

Joined 4 years ago

Citysearch Editorial Review. Benjy's second location has a lot in common with the popular original in the Rice Village. The modern American menu by executive chef Mike Potowski exhibits similar Asian accents and attractive, well-dressed 20- and 30-somethings love the bar (don't come here expecting peace and quiet). But the interior is roomier and has a botanical feel, with beautiful wooden beams and low lighting. The signature dish, the "Hot Local," changes every day based on what's in season and dishes like the seared scallops with forbidden black rice and "surf and turf" chicken with shrimp and creamy grits are familiar but improved.