Stopped in for desert after hearing questionable reviews. We were very happy with the deserts, the portions were insanely huge. We watched several meals headed to other tables while there and all the portions seemed obscenely huge as well. Will be stopping back by for dinner at some point when we are in the area again.
Review Source:My husband and I were in Westport/Grayland for the weekend. Â We decided to go here for dinner because we had seen that it was recommended and was a seafood restaurant. Â We both enjoy seafood and being on the coast, it was a no brainer. Â Unfortunately, our experience there was one of the worst we have had. Â There was no host when we arrived and we saw 3 different "hosts" before we were taken to a table after waiting for about 5 minutes. Â We were also placed at a table that was right in front of the bathrooms. Â Not really appealing. Â We were looking through the menu and were shocked at how expensive everything was. Â Seafood or not, everything seemed overpriced. Â There were very few items under $20, there were closer to $25 or $30. Â Which for a fine dining restaurant would be more acceptable. Â This was listed as fine dining, but the decor and atmosphere of the restaurant completely challenged the fine dining label. Â It was more like a relaxed American diner/restaurant. Â Kitchsy stuff on the walls, everything was very dark. Â Anyways, back to menu. Â I was looking at the Fish and Chips and the Dungeness Crab Cakes. Â But they were both about $25. Â When our server came by, I had some questions about the menu. Â I asked her how many pieces came with the Fish and Chips (2), how many crab cakes came with the dinner (3) and if they had veggies burgers that you could substitute. Â She seemed rather irritated that I was asking questions about the menu, but the information was not on the menu. Â And I'm not going to pay $25 for 2 Fish and Chips. Â That's absurd! Â I ended up settling on Clam Chowder and Side Salad. Â My husband got a plain Burger. Â We were just so frustrated by the cost of everything that we tried to make our dinners a little bit cheaper. Â Our server pretty much ignored us after I asked my questions. Â She treated us like we weren't even there, which further led to our disappointment and irritation of the restaurant. Â We got our meals, which further increased the disappointment. Â My side salad cost $5 and was very small. Â My clam chowder was ok. Â There was no seasoning or herbs in the chowder, the potatoes were not fully cooked and extremely large pieces. Â There were a lot of clams, which was the only thing that saved that soup. Â My husband's burger was a frozen burger patty that wasn't seasoned. Â The bun was huge in comparison to the burger. Â His fries were not seasoned at all. Â The whole experience was dismal. Â I'm not sure how they have received so many best restaurant awards except maybe for the fact that there are very few restaurants in the area. Â Definitely would not go here again!
Review Source:Me and my friend from Maine were camping along the coast. We decided to have lunch at Bennett's Fish Bar in Westport. We got got crab cakes and halibut fish & chips. The crab cakes were good... a great value for the price. The halibut was OK. We really wished we would have got the cod.
We decided to camp in Grayland and noticed there was a Bennett's there too. We figured we could get the cod fish & chips there. Nope, only halibut. So, we were kind of bummed out. The waitress came to our table and told us the specials; cioppino was one of the options. As we mulled it over, an order of cioppino was delivered to the next table and we knew we were going try it. It was somewhat pricey ($25) but was loaded with halibut, clams, mussels, and shrimp. It was topped with a 1/4 of crab meat. And it was delicious!!!
We both thought the food was excellent at both the locations were we dined.
Both places were packed (one for lunch and one for dinner) and under staffed. I thought the wait staff did the best they could considering the large number of patrons. It took a while to get our meal but me and my friend had lots of catching up to do and didn't really notice.
My only complaint: we asked the waitress if she could snag some meatloaf scraps for my 5 pound dog, Fang. She blew us off.
The meal started out great.... Good wine, good micro brew. Â My husband and I ordered crab cake appetizer along with entrees. Appetizer came, then we waited over 45 minutes for entrees ( surf & turf for my husband, and Dungeness crab salad for me, all the while 3 tables whom had entered 30 minutes after us received their entrees before us. Asked the waitress if our order got "dropped" and she relied " oh no, you ordered appetizers" as if it was OUR problem that our entree order was SOOOO delayed! Â Husbands Surf & Turf was outstanding! Â I WOULD recommend thst you try that! My $22.95 Dungeness Crab salad was a let down. No big pieces of crab, shredded pieces at best. Their "Thousand Island" special dressing is made from Miracle Whip.... Enough said! At the end of the meal , the waitress brought me my "garlic bread" saying she forgot. Again, enough said. Overall, beware of shoddy and slow service. To try to win points with us, the waitress did bring us two local wines to taste while we were waiting for our meal. Too little to late.
Review Source:I live in the area and this was probably the last of my dozen times visiting. During previous visits I was always greeted with good food and decent service, but since my last visit I have made huge strides towards my health and I eat a g/f vegan diet which I realize makes it much harder to eat out so I rarely do, but on this particular day my family was visiting and wished to go out. I recommended Bennets as it had been one of my favorite restaurants. We waited patiently about five minutes to be seated, were given our menus and read the specials. My sister and I both decided to just get large veggie salads while the others ate dinner. Our waitress acted as if we were idiots for just wanting large salads, was rude about what we could or could not have on said salads and flat out told us no to having a side of pickled asparagus even though it is on the menu on several other salads. At this point we asked to speak to her manager. My sister and I are both waitresses and were so offended by the way we were treated. Our waitress was not busy, we were one of five tables in the restaurant, there was no excuse. The manager came to our table, defended the waitress before hearing what we had to say, and while helpful in getting our salads made, was not overly apologetic for how his wait staff behaved. All in all we waited 45 minutes after that for two salads, a kids meal, onion loaf and bowl of chowder delivered by a surly incompetent waitress, and one of our salads wasn't even right after all. I highly recommend avoiding this place if you have any special dietary needs or if you expect good service. I am so disappointed in my once favorite restaurant.
Review Source:The seafood alfredo is heaven, as is the pasta primavera! The portion size is enough to feed a small army, so prepare for leftovers (tip: reheat leftover cream-sauce pasta in a pan with a little milk and butter and you'll recreate the magic instead of ending up with curdled sauce and greasy noodles). The meatloaf is really good, too. The clam chowder is great. The crab louie and shrimp salads are the best I've had! I've always thought the onion loaf was over-rated and greasy.
If it helps: the owner is himself quite a dish and he usually comes out and talks to people!
No wait for a table during mid-week in the off-season. Â Food was ok. Â Salad was somewhat disappointing in that it was smallish and had absolutely NO blue cheese in it. Â Mostly mayo. so be prepared for that.
Pleasant enough wait staff.
If there wasn't anyplace else - which there isn't -
Yikes! Â How does a restaurant get voted Best Restaurant for 2011 and 2012 and not even achieve mediocrity? Â First, the wait to just get on the list alone took over 30 minutes. Â That should have been the impetus to leave. Â All the while, we stood watching empty tables in desperate need of busing sitting there and a wait staff that seemed to be absent for the most part.
After getting our name on the list, we waited another 30+ minutes for a table.  After being seated, we were ignored for nearly 30 minutes.  Finally, the waitress came by and took our order.  30 minutes later our salads hadn't even arrived . . . yet, I watched patrons at other tables that had been seated after us  finished with their salads.  Our waitress was nowhere to be found most of the time.  Finally, went back and said we had decided to leave and could we pay for the drinks.  Miraculously, the salads showed up immediately (which pale in comparison to a salad one would get at Denny's). Â
When I mentioned the excessive wait (2 hours from arrival at restaurant to salad) to the person I believed to be in charge he argued with me that I hadn't been waiting for my salad for two hours. Â He proceeded to continue to argue with me even when I pointed out the wait for the salad alone was 30 minutes.
Beyond the salad, the food was okay . . . not memorable or worthy of returning. Â The wait staff was awful. Â I've been a food server for a number of restaurants and there was nothing that remarkable going on that would have prompted such poor performance.
Ate here Friday, Oct 5, 2012. The service was a little slow but they had a walk-in group of 14 which caused a delay. The food was good and the waitress was friendly. I have eaten all over Europe, Asia ad the US and would rate this meal above average. Compared to other restaurants of similar quality I would say this one is a little pricey for the quality. If the price was more in line with quality I would rate a 5.
Review Source:We were in the area and looking for a good dinner. Â I would say that this place is pretty good but not great. Â My husband ordered the fish and chips as did my 3 year old. Â The fried fish was really really thin and not very good. Â The french fries were the best part (for both of them). Â I ordered the Crab Louie salad after reading a good review about it. Â My 6 year old split it with me and it was tasty ($22). Â Glad we split it. Â She is gluten free and there wasn't anything on the kids menu she could eat anyway so it worked out. Â The service was fast and friendly. Â We were there around 5:30 so there was no wait and we were in and out in an hour.
Review Source:OK. After reading all of the reviews, I wasn't sure what we were going to get, but decided to go for it. I'm glad we did! The ambiance is unassuming. Great little quotes on the walls along with miscellaneous art. Very clean and comfortable.
Food: The quality of the food was top notch. My wife got the Crab Louie, which was $22 bucks. Wasn't sure if a salad should cost this much, but decided to take the plunge. She's glad she did. There was probably 3/4lb of Crab Meat layered over the salad. It was enough food for at least two people. The Crab was supper fresh and sweet. Well worth the price. My daughter and I shared the Captains Platter. It came with fish, oysters, clam strips, scallops and prawns. All very fresh and done with a nice panko batter. This also came with a bed of fries and a side salad. It also was plenty of food for the two of us to share.
Service: The service was spot on. Immediately able to get a seat. Had drinks within the first five minutes. Order was taken within about 10 minutes. Food came out about 15 minutes later. Everyone was friendly, smiling, prompt and courteous.
Improvements?: Offer a lunch menu! We went there for lunch and they only had one menu that featured dinner portions. All said and done our lunch came to $84 including tip. That's a lot for three people. Given the quality of the food, they could have reduced the quantity for more of a lunch fare, which would have reduced the total price. That would have been better.
I highly recommend them. You won't be disappointed!
well well i read the reviews.  iam 61 yrs young and i will say we have always had excellant  service, food,an a nice visit with the staff. all the people if they are people that say terrible things about bennett's . they need to go back to their own planets!!!!    bennett's is the best of the best !! we plan to come back every year because i even dream about my next trip to see them.
Review Source:We loved  the seafood and spaghetti. My husband wants the spaghetti sauce recipe! We have tried restaurants in almost every state and this was such a great find in a small town. I would definitely recommend this to my friends! We live 3-hrs. from Grayland and the drive is definitely worth it just to eat at Bennett's again. We will be back!
Review Source:This is probably the best restaurant on the "Cranberry Coast". The service was very good with the owner himself talking to us several times to make sure all was well and explaining the history of the restaurant.
The ambiance was nice with The Crooners playing in the background and musical instruments mounted on the walls, along with a variety of pretty stained glass.
The cranberry apple cider is a must and comes complete with bobbing cranberries. I had the dungeness crab louie and it was overflowing with crab meat. No skimping here at all:-) Beware, the dessert portions are gigantic and enough for about four people to share!
We had a delighful dining experience here and highly recommend it for anyone traveling along SR105.
I went here with my family last night, it was about our 4th visit over a span of 3 years or so. Â For once, the place was packed, being Saturday night and all. Â The waitress had an attitude from the start, something we were not accustomed to dealing with here so it came as an unpleasant surprise. Â We were seated at 6 :00. Â at 7:15 I informed the waitress that an hour and fifteen minutes was too long of a wait and we intended to leave. Â She told us our food would be there in 3 minutes. Â My sister then asked why tables around us were being served even though they arrived after us, to which the waitress snapped "Those aren't in my section." Â In ten minutes she finally brought our food out. Â My Mom complains that the clams are too salty, so she tells the waitress that and the plate is whisked away. Â An old guy with a ridiculous white man afro comes over and leans very close to my Mom and says in a haughty condescending tone "We don't add salt to our clams, they were cooked perfectly." Â while the cowardly waitress hid behind him. Â My Mom just said never mind to avoid making a scene and away the guy went. Â After all of this ridiculousness they forgot to give my sister fries with her bacon cheeseburger. Â Obviously such a horrible experience (The worst dining experience I've EVER had in my entire life, and I've bitten into a burger with staples in it before.) required much contemplation it finally dawned on me. Â What was the only difference between us and every other table at the place who all received their food promptly and were treated like human beings? Â My advice to you, fellow Yelpers: Â If you're a person of color, stay out of Bennet's, or you can expect this to happen to you as well. Â There's a Dairy Queen's in Raymond, WA, make the half hour drive.
P.S: Â Do you check your reviews, Bennett's? I have a message for the Afro Tough Man. Â You're like what, a 58 year old Maitre'd in a restaurant in the middle of nowhere? Â Your overblown sense of self worth is understandable, given those parameters. Â Look around at the much younger ages of your co workers and take a moment to consider how proud your parents must be. All the best.
It was a chilly night and my family needed warm food in our bellies. Being from out of town, we walked in not realizing it was near closing time. In most restaurants, the staff would rush you out the door. However, our server could not have been nicer. She gave us great recommendations (the clam chowder hit the spot) and treated us well. It's a nice, comfortable place for a family meal. Our bellies were much happier after dinner.
Review Source:My wife and I had blown in from a swing through Oregon and were staying at a B&B in Westport. Not many good places for a nice, celebratory dinner, so where to go. After a so so dinner the night before at the One Eyed Crab, we made the trip down the road to Grayland to check out Bennetts, which we driven past on the way up SR105. We'd tried the night before for desset, but they were packed. The night we went was Sunday and although fairly early (7:30pm) we were the last one served and the last ones out.
The server and manager were fabulous. Nice chit-chat without being obtrusive. We like friendly people that aren't pretentious, and these guys were great. Food was fabulous. I had the flat-iron steak and prawns, my wife had the king salmon. Both were well presented and large enough portions that we had no room for dessert, so we had them pack a triple-berry upside-down cake to go to have later. YUMMY!
We will definitely go there again if in the area, and ome to find out, the owner is the son-in-law of friends of ours. It's a small (and sometimes tasty) world.
Highly recommended!
Camping at Grayland Beach State Park, we headed into town when it started to rain. Â Bennett's is an unassuming restaurant, so we weren't expecting much. Â We were pleasantly surprised by the high quality and excellent taste of the food: meatloaf was light and had amazing flavor, the chicken parmesean was juicy and the pasta side was yummy cheesy garlic goodness. Â If we are in the area again we definitely stop here to eat!
Review Source:This place was crowded at 8pm on a Thursday night. Â That ought to tell you something about the quality of the food. Â The menu was diverse and the dish I had (something with Fettuccine, a creamy sauce, and steak medallions) was good. Â The meat was a little on the fatty side but overall delicious. Â The portions were huge - I couldn't finish, and wished that there was a smaller portion (with an equally smaller price) but I can't really complain. Â The strawberry shortcake for dessert was also quite enjoyable.
Overall, a very satisfying experience.
me and my husband took a trip to the casino..wanted to try bennetts because we heard it was good....first off the only beer they serve is micro brew..my husband is not a fan..we had the captaines plates..all deep fried...i found the halibut to be very dry and no flavor...the prawns were mushy..yuk...worst prawns ever..lots of food though..but over all it was bland and disapointing..the potato was served with sour cream n chives..no butter..i like to dress my own..the service was robotic.would i return here..probably not..also the clam chowder was ok..surly not the best in grays harbor..in westport i would recomend 1 eyed crab...way better
Review Source:We were driving the highway from Raymond Washington to Westport and we stopped at the only restaurant we could find other than the Tokeland Casino. Â Bennett's is in an old rustic building that has a water wheel out front along the road. Â When entering the restaurant we were surprised to see we were the only other couple sitting in the restaurant.
The atmosphere is dark and moody during the daytime..Not a romantic or flavorful atmosphere. Â The eclectic decorations are a minus for me. Â The decorator could not decide upon any significat theme. Â But themes are only part of the restaurant. Â
The soup bread bowls were excellent. Â I had clam chowder (which is the best clam chowder in Washington State) and my husband had the soup of the day - Corn chowder. Â This is the first time we both ate soup with a fork. Â That was the only way to get to the bread. Â
The owner/chef came out of the kitchen to greet us and the other couple. Â We were treated very nicely by him and the waitress.
I hope that Bennett's can stay small in Grayland and not grow to large. Â Once too large, the service then will become impersonal.
Wow, clearly based off all the other reviews, we missed something. Our experience here was really not that thrilling. The seats were uncomfortable, our waitress was impatient and rattled things off without really checking that we grasped what she was saying. Our plates were cleared before we were done picking.
The menu was very small and mostly dinner items, we were looking forward to more lunch or lighter items to choose from. Our food was super rich, almost too complex in flavor. We both left half of our meals and just couldn't stomach it. After 14 1/2 hours on the road, this should say a lot.
They had a home made cranberry apple cider that was so tasty. By far, the best part of the visit.
The wife and i eat here on the recomendation of our b and b keeper plus she gave us a 50.00 gift card. So about this place one would never guess the caliber of food that is coming out of the kitchen when you walking the front door. Just go sit down and order some food and get ready for greatness. I had the clam chowder that was all they say it is for sure. I had some kinda seafood combo that was out of this world halibit and scallpos and crap and skrimps with mash taters and asperagus with a amazing sauce on it all. It was super yummy i couls have eatten another plate full easy and not just cause i am fat cause it was that good. If i ever go back to the area i will be eating hear again for sure. Oh ya i almost forgot the head cheif came out and said hi to us and asked us about your meal. Wonderfull lost art of being a cheif asking the customer how there food is. Well all i got left to say is eat here and make your belly happy.
Review Source:We were so pleased with Bennett's. Â We're from Seattle so of course the decorations and ambiance was not as modern as we're used to, but we were so blown away by the rest of it that ultimately it didn't matter. Â The food was delicious. Â My husband is very picky when it comes to seafood and he said that his dinner was perhaps the best seafood he'd ever eaten. Â We were both impressed by ho well the asparagus was cooked too. Â I had a cream of asparagus soup--never would have thought to make soup with asparagus but it was fantastic. Â And, the asparagus on his plate was cooked to perfection. Â Asparagus might not seem like a big deal, but it is extremely difficult to get right so any restaurant who can perfect it like this gets an A in my book. Â With all that, the prices were incredibly reasonable. Â We spent less at Bennett's than we did at One Eyed Crab for a FAR superior meal. Â Highly recommended.
Review Source:Bennett's is basically the ne plus ultra of the Grayland restaurant scene, and it's cutting a figure by expanding into Westport with a Fish Shack and possibly into Aberdeen.
So let's look at the original:
Bennett's has all kinds of stuff hanging on the walls. Most of it is kind of local, like Furford picker/Ocean Spray type stuff, which is neat. You don't run out of things to look at there.
The food is upscale homestyle, heavy on the butter. There are good salads (chicken cashew and cranberry is particularly nice), but the stars are any and all things that can have butter added to them, like the clam chowder, which comes with a butter float. I'm not a fan of a thick chowder, but if you are, you will love their chowder.
Most recently I had the dungeness crab salad melt, and while it was delicious, I kind of worried about the amount of fat in it: The bread was practically fried and the crab salad tasted like it had cream cheese in it. Yipes.
Other times I've eaten at Bennett's I have had a salad (one of the few places in the Harbor to get an entree serving of greens worth the ordering), salmon (delicious) and other sandwiches. Everything has been prepared well and the service is impeccable, far more professional than it has any right to be in such a tiny town.
Bennett's also has one of the more extensive wine lists in the Harbor, and they serve Westport Winery wine.
Anyway, if you're in the area, this is the place to go.
Majority of the food was quite good (the Halibut Trio was excellent), though the deep fried items seemed pretty pedestrian.
Clam chowder is a must get.
Good for a special evening, but too expensive for casual eating. I was honestly surprised at the bill amount for dinner for two adults and two young kids.
Decor was like any other trying to be trendy, Red Robin type place, though in a fashionable nautical theme.
Bennett's is almost worth taking a trip down to Grayland for. If only there were a location in Seattle! The food is dished out in GIGANTIC portions, enough to lose sleep over. Not to mention that every bite had a burst of flavor in your mouth. Ray Bennett is the founder of the restaurant and spent his career in HR so he knows how to treat his guests. Our experience ended with Ray coming out to greet us and folks, it doesn't get much better than that when you're talking about good customer service. Their service is comparable to El Gaucho in Seattle if you're looking for a good comparable. Take the trip to Westport with your family and don't forget to go to Bennetts!
Review Source:I feel I must have wandered into a different Bennett's than the one reviewed here previously.
The food was mediocre and the service incompetent, surly and confrontational.
The visit started okay, we were seated relativley quickly, but a rapid downturn awaited us. Our waitress ignores our table for at least 10 minutes before coming to take our order. My chowder, about which Bennett's crows, arrives. It was bland, watery and filled with partially cooked chunks of potato. The flavor was primarily derived from a dollop of butter on the top. Now, I'm a good new englander by birth and a pool of butter resting on top of the chowder does not bode well.
The entrees arrived 40 min later.  40 minutes without a single acknowledgment by our waitress that yes indeed food was coming, yes indeed the kitchen was running slow, nothing. This is not a large restaurant. She passed by our table a least a dozen times, refusing to make eye contact at all.  Finally, food was on the table. My pan-fried oysters weren't bad. Good even. My son enjoyed his bacon cheeseburger. That, however, was it. The "Best of Bennett" produced the same poor  chowder, an under dressed cranberry chicken salad and a mediocre crab
melt. The turkey sandwich was bland. The fetuccini primavera with marinara (order by the vegan in our party) had a sauce that left you wondering if the cook ever tasted anything before serving it. No seasoning at all.
The bill came (way too high for food of this quality), we paid and I muttered to one of my dining companions that the waitress who had tipped herself from the cash thrown in by one in our party (a sign of terrible service) was no more galling than the food.
As we left the restaurant, a waiter decided to confront me about my poor opinion. I informed him that rude, inattentive service followed by fair to middling food induced this sort of reaction in me. After looking for about 3 seconds like he wanted to throw a punch, he turned and walked back into the restaurant.
There are better places to spend money in the Grayland area, please support these other worthy establishments.
Having become "weekenders" to the South Beach area a few years ago, we have tried almost every restaurant  Aberdeen to Westport to Raymond and Bennett's is far and away our very favorite.
The menu differs from the off season to the on season with the chef really showing what he's capable of during the summer tourist season. Â We've never had a bad meal and often times find ourselves comparing the quality of the food to upscale restaurants in Seattle (esp in the summer). Â Tom is huge fan of the "Best of the Best" Â - a 1/2 crab melt sandwich, clam chowder and a serving of the cranberry coast chicken salad - and I always order something different and am never disappointed. Â The staff is nice and friendly - small town atmosphere. Â The owner is a great host and the chef usually comes out to personally check on each table - a very nice touch. Â I have to admit that the best part is dessert! Â Sometimes we even swing by to pick up a dessert to go. Â The strawberry shortcake is delectable but the multiple berry cake thing (can't remember the exact name) is the best dessert we have EVER had. Â Keep up the great work Bennett's - you are a huge asset to South Beach!
PS - Had to call Tom while I was writing the review to be reminded of everything in the Best of the Best and he told me to mention the Prime Rib Melt - an A++!
If you're familiar with Falls Terrace in Tumwater, then you will be right at home with the high quality fare and great menu selections offered at Bennett's.
After our delicious lunch, Chef Ron came and spoke with my wife and I and discovered links to friends. Â It was fun and overall the food was not something I was figuring we'd find in Grayland of all places. Â I am giving Bennett's five stars and really look forward to finding myself once again firmly enscounced in one of their booths or dining tables with the highly varied menu in my hand and the fun shall start all over again.
My wife had what Chef Ron called the "lunch special," but it really went beyond anything I've seen offered for lunch anywhere. Â The offering included an incredible crab sandwich w/cheese, a chicken salad with oriental-style dressing with generous slices of chicken, and a generous portion of clam chowder, and for her lunch drink a hot apple cider w/whole cranberries floating on top. Â
The presentation was excellent.
I enjoyed the halibut fish and chips and I like to figure I am gourmet when it comes to this type of dish and this surpassed anything that has been placed in front of me to date. Â The crisp crunchy batter was nicely browned, the french fries perfect, and homemade tartar sauce and cocktail sauce (my favorite with the light horseradish in the background)...I will undoubtedly order that on my return...yummy!!
Chef Ron, if you get a chance to read this, Ralph says hello and he said he's driving down the first chance he gets...doesn't get any better than that!!
Roger & Karla