I am appalled at the lack of customer service Benny's has. I have been here several times before and live right down the street. I even wrote a 5 star review previously. I decided to come here with my baby one night and upon checking in the hostess says to me "Umm.. you can't eat in the main dining room with a baby and stroller."
Umm.. are you serious? Then she tells me "You have to eat in the north lounge bar area".. Since we were already there and had walked in the snow we decided just to eat. Until we realize that they sat us right next to a piano!!! WTF?? Some lady comes over and starts playing and belting tunes and we had to rush out of there rather quickly. Upon leaving I ask for the manager to complain. Since I had been there several times before I know there are tables in the back of the dining room that are in the corner and would have accommodated a stroller just fine. The manager did not really say or do anything and just said "Well I hope you give us a second chance." That's it.. ??
I will definitely not be back. I spent $200 here for what.. to BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST?? Good food and crappy, horrible service? What next? Are they going to say people with green eyes or brown hair can't be accommodated in the main dining room? Ludicrous!
This is about customer service and respect. This is a high end, upscale restaurant and if you are paying good money to eat here you should be treated with a certain level of respect. I should have just left when we first checked in and the rude hostess said we couldn't eat in the dining room.
Phenomenal food, phenomenal service. Â My boyfriend the meat lover says the steaks are second to none, and I, the vegetarian have plenty of delicious options. Â And why not sit at the bar? Ian, Jackie, Natalie and Xavier are a blast: they are fun, know the menu and make great recommendations. Â And you don't have to dress to the nines, which I appreciate. This place is our new home base.
Review Source:We just ate here tonight for dinner and WOW was it good. Â The service was amazing from start to finish. Â Our waiter was very personable and knew everything there was to know about the menu. Â We started with salads. Â I had the wedge, which was really good. Â The blue cheese dressing was light and yummy. Â My husband had the grilled romaine. Â It too was very good. Â Then, I had the butternut squash tortellini. Â It was very yummy! Â The husband had the NY strip. Â It was cooked perfectly. Â We ended the meal with the Smore cheesecake, which was a perfect size and also amazing! Â We will be going back here soon. Â I would highly recommend this place to anyone.
Review Source:Wife & I had some late night eats at Benny's.
The USDA Prime steak tartare was amazing, I seriously would rather have a helping of this than a steak. so darn good ! We had a glass of the Benegas Sangiovese from the Medoza region, while the alcohol was strong on the nose, it was a delicous wine for $14 a glass.
We then moved onto the seafood tower for two, which contains: 1 Maine lobster, 2 short legs (cut in 1/2) of Alaskan King Crab, 8 jumbo shrimp. Lobster was terrific, while delicious we felt the king crab serving was chinsy, the shrimp lacked flavor and were slighly overcooked. Our waiter said that the shrimp are wild Gulf of Mexico shrimp, but in our opinion the flavor was not there. With the seafood tower we split a 1/2 bottle of Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc ($55), which had slight fruit and very nice minerality.
We were very pleased with our server, top notch, lots of fun.
My mom's birthday was this week, and she said she wanted to try out Benny's.
The service was great. We got seated right away, and our server, Kirsten, Â was fantastic. She went over the menu in great detail and was able to answer all of our questions. We never felt rushed. Plus, she gets bonus points for wishing my mom a happy birthday (and giving her a special commemorative menu to take home with her name on it).
The food and drinks were awesome. I ordered a specialty cocktail called the State Escape...kind of tasted like a minty mimosa. But, of course, the steak was the star of the show. I opted for a filet mignon. My mom had the same, while my dad had the prime rib and my fiance ordered the surf and turf. We also had three sides to share, which were all delicious -- spinach, seasonal mushrooms and truffle mashed potatoes. We ordered a few desserts to share, which were delicious as well -- carrot cake (which was HUGE), berry cobbler and creme brulee. Yum! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
I'm not a big meat eater, but this place was so delicious, and I would definitely come back!
Classy decor, excellent service. You can ask anyone walking by and they will accommodate you not like most places where you get the standard response, let me get your server so I give them five stars for service. Â Food was amazing. For appetizers we had the calamari, house cured maple glazed bacon and even tried the bone marrow. Entree was bone-in ribeye and sides of asparagus and mash potatoes. Â Wine list was extensive. I tried the Justin cab which was great with the steak. Â It is pricey so expect to drop around $150 per person.
Review Source:When there are so many steak houses in Chicago to choose from, why choose Benny's? Â Simply because it is the best! The service and the food are great. Â I've eaten in the restaurant as a small group and hosted private events for 50. I've never had a bad meal or experience. Â If you want a great dining experience, then choose Benny's!
Review Source:Heaven! Best steak I've ever had and I've had my fair share. I'm sure there's better out there somewhere, but I've never had it. Had oysters to start off with and then the dry-aged, bone-in ribeye cooked medium rare. It was absolute perfection.
The sazeracs from the bar were fantastic as well.
Can't wait to go back. Two big thumbs up from this guy!
You wouldn't necessarily think that Benny's could be classified as a good value. After all, Â you can drop over a Benjamin on a dry-aged porterhouse. Yet at lunchtime, you can get a Top-10-in-Chicago grade burger for $10 (including fries). It's crazy. I'm not talking a glorified slider. This is a 3/4 lb. patty with some excellent toppings. I got the Benny's burger, which features onions sauteed in port wine paired with Blue Cheese, and served with truffle fries on the side.
All of the toppings work conspiratorially to disintegrate the bun after a few minutes, so I suggest eating determinedly, with few set-down breaks. My burger, cooked medium to order, was exceptionally juicy and flavorful.
Service was accommodating and friendly. My jeans and casual sweater raised nary an eyebrow from the staff. I sat in the well-lighted bar area. Plasma TVs with no sound (ESPN) were visible from most of the tables.
I still can't believe the burgers are priced so competitively for lunch. By comparison, a Five Guys cheeseburger and regular fries will run you about $9.30. For an extra $0.70, you can get a much larger burger that is infinitely more refined and tasty (and I like Five Guys). If I worked down the street from Benny's, Â I'm pretty sure my waistline would suffer. Highly recommended.
The wait staff was incredibly accommodating and extremely pleasant. Great service, they really know how to be amiable to guests :) Truly loved and appreciated that! Especially since I went with a big group of people, we must have been difficult to handle haha
But to be honest, the steaks weren't that amazing to me. The scallops on the other hand....WOW. It made me wonder what sad excuse of a scallop that I've been eating for my entire life. Their scallops were other worldly!! So succulent, juicy, and just dripping with flavors that I have never experienced before!! Truly, truly amazing. I highly recommend you try their scallops. WOW!!
When I found this place it was like finding a hidden treasure! Â A great place to take clients or for a date. Â The bar area has a fantastic 2 piece jazz band that's very entertaining and really gives it that Chicago-feel. Â I've only had their seafood dishes and everything was de-lish!
Review Source:Came here sometime around midnight on a Friday night, and the place was still open with a few tables full of people enjoying cocktails. At the recommendation of a friend, we came here for one thing and one thing only: chocolate cake.
This honkin' piece of chocolate cake was not like some restaurants who call it chocolate but serve a dry, bland, crumbly blob of misery. No, this cake was uber moist, extremely rich, and sinfully decadent. Is your mouth watering yet? Between four of us, we could not finish it, and had to stop short to try the banana cream pie.
Our waiter suggested the pie, claiming it was a favorite. I personally don't care for bananas in the slightest, but tried it anyway. It was pretty good, and nothing beats a graham cracker crust.
Split four ways, we all ended up paying around $5 or $6 for a substantial amount of cake and pie---not bad at all! I highly recommend rounding off an evening with this place.
Exceptional!
I unexpectedly went to Benny's last week with my family. The traditional, warm, chop house atmosphere was amplified by the beautiful live piano playing that drifts throughout the comfortable dining room. Â The service from start to finish was world class. Our servers, Eric and John, were charismatic, attentive, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about what Benny's had to offer. With their recommendation, we ordered the famous Bacon, something I would never order for dinner, and it was wonderful! It has been on my mind ever since we left the restaurant. We ordered it with the appetizer course and slowly devoured it throughout the meal, enhancing everything we paired it to. Â Being rare-plus steak eaters, we are highly critical of quality beef. Benny's steaks were velvety, full flavor, with the right balance of fat. The wine list is worldly and well developed with old vintages and new. The seasonal homemade sorbet was my favorite dessert, 3 scoops per order! It was the outstanding and personalized services that will make Benny's our new go-to chop-house. Â My very picky partner mentioned to our waiter that his favorite side dish, creamed spinach, was not on the menu. He apologized and said they once had fantastic creamed spinach but it was recently taken off the menu. To our surprise and delight, when our entrees arrived, a piping hot dish of cream spinach was accompanying it. That really made a lasting impression and I cannot wait to enjoy another night at Benny's.
We had originally planned to visit another steakhouse when visiting this past weekend, but when we realized it wasn't open on Sundays, we ventured to Benny's instead. Â I am glad we made the switch.
Service and food were great. Â Our server (who only identified himself as the sommelier) was very pleasant to talk to (we discussed, at length, about the joys of bacon), had a wealth of knowledge about how each of the steaks were prepared and cooked, and was spot on with his meal recommendations. Â
I had one of the specials, a Cajun-style Tenderloin with bacon & onion reduction and garlic potatoes. Â I like my meat dead, so I had it cooked Medium Well and it had a great char on the outside but was still incredibly tender. Â Far from shoe leather. Â The potatoes were good and came in a generous portion.
My boyfriend (who's hard to impress when it comes to food, let alone steak) ordered his  Wet Aged Rib Eye Double Rare and, while the server took some liberties and switched it to Blue, he loved it.  Server also took some liberties with the whiskey BF ordered since they didn't have regular Jameson, but again was spot on.
For dessert, we figured we'd share the S'mores Cheesecake. Â It was delicious but I definitely could've/should've ordered my own. Â It's not massive like the Chocolate Layer Cake.
Restaurant was lovely. Â Great mix of customers, young and old -- not an overly stuffy atmosphere like I was expecting.
What a great experience! Everything from the service to the food was delicious.
The atmosphere was so comfortable and romantic enough for two, but open enough for families. A great place for all ages.
We had the corner booth seated right away. Very enlightening waiter with suggestions and education about the specialty cuts of steak.
Oysters Rockefeller appetizer were amazing. Mixed with spinach and cheese perfectly.
Also started with the Benny's chowder which was a nice blend of seafood and veggies.
Entree was a the bone-in ribeye seared halfway between medium and medium-rare. Mouthwatering and delicious. Enjoyed the succulent steak with the truffled mashed potatoes and mac and cheese which were fantastic and way more then enough for the two of us.
Dessert  was thee best part. Banana cream pie and chocolate pudding cake were our picks and both were so heavenly and decadent. Simple yet satisfying.
I have to say overall this place was fantastic in more than just the trendy way like the other steakhouses around. I like a better more comfortable atmosphere rather than a dark swanky wannabe place.
Excellent Steaks and Eye Popping Wine List!
Came here to celebrate a birthday with another couple and it has now become my favorite steak house. Our wait person was courteous and attentive and seemed to know exactly what we needed. When we got the menu we were presented with a large book as the wine list. IT was overwhelming! Fortunately they have a sommelier and he helped us navigate and select a quite nice wine. He also offered to decant it, a pleasing service.
Some of us had the dry aged bone in ribeye. Â Each came cooked an precisely as the waiter described. Â My wife had the Dover Sole, one of the special. It was fresh and deboned tableside. Sides were an excellent complement. The truffle mashed potatoes were delicious, the mac and cheese came with 'al dente' noodles and the spinach was well prepared. If you like blue cheese, get the Croquettes.
Desserts were outstanding. We tried the S'mores Cheesecake (the winner among the chocolate lovers), the Flaming Fury Peaches, Â the Chocolate Pudding Cake, and Banana Cream Pie. Not a loser in the bunch.
BEWARE the valet service. Our car got a parking ticket. They seem to be playing a game with the cops and racing to only feed the meter when they are giving tickets. The owners of the restaurant better put a stop to that. It might be wise to get a receipt in case they forget to fess up.
Benny's, you never displease me when it comes to a classic American steakhouse.
I've been to Benny's around five times over the last two years for work dinners as well as for a very nice date out, and I've never had an unpleasant experience. The ambiance is spot on, the service is great and fairly consistent, and the steaks are incredible. All of these items are crucial to a great steakhouse experience, which is why I keep coming back to Benny's over the other offerings in the city (ie Mortons, Gibsons, G&G, etc).
My boyfriend and I came here for a Thursday night dinner last night, and we had a great experience. We made a reservation (which is a must and incredibly easy through <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fopentable.com&s=897c359bd752b4f5407d5ea86453c82be2d1913c8d0b51b18d81fc58f52a6497" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://opentable.com</a>) for 6pm and the restaurant was just kicking off the evening. We were promptly seated and given a wine menu to look over. Once we made our selection from their large and impressive list, we were asked if we wanted it decanted, which was a nice touch. They brought the decanter over in a matter of minutes and poured two glasses of wine for us while the dinner specials were explained and while we looked over the menu. We had a few questions about some of the sides, which our server effectively answered. After hemming and hawing over what sides we wanted, we finally came to the following conclusion:
1) Appetizer: House Cured and Cut Bacon: I would give this a 4/5 when it comes to bacon. It was thick cut, the right amount of fat to meat ratio, salty and sweet (due to the maple glaze), and it had a great smoky flavor to it. It was pan seared and then grilled, so the flavor profile was fantastic. Also, the portion was HUGE, we both had two very large pieces of bacon that were a meal in and of itself. I'd recommend this appetizer for a larger party, or as a side to your steaks. Although, if you have a large appetite, you could easily devour this as a precursor to the savory steaks.
2) Steaks: We both went with the dry aged bone in New York strip. This is one of the most solid steaks I've had at Benny's, besides the bone in Filet Mignon, and it always hits the mark. The seasonings they use in the dry aging is fantastic and the bone in really makes the steak juicy and flavorful. We got our steaks medium, which was great, but the medium rare presentation of this steak is to die for as it's just more flavorful that way.
3) Sides: This is the reason for knocking off a star, I'm never pleased with the sides here. They're good... just not great. We decided to get the Blue Cheese Croquettes which were essentially thin cut potatoes stuffed with blue cheese, baked, topped with more blue cheese and potatoes, and then baked again. I love blue cheese, but this cheese was really dry, which was a great contrast with the steak, but just not outstanding on their own. I liked them more as the meal went on, but they were still just "meh" in my book. We also got a broccoli/kale type vegetable as a side that was topped with Parmesan, and this was also very lackluster. It was pretty bitter (due to the kale influence) and just hard to cut and eat without looking like a slob. Not a huge fan.
4) Dessert: Chocolate Layer Cake. Need I even go into more detail with this one? It was exactly what you'd expect from a steakhouse--huge portions and pumped full of deliciousness. The cake came out cold, which for some reason I'm normally not a fan of cold cake, but it was fantastic! It was rich, but not too sweet, and tasted very dark chocolaty. We managed to put away about 2/3 of this bad boy before raising the white flag.
I'll definitely be back to Benny's when I'm willing to splurge a little bit (nearly $300 for a bottle of wine, an appetizer, two steaks, two sides, and a dessert) but it is a fantastic meal that's worth it every now and then for a special occasion. Benny's is spot on with the pacing of the meal, so you never feel rushed or wonder when the next course is coming out. Well done (even though you NEVER want to hear these words uttered in relation to steak) Benny's, well done.
Spent the weekend in the city with family, so we hit up quite a few restaurants.
Benny's was our choice for Saturday . This place definitely has an old time, clubby steakhouse atmosphere. Kinda cool.
After being seated, we waited and waited for a server to appear to take our drink order.
The usual Grey Goose martini for me. The martini came in an old school champagne glass which seemed odd but it tasted just fine.
Ordered the bone marrow appetizer along with some salads. The bone marrow appetizer consisted of a bone about 8-10 inches with some caramelized onions and toast for spreading. Big problem. The bone marrow was not cooked through and was cold and solid underneath the top. Gross. Flagged down the server who apologized and went for a replacement. He came back with a properly done one and told us it was taken off of the bill. Nice response.
On to the entrees. Had surf and turf, steaks, rigatoni, and salmon. My wife's salmon was way overcooked and she had to send it back. My surf and turf was just perfect. Great tasting lobster, great tasting steak. Was pleased. However, my wife never got her salmon until the rest of us were done with our entrees. They never came back until then. She told them she did not want it now, since the rest of us were done. She sampled some of our dishes and liked them but was not too happy about how her service was handled.
If you are going to charge high end prices for your food, you better have the execution from the kitchen each and every time and the service that goes along with it. Too many slip ups here. Take a cue from Gibson's, Joe's, etc. Top end food execution and service needs to accompany top end pricing.
One other gripe. $17 for a martini! Really? That is crossing the line on drinks.
I would have given this place a much higher rating if the service was there. It wasn't.
I enjoy top end steakhouses and the experience but this is not where I will go to spend my money. Sorry. I really wanted to like this place.
Cheers to ALL
Was feeling like a nice night out, and decided to give Benny's a shot. Â Overall, it was a great experience just about what I was expecting. Â I knew everything was going to be good, when we had finished the entire bread basket and drank a glass of wine by the time we ordered. Â The bread is ridicuoulsy good .
Really well cooked steaks. Â Prime beef, so extremely tender with a really nice flavor. The wine was great. Â Not a huge selection by the glass, but there are primo glasses that I had the pleasure of enjoying. Â
Really fresh nice salads, and several to choose from. Â Normally not a fan of grilled romaine, but this was actually well done. Â Had a few oysters, and had them give some from the east coast, and some from the west. Â Would have appreciated him telling me where they were from before walking away. He just dropped them, and said "oysters". Â Thanks, thought it was the salad....
Had a couple of sides: Truffled mashed potatoes, and asparagus. Â Potatoes were phenomenal, but the asparagus was over-cooked to me. Â
For fish we got the Halibut on the bone. Â Which was really well cooked, but unfortunately had several (more than 10) pin bones throughout. Â When saying something to the waiter, he said he would give us a free dessert, but forgot as we ordered two.
The desserts were excellent, as almost everything else was. Â Had the Chocolate pudding cake, which was like a lava cake except better, with some toffee ice cream. Â Also the apple tart with vanilla ice cream, better than a fresh apple pie. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone wanting a nice (expensive) night out.
Disclaimer: I've only ever had lunch or dinner in the bar area, so my review is mostly for them.
Discovered Benny's when I moved in next door. After a couple visits, several of their impressive signature drinks, and a few nibbles from the bar menu I fell in love with the bar here. The staff is friendly and welcoming, they make you feel like a regular from the first time you walk in. The bartenders are quick but precise. The wine selection is great. The ambiance is always comfortable and enjoyable. A good mix of regulars, visitors, and after work crowd--I've never gone without someone to chat with. Â $0.25 oysters on wednesday are always amazing. Beers are all by the bottle or can, but the selection is impressive and worth checking out.
For lunch you'd be crazy to not try the lobster grilled cheese. Goes great with an albarino they have by the glass. If you order a salad make sure to get the bread! The biscuits are fantastic.
On weekend nights there's usually a pianist or some performer singing. It's a bit cheesy sometimes but usually pretty nice for the atmosphere.
Great place for a first date or cocktails before dinner.
I've always wanted to try this place out so my friend and I went when he was doing his Chicago staycation. It's pricey as hell, and since we got there before 6 we could only sit in the bar. They didn't have the rum I like (Bacardi) but the waitress was very nice and checked to see what other clear rum they had. We ordered the blue cheese croquets as an appetizer instead of a side and she was very accommodating about it. The steaks were way out of our price range so we both got pasta. I got the rigatoni, which was completely decent. I wasn't really impressed with the place overall, except for the croquets. Great service, though.
Review Source:Went during the week for a friend's birthday. Â Ribeye was comparable to other delicious steaks at various steakhouses around. Â They put a sauce on it which was good, as compared to other steakhouses which seem to place more emphasis on the natural flavor of the meat. Â They have a surprising number of craft beers for a steakhouse.
Waiter was somewhat pushy in terms of trying to up-sell us food/drink items rather than really seeming to care what we wanted.
Coming here for drinks on a hot day is a great idea. I really enjoy it. You can relax in front of the windows and people watch. They have great bartenders and an extensive selection.
Coming here for dinner is something I probably will only do again if it is for business. The steaks are great but they should be for the price. I wasn't super impressed with the sides I've had here and something in general about this place just doesn't really do it for me as a dining destination. Maybe because there are so many other exciting options. I don't even know what it is. If you want a great steak in a classy old style chophouse Benny's will do.
Oh man that phrase died and gone to heaven was put into context at this place. Granted it was so incredible that I couldn't stop and almost ate myself into a coma. THE BEST steak I have ever had. I don't say that lightly. And while it was expensive, it wasn't 50 bucks. I think most of them were 28-35ish. I added crab on mine and they brought two massive crab legs. The sauce on it was decadent, yet not overwhelming. The sides we shared were incredible as well.
As for apps, the Chicken Satay was one of my favorites. Highly recommend it. I also really, really loved the crab cakes. We tried a few others that lose me right now, because they just weren't as good.
I will absolutely be back here next Chi-Town visit.
I finally had a chance to visit Benny's Chop House with my boo, and have to say we had a great time. The atmosphere is a little classier than the typical Chicago steak house, which makes it great for a date or a group of friends.
I was particularly impressed with the oyster selection. I have been very disappointed with the oysters at Chicago steak houses (Morton's I'm looking in your general direction). Most of the time the variety is scant, and the preparation is traditional to the point of boring. Benny's actually had a good variety of both east and west coast oysters. My boo and I polished off 12 and I would have happily gone back for round 2.
As far as the rest of the menu, I felt like everything was pretty much what you'd expect from a steak house. My Caesar salad was just ok--I'd probably skip it on a return visit, and my boo wasn't impressed with her lobster bisque which she thought rather bland. The main courses definitely were satisfying. The steak was expertly prepared, and I opted to couple it with some crab legs. Unlike some other places I've visited, Benny's actually gave a sizable portion of crab legs along with the steak. I was quite pleased. My boo was equally pleased with her pork chop--which I didn't try myself, but I will say looked awesome. The dessert menu looked awesome too, but by this time we had to be rolled out of the restaurant. Next time I'll try to save some room, but it's tough when the menu has so many great options.
In a city renown for its steaks, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd. Benny's definitely deserves some attention if you are touring the Chicago steak house scene. Great food, in an environment great for a date, or a group of friends. I would definitely go back.
So I lose an Oscar party bet with my boyfriend, and I owe him dinner. Â He selects Benny's Chop House, a spot I've wanted to try for a long time and tonight I paid the bet. Â
Benny's offers the traditional Chicago steakhouse ambience - darkened rooms, low lights, elegant wood furnishings, white linen tables, room to spread out, a piano bar and a wait staff dressed in all black. Â The service is attentive and highly professional. Â Although I had water accidentally spilled on me at the table, I applaud the service my man and I received tonight.
And the food? Â Just what you should expect from a fine Chicago steakhouse. Â We enjoyed a surprisingly nice selection of east and west coast oysters, a Caesar salad and their lobster bisque. Â My man raved about his 7 oz filet with king crab leg enhancement and I dined on a delectable pork chop. Â Both were prepared to our satisfaction and delicious. Â
We added truffle mashed potatoes which were a bit too "truffly" for my taste, but I can forgive given the quality of everything else. Â Unfortunately we had no room for dessert, but perhaps that is a tribute to the dinner.
We work close by and will definitely try Benny's again. Â Thank you for making losing a bet fun and enjoyable.
Hello and welcome to every Yelpie's favorite week: Restaurant Week.
Came here for lunch today with a friend. We were promptly greeted by two hostesses out front and taken to our seats. $22 for a soup or salad, entree and dessert. Don't mind if I do.
I had the potato, leek and pesto soup which was perfectly seasoned and had a velvety texture. I could have eaten this soup all day and am already planning on how to recreate it at home.
For the entree we had the option between butternut squash risotto, red snapper or a filet with duck fat fries and a glorious, glorious mushroom and wine sauce. I think you can tell which one I got. The portions were perfect, and the dish also came with a small bunch of arugula, which cut the heaviness of the filet perfectly.
Lastly, dessert. My dining companion and I thought we had a choice between two items, but it turns out you got a deconstructed banana cream pie, mini creme brulee and chocolate mousse with marshmallows. Seriously delicious.
Left (SO) full and happy. As my friend put it, "I want to snuggle the chef" because good lord, what a perfect meal! And our waiters were all friendly, attentive and wonderful.
3.5 really... Rounding down with stars.
Food was actually great really but nothing was exceptional for me. I can't comment on the service because I was with friends who knew everyone. Â
1 star deduction because the food wasn't  exceptional - just very good. Another 1/2 star deduction because the ambiance didn't add anything special either or make me WANT to come back.
Went here on a whim after apartment hunting in August. Father in law was in town and decided he wanted a steak, so he promptly made us walk to Benny's. It was 4 oclock and most steakhouses werent open, and we definitely werent dressed for a nice evening out.
However, they were very accommodating, even opened their dining room early for us. We ate, we drank, we laughed. Despite being embarrassed about wearing jeans and sandals, it was one of the best steak meals Ive had in Chicago, and our server was superb (probably bc the rest of the dining room was empty). I still think about it months later. My steak was cooked perfect, the wine recs were on spot, and the carrot cake was the largest thing I've ever seen in my life. Could feed an army with one slice.
Will go back for date night one evening.
Review in a nutshell: Â Trying Too Hard. Â
The food is excellent.  My Veal Porterhouse was done to perfection, and my guests' New York Strip and  Salmon fillets received raves.  If a restaurant was simply the sum of its food, Benny's would be a five star joint.
You know the old expression, stick to what you know? Â Good advice. Â Benny's KNOWS food. Â REALLY well. Â They don't know service or atmosphere, but damn they're sure trying hard at both.
I liked our waitress. Â Great service, very professional. Â I didn't like the three? four??? other waiter-cum-bussboys who were hovering around the dozen or so tables in our area. Â I mean, they were also very professional and tried to give great service, but they got in each others way -and mine.
On paper, more wait staff for the same number of tables means more service. Â In reality, more wait staff means being asked three times by three different people if there's anything you need before your real waitress is able to make it promptly back with your refill. Â Or having to inform half a dozen people that you would like more butter for your bread. Â Or being asked three times by different people if you are ready for your plate to be removed.
They're trying! Â SO hard. Â But it's just not working very well.
Benny's features live music. Â Does anyone actually *enjoy* Nightclub music? Â Or is it purposeless relic we associate with certain types of nightlife due to social inertia - like Nutcrackers at Christmas? Â "Oh, we want to be "that kind" of restaurant -better hire a talentless singer and someone to play piano a bass fiddle!"
You can tell it's an affectation, because if it were important and something they were proud of, Â they would place the musicians prominently so everyone could see, hear and enjoy. Â Instead, they're hidden away in a -very stylish- corner, so as to inflict the least number of guests with direct contact to atonal, arrhythmic pseudo-jazz.
The atmosphere is a Feng Shui nightmare. Â You walk in the front door and Benny's is a "cool and clean" marble palace. Â Come up the stairs and it changes to a "warm but cluttered" Italian Winery for the bar, which hangs over the "classic and intimate" wood-paneled boardroom of a seating area. Â Which is then, of course, packed shoulder-to-shoulder full of head-achingly loud Chicagoans.
Drink up, because you'll only be comfortable with a buzz.
Oh. And if you do decide to come to Benny's -because seriously, the food really was amazing- don't do it without a business credit card to pay for the meal. Â Trust me on this one.
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