Bennigan’s

I’ve had a lot of memories eating at this Bennigan’s over the years, including even once watching the World Cup 1994 finale here. So a visit here a week ago was decent, but also bittersweet and sad since they’re being kicked out as of December 16^th, due to allegedly that they unfortunately allow Bennigan’s to renew their lease. And unfortunately I confirmed a rumor I’d heard is indeed true, that Walgreen’s is gonna move in and at least occupy everything at least west to the Falafill space within this building. Didn’t hear a confirmation if the incoming Walgreen’s will displace Falafill or not, but I’d certainly hope it doesn’t. And like we need another Walgreens in Chicago, ugh!
Back to the review. I ordered my usual go to item at Bennigan’s (Monte Cristo), and it was still as good as I can remember when I was younger! Why I’ve never found any other places that can make a Monte Cristo as good as they can, I dunno why. My friend’s order (some sort of wrap) wasn’t bad either, and the sides we got (myself garlic mashed potatoes, and fries for my friend) were decent as well. The server even quickly corrected the erroneous receipts myself and my friend got, without any fuss. A minor complaint I’d have for otherwise a decent experience I had here, is that I wish the drink menus listed the actual prices for drinks. I was told the beers on draft were around $ 4.50 to $ 6, and I was a little disappointed that the beer I got ended up being $ 6. If it was gonna cost that much, I would’ve preferred whatever the current drink prices were to be listed on the drink menu. Then again, I do know restaurants often charge more for beer vs. other places like bars, so not the end of the world.
Ah well, guess it’s time for me to see if Tilted Kilt in downtown Chicago is a possible replacement for coming here, and if I can add it to my go to list of places I like eating at the most when downtown (i.e. Moody’s Pub, Exchequer (sp?)). I’ll miss Bennigan’s, and hope they do find another downtown Chicago space someday. Closest one after this closes will be in Elgin, and I know I don’t get out that way very often if ever. :(

Recently, I started a job in same building as Bennigan’s. My review is based on both times I had eaten there — both times, very pleasant experience.
Overall, the restaurant has same décor as many of it’s competitors with the raised bar area, wooden booths and openness of everything. So nothing really stands out.
I’m very basic so both times; I had the Soup & Salad Combo (Cesar Salad and Ultimate Potato Soup). For lunch, the portions were the right size and favorable. The last time I was in, Jerome had waited on me. He is certainly an asset to the restaurant — with his personality and smile.
The only negative experience is the bathroom. No hot water and very little water that comes out of the facet.
Overall, good experiences when I have lunch at this restaurant.

I read the reviews and was prepared for the worst, but I didn’t have the worst experience whatsoever. This was my first time dining at a Bennigan’s and we ended up here based on my friend’s love for this restaurant. Not being familiar with the menu, I went by Mark G’s recommendation of the Monte Cristo sandwich and I also did a cup of French Onion soup. I’ve always been a fan of salty and sweet together so I was excited to try this somewhat odd combination. Let me tell you, it was delicious. The batter that the sandwich was fried in almost tasted like an elephant ear. Couple that with the gooey cheese and saltiness of the turkey and ham + the powdered sugar and raspberry preserves, it was absolutely perfect. The soup came out piping hot and was equally tasty.
There were a few off-​putting points about the experience – most not worth mentioning – but the biggest annoyance was the fact that 3 male waiters were standing at the TV near our table, almost the entire time screaming at the football game. I told my friend that the wait staff shouldn’t be louder than the customers. I didn’t necessarily expect a fine dining atmosphere, but we should have been able to carry on a conversation.
Our waitress was really attentive and did a great job. Since we had good service and the food was tasty, I’m still giving them 4 stars. This is a nice spot for a quick lunch or to get away from the hustle and bustle of Michigan Ave.

I haven’t had a Turkey O’Toole since 2005. so while out exploring the city I decided to pop into this Bennigan’s. I’ve lived in Chicago for nearly 3 years and this was my first and likely last time. I was seated and looked over the menu even though I knew what I wanted already. Someone else was seated a few minutes after I arrived and received immediate service. So. I patiently waited and waited.
Finally the server who was waiting on the person who arrived after I did stopped and asked if anyone had helped me. I said I was still waiting and he motioned for my server. I’m guessing he didn’t get a positive response so he said «Well looks like I’ll be helping you.» Now I will say, I was glad he was because he was the only person there who appeared content with being there.
I ordered the baked potato soup and Turkey O’Toole. Well the soup came out and was edible. although the potatoes were undercooked. The sandwich came out and as was expected. But overall the experience was just two stars. and the server I ended up with gave this review the second star (wish I remembered his name). Other than that though I probably won’t be back. This place has a prime location and a captive audience. Pretty sure the locals are there once and never again, unless they’re just going to the bar for drinks.

After visiting the Art Institute, we were looking for a good place for a group of us for lunch. We walked along the street in front of the museum looking for something good but we didn’t really find anything. Finally, we decided, oh let’s just go to Bennigan’s.
Well, we were all very surprised! It was delicious! The Char-​Grilled Flat Iron Steak Salad that I ordered was incredible. The steak was perfectly medium rare and the salad dressing and everything in the salad was so well coordinated. I’m still thinking about this salad!
I’ve been going to Bennigan’s quite frequently in Doha and had tried almost everything on their menu. However, the Bennigan’s in Doha doesn’t offer this steak salad so I was just sort of trying it since I hadn’t seen it before – wow was I pleasantly surprised!
We didn’t have any issues with the service and actually the waitress was quite kind. This is a great spot for lunch after the Art Institute, and if you love steak, try the Char-​Grilled Flat Iron Steak Salad!

Guess I’m on a bit of an Irish Bar kick.
DISCLAIMER: this is a review for the Bennigan’s that used to be located near Willow and Waukegan in Glenview.
I really like this place. Serves up pretty traditional American fare with an Irish twist. the Hamburgers topped with stewed potatoes are very good. Baby Back Ribs on a bed of mashed potatoes. yum!
I also really like their Grilled Salmon and boiled Potato salad. My date got the Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Pasta, with sauteed potatoes and she really enjoyed it. I will definitely be going back here as I did not get an opportunity to try their french fries but I am sure they will be excellent.
⁴⁄₅

The service was horrible. Our server was strange. He tried to connect with us, but was trying way too hard. He also didn’t know the menu that well either. The drinks were good, but the food took way too long. When we ordered our food, we asked a few questions, he looked like he didn’t really even know the answers to any of our questions. Our server, once the food came, was making excuses on why the food was taking so long. I get the restaurant business, I work in a restaurant. I know what it’s like working all day. But at the end of the day, you’re there to do your job. My friends and I didn’t even order that much. We ordered two appetizer plates and a burger.
One of the appetizer plates came out being the wrong food, no sauce on the wings, no celery, and came with salsa? She didn’t need the salsa whatsoever. The fries that came out with the burger felt like they’ve been sitting out for a long time because they were soggy and cold. I also asked if the burger came with veggies on it, and he said, «Oh, what does the menu say?» It just said the main ingredients. I didn’t want tomato or onion on the burger. He said that it would come on the side, and it didn’t. It came on it.
It was also just a few minutes before the kitchen/​bar should have been closed, my friend wanted to order the piña colada. The bartender had already cleaned and put the blender away and couldn’t make my friends drink. The restaurant wasn’t even officially closed yet.
That’s another thing, 99% of restaurants take orders up until the time they are closed. But this restaurant was shutting the kitchen and the bar down before it was even midnight! When it came to pay for the bill, I had asked if he could split the bill. The server was very unprofessional and slid a chair next to the table and sat down just to write down how we wanted to split the bill. It wasn’t even that hard, especially since he should know what we ordered.
Our experience there was just not a good one. I was really disappointed. Once customers are in the door, you shouldn’t be rushing them to make their orders especially if it’s like 45 minutes before close time. The server was not professional doing his job and didn’t know how to do his job well. I will never go back to Bennigan’s again.

On the plus side, our server was excellent. Separate checks without giving us a dirty look or whining? Well done. Very friendly, too. I’d go back just for that. Food was good. Nothing amazing, but it’s a Bennigan’s. Atmosphere was standard, and the place seemed very clean.
Pet peeve: Why not list the prices on your drink menu? Help me make an informed decision. Am I supposed to go through each drink and ask my waiter how much each one costs and have everyone around me look at me like I’m an indecisive alcoholic? No thanks.
Also, it’s 85 degrees in Chicago right now. It shouldn’t be 82 degrees in the restaurant. Crank dat AC, por favor. Prices were also steep. If you want to break the bank, there are plenty of better options in The Loop.

Love-​ed their food. We stopped here prior to going to the Art Institute. The name sounded fun, and we were starved so we stopped in. I order the Monte Christo Sandwich – which was delicious and huge btw. My husband ordered the appetizers which were a kind of egg roll (black bean I believe). My sandwich was amazing. It sounds crazy, but a deep fried Monte Cristo with jam on the side to top it with really hit the spot. My husband pretty much loved the rolls. They had a crunchy exterior and almost sweet bite to it.
The waitress had recently returned from school, so didn’t know the specials off hand., which wasn’t a big deal really. They were on the packed side but were able to refill our drinks in time. Big fan of the food, if we had had more time we would have returned.

Stopped by Bennigan’s one evening after work to get a quick bite and a drink.
I ordered fish and chips and just so happened to gag on it as the manager walked by. The manager immediately took the food away and offered me something else. I got a club sandwich and that was pretty disgusting as well so I picked over it. My friend ordered the wings and they were also inedible. One positive note was that our server was great and attentive. The manager was also very attentive, friendly and was eager to make me feel better about the food.
But ewwwwwww the food was horrible! Never again! Hopefully they can do something soon to improve the food a bit.

I waited tables to put myself through college; working at Bennigan’s at this location was my first job. I worked there for little under a year. Man, I could tell you some stories about this place… servers snorting coke in the hallway between tables… the type of things that people found in their food there…
The food is standard fare food that you find at most restaurants of a similar caliber. Most of the side dishes to the entrees are precooked and heated up in a microwave when you order. I don’t know if that will surprise anyone; this is probably pretty typical for that type of casual chain restaurant.
The place had a consistent roach and vermin problem the entire time I was employed there, something I have never experienced at any other restaurant since. It was bad. There were times that management would stop by to talk to tables in order to redirect the guests’ attention so a server could swat away a mouse spotted underneath one of the tables.
The biggest problem was by far the cockroaches. Despite power cleaning the front bar/​front of house on a consistent basis (I think once a month) it was a problem that was never really resolved. We found them everywhere – by the bar area, in the cracks of seat cushions, everywhere. They particularly liked to proliferate in the bar area because it was dark and moist.
The worst incident I can recall involved a drink that one of our bartenders served one of our guests. It was one of our punchbowl-​sized drinks meant to be shared between two people. The gentleman who ordered it drank it down to the bottom of the glass… when he got to the bottom, he found a three-​inch-​long cockroach at the bottom of his glass. The worst part of that incident was that we actually saved the roach to show to our GM… never heard a word about the incident afterwards. To my knowledge he didn’t make any sort of effort to ramp up his cockroach-​extermination efforts, either.
Really that place should have been shut down; I literally have no idea how that location passed its health inspections.
I am now in grad school in Portland, Oregon. I worked my way up to a four star restaurant in the downtown area by the time I finished undergrad; while restaurant work can generally be hit-​or-​miss in regards to professionalism, I can honestly say that Bennigan’s was the worst place I had ever worked due to the lack of professionalism by the management, and both front of house and back of house staff.
I will say that, as bad as this place was, I never saw a server or member of the back of house staff mishandle food… as small of a consolation as this may be. Additionally, the poor state of the staff was partly due to relatively high staff turnover (common in restaurants) and the type of evening clientele that the place seemed to attract late at night, which was completely different than the type of clientele that came to the restaurant during the day (tourists and business professionals) – it was hard to keep good servers for very long, the hours were late and the money wasn’t very good.
I am new to Unilocal and this is only my second review; feel free to message me if you have any questions. I’m sure this review might come off as borderline unbelievable to some but I assure you that it is all true.
For people considering dining here – it has been quite a few years since I worked for this restaurant, so in all fairness it may have completely turned itself around at this point since it underwent a change in management a few years back.

Average. Wouldn’t recommend it for dinner but then again I wouldn’t recomend any Bennigan’s for dinner.
Personally, I think it’s a good lunch place. There was plenty of staff and they were all nice. Our food actually came very fast but it was dead so it probably should!
The outdoor area is right across from the Art Institute so it’s a nice urban setting to have lunch.

I didn’t know that Bennigan’s was still open. The 150 S. Michigan Ave is a great location. It conveniently has outdoor seating that over looks the park and allows a great deal of people watching on the busy Michigan Ave streets. It is located near all of the Michigan ave trains, buses and museums so it attracts a great deal of parents with children and tourists.
Bennigan’s is a chain restaurant, so this isn’t a place where you go when you are worried about calories, healthy options or meat cooked to perfection, but the service is good. The waitstaff appear to be cheerful, happy to help and consistently available regardless of the volume! Great job providing good service, Bennigans!
The Pineapple Rum Upside Down Cake… hmmmm…I’m going to pause here, I need a moment. (Whew) Okay, it was so good I feel sick thinking about it. I am usually not a dessert kind of gal, so it’s pretty difficult for even the finest restaurants to wow me with their desserts, but this cake was completely awesome! Sadly it’s served in a martini glass with a small portion, but it’s a reasonable portion for a dessert. Please don’t expect to have any left overs.
Bennigan’s is probably the only chain restaurant left that’s worth trying for a casual meal.

I don’t usually write about big chains like this one, but we had the rudest server I’ve ever encountered at this place!
We arrived about 7:45 on a Wednesday. There was about a 20 minute wait, so we decided to sit at the bar to grab a quick drink and bite to eat. We were told that would be faster, and the service in the bar was pretty quick. After waiting about 15 minutes, a server finally appeared. She looked at us and said «What do you want?» No hello, no introduction, nothing. We immediately disliked her demeanor. We put in our drink order and ordered our food at the same time. I barely finished saying what I wanted when she ripped the menu from my hands. Pleasant, huh?
Our food was brought out by a different member of the waitstaff. My friend had ordered a different kind of dip than was offered with the dish, and it was forgotten. After about 10 minutes, we finally got our server’s attention to bring over the requested dip. When she brought it, she set it down hard on the table, like we were bothering her. We never were asked how our meals were and the only time we saw our waitress again was when she dropped the check on our table.
Rude, rude, rude. I won’t go back.

Ever since Bennigan’s closed their locations in the suburbs of Chicago several years ago, the craving began. The only locations were in the city and the idea of driving from the suburbs to the city for Bennigan’s was preposterous. There was a location by my work off of Michigan Ave. but it was a 25 minute walk. It wasn’t the restaurant itself that I was craving but actually one dish in particular that has been on their menu for over a decade, the Monte Cristo. Today was going to be the day.
Bennigan’s was offering a special in recognition of being in business for 35 years. To thank all of their customers, they were offering a special for half a Monte Cristo with soup or salad for only $ 5. A great deal but I was here for the real thing. I paid a couple of extra dollars for the full sandwich. When it arrived, I knew that I made the right decision because it was larger than I had remembered. I doubled down and knew that I was going to come out on top.
If you have never had a Monte Cristo, you have to try it at Bennigan’s because it is freakin’ amazing. It’s a three layer sandwich with turkey, ham, and cheese that’s dipped in batter and deep fried till golden brown then sprinkled with powdered sugar. This phenomenon is served with a side of raspberry jam and French fries. It’s the ultimate sweet and salty combination. A sandwich of this magnitude could only be enjoyed with a fork and knife as you would prime rib and horseradish. The savory turkey and salty ham and cheese went perfectly together with the sweet and tart raspberry jam. What makes this Monte Cristo unique is the light and crispy batter. It’s similar to the batter that you would get with fish and chips. It was true bliss with every bite.
After slowly devouring the Monte Cristo, I nodded with satisfaction and rubbed my stomach for good luck. I almost shed a tear when I thought about how long it will be until I have this experience again.
Yeah, it’s a chain, so what? The service was great and there were daily specials with an additional promotional menu in celebration of their 35 year anniversary. More importantly, they offer something unique that you can’t get anywhere else. Delicious, quick, and affordable — that’s four stars in my book. If only they were still open in the suburbs…

Went with some co-​workers during our lunch break today. I ordered the Monte Cristo Sandwich, as one of my co-​workers has gushed about it forever, so I had to try it. It’s your classic Monte Cristo sandwich with turkey, ham, and cheese, but they do it the traditional way and dunk the whole thing in egg batter and deep-​fry it. Yes, I’m usually against deep-​fried *anything*, but I had to try this. It’s actually pretty good!
I was expecting something extremely heavy and greasy, but it was savory and not excessively greasy, although I couldn’t get the image of something deep-​frying out of my mind. The accompanying kettle-​cooked chips were not bad, although they were a little too dark for my taste and had a smoky aftertaste to them. The raspberry jam that you dip your sandwich in was really good, and I’m not a fan of raspberries.
Our server was a little disorganized, although apologetic and polite enough. The place was busy, but not packed. I ordered a side of steamed broccoli as an appetizer and had to remind her twice to make sure it didn’t come *with* the sandwich as opposed to before, and I told her several times I wanted olive oil on it. She said she’d bring me a little cup of olive oil instead. When the broccoli came, there was no olive oil cup to be found. I just let it go. It was hot and crunchy, which I love in broccoli. She did make sure we were okay and had enough water, so she earned her tip.
All in all, it was a good experience, but not amazing enough to make me want to return. I’m not a big fan of chain eateries to begin with, but the stories of the Monte Cristo made me try it. With so many good options for quality food in Chicago, I’m not sure I’ll return.

Waren hier bei unserem Chicago Aufenthalt mehrfach essen. Sehr gute Burger es gibt auch immer wieder Specials, darauf sollte vor der Bestellung geachtet werden. Bedienung ist nett. Preise sind ok. Allerdings sind größere Gruppen (ab 5 Personen) wohl ohne Voranmeldung ein kleines Problem für die Jungs :)

Okay, I called in an order for a Chicken BLT Artichoke salad for lunch one day. Sounds delicious, right? A chunky, awesome salad with bacon, tomatoes, sliced garlic, red onions, chicken, artichoke hearts and lettuce. Or so it said on the menu, and I was expecting.
My salad was done right away, and there were not a lot of people in the restaurant, right before the lunch rush. So, they did have time to prepare it, but I appreciated the speediness.
I took it back, and unwrapped it, eager to savor.
Well. There was lettuce. And dressing. And a few teeny pieces of chicken, and one piece of artichoke. A few fey tomatoes. What I didn’t see much or. .. anything of, was onions, BACON, garlic or many pieces of artichoke at all. I think I counted one piece of artichoke. For $ 11?!
Now, I’d pay this, for a salad like the menu described. A delicious, chunky, salad that lasts for two meals salad. Brimming with healthy ingredients. .. and bacon.
I’d have even waited a few minutes. ‘Cos clearly it was prepared too fast for the bacon and garlic to jump into the bowl. I’ll wait for that, really!
This one missed the mark so badly that I doubt I’ll go back for it. I might go back here for the cheap beers that others have mentioned, but I doubt it. The bar was a bit downmarket, and if the salads are like this. .. nope. Ya lost me. And here I was, giving a chain a chance.
Serve it to the tourists, ‘cos I won’t get fooled again.

Wow, I thought they all closed down. I haven’t been here in years.
My best friend and I use to come here quite a bit years ago.
We both loved their chicken tenders with the honey mustard sauce. Mmmm…
I don’t ever remember getting bad service here.
Only thing is solicitors hang around outside.
Will have to come back for old time sakes.

I wish Unilocal had a subcategory for reviews when it comes to service. Why? Because we left without eating.
Why did we leave without eating? Because of the bad taste in our mouths that the hostess left us.
Let me explain. For those of us who were up cheering our Marathon runners on the morning of their great run, after 8AM we were all looking for breakfast spots. After breakfast, my daughter and I were going to hit the Art Institute which is literally right in front of this place. So we figured this place was a good choice, and decided to check the menu.
We walk to the hostess stand and I asked her if they were open already. She literally gave me a «FUCK YOU are you KIDDING ME?» look. It was so bad I was taken aback. However I had a hungry teen and asked her for the menu which she gave me with a huge dose of attitude. She shoved it at me. I asked my girl if she wanted to eat here and she said «sure». Which in teen speak can mean:
«Hell yes — this is going to be awesome!!!»
«I would like to, that would be lovely»
«OK»
“Whatever, I really don’t care either way”
«Maybe, maybe not»
«Absolutely not, I would rather gouge my eyes out with a hot poker»
So I took her «sure» as option number two and asked Ms. Personality for a table to which she gave me the worst fake smile, which more than friendly seemed like a sneer as I was obviously ruining her wonderful Sunday morning by asking to pay money at her establishment.
As we sat there, I was really unhappy and kept it to myself and I asked my daughter what she wanted. She said nothing on the menu really seemed appealing. Seems that the ”sure” was none of the options above but more «If YOU really want to …»
I didn’t really want to. Its overpriced and after the experience with the hostess we left.
The second star is because our server was very nice, sweet and understanding when we told her we needed to leave due to ‘stomach problems’. Which I had after being treated like that by the hostess. And for the fact that I didn’t even taste the food. The coffee however was TERRIBLE, by far the worst coffee I have ever tasted.
As we left the hostess rolled her eyes and I spotted a nice cheery colorful sign that stated «We will open Sunday 10−10−10 at 8AM for the Marathon». Too bad the people who came in early to work really didn’t want to be there

There is only one reason my significant other and I come here: the monte cristo sandwiches. They really are heavenly. Ham, turkey, swiss and American cheese inside a sweet, crispy deep fried batter. Magnificent. The fries that come on the side are also surprisingly good. Heavily seasoned and salty. Just how I like ‘em.
We used to dine pretty frequently at the Bennigan’s in Chicago Ridge, which has since closed and become Tilted Kilt. We were sad to see it go and it had been well over a year since we had our beloved sandwich. But the wait is over and I have a feeling we will be making the trek downtown more often when the monte cristo craving hits.
What can I say about this location in particular? Nothing bad really. My only complaint is they sat us at this small table right against the window, and the sun was beating down on me. Not very comfortable. But the quick and pretty friendly service made up for it. Parking? Well good luck there.
Kudos to the lone standing Bennigan’s.