Benjamin Restaurant & Bar

New York, United States

3.3

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 212-889-0750
Website:
benjaminny.com
Address:
603 2nd Ave, New York, NY, 10016
b/t 33rd St & 34th St
Midtown East, Murray Hill, Kips Bay
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
920 ftNYC Airporter, JFK and LGA Airports
0.3 mi33rd Street (6)
0.4 miE 42 St / 2 Av
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
Yes
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Full Bar
Happy Hour
Yes
Coat Check
No
Smoking
No
Outdoor Seating
No
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes
Has Pool Table
No

Today

Today 11:30 am – 12:00 am
Local time (New York) –

Business hours

Monday 11:30 am – 12:00 am
Tuesday 11:30 am – 12:00 am
Wednesday 11:30 am – 12:00 am
Thursday 11:30 am – 12:00 am
Friday 11:30 am – 1:00 am
Saturday 11:00 am – 1:00 am
Sunday 11:00 am – 12:00 am

Description

Specialties

Benjamin is a contemporary bistro in Murray Hill offering an upbeat and friendly atmosphere for you to enjoy a delicious meal. Our menu is based on fresh ingredients and expert preparation, featuring dishes that are sure to tempt even the most discriminating palate. From Crab Cakes and Roasted Duck Quesadillas to Chicken Pot Pie and Grilled Lamb Chops, there’s truly something for everyone at Benjamin. We serve a great selection of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizzas and entrees, all made with fresh, high-​quality ingredients.

What meal would be complete without a great drink? At Benjamin, we offer a full bar of specialty cocktails, wine and beer to wash your meal down. Conveniently located near the best movie theater in the city, Benjamin is the perfect option for a tasty lunch, a romantic dinner or a night out with friends. We also offer off-​site catering, so think of us for your next event!

History

Established in 1974.

For four decades, Benjamin has been a Murray Hill staple. Located right next to the best movie theater in the city and close to NYU Medical, Benjamin is a convenient place to get a great meal no matter what you’re in the mood for. We are proud of the great reputation we have earned over the years, and look forward to serving you for many more.

Meet the Business Owner

David F.

Business Owner

As Owner of Benjamin Restaurant, David goes out of his way to make your dining experience as enjoyable as possible. He truly believes in the quality, variety and value offered at Benjamin, and wants each diner to have a great time at the restaurant. He decided on a career change after working in the health industry after college, and soon decided to open up his own restaurant. Benjamin Restaurant was created in 1974, and has been a neighborhood staple ever since.

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Vicinity

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20 reviews of Benjamin Restaurant & Bar

No registration required
Place rating: 1
New York, NY
This is my first time here didnt like that host seated me in the sun secluded from people and how he dismissed the fact i had a groupon for this establishment he said it was specifically for two. Which is fine even though other businesses dont care about a small technicality. Food was alright waitress was nice didnt ask if i wanted a beverage with my meal. I guess they dont serve my kind here. Ill be sure to return the groupon and never return here.
Place rating: 5
Manhattan, NY
«Fantastic, as ALWAYS! From Bridget, the hostess/​Manager/​emcee of Trivia Tuesday to Melissa the bartender and to the entire staff, A GREAT TIME. Especially when Irwin didn’t get a bonus shot, or when Irwin shouted „Lindbergh!!!“ Always a blast! We drank and had the two best … appetizer items (3 or 4 orders each!) Nonna’s meatballs and the boneless buffalo tenders. Out of this world! Could be the best of each of those items I’ve ever had! Come in, but save a seat for me at my FAVORITE local bar/​restaurant, Benjamin’s!!! Expand»
Place rating: 3
Brooklyn, NY
I bought a Groupon to take my friends there for dinner and I have the say the Groupon price was well worth it and the dishes were cooked very well and HUGE. However, the waitress services there was so so and not very friendly and all my friends agreed. Therefore, I recommend the restaurant food there but be aware of the service.
Place rating: 5
Cumming, GA
Never been for anything but boozy brunch but the 2 hour limit is like 15 bucks and the food is consistent. Nothing that will blow you away but you’ll have a good time. Very chill.
Place rating: 1
Murray Hill, Manhattan, NY
I had the blackened catfish on the menu special of the day. I was extremely disappointed by the portion size. It was a very small piece of fish on some risotto. I am leaving the restaurant and going to look for some more food since I am still hungry. And I am not a big eater but this was a child’s meal.
Place rating: 2
New York, NY
I loved Benjamin’s! And I mean loved it. I had it rated 5 stars!
Always brought our guest there. The staff turn around has been crazy. Each week a new person not to mention the boyfriends of the waitresses hang out there all night as well. Talking about how you kick people out who don’t pay rent by force etc. No thanks I don’t need to hear about this when I’m eating. Waitress was no where to be found half the time. It was a Monday night with only two tables. Too busy hanging off the boyfriend to care I guess. Buss boy did almost all the work, thank goodness for him. Disappointing experience to say the least. I won’t be back for a long while maybe the staff will change over again. We used to come at least once a week if not def every second week.
Love the food but I don’t want to hear all this weird talk about about things that are illegal. Doesn’t make for a nice atmosphere and it’s very uncomfortable. It’s not the sopranos thanks.
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
The Tuesday Trivia gets quite heated but it is always a good time. My boyfriend is addicted to the wings here and I eat the celery so its a good sharing dish. I think they have the best bleu cheese on the planet!
Place rating: 2
Brooklyn, NY
Came here with a groupon. Had steak that was not part of the deal so we agreed to surcharge, food was not bad. Service was lacking. Our waiter was barely moving and act as if he does us a favor, but the worst thing he overcharged us even on top of the surcharges. Showed his mistake he left and brought a bill that still was $ 17 more that it should have been. I asked for a manager who basically told me I don’t know how to use groupon. Paid and still tipped the waiter 18% but will never be back.
Place rating: 3
Manhattan, NY
Have been to this place twice, the first time I went I got the zucchini spaghetti and that was delicious. Second time I got the lobster mac and cheese which just didn’t taste right to me, not enough lobster and the cheese sauce wasn’t one that had you craving more with each bite (as every Mac and cheese should). The atmosphere is nice, tables are a little tight but I’ve never seen it get too crowded.
A fine restaurant for the neighborhood but definitely not a go to spot for me.
Place rating: 3
Rego Park, NY
Needed to have a quick dinner during my break and decided to stop by. The service was wonderful, everyone is very attentive and helpful. The food on the other hand was nothing to boast about. My tomato and garlic bisque soup was extremely salty. I also got the BBQ spare ribs sliders which were ok, a little overdone and dry but ok.
Place rating: 4
Philadelphia, PA
This is a nice cozy neighborhood spot to grab a meal when you’re not looking to stray too far from home or before/​after a movie. Service is usually lacking in both attentiveness and friendliness but the food is always good. The chicken parm is quite good and so is the French onion soup. There is a bread basket with cornbread that is served before the meal and is actually very good. Not a place I would go for a special occasion but good if you’re looking for a consistent quality meal.
Place rating: 4
Miami, FL
We got to this place by mistake… But it was a really good mistake. Steak was really juicy & flavor was good as well, affordable. The only think is that even after letting them know it was my daughters bday… No one took the time to even try singing happy bday! I said it 2 times! Not even in Miami
Place rating: 4
Forest Hills, NY
This place is nice for a casual weekend brunch :) The coffee is not fantastic, it isn’t the hippest scene, but if you want good food in a relaxing atmosphere be sure to stop here before you head to the movies. My Monte Cristo Sandwich was made of love and carbs. Ham and cheese between french toast and smothered in maple syrup is what I am all about. My friend got the Steak and Eggs which was also spot on and the little basket of muffins completed the meal. Nice place, will be back again.
Place rating: 2
Manhattan, NY
Had two separate experiences at this place… Naturally the first was pretty good… We had appetizers and a pretty solid pasta dishes… Portions were great as was the service. As we live in the neighborhood of course we returned.
Second time around however… The pork chops were overcooked leather smothered in bland apple chutney served alongside undercooked (as in still hard) sweet potato fries. Really bad.
My son had the unseasoned lamb burger served with, oddly enough, limp fries… Both meals a disaster.
Maybe an off night… Prolly give the brunch a shot for the tiebreaker. Fingers crossed, but one more strike and they are out… Way too many options in this part of town to justify a fourth visit.
Place rating: 4
Methuen, MA
Used a groupon
Nice restaurant and bar
Seated across from bar it was pretty busy we were there during an early weekday around 7 – 8
Waiter took quite a while before taking our order
Ordered buffalo wings as the appetizer came with a boat load of celery sticks
The half roasted chicken came with delicious mashed potatoes the chicken was well seasoned the whole dish was delicious
Salmon dish was also good
Had a lot of left overs
Probably due to bread and butter consumption at the beginning
Place rating: 4
New York, NY
We purchased an Amazon deal which included a Four-​course dinner for 2. I didn’t know what to expect since I couldn’t grasp what type of cuisine from the menu and décor. It was a dainty little American bistro type of feel.
We ordered the quinoa risotto and diver scallops — it was grilled which I never had before. The grill marks was a little bitter but the scallops were cooked perfectly. The quinoa was interesting mix of eggplant, beets and corn. For salad, we got the garden salad — that was standard, but a pretty big portion.
For entrees, we had the Rack of Lamb with grilled tomatoes and sautéed spinach on top of a bed of quinoa. Crazy portion, and the rack of lamb was cooked perfectly at medium rare. One suggestion is to season it with a bit more salt, otherwise it would have been perfect. The Grilled Aged New York Sirloin Steak reminded me of steak dinner with the sauteed veggies and onion ring. It was good, but not great. There was a subtle taste of the «aged» flavor.
For dessert we had the Peanut Butter Sigh Pie, oh my god this was amazing! It tasted like a Reese Peanut Butter cup but perfect amount of sweetness. The homemade whipped cream was a good complement.
The service was pretty good, our meal was good. I think it’s a solid local spot.
Place rating: 2
New York, NY
My friend got a groupon deal and brought us here. The deal included 2app, 4 entrees ($ 24 and under). And 4 glass of wine. We ordered the scallop, it totally scorched!!! It just no taste of scallop and bitten. The other fried calamari was fine. For entrees, we had seafood risotto, salmon and steak! I think the seafood risotto not bad, just don’t put any high expectations on the foods, you will not come back again.
I totally understand this is a bar, but it didn’t mean they could make the food like this.
Place rating: 4
Manhattan, NY
In search of a bar in which to watch the U.S. vs. China quarterfinal match of the Women’s World Cup, I happened upon Benjamin.
Upon entering, I was instantly met with the unique character of the locale. Having been in business since 1970, there were almost as many interesting personalities in there as years it has been open and over the course of the evening, I had the pleasure of meeting a few.
A fan of the sour flavor in the Cupcake brand of wine, I subsequently ordered a glass of the Shiraz, which I sipped as the game started. Soon I was ready for dinner and as a friend had since arrived to join me, we decided to share orders of the Penne ala Vodka and the garden salad. The Penne, which had a slight kick, was surprisingly good, and the salad was full of fresh greens.
So after a U.S. victory and a tasty meal with one of my favorite wines, how could I not be a fan?
Place rating: 3
Manhattan, NY
SOLID 3 STARS!
Casual restaurant on the east side. Food & service is good.
Place rating: 4
Manhattan, NY
We came here for dinner on a Sunday evening with a Groupon deal: $ 35 for 2 glasses of house wine, 1 appetizer, and 2 entrees. The house cabernet was very good.
AMBIANCE AND SERVICE: This place is nice and cozy in the winter. There are a ton of tiny tables that line 33rd St. and gives you a nice view of people coming and going along 33rd St. and 2nd Ave. It felt a little stuffy at times and can get very loud when it’s busy, but overall it’s a nice little place. The service was excellent. Our waiter was very friendly and not snobby at all about the fact that we were using a Groupon.
APPETIZER AND ENTREES: For the appetizer we got the guacamole and chips which was surprisingly good. I’m used to very bland guacamole here in NYC and did not think guacamole at a non-​Mexican restaurant would be good at all, but it was surprisingly tasty. For the entrees, I got the crab cake sandwich with French fries and my husband got the pork roast with apple. The crab cake sandwich was excellent! It’s served with a lime aioli sauce which was just perfect. The French fries were fried to perfection. My husband loved the pork with apples. His came with sweet potato fries which have a gluten coating on them. Being that he cannot have gluten, the restaurant happily substituted regular fries for him.
Overall, I recommend this place. The food seems a little overpriced for what it is, but with a Groupon, it was a great deal.