Ben ‘N Nick’s

Love this place. Pliny! Sandwiches! Great atmosphere. My girlfriend and I make it in here more and more often. Also the staff is awesome!

This review is long overdue. Ben & Nicks is a great place to for a causal meal. I’ve never been in during a sporting event so I have no idea how it is during that type of night. I usually go on a Sun. The wait staff is always awesome, the music is always good, the Bartenders really know how to make a good drink (for all of us non-​beer drinkers), but I HAVE to tell you about the Lamb burger they currently have. IT’S SO GOOD! I usually get the Big Bird (lightly fried chicken, spicy cole slaw & aioli= YUM!) However, about 4 – 5 weeks ago I came in for dinner after an awesome hike & what to my wandering eyes did I see on the menu, but a lamb burger= uh hell yes please! It’s so good. It’s currently on the special’s menu, so I’m basically eating it until they pry it from my lamb juiced hands (Oh-​that might not sound enticing, but you get it, right?!) It’s wicked good! Happy eating & goods time for all!

The Obama is one of my favorite sandwiches. If the BBQ fries with pulled pork are on the menu, I recommend you get them. It’s often open seating in my experience, and if it is crowded the restaurant can feel a bit uncomfortable.

Divey yet friendly hang. Staff pleasant and active to help. Piny the Elder on tap huge. Good spot to end business day then meet friend for catch up discussion.

I love this place! It’s become a new favorite. Great location in Rockridge. I really love their happy hour – it’s from 4−6pm and it’s $ 1 off draft beers and wines and 2 dollars off house cocktails. This is wonderful, since not only are their cocktails hella delicious but they are also at a strength I enjoy. After two, I’m feeling really good. I love their food too! I think the appetizers are also discounted at happy hour, and my favorite thing to get is the curly fries with cheese. Huge plate, great value, really yummy. It gets pretty crowded but still feels laid back, which I love. I went there once on my own around 4, and was able to feel relaxed and not rushed sitting by myself at a table reading with my cocktail and food. Love it! Bring friends, go alone, just go. :)

Pretty good beer, good bar food. DO NOT GO IF THERE IS AN EVENT TAKING PLACE THERE… OR «RESERVED» SIGNS ON THE TABLES. I just waited 40 minutes for a chicken sandwich and fries due to a party of about 20 reserving tables and «the kitchen being slammed». Well, if those tables were reserved, you’d think you could staff up for it, ya know?

I really didn’t intend to eat the whole farm when I came in to Ben & Nicks but I took advantage of the option to do so. Three animals in one sitting!
Wasabi Deviled Eggs from the coop: They taste exactly as one would expect them to but they had black sesame seeds on top and those were yummy.
Lamb Barbacoa Tacos from the pen: tender, not gamey, and had good flavor. The sauce on the side was chipotle flavored aioli so it stayed there… alone on the plate.
The Beast Burger (boar) from the wild and trapped before they can cause damage to the farm: What does a feral wild boar tastes like? It tastes like pork with a dash of freedom and pinch of rebellion. The very large pork patty was topped with blue cheese, wing sauce, and two onion rings. Good stuff! The fries were lightly battered and delicious.
In addition to all that the servers were great and the space has character with a relaxed vibe.

Um, sports bar meets dive bar, meets gastropub, meets delicious food, meets spacious, meets horrible parking, meets right by Rockridge BART, meets sign me up.
I’m totally over coffee shops. There, I said it. I’m on the lookout for the best lunch time restaurants that offer up wifi and serve up some delicious food and YEP, Ben & Nick’s nailed it.
Everything seems to be made in house and I was told their meats are all locally purveyed. Sounds good to me. During a weekday lunch, it was no problem getting a table, but I’d say it’s safe to bet come weekend and evenings, a table at Ben & Nick’s may be harder to come by.
No drinks at this point, but I can speak to food. The homemade sausage soup wasn’t quite warm enough, but ’twas tasty. At about $ 4 it was small, but came with 2 slices of fresh toasted bread. The veggie burger was a steal. At $ 10, this thing had a crispy hard shell, with a delicious bean patty inside. Grilled or fried, I have no clue. Topped with an avocado paste and some pico, it was delicious. Crispy golden fries, which I think you can sub house-​made potato chips or salad for an additional cost.
Don’t let my veggie burger fool you. The menu here has great range. All the burgers sounded delicious. But, not a burger fan? how about a plentiful menu of sandwiches ranging from fried chicken to a tofu banh mi, to a reuben. Lookin’ for more entrée or apps? Yep, they have those too. Quesadilla’s, mac & cheese, fish ‘n chips, nachos, poutine, I’m exhausted.
If that extensive menu list doesn’t get you, I don’t know what will. I look forward to returning and maybe being a little more gluttonous.

I’ve come to Ben & Nicks the last two years for Pliny the Younger. The first year was the second day they tapped and had a great easy experience. This year I waiting in line for about 40 minutes to be 4 people away from the front for them to announce they were out of tickets and turned away. Ended up grabbing lunch here anyways since we already waited and were hungry. I ordered a Bloody Mary and the «Big Bird» fried chicken sandwich. The Bloody Mary was terrible! It had chunks and seeds in it and was really spicy and I asked if I could have it made a little less spicy and the server came back and said it was a premix and they couldn’t do anything about it. The sandwich was very tasty and the fries were also excellent. The sandwich was not dry which I find can be an issue with fried chicken sandwiches and was large enough for what you were paying.

Drink: Their bloody mary is definitely a hangover cure. Spicy-​full of flavor and vodka.
Food: Chicken and waffle sandwich — Redefining expectations. Much different than your average chicken and waffles covered in maple syrup. This was absolutely as «savory» as advertised and unique in that right. House made chips were crispy.
Service: FANTASTIC. The bartender asked if I wanted to sample beers before I purchased which made me feel appreciated as a customer instead of feeling «processed» by the staff. As a former server, this is something that stood out in the «win» column to me. They had different sports on TV and I struck up a couple well-​flowing conversations with others at the bar. Overall extremely positive experience and I will definitely be back. Highly recommend.

Love love love this place as it is out go-​to when we frequent the Pasta Shop. Always yenning for the wangs but today we went outside our palatability and got a fish and chicken samich. Just delicious. Always comes through. Great and warm service. Knowledgeable staff and samples galore.

Some of the best service I’ve had, I know good service too.
This is a great place, and I have been a patron longer than I carried say. The food is the best it’s ever been and the libation selection is one of the best ever, recommend anything on tap.

My wife and I have become regulars at Ben and Nick’s since we moved into upper Rockridge in March 2015. We go on weekend afternoons (though we’ve been on nights a few times) and we always enjoy the beer and the food. The taps rotate frequently and are mostly local, a mix of hoppy IPAs, wheats, porters and red ales, and, every once in a while, a dry cider. The food is a step above bar comfort food. I bet you’ve never had Brussels sprouts on the vine at a bar. Or a beet salad with chicken and bacon that could fill you up and make you feel healthy. This isn’t a sports bar, though they’ll have two TVs on to distract you. It’s suitable for families with young children — we see people with strollers and booster seats all the time here. Two sorta insider tips: there’s an extra bathroom in the back near the kitchen, and park up on Lawton, a couple of blocks away, and take a nice walk.

My Nestle team wanted to go out for one last dinner together and as a parting dinner for our manager who is leaving the company. My manager asked around the office and a lot recommended this place.
As we entered the venue there was a sign that stated, «Wait To Be Seated» and we waited for about 5 minutes but no one was around. Well it look as if there were no one working the floor since the employees wear whatever clothes. The only employees you knew worked there immediately were behind the bar.
For a group of 6 we were instructed about 10 minutes, so we sat/​stood near the bar and ordered drinks. Our drink order was: Moscow Mule, Water, Donkey Kick (Beer), Strawberry Lemonade, Hard Apple Cider and I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. My drink was nice and strong which is the way I like it! Everyone else was happy with their drinks.
About 10 minutes later we were called to sit at a booth, was we were walking up to the booth, it didn’t look roomy enough to hold 6 but it did and with such room that I didn’t feel crowded. The menu here is a mixture of different dishes and doesn’t have a theme.
I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Wings and Poutine Fries. It was pork belly with melted cheese, cilantro and of course the fries. The buffalo wings were ordinary wings and nothing spectacular and the blue cheese that came with it was ok too. I was anxious to try the fries but I was let down badly. The pork belly didn’t have the crisp nor did it have the burst of flavor I was anticipating. I was let down and didn’t even eat half and I love me food haha.
The atmosphere was nice and casual with a decent noise level. They opened some windows to let the breeze filter in and it was warm at first. Our waiter was average as far as attention to the table but he wasn’t the only one. A girl was also checking on us, they used a tag team method which ain’t bad but still didn’t help them. I sat there with an empty glass for quite some time.
I’m sure other things on the menu are good and when I return up here on business again I’ll be sure to give them another try. They come highly recommended and could’ve been an off night.

Always friendly, lots of craft beer options as well as cocktails, and I love the food.

I come to Ben and Nick’s all the time and I absolutely love this restaurant.
If you just want some comfort food after a long day, or you want to kick back and get a beer this is a great place.
Some personal favorites on the menu are the jalapeño hush puppies, their pulled pork quesadilla, and their nachos. The staff is extremely friendly and accommodating and all my friends that I have brought here have also enjoyed the restaurant.

My wife and I stopped in at Ben & Nick’s Bar & Grill for some date day grub. We piled into one of their over-​sized wooden booths.
This is mostly a burger type joint, but I ate the BBQ Fries (sans BBQ and cheese sauce), so it was a mound of french fries covered in shoulder meat. It was tasty!
Margaret had the Turkey Burger Patty Melt, which was so big she took half of it home and ate it the next day. She says, «The bun was crispy, the burger was juicy and shaped large enough to fit the oblong bun.
We both had the iced tea, which was unsweetened and a black and chai tea mixture. It was refreshing and delicious.
We also ordered the «Housemade» Chicharonnes, which were seasoned and garnished very well.
Although located in the snooty Rockridge area, this establishment is unpretentious and not always filled with hipsters. :)
Adorning nearly every available spot on the walls are vintage posters depicting advertisements for various beer companies and tons of really cool beer tab pull handles running along the perimeter above the booths.
Although serving alcohol, this is a family-​friendly place. We saw one couple walking out with a baby stroller and another table had a pre-​teen in their dining party.

I went to Ben & Nick’s for a trivia night recently. The bar was packed initially with Warriors playoffs-​watchers. I was actually surprised at first at how few TVs there are (the right-​hand side of the bar was craning their necks at the TV above the right side of the bar).
The trivia night was great — the host was excellent and there was a decent competition going among the teams.
My wife and I ordered dinner off the menu, I had a beet salad that was decent, but not amazing. Service was okay, we had to wait a while and were confused a bit as to if table service was the norm (it is) or if we had to order drinks from the bar).
Beer and cocktail lists are decent as well.
Long story short — there are better alternatives in the neighborhood for sports watching, pubs, cocktails, but Ben & Nick’s is still a solid bar /​pub.

They have Pliny the Elder on tap. Need I say more?
Ok, I’ll say more! This is a nice big place right in the heart of Rock Ridge, across the street from the BART station. Very low key and divey, just the way I like it!
They have good big tables where we raucously played cards and drank beer. Service was prompt and friendly, and they have a good selection of craft beers and wines. Next time I go back, I’d like to try the food!

Interesting tasty vittles — menu changes often, so check for the specials!
HUGE selection of artisan beers, so if you’re a beermeister? you’ll fall in love. I tried their Blackberry Pear Cider and it was fabulous — EVEN for some casual daydrinking with lunch! Service is awesome and those people know their stuff… so definitely ask for a recommedation — they’re libation experts and will be able to dissect the brews for you as though they were wines.