Bennie’s Red Barn

Not my favorite on the island. Lamb chops could not be cut, terribly tough. Salad swimming in dressing. While I love the atmosphere because it is unique, too spotty for my taste. Atlantans love it because of its tradition. Many things can improve so this restaurant can once again be a highlight on the island!

This was our second trip to Bennie’s in twelve months. Love the atmosphere, the feel of the place, the steaks, the fireplace and the singer. I’ll definitely return but not sure when. The place is terrific, but leaves you imagining how good it could be, and is already quite good. I’d start with the flimsy utensils and unusually small plates, that give off a cheap impression. Salad needs serious work, it’s warm and soaked with vinaigrette, comprised of only iceberg lettuce and two Styrofoam tomatos. With just a few upgrades, this place would deserve four stars or more.

Why this place is such a hit is beyond me. Been going here once a year for Christmas since we moved here over 10 years ago and outback still has better steak.

We love this place. We come here every time we’re on the island.
The steaks are great fried chicken is fantastic when they have it. You have to try the mushrooms. And you can’t beat an old schoolvcrooner singing fantastic songs acapella.

Each year, a group of high school friends rents a house in St Simons. We ALWAYS call, as soon as we arrive, to see what night Karoke is in the bar attached to Bennie’s. We go early & have an AMAZING meal, get serenaded by one of the friendly, talented waiters then go next door & do Karoke & dance until late… it’s ALWAYS a great memory from our trip!

First, let’s talk about the steaks. Better cuts of beef can be found at Golden Corral. If you’re looking for something more savory, try Arby’s beef n cheddar. Save yourself the money… go to any other restaurant, and I mean ANY other restaurant on the island.

We’ve been going to St Simons Island for 20+ years, my wife’s family has been going for far longer than that as she had family who lived on the Island.
Until this August we had never gone to Bennie’s Red Barn. Every time i asked id get some story about terrible food or terrible service, food from a can, or something.
Finally, we were there and I think it was a Sunday night, and it was AWESOME. My pork chop was great. The kids steaks were great. The service was great. The atmosphere was great. We will be back. Indeed, we came back. We will be back again!

Great Sunday brunch! So happy they had fried chicken and prime rib on their buffet, and don’t leave without trying their biscuits. Excellent value for this quality food and selection. The only reason I did not rate them a 5 was the slow service.

Great service! Food was ok. Ribeye was good and very well cooked but the fried chicken is the way to go!!! Seafood platter was ok. Nothing special. Sides were good but everything was very salty!

I read all the reviews prior to coming here and believe I’ve been able to crack the code on why the reviews seem good but the food, ambience, and wait staff are a marginal 1-​star at best: Nostalgia. Nostalgia as in «I’ve come to this place for 20 years and get a song sung to me each and every time» or «back when there was no restaurants on the island except this barn… we came here». Seriously. It was terrible. Shrimp dish I had was ½ deveined at best. Fries was obviously formerly frozen and made McD’s fries taste like farm to table. A friend ordered Oysters only to have them arrive in a bowl with a wedge of lettuce. And by bowl I mean: no ½ shell… just a big bowl of most-​likely canned oysters simulating a highly untasty concoction of sea-​snot. She said she doesn’t know why she didn’t refuse it when it arrived… but it took shots of tequila to drown out the memory. Speaking of which, the lime wedges on the shot glasses were brown inside, obviously on their way out and there is no way the bartender didn’t look at them and think, «hmmm…birthday celebration shots… maybe not the rotting ones tonight.» More? The singing is obnoxious. Sorry… but a 65 year old dude with a hand puppet singing (with made up lyrics) old 50/60’s songs and interjecting himself into your dinner as the one hope this dilapidated and geriatric establishment has for keeping nostalgia alive is pretty sad. Sad like the $ 4.00 of obviously canned mushrooms (fresh mushrooms? Be right out…) which resembled cadaver toes and nearly tasted as such in my imagination. The service? Good old Sean the manager is a hoot… unapologetically a jerk who is more used to seating blue-​haired aging islanders then a crowd of middle-​aged birthday well-​wishers. «I suggest you make a reservation next time» as we happily arrived with more then $ 1500 in plated profits into an overstaffed and nearly ¾ empty restaurant. Should we have made a reservation? We did. But we were so excited to eat the rapidly-​going-​bad food that we told our family «don’t worry, they take bus tours… they can handle another 10 of us»…alas…Sean could not. After having us stand around whilst his wait staff also stood around pondering «well…sucks to be hungry» and barely lifting a finger all the while he is interrogating us as to «who made this reservation? Excuse me… who made this reservation?» And then saying «you need to make a reservation next time». Oh Sean, I’d refer you to your menu where it states that you have a private balcony room for large groups or even Bus Tours. Too much to handle? Maybe for your 4 menus we were passed for 20 people «honey we usually just pass out a couple». Great. And then there was a wait-​staffer caught talking crap about our request for waters… which were given out to ½ of our group in the fist 10 minutes… the next half at the 25 minute mark.
In summary, go here if you enjoy tasteless food cooked by people who probably resemble to cook staff from «road trip». Enjoy the dilapidated interior of Christmas trees (lit of course), delightfully taxidermied coyotes, angry and dejected wait staff, a bar tender who’s goal is to serve you the finest rotting fruit aside your drink, and the wonderful duo of the hand-​puppet singer and good ‘olé Sean… with his nazi-​esq approach to seating diners in his crappy barn. It’s truly horrible. Thanks for the memory. And don’t worry Sean, no reservation from us in the future… I’d rather go dumpster diving out back of the Crab Trap than be subject to your amazing talent of insulting your customers and eating canned and barely palatable 1950’s table-​fare.

Came here for the first time. Had the T-​Bone steak, medium… DELICIOUS!!! Prices not bad. Salad was average at best and the rolls were ok. Service was decent. Will probably come back on my next visit to the island. It’s a little way out from the village, but definitely worth the trip!

Ate here on a Friday night. Had the ribeye steak which was very tasty. Meals come with a very unimpressive salad. And bread rolls.
Very uncomfortable seating if you are in the large to extra large category.
We were seated right next to the kitchen, despite lots of empty tables. It made for a busy night of servers walking by and squeezing behind our table.
I thought things were very overpriced for the ambiance, service, and quality of food. I will not go back.

This fourth trip to Bennie’s Red Barn in as many years was spectacular! The service, ambience and especially the food were first rate. I’d been researching an eatery in St. Simons for crab legs (market price was $ 27) and boy was I rewarded. They were a real treat but the big surprise was the loaded baked potato side with real bacon hunks — not bits, mind you. It seems everyone gets a salad as soon as they sit down. It was simple but delicious and accompanied by a flavorful vinaigrette dressing. My husband ordered grilled pork chops ($ 17). It was a massive portion and exquisitely prepared. Our granddaughter enjoyed fried chicken tenders ($ 5) with fries from the kid’s menu. With iced tea, our bill totaled about $ 70. It was well worth it! Our waiter, Curt, was a professional and made our dinner all the more enjoyable!

Very popular spot on S. Simons. I ate their once and I doubt I’d make any plans to go again. I read the «not recommend» reviews from several former frequent diners. I guess BRB is not what it used to be.

Great food and atmosphere! Service was wonderful and portions were huge. We would highly recommend Bennie’s to anyone.

You cannot beat the atmosphere — an energetic crowd, large red barn, with a huge fire place (unfortunately, it was 95 degrees out, so we were unable to experience it), bar, and very down-​to-​earth and friendly staff.
Bennie’s has a good selection of steak and seafood and the prices are reasonable. I really enjoyed the Brunswick Stew and the Salmon, which was huge!
It is clear that Bennie’s attracts both tourists and locals alike as there were many people celebrating birthdays and special occasions, as well as our group, which was in the area for business. Ask the wait staff the history of Bennie’s as it has a cool story and is one of the oldest private restaurants in the area.

Great service and food. The show crab legs were very fresh and the salad came with great dressing. All of the staff is very friendly and personable. Going to the red barn is a great experience with great food!

Having grown up on SSI I cannot fathom why Bennie’s used to have a good reputation and how it’s been open for so long. Last night was my third and final time ever eating there.
I ordered the filet mignon, steak fries, house wine and salad. The only good part of the meal was the rolls. The house salad was old lettuce and mealy tomatoes, which was all overpowered by some diluted vinegar dressing. The fries were bland and mealy as well. I ordered my steak medium rare, but it was very cold and purple in the middle — definitely rare or even on the raw side. The house wine was also terrible. The service was ok, but nothing notable.
I will never eat here again. Don’t waste your money.

Actually very pleasantly surprised by good olé Bennie’s Red Barn. I was a little nervous that this was going to be reminiscent of a fake Disneyland barn stuffed with tourists, but alas, this was the real deal. Not only is it a real barn, but a real barn stuffed with real people!
Service was a little disconcerting to start. It took about 15 minutes before we were acknowledged by anyone but once we were, we were treated like kings of the barn.
We all ordered steak — me: filet mignon wrapped in bacon, my parents: ribeye. My filet was perfectly cooked to medium rare and served with a luscious baked potato. I must say, I usually would NEVER order a baked potato, but considering this was Bennie’s tradition, I went for it, and ohmygod it may be the best baked potato I’ve ever had. Wowza.
Also may I just take note… THEIR SALAD. Usually I avoid salad like the plague, but considering salads were brought out for everyone as part of the meal, I gave it a try and I’ve gotta say it was one of the most flavorful salads I’ve ever had. They use an amazing garlicy dressing that turns the blandest of lettuce leaves into magic. I could eat this salad every single day of my life.
Finally, for dessert, I ordered us a pecan pie to share and it was one of the most gooey/​delicious pecan pies I’ve ever had. Served with a scoop of vanilla icecream, this was the perfect way to end the meal.
All in all, we were all very satisfied with our Bennie’s Red Barn experience. Great steaks, baked potatoes (!!!), salads, and pie if you’re looking for a fun classic southern experience in the Brunswick/​Sea Island area! Great place for kids and big groups.

I liked it, it was good. Country, old-​style dining. Simple menu, attentive staff and tasty food — bottom line! Good bread, good salad.
We had the filet mignon with baked potato as well as the grilled chicken with french fries, french onion soup (probably the only thing on the menu that was subpar) and for desert we had an absolutely AMAZING pecan pie with vanilla ice-​cream!
The owner was walking around the tables, ensuring that customers were satisfied; a gentlemen was also walking around and singing older songs with patrons, all in all, a great experience!
Nothing fancy, just good food and lovely staff. Definitely check it out if you’re in the area!