Erika is the best waitress. She knows my order before I sit down. She is so nice and personable. Love the set up. So good. Feels like home.

The food was great. And the value for your dollar is good. The decor in the banquet room was a little bleak. The waitress was busy, but still took care of us. And we didn't have to ask for anything twice. She was able to explain the menu well. And there was stuff that I need explained. You know (Basque). Even when she said that it may take a while, thinks still got to the table in a timely matter. Because we were with a large party of 7. It was like eating banquet style. But it was good. We gave her a full tip of 21%. I definitely would go back

Delicious food served with a tureen of traditional soup, beans, bread, marinated tomatoes and green salad. The salmon is excellent, and I had a taste of my husband's lamb chops, which were delicious. We were just traveling through town, but would definitely make this a regular stop to enjoy this traditional family style Basque Restaurant again.

This is a terrific little restaurant. Been there for decades. Comfortable seating, not too loud, lots of locals. The cabbage soup with beans + housemade hot sauce was outstanding. Hearty, nutritious, made-to-settle well, real food. Nice staff. We'll be back! 😉

Great restaurant! I hadn't been to this type of restaurant before but I will definitely be back the next time I'm in town. The rack of lamb very tender and flavorful. Come hungry though since there are multiple courses to work through before the entrée. All of these were great too! Very reasonable pricing considering how much food is being brought to your table.

Enjoyed this place so much wanted to go back the next day. Food was great and plentiful. Love the cooking style.

Who knew that Bakersfield would have such a good basque restaurants and we were fortunate enough to dine in the best one. Benji's was a very pleasant surprise indeed. Fantastic French Basque cuisine. We had a lovely dinner of veal scaloppini and lamb chops. The meal was rather large because it came complete with vegetable soup, fresh green salad with vinaigrette, marinated tomato & onion salad, sauteed green beans, crispy french fries and tongue with a creamy sauce. Everything was delicious and servings were very very generous. We ordered our souffle at the same time we ordered our dinner. The chocolate souffle was very decadent. We definitely would want to come back here again even though it is 90 miles away from home. What a great dining experience. Great food, good service and lovely atmosphere all in one place.

Authentic Basque Family restaurant. Meals come with "The Set Up" which is so tasty: Bread, Butter, Salsa, DELICIOUS Soup, Baked Beans, and Green Salad. That is a wonderful meal right there. The Salmon Entree was well prepared and so tasty. I had the Lamb Chops, which were really good. They offer soulless and other deserts, but we had to save those for another time.

I went on Mother's Day without a reservation bit they worked us in. The staff was amazingly sweet and super helpful. Our server was extremely helpful and it felt like she was someone I knew for ever. She was so sweet and helped us figure out what we wanted to order and explained how to traditionally eat the different foods. There is a lot of food served in the spread so come with a big appetite and pace yourself or you'll be too full to eat the meal you order. Everything was amazing in my opinion.

This place is exceptional! Great Mothers Day! Every employee was fantastic! They catered to our needs without hesitation, they all carried a conversation to make us feel at home and welcome. We were greeted with a beautiful 🌹 since it was Mothers day. The food was just great, I loved every bit of it, ate every bit ! So happy my son found this place, because it is well worth it in every way. I give Benji's a 10++- one of the best!

We ate here about a month ago while on a road trip. Really enjoyable experience. They serve the first few courses family style, but each person gets their own main dish. Yummy food, great martinis and our server (Tonya) was the best! We will be back.

I live in Sacramento and whenever I get to Bakersfield I make it a priority to visit Benji's for another excellent dinner. Love you guys

I happened to be in town overnight, and having some Basque ancestry, I had to go and check it out. The staff was great. Kudos to Tanya and Mr. McCarthy for seeing to our every need. The food was very good. I had the Ravioli with Basque Tomato Sauce. The 'Set Up' provided an array of extras, like soup, salad, tomatoes and fries. Delicious, friendly and popular, so call for a reservation or get there when they open. Next time I come over from SLO, I will visit again.

Wait staff is always attentive, everyone's ordered was delicious, There were 4 of us, and we graciously shared tastes with the rest of the group. So I can honestly say, everything we ordered was really great. The set up, Rack of Lamb, Kabobs, Orange roughy and White fillet of sole? (I think), it was all sooo good.

Our server was amazing she remembered us from our 1st visit. She suggested a delicious drink. Our food tasted amazing. This was great experience. Looking forward to my next delicious trip to you guys again

We were with a group of 12. Everything was top notch quality food. Service was great. We ordered the set each at $18 per person. It included; Salad, cabbage soup, pinto beans, pickled tomatoes, salsa, bread, fries and corn. We chose not to get a meat entree because we had eaten a bit 4.5 hrs earlier and weren't as hungry. We would not have had room to eat it! We left there so full! The only thing we would have preferred is to have it all come out since that was our meal. First the soup, beans, bread n salsa. 2nd; salad, tomatoes Waited for a bit then the fries n corn. I get it though...the last bit comes when the others entree comes. The corn would have been nice to add in the soup. Still though all was delicious and excellent quality.

One of our favorite restaurants, lots of choices on the menu and have never had a bad meal here. The French dip sandwich is delicious and I don't know how they make their salad dressing but it is soooo yummy!

This is the third Basque restaurant that I have visited in the Bakersfield area. This each with slightly different Basque offerings. I heard mixed reviews from friends and co-workers, it I was glad to finally try it for myself. I will definitely return. The staff was very friendly. The food and drink service was very prompt. The food was excellent. I selected the filet mignon and was not disappointed; however the wine sauce was a little much for me. It was good, but I think I would have rather had it plain. There was a second choice of sauce that I do not recall. Finally, I thought the location was convenient. Easy parking and easy access to Rosedale and Hwy 99 if required.

Benji's restaurant is a very nice restaurant. It has AMAZING food. My wife and I loved everything, including the customer service. Benji's clam chowder is better than Splash Cafe's! The strawberry cheesecake is the Best I have ever had, and I don't normally like cheesecake. Thank you Benji's for being awesome!

Amazing food, wonderful ambiance, service is impressive and Benji himself will often greet you.

Never been here. I was attending a work conference. First time trying beef tongue. Lots of food, i left full and happy! By the reviews i guess it has a theme of cabbage soup and beans, then salad and tomatoes and beef tongue, then tritip, fried chicken, fries and corn.

The most amazing meal I have eaten in decades. I had the garlic lamb chops, house red wine, large order of tongue. Blue cheese. I also ordered the souffle before the meal, because it takes time to bake. Basque food is usually eaten in groups, however I was alone, so it was an extremely large meal. I did manage to eat nearly everything. As a child, I grew up on this food. Prior to 2000, I moved away from CA. I had been looking forward to this meal for many years. The service was VERY excellent as well! Thank you Benji's!

Excellent Basque experience in Bakersfield. The entire meal was fantastic. Reasonably priced wines and full plates! The picked tongue was phenomenal and my ribeye perfectly cooked. Thank you for a great meal!

Always eat to Benji's when in town! The food is delicious and authentic and of course you get alot for your money! The atmosphere is friendly and servers exceptional.

Been going there for years in big and small groups. Plenty of good food, great service and a family atmosphere. BUT I could not believe how good the fried chicken was last time.

My first Basque experience was a good one with plenty of great food to try. Will go back.

+2

We tried here today to celebrate my son's 24th birthday...good reason to try a new restaurant. We were welcomed in and served by Kenji and had an excellent experience! We were impressed with the superb service, delicious meals, tasty drinks, and very light and truly unique grand marnier souffle! Thank you for assisting in helping to make this birthday one to remember! We will be back!

Very good service from Erika and the food was delicious. Loved the beans,soup, slab of blue cheese and calamari with lemon caper sauce.

French cuisine, typical escargot or other meat dishes. Comes with some vegetables (very good green beans). Nice surprise in Bakersfield area

Wonderful and very delicious service was outstanding I had beef ravioli hubby had veal scallopni tried the grand mariner soufflé never have had one very good although I did pass up chocolate mousse 😆

We had dinner at Benji's after a long stint in an Arizona food desert. We saw mixed reviews, and I'll just say the negative reviews reflect the diner's lack of experience with this cuisine. Everything was perfectly prepared and fresh. Service by Kenji was spot on, and he was a delight. The ambiance was cozy and comfortable. We did opt for a wine we had with us over the wine list offerings. $17 corkage was fine. We started with the traditional picon punch. Cabbage soup was so comforting and nourishing, we ate it all. Salad was perfectly dressed with a light creamy vinaigrette that also graced the tongue that was thinly sliced and tender. Beans, marinated tomato, and warm salsa accompanied the salad to mix and match at your discretion. Do put beans over your salad for the traditional experience. The roasted lamb was good, and veal medallions were excellent. Accompanied by perfectly stewed green beans, the entrees were nicely sized, not wastefully huge. And the Grand Marniere souffle... I have no words for this light, decadent fluff with plenty of creme anglaise. Don't let the tourons deter you. If you're looking for a delicious, comforting family-style meal in the true French Basque style, you'll love Benji's.

I will drive 3 hours each way for this Wonderful Restaurant. I live in Palm Springs. The staff is so welcoming. It's like eating at a friend's home. The Bounty of food the bring to the table. Soup and beans with bread n butter Salad and tomatoes that are so flavorful and juicy. Please order the Escargot with Mushrooms. They are perfect. Pickled lounge, get the big plate. You will not be sorry. Any entrée is something so delicious Lamb Duck So much more.

Fantastic meal! Me, broiled lamb chops. She, lamb chops kebob. The soup/beans/salsa was tasty and provocative. The salad was so good, we ate it all. The lamb was very tasty and cooked perfectly. For desert, my favorite: spumoni ice cream. She: flan. Both so good. Some regulars advised us to order the red wine, which we did and it was perfect with the meal. I wish we lived closer. Service excellent all the way through. Atmosphere was family and friends,

Benji's is awesome. Two of us had the fried chicken and we added garlic. Another has the shrimp scampi and she said it was great. The other party had the lamb and it was perfectly done. This place has the best pickled tongue I have ever eaten. I couldn't stop eating it. The French fries were bomb as were the marinated tomatoes. Blue cheese and hard jack was a perfect add on. The service was phenomenal. Very attentive without being over board. We will definitely go again.

Benji's never disappoints. Individuals in our party ordered rack of lamb, fried chicken with garlic, and others just had the set up. The rack of lamb was delicious, cooked to perfection, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Every one enjoyed their meals, everything was everything we usually expect from a traditional Basque meal, even the warm salsa is worth mentioning. The service was also excellent, it wasn't as busy as we expected for a Friday evening, but our waitress still went above expectations. She offered some excellent meal and drink selections while the delivery of our meals was timely, everyone seemed to be working in unison. Will always recommend Benji's.

My wife and I from the UK, at a stop over hotel on our way to Oakland. Dined at Benji's, fantastic food and service. Would thoroughly recommend. Rebecca the waitress was excellent. 😊

I recently dined at Benji's and thoroughly enjoyed myself. This was a quintessential Bakersfield Basque restaurant experience. Lively atmosphere and friendly. My dinner companions and I arrived early evening on Friday and the restaurant was filling quickly. The main dining room was already full. I ordered the Ribeye steak and enjoyed the set up with the entree. Everything was delicious and loved the cow tongue. The steak was cooked as I requested and served warm. Our server, Rebecca, was busy but was very polite and efficient. This is basic flavors done well. You do not come to a Basque restaurant for haute cuisine. You come for hardy, naturally flavorful foods and that is exactly what I got.

This place is delicious and one of the few restaurants I chose to eat at before saying goodbye to Bakersfield. I only get the set up, which is amazing! It comes with bread and butter, cabbage soup, salsa, beans, salad with the best italian dressing I've ever had, and more. I had my partner try it, with it being a place he had no interest in trying, but he gave it a shot and he loved it too. If I ever come back to Bakersfield, I will definitely be stopping by!

Although the food is terrific, I personally miss the Basque resturants of old and the sitting down to a family style meal of what they want to serve me. Benji's if beautiful food, but if the Basque name wasn't on the sign It could easily pass as just another quality restaurant. My opinion certainly doesn't take away the quality of Benji's.

Jackie F

Recently moved back to Bako after 8 years of being down south-so I missed this local fave so much. Restaurant gives cozy home vibes and meal was the comfort I remembered. I got the traditional set-up which was more than enough food. I also had a Moscow Mule from the bar which was perfect. The best thing about this food is that it’s comforting, yet not heavy-if that makes any sense. Service was top-tier, all our servers were so friendly. Never had to ask for drink or food refills at all! Highly recommend!!

Mike Kunkel

I've never had French Basque food before. Benji's definitely made my first experience a memorable one. Great food! Great staff! Great service!

Judy A

The best Basque restaurant in Bakersfield. The food and service never disappoint. Arrive early and enjoy a cocktail. The food is always delicious and the service is first rate. Save room for dessert. The souffle or baked Alaskan needs to be ordered same time as your main course.

J

Benji's provide a nice stop for lunch. I ordered the Basque Sausage sandwich and my guest ordered the burger. Lunch began with bread and butter followed by a salad. The bread was nice and chewy and paired well with the butter and red sauce. The salad came pre-dressed and cold, and was and outstanding example of how good a simple salad can be. The dressing was done perfectly, with each lettuce leaf coated but not dripping. The Basque Sausage sandwich includes a burger-esq patty of sausage and a cheese spread on a nice roll: it was filling and tasty. My guest's burger was reported to be very good, served on a nice roll too. Both meals came with nicely crisped fries. It was tough to not order one of the daily specials which today included oxtail and lamb shank...I will need to save those options for a hearty dinner. Service was prompt and efficient. The restaurant is nice and clean inside with a good mix of small party and lsrge party tables.

Audrey Vanrosendale

We were a very large party. Our reason unfortunately was because our family was coming from attending our loved ones funeral. Everything was great! Only thing was felt a bit rushed! An I get why,so many to service in our group. Also needing to keep things moving along.

Ed Fung

This is an amazing restaurant that gives you an insane amount of food! Food that's enough to feed a whole village! I ordered their seared scallops and the entree came with soup, salad, French fries, buttered corn, beans, bread and salsa. My side order of beef tongue was one of the tastiest. Will definitely return next time I'm in Bakersfield.

+1

JAB

Amazing!! Never really had any food like it! It’s comfort food but it’s done super well! Portions are big, food it’s hearty, and super satisfying! I got the chicken breast with basque tomato sauce and it was delicious, everything was! I can see why this place was packed. Great food, great service, if I lived nearby I’d be here regularly! Delicious!

John Haberkern

If you never have eaten Basque food you're in for a treat. Basque food with a French Flair, be sure and come hungry it's very good. Steaks are excellent, veal cutlet is wonderful and the rack of Lamb are the best around. Pictures are of the rack a lamb, salad with marinated tomatoes, soup with beans, and for dessert chocolate soufflé is smooth and decadent, it’s just the best.

+14

Magnesium Flores

This was my first “basque restaurant” experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Every course was delicious. My entrée was the lamb kebabs. Anytime I see lamb on the menu I am tempted to order it and this was a solid choice for sure. The service here was amazing thank you again. Wish I had enough room for dessert.

9ErNick 5

Great food!! Nice feel for an older place. I've heard a lot about this place for years from a coworker and finally got the opportunity to go. Good food and friendly staff! If you're on the fence about lamb...try the lamb dip! Amazing! Never had Tongue myself, but got it to go, gonna give it a try. I hear its similar to beef. So, looking forward to that.

Kathleen Casey

This was my first time here when you order it comes with, soup, salad, beans, green beans, tomato salad, fries, bread and salad! I ordered the shrimp scampi it was really good! Everything tasted good! I totally recommend them!

+2

If you've done other Basque restaurants you'll have a pretty good idea what to expect. Good food in what could a big version of grandma's house. 20 year old cafeteria tables and chairs some including Rips remind me of a party room at a pizza joint. Over that white linen and a clear plastic table cover. Again, if tou knows what your getting into this place is okay but a $30+ entree in a ripped chair may not impress a date. Staff is really good and friendly.

Good service, good food. Portions were sizable but brought out a little fast between courses. They were planning on closing early due to so few customers, so our dinner felt rushed. Would probably go back to hopefully give 5 stars.

Got the set up, which was a full meal itself. I didn't like the vegetable soup so I got clam chowder instead. I think the clam chowder is only a Friday thing but I could be wrong Friendly staff and low wait times. You might need to have a reservation. They're prices go up pretty high for some of their dinners so keep that in mind.

Stopped for lunch on the way to Yosemite. Lunch menu is large and offers a lot of variety including lamb, seafood, beef tongue, seafood, escargot, and sandwiches. Sauteed breaded Scallops in Tarragon sauce over rice was fresh, perfectly cooked and very tasty along with the included simple green salad with a nice homemade French vinaigrette, French fries (a little limp), French bread ( a little stale) and very tasty hot spicy Spanish sauce included for $22. Good service in a dark, simple dining room. Basque sausage sandwich was spicy and good served with salad, French fries, French bread and Spanish sauce for $17. Good value. Easy parking in lot. Uncrowded at lunch on a Saturday. We would return next time we are in the area.

The hype this place gets doesn't do it justice. Food is good but my first impression was not the best because of the simplicity of the cabbage soup, no flavor at all. The lamb was good. But the pickle tongue did not impressed me. First it was cold and then covered with vinegar sauce that tasted like ranch dressing. Naaa. I not going to knock it down but its not the best thing in the world.

The soup is excellent and adding beans and hot sauce makes it outstanding. The bread is wonderful. I love their tongue. The fries are perfect. It is served family style, so you have to share. We didn't get any tomatoes, so we had to ask. That is usually one of the regulars. It is really great.

After a recommendation I visited Benji's while visiting Bakersfield. Food was served quickly and family style. Our waitress has 15yrs with the restaurant. We did learn too late that souffle must be ordered in advance, which was a shame since made to order souffle is rare!

Only reason it is not a 5 star is because the atmosphere was not up to matching the delicious food. We had reservations but we're still escorted to the very back room. It was very loud due to a large group that let their children scream, holler, run, and throw things. That said...the food was delicious. We had fillet mignon, salmon, scallops, and veal scallopini. All very very good. Topped it all off with grand marnier and chocolate souffle. The set sides were plentiful and tasty. The escargot lacked presentation, but flavor was grand. Service was efficient, but staff was very busy and I thought they all looked very tired. All in all...we all said we would return and recommend the place. But next time we will asked to be seated in the forward more quiet and sophisticated dining room.

Great food. Amazing service. Ordered the filet mignon. Well prepared and the pepper sauce is the finest in town. BUT we always go for the soufflé. Only place that allegedly makes it in town. But they ALWAYS have an excuse as to why they can’t make it. Once it was because they were out of eggs even though we had ordered right when the restaurant had opened for the night. Another time it was because the cook arrives later in the evening. Tonight it was because they were just “too busy” to make it. Why include it on the menu if you don’t want to make it???

The food is good and the service is very attentive but it is really noisy. Good cocktails in the bar.

Food was good, I think French people just come across as rude so I'm only knocking them down one star. Server seemed rude but maybe it's just a culture barrier. I ordered the New York steak but honestly I can buy bigger steaks at Costco and cook them way better for a 3rd of the cost.

Awesome food and experience! Had roast duck, tongue, and butterfinger pie.

The staff were all really nice and attentive. The restaurant was clean & nicely decorated. The food was just okay. From the set up, I thought the cabbage soup and the salad were wonderful. The beans were good, and the tomatoes were ok. The bread was stale & the corn tasted soggy, as if it were microwaved. The shrimp scampi was overcooked and very rubbery. It was not enjoyable.

As a Basque in California! I was expectant to go to Benji’s. Frankly the restaurant is not offering real Basque Dishes as “Bacalao al pil…pil, or simmilar.. but the food is really good indeed and the deso price/quality… superb! Oso Ondo Benji Jauna!! Laster itzuliko naiz!!

Kipper S

The cabbage soup was amazing. I had the rack of lamb. The portions were a little small on the meals but overall good. The lamb was cooked really well and extremely tender, I just didn't personally care for the sauce.

Rakesh Samtani

The food was good, but needs a little bit more meat on the bone. The veal medallions lacked mushrooms, the filet mignon looked lonely, needs a little more appealing to the eyes, snails were good and the creme brule sealed the deal in the end. Service was outstanding, and a quick note, if you need to order souffle for desert, make sure you let them know 45 mins before, if not, you are out of luck.

+1

Leslie Iacono

Old school basque place. Everything is served family style, soup, salad, beans, bread, pickled tongue, salsa for the whole table. Not many vegetarian options, garlic mushrooms, fries, house salad, butter and garlic pasta. They made a great margarita. Our server was super nice, great with her timing. The restaurant is like banquete style, tons of tables, no music, bright lights in the back room.

Robert Lopez

Bakersfield has a large Basque population and Benji’s is one of my favorite local Basque restaurants. I’ve enjoyed the family style dinner here for many years and it’s always delicious. Lamb is a mainstay of Basque cuisine in the U.S. and I judge Basque restaurants by their lamb chops. And here they are excellent—tender, good cuts and smothered with garlic (if you request). The side dishes, which precede the main course, are awesome. Vegetable soup with beans on the side, salad, green beans and fresh cut french fries. A Basque specialty—thinly sliced beef tongue in a savory vinaigrette sauce—is also a side if requested. (It’s actually very good). You won’t go wrong eating at this family owned restaurant.

Mark Yost

There are about 5 Basque restaurants in Bakersfield and I was not disappointed with Benji's. The meal started with The Setup -- bread, soup, salad. I had the rack of lamb for the entree, along with garlic potatoes, French fries, corn medley. All were delicious. The lamb was done just right. Tender and not overcooked. There was a very light brown gravy -- a thick au jus, really -- that went well with the meat, as well as the sides. All was superb. Highly recommended. 2 thumbs 👍

+2

William Cook

Loved the experience of a locals institution. Benji's was out of three of my first choices so it was not starting auspiciously famous. Sent to the bar on arrival for 30 minutes that only a 10 minute wait for table. $14.00 cocktail. The breaded veal with mushroom sauce was excellent! The whole set up was a nice change of pace. Cabbage soup was overcooked and seemed a little under seasoned. That was until I added the beans and salsa also supplied. Seasoned tomatoes were great as was crisp salad. French fries and fresh cut corn was awesome. Service and pace were top drawer and set this place above other restaurants. Price for meal was excellent for quantity and quality recieved. Oh yeah that cocktail was a double shot but mix was flat.

Stephen Lee

This is a must stop for us when we drive through Bakersfield, for lunch or dinner. The quality of the food and the service were always kept high. We like particularly the orange duck and the lamp chops. The plate of pickled beef tongue is my favorite!

Joe Rose

The steak was perfect and the peppercorn sauce amazing. The bread was slightly stale, salad, corn, soup, and beans were all top notch. My only complaint is the whole check system was old hand written style which makes it very difficult for splitting checks. The server Rebecca was absolutely pleasant, I would definitely come back.

+1

I haven't been here since the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, they have made cuts to create more profitablity. No more frog's legs!! It also appears the roasted leg of lamb is sou v and rather low quality. The brown mushroom sauce, " An industrial demi " contained not one cap!!! The soup and salad were great as always but the main entrees leave much to be desired. I should have asked if the lamb was made in house!!

I’ve eaten in Basque places all over two states so I have a fair idea of what’s up. The set-ups were good and plentiful and mandatory even if you only want an appetizer. The sauce included in the set-up was flavorful, spicy and delicious. Sweatbreads were great - the sherry wine sauce a little heavy on an already rich dish. Pickled tongue was sliced super thin. I’m used to a thicker cut but it was fairly tasty. The spaghetti looked blah and under sauced so a little dry - but I did not taste it. Beware the pork chop - that thin desiccated overcooked piece of shoe leather was inedible. Not sure the heavy garlic seasoning is the most appropriate flavor profile for this dish.

Didn't enjoy it at all. Had escargot. They covered it up with a garlic mushroom sauce. Salty and overpowering. The rib eye steak was like Sizzler. Flat and over charred. I could go on. But I just won't go back. 😕

I was expecting a better customer service, food and overall experience.

Wow, what a disappointment this visit was, Ordered the Ribeye steak and a bottle of wine and the "Setup" just for me having dinner alone and some time to myself. The waiter was good but the steak was so tough that I refused it. They offered to replace or not charge for it so I said dont charge me for it. The "Setup" does not include Pickled Tongue like all the other Basque eateries do. The wine was very good. I requested my dinner ticket and they charged me for the steak anyway. I said nothing and just paid the bill and left never to return again. So long Benji's ...

It was decent but not worth the price. We had steak and lobster and while the lobster was properly cooked the steak was a disappointment with no seasoning or flavor other than that of a dirty flat-top grill. The sides were ok with the beans as the standout. Service was very good but the atmosphere was more diner like and not worth $230 for two people.

Tiffany

The food didn’t look great. It looked like mounds of food on a plate. A few people in our group said their food was overcooked. I was looking forward to frog legs but they are no longer on the menu. I hear it’s for the best. My salmon wasn’t great, the texture was off and it was one note.

The people at Benji's are always great. Something has gone wrong with the food since I last visited years ago. Everything was underseasoned. The beans, tomatoes, and fries were decent. The soup was standard and bland. The salsa was jarred. The gravy for the lamb leg (which was not a leg, but slices of a leg maybe) was, at best, canned or condensed. The green beans were canned with an attempt at homemade tomato sauce on it. The cheesecake was grocery store frozen. The drinks are still stiff and the people are always great, but this is not the Benji's of old.

Some of the food was good, (like the soup), but the spaghetti was very mushy and overcooked. I also didn't like the green beans with tomato sauce. But the pickled tongue was delicious! The waiter wouldn't split the check (policy)which really upset one of our party. I doubt if we'll be back.

Overpriced and overrated food. We wanted to try a Basque restaurant since we were in Bakersfield and this one had great reviews, but were disappointed. The place is dark and eerily quiet as it has no music playing. There are plastic sheaths over the tablecloths, even though you're paying $15-20 a plate, making it feel like a diner. The salad was just some greens saturated in dressing. Everything tasted like it was out of a box or can. The scampi is $17 for five pieces of shrimp drenched in sauce without pasta. As mentioned in another review, the bread is a stale loaf you could get at any grocer. We did not stay for dessert, so cannot comment on that, but overall were not impressed. We will not be coming back.

I’ve eaten here five or six times. The food is good, but each time the service has been mediocre at best. I have food allergies, so often times ask questions about certain ingredients. Usually wait staff is happy to help, but here they always get annoyed. They also do not allow any substitutions for sides or ingredients. The price is okay, but not good. Overall I have left every time wishing I had gone somewhere else.

Benjis has always been a great place to eat however, recently they have amazed me with the size of some of their portions. For nearly $10 this is the size of cheesecake I received. Very disappointed.

The service was VERY GOOD, but food was really disappointing. The veal amd beans were good, but the rest of the meal was just nit great. Bread was stale. Fries were soggy. Salad was OK. Overall disappointing for the price and we wont be back.

Overpriced and low quality. I had the unfortunate experience of dining at this restaurant, and it was an absolute disaster. The steak I ordered was a tough, flavorless disappointment that I struggled to even cut, let alone chew. It was as if they had taken a rubber tire and attempted to pass it off as food. And don’t even get me started on the staff – they were rude and indifferent, showing zero interest in providing a decent dining experience. It felt like they couldn’t be bothered to even look in our direction, let alone take our orders promptly. This place is a prime example of how not to run a restaurant. I wouldn’t wish this culinary nightmare on anyone.

!! Warning!! Do not eat here !! I went with my girlfriend to celebrate a anniversary it looked a nice place to eat I ordered a rack of lamb and my girlfriend ordered a chicken steak after a very long wait some fried gas station chicken was given to my girlfriend and it was cold and it had something moving inside it you could see the waitress said she would take it back and take it off my bill when I went to pay they took off the chicken and wanted to charge me more for something I didn’t order and when I ask what it was they said they have a minimum charge of 25$ they have to charge every person regardless if they get food or not and got very rude demanding I pay it I was getting very uncomfortable and didn’t want to make a seen so i just paid the bill and left but definitely wouldn’t recommend to eat here stay well away Extremely rude staff and a serious health issue with the food as there was something moving around the plate and in the chicken !!!!! Stay away there is a lot nicer places to eat and safer for families to eat at

It’s hard to describe how disappointing this was. I’ll keep it short - overpriced and disgusting across the board. Seems Benji’s really lost his touch. Every meat item my party ordered was hard as a hockey puck. I had to worry about overall cleanliness - hair in our food (yuck!). Not to mention a server that was indifferent and rude. Don’t come here if you’re in Bakersfield, try one of the other fantastic Basque spots.

This place is nothing like everyone thinks it is. 1. Food Sucks. Plane and Simple. The steak we got was cooked in a pan. Dry. Its not the cut they have advertised on the menu. 2. McDonald's has better Salads. 3. Server's are rude and they make you very uncomfortable. They think this place is the best thing that happened to humanity and have a very cold attitude. 4. The clam chowder tastes like potato soup because that's all there is to it. 5. The steam vegetable dish is only corns out of a can. 6. Drinks are over priced. Don't believe me ? Go try it yourself and find out. .

Absolutely horrible in every way. We have been to basque restaurants for decades, and this was the worst one by far. Me and my family went here today for Mother’s Day, and we are throughly dissatisfied and disappointed. For starters, the place where you dine in is incredibly boring, bland, and dirty. Our seats were covered in trash and sauce from a previous party that we had to clean ourselves. For a basque restaurant, I expected more decorations that fit the basque theme, however there was only a few paintings on dirty walls in a dark room. Our service was one of the worst we have ever experienced here in Bakersfield. Our server was this old lady who seemed as if she was put up against a timer to get everyone’s orders. She would essentially yell at us passive aggressively the way in which the restaurant is strictly ran (she had to take our orders in a specific order, for example), and she did not take our orders correctly the first time. The policies of this restaurant are also disappointing. Everything was very overpriced, and you were unable to get a refill on even basic drinks without them charging more (which was not stated on the menu). We were also informed that the would get infinite soup and salad “family style”, however when we asked for more soup, our sever said that they not only would charge extra by the quart, but that we also would not be able to take any extra home as left overs. The worst part of this by far would be the food. We were charged nearly 30 dollars for each meal we got, which didn’t even come with the infinite soup and salad as stated before. Every bit of food was bland and flavorless. The fried chicken tasted frozen, rubbery, and had no meat on it and did not come with so much as a dipping sauce to add flavor. The beef raviolis tasted like the water they were boiled in. The beef had no seasoning whatsoever, the sauce had the consistency of water and was flavorless, and the cheese on top tasted spoiled and overpowered everything. The pasta itself was also over cooked. The shrimp was undercooked and rubbery, did not taste fresh at all, and the sauce it came with tasted like straight milk and water. The lamb was thin and rubbery, and tasted as if I was chewing on a rubber boot. The only redeeming food was the steak, but even so, they left so much fat on the steak and charged so much for it that it was hardly worth it. The salad and tomatoes were also alright, but they were so scarce that it couldn’t even be shared amongst everyone. The corn tasted straight from the can, the spaghetti was sweet, overcooked, and covered with more watery sauce, and the bread was chewy, cold, and disappointing. The salsa provided had no spice to it, and tasted like tomato sauce For all of this, we spent over 270 dollars. Would not recommend ever to anyone.