Rob Ben’s Restaurant & Lounge
Soul food · Emeryville
About Rob Ben’s Restaurant & Lounge
En Rob Ben’s Restaurant & Lounge, te damos la bienvenida a un rincón acogedor en Emeryville donde el alma se alimenta con clásicos de la cocina sureña como nuestro pollo frito y pescado crujiente. Disfruta de sabores auténticos en un ambiente íntimo, acompañado de una amplia selección de bebidas en...
En Rob Ben’s Restaurant & Lounge, te damos la bienvenida a un rincón acogedor en Emeryville donde el alma se alimenta con clásicos de la cocina sureña como nuestro pollo frito y pescado crujiente. Disfruta de sabores auténticos en un ambiente íntimo, acompañado de una amplia selección de bebidas en nuestra barra completa. Con una valoración de 4.5 estrellas, nos esforzamos por ofrecerte una experiencia inolvidable, plato a plato.
What Customers Say About Rob Ben’s Restaurant & Lounge
Rob Ben's is a soul food spot loved for its flavorful dishes and friendly staff, especially owner Kecia and server Sirena. Popular items include mac and cheese, yams, and fried fish. Some find the entrance small and service inconsistent.
Popular Dishes
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Tip: Be nice because they have a small staff, so you might have to wait to be seated. Decide what you want while waiting so you can tell the waiter right away when you are seated.
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Explore the area around Rob Ben’s Restaurant & Lounge
Rob Ben’s Restaurant & Lounge is located in Emeryville, surrounded by cultural and historical points of interest. Here are some of the most notable places nearby.
Historical Heritage
- Remar Bakery (A 962m) — historic building in Emeryville, California, United States Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
Religious Buildings
- North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church (A 471m) — African American Baptist church in Emeryville, California (1904–present)
Parks & Gardens
- Union Plaza (A 374m) — park in Alameda County, California, United States of America
- Poplar Playground (A 589m) — park in the United States of America
- Oaks Park (A 654m) — park in Alameda County, California, United States of America
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Frequently asked questions about Rob Ben’s Restaurant & Lounge
Rob Ben’s Restaurant & Lounge Emeryville Reviews
This is my husband and mine 4th time returning back, I felt my husband and I had to say something!!! I’ve brought my entire family and daughter with her kids last summer from Charlotte Carolina. I brought them on a Thursday for “Open Mic Night”. Feels like I’m at home whenever I walk in, great conversation, great cooking, good drinks, friendly waiters and cooks and constituents, always willing to seat customers quickly and comfortably! I Love knowing that Marshawn is also involved in his community and gives back more ways than one one 🙏🏾 Kindly, Kelley and Juliet Stewart, Richmond Ca.
Let me tell y’all something this restaurant would not be what it is if it wasn’t for the waitress Sirena She is so welcoming soon as you walk in she greets you she fixes anything that’s wrong. She’s polite and she made me wanna come back again. She actually is the reason why I ordered extra food. I originally came in to try the chicken and waffles and grits I ordered that with regular grits and then I tasted my friends shrimp and grits and I ordered that too and steak fries to go. I don’t tip. I tipped her because her customer service was just extraordinary. I haven’t been to you guys since 2023 because I didn’t like the food but whatever cooks you have in there now they are on point so I will be back once a week. Thank you for your service. Sirena
Rob Ben's is the place to be. I'm from Mississippi and l absolutely love soul food. My waitress was very friendly "But" the bartender in the front with the dreads was very rude. He have no kind of customer service expertise. None at all. I started to walk out the door but l decided to not let the devil ruin my meal. Idk who the owner is of this establishment, but that bartender need some training. I give my waitress and restaurant an A,but l give the bartender a O. Rob Ben's l was not disappointed in my meal. It was very delicious and my waitress made sure l was served professionally. I will be back.
Being from Chicago and my love for soulfood and pickyness of what i like to eat, I can say this is my favorite spot. Makes me feel like I'm back in the CHI, if I can give ya'll 100 stars 🌟 I would, thanks Rob Ben's, and shout out to Marshawn Lynch even tho I'm a Bears fan, lol, love you guys tho, ya'll the best fasho 💯
Cozy soul food spot in the middle of the Bay Area. Nice folks good music and great food. Whole family can eat for under $100. 5 starts highly recommended.
I wish I could give our Server Sirena a 10 star...she's amazing!! When we come in town (every month) we make sure we come by for dinner and karaoke 🎤 on Thursday. Fried chicken and fish always on point...but whoever made those greens and yams today...baaaabeee 🔥🔥🔥10/10
I am writing to express my sincere appreciation for Rob Ben's Restaurant. My family and I consistently enjoy our visits, whether it's a casual get-together with girlfriends over shrimp and grits and Purple Kool-Aide, or a family-style meal featuring fried prawns, fish, pork chops, garlic string beans and yams. The food and atmosphere never disappoint. I particularly want to recognize Serena (donning beautiful teal colored braids), who served us last week and during my other past visits. Her exceptional service always makes us feel like family. Serena is incredibly knowledgeable about the menu and consistently provides excellent dish recommendations. She is a truly sweet and caring individual who embodies outstanding customer service. She also pays close attention to detail when recommending beverages, always inquiring about preferences and ensuring a perfect match. To date, her recommendations have been spot on every time. Thank you to the entire staff at Rob Ben's for the excellent food, superb customer service, great music, and for always making us feel so welcome. See you soon! TL
Staff greeted and welcomed us. We had a great time. The food was delicious! But the oxtails do run out. Plan early.
It is the best place in the Bay to have Savory Shrimp and Grits! Never Fails me! All the food is delicious. Be nice cuz they have a small staff so you might have to wait to be seated but while you are waiting ….decide what you want so you can tell the waiter right away when you are seated. They have games including playing cards and dominoes so you can get a round or two in before food is served. It’s all worth the wait !!! The service is kind and considerate. I couldnt even get any pictures because we devoured the food as soon as it got to the table. Me and my pops shared shrimp and grits and ordered the red beans/ rice and green beans for sides and couple peices of fish al la carte. We barely finished it all but we did. It’s very down home vibes!
I had a wonderful time at Rob Ben's. Here were six people in my party. Parking was very convenient. Upon entering, we heard the sound of R&B music playing in. The background. The server, Serena, met us with a smile. We were seated within minutes. At the time, Serena advised us that she was the lone server. She took our drink orders, and then she assisted other customers. It wasn't long before she returned with drinks. She then took our food order. After maybe 15-20 minutes, our food arrived. We were pleased to see the generous size portions of each meal. The food was seasoned well. Not too much, but just enough to taste the flavor. My entire party had to go bags. We took a group picture and included a picture with Serena. She is now our honorary sister. The food was delicious and priced appropriately. The service and atmosphere were great. I highly recommend Rob Ben's and give it two 👍.
The BEST soul food ive had since moving to The Bay Area. EVERY other place ive tried has been horrible, for real. So, when Kecia asked when i was coming i was very skeptical. They absolutely crushed it! We had smothered porkchops, greens, and mac n cheese and Fish n Grits. Very well seasoned, greens were cooked like back home (Texas), mac n cheese was hot and cheesy, good cornbread, creamy and savory grits. Oh and the drinks! Great selection! Please understand when they name a drink BeastMode, there's meaning! 🤣
While visiting Oakland I heard about this restaurant and had to go. Everyone there was warm and welcoming, especially the owner/chef Kecia. Thanks for sharing your stories and journey on how Rob Bens came to be. But getting to the best part Kecia feed my soul. The food was so delicious I had the Yams, Fried Chicken and GREEN BEANS. Don't sleep on those green beans had to order extra to go. I'm from the soul but she gave was a run for our money 💰. There was a sitting of Marcus Peter's while I was there. Always good to see talent in the building but many Thanks again for the West Coast Hospitality and Wonderful Food! My Soul was truly blessed to experience this place and the people in this establishment. 🙏🏽
Went for the first time and it was really good. We had the opportunity to speak with the owner Kecia who is wonderful. Our waitress (she was so busy I didn’t get her name but she took care of us) was great. Thank y’all for everything. Tried the fried oysters, prawns and fish and it was really good. Also had the yams, greens, Mac and cheese and had the Hennessy cake for dessert. Everything was great, I will definitely be coming back every time I’m in the area.
We arrived just as they were opening on a Friday afternoon. I could smell the aromas as we approached the restaurant!! We ordered the Mama lynch that came with fried fish, fried pork chops, and chicken wings.... Our side selections were the red beans and rice, mans and cheese and an extra side of yams... OMG.. the flavors were smacking.. delicious... flavors popping. So good.. our waitress Shawnee , sorry if I misspelled or got your name wrong, was very polite and attentive. She shared that she made the Mac and cheese and red beans and rice with love and that's exactly how the food tasted, loved Five stars so delicious . When we return to the area, we will be back.
The food was excellent! We had the honey mustard wings, they were sticky and yet crispy. The red beans and rice is flavorful like it has been stewing all day. The fried shrimp were huge and juicy and well seasoned with a crunchy cornmeal coating. The yams were seasoned to perfection. The mac and cheese makes you close your eyes and let out a deep sigh of sweet joy. The fish was crispy and flavorful and fresh tasting. The serving size was huge. We also had a pineapple Ciroc cosmopolitan and a Bush Rod with whiskey instead of Hennessy. Both drinks were Spirit forward and not too sweet. We were able to watch the NCAA women’s final four game and Lakers game at the same time. The servers were kind and our food didn’t take long to come out at all. We are definitely going to make this our new go to spot.
This is my first time at Rob Ben's. My wife and I highly recommend. The Mac and cheese, greens, yams, and my fish sandwich where AMAZING 😍. I will definitely be back. Our drinks were really good too. I had the Skittles and my wife had the kool-aid. The staff is friendly and you can tell that the community loves the place.
Came in right before breakfast ended-like 12:15pm lol. The ladies working were so nice, sat us right away and took out order right away. They didn't rush us at all, which can happen. Three food was super good and fresh. Pancakes were hella fluffy and the breakfast potatoes are fire. Mimosas was on point too.
I was shocked to see the amount of fish I got, it was so yummy, Prefectly soft inside and very crunchy outside. The cook gave me sample of the cake and I just had to add it to my take out order. The red beans and rices were so good and soft. The garlic green beans were too soft and the free corn bread was too sweet for my liking. The service was amazing, it feels like I’m dropping by a family’s house when I stop at Rob Ben’s! Thank you!
The food was very good. The prices were very reasonable. Our waitress was great. The only reason they got 4 stars instead of 5 is because they were sold out of my first two desert choices. So I had to settle for number 3. Atmosphere inside was fine, but neighborhood leaves a bit to be desired. Maybe it was just my timing.
The entrance way is tiny. The older woman that is supposed to greet customers is not that friendly and came off a little rude. She told me they can’t take my order because they may not have enough food to fulfill it. The bartender was nice and the reason my order was placed. The atmosphere reminds me of a juke joint and that was kool. Good music! The fried chicken was fried to perfection but wasn’t seasoned. The greens could have been cooked a little longer. The yams had a different taste than what I’m used to the Mac n cheese was ok but has a garlic hint of flavor , not a huge fan . Also this meal was expensive. I did have cocktails ( on the high end) will I come back? Probably not but it was an experience. So I went back lol and I regret it! I got 2 oxtail plates and the oxtail were undercooked tuff and burnt, I shouldn’t have gone back !
The fish was not good. Tried it twice. The greens were lukewarm the sweet potatoes had too much sugar. The muffin was good. Outta lots if dishes so get there early. Beans n rice good. Pork chops always good. Cocktail weak on alcohol. Brown sugar drink weak and not good. Service not great. But i tip well only because its black owned and i wanna support the staff. Only 1 waitress . Pro. Wont go again.
My food made me sick..which I had chicken wings and mac&cheese with a little yams . I brought the food home just made sure I wasn't wrong I ate the chicken and vomited all day. So I don't know what was wrong with it. The mac&cheese was ok yams was ok...they tasted good together. Had one staff member was responsible for doing everything. She was good . It was wrong for them that day to have one person waiters, bartender, cooking and whatever else you may needed. She served you with a beautiful smile.
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About Rob Ben’s Restaurant & Lounge
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3627 San Pablo Ave, Emeryville, CA 94608
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3627 San Pablo Ave, Emeryville, CA 94608
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African American Baptist church in Emeryville, California (1904–present)
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