Well, looking at all the reviews provided we decided to try out Benjamin's. We really wanted a steak, but recent rating on another steakhouse recommended caused us to look elsewhere--so we picked Benjamins. It was a pleasant experience, rustic look, casual--we had only been there one time before We had a shrimp appetizer, it was fantastic, huge shrimp, recommend asking for extra O'Bay spices if you order this. Then, we had a surf and turf with baked potato, steak was excellent (tender, good flavor), crab cake was acceptable but could have been better (estimate 6.5 out of 10). I ordered a seafood trio with salmon, crab cake, and crab legs. Crab Legs came with one cluster of snow crabs (they were not warm by the time I got to them and had been dried out (maybe overcooked?) and I would score them about a 4.5 on a score of 1-10). The amazing part of the meal was the Brussel Sprouts (wow, so tasty). salmon was ok, small portion, and cole slow was good. So it may sound as if I am critical of some of the food, but overall I say it was a great experience. Service was great, The thing I noticed about the clientele and ambiance is there were many people that come here regularly on Friday evenings--many of the people seemed to know each other and they were enjoying the evening--again great place! read more

Great service by Katie!! Food also great. Love their onion rings We love it here because we can bring our Shar pei and sit outside. read more

Food was good service was lacking. This was our second visit to this establishment. The first time we ate here, there was a bolt in our salad. After that experience, it has been nearly a year so we decided to give it another shot. This time the food was good but the service was lacking. We had to call for our waitress several times for water refills and it took nearly 40 min for our food to arrive, a salad and a burger. I hear good reviews about Benjamin's, but for us, it's a no. read more

Benjamin's - Seafood Near Me - Forest, Virginia

Was in town for a family wedding and needed a place to get food while we were staying. Benjamin's offers a wide variety of foods for ever dog from seafood to chicken strips. Apps included redneck nachos & calamari. Entrees were the cheesy chicken, salmon, prime rib, and crab cakes. Everything was amazing and fresh, and service didn't take too long. Ellen was our server and she was very knowledgeable about the menus and even and made excellent suggestions with the cheesy chicken and redneck nachos. It was a little chilly when we sat outside, but the Edison lights were perfectly bright to see outside but not too bright where it feels overpowering. If you're in town visiting, definitely take a moment to pop in. It's got that old southern style and the team is friendly and efficient! read more

Fun atmosphere, fantastic food and attentive service. Nice rainy evening to enjoy a wonderful meal starting with the massive beer battered shrimp, and then smothered cheesy chicken for her and steak and crab cake for me. Simply could not have been better! read more

Benjamin's - Steak and crab cake - Seafood Near Me - Forest, Virginia

My dinner at Benjamin's was really tasty! I had the Chicken and vegetable pasta primavera special. The only negative thing was the service. Half of our table finished our waters and she never offered to refill them or really came back to check on us. read more

Benjamin's - Chicken and vegetable pasta primavera special - Seafood Near Me - Forest, Virginia

Benjamins was good service the food came out fast & efficient. Nice quiet place. And food was good. plenty of parking & didn't have to wait for a table. Spot on!! read more

The seafood here was INCREDIBLE!!! Our server was wonderful as she was friendly, knowledgeable, and went above and beyond to take good care of us while we were there celebrating my recent graduation! I would certainly go back any time since everything we had on the seafood platter was good!!! Fried catfish, smoked salmon, crab cake, and fries with tartar sauce and roulade (spicy) sauce. Well done guys!!! read more

We had a wonderful lunch on the back porch today. Our service was outstanding and food was fabulous. We started with the coconut shrimp. I had the burger, and daughter, the Santa Fe chicken salad! Well done Benjamin's. read more

My mother and I dined in the restaurant and ordered fried oysters; which we have ejoyed many times over the past 10 years. However, tonight we were extremely disappointed and even disgusted. The fried oysters were nothing but fried batter (fried to hard tasteless nuggets). There was no flavor at all... and definitely no oysters. And we love oysters! For two people, the check totalled over $100, and we left feeling hungry and disatisfied. The only edible food was the side of fries which was provided as a substantial Addition to the oysters (the serving was twice the size of the main entree). The slaw was also substandard. We will not be returning to eat. read more

Hole in the wall with great food. Always looking for ways to support local businesses and this one was a great find. My first time here I ordered the Ribeye with baked potato and a Crabcake BLT, both were delicious. I was so hungry that I forgot to take pictures! LOL! My bad. This time I remembered. Hahaha. I wanted so badly to give this place five stars, but the wagyu beef burger was overcooked and my side Ceasar salad had so much dressing on it that the romaine had ZERO CRUNCH! this is not acceptable. The crab cakes were tender, juicy, perfectly seasoned and the the baked potato was a great pairing. I added my own clarified butter and shredded cheddar though. I would come here again just not for the cheeseburger. read more

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Inconsistent portion control. Sometimes the food is really tasty, sometimes not. Rolling the dice hoping for a good meal. Too expensive for a dice roll. Better training needed . read more

Food is always fantastic. They are accommodating to kids. My wife likes her drink and the food always seems to come out fast. One of the few places that knows what a rare steak actually is. read more

We have been passing this place almost every day for years and have heard both negative and positive from different people so when we received a Birthday coupon and a very generous Gift card from a friend we decided to take our whole crew of 7 to this place on a busy Friday evening! Parking was full but it was easy to find a parking spot! The Hostess immediately found us a big round table to seat 7, which is quite rare on a Friday night! We ordered several different kinds of hors d'oeuvres were not disappointed! it was delivered in 5 minutes piping hot! One thing negative it was extremely greasy but still delicious! The main entrées were delivered quickly (10 mins)! The steaks were seared to perfection and all the side dishes were delicious complementing the rest of the food! There was very generous serving and the total bill for 7 of us came to around $180...yikes but it was well worth the experience! Looks like this place has very enthusiastic local patrons that keep coming back!! The waitress we had was fantastic, we left her a generous tip...because a good attitude and efficiency deserve a little extra! We highly recommend this place! We hope to be back again! Thank you for the memories! Merry Christmas! read more

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Love this place! Great food and great staff!! If they have the egg rolls in stock, definitely get them!

Service super slow!!!! 10 minutes for a drink. And over 45 mins for food. Food was cold!! Never again, stay away!!!

The food was reasonably priced and the atmosphere fun. The burgers were very good and the waitress was very friendly. The service was fast! Would go back again read more

Went here with another couple who live in the area. We also selected it for location because we were going to a play a Poplar Forest.. THe parking was adequate and it is easy to get into the place. There is indoor and outdoor seating. The food was ok. There was a mix of steak and seafood orders. It was pretty slow. We had 1.5 hours to go when we got there before the play started and we had to rush out to get there on time. Nothing bad to really say... just ok read more

Benjamin's - Indoor view - Seafood Near Me - Forest, Virginia

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Sunday brunch is a must. We are not usually brunch people but loved the limited offerings this past Sunday. For $11 had a great burger with egg and The usual 'fixings'. Terrific service as usual! Our favorite restaurant in the Lynchburg area read more

Great little local place for a nice dinner. The atmosphere is laid back, with a local country vibe, which I enjoyed. Rustic and homey, with photos of local attractions and references to local sourcing of ingredients--a nice touch in my opinion. We came for my son's 17th birthday, and he said that his steak was the best he had in a long time. "Perfectly seasoned", he said. My younger son got a burger that he was also very happy with. Our server was friendly and accommodating to requests (on the side, etc.) which made everyone happy. When the kids are happy, mom is happy! I'm looking forward to returning when the weather is warm enough to sit outside, and I am looking forward to trying other dishes! read more

Came for brunch today! Brunch tacos were very good! We got a pot of French press coffee and it was delicious. The Bloody Mary did not disappoint either. Can't wait to come back for dinner sometime. read more

As tourists in the area we celebrated my husband's birthday here because he wanted a steak with a more casual atmosphere. The website "Great Cows and Crabs" line had us hooked. We were able to sit outside and listen to some live music on Friday night. He got his Grilled Angus rib eye, and I had the pasta special - which had shrimp, asparagus bits, mushrooms (unfortunately, but I picked them out), and a great lobster cream sauce. He said his ribeye was cooked perfectly to medium rare, and for his 2 sides he got two baked potatoes so I could have one. yum! We also had the Benjamin's (pick 3) sampler, with delicious calamari, big peel & eat shrimp, and yummy sweet potato fries as an appetizer. 2 thumbs up to Benjamins! read more

Benjamin's - The pasta special - had shrimp, asparagus, mushrooms, and a lobster cream sauce - very nice! - Seafood Near Me - Forest, Virginia

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I rarely give reviews with a rating like this, but save your time and money, Benjamin's isn't worth it. We went here because we heard the seafood was solid. Let's be frank here, the seafood is limited, there are also few beef options. The drink menu is larger than the food menu. I ordered fried shrimp, baked potato and salad. The shrimp were tiny. The baked potato was cold. I got a second and it was the same. So bad, I asked her to take the potato off of the bill. My husband got the "seafood platter" and it was more like a seafood plate. The amount of food was minimal. It was supposed to come with hush puppies and didn't. The quality of food was marginal at best. For what we got, we still walked out with a $50 tab. I LEFT HUNGRY, as did my husband. We asked for teas to go and they had run out. We had already been here for over an hour, so when our waitress offered to make some more of we wanted to wait, we passed. Wouldn't go back. Would not recommend. read more

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The food at Benjamin's Steakhouse was abysmal. I don't know if it simply was a new cook in the back when I went or if it is like that all the time. The steak had a burnt flavor and the house steak sauce was like cardboard gravy. The service was slow, but the waiters were kind. The ambiance was what you might expect in a steakhouse (beer memorabilia, taxidermied animals, etc). read more

Hubby and I were looking for some place new (we're frequent visitors to the area) to celebrate our wedding anniversary. By happy accident we came upon Benjamin's and are so very glad we did! We came on a Friday night, around 7:00, and were seated almost immediately and given menus. After just a moment our server Ruthie, who was fabulous and one of the best servers I've EVER had, brought us water (almost unheard of these days!) and took our drink order. After some time perusing the ample menu and Ruthie answering our questions, hubby ordered the Seafood Platter and I got the BBQ Mixed Grill. Each included our choice of 3 out of 6 different items, 2 sides, and grilled texas toast. Everything was over the top AMAZING! I am so glad we decided to stop here and can't wait to bring my family! read more

We usually love Benjamin's! It's got a cool vibe in the patio and there's often music. Last night was no exception, they had a good musician playing and the weather broke long enough for the patio to be pleasant. We ordered the calamari and it was fabulous! My husband's burger and rings were cooked well. However, I ordered the bbq plate with salmon and shrimp. The order was incorrect to begin with - a small piece(maybe 2 or 3ozs) was provided as my 3rd choice when I asked for a 2nd order of shrimp. Our server took care of it without issue. The biggest negative though, there was no spice on either the salmon or shrimp. No seasoning whatsoever, also they forgot to put the bbq sauce on the food and it wasn't on the plate. Both were undercooked. I ordered the garlic mushrooms and sweet potato fries as sides. The mushrooms had no flavor; no garlic, salt, or pepper taste. The sweet potato fries were not crispy. I recommend Benjamin's, just stay away from those foods. Definitely get the calamari and one of the specialty deserts. read more

I can take or leave this place in general, but they have the best brunch in Lynchburg. The atmosphere is nice and their brunch specials are always bangin. read more

Benjamin's - Pork chop special - Seafood Near Me - Forest, Virginia

The chicken sandwich had a good taste but was very small and not at all worth the price. the onion rings were supposed to be made to order on site but my experience in the business says they were frozen bought from a supplier. Overall, the food was good but a little overpriced especially for lunch. I thought three stars was more than enough. read more

Great appetizers, and desserts I tried the cheesecake and the blueberry bread pudding yum

Absolutely delicious! Great service. Will definitely come again next time we are in town. read more

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Best new restaurant discovery in a long time, I can't believe I've never been here! Phenomenal food, great service, and beautiful outdoor seating :) read more

Benjamin's - Seafood Near Me - Forest, Virginia

Been awhile since we've made by here to eat. And it was good. We started with the southwestern chicken egg roll. The filling in the roll was chicken, rice, and corn. Then for the main course I had the filet with a potato load. I get my steak medium rare an they nailed the temperature. overall the meal was really good an will be returning sooner this time around. read more

Benjamin's - filet - Seafood Near Me - Forest, Virginia

Stopped to have brunch here. Was so happy with the place. We sat outside and the weather was amazing. I order the biscuits and gravy with a side of fruit. Business was great people where nice plenty of parking. Def come back to come and eat any time. Happy with today's choice read more

Benjamin's - Biscuits & gravy!!!!! - Seafood Near Me - Forest, Virginia

Food was mediocre. I had crab cakes, baked potato and sautéed garlic mushrooms. Crab cake had a few pieces of cartilage in it, which I understand it's hard to get out but several pieces in one crab cake, chose not to eat the other. For a dish that claims garlic, I tasted none in it whatsoever!!! Also if you can't afford to cover your own credit card charges from whichever company you use then raise your prices or something, or let people know upfront that theres a difference, i didnt see that posted anywhere and our server never said anything. Speaking of servers, if you are just going to have drive by questions without even slowing down to hear the answer, maybe thats not a job for you. If you are unsteady on your feet at all don't walk on the porch, it slopes in different directions every few feet. Husband had surf and turf pasta the turf was very chewy and overdone with no options for specified doneness and it was very soupy. Turn the music down! read more

This is updated bc I spelled pimento wrong and bc we went back the next day for lunch! Lunch was also amazing. Goat cheese and arugula burger with bacon jam and the Cuban. The amount of goat cheese alone was worth ordering. My companion had a bite and dropped a $1.50 dollop of cheese on the floor and I considered cutting him. I didn't try his Cuban simply because I was gorging myself. Sidebar: I usually stop in Lynchburg en route to Charlotte for a bite and gas. Here will be my new stop and also to bring a dish to Charlotte. I will also recommend this restaurant to people that I know go 29 to Charlotte. I'm not sure I'll be able to properly convene my rapture with this place...but I'll try. We had a fabulous time. The person that took the reservation call was pleasant and professional; at arrival they already had the table set with menus. We did decline the table for the bar simply because it was right in the middle of the walk way on all sides, kind of a table island. We started with appetizers: clam strips and a southern style bruschetta. Both were wonderful. Clam strips reminded me of HoJo back in the day and the bruschetta...if I had been at home, I would have licked the plate! Fried green tomatoes and homemade pimento cheese, be still my heart. I wish the South was know for these 2 things only. Entrees were med rare ribeye with spinach and waygu burger. Again, damn. The garlic herb butter was just perfection. The desserts are homemade and smack your momma good. Tiramisu and eclair, just yum. You owe it to yourself to eat here, consider it your civic duty. Cliff note version: GO! read more

Benjamin's - Seafood Near Me - Forest, Virginia

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I was really excited to go here & we made a special trip to eat here. Unfortunately it was not to be. We drove around the little parking lot for 15 minutes looking for a parking space. We never found one. That means it must be either really good or the lot is just very small. Either way, it was disappointing. read more

The patio was lovely. It's the place to be. The service was prompt and the server friendly. The food was pretty good. Nothing over the top flavor wise but not poor either. We would return again! read more

Steak Amazing Crab Cake very good Sides need some work Desserts Amazing Service Tops....our waitress could work at any fine restaurant and go home with a few hundred dollars a night. read more

Great atmosphere, wonderful staff, and always so accommodating! The food and drinks are always perfectly prepared.

First time here and won't be our last. Our server Ruth was awesome - gave us great recommendations to try, was spot on for service and had such a wonderful, outgoing personality!!!! The ribeye was cooked perfectly as was the cheesy chicken and my husbands seafood platter. And by all means SAVE room for their amazing desserts!!!!!! Will definitely be going there a lot!!!! read more