These Bennigans are hard to find now a days. My husband hand the classic Monte Cristo sandwhich with a side of broccoli. He said it was the best broccoli he has ever had. I had the crispy chicken Kilneys salad. It was ok. Bathrooms and dining area were clean. We went at lunchtime on a Saturday. There were a lot of ppl there. It was decorated super cute for St. Patrick's day. We were sat in the bar area in a booth. The bartender was serving all the bar area. We had to flag her down get water refills and another order of a side of broccoli. But we will still be back. read more

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It has been 7 years since I ate here and I wanted to update my review from 3 stars to 5 stars. I want to commend the restaurant on their 100% health inspection Score. The service was very good. I noticed that the manager worked very hard to keep the restaurant going as smoothly as possible. I've noticed that at some restaurants the manager will just stand back and watch the going ons. Not this manager. He was fully engaged with assisting his servers and communicating with the customers. Our wait for a table was just a few minutes. The food was delicious and completively priced. read more

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I drove the extra miles today, to get some take out at Bennigan's. While waiting for my food(Monte Christo), I used the Bennigan's app to read through the menu and asked my server, Julie, how the Reuben bites were. She said they were good and I ordered some to go. Full of corned beef, Swiss cheese and some sauerkraut, they come with a thousand island dressing, and I couldn't eat just one! See picture. I usually come here for the Monte Christo, but these bites are worth coming back for. Friendly staff. Clean. Good food, as well as healthier choices, if you want them. Download the app, as I've always advised my readers to do. This place has a very updated interior and room for larger gatherings. Prices about the same as most chain restaurants. The Mont Christo is $15. Lot parking. MarcyDiner'sTantrumScale 5/5- NoScreamingKids. CyHawkApproved. read more

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I've been here about 3 times in the last few months. mostly we've had john serving us. service was good food is always good. read more

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Attached to the Holiday Inn, It is convenient for cold winter days. I ordered the "Big Irish Whiskey" burger and shrimp app. Both were good. Service was spot on. read more

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It's attached to Best Western Plus which was a huge plus for us since we were staying there. We were like "Bennigans? Heck yes! Let's party like it's the 1980's!" We started with the pick two appetizer cheese sticks and egg rolls they are just what you expect no guess work. Just as described on the menu and we shared the fish and chips and instead of the spicy cole slaw I was able to sub a salad for it and I also added the crock of French onion soup for $5.00. They actually split the plate for us. It was a decent portion for the price and pretty darn tasty. They had several local beer on draft. It was definitely a family friendly atmosphere although we sat in the bar. Service was top notch. We had everyone asking us how we were doing except for the manager who was just kind of walking around not interacting with guests. That was neither here nor there it didn't take away from the food or other servers/staff. read more

Never been here before until today. They serve breakfast from 6:30-10:30. I'm not sure about on the weekends! I went during a weekday for lunch. My server John he's excellent and shared he's been there 15 years if i remember correctly. The food is 90% made from scratch!! I got the cajun chicken which is grilled and shrimp fettuccine alfredo. Comes with texas toast. Their moscow mule was great also. I took zero photos but i will be back and become a regular! read more

Bennigan's has made a return since 2008. The closures of these restaurants was a disappointment back then. When I saw this revived restaurant, I stopped by for a lunch meal. The Monte Christo sandwich was awesome, a donut crust dipped in powdered sugar, with ham, turkey, and cheese with a dipping raspberry jam made the visit worthwhile. The place was super clean, restrooms were well-maintained, and the best part was the service. A full bar was present as I remembered back in the day. The upgraded menus are a treat to look over. This will probably be the stop along the 80/35 interstate in Ankeny, Iowa. read more

Bennigan's - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

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The food was pretty good, but the smoothie was great! The service was fair, but the waitress was kinda swamped on her own. Thanks for everything! read more

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Long day, on the road and various activities..... Was hungry tired and just needing a place to sit ...eat..have some coffee.....be left alone. Thankfully it was also the off-time in the afternoon, between lunch and evening bar and dinner. They were polite and willing to make me a fresh pot of coffee. The waitress was perfect for me that day. Checked back but allowed me privacy to read and relax. For me the day was only partially over. Food was very good, much more than I could eat. I had the Guinness Burger which had a unique, bu also good flavor, Would have it again if ever near here. It is a fairly large restaurant and would probably be loud during the evenings. Lots of wood. The ambiance was wood and dark. Had a cold beer along with the coffee, but it wasn't a Guinness as it isn't my favorite beer. My rating was high because the staff allowed me time to relax and recover before having to leave. read more

I hadn't been here in a number of years. It has been fully remodeled since my last visit into a nice inviting space with comfortable booths and lots of nice lighting and decor. John was our waiter and he was absolutely fantastic! He was quick, efficient and friendly. He was busting his butt for his tables and was so pleasant. I ordered the world famous Monte Cristo and my husband got the Guiness burger. I had never had a Monte Cristo before so now was the time. I enjoyed it and the red raspberry preserves. The fries were fat and delicious. My husband enjoyed his burger and fries as well. We were too stuffed for dessert. I'm glad I checked in because we got a $5 discount, which we immediately added to what we were tipping John. I'm glad we stopped in! read more

Bennigan's - Monte Cristo - A plate features French fries, a Monte Cristo sandwich sliced in half, and a small cup of jam or jelly, dusted with powdered sugar. - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

Though the service was OK, i won't be back. The bloody mary was like tomato paste, no flavor. The salad bar was lacking everything. The server was too busy to come back for payment. It was freezing there and I felt it took way to long to cash out. I won't be back read more

Great food and service. Great happy hour-appetizers on the Happy Hour menu are very good.

The server, JULIE, was EXTREMELY unfriendly and rude! We HATED her! Experience ruined! Clean facility though. My son and I drove from Missouri to Iowa to see family for Thanksgiving. Our first day there we met up with my dad, brother and sister for lunch at Bennigan's in Urbandale, Iowa located at 4800 Merle Hay Road on 11/26/2024 at 2:44pm. We wished we had just gone to Chicago Speakeasy as we originally planned but we haven't eaten at a Bennigan's in years so when we saw it we decided to go there instead and now we wish we hadn't! The restaurant was very very slow. Only a handful of people eating. When the server got to the table she asked what we wanted to drink and when we asked for Dr. Pepper she just shook her head no? So, I was like okay how about Mr. Pibb? And again, she stood there and blankly just kept shaking her head no?! We all just kind of looked at each other like um okay? So, what do you have? She said, "Coke products". I said Mr. Pibb IS a Coke product. She just replied, "no"??!! Not off to a good start! She did not smile! She did not introduce herself! She didn't offer anything else since evidently you guys don't carry Coke or Pibb, just asked what we wanted to drink and walked off! She had an angry look on her face the moment we walked through the door! The restaurant was dead. Maybe a handful of people there leisurely eating. It's not like she was super slammed and stressed out. She was in a bad mood already when walked in. I ordered a bloody Mary and asked for it EXTRA SPICY! I pointed out to her that I did NOT want a regular bloody Mary, I wanted the one listed on the specials menu minus the stout beer. I wanted that one because it had lime sour added to it and a bacon salted rim. What I was served did not meet that criteria. It literally was a plain old regular bloody Mary with regular salt on the rim and NO SPICE. I actually had to get up and ask someone for Tabasco. And I added salt and pepper to it to make it taste better. And the picture shows it had a celery stick but I just got 2 green olives. And it was weird because the drink actually looked pink, not red?? Even my family asked what I was drinking because it looked fruity, not the deep red you expect from a bloody Mary. Either, complete waste of money on that. I also ordered the Reuben Fritters. Not good! The menu says it's swiss cheese, diced corned beef & sauerkraut balls breaded and fried with thousand Island on the side. But there was absolutely no sauerkraut in them. None! ALSO, a waste of money. The boneless wings were good but she didn't bring us the extra celery sticks we ordered, even after asking a second time. The quesadilla was nothing special. Run of the mill! Surprisingly the egg rolls were good. VERY GOOD actually. The sweet creamy sauce they serve with them is a compliment to the savory taste. But there again, the server, JULIE, was on the other side of the table taking my dad and brothers order and they both wanted the French dip but noticed there was no cheese on them. So they asked if it came with cheese and she said, "does it show it has cheese on it" and when they replied no she was like, "that's because there's no cheese on it"! She's lucky I didn't come across the table at her for speaking to my family in that manner! And they said that's weird. And then she said "French dip sandwiches never come with cheese on them. I've never even heard of that". We all were like YES THEY DO!! It's weird that you guys don't put it on there because it is common knowledge that French dips ALWAYS have either Swiss or provolone cheese on them! Either way they decided against the cheese because she said they didn't need it. But, she was wrong with her nasty attitude. The sandwiches were dry and the bread hard and it's sad that even when they soaked the bread in the au jus it was still difficult for them to bite into!!! Moral of the story, DO NOT EAT AT THE BENNIGAN'S IN MERLE HAY IN URBANDALE IOWA!!!! And if you decide you like wasting your money on subpar food/drinks then I'd suggest you request to NOT BE SEATED IN JULIE'S STATION!!! read more

I ordered what most people had said was the best item on the menu, the "passionfruit marinated" pork chop...and it was not marinated at all. I'm not gonna say it was terrible because it wasn't. Just not as advertised. My buddy got the whiskey glazed burger and was not impressed with it as well. The menu was too broad making it hard to order or feel safe ordering something. They don't specialize in any type of food. The severs were friendly and had no issue getting the food out or refilling beverages in a timely manner. The environment was that of a high caliber restaurant, however, the food didn't reflect that making it feel corny and out of character. read more

Passion fruit glazed pork chop excellent! Chop just right - grilled and still juicy. The glaze is very flavorful, but does overwhelm the pork. Side great too! read more

Bennigan's - Passion fruit glazed pork chop is outstanding! Chop moist and juicy - glaze is delicious, put doesn't overwhelm the pork. - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

Whether it's for a solo lunch or a night out with the girls/fellas Bennigan's makes a fantastic choice to eat. With it's crispy coating, savory stuffings, and sweet dip Their "World Famous Monte Cristo" sandwich will surely hit the spot . Top notch service from Amy made my snowy March visit feel like a real breath of Spring. The cozy yet spacious pub vibe is a very pleasant change and sure to become a new staple. read more

Bennigan's - World Famous Monte Cristo with golden thick cut fries. - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

Place wasn't very busy when we came in. There was a food server on break sitting at a table when we arrived in full view of everyone right by the door. Our waitress seemed to have a lot of tables she was waiting on. I counted eight at the time, so our service was really slow. A female manager was helping her run food. We had to ask the manager for our bar drinks because our appetizers came out with no drinks. We completely finished our apps when our server said she forgot to turn in our dinner order so that took a while. She was nice and trying her best but service was so bad. read more

Bennigan's - Caesar Salad & French Onion Soup - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

Julie our bartender was great ! She was very attentive and quick. Our food was so good ! Great place to stop and grab app or dinner!!

The Monte Cristo is the best, my husband and I really like it! Enjoy their sweet potato French fries

I really like the food, but I'm not a fan of the ambiance. Very bright and busy. One big bonus is the kids meal. It has a lot of healthy options like grilled chicken and even salmon! The service was slow, but I think it's mainly to under staffing? read more

Food was good service was a bit strange. They seem understaffed but also a little unorganized. We had long waits to get refills. But the food was great, so I will just assume it was an off day for the servers. read more

Stopped in today when my wife and I happened to be in the area. Our waitress, Alexa was pleasant took excellent care of us. The menu has a good variety of entrees to choose from. My wife ordered the 3 burger sliders and I ordered the Cajun chicken and shrimp pasta. The food was outstanding! the sliders were excellent the pasta was some of the best I've had. I can't remember when I last asked for a to-go box, but the portion was large and I couldn't bear leaving it behind. Alexa checked on us several times, refilling our drinks and making sure we were happy with the meal. The manager stopped by to check on our satisfaction. When we left, 5 staff members thanked us on the way out. Who does that? Service and superior entrees is what we received and just made our day. If you are looking for a very reasonably priced restaurant with service and food that makes you want to come back for more. Give them a try. read more

John our waiter was amazing. Food arrived hot and exactly as ordered including extra dips. Idk what Bennigans pays you John but it's not enough! To serve, greet, tend bar and bus tables all the while with a smile on your face, AMAZED us! Many many other restaurants, servers could take a cue from not only your hard work but positive attitude as well. Thank you John for a very pleasant lunch! read more

We love the " new"'Bennigans! Went a few years ago and good, cleanliness and service were all mediocre at best. ( food was very greasy with old grease flavor) but now /with the new facelift - it's Really good! Burgers are excellent, salads are very fresh and appetizers we tried were all excellent. read more

I LOVE Bennigan's!! Always such great food and service. Wish there were more locations! It's one of the few places where I seriously struggle with what to order because there are so many good quality options! Love the ranch too ;) read more

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GUINNESS Glazed Bacon Burger GUINNESS Stout glaze, bacon, Cheddar cheese, crispy fried onions was very tasty and filling. Could've used more fries. Waitress was attentive. Price was fair not to pricy not too cheap. read more

Bennigan's - GUINNESS Glazed Bacon Burger GUINNESS Stout glaze, bacon, Cheddar cheese, crispy fried onions. - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

Took a friend to Bennigans for lunch. Newly remodeled. Looks nice. Walk in, no receptionist. Seat ourselves. Watch as 2 people start to enter the entire encyclopedia Britannica into a computer and ignore all patrons for 14 minutes. They finally finish, one leaves the restaurant and we are left with the bartender covering the bar AND the dining room. Do the math. Horrible service. Food was cafeteria microwave quality. Tell Mr. Bennigan to go back to Ireland. read more

Solid food, good service, & a clean restaurant! Highly recommend the Rueben Fritters. They are perfect if you love the flavors of a Reuben without the bread. They egg rolls and pineapple dipping sauce are delicious along with the broccoli cheese bites. I have been going there numerous times in the last few months and my service has been consistently great. I haven't really tried enough of their food to know how everything else is but appetizers are a win. read more

Bennigan's was a fantastic place to eat and was awesome to have so convenient connected to our hotel, Holiday Inn. We had fantastic service from our waitress and our food came out less than 10 minutes after we ordered! We ordered the appetizer sliders, which were wonderful, as well as the Monte Cristo (pictured), the Irish Dip, and strawberry cheesecake. Each thing was absolutely amazing and I will be coming back next time I'm in Urbandale! I have nothing bad to say about Bennigan's! read more

Bennigan's - World Famous Monte Cristo - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

Have been to Bennigans over the many years that it has been here. Over the last few years I have noticed their car nights that have the parking lot full of older show cars and their newer celebrations on St Patties day. Its nice to have another location to think about for your Irish pleasures come that time of year. Tonight we visited for a yelp event. I was reminded how good the food can be. The staff were all very friendly and from what it sounded like a lot of the staff are long term employees. Some as many as 15 plus years. We got to sample some foods and have a couple drinks. The samples were all good and made me think about making a stop back to here more regular. My drinks of choice I think filled me right up. I had not had a mudslide in a long time. It came in a tall glass topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Ohh yum. I could taste the alcohol and was very happy. A Monte Cristo sandwich caught me by surprise. It was really tasty. I also sampled the chicken strips which were like I remembered from my visit a long time ago and were good. I recommend ordering the Guinness Glaze Burger. I teased the table next to me if they were going to eat it or look at it cause it looked delicious. When I get to try it I quickly devoured it. The potato soup was also delicious. I was happily impressed with that as well. I am usually not a soup girl, but it was just the right size and amount and had bacon! Now that the husband realizes what a good beer selection they have I feel we might be back sooner than I expect. read more

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Haven't seen a Bennigan's in ages so when I saw this one on our road trip, we had to stop. Really glad we did. Super clean dining room and super friendly wait staff, especially our server, Amy. Food was hot and fresh and came out very quick. No complaints. read more

I ordered room service from this restaurant a few weeks ago when I was in Des Moines and I stayed at the Holiday Inn that it's connected to. I didn't step foot in the restaurant. The ticket time was pretty good to my hotel room, about 15 minutes. The food was a tad overpriced but not too bad for a restaurant. The food was a disaster from the get go. First, I got a different burger from what I ordered and the burger was raw! (I took a picture of it and posted it on Yelp). Just ridiculous. Because of this, I will never return to Bennigan's OR the Holiday Inn. read more

Bennigan's - Got this from room service. Raw hamburger. Gross. And it wasn't even the hamburger that I ordered! Never eating here again. - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

We were so impressed with Bennigan's! We strolled in for a late lunch while car shopping and were greeted with a smile you could hear and see even through masks. We got seated promptly in a great booth with plenty of room. No squeezing into a table that tries to chop off your stomach for this big boy! The menu is a bit condensed thanks to the "'rona" and we had no problems with that. The Hogan's eggrolls were amazing! My Guiness glazed burger was awesome. Her Turkey o'Toole sandwich lived up to the description. Seriously though? Their fries are epic. It's been years since I've had Bennigan's and the fries stayed in my memory. Still crispy outside but pillowy inside! And the sweet potatoes fries? Doooood! Wifey ordered some honey mustard to dip fires into and that was a solid choice if you like your honey mustard smokey, which I do. Our service was great, top to bottom. The restaurant looks great. The food was high quality. Even the bathrooms were impressive. I'd probably go out of my way to eat here again! read more

If you like corporate business with a side of salt and fried food, then you'll like it here. You could be in any state in the US, and not even one thing will tip you off. The food is plentiful, served fairly quickly with a smile. read more

2.5 is more accurate. Bennigan's is fine. I had been meaning to come here for a while, especially since it's so close to my house and I sometimes crave some Guinness and come corned beef and cabbage, or wonder about Irish food. The decoration and space isn't bad, but nothing to write home about. It's a typical Irish-style American pub restaurant, lots of green and mirrors, Irish beer publicity, TVs. I went on a Sunday so maybe that made a difference, it may be better some other day of the week. I had a Black and Tan (Guiness and Bass) and I really liked it. Reasonably priced too. Service was solid, not amazing, but not bad. For a meal, I had the cheeseburger sliders. They were a nice size, I thought they were more than enough for a meal and tasted good. They come with string onion rings. My husbands had the fish and chips and he was not a fan. His standard for "good" fish and chips is the one at Royal Mile, he wasn't impressed at all with the one here. I'd come back, maybe if they had specials going on. I really did enjoy the Black and Tan. read more

Bennigan's - Black and Tan - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

The food and service was good but the cheap stakes who run this place add a 50 cent credit card fee to the bill. Do they think they;reva bank nickel and dimming their customers. The owners are rapacious. Stay away. read more

We ate here impulsively for dinner on a random Tuesday night. There was a group of 8 of us and we didn't want to eat at the Ramada Inn where our friends were staying. We walked over and were seated within 5 minutes or so, which was a great surprise. Our waitress was very helpful and our food order was accurate. Everyone is super nice here, and the space is very accommodating for groups or kids. I like the mixture of booths and large tables. The food here is basically upscale bar food. Their burgers and sandwiches are excellent, and they do have a few healthy options. The Kilkenny salad can be made with grilled chicken instead of fried, and it was a nice healthy option. As Patrick mentioned, the pints of beer are slightly bigger than an actual pint, but the prices are pretty standard - that was a nice treat. Bottom line, good beer selection, excellent service, decent bar food and relatively clean. It's close to a few hotels and very close to I-80, I would recommend it anytime. read more

Best kept secret! We LOVE Bennigans! All the meals we have had have been so delicious. The waitresses are fantastic! The manager even comes around and makes sure all is satisfactory. Bennigan has become our favorite restaurant. Give them a try! read more

Allison is the best server she always treats my children like they are her own. The food is good too rubin, fish and chips, and the flat iron are my favs. read more