Gentle Ben’s
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Eat dinner before a show at Centennial Hall. Waiter made sure we were served on time. He was friendly and took good care of our party. I had the Philly cheese steak that was tender and delicious. Atmosphere very inviting with the lights and music. Arrived at our show on time with a full stomach and a great start to our night out.
Gentle Ben's is pretty solid new American fare. It's not note worthy, but is a good option if you're looking for something by the school. I am imagining the staff consists primarily of students, but they have always been very attentive. If anything, the staff is 5/5 and the food is 2/5 - round down because I am a realist. Of the times I have been invited here, I tend to order the tacos. Again, they are fine, and I feel like those are more reasonably portioned than the burgers or handhelds. Something I am also big on that I do not see with the other dishes is enough sauce, and this is not an issue with the tacos. The carnitas tacos in particular have habanero cream and guacamole and side salsa. You will not have to worry about dry food if you order any of the tacos. I would probably like it better if the venue was less crowded. This is not a reflection of being at capacity, but one of arranging tables in such a way that lends itself to being elbowed in the back by patrons at the adjacent table if they are even slightly intoxicated. While I understand the patio seating is likely high value, the experience is of higher value when there is room to breathe when eating dinner.
While in Tucson, we were by the University of Arizona area and decided to stop for lunch. We love Gentle Ben's! Great food! The service is excellent and the waitresses are friendly and constantly checking on the patrons. We like the outdoor dining area. The menu choices are many. Something for everyone. Great experience and service.
Might be the best place on campus to grab a bite to eat or hang out with friends. Great patio, however, can get a little sunny during daytime as not much shade structure. Plenty of seating inside too. Service was great all the way from host team to servers, bartenders, and cooks. The French Dip was my favorite and highly recommend. Best French Dip out of any others that I've previously had. Also would suggest getting the beer battered fries for an extra $2.
Stopped here on a whim. The space is enjoyable. We started sitting at the bar and kind of felt like an outsider but the bartender eventually warmed up to us, I guess. There's a great selection of beers, including local craft brews. I could never shake off feeling like an outsider though, the bartender wasn't super engaged. We didn't want to eat at the bar so we left and came back a little while later and ate in the dining room. I believe our server was Sam and he was excellent; very friendly and pleasant. The space seems like it would work well for large and small parties, in fact, there was a mix of both while we were there. The patio looks to be good sized, with fans and misters out there during the hotter months. The dining room was a much better experience than the bar; the dining room added a star to this review.
Been here a few times for pre-and post game festivities however, this was the first time we went here on a Sunday to watch an Eagles game. The staff was very accommodating. Put the game on TVs for us and even got the volume.
We returned on a busy March Madness Saturday night. Sitting at the bar to watch the game and eat dinner, we received great attention, service and food. The Tortilla Soup and Lizzie Salad went well with Barrio Red. Enjoy!
First time customer - admittedly did not eat here today. Dropped in for a couple pints and was pleasantly surprised. I have long AND wrongly believed there was an understanding between UofA and local University Blvd establishments to keep beers below 5% due to a younger patronaging population. Bottom line, solid beer selection. Glasses were clean, ice cold and the service at the bar was enthusiastic and friendly - made us feel welcomed. The food landing on surrounding tables looked good and we will definitely return for a dining opportunity. If you are looking to wet your whistle, like to people watch over an ice-cold IPA (plenty of other choices), this is a stop worth considering.
Post-game dinner, this hit the spot. Though it was crowded, we only had a short wait before we were seated. Our server answered all of our questions and got us set up with beverages. Bar service to our table was swift for the size of the crowd they were serving. There were three of us in our party. Two ordered wings. They tried the BBQ, tequila-cilantro and the spicy habanero. All three were delicious. I got the Brussel Sprouts. They came with honey-chipotle dressing, bacon, parmesan, garlic, kale chips. I usually move on when I see the word "kale," but something made me try this. It was a good choice. The roasted sprouts with all the fixings and the crunchy kale made a perfect dish for me on this night. I can honestly say, I enjoyed the kale. Overall, excellent dish. This is a good spot if you are near U of A and in need of a bite and a beverage.
Honestly Gentle Ben's surprised me. Great pregame and post game spot! We got a resy for 15 online a few days before the ASU UofA game and got in with no issues. The food was also good give. How busy they were! Potato skins were fire. Guac was mostly one big avo chunk lol but it was still good. If you wanna get ROWDY-- order a round of Ben's bombs!!! TOO FUN!!!
The food was better than I expected and the server (Sam) was attentive and helpful recommending menu items. The bartender was not so good. She didn't seem to give a crap about the bar patrons but was have plenty of conversation with the other staff. The bar was very loud but the dining room was actually very family friendly and conversation level of noise
1 month ago
Perfect location to get a drink and some quick bites to eat, especially if you're going to see an event at Centennial Hall at the University of Arizona the bartender was extremely friendly and knowledgeable, and the drinks were amazingly refreshing read more
9 months ago
We stopped in to split a meal and a few drinks after living walking distance from university blvd and never trying Gentle Ben's for the last few years. We tried the boozy vanilla latte which is made with almond milk. We also tried the non-alcoholic strawberry fields drink which was a beautiful blend of lemon, strawberry, and NA gin. Both were great and we would order again! We split the Diane burger which was also wonderful, very moist and their beer battered fries paired nicely. Gentle Ben's decor is very modern, and definitely looks like it becomes a club after hours. Service was alright, it was busy with Broadway Tucson patrons so I don't know that our one visit speaks to their service. There are a lot of screens so if sports if your thing, this may be the place for you. read more
Eat dinner before a show at Centennial Hall. Waiter made sure we were served on time. He was friendly and took good care of our party. I had the Philly cheese steak that was tender and delicious. Atmosphere very inviting with the lights and music. Arrived at our show on time with a full stomach and a great start to our night out. read more
Gentle Ben's is pretty solid new American fare. It's not note worthy, but is a good option if you're looking for something by the school. I am imagining the staff consists primarily of students, but they have always been very attentive. If anything, the staff is 5/5 and the food is 2/5 - round down because I am a realist. Of the times I have been invited here, I tend to order the tacos. Again, they are fine, and I feel like those are more reasonably portioned than the burgers or handhelds. Something I am also big on that I do not see with the other dishes is enough sauce, and this is not an issue with the tacos. The carnitas tacos in particular have habanero cream and guacamole and side salsa. You will not have to worry about dry food if you order any of the tacos. I would probably like it better if the venue was less crowded. This is not a reflection of being at capacity, but one of arranging tables in such a way that lends itself to being elbowed in the back by patrons at the adjacent table if they are even slightly intoxicated. While I understand the patio seating is likely high value, the experience is of higher value when there is room to breathe when eating dinner. read more
While in Tucson, we were by the University of Arizona area and decided to stop for lunch. We love Gentle Ben's! Great food! The service is excellent and the waitresses are friendly and constantly checking on the patrons. We like the outdoor dining area. The menu choices are many. Something for everyone. Great experience and service. read more
Might be the best place on campus to grab a bite to eat or hang out with friends. Great patio, however, can get a little sunny during daytime as not much shade structure. Plenty of seating inside too. Service was great all the way from host team to servers, bartenders, and cooks. The French Dip was my favorite and highly recommend. Best French Dip out of any others that I've previously had. Also would suggest getting the beer battered fries for an extra $2. read more
Stopped here on a whim. The space is enjoyable. We started sitting at the bar and kind of felt like an outsider but the bartender eventually warmed up to us, I guess. There's a great selection of beers, including local craft brews. I could never shake off feeling like an outsider though, the bartender wasn't super engaged. We didn't want to eat at the bar so we left and came back a little while later and ate in the dining room. I believe our server was Sam and he was excellent; very friendly and pleasant. The space seems like it would work well for large and small parties, in fact, there was a mix of both while we were there. The patio looks to be good sized, with fans and misters out there during the hotter months. The dining room was a much better experience than the bar; the dining room added a star to this review. read more
Been here a few times for pre-and post game festivities however, this was the first time we went here on a Sunday to watch an Eagles game. The staff was very accommodating. Put the game on TVs for us and even got the volume. read more
3 months ago
2 months ago
We returned on a busy March Madness Saturday night. Sitting at the bar to watch the game and eat dinner, we received great attention, service and food. The Tortilla Soup and Lizzie Salad went well with Barrio Red. Enjoy! read more
First time customer - admittedly did not eat here today. Dropped in for a couple pints and was pleasantly surprised. I have long AND wrongly believed there was an understanding between UofA and local University Blvd establishments to keep beers below 5% due to a younger patronaging population. Bottom line, solid beer selection. Glasses were clean, ice cold and the service at the bar was enthusiastic and friendly - made us feel welcomed. The food landing on surrounding tables looked good and we will definitely return for a dining opportunity. If you are looking to wet your whistle, like to people watch over an ice-cold IPA (plenty of other choices), this is a stop worth considering. read more
Post-game dinner, this hit the spot. Though it was crowded, we only had a short wait before we were seated. Our server answered all of our questions and got us set up with beverages. Bar service to our table was swift for the size of the crowd they were serving. There were three of us in our party. Two ordered wings. They tried the BBQ, tequila-cilantro and the spicy habanero. All three were delicious. I got the Brussel Sprouts. They came with honey-chipotle dressing, bacon, parmesan, garlic, kale chips. I usually move on when I see the word "kale," but something made me try this. It was a good choice. The roasted sprouts with all the fixings and the crunchy kale made a perfect dish for me on this night. I can honestly say, I enjoyed the kale. Overall, excellent dish. This is a good spot if you are near U of A and in need of a bite and a beverage. read more
9 months ago
Honestly Gentle Ben's surprised me. Great pregame and post game spot! We got a resy for 15 online a few days before the ASU UofA game and got in with no issues. The food was also good give. How busy they were! Potato skins were fire. Guac was mostly one big avo chunk lol but it was still good. If you wanna get ROWDY-- order a round of Ben's bombs!!! TOO FUN!!! read more
9 months ago
The food was better than I expected and the server (Sam) was attentive and helpful recommending menu items. The bartender was not so good. She didn't seem to give a crap about the bar patrons but was have plenty of conversation with the other staff. The bar was very loud but the dining room was actually very family friendly and conversation level of noise read more
I attended a rave at last weekend Gentle Ben's Mexican Brewery, which had somewhat recently converted their upper deck area to a pretty cool EDM club. The music was crunk (not what I expected), but the crowd was enthusiastic and the vibe was cool. Our table was cheap compared to Phoenix, and the service was better (because it is a lot smaller). It is an 18+ club, so it was interesting how they separated the "kids" from the "adults" to prevent cross contamination by alcohol. Nice place, and I will be back... read more
1 year ago
I've gone twice now. Once when it was cooler but more packed and today when it was near 100 and misters were on. It was not busy today at all. The service was good and the waitress was just the right level of attentiveness. The location is excellent near the university and easily walkable from the campus. The food, however, has just been ok. This time I ordered the Sonoran chicken tacos on flour tortillas. It came with a side of beans and rice. Overall, I found the taste to be a little boring and the chicken was very dry and adding the salsa didn't help it much. The beans felt the same way. Just thick and not much flavor. The location has indoor and outdoor seating and can handle large groups. Parking can be an issue as the area is busy with other stores and restaurants as it's really only street parking. read more
2 years ago
A staple of being a college student at the U of A. People go here for the environment and the convenience, not necessarily the food or the service. Right on University, this restaurant/bar is a fun place to be for any game. Their menu offers all the classics you'd expect from a sports bar - burgers, wings, etc. in addition to a "south of the border." I've eaten here many times and the food has always been decent. The burgers are the best thing I've had from here, but there have been multiple times I've tried to order a burger and they were out. Staff is always nice, but it can take a while for food to come out. read more
7 months ago
Great spot to get a bite or a drink, conveniently located near many other bars and restaurants and a streetcar stop. Service was great, we were seated right away and our waitress checked on us frequently. Food and drinks came out fairly quickly as well. I ordered the avocado tacos which were delicious as well! read more
8 months ago
3 years ago
My husband and I were in Tucson to watch the OSU vs UA football game. We wanted to have a few drinks and watch the other Saturday PAC 12 games before our 7:30pm game began. My husband ordered Hazy IPA and I ordered a single vodka soda with two likes (Titos). Both went down smoothly. We each had two drinks and sat a a large table with other OSU fans and started talking with them while watching tv. The vibe was electric and fun, lots of seating and tv's, and the staff was extremely service oriented, helpful and happy!! We were seated at the outside deck are but there was plenty of interior seating as well. read more
1 year ago
Popped into Gentle Ben's as my friend and I were just walking through the campus and didn't know what to expect. Turns out we made a good decision to eat and drink here. It was a massive bar/restaurant and on our particular visit, the weather was nice so we sat outside on the patio. The nachos and burgers were amazing and left us so full. Definitely bring your appetite to this place. Our waitress was very nice and even gave us recommendations of others places to check out while in town. Very good experience and recommended stopping in here for good food and vibes. read more
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Eric S.
Glad you had a great time! We would love to hear what we can do to…
9 months ago
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865 E University Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85719
West University
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(520) 624-4177
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https://gentlebens.com
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