Baxters Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Benicia

What a fun and inviting restaurant! Baxter’s folks are exceptionally welcoming and our overall dining experience was thoroughly enjoyed and highly memorable.

Why? They set a wonderful stage when you first walk into their eatery. The guys behind the bar smile and greet you while vocal jazz plays in the background. We felt like we were old friends returning to their home for a warmhearted visit. Everyone was personable, took care of business with ease, making it look easy (and believe me; it is often not easy). Their smiles and willingness to engage set you in a relaxed and pleasant mood.

Our server was a refreshing change from what has sadly been found out in other businesses these days. He was friendly, honest in his answers and, connected with us in a natural way. We enjoyed his company and service.

It was a relatively quiet night but neighboring guests were smiling and friendly to us as well.

Here’s what we had:

French 75 & Empress French 75 - a classic drink AND the sexy glasses heightened our sipping experience.

Filet Mignon Street Tacos - The first bite created a swell of emotion for me as the flavors swirled around my mouth. Delicious. My husband said they were the best he had ever had and he thought the portion was generous.

Mediterranean Salad - The server politely had the kitchen split it in half for us to share. Honey vinaigrette had a touch of sweetness with a light base that never overpowered the vegetables and lettuce in the salad. Fresh and surprisingly good, as salads go.

We shared the Seared Sea Scallops and the Alaskan Wild Salmon were both served with lemon-saffron sauce with buttermilk mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. Portions were generous. I liked the grilled vegetables of the day. And dredging the perfectly pan seared sea scallops and salmon through the lemon-saffron sauce were an added bonus.

Bread pudding must be good because it was sold out before we could order it.

The next day, my husband said out of the blue that he wanted to return and have another meal there. Food can be good at a place but it is the people that make you want to return again and again. Tell Baxter we said, “Woof. Woof!” ~ paws up so we can...

Baxters Restaurant and Bar is a DESTINATION. This intimate and lovely establishment never fails to disappoint. I've gone several times and each time the experience was exceptional. Charming and with a wonderful selection of cocktails, appetizers and mains, my latest visit was for my birthday celebration. I've always gone out of the way to make sure I celebrate my birthday (it's really close to Christmas, plus I have a family member with a date really close to mine) so making it a special event is always my focus. Man o Man did they come through. We had the celebration in their Speakeasy Room, which is reminiscent to the Roaring 20's with a separate bar, comfortable seating for up to 10/12 people and just a specifically joyous occasions. My guests were ALL thrilled with the experience. Benecia is a beautiful town and has a welcoming, small towny feel to it.

I recommend everything from the beet salad, flatbreads, beef wellington, sirloin, pork tenderloin, anything vegetable and whatever your tastes desire. I've had several items and tasted the guests samples, so I can say I've had almost everything here at least by tastes.

Make this a destination, whether for a date night to a small party (or buying out the restaurant for the...

I got a recommendation from our waiter on what they personally get for dinner, which is the Truffle Burger and Truffle Fries. I decided to go with their recommendation.

WOW I AM GLAD I DID!

I'm a bit of a foodie and I love a good cheeseburger and fries. I am not big on the whole "Truffle" thing...

My girlfriend is and we were on a date and she is and we often share so I decided to spring for the Truffle stuff.

These Truffle fries, were literally some of the best fries I have ever had. The burger was really good too. If I were to order it again I'd likely request extra onions.

The food was so good I didn't even want to use the sauce it came with or the extra aioli we requested with it, which is rare for me.

I know this isn't likely one of their items for the store that they would likely be pushing too hard since they have some great other items, but WOOOOOOOOOOW I am definitely going back for some more of this.

Other notes: The Baked Brie was great and so was the Salmon! :) Staff was friendly and welcoming. The service was decent. The atmosphere nice but it is a bit small inside. There's a hidden Speakeasy in the back where they host events. Maybe they seat people there too? I'm definitely going back again for that...