Bennigan's — Restaurant in Dundee Township

As I walked into one of 6 remaining Bennigan’s in the US, the nostalgia hit me like a Britney number 1 hit. As I was transported back in time, I half expected the Smashing Pumpkins to greet us, but alas, TLC was right - don’t go chasing those waterfalls. It was almost like Bennigan’s never went away, except of course, for the fact this one was attached to a Holiday Inn.

We were greeted by a friendly server and found ourselves sitting near a woman celebrating her 100th birthday, no doubt remembering Bennigan’s as a staple during her heyday. The decor took me back to 1998, when all I had to worry about was having a cool AIM profile and not cramping up during my Backstreet Boys pool aerobics.

We didn’t need to look at the menu but we did for old time sake. The broccoli bites were a must and they came out hot, crispy, and served on a bed of onion straws, like every good appetizer should. The honey dijon dipping sauce was divine and should be served on everything.

Next came the main entrees. Do they still have the Irishman Whiskey Glazed burger? Yes. Did I order it? Well no, but it’s there for next time. My wife ordered the Kilkenny Country Chicken Salad, with crispy chicken of course and I ordered the classic - the Turkey O’Toole. I have had dreams of this sandwich. Bennigan’s was serving the Turkey O’Toole on a pretzel bun before people knew pretzel buns were cool and they did it to perfection. Today was no different. My sandwich was a cheesy, buttery, turkey dream. Did I mention it was smothered in the honey dijon? Did I also mention I used the extra honey dijon from the broccoli bites to dip my fries in? Fries that happened to be the crispiest, fattest fries not in the steak fry family.

We finished lunch off with the brownie and ice cream. Did we need it? No. Were we full? Oh yes. Did we eat it anyway? You betcha! It was only as I paid the tab that I remembered it was 2025, but even by 2025 standards it was very reasonable.

Overall it was worth the 45 minute drive out to Elgin. The people were nice, the food was great, and if you get drunk you can stumble to the front desk and ask for a room. I’ll end by saying Bennigan’s should quit playing games with my heart, and open...

My husband and I were really enjoying ordering from this Bennigans for a while. We both decided this time around to try new things off the menu. Before I go into the disappointment of our experience, the chicken and shrimp pasta is pretty good. That's about all that is good here. I don't trust people enough to use very many details of our order but let's be real for a sec. 2 meal orders, no special requests or substitutes and 1 small side. The hostess is their first mistake. This young lady took our order with nothing but air in her head. She was completely untrained, seemingly not understanding 1 name of either meal we requested. She knew perfect English, too. My husband asked for 1 sauce on the side. A sauce that would be on his sandwich he ordered. All he asked was to have an additional one On. The. Side. She was so confused that she put the order in as no sauce on the sandwich and no sauce on the side. Asking for an extra sauce told this young lady "no sauce". Is this a result of our education system? When I picked up the order I noticed it was very underpopulated for the night. Meaning they had nothing going on. Little to no customers in the restaurant. The hostess seemed careless as she proceeded to complain of how mean people have been. Me, being the kind hearted person I can be, told her that everything will be ok and to keep her head up and that she is doing a great job. I didn't realize I had jinxed myself with that one. I got home to realize she got the entire order wrong. My husband called back to complain and the same hostess, the same young lady to be unprofessional and extremely air headed as the face of the company there then answered the call. As he went on to tell her of her mistakes, she then went on to blame the front desk of the hotel and tried to deflect any responsibility to the situation. The manager we requested handled it like an automated messaging system would have handled the matter. You guys are hurting yourselves. I'd re-evaluate that...

We got there when they first opened and our service was great. I’ve been places that act out off by the arrival of customers upon first opening so I am appreciative that was not the case. We drive for a living so getting to stop and eat somewhere is a treat. This spot is connected to a hotel so the parking may be minimal depending on what they have going on. We’re in a 40’ straight truck and still found parking with a full lot. Being that it was my first time I’d never had the Hawaiian chicken before. It reminded me of burbon chicken, which I am not a fan of. I asked if they could remake the chicken without the marinade and there was no issue. Don’t let that discourage you from trying the Hawaiian I’m just a super picky eater. The rice pilaf and broccoli were great! Check your water cups because I didn’t catch mine til later into my drink that it had some floaties at the bottom. I had no toddlers with me to cause this. I did let my waitress know and she took care of it and informed me she switched water sources. I mention this so anyone with an issue isn’t hesitant to bring it respectfully to their attention and they too will respectfully address and fix the problem. No yelling or fits are necessary. Now that we know this place is here and we can fit our truck we will be sure to try more dishes in the future should we return to this area. Thank you to the hostess and the rest of the staff for taking such...