Benny's Coastal Kitchen — Restaurant in Hilton Head Island

Horrible experience. First night they were premiering their new menu and it was a complete flop. So embarrassed bringing guests from out of town there. Horrible. After a painful 15 min of watching the waitress flip through sheets of notes, and still being unable to answer basic questions, we finally selected our entrees. We waited an hour to get our food, only to be told they were out of the pasta for 2 of the entrees. After waiting longer we were starving with nothing. She apologized for the long wait and when I asked about getting something, perhaps some bread for the table, we were told “we don’t do free bread”. She added, we should, but we don’t. Really? At this point we’re already having serious doubts about this place and that’s how you handle it? You can’t bring us a few lousy pieces of bread as we wait for what seemed an eternity. At last, the food arrives. I could not eat my entree. I was so hungry, but the crab cake entree was inedible. The weird succotash had a bizarre combination of strangely seasoned white lima beans, cubes of an unknown meat, weird lettuce and corn and had such a revolting taste I could not eat it. The crab was mediocre at best, but the orange sauce poured over it had the strangest combination of flavors that ruined any chance of being able to eat it. Seriously it felt like the chef was trying to be gourmet, but put together the worst combination of flavors that actually made me sick. I thought it couldn’t get any worse, as I scraped off the sauce on the crab cake, took a bite, and pulled out a long blonde hair from my mouth. That was it. I was done. Everyone at the table felt sick. This was truly the worst dining experience I have ever had. Bennie’s you need a new chef who has at least a basic knowledge of seasonings, flavors and food combinations. Servers who at least have basic customer service skills. It would’ve been one thing if it was just our family, but it was very disappointing for our out-of-town guests who were here for one night and had heard such wonderful things about the restaurants in Hilton Head. Not this one, that’s for sure. We will not be coming back. You have a beautiful building, a nice setting and a rooftop bar (that was closed??), but your food is atrocious and service much to be desired. Such a pity. Note: I should add, the manager did end up comping the entire table’s meals. Which was definitely an appropriate course of action. Which we appreciated. Sadly, we will still...

Goodness gracious!! If you are lucky enough to find yourself on Hilton Head Island, Benny's Coastal Kitchen is a MUST!!

It's one of several eateries owned by CRAB (Coastal Restaurants and Bars.) We've also eaten at their sister restaurant, The Crazy Crab Jarvis Creek.

Our server, Rosse, told us Benny's has only been open since February.

The hostess wasn't the most welcoming, but Rosse made up for it! She was friendly and up to the challenge of answering all my questions! Black urfa? An ingredient in the Oyster Bisque, I had no idea! Now, I know!

The ambiance is perfection. The indoor dining room is spacious, with high ceilings, and tall windows framing the perfect coastal scene. Fresh hydrangea blossoms on the table were a nice touch.

Rosse brought out a liter of water, which was welcome in the middle of a hot afternoon. My sweet tea was a tad too sweet for my liking, but Rosse brought me some half-cut tea, which was perfect.

Benny's offers ample outdoor seating and has an amazing rooftop, too.

Gorgeous scenery, lovely spaces aside, the food was definitely the star 🌟 Wow!! The well-traveled chef's menu offers something for everyone.

I was on the fence about what to order, but I was absolutely blown away with the Shrimp Risotto dish! Oh my! Fresh shrimp with Andouille red eye gravy served over creamy risotto... it was perfection, y'all!! I've not had a more flavorful dish outside of Louisiana! It screamed creole! Shared some with my husband, sandwiched some of the Andouille between two shrimp, it was the perfect bite! It was also served with some delicious, crusty bread from Sprout Momma located on the island.

My husband enjoyed the Bronzed Swordfish sandwich served with Napa slaw. He chose a side of delicious fresh fruit. I love swordfish, so he shared a bite with me, cooked perfectly.

We didn't have room for dessert, but they had some nice offerings available. They also offer a full bar.

If you aren't already, you need to make plans to visit Benny's as soon as possible!! They offer online reservations,...

Excellent food, service, and atmosphere. We both had the oyster bisque. I’m a huge fan of adding pepper to my chowders and bisques and for this I didn’t need to. It seemed to have a jalapeño oil on top adding the spice; unfortunately the wait staff didn’t know what it was. We’re firm believers in the wait staff knowing the menu. But, that’s okay as it was very good. The oyster was succulent and you could actually cut it with a spoon. My wife had the vegetable medley and the grilled scallops appetizers as her main meal. I had the green salad and the grilled scallops dinner. We both found the scallops perfectly cooked and delicious. Presentation of all dishes were commensurate with a cooking show on TV. If the meal wasn’t so filling I would have opted for dessert. Alas, we’ll just have to go back. The restaurant is in a refurbished warehouse, with a modernized interior. Plenty of seating inside with comfortable chairs and raised booths along the perimeter. Nice views to the outside. The outside seating is under cover with overhead heaters. The only downside for the interior is needing some more soft baffling material as the ceiling is open industrial and the floor is concrete. We were there early and there were only a few people; we could only imagine the decimal level would increase significantly with a full dining room. If not there early, be sure to make reservations. Prices are comparable with other restaurants...