Benjamin Steakhouse Prime — Restaurant in New York

As a self-described connoisseur of every descent NYC steakhouse, I was excited to try Benjamin Prime, and my experience was very average. I will break it down into 3 categories, as I would with any other restaurant review.

Please keep in mind that these comments and rating are RELATIVE to other steakhouses of similar price and quality, not just an average restaurant

Ambiance - 3.5 stars Very nice inside but also very typical of almost any NYC steakhouse. Nice lighting, very clean, sterile environment, much more of a modern, sleek feel than a clubby type of 1920's style steak and cigar place like Strip House

Service - 3.5 stars Very Professional , On Point. Hard to describe, but it felt like no one really wanted to be there, not much interaction between the staff, and not the friendliest of service, but they got us everything we asked for without having to ask multiple times, anything beyond that would increase the star rating

Food - 2.5 stars...I was really hoping to give this part a better review, but this is where Benjamins really fell short. The portion sizes were very generous and we left feeling stuffed.

We started with the thick bacon, which is a nice size, but was pretty tough in texture and had a descent amount of fat. I would likely order something different if I went back

Filet - Pleasantly surprised by the size, it was probably closer to 8oz than 6 oz. Compared to other places, i thought the quality was average. Unfortunately, as was the case with the sirloin, it was served a bit burnt and well done, and more importantly , it was very dried out.

Sirloin - Similar to the above comments. Not sure why everything was so dried out, perhaps because it was a Sunday night, they had the B team cooking, but this certainly seems to be a case of the kitchen ruining something was a descent quality before it hit the grill.

Thankfully, their branded steak sauce was excellent, and we used almost the entire bottle to take away from the dryness of the food

Given the wide variety of choices in NY when it comes to steak, I likely wont be returning, but I am glad I went. If management is reading this, I believe I saw a few other reviews concerning the preparation of the food - perhaps giving customers the choice to butterfly anything medium or higher might make for a more...

The steak is very good, but the service is bad. The substandard quality of the service prevents me from recommending this restaurant. When our party of 5 entered on a very calm Tuesday evening, the hostess and staff did not offer to check in our coats. After we were led to our tables and uncomfortably sat down with large winter coats on our seats, we had to ask if there was a coat check, and only then did the wait staff offer to take our jackets. We asked for a bottle of sparkling water, and tap water in one glass, and a cup of hot water. The tap water never arrived. Later in the service, after the main courses arrived, one person asked for a few paper napkins. They did not arrive for 10 minutes until we asked again. The restaurant was not even half full, so being busy could not be blamed for these gaps in service. Another person burned his fingers on a hot plate because they were not adequately warned that all plates were hot, not just the plates with food on them. One person asked about nonalcoholic mocktails (they had none), and whether the bar could make a virgin mohito. They were given Sprite with a mint leaf. The table was not wiped down after the appetizers and entrees were taken away. The creme brulee with a birthday candle was served on the table before dirty dishes from the main course were fully cleared. The staff was impatient as we asked questions about post dinner refreshments. We ordered three coffees, but only two arrived and we had to remind the staff about the third. When the check came, I tipped 10% (lowest I've ever given) to send a message that I was not happy with the service. When the waiter inquired about the tip (with audacity to insist for more), I changed it to 25% because I do not want multiple people's livelihoods, especially the kitchen staff which did an excellent job with the meal, to be hurt by the poor service of one waiter. I hope the restaurant staff understands that bad service puts them at risk of bad tips. We spent near 1000 dollars in 2 hours at this restaurant and only the food portion of the cost was worth it. I will not give additional business to this restaurant and I will discourage everyone I know from visiting. Hopefully this post discourages strangers from...

This Mother’s Day was a sad day. Sad day because after 5 years of spending at the least 5 figures of $$$$$ at Benjamin’s, whether with loved ones, guests, clients or friends out-of-pocket or through theirs (and through corporate events, with corporate sponsorship), the dinner had to be ruined by subpar Porterhouse and less-than-ideal way of addressing the same by the manager.

On my countless visits to Benjamins, never was I disappointed, not even once, so it was always a special occasion to look forward to. Granted, no one is perfect and there may be days when a cook makes a mistake by overcooking a medium-rare close to well done, what was intended to be slightly crunch charcoal on the outside really just feeling like dry and burnt bitter bacon without the tenderness on the inside that synchronizes the normally ever-so-slight crunchiness on the outside, the oxymoron of which creates wonders for any diner that is lucky to be chewing on at least $25/piece steak on what is supposed to be a plate that burns your fingers (even the plate came not-so-hot this time…).

Instead of acknowledging what really could’ve been a blip (and I would’ve treated it as such to give another chance next time), the manager only discussed how proud of the food they are, shoving the spoon on one of the rare (pun intended) pieces stating look how beautiful this piece of chunk of cow is. I never eat desserts at a steakhouse (cause they are usually bad), so the awful cake that was offered as a concession only made the matter worse (tho my friend who lives alone took it for future sugar-high amid the envisaged stressful times).

I am really sad. Everyone has their favorites, and of the countless options in the city - Peter Luger, Keens, Wolfgang, Quality Meats, Gallaghers, Del Friscos - you name it, Benjamins was my go-to and a super reliable option at that. Always left me satisfied. What makes me sad is I was not only disappointed with the food, but the way the issue was dealt with. “We will give you some more pieces”, treating my party as if we are some sort of gold-steak-diggers (and none was given lol), I am truly saddened that this long relationship had to come to a halt like this and that I must take my business...