Benito's Italian Cafe & Pizzeria — Restaurant in Odessa

I had been hearing so many good things about this place & finally decided to check it out! Bizarre, disappointing, horrible, weird experience overall.

Ambiance was definitely lacking, but I was like "hey, maybe it's a little hole in the wall, best pasta you've ever had sort of place." We were sat at a table way too close to the kitchen doors and could hear them talking and cursing in the back better than we could hear each other to talk at our table. It got more uncomfortable the longer we sat there.

We were our server's only table, but they were so rushed with us from the second we sat down. No plates for bread, not very personable. Still, I get working service jobs are hard, everyone has off days, I was ready to let it slide. She repeatedly asked if we wanted ranch dressing on our salads which we did not, and then surprise, we got ranch dressing on our salads. No where to be seen after dropping those off, we decided to just eat them instead of waiting for her to come back.

I watched another server ask someone at the table next to us to move over so she could sweep under the table WHILE HE WAS SITTING THERE EATING DINNER. Awkward at best, rude and unhinged at worst. Same server (not our main one) took the parmesan off our table, without saying a word, AS WE WERE SITTING THERE. It was so weird for lack of any better description.

But then, the food is coming out, and it's time to chow down. Weirdness aside, I was still hopeful. The rolls/garlic knots/bread sticks/whatever were good - fresh, warm, and yummy. I will give them that. Our salads had the wrong dressings and were soaking wet on the bottom. I got a few bites in before everything got super soggy. Our meals were really not great. Alfredo sauce tasted like straight up milk, ziti pomodoro was uhh not that, marinara sauce in lasagna was sweet as all get out. And the portions were TINY. I'd rather spend the same amount literally anywhere else and get so much more. I'd say my plate was 20% pasta, 80% sauce.

This was just a weird and disappointing experience. At one point I hear someone scream "mamma mia" from the kitchen. I felt like I was on a prank show. Bizarre. I will not be back to...

98TH AND INDIANA LOCATION!!

The wife and I decided to go out on a date on Sunday night. We had eaten at the previous restaurant in this building so we decided to give Benito's a try. We were seated promptly. There was no one there when we arrived but the two sitting at the bar. Our waitress brought menus and our drinks in a timely manner. We browsed the menu as it was all new to us. When we ordered we could tell the waitress did not know the menu. My wife actually pointed to the item on the menu so that she could see what was being ordered and then write it down. I ordered and she was off to the kitchen. The food came out in a timely manner, but the order was NOT right. My wife called the waitress over and told her that this was not the item she ordered. She seemed to be a mix of confused and embarrassed. She did not immediately take the plate of food back. In a few minutes she came and picked up the plate that was wrong and then said she had the correct order cooking. The manager, possibly the owner, brought the correct plate out shortly. We had to ask for refills on our drinks. When we asked for the check we were charged for the salad that came with my wife's entree and the soup that came with my entree. My wife brought it to her attention and she told us that it was her 3rd day. So, when we were done, we discussed that this is just another mediocre restaurant to add to the list in Lubbock. You cannot throw a waitress to the wolves if they don't know the menu or how to charge for food. We normally won't throw a place away with one bad visit, but with our experience with the service and the mediocre food, we will mark this one...

I attended with a family party of 20 to this modest Italian restaurant.

I'll begin with the cons because I only have ONE.

CONS -My water had a lemon seed in it. I'm not sure how it got there as I didn't have lemon in my water. It made me feel like the glass might've been dirty but there's a possibility it came from a water pitcher, I'm not sure.

Despite this, I'd love to give my list of pros for this establishment.

PROS -Food was absolutely phenomenal. Everything from the sauce to the bread rolls and the cheesecake not only tasted like it was made from scratch and hours of labor but it really felt like everything was crafted with a passion for food that I haven't gotten from any restaurants in a long while. Our large party would grow absolutely silent when our meals were delivered as we swooned over our dishes. Not a single one of us had any complaints for the food. 11/10. I'd give six stars if I was able to.

-Service was incredible!! I don't remember his name but he was definitely a guy from New York, his attitude was positive and uplifting. He never complained and despite our party being so large he made sure to accommodate us and left none of us lacking.

-Food was hot, fresh, and arrived quickly! I expected with a party so large we would have to wait for our meals for a while but we were served exceptionally quick.

All in all we had no complaints. I've never heard of this restaurant before but I'll be sure to frequent it and I hope whoever is reading this will give it a chance too. It's an incredible experience for sure and honestly feels too...