Benji's French Basque Restaurant

We had dinner at Benji's after a long stint in an Arizona food desert. We saw mixed reviews, and I'll just say the negative reviews reflect the diner's lack of experience with this cuisine.Everything was perfectly prepared and fresh. Service by Kenji was spot on, and he was a delight. The ambiance was cozy and comfortable. We did opt for a wine we had with us over the wine list offerings. $17 corkage was fine. We started with the traditional picon punch. Cabbage soup was so comforting and nourishing, we ate it all. Salad was perfectly dressed with a light creamy vinaigrette that also graced the tongue that was thinly sliced and tender. Beans, marinated tomato, and warm salsa accompanied the salad to mix and match at your discretion. Do put beans over your salad for the traditional experience. The roasted lamb was good, and veal medallions were excellent. Accompanied by perfectly stewed green beans, the entrees were nicely sized, not wastefully huge. And the Grand Marniere souffle... I have no words for this light, decadent fluff with plenty of creme anglaise. Don't let the tourons deter you. If you're looking for a delicious, comforting family-style meal in the true French Basque style, you'll love Benji's.

We are done with Benji's. It's been in the Bakersfield Basque food restaurant rotation for our family forever. But they crazy. My brother is severely allergic to dairy, He can't have most items on most menus, and of course can't have garlic butter, because he can't have butter. As most know, the steaks at Benji's come with garlic butter...but tonight, as he has done in the past, he simply asked them for fresh chopped garlic with his steak (no butter). He also told our server that it wasn't a preference, but was an allergy as he is allergic to dairy products, and that included butter. In response to his fresh garlic substitution request, she pushed back, as she has in past visits (my brother said he had been served by her before and it's a pattern), told him no, actually TOLD HIM NO THEY COULDN'T CHOP UP SOME GARLIC FOR HIM, so he kindly clarified that they couldn't just chop him some garlic?, and she said "fine, that will be like $5 bucks then." Huh??It was very obvious she randomly made up a price off the top of her head. My brother agreed because at this point he just wants some garlic for his steak like he likes, and like everyone else has the opportunity to have. And as she said she would, she sure did charge us $5 for three cloves of garlic for a steak that comes with garlic anyway. A $400 meal and she got annoyed (but, at what!?!?) so arbitrarily charged us $5 for the cook to chop this garlic. So so terrible. So bye Benji....and Ericka. Woolgrowers and Pyrenees have better food and clearly much better service anyway.

What a great experience and meal! We were soooo full and very satisfied with our meals. We only didn't get what we just ordered for our meal but we got so much more. Meals included salad and soup w beans, french fries, corn and bread; all included before you get your main meal! Wow! The menu was full of great choices. We definitely need to come back several times to try other items in the menu that we didn't get to try. Service by Kenji was enjoyable and perfect and made our experience pleasant and memorable! Very friendly and made sure our glass were always full. Looking forward to coming back when we are back in town. Very busy during dinner but we were seated immediately. Plenty of room and several party going on but the ambience was still enjoyable for a nice conversation for two. Thank you again Kenji.

Very different food, not the normal French food. They have large banquets room and table that can be accompanied large party.

Benji's has been our go to for years. I've never had a bad experience, but someone has sued them over either a fall or a run in in the common serving area. We cannot go through the area any longer. To get to the restroom you must go around. The lady telling me was rude. I guess she was sued. Who knows. Then my MIL ordered only pickled tongue. Yes, crazy but that was all she wanted. The server told her "ok, but don't eat anything else!" What in the world? Benji, you need to do some readjustments, have a meeting, etc. our food was good but I didn't enjoy the experience one bit. Very sad.

It's Father Day today, A very busy restaurant day. The hospitality here is always great. Benji dropped by the table to say hello. This is such a great touch of recognition in a busy restaurant . Rebecca was our server today. We were able to order quickly. She and her partner were so pleasant, prompt and polite. The service is consistently good here. We always come in a large group and are well taken care of. As always the setup of beans, soup & bread were brought out immediately, then the green salad and marinated tomatoes. The green beans and French fries accompanied our entrees. But a heads up the pickled tongue is no longer included in the set up. Our meals were delicious. Benji's is French Basque and great place to dine if you have a small or large group. We have never been disappointed. It is my favorite Basque restaurant in Bakersfield.

Our server, Tonya was the sweetest And very attentive to our needs. The ambience is cozy, giving warm home vibes with Italian decor. The food was utterly delicious, everything is a must try.

Never disappoints! Been a staple of Bakersfield as long as I can remember, all the way back from when they were on Union Avenue.

Was just here the other night to celebrate a birthday and we had a great time with great food! The "set up" was super tasty and everything was very fresh. I do wish they would serve the bread warm but it still tastes amazing. We ordered two orange roughy plates and it was very fresh and light. We also had a filet mignon with peppercorn cognac sauce (this was mine) and as usual you can't beat the tenderness and the flavor. My favorite place to get a steak!It was quite busy inside but it was pleasant, the owner came around and checked on us and was very nice. The staff was very friendly.It's the perfect place for a family meal or for a date and we always enjoy coming!

So glad we found this Basque restaurant. We usually stop by Bakersfield a lot on big winter road trips, so this restaurant is always a good stop! Food is always so delicious and well seasoned. (the pepper steak, steak and shrimp kabobs, and lamb are a must!) This place also has soufflé, which is not easy to make, so that's really great! Service is also pretty good, the workers there make you feel welcome. The vibe is always lively as well. We are definitely coming back next trip.