Benny and Mary's

Finally made it to this place for OCRW lunch special! They didn't give you options so it's just their set menu but if you live Caesar salad, salmon & cheesecake, you will truly enjoy this menu! Parking in their private lots so grab your validation. The inside is quite unique with a warm vibe. Our waitress was attentive and great. Each course came out in the right time and it was delicious!! Salad was crispy and fresh. Salmon was cooked great! Dessert wasn't overly sweet. I want to come back & try more items for sure!

I think this place is relatively new and I see it a lot when I'm driving home. I went for brunch on Saturday morning and the interior is beautiful. The restaurant has a unique ambiance with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, modern candlestick chandeliers, and even a hidden speakeasy-style room behind a bookcase. The waitress we had was amazing! She provided great recommendations, such as the Chilaquiles and I can't remember what my friend ordered, but he seemed to enjoy it. We also shared the mimosa flight, which was nice! I heard they have a great dinner menu, so I will definitely come back.

We recently dined at Benny and Mary's in Irvine to celebrate my birthday and my little one's 1/2 birthday. The restaurant has a great ambiance, and every staff member we interacted with was warm and accommodating, especially with our babies, which I truly appreciated.**Food & Drinks**We tried a variety of dishes: * Grilled Cheese Dumplings & Tomato Soup - This was a hit, delicious and well-executed x2 * Sashimi, Yellowfin Tuna Poke - Fans at the table for poke had to order more, sashimi was very bad.. * Beef Tartare on Bone Marrow - The tartare itself was fantastic, but the bone marrow was a letdown. We ordered four, and three arrived with a very cold, thick marrow cold butter like, which was quite disappointing. * Mushroom Pancetta Crostini - Absolutely yummy, full of rich flavors. * Garlic Shrimp - missing had to rerequesr, good * Chilean Seabass - Enjoyable * Prime Rib, priced great for its portion came with sides for asparagus and potato ('missing 1 of 2 orders) * Truffle Fries - Arrived cold, and some had an icy center, which was frustrating. * Desserts - The coffee cake had a bit too much coffee bean shaving, but the pecan ice cream paired well and balanced it out. Banana foster hard and cold too. (Why is everything not warm when they say so?) * Drinks - Our table had cocktails, mocktails, and cappuccinos. The bartender did a fantastic job accommodating all of our requests.**Service & Experience**The service was excellent--friendly, professional, and welcoming. However, the kitchen struggled with consistency and timing. Some main dishes were missing at dinner, and the bone marrow issues were disappointing given the price point.Another downside was the restroom situation, which did not match the upscale dining experience. Out of four stalls, only one was fully functional: * One was out of service. * Another didn't have a functional door lock. * A third had a toilet that wouldn't stop flushing. * One sink was out of service, and the only working stall had no toilet paper. * The handicap buttons on the entrance door were also not working.**Final Verdict**Benny and Mary's has great ambiance, attentive service, and good food, but the kitchen's consistency and the restroom issues were major drawbacks. For a bill over $1,000, I expected more attention to detail. It's a 50/50 return for me--if they tighten up their kitchen execution and fix their facilities, it could be an excellent experience.

Perfect date night spot! We were seated in the "speakeasy" which was a bit interesting... like, I kind of like being out in the main area for ambiance. And it was not crowded at all and we had a reservation.. felt like it was supposed to be cool and selective but was actually just hidden away from the action. Husband got a Mocktail- incredible. Bartenders choice spicy, oh my gosh best drink we've Ever had! My wine was fine. I should have tried a cocktail!Shrimp appetizer was good, bucatini also good. The salmon Caesar salad really stole the show though. That was incredible! Oh and dessert was fine- a warm coffee cake with ice cream. I'd like to try something different.Server was really great. We will be back, and maybe with the right cocktail, dessert, and seating, I'll bump up to 5 stars!

What a sexy little restaurant! I loved the dark, sultry, & classy feel stepping in to enjoy a nice dinner with family. It would make a perfect date night spot, or a girls night out option. Us, we came to celebrate a belated Valentine's Day dinner, and Benny and Mary's could not have been a more perfect venue. We loved everything about Benny and Mary's! We ordered their yellowfin tuna poke and lobster bisque to share. Our waitress recommended their lobster bisque, and we all agreed it was one of their best! I ordered their short rib (as I saw it was one of the popular items on yelp), and boy was it delicious! I had a taste of my husband's ribeye, and it was good as well.We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. The food was tasty, service was wonderful, and the ambiance alone makes me want to go back. Can't wait to tell my girlfriends all about this place so we can make a girls night out trip. Thanks Benny and Mary's!

We came to Benny and Mary's for Valentine's Day dinner and couldn't have been more pleased! There was an $8 valet option or free self-parking further down. Our reservation had said outside seating, but either because of the cold or rain, we were moved inside to their private room, which is usually rented out for private events.To start, we got the cheese dumplings -- AMAZING. Think a tiny grilled cheese bite in a spoonful of creamy tomato soup. Just delicious. To drink, my partner did a Smore Smore (he said it was a bit rich, which is to be expected!), and I got the Snake Oil (a spicy grapefruit, tequila based drink). The Bucatini and Lobster Ravioli were both very good, and we loved the best dishes they were served on. We really enjoyed getting to be in the private room without having an event, but look forward to coming back to sit in the main dining room.

Benny and Mary's was fantastic. From the helpful hostess to the staff working the bar area, the people working could not have been kinder. Likewise, the eclectic ambiance really made this place stand out. This was a great start to an even more epic meal. My colleague and I proceeded to order The majority of their appetizer menu and each item was better than the next. The desserts were okay, but not a "need to order".

What a hidden gem The building is beautiful, the decor is so appealing, gorgeous art. Parking is easy. The decor and ambience and lighting seem so well thought out. Perfect for photos or to impress someone I'll definitely be recommending for special occasions.I went for brunch with the girls and I had the shahuka and it's my new fav dish But everyone's plates looked amazing at our tables and all the girls were so happy, Miguel was a wonderful server, very accommodating. The manager stopped by multiple times to check in, take photos and show us the speakeasy. Such a cool vibes. The girls loved bottomless mimosas. We already made a future reservation for the speakeasy. Can't wait to come back, thankyou

Solid five stars with ambience, classy music, decorum and quality. The foods could have been little bit hotter in serving temperature but overall downright Michelin star quality and extremely fast service. The foods came out furiously fast and were served smoothly! The Chilean seabass was bad ass and the chicken dish was way too much. My Mexican Cesar Salad was good. Overall five stars for every little dish.

The staff is AMAZING! Cocktails are probably the best in OC. Food is delicious. It's a beautiful restaurant. Unfortunately I believe I witnessed the owner horribly bashing on her staff/employees. Jesus lady, it's like you want your business to fail!? Feel bad for the workers. Anyway despite the drunk owner, everything was great. Side note: They need a better marketing team. I've lived around the corner from this place and never heard about it.