Mmmmm...Basque food! Third time I have been to Bakersfield for Basque food. Hotel Noriega is closed so the wife and I went here. She had never had Basque food and I was afraid I had oversold it. Benji's did me proud though and she loved it. She found she liked pickled tongue and the Basque take on Calamari. I have the Leg O' Lamb and it was all great. Yosemite here we come!
Stopped for lunch on the way to Yosemite. Lunch menu is large and offers a lot of variety including lamb, seafood, beef tongue, seafood, escargot, and sandwiches. Sauteed breaded Scallops in Tarragon sauce over rice was fresh, perfectly cooked and very tasty along with the included simple green salad with a nice homemade French vinaigrette, French fries (a little limp), French bread ( a little stale) and very tasty hot spicy Spanish sauce included for $22. Good service in a dark, simple dining room. Basque sausage sandwich was spicy and good served with salad, French fries, French bread and Spanish sauce for $17. Good value. Easy parking in lot. Uncrowded at lunch on a Saturday. We would return next time we are in the area.
We have eaten here in the past and we have always enjoyed it. This past weekend we decided we won't return. The shrimp dinner was simply 5 of the small frozen breaded shrimp (can be bought for $1.99 in the $0.99 cent store) horrible. Certainly wasn't like the picture posted here. After I took the oily bread off they were the size of my thumbnail. Fries were super oily, soup without more than a few small clams. I understand it was towards the end of the evening but better to say we are out than to serve that.
I happened to be in town overnight, and having some Basque ancestry, I had to go and check it out.The staff was great. Kudos to Tanya and Mr. McCarthy for seeing to our every need.The food was very good. I had the Ravioli with Basque Tomato Sauce. The 'Set Up' provided an array of extras, like soup, salad, tomatoes and fries.Delicious, friendly and popular, so call for a reservation or get there when they open.Next time I come over from SLO, I will visit again.
Food is comparable to gas station food. Poor seasoning across the salad, soups and main entree (rib eye). They serve cold bread with cold butter. They need to focus on more recipe planning and execution to increase flavor, possibly get a real expert in Basque cooking to work the kitchen. This food quality couldn’t survive in Houston, TX. Folks giving this 4+ stars have low expectations for dining.
Wowser! I was not ready for this! The service was the best ever, with food and drinks at the table, while I was getting seated. The sides and salad were excellent, and very timely. The lamb was excellent, and the family style sides were excellent. I’m just passing through town, but I can’t wait to come back to Benji’s
Have been dining at Benjis Basque Restaurant every chance we could when passing through Bakersfield. Here for a dog show at the Kern County Fairgrounds, and just loved our dinner. I had the Duck with green peppercorn sauce,amazing! My wife had the Lamb Chops, she loved them too. We will be back!
Benji's never disappoints. Individuals in our party ordered rack of lamb, fried chicken with garlic, and others just had the set up. The rack of lamb was delicious, cooked to perfection, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Every one enjoyed their meals, everything was everything we usually expect from a traditional Basque meal, even the warm salsa is worth mentioning.The service was also excellent, it wasn't as busy as we expected for a Friday evening, but our waitress still went above expectations. She offered some excellent meal and drink selections while the delivery of our meals was timely, everyone seemed to be working in unison. Will always recommend Benji's.
The food was great. And the value for your dollar is good.The decor in the banquet room was a little bleak.The waitress was busy, but still took care of us. And we didn't have to ask for anything twice.She was able to explain the menu well. And there was stuff that I need explained. You know (Basque).Even when she said that it may take a while, thinks still got to the table in a timely matter.Because we were with a large party of 7. It was like eating banquet style. But it was good. We gave her a full tip of 21%.I definitely would go back
The food was great. And the value for your dollar is good.The decor in the banquet room was a little bleak.The waitress was busy, but still took care of us. And we didn't have to ask for anything twice.She was able to explain the menu well. And there was stuff that I need explained. You know (Basque).Even when she said that it may take a while, thinks still got to the table in a timely matter.Because we were with a large party of 7. It was like eating banquet style. But it was good. We gave her a full tip of 21%.I definitely would go back