Benji’s Cantina

Love the food! Hate the service! Have been here multiple times because we love the food… especially the cheesecake sopapillas and the green salsa with the chips… but literally have never had a time that the service was up to par in comparison to the majority of Austin restaurants in this price range!

Ate here solo for lunch today because I stumbled upon street parking nearby. I liked it more than I thought I would. Had the $ 13 lunch combo and chose the chopped salad and the carnitas taco. The chopped salad was good, and I wouldn’t hesitate to order it again (the fried chick peas were a nice touch and I liked the tangy dressing). The taco was meh, the tortilla was a little tough. But what put this over the top was the chips and salsa. They give you a lot of chips, and they are tasty. The green spicy salsa is just right, mmmmm, and the red salsa has a good flavor and depth to it as well. The atmosphere is clean and charming and the service was also very good. I can’t wait to return, next time for happy hour I hope!

The happy hour at Benji’s Cantina is excellent! $ 4 dollar margaritas and tacos! The service could of been better but the food was great! I’ve heard this place was kinda pricy for what you get but I wasn’t disappointed. The taco I ordered on happy hour was a great portion. Also the drinks were very strong just how I like it. I would recommend this place for a great drink and a yummy taco.

Went with a large group. We ordered Shishito Peppers, Guacamole and Queso Blanco for appetizers. Guac and Queso were good. Those peper things were not well prepared and bad.
I had the Adobo Carne Tacos for the entrée. First there was no «adobo» sauce taste at all. The beef in one taco was all fat and gristle. Nasty. The other one was not good at all. I ordered chorizo beans… for $ 3 they bring you a little bitty bowl of them.
Others were not impressed with their meals as well. I am glad I didn’t have to pay for this meal. Horrible and over priced.

Very disappointing. $ 65.00 lunch for 2 included 2 mixed drinks.
When we finished we went across the street to Frank and Angie ’ to share a small pie and some delicious Super Tuscan, was excellent.
At Benji’s, very complicated combinations, muddle the flavors of dishes and mixed drinks.
Fish Tacos were OK. Rye Old fashioned had 6 additional flavorants which tasted like old salad dressing.
Meyer Lemon Cevechies’ fish was raw. Do the need a food lab on chemical heat and the difference in lemon and lime?

Benji’s met my expectations for downtown Mexican food. First off the staff is super friendly and helpful. I was immediately seated on the outside patio and the weather was perfect. (Very nice of Benji’s to arrange perfect weather.)
They brought out water and chips and salsa right away. I ordered a Flaca Margarita and it was delicious. The chips are the right level of thickness, crunchiness, and saltiness. The green salsa has a nice bite to it and the red also isn’t bad.
We had an order of guacamole that came out looking like a green flan. I would have preferred some more kick to the quac, but it isn’t too bad. Salt on the table would have been nice as I am a salt fiend and the guacamole could use it.
I had read a lot of reviews on the beef fajitas so I ordered them. The presentation is nice, the big altar to beef was cool. They came out perfectly sizzling and the onions, beans, guacamole, rice, etc were good. The seasoning was okay. Way better than what you’ll get at Manuel’s or Gloria’s, but not as good as Uncle Julio, Pappasitos or Serannos when getting beef fajitas. But very edible. I would say they are the best fajitas downtown west of congress ;)
Overall I felt it was a little pricey for what you got, but the weather and company were great and the staff was awesome so it was a very enjoyable meal.

We found an earth worm in our tacos. The management said this was because the produce was so fresh and that it happens.
Lucky for us they compels the meal with worms and offered us free dessert from the kitchen that had the worms.
The wait staff was ok but the manager was the worst. Terrible place!

Great place for Tex-​mex food? Meh… more like just okay. But on the flip side, the ambiance there was Top Notch! Truth be told, the high price for the food just didn’t match up to the quality of food received.
Beef fajitas were as tasty as beef fajitas could be, I mean no real frills beyond being served sizzling in a cast iron dish.
Chile Relleno… one soggy mess. Overcooked Mush is the best way I can describe it. Did it taste good? Well it didn’t taste bad. You could eat it with a spoon & not have to chew it, if that gives you a better idea.
Queso Flameado was the Only Saving Grace, great flavor, too bad it didn’t last very long cuz service was ridiculously Slow when it came to wanting to order more queso & drinks… or anything for that matter.
Service: Not the best. Our server was initially attentive for the 1^st round of drinks and appetizers, but seriously slacked off on coming back for another round… which also delayed us from ordering actual food (dinner). Waitress was Not apologetic at all, she acted as if that were the Norm there, & who knows, maybe it is!
To anyone who asks, I will recommend this place Strictly for Drinks & Queso with a really cool atmosphere.

The 2-​star description «Meh, I’ve experienced better» that Unilocal just offered me sums this place up pretty well. For such a hot piece of property on West 6^th and such a natural selection for pre-​game dinner, it’s just not that great.
Firstly, the menu is kind of weird. They have a strange mix of seafood and tex-​mex and gourmet dishes, but they lack any sort of traditional taco or burrito options. I felt like I had to choose between a $ 30 plate of seared scallops or a duck taco. I don’t get it.
Regarding drinks, they have a decent selection of margaritas but the unfortunate circumstance of being served in a small glass with a LOT of ice. On the plus side, you and your friends get to excited about the fact that you’ve each had 13 cocktails, but on the down side it was the equivalent of 1 fluid ounce of tequila and 6 ice cubes spilled down your shirt.
The one great thing they have is fajitas, which come out on one of those obnoxiously steaming platform platters so that the entire restaurant knows that you mean business. However, it almost forces you to share with others (I hate sharing) and the shrimp comes without being de-​tailed. C’mon, Benjis. In my opinion, shrimp with tails on = free margarita.
I’ve heard they have a decent brunch buffet, but otherwise you can find better for a late night dinner. Go to The Grove next door before you go out, it’s 1000 times better.

Extremely disappointing. I went to eat here with my girlfriend and another couple from college. We sat down and everything was going good at first. When it came time to order, I asked the waiter what they were known for. He ran to another table grabbed this other menu and proceeded to try and sell me a $ 70 tomahawk steak. I politely declined, because this was a Mexican food restaurant and not a steak house. Being with my girlfriend we opted to just split the fajitas. I ordered for us both and told the waiter we wanted mixed fajitas to split. Me thinking I was getting the mixed chicken and steak with a kick of shrimp. Didn’t really think about it again. The food gets to the table and just as expected the the fajitas were all on one plate and the portions were «ok» later, the waiter brings out the checks. When the check came the waiter charged us for 3 different plates of Fajitas. After being a waiter at many different restaurants, I knew it wasn’t right and that common sense would tell anyone that an average guy splitting fajitas with his 5’4 girlfriend didn’t want 3 plates of fajitas. I then went to the manager and explained the situation. He pretty much tried to make me feel like a complete idiot. Pulled out the menu and totally stuck up for his server, pushing aside the «customer is always right» state of mind. He then says «I guess I’ll take some off of the bill.» After about 5 minutes the manager then comes back to the table and instead of saying something like «I’m sorry for the inconvenience.» I got this, «I talked to the server and he says that you were very specific on what you wanted, but it’s ok.» Well sir, as far as I am concerned, you can keep your shitty employees and shitty fajitas.
Also as a side note during this ordeal, I had gone to the bathroom and another one of the waiters were in there and as I’m at the urinal I look back after Hearing a flush and see him rushing out the door, knowing I was in there with out washing his hands.

I went with my family for lunch, the place is really nice. I expected more of the service, the lady at the entrance was more interested in her phone than the customers.
Food was great but they gave us tortillas from the day before!

Excellent food, service and atmosphere!!!
We were there for a weekday lunch. We shared shrimp fajitas (enough for us to take home) and black refried beans.
If we lived in Austin, we would return.
House margarita excellent also. I requested lots of extra limes. Yum.

Benji’s is easy for me to love. The aesthetic gives you the sense of being in a restaurant that sits in a Spanish colonial plaza somewhere in Mexico, far from 6^th Street. The layout is open and airy, and the front room has a really nice inside/​outside feel to it.
Food here is pricier because it’s meant to be more upscale Mexican. If you’re trying to experience your mama’s cooking, you won’t get that here. But you will get very fresh, beautiful plates that are substantial. I’ve had several menu items but I love the fajitas. They arrive sizzling hot and both the corn and flour tortillas are the perfect texture. Bonus, beef and chicken fajitas are half price on Mondays!
You could keep your check low if you didn’t get drinks, but I don’t recommend that. Their basic house margarita is a total winner — sour, not too sweet — and the bar staff is super friendly.
Benji’s isn’t a place I can go everyday but for special occasions it’s at the top of my list.

When you come to Austin, must get Mexican food! And that is exactly what my girlfriends and I did. I called them before hand to make a reservation and they were able to accomodate us on a busy Friday night. There is a nice patio seating as well as beautiful indoor seating. We decided to sit indoors since it was so hot outside.
This place is perfect for a nice dinner with friends or for date nights because the service is great and the décor and ambience is just right. Our waiter, Blake, was such a cutie and very attentive to our table. They serve a big basket of crispy tortilla chips with salsa and a green avocado dip that was delicious. Since we were all ravenous, we also ordered a side of queso dip which was ON POINT so good. I was very glad that the restaurant was able to acommodate our last minute 2 people addition and moved our party to a different table. I ordered a specialty margarita that had blood orange which was pretty good but I liked the one my friends got which had jalapenos. That was delicious and surprisingly more sweet than spicy but still has a nice kick to it.
For entrée, I ordered a chicken enchilada. You could choose which topping you want (red, green, or black) and I went with the rojo which was pretty good. It was a good amount and I was full by the end. My party also split the dessert sopapillas which was this sweet dough thing topped with vanilla ice cream. Definitely a guilty pleasure. Overall, my experience here was great from the excellent service to the ambience to the food. The perfect way to start our Austin vacation.

Great Tex-​Mex restaurant on West Sixth that has a great happy hour! From 4 – 7 daily, they offer some vegetarian options and cocktails! The Crispy Avocado tacos are fantastic, and the margaritas are classic and delicious! It’s a really cool place!

Thought I would like Benjis more than I did.
Early dinner in the midst of happy hour. Not much going on only a few patrons but it was early.
Beers and margaritas, chips and salsa. Chips were light and fresh. Red salsa very cold could not really taste, green salsa enjoyable.
Service quickly deteriorated after a couple more tables filled but we relaxed and persevered. Happy hour apps were good, guacamole and scallop ceviche.
Went for the beef fajitas, jalapeño sausage, beef tenderloin with sides of sprouts, corn and rice.
The fajitas were decent but seemed a bit shy of a pound. The sausage was good enough. The tenderloin was nice, nothing Mexican but a very delicious cheese enchilada on the side. The sides were marginal.
The atmosphere is quirky and I don’t really get it. The service issues persisted. The sever was trying but somewhat a neophyte. Very strong smoky smells of burning food filled the restaurant at times.
Another 3.5. Really think it could surpass 4 but the problems pushed it to a 3. No need to flip a coin here but may check it out another time.

We had a bachelorette dinner party here and it was fine until the check came. Our waiter was super sweet and pleasant to talk to. However, it was $ 90 for one pitcher of margaritas… we were appalled! $ 90!!! The reasoning was, if one marg was $ 15 and «technically» a pitcher holds six drinks, it was $ 90. She poured four glasses and had to go refill it. Complete BS. There was ice in the pitcher and in our glasses. We had three pitchers and the alcohol alone was almost $ 300!!! The whole point of getting a pitcher is to save the bar and the waiters time and effort to get drinks out — therefore it should be more of a deal.
We called over the manager and I think he took off like $ 40 for us complaining about it cost, which I appreciated but still doesn’t compensate for the ridiculous up-​cost of what they charged. I don’t think we will be returning.

Coworkers and I (all out of town) went here on a Wednesday night and ordered beers and slew of taco dishes. The green chile chicken was the best, with the queso and the spice of the green chile. The fish taco was on the bland side, and the pork was very heavy on the vinegar.
Drinks were mostly beer with some mixed drinks and shots. Bar staff was friendly and
overall quick.
Overall wasn’t too impressed (food-​wise) given the other options in Austin but not bad for drinks for a night on 6^th St.

Benji’s has become my go-​to TexMex happy hour spot. I love the ambience, location, food, and drinks.
Their happy hour is a real good deal — everything $ 4!
* QUESO — probably my favorite queso in all of Austin, and I don’t take that lightly. Only complaint is that it is not always consistent. It is AMAZING when they bring it over a small flame, but a couple times they have brought it without the flame and it definitely made a difference when it was not warm throughout the entire dining experience. Nonethless, get the queso no matter what.
* TACOS — loved the cactus one, not sure if it is seasonal though
* GUACAMOLE — just your good ol’ guacamole, no complaints here
* FROZEN SANGRIA — seriously the most refreshing thing on a hot, Austin day; sweet but not overwhelmingly sweet, once again not sure if it is seasonal
* MARGARITA (on the rocks) — very good, definitely strong enough
If you come for dinner, GET THE FAJITAS. I got the chicken fajitas and they were so tender and flavorful. I understand why Benji’s is known for their fajitas now.
Small issues — parking (which is obviously expected for downtown, but they do have valet!). Also, every single time I have gone the rooftop has been closed for either a private event or for some unknown reason. And I have gone to Benji’s quite a few times now. I am not sure if this is coincidence or a common occurrence, but I would love to be able to experience the rooftop sometime!

I went here last week for a private party and I was pretty impressed. The food was solid. A lot of reviews are commenting on high prices and I think the prices are high compared to most Tex-​mex places, but Benji’s is trying to go for an upscale experience so the prices are probably reflecting the atmosphere more than the actual food.
My group tried a variety of their margaritas and mixed drinks and they were all very tasty and generous on the booze. Yes, the drinks are in the ten to fifteen dollar range but unlike a lot of other places I think it makes sense here because they were well crafted and strong.
Benji’s would be an ideal place to dine with out of town family who want to get together somewhere «nice» in Austin but are not willing to try any of the exotic culinary options in town. I also hear they have a great brunch and look forward to trying that soon.