Seasoning Bistro

Good chicken sandwich. Bread was wonderful. Iceberg lettuce vs romaine & packet of mayo on the side. Fried mushrooms were delicious. Yum. Friendly with good service. A nice little lunch stop on way to Nashville!

I don’t even know how to begin. I’m speechless! We are camping at Whittington Woods and I was dying for a good steak. Naturally I checked Unilocal.The reviews looked too good to be true. We had driven through downtown Benton and it was pretty empty. There is a round — a — bout and on each leg is an «Antique Mall» so I wasn’t expecting much. Then there’s Seasons Bistro. we both ordered the ribeye steaks, bread (a must) soup and the portobello mushroom appetizer. One smell of the German Cabbage soup and I was instantly transported back to my Grandmother’s kitchen. It was awesome. The bread is homemade and warm served with a savory roasted garlic butter and a sweet butter. I could have stopped right there but of course I didn’t. The portobello mushroom was stuffed with Italian sausage, and a blend of cheeses broiled to yummy melted goodness. Our steaks were done to perfection topped with what I had always known (a lifetime ago) as M’tradie butter. It made the steak! Baked potato with rock salt and steamed broccoli completed the meal. I just couldn’t pass up the Crème Brule and it didn’t disappoint! The sugar was bruleed table side. Who does that anymore??? Incredible! It was, hands down, the BEST crème Brule I’ve ever had! Our total bill was $ 94 minus tip. Well worth it! If you are in the area, do not pass up a chance to dine here. Call for reservations because this place is popular!

Very nice Bistro salad. Nice ribeye. Very Accomodating to gluten allergy. Upstairs seating. not a fan but we did not have reservations on a Friday night. Excellent garlic mashed potatoes.

Excellent food knowledgeable staff about the menu great establishment our family enjoyed ourselves from the time we got there until we left highly recommend if your ever in benton

I absolutely love the Italian beef offered at lunch. When I used to work nearby, I would order it frequently. I’ve also had several good pasta dishes and the homemade focaccia bread is delicious! I still talk about the potato leek soup I had here years ago. I would definitely recommend everyone to try Seasoning Bistro — you won’t be disappointed!

Had lunch today with my wife, daughter and son in law. Bistro salad with chicken is the best!

This is such a great little spot on the square in Benton! Great variety of menu options, friendly staff and delicious food. The owner (s)/head chef are doing a great job with this restaurant! On Wednesdays they have a taco salad special and it was definitely one of the best taco salads I’ve ever had — such fresh ingredients.

Traveling south on 57 we found this unassuming gem in a small southern Illinois town. Wonderful bread, awesome soup and salads. Actual meals were wonderful as well, totally worth the stop on the square.

Amazing! We ordered fried mushrooms for an app that were hand breaded and did not disappoint. We had the chicken marsala and chicken carcioffi for dinner. Both were very good! Great atmosphere and staff too!

Delish! All things made from scratch. Nothing processed here. I have two words… Bananas Foster! So good! Seasonings is a very good place to eat.

I have been planning a trip with my 2 sister’s for a few weeks. I am very familiar with the area, but i haven’t been here in years. I Unilocaled area restaurants to see where we could get a descent meal and was very surprised to see this place with great reviews. So I had to go and to my surprise I was not disappointed. The food was great the server was excellent. We all ordered different meals and desserts
and had a tasting of each. Sorry but I can’t remember the names. The desserts were Banana Forrester crem burlee and the red velvet cupcake all were great. I will be back when I’m in the area in October.

The reviews on Seasoning were right on… Very good food, not what you expect at all in a small southern Illinois town (and I’m from this area). On par with most good restaurants elsewhere. The soup, roll, and dinner were spot on GOOD. I bet my friend she could just eat ¼ of the dinner roll and butter it was so good. Waitress was awesome and on top of it.
The space needs work and an upgrade on silverware would help immensely, but I wouldn’t trade quality of food for ambiance. The owners apparently just bought the building and are remodeling so that should improve.

My daughter and I stopped in for dinner on our way back from the State Science Fair in Carbondale.
Very friendly and competent service from the call to make a reservation to the time we walked out. Specials were excellent. We had a couple of steaks. Done just right. Great corn and bacon chowder.
I’m giving it five stars because it’s obvious they are trying hard and doing a great job. My only recommendations are to drop some $$$ into some interior improvements and upgrade the silverware.

Back again
Could not wait. Well worth the 90 mile drive. Ordered special baked goods. Ordering scallops and steak tonight. We are so excited. Pictures to follow. Support local. This was pure heaven.

Staff was excellent and friendly. Definitely the locals eat here because the food is fantastic. Recommend the grilled buffalo chicken sandwich. On the town square very cool spot.

Food is very good and service very friendly — highly recommend this as a choice for dinner. I hear they serve lunch too with Burger day on Thursday!
Ps: The cupcakes are to die for !!!

I have been to Seasoning about 3 times now and I have to say this small super friendly restaurant is a gem. It’s the kind of place that you expect to find in a trendy urban area. The menu has some traditional dishes and some lovely imaginative creations. From the delicious whipped light butter served with yummy warm bread, to the Crème Brûlée that melts in your mouth it is all fabulous. My table ordered 4 different entrees and we all had to taste everything. The accompanying sauces and dressing were carefully made as were the veggies and sides. My Shrimp chimmichurra was cooked perfectly and had so much flavor. These chefs take pride in their creations and it shows I’m everything they do. If you get the chowder don’t miss out on dipping the bread and butter in it. Prices are slightly higher than the average in the area, but very reasonable for the quality of the food and the chefs talent. I keep Seasoning on my places to go list when I am out for lunch or dinner.

Wow, what a find in a small town. We are from Washington D.C. and every time we come into town we make sure we stop in for the best food ever!

Wow. What a great little place in the middle of small town southern Illinois. It is obvious that the workers/​owners are proud of their place and they should be.

I’ve been here 2ce now & I’m making plans to go back. The first time I got the French dip, it was a generous sized sandwich. Yesterday I got the taco salad which was the special of the day & absolutely delicious! I would recommend getting the specials! I also ordered dessert: Crème Brûlée & it was awesome!!! My only complaint was the menus don’t fit the atmosphere, they have descriptions of food mixed up & as a graphic designer I’d love to offer my services to give them menus with a little more class this restraunt deserves ;) the food was 5* & wonderful! Can’t wait to go back!

EXCELLENT gem of a restaurant in a small town. Totally unexpected, but we are happy we stumbled upon this great find. Our extended family (8 adults, 3 kids) ate here this past weekend for a family dinner. Everyone was happy with their food. It was obviously made from scratch, no pre-​prepared crap food here! The rolls were not something I usually indulge in, but these were homemade & freshly baked. Served with soft butter — absolutely worth it!
I had the salmon with a lemon/​green onion sauce and the broccoli and green beans. All of it was excellent. My husband had a steak, Cesar salad and broccoli. The desserts were too tempting to pass up. He opted for the bananas foster and I went for the crème’ brulee. The crème brûlée was large and delicious!
The service was excellent as well. All of our food came out in a timely manner and at the same time (which can be tough for larger parties). It was truly a dining experience we’ll remember. If I’m ever in Benton, we’ll be sure to stop back by Seasonings. If you’re in the area, give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.

This is a favorite destination when we come to Benton to visit family. Everything I have had has been fantastic. The chef’s are obviously interested in creating a quality product and care about the food. This is the best place to find good food in Benton, if not the whole county.

We love Seasonings. When we travel back to Benton, it’s high on our wish list.
Seasonings is a great little restaurant on the square. For such a small town, this place is such a great find. The chef is creative and pairs items well. Nearly every meal has been outstanding especially for the area. We love the princess sauce. I always crave their unique tomato soup. They home bake this very own focaccia bread. They have great specials including their kobe burger.
If you are in town or anywhere near by, take advantage of this diamond.

Love this place! I’ve had a lot of filet mignon from all over, but this place has the best I’ve ever ate!!! Everything is great!

I have to start by admitting a bit of a bias. I’ve known the owners for awhile as a result of having worked with them at a previous business.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about Seasoning.
The food here is far and away the *best* I’ve had in a 50 mile radius. This is including Mary’s, Legends, and Tom’s Place. Another thing to consider is how affordable it is. For similar type meals (steaks, pork chops, whatever the special of the day is), you’ll pay about half of what you would at the aforementioned places.
The other night, I had a salad, two glasses of sangria, a 16 oz. steak, risotto, tomato soup, and a dessert, and spent only $ 40 ($ 10 of which was a tip because my server was incredibly friendly).
The steak was cooked perfectly (super-​rare, for reference, as I had ordered it), juicy, seasoned nicely, and probably a couple ounces above what was advertised. The soup (tomato basil bisque, which you MUST try if they have it that day) was creamy and delicious. The risotto was expertly prepared with a fantastic flavor. The dessert, donuts with fresh berries and a blackberry blood-​orange reduction was delicious. Next time I’ll go with the crème brûlée, which is crazy amazing, and induced jealousy in everyone at my booth when the orderer ate it.
Another great part of Seasoning is that the staff NEVER makes you feel unwelcome. There is no dress code and you’ll be seated and treated just as well if you’re wearing holey acid-​wash jeans as if you are wearing a tuxedo.
If you show up on a slow night, the owners will come out and talk to you, seeing if they can customize your meal in any way.
I would suggest getting reservations on any night, but definitely on the weekends, as they have a pretty small establishment. Table turnover doesn’t take a long time, but if you have other plans, it wouldn’t hurt to have them save one for you.