Ben’s Chophouse

Ok everyone, here’s a genuine honest review. My wife and me eat out at least once a week here in Columbus Ga. If we have a bad experience somewhere, we always give the restaurant a fair second chance before giving a review status. Now on our first visit to Ben’s Chop house, we had the large cut steak. It took over three tries to get it cooked they way we like steak, medium well. The staff was rude and we felt if we said eneything else, they just might spit on our food so we paid the full amount and left everything there. No mangers even cared enough to find out what happened or reduce price or just say sorry. I can’t believe we’re the only people in Columbus Ga who has had to deal with these people. Now it was hard to convince my wife to retry Ben’s again but I did. Guess what, Columbus … We only sat at the bar this go around and ordered a shrimp appetizer with two glasses of wine… the dam glasses were dirty and greasy ! What’s the deal with this place? The bar tender did get some clean glasses but the damage was done ! We hope no one else experiences what we went through at Ben’s… We wanted it to work out for us because the restaurant has such a pleasant feel about it but looks can be deceiving… Good luck Ben’s staff, hope you all start taking more pride in your customers…

I thought this was a nice restaurant in Columbus GA. I was in the area as a tourist so I’m not able to compare Ben’s to other restaurants in the area.
The quality of the steak was great. We were there as a party of four and all ordered steak. The pricing is comparable in my opinion for a finer dining steakhouse. We looked at the menu and the pricing ahead of time and knew what to expect. Sure you can get a steak dinner for less at some of the (loud) chain steak restaurants i.e. Outback/​Texas Roadhouse, but you do not get the same dining experience in terms of atmosphere and the welcomed slower pace of the meal, and also the more gourmet side options.
It’s nice that Ben’s gives it customers a salad with the meal and you are able to choose one side from a listing of many great options. I ordered off the Chef’s special menu and was able to order two sides rather than one. Everyones steak was cooked to order and even though I ordered a 8 oz. Filet, I feel that my steak was larger than that. They offered a Champagne salad dressing, which something different and tasty. The warm rolls were actually really delicious, as were the grilled brussel sprouts.
The service was warm, professional and attentive. Our drinks were constantly topped off as far as water and soda, and we were asked occasionally if we would like more wine/​beer, etc. The server was knowledgeable about the menu. The only thing to critique would be they need to update their wine/​beer menu so it’s accurate.
The ambiance was soothingly quiet and inviting. However, over in the bar area there was a musician. I liked the music and would have stayed longer if I could have. Also, the bar and the music were not able to be heard at our table and we had a nice quiet meal over drinks and conversation.
Lastly, we checked in on Unilocal and received a 10% discount on our food. So that was a nice surprise.
I was almost swayed by some of the recent lower star reviews. However I’m glad we tried them. It was a great meal and I want to share my opinion with whoever is reading this, in case you are concerned about some of the 1-​star reviews.

Just overpRiced food as the dishes aren’t that great. I have been there twice because I usually give two chances before I stop going. But I will never go back there again.

Very disappointing. For the price, we were expecting better food. At least for our order to be right. I ordered the chop steak w/​o onions. It came out with onions. It was returned to me only a minute later so I assume they were just picked off. My companion ordered the burger well done w/​o tomato. It came very pink with tomato. The waitress was very friendly but obviously the kitchen staff weren’t paying attention to the orders. It was a waste a money. We won’t be going back. We could have went to Logans and gotten better food for a lot less money.

It was an average restaurant. No major complaints, nor anything to rave about either. However, I guess that’s not a great thing for a high end (price-​wise) place.
My wife and I went to celebrate her birthday. We both had steaks which were good. (A-​/​
B+) It was nice to go to a high end place and have an entrée that came with sides and salad vs. ordering a la carte.
I was less pleased with the service — again, it wasn’t bad, but when we are used to dropping similar coin at a Capital Grille or Fogo de Chao (for example) we have come to expect THAT level of service. It was noteworthy that I mentioned it was my wife’s birthday when I made the revervation — and while the hostess wished her a happy birthday, the server didn’t do anything special to acknowledge it. Again, not a big deal, but a little something I have come to expect at the «nicer» restaurants we have been to (especially since we heard them singing Happy Birthday at another table).
We will likely go back, but we have adjusted our expectations.

Just finished up an amazing dinner with our soldier. Wanted to treat him to a really nice meal and Bens Chophouse delivered in fine style. From the creamy Asparagus Dip, delightful salads, juicy steaks and heavenly dessert that was a special treat! Thank you to our wonderful server Judy and our compliments to the chef.

Me and my husband came here for valentine’s day. The service was TERRIBLE. We had to wait so long for everything… we waited so long that they gave us free drinks. The steaks are just OK… over priced and very small portions. Never coming back.

Great steakhouse in Columbus, Georgia. I ordered the New York Strip and expected an 8 oz strip. Suprisingly, I received a larger 12 oz or bigger. The dinner entrée included a dinner salad and 2 sides of choice. I got the grilled asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes, both were great. The salad was mostly iceberg lettuce … they could’ve used more of a mixed green … not to big a deal. The kids ordered from the kids menu and got the mini corndogs & fries, and steak tips & fries. Overall, the place had a great cuisine and great service. Our drinks were refilled multiple times without asking, which is always a plus. My wife ordered a glass of wine, however, she received it late into the entrée as they forgot to bring the glass out sooner. I have eaten at some of the best steakhouses and this lines up just underneath them. So … I gave it 4 instead of 5. I didn’t get any dessert, but they did look delicious.

Was there with a group of about 40. There were several long tables and several tables of 4. We were at a table of 4. All orders were taken about the same time. We were served side salads with everyone else. We and 1 other table of 4 did not get our entrées until well after everyone else was served. If fact, many were finished and leaving before we were served. By the way, this was a Tuesday night and the place was not busy at all. When our food came out it was warm not hot — I had cheese grits where the cheese on top hardly melted. Not a place for us to go back to. Would have given 0 stars, but at least side salad had some taste. In addition, although no one at our table needed them, we were not served any dinner rolls. By the time our dinners were served it was so late that we ate what we had and left and did not complain so as not to embarrass our host for the dinner.
Even a free dinner was not worth it!

Service was very very good. Atmosphere was OK… a little worn. 10 oz filet mignon was chewy. Not a very good cut of meat at all. Order the NY Strip and you will be happy. Scallop appetizer was slightly under cooked. Tasted frozen not fresh.

Service was excellent, with a friendly hostess and an attentive and friendly server. He kept my soda full (which I’m embarrassed to say is quite a chore as I can do some damage on the diet soda), and was quite knowledgable of the menu items and drink (wine, beer, etc) selections. I was quite disappointed that, coming from a chophouse, my filet was over cooked. More medium well than medium (very, very little red). I did not bring this to the staffs attention as, even though it wasn’t as I ordered, I didn’t mind the medium well.
Also, as far as presentation goes, every dish that was served to my wife and me was chipped. I really don’t like being nit picky, but for the menu, the atmosphere, and the obvious intention of being a more «upscale» than average steak house; chipped plates, salad bowls, and appetizer dishes should be unacceptable. This, and my over cooked steak cost a star each. Fix the presentation to match the service, and be sure to prepare the steaks to order and it will be a little harder to talk the wife out of going elsewhere for steak!
Looking forward to another dinner, and hopefully more stars in the near future.

I visited this restaurant with high hopes after looking at the menu. Based on the prices, I expected to have a really nice meal in a nice restaurant, but was disappointed when I arrived to see it was on the same level as a Ruby Tuesday’s. Also, I was hoping to enjoy some grilled salmon, but they were completely out of fish! All that to say the service was very good and the food I ordered came out just the way I ordered it. I just think this place was overpriced. Also I recommend ordering extra sauce for the fried green tomatoes. Otherwise, they are sort of bland.

Good local steakhouse in the columbus area. Worth the drive up from post to have a nice meal once in a while. Granted, Ben’s gets 4 stars relative to the other Columbus options, but it is a nice place if you’re willing to spend the money and get a reasonably priced, nicely prepared steak.
Service was great, Lindsay was a real gem.
Steaks are well proportioned, mine was overcooked, so next time I’ll shoot low and send it back if it is too bloody. Lots of differet topping options that looked tasty or you can just get the plain steak that comes with some type of garlic butter melted on top. No bad option here…
The fried brussel sprouts are a must-​try. Lightly pan fried to a delictible crispyness and then lightly salted, they were awesome.
Very well proportioned bar with a generous bar tender. Most of the top-​shelf selections seemed to top out in the $ 10 – 12 range. Large bar to sit at if you’re solo and there was a local band playing when i went. Good atmosphere and not full of the overly obvious military types.
They also have expresso and a full desert menu.

Fantastic! Went here for our anniversary & the food was amazing! And the service was excellent! Would come here again in a heartbeat!

Love love their food !! Best scallops in town, they truly know how to prepare them! Steak is always cooked to your personal preference, great service, awesome staff and never disappoints ! We keep going back and I am a hard to please when it comes to good food.

Excellent!!! Travis was the best & a delight to chat while dining. Food is suberb!!! BEAUITFUL & INTIMATE environment with soothing music in the background. Loved everything about this place!!!

Been to Ben’s twice, and the second time was by far the better of the two. Service was great with a friendly waitress. The food was amazing once cooked to a proper temperature, the steak came out severely underdone. I prefer medium rare but the steak was served easily rare. After a second shot the flavor and steak were spot on. Would love to give five stars but simply can’t because of inconsistency for the establishment.

The steak was heavenly! Enormously portioned, yet carefully prepared! Tenderly grilled asparagus with light seasonings. Was particular as a guest due to iodine sensitivity, yet my server gave her all to suit my needs. You must try those grits… My oh my!

Update May 2013: It’s been a while since I first posted a review. Ben’s went through a rough patch during the past year, and the quality was a real roller coaster. True story: We had a steak order go so wrong one night that we had to order takeout from Outback while waiting on our check. (The manager *did* comp the steak, for the record.)
For some reason we kept giving this place a chance (well, OK, because our options are dwindling fast in Columbus), and I can honestly post that the management seems to have really turned a corner. The menu has changed, with more specials and a wider range on prices (which a lot of people seem to comment about here). The quality has improved, too. The staff seems much friendlier. And the manager no longer scowls at us (which once seemed the case). In fact, he’s downright friendly, checking on our experience and thanking us for coming in!
Do please give it a try at least once. They really do make an effort to bring quality and service up a notch, and there’s live music on the weekends. That in itself is a bonus. The vibe is upscale-​Jimmy Buffett — a nice place to impress a friend, but you can still wear cargo shorts and your favorite Hawaiian shirt and still be comfortable.

The food was fantastic. 5 out of 5 stars!
The atmosphere was great. 5 out of 5 stars!
The service was not good… not good at all. 0 out of 5 stars. :-(
My husband’s order was screwed up and the waiter realized it just as he was bringing food out. So two of us got our food and my husband waited another 20 minutes to get his food. For a $ 150 dinner we were comp a lousy $ 6 dessert. And the wait staff hovered like nobodies business, it was not good, not good at all. They made a mistake and just kept making them over and over and over again. Felt like I was being stalked.