Jack & Benny’s

Very small hole in the wall! However, we waited only about 10 minutes and sat at the counter! The food came out extremely quick for being so busy on a Sunday morning! The food was delicious and service was outstanding! The orange juice was great!!! Must try the gravy!!!

Jack & Benny’s has the diner feel to it. It’s a little run down, but I still enjoyed the atmosphere. The staff was very friendly. I ended up ordering the chorizo breakfast burrito. I was happy with the portion of the burrito. The burrito was spicy and very good. Obviously, having homemade tortillas is wishing thinking for a diner in Columbus. If they had that then my rating would be 5 stars.

Made the 20 mile trek to find out what the big deal was when I saw that Jack & Benny’s was the runner-​up for best breakfast in Alive’s 2015 best of town awards. Carefully studied the reviews and the suggestions and ordered the well-​praised GutBuster, followed by the Buckeye pancake. First, the GutBuster, a neatly stacked order of egg, hash browns, bacon, ham, and potato all covered in gravy (like Tee Jayes, but way, way better). Truthfully, it was a bit underwhelming given the high praise lavished on it by several different reviews. Still, it was pretty good. I would not be opposed to having it again some other time. To finish, the buckeye pancake. Quick note: I am someone who hates Superchef’s with a passion (dessert for breakfast just turns my stomach). Given that, you can expect I did not like the pancake and I really didn’t. The peanut butter toll house chips overwhelmed the flavor. Hated it with a passion.
Other than the food, the staff was very homey and welcoming, ready to engage you in jokes and small talk and the atmosphere was a real delight — I have a weakness for small mom and pop Great Depression era style diners and, man, this place fits it to a tee. I love it! Not sure about the food, but I would definitely come back for the diner itself.

This is one of my favorite breakfast places in the Clintonville area. I’m allergic to eggs but I enjoy their pancakes and their beef hash. It’s breakfast done on the classic griddle! What’s not to like?

Cutest little breakfast joint you ever did see on north campus in a busy intersection. Great food and good vibes!
Down to earth friendly service.
Ordered «Benny’s mom» (steak and eggs), came fast and tasted great.
Menu has many meal options all reasonably priced. Would eat here daily if I could!

Ok so this is my first time here and I’m really not in the mood for a diner burnt gf wanted to come here so I’m going to try not to hold that against this place so far I’m digging the ambience. Very down home country but also trendy. They have a spacious seating situation along the left hand side (although the the seats are a bit beat up) They have a Zumex Fruit juicer and they use it to fresh squeeze your orange juice which is an amazing perk
We are seated in one of the line of booths along the right side.
The food was pretty normal, I had a pancake scrambled eggs and home fries and out of those things the only thing that stood out was the home fries as they had a yummy seasoning on them that I liked
Carrie had an omelet although she said the way they made it isn’t her preferred way (they made a thin layer of eggs then fold the ingredients into the egg instead of blending all the ingredients together) but other than that it was a pretty normal fare. Not something I would go out of my way for but I would come again.

Jack & Benny’s is a campus area favorite that has long been the go-​to mom & pop breakfast restaurant for decades. I opted for the Jack’s Dad which consists of fresh corned beef hash, 2 eggs, hash browns, and toast. The portions are always large and the price is reasonable; the same consistency rings true for the quality & speed.
My one gripe is that the service can be hit or miss. Sometimes I get a very friendly server who really personalizes my dining experience and makes me feel at home; yet sometimes I get an emotionless server who just provides adequate service.
All in all, if you haven’t stopped by Jack & Benny’s, I’d highly recommend you do so soon. I recommend both the Chorizo Scramble & Jack’s Dad. Also, their rye toast is very tasty!

I arrived here on a Thursday morning at about 10 am. the restaurant was about 90% full. I was promptly seated at the counter and handed a menu. The specialty is Latin-​inspired dishes, and I heard that they were known for their homemade chorizo. So, I ordered the chorizo scramble and orange juice.
The food arrived in about 10 minutes. I was pleasantly suprised to receive fresh-​aqueezed orange juice! The toast was pre-​buttered with a liquid product, which was a bit of a disappointment because I had been staring at fresh butter pats on the table, presumably for the waffles and pancakes that they also serve.
I will say that their chorizo is delicious and this is worth a trip for breakfast on its own. You can get a side order of chorizo with any meal. The scramble was packed full of diced tomatoes, some peppers and onions and Frank’s hot sauce is provided at the table.
To pay they bring a self-​serve, tablet-​based register to your table where you swipe and pay. The staff was pleasant, they frequently checked in to see if I needed anything and the food was quite good.
I would eat here again.

I live in Charlotte, North Carolina, but have been to this place a few times while visiting a friend in Columbus. Great food, love the staff, they even remembered me from my previous visit a few months ago! They seem to draw a crowd on the weekends. It’s nothing fancy, just really good breakfast.

This is my favorite place to eat breakfast in the campus area. It’s the same as it was 20 years ago. Good food and great service. Try the jack buster.

I’d like to give it 2 and a half, for what it’s worth. Jack & Benny’s is testament to the fact that if nothing better exists, even the mediocre can somehow endure and triumph. I know this is a Columbus institution, but except for its age and history in the community I can’t for the life of me imagine why. Oh wait, there are so few alternatives.
The food wasn’t bad exactly, but it was boring and utterly unremarkable. American cheese on a breakfast sandwich? Can’t even do Cheddar, can we? My corn beef hash was pretty bland. Again, not offensive or bad-​tasting, but it could have come out of a can and I would have been none the wiser. And I shouldn’t have expected any better, but the coffee was weak and flavorless.
The service is fine, but nothing special.
And while it’s not an expensive breakfast by any means, it’s not exactly cheap, either.

If there weren’t so many other fabulous choices I’d give 4 stars but I felt a little let down with the wait for something I could easily make at home. Diner foods good, just saying. No fireworks. Or party poppers even

Delicious breakfast and friendly staff. A lot of the reviews talk about rude staff, but I’ve been here 4 or more times and I’ve never had a problem with rude staff. They’re always kind. The restaurant is pretty small so if you go on a Sunday or Saturday morning expect a wait. I don’t know what you expect from a small breakfast place on campus, it’s going to be busy especially on the weekends. Anything with their chorizo is delicious. Their omelettes are huge and they stuff them full! Also, their prices are cheap for the amount of food you get. I’ve tried everything from their huevos rancheros to their apple cinnamon pancakes and nothing has disappointed me. I’ll always keep coming back here!

How have I never been here before? I’ve been to Garcia’s next door, years ago, and I went to OSU. Somehow I just skipped over this local tradition.
Today Sweetie and I were out and about, and wanted breakfast. This was nearby. There was a 10 – 15 minute wait, partly because it was around noon on a Saturday and partly because it is game day. Service was excellent start to finish. She had hash browns with cheese, and a side of bacon, with a couple of pancakes. I didn’t try any but it looked good, and she enjoyed it. I had sausage gravy and biscuits. I wanted to get something healthy to balance that out, but I had yogurt and fruit yesterday and since those were the only healthy sides I saw on the menu, I just went with chorizo. So, sausage with a side of sausage.
The biscuits and gravy were just okay, which is disappointing at a diner. Dense, flavorless biscuits, and a fairly generic gravy. Oh, well, I ate it. The chorizo was two small patties, and was very tasty. A little spicy, and mixed with the biscuits and gravy it livened things up.
Fresh OJ, a real greasy spoon place that isn’t greasy, and great service push this up a notch. We’ll be back, I’m sure. Prices are a bit high, so it won’t be often.

I went there last winter after a late night at work. We got out at 630am & arrived to eat about 650. They refused to let us in just to sit down. It was super cold out & there was no point in walking all the way back to the car, sit for 2 minutes, and hop out & walk back now that they were officially open for business. So we stood there in the cold for 10 minutes while the chef ate his food & seemed to have a smirk on his face. As if he was satisfied that he we were cold & hungry. It might have been ok if he was nice but he was pretty rude. Maybe because he had to get up & walk his large physique to the door when he could have been shoving his face instead. The server was rude when we finally got in to thaw out & the chef definitely made it uncomfortable to even be in there while he yelled at every employee. Maybe that’s why the server was rude. Wasn’t worth the wait & the by far the worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant. It’s their way or the highway there. Customers aren’t important to them. They’re doing us, the consumer, a favor by letting us eat there while Columbus is littered with wonderful places to eat & great customer service.
Anyways, I work at a place where I see a lot of people from out of town & I always make sure to tell them to stay away from Jack & Benny’s when it comes to breakfast/​brunch. I have only been there once & I’ll never go back in my life. Not even for a cup of coffee. I would imagine that the chef isn’t just an employee there because nobody would allow or hire or pay someone to treat customers & staff like that. I only gave the place 1 star because it wouldn’t let me leave zero stars. So they got 1 by default

Went here on a recommendation from a friend. A darling little diner filled with really cool aviation décor. The service was very good (and there were 6 of us, and I’m not sure this place gets bigger parties than 2 on average) and seemed pretty clean. I tried one of the barnstormer breakfasts (think barnyard buster but a little different-​had a potato pancake as the base), and it was very good! I tasted a regular pancake and my brother had blueberry pancakes and a buckeye pancake and he said they were awesome. He preferred the buckeye over the blueberry.
Definitely a fan.

Always a favorite place of mine! I have been coming here since I was a child with my Dad, and it’s still one of the best spots that I love to come with friends when I’m in town.
The food is great, and the atmosphere is even better. I love to get the French toast.

I think it’s one is the oldest brunch restaurant near campus, and its one of the best. Price is cheap and the food is always good.
My girl and I always visit there whenever we have time.

Ok, the worst thing about this place is the wait. If you can enter the establishment with the highest level of patience you can muster, you will be fine. After they finally call your name off of the list, it’s smooth sailing — great service, delicious food, and decent prices. Something to note — if you bring your coffee mugs in from the waiting room, you WILL be charged for coffee. So, I suggest getting your coffee fix prior to entering the dining room if you want to get away with a free cup of Joe. The pancakes were very good — our favorite was coconut. We also tried the Buckeye, which was delicious, but too sweet for me for breakfast and the blueberry — which, for me, any blueberry pancake is hard to compete with Cracker Barrel’s, so I would say it was good, but not amazing. We’ll come back sometime to try other items off the menu… with our patience in tow!

The menu stated this was the best breakfast in Ohio. I really hope that’s not true. It was passable, at best. I ordered eggs, turkey sausage, a chocolate chip pancake and a cup of coffee. The eggs were nothing special. The turkey sausage was a pre-​made Jimmy Dean style, the pancake was not bad and the coffee was awful. Friendly service and a kitschy atmosphere but the food was entirely lack luster. I think this place is skating by on a reputation and I won’t be coming back. Bummer.