Benna’s West

Staff, food and beverage all great, perfect lunch spot!

3.5 Unilocal Happy to have Benna’s West in the ‘hood as it’s the only place for fresh pressed juices this side of Washington and west of Broad. This corner of the city desperately needs a place like this. I have a few gripes however…
*Craving a green juice after the gym I stopped by Benna’s which had caught my eye several times driving past. I had never been to the original but had heard nothing but good things. Expecting to choose a juice from a list of super cheesy names like «Green Machine», «Purple Passion» and there’s always the inevitable, «Hangover Cure», all I see is a list of Ingredients. Confusion sank in for a moment… Now, I do like the idea of ‘make your own juice’ and I like the fact that I can add as many ingredients as I wish without a crazy up-​charge and that they offer bell pepper which is somewhat of a rarity, but I am a regular juicer and know how to properly combine ingredients for a great tasting juice. Not everyone does. Not everything tastes, even looks good together. People who are newer to juices may feel a little overwhelmed with this method of ordering and may very well create something that tastes horrible. (I’ve done it in the early stages of juicing.) They may never drink juice or order juice here again. No one wants that. I think a few suggested combinations would be a rather smart addition to the menu for the juice newbies or even for someone that doesn’t want to think it over too much. Leave the «make your own» as an option in addition to suggested combos. Was the juice even good you ask? Yea, I created it.
* I had no idea that it was cash only. Unilocalers, you failed me on this one. They do have an ATM on site with a $ 2.75 charge. This is definitely a pet peeve of mine. Not only is an ATM inside unsightly in an otherwise cute place, but what is it really to have a square reader or something similar in this day and age? Especially when you’re already using a tablet for orders anyway and it’s so simple to use! Up your prices a tad to cover the slight service fee. It’s annoying! This made my $ 5 juice a $ 7.75 which still isn’t awful I just much rather use that money towards one of the delicious looking pastries that were staring at me as I ordered up my kale.
* The sign on the door kind of rubbed me the wrong way. «Please leave bikes, strollers, dogs yada yada on the side street» or something to that effect. (See pic.) Just strange and bossy. I didn’t however mind the «no smoking 20 feet from our front door» sign. Good call. Honestly though between the signage, the ATM and the not so friendly girls behind the counter, I wasn’t feeling Benna’s vibes which is a shame.
Positives would be the location, brightly colored tables outside and healthy and clearly marked vegan options. The avocado grapefruit salad caught my eye as did the Kale salad with falafel. I unlike others didn’t think the food prices were that steep.
Will I be back? Sure. I would like to try the food. Plus, it’s so close to home. I’ll just remember to bring cash next time.
*Lots of laptops going so if you’re looking for a place to work, seems legit.
*Free street parking right on Broad makes for and easy for a quick stop if driving.
3.5 Unilocal

We were looking for somewhere to have a simple, healthy breakfast and this is the place. They offer a variety of options, including coffees in 4 different sizes, smoothies, breakfast sandwiches and entrees. You can order to go or choose self-​seating. It wasn’t busy, the food comes out pretty quickly and the baristas were friendly.

I had high hopes for Benna’s West, I love the mural on the interior wall and the vibe of the place but the food was a big let down. I’ve never been one to leave a negative review but here it goes. I ordered the praline french toast which was served cold.
I gave the staff a heads up about it, to which they asked if I wanted a refund. Once I said I wasn’t interested in my money back, but just wanted to give them a heads up their concern seemed to end. Not the response I had hoped for. Might check back in a few months but on the whole it was a bummer for sure.

This is our local and go to coffee spot. The space is beautiful, the staff and owner are some of the friendliest people in the city.
While the food options sound great, I haven’t had many yet. I usually passing through for a cup of coffee before I get on the subway. I can tell you that my kids LOVE the smoothies here and so will you.
Good spot to get some work done or have meetings if you don’t mind sitting close to your neighbors. Bring headphones because sometimes the dogs get a little rowdy. ;)

The coffee is pretty bad. Two café au lait, two dirty waters, hot as hell. The people behind the counter are condescending and clueless. If I were to hire employees based on looks ’cause I might want to date them, then I might as well throw money into a fire and watch it burn.

I really hate leaving a bad review but today we had a bad experience. First my husband’s breakfast order was wrong. They put bacon on his croissant sandwich. They couldn’t make another one because it was the last croissant and we were running late. So they offered us a refund of $ 6 and change with no apology. Then about 5 minutes later my breakfast baguette sandwich came out and much to my dismay, I had paid an extra $ 2 for one small piece of bacon. Seriously? The only good thing about the sandwich was the baguette. We were originally so excited about this local place, but I can’t justify stupidly high prices and bad customer service.

Coffee great, smoothies great, food looks great (I didn’t get to try it) and the service is great. The place itself is cool and I’ll definitely be back!

I love Bennas West! Seems like the staff is starting to know me now, heh. I get the same sandwich (almost) every day… Everything bagel with Brie, honey + added Apple. Usually comes to like 9 bucks which is cool by me because I know it’s an annoying custom order. Wouldn’t mind hanging out and doing some work here instead of the norm run in/​run out. The atmosphere is welcoming and I would like to sit down and try some of their daily specials — they always sound yumm.

Please Benna’s, I desperately want you to be one of my local main squeezes but the consistency has to be more on point and compared to other local coffee shops your prices are way high. $ 3.00 for a tiny muffin is too steep compared to the giant muffins you can get on Passyunk for the same or less money plus I’m sorry to say that your muffins and lemon cake slices are hard and dry on more occasions than not (again, a consistency issue). I know all your places have the same kind of plastic wrapped up pastries but if your going to charge that much then they have to ALWAYS be fresh and bigger for those prices. It’s hit or miss on the consistency on all areas, the pastries, the bagel sandwiches and the mixed coffee drinks. One day my latte is perfect, the next I have to add gobs of sugar.
Lastly, I hate having to yell my order to the person taking my order b/​c the music is so incredibly loud all the time, half the time they don’t hear me say «please fill, I don’t use cream» and then I’m left standing there with the choice of handing it back saying, can you please top it off, I don’t use cream or walking away with a ¾ filled cup of coffee. I never want to hand it back b/​c it’s not like they look at me lovingly like sure, no problem, our fault, no… it’s an annoyed look from the unhappy tattooed girl who works the counter in the mornings, pleasant she is not.

I can definitely see why people love to stop in here to grab a coffee or a quick bite, but it was honestly a bit of a brunch letdown after reading all the good reviews. I came here with a group of friends this weekend (6 of us total) because I didn’t want to try getting in at one of the usual brunch spots and having to wait for hours. Seating was easy, and we pushed together a few tables to accommodate everyone.
However, the food choices are a little strange and not extremely descriptive. I split the jalepeno cornbread and the mushroom frittata with my boyfriend. Both main items were extremely small (like 5 bites) and came with a small arugula side salad. All the flavors were just okay. For $ 9 each, I felt like the price point wasn’t quite right, especially for this neighborhood. One friend ordered a green tea cupcake that came out very hard and dry, like it had been made days ago. The best-​looking dish by far was a vegan sandwich off the lunch menu.
I was happy with my latte and happy with the ambiance, but this place isn’t in my ‘hood and I honestly probably won’t be back. Oh well.

Super cool spot, a bit pricey for portions but fresh and delicious with sweet and savory gluten free options! Also veg and vegan stuff too! Love me my Benna joints.

I am all about new coffee spots, so I decided to given Benna’s West a shot. They are a lot bigger than the one on Wharton Street, so that is a huge plus. The coffee and bagel really hit the spot, so they have decent food. The music is a tad bit loud, so you might have to shout your order or really listen when the barista ask you anything. Still, it is a good place to get get some coffee and a bite.

It looks like a fortress, man is it clean inside and out! (I’m referring to the Broad & Dickinson establishment). Best smoothies and coffee. Previous to this it was Dunkin or the Poppi store — black mud coffee that no amount of fake creamer could fix!
Benna’s West, besides great coffees to rival the selection in Rome, also has a large and diverse food menu with plenty of veggie, vegan and gluten-​free food. Nice staff and good looking clientele.
[FYI: be nice and do not lock your bike or dog to the neighbor’s railing.]

I really want to like Benna’s West, but it’s quality is so inconsistent.
Yesterday evening I ordered a smoothie and the woman helping me filled the smoothie way over the top, and did not even attempt snap on the lid on. So on my walk around the corner to my apartment left my hand covered in smoothie. Then when I went to drink it there was a decent number of uncrushed ice cubes in it.
Furthermore this morning I went and ordered a bagel, egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich. When I got back home to eat it I found it smothered in pepper. It was very unpleasant to eat.
However, for every bad experience I’ve had however I have had a good one.
Their party cakes are absolutely fantastic. Additionally, when I go there to get coffee and a bagel before work I always have a good experience.
It seems as though there are certain employees/​shifts that are much better than others.
So buyer beware.
There are certain people I know that if they are at the counter I will no longer bother going in and just walk an extra few minutes to go to a different coffee shop.
Advice to management: Work on consistency and get rid of the dead weight. I really want to like this place, but as mentioned earlier the quality is all over the place. When it’s good, it’s good. However I’m finding it increasingly dissatisfying.

This is my favorite café in this area of south Philly. The staff are super friendly, the food/​drinks come out a lot quicker than their competitor a few blocks away, and the wall art by Lisa Conn is amazing (and done in gold sharpie).
Got tofutti? Check! Same breakfast sandwiches? Yep! Same price? Also yes! Skip the bitch attitudes and subpar seating of B2 and get over here!

I love that there is an amazing new coffee shop that does bagels right around the corner from me. The prices are good, the coffee and food doesn’t disappoint, I keep running into my neighbors there and it’s a really nice escape from the grit of South Philly!
I can’t wait to see those fans spin.
Somehow one can still hideout here even when it’s full of people.

Cute little place that always appears to be bursting at the seams with students, artists or neighborhood folk relishing in the fact that there is finally a decent juice bar/​coffee shop/​place to get grub that isn’t from a corner store.
The smoothies are downright delicious and the sandwiches are rather tasty too. Prices for the smoothies are on-​par with some other local establishments, but the food items are a bit steep for my taste. I can see myself popping in every now and then though, especially for those smoothies. Yum!

I’m really happy to have Benna’s West in my neighborhood. The interior is beautiful. The menu has all of the Benna’s classics including sandwiches, coffee drinks, baked goods, fresh juices and smoothies. Oh yeah, and vegan soft serve! What’s best is that this location has the ability to serve dishes beyond sandwiches and smoothies. Very nice!
What I don’t understand: why have a nice iPad point of sale system and not accept credit card payment? I know this used to be the norm but you can pay with credit card almost everywhere these days, even at neighborhood coffee shops. Impose a minimum spend. CineMug is a block away and accepts credit card, so I’ll be visiting them for my morning coffee and bagel.

What’s not to love? The new location is bright and airy, they have plenty of seating, and the prices are on point. Fresh veggie juice for $ 3? Don’t mind if I do. And have you seen that mural. Damn. It’s gorgeous.
I’m really looking forward to making this my new work spot.
PROTIP: Iced almond milk latte. Too good.