Benucci’s – Greece

We decided to check this place out. We rarely go out for Italian because I can cook great Italian at home.
The service was good. The food was just ok.
The portions are large so a dinner can be split between 2 people.
I did enjoy the artichokes frite a lot more than I thought I would.
If we do return, we are likely to just share some appetizers,
2 stars for the ok food and 1 star for the service.

I had been to the Benucci’s in Pittsford several times and always had a good experience, so I was excited to see another location open closer to my home. However, my experience here could not have been more different.
Our waitress was odd — there’s no other way to describe her. She mumbled and we couldn’t understand her, when I asked her to repeat herself she just hung her head and walked away. She came back for our order, and when my husband ordered she started giggling uncontrollably.
I ordered Alfredo and my husband ordered pesto ravioli. Both were terrible. My Alfredo sauce was gritty, and my husband’s pesto sauce was bitter and greasy. We didn’t complain, and when the waitress finally came back we asked her to box everything up and bring us the bill.
The manager came over with our leftovers and asked if anything was wrong with our food. When we told her we both didn’t like it, she became rude, condescending, and snippy. We hadn’t asked to speak to her and we weren’t asking for anything, so there was no reason for her bad attitude.
We definitely won’t be going back. Terrible food, terrible service, and terrible management.

My husband and I ventured out for a Sunday night date night without our child for the first time in… ever. After attempting to go to Maria’s in Webster (Closed on Sundays) and Next Door by Wegmans (Also closed) we somehow ended up at Benucci’s for the first time.
We were the only patrons in the restaurant, which was odd for an Italian place Sunday at dinner time, but who knows. We were seated quickly, and our waitress came over to get our drink order. I ordered a Zinfandel, and my husband ordered a Jack & Coke. Our waitress returned with a White Zinfandel, which I had to send back. She seemed confused, so I explained to her that I had ordered a Zinfandel, which is a red, not White Zin, which is pink in color. (Can be confusing to someone who isn’t a wine drinker.) It seemed she needed a refresher on their wine list. I also did not like the heavy, oversized shot glass that came with my wine that was to be poured into from a small carafe– it was just too much. I found myself really wanting just a regular wine glass. But that didn’t stop me from having a 2^nd. ;)
Next up, we ordered the artichoke fritta, which came out at the same time as our warm bread and oil. Yum! The artichokes were definitely the best part of the meal– I would go back just for that plate!
Finally, we ordered our dinner. My husband had the veal with marinara, and I had the lemon chicken over angel hair. My husband enjoyed his dish, and mine was a bit bland, but good.
Overall, we had a fine experience. Our waitress was quick to attend to our needs, and very sweet, even after our wine mishap. Our food was hot, and came out quickly.

not sure why other reviews were bad ratings… i thought this place was just fine! the only thing i feel could be better is the atmosphere. it did feel a bit like a diner with the booths set up the way they were, but the food was good.
i got the lasagna and my boyfriend got the chicken parm which i tasted. both items came hot, the sauce was delicious (dare i say better than my moms? probably not but it was still worth having again). both meals were a huge size so perfect for left overs.
the bread before hand was really good as well, came out soft and hot. you have oil and the all fixings Italians need for the bread too. The wait was minimal, but i’m sure it helped that we went just before the dinner rush.
the restaurant does have a bar as well incase you don’t want to have a family dinner and just watch sports/​news. however, this doesn’t mean you can’t eat at the bar. The bar is also separate from the dining area with a low wall dividing.

First time here for my fiancé and I. Nice feel to the restaurant and there was no wait. We had to wait a few minutes to be seated from the host even though there was ample space. She might have been new. I ordered the special they had offered. A 6oz steak with broccoli and cheddar mashed potatoes. I asked for my steak medium and it came at least medium rare to rare. That wasn’t my only problem though as it was the toughest steak I’ve ever had. I didn’t finish it but the rest of my food was great and my fiancé loved her chicken parm. I will however say our waitress was exceptional and removed my meal from our bill without me asking. I was just honest with her about my steak when she asked. I however don’t think I’ll be returning to this restaurant.

Benucci’s is a casual Italian restaurant that has two area locations (one on the east side, and one in the Greece Ridge Mall). I visited the mall location.
Unlike most reviews here, my food came out fairly quickly, in less than ten minutes, and wasn’t served cold (though not piping hot either). I got the penne pasta with marinara sauce. It came with bread that was served alongside the pasta. The portion was smaller than comparable Italian restaurants. It tasted good though, with a nice sauce.
The area where Benucci’s suffers, in my opinion, is the staff. Waaaay too much loud side conversations among servers and cooks. I could hear a waitress flirting with a cook, some discussion between a couple servers about a guy named Branden, and comments that shouldn’t be made around customers like «I don’t think we’re going to be busy today» and «serve that bread first, it looks better.» Big no-​nos in food service! The person seating guests also had a lot of exposed tattoos up and down her arm that really should be covered up in this kind of establishment. Better management may be needed to get this stuff in order. Benucci’s has potential if they do.
The prices could be lowered as well.

Ate here last night. Ordered the chicen parm which was basically a plate of slop. Buried in angel hair pasta, marinara, alfredo. I guess you could call it chicken parm soup. Waitress went to town adding extra cheese when I didn’t ask for it. Waited for 15 mins before she checked in to see how it was, etc. Needless to say this was my first time here, and last. Only thing which was decent was the empty parking spaces in front which should have been a sure sign it sucked.

I wanted to love it… I really did. Greece never gets anything but crappy chain restaurants, so when we finally got a a local nice restaurant, I was ecstatic.
I’ve been there 2 times now. Once for dinner and once for lunch. Both were during the week and the restaurant was not even close to busy either time. For dinner, the wait for the food was 1.5 hours. For lunch, the wait for the food was 1 hour. This is certainly not acceptable. Both times, one person from the table got something they did not order. Both times we waited 30 mins just for our check. It’s like the staff walks around with blinders on.
The food was not good either time. I got pasta the first time which was overly oiled. The pizza I got the 2^nd time tasted like they poured sherry wine on it.
I’m usually not this picky, but this place will be a never in my book.

All four meals, below average. Service was pleasant. Go to Brook house, much better food!

I felt like I was was at the Olive Garden… Ordered scallops with pesto risotto… It tasted as if it were prepped hours ago and microwaved as it arrived about 10 minutes after ordering… definitely not fresh made to order as it was described on the menu at an overpriced $ 17…Id rather get a Wegmans meal to go… extremely disappointed.

Service was good.
That was all that was good.
Food was cold, bland.
My mother’s pasta was overcooked and had leftover chicken chunked throughout it.
My wood fired pizza was cold and had pesto drizzled over it. What?
Their chocolate torte was a glorified brownie with canned sauces.
Their tomato sauce tasted canned and bread was stale.
Everything that an Italian restaurant should pride itself on was a disgrace.
Olive Garden is better worth your money for an Italian restaurant.
With that said, give your business to them or to Red Fedele’s, Mario’s, or Papa Joe’s.
You’ll be far more satisfied.

I came to this location most recently for my husband’s work party for Christmas. We were in the party room in the back on our own which was nice. The party room holds about 80 people comfortably and has a bar.
For appetizers we had pizza, cheese & fruits. Everything as pretty good. All of the pizzas had onions on it which I thought was a little odd but it was all still pretty good.
For dinner there was rolls, salad, chicken parm, roast beef, greens & beans, & penne with vodka sauce. The vodka sauce needed a little more vodka but that was pretty good and the roast beef was very dry. Other thank that all of the food was pretty good. I enjoyed it all.
All of the staff for our party were helpful and kind.
I enjoyed the party and the food was all decent.

While never being a fan of the benuccis in pittsford, my sister invited me to lunch at the new Greece location. I rolled my eyes, but thought I would give it a try, who knows? Maybe they’ve improved.
No. They are still just as bad with bland and overpriced food. The entire dining experience was not tbad, but nothing to come back to. I wasn’t entirely hungry so we split an app of greens and beans and then I had a bowl of minestrone soup. The greens and beans were okay. The beans however were very El dente. Almost crunchy. The soup was not so good. Mostly vegetables in a watery tomato broth. Hardly any beans or pasta inside.
Service was decent, nothing bad to say, but nothing to rave about either. Everything was just okay.

I have eaten at the Benucci’s in Pittsford and I’ve felt that the quality there has been on a steady decline. With that being said we decided to try the new one in Greece.
Service — we were in on a Friday evening so I expect service to be slower, we waited over 20 mins to place any kind of order and the restaurant was half filled. Our server did a good job handling issues that came up.
Food — I ordered risotto with scallops and was hugely disappointed. My risotto wasn’t even warm. The dish was taken back, microwaved, which ruined the scallops. The manager gave us a dessert. Two people ordered chicken parm and the chicken was completely over cooked.
I have no issue paying for a good meal but the food quality is not worth the price. I think this is true with both locations. We will not be returning to either location.

Let me first start out by saying that I work at a locally owned, busy restaurant, so for me to actually post something negative takes a lot. Unfortunately, I was really disappointed with Benuccis. I came in on a Wednesday night with my boyfriend and it was pretty slow at 7 o’clock.
We started with the artichoke bruschetta as an app. When it came out, we were shocked when there were 4 small baguettes (the size of the small round wegmans ones) on a large tray with the bruschetta toasted on top. It looked very odd. Why put 4 pieces on such a large tray and charge $ 7 for it? Although they were good, I wouldn’t waste my money on that app again.
Next came the entrees. My boyfriend got chicken parm and I got shrimp pesto. His chicken was awesome, however, the side of pasta with Alfredo sauce that came the chicken had absolutely no flavor. As for my entrée, I was somewhat disappointed as this dish was recommended to me by our server. The pesto was a «cream pesto» but had way more cream than pesto. The cream pesto completely had no flavor at all, and that’s saying a lot for something with pesto in it! The other ingredients in the dish included shrimp, artichokes, and sun dried tomatoes. They all had great flavor but just were taken away from all the bland pasta and watered down pesto cream sauce.
If I ever did come back, I wouldn’t risk paying $ 17 for a bland entrée. Maybe would stick to pizzas and drinks for happy hour?

My wife and I love to eat out and we dine at a variety of places with varying cost. We tried this restaurant for the first time ever here in Greece, NY. The menu is somewhat limited but is satisfactory. Don’t expect any salad or sides with your entrée as all extras are just that… extra. Prices are on the higher side, $ 14 for a piece of lasagna and nothing else. My wife had the Pesce Diavolo for $ 18. The waitstaff seems like they are more suitable for a diner, low cut V neck T shirts, very unprofessional. Multiple types of fly’s around our table. Insects in a restaurant is a major strike in our book. For the cost I expect more professionalism and ambiance. We will not be going back.

With lots of Italian restaurants to choose from on the Westside and downtown– why would I try out Benucci’s? Well– it’s close to home and part of the new food wing at Greece Ridge– so the wife and I gave it a shot. We loved the food– I esp. liked the Pollo Farfalle dish. Grilled chicken with rotated red peppers in a garlic oil sauce over bow tie pasta. Great taste and a huge portion! Liked the bread they bring to the table, too. My wife had the Benucci’s Pasta– pretty good, but I liked mine better. Atmosphere was nice– not loud, and pleasant for conversation. The only strange thing was the wine glass– which looks more like a rocks glass. Never saw that before.
Definitely going back and would recommend.

A rainy Sunday afternoon before the World Cup final seemed like a good time to try out this restaurant. I have a feeling it won’t be till the next world cup final that I’ll be ready to come back.
It was an off time and the restaurant was pretty much empty aside from a few couples and one larger family group. As luck would have it they chose to seat us near the larger group.
We were seated promptly and drink orders taken almost immediately. My wife and I both had the chicken Parmesan with salad. The salad was pretty good with a nice mix of greens and raspberry vinaigrette dressing. The only issue was the amount of time it took to get the salads. The couple seated after us already had their entrée before we got our salads.
The meal came with pasta in an alfredo sauce. Little did I know the chicken, in a marina sauce was on top of the pasta in an alfredo sauce. A combination that, in my opinion, should never be mixed. I am a huge fan of alfredo but couldn’t in good conscience call what they served as an alfredo sauce. It was relatively watery and had an almost sweet taste to it. On top of it the pasta was limp and nearly mushy.
The chicken itself was actually quite good, crispy and tasty. It was a bit small but this was a lunch menu portion so there’s no complaint for $ 9.99.
Perhaps I’m a bit spoiled with the number of true Italian restaurants in Rochester but this is not in the same league.

Won’t be going back.
My girlfriend got the little neck clam pasta special, the pepper was OVERPOWERING. She had maybe 5 – 6 bites. My chicken parm was average at best. Bread and oil was delicious.
Drinks– I ordered the Italian margarita, sent it back. Couldn’t taste alcohol and too sweet. Gf got a vodka with splash of cran, couldn’t taste vodka.
Waitress was very kind and good service.
Too many better Italian restaurants in rochester to choose from. Seems like they still need to fine tune and not cut corners in their entrees and drinks

Yes, yes, yes. I was SO excited to hear that a Benucci’s was coming closer to home. I absolutely love the atmosphere (clean, tidy, well decorated) and the food served here, and it’s for a good price too.
My boyfriend knows I have an insatiable appetite for delicious Italian food, so after seeing a movie over in the mall we cruised over here. I had no idea that this restaurant was Benucci’s and I was OVER THE MOON when I found out that it was! I haven’t treated myself to the Pittsford Benucci’s in a while…
My love ordered the Mediterranean Salad and I ordered the Pollo Farfalle, and both of us scarfed our food down with no complaints, and ate the left overs promptly the next day.
We ordered the delicious Bruschetta as an appetizer (the one with the red pepper, fresh mozzarella, balsamic, and slight basil) and it was gone within minutes. Delicious… mm mmm mmmmm.
Everything about our dishes tasted, and looked fresh. Being a salad snob, I checked Doug’s salad for any gross brown leaves, and not a single one was to be found. His salad was LOADED with feta cheese, veggies, and a generous side of Calamata olives.
My Pollo Farfalle was delicious. The oil was there but not overpowering. The veggies were juicy and yummy and the chicken was cooked perfectly… not dry whatsoever. The seasoning was generous but not overpowering. Very good experience.
I would take this over Olive Garden 9 out of 10 times (only if I had a real hankering for OG’s salad dressing) and I feel like they are just about on the same level as Biaggi’s in Eastview.
Reason why it’s not ⁵⁄₅:
Usually in my experiences at Benucci’s, the waiter/​waitress provides fresh bread for the oil and pepper regardless of any appetizers ordered. We did have to ask for bread and oil this time around, I wasn’t sure if it was because we had ordered an appetizer or if it was a simple mistake.
Either way, with how delicious the bread and oil was, it didn’t upset me too much!
I also have not had a wide array of the dishes here. Once I taste more and have more experiences, that four could bump up to a five in no time.
Well done with your new location, I am very excited to be a regular customer!