Bensi

Great atmosphere, music was awesome, and food was pretty good. We have a 3 year old and it was perfect for us. The wait staff was also very friendly.

We had a great experience there today, being in a rush on a Friday night and gluten intolerant is not easy, but it worked out. And we got treated with very friendly service and awesome food and very fast service. We’ll come back again when we have more time and try more of the menu then just a shared starter and a main.

Super slow service on an average night! Not to busy, 2 of us, took 15 minutes to get my first drink. Now we’re seating here 50 minutes after ordering food wondering if they forgot to put in our order. Last time I’ll be coming here!

I quite simply love this place.
I have been going there for years.
The best Bensi in the chain by far.
Large portions at reasonable prices.
Food quality is excellent for the price point.
Not giving a five star because of the staff turnover and inexperience in the wait staff in some instances, but you can say that about any restaurant. Kitchen management could use some work too on how the orders are processed.
Allow plenty of time and go hungry and you will not be disappointed.

I had a great experience at this location. We decided to visit after the New Jersey balloon festival, the restaurant was not too busy they seated us right away.
The mozzarella salad was delicious and well portioned. They also brought out bread with butter and upon request they will give you olive oil with balsamic vinegar. The prosciutto pizza was tasty however there was too much cheese on this pizza not enough prosciutto, it also needed some more basil.
Drinks and wines are all reasonably priced and service is friendly and quick.

I am updating my earlier review based on our most recent visit. This time all was much better. The service was good, the salad was crisp, and the entrees were tasty. The place is clean and pleasant. For a ‘local italian’ its fine. Maybe last time they just had a (very) bad night.

Horrible pizza burnt and greasy horrible service waitress on the phone the entire time no napkins no cold soda no business from me one star is too much

Had Bensi’s special pizza, thin crust, nice toppings but ruined because the crust was so soggy it had to be eaten with a knife and fork, it just collapsed when I tried to eat it with my hands. No beer on draft and dismal selection of bottled beer. Only wines by the glass are Woodbridge.

Bensi is a regional chain. There are several in a 50 mile radius of this one. The food is generally pretty good. I usually get linguine w/​white clam sauce and it’s usually pretty good although sometimes the chef seems to add a bunch of butter to it which i know restaurants often do to all sorts of dishes to flavor them up but in this case, it’s detrimental. Keep it simple. It doesn’t need butter. Pizza here is not so good. Most pasta dishes are fine. Prices are in line for the area. Service staff is usually quite young high school or college kids but whoever is in charge makes sure patrons are well served. We keep going back.

Jose (Pulcar) was one of the most amazing waiters I’ve had. He was incredibly friendly and personable. He acted as if he just won the lottery (non stop smiling and in a great mood). The food was perfect and the service was perfect… what more could you ask for?

We had a delicious meal of crab stuffed filed of sole and perfectly steamed veggies with a beautifully crusted potato croquette. Paired with a Pinot Grigio. Yum!!!

Tried again… veal Milanese and veal Sorrentino were both good… as was salad with cranberries and walnuts… wine fairly priced. The wait staff was friendly and competent. Expansive Italian menu, all good.

Horrible, waiting 35 minutes for a pizza, no service, no manager and nobody seems to care. Overall very unorganized on a regular basis

Took the family last Friday night. Have not been there for awhile, other then some take out. Food was good, better then expected. Heard they have a new chef, and food is much better. Also had live music, which made the dinner even better. The 4 member band was great, not too loud, and great selection of music. Good food, good music, good night… We’ll be back soon. Give them another shot with an open mind.

We have been to this restaurant many times. The food is very good. We really enjoy the Italian specialties. Very attentive staff and also a full bar. We would highly recommend Bensi.

Used to enjoy this spot a bit more but in the past month or two it’s gone downhill. Over Labor Day weekend we went here and waited 10 minutes without anyone coming to take drink order or provide bread (which they do usually within first few minutes). I went to the hostess to mention maybe there was a miscommunication about who was in charge of the table. She apologized and said someone would be right over to take drink order… we waited another 5 minutes and then we decided to leave since we went 15 minutes without a waiter/​waitress.
We went back this evening since we figured maybe it was an off weekend. I ordered the eggplant rollatine and my husband had a zazone. My eggplant seemed like it was premade and reheated, as the center of it was warm at best. It was also overseasoned throughout the cheese with dry pieces of oregano. My husband’s zazone had a very dry crust (he thinks maybe it was missing it’s usual oil?). I told the waiter about our concerns and he was quick to talk to management who offered us a free dessert (we declined just due to time constraints). Overall, this server was very nice and took good care of us (paying attention to drinks and doing things in a timely fashion), but the food was not really enjoyable – it was OK at best. Looks like we might be looking for a different local spot… it’s a shame because although we’ve always felt it wasn’t authentic, amazing Italian, we felt it was at least a good local spot

We ordered takeout from here. I had the chicken cutlet pizza, wife had the bensi sub. We also order the calamari to split. I thought the calamari was just ok… That might not be there fault — but when you order calamari to-​go you can’t expect it to be as good as when you have it in the restaurant. The pizza had very little flavor. I am not that impressed with the flavor of the sauce. Overall we were satisfied — but I don’t think I will order what I ate again. Note: not sure if wife like her sandwich.

This is what you see is what you get. A solid Italian meal with huge portions and entrees that range from great (ESP the daily specials) to meh. Service totally depends on the person– it’s a good location for a bigger party and has a full bar.

This restaurant demonstrates perfectly the advantage of being the only game in town.
Basic Italian, packed (generally with old people). Careless service. Average food.

Went in with my date. I ordered the strawberry and avocado salad, I also added grilled shrimp on my salad.
The bread on the table was good.
Salad came and there were 4 pieces of shrimp on the salad. Shrimp was room temperature although it was suppose be ‘grilled’.
Finally took the bill and saw that I got charged $ 8 for the additional shrimp. Now, the reason why I ordered shrimp was because it only said $ 2 to add on shrimp. Turns out that it was $ 2 for EACH shrimp.
It’s not about the money. It’s only a $ 6 dollar difference. It’s the matter of principal. Couldn’t they just put $ 8 for additional shrimp on the menu instead of $ 2?
I felt like I was cheated. I’ll never go back again.