Bennys

Had a great meal at bennys. We were surprised to see an eagles sports bar this far from pa, but it turned out the owner is from south philly. Small world but great pasta!

Came here once before and my husband and I loved the food. This time after a long day - we did takeout and get home to see not even a full container of food. I would rather wait longer for them to make more and fill the container, over just giving me what was left. We enjoy the food but for what we paid, expecting more. Pretty disappointed. So if you are taking out - check your food before you leave.

The host and servers are wonderful. Cosmos were delightful! The food was horrible. Overly salted (and we love salt!) the pasta for both dishes was over cooked — goop. Love their sister restaurant Ramona’s go grab sandos there!! Maybe it was just a bad night

10 out of 10. What a great addition to the Portland food scene! First time here with my wife and we had a great time! For apps we had mozz sticks and garlic knots…. I mean take me back to happy childhood. They were fresh and home made. Great starter. I had the classic Negroni and my wife had the special martini with the gard brine. So good. We had linguini with clams and sausage pasta. Excellent! Our waitress was great. She checked on us regularly, gave awesome suggestions, helped out with wine… everything you could ask for. We already made our next reservation. I highly recommend a visit. For you Philly people. Think modern Ralph’s….. for people who don’t know what that means…. It’s a compliment.

I thought the food was okay. I had the bolognese and a Caesar salad. I feel like eating here once was enough. The drinks were average and average priced.

Definitely nailed it. The service was beyond amazing, the workers are so kind and made sure to check in frequently! The rigatoni + cannoli were the star of the show for me! (Not even a desert girl but WOW) Super glad I spent my birthday at this new gem of a spot

Staff are delightful! They are so kind and welcoming you feel like you’re returning home for a meal, let alone a birthday surprise. We celebrated our son’s birthday and the girls brought over a cake with a candle! Loved the chopped salad and the gf pasta tasted like regular

Comfort Italian food, perfect for a rainy day. The orecchiette w/house made pork sausage, broccoli rabe, roasted red pepper, and Parmesan cream was absolutely melt-worthy. I got mine with the gluten-free pasta option and it did not disappoint. Eat here and support these nice humans!

Food is great, comforting, fresh, homemade. Warm, fun atmosphere. Go! PS- garlic pretzel knots are a MUST!

I have been waiting patiently for my time to finally try out Bennys, as it seemed the perfect backdrop for a cold autumn night. Who wouldn't want a classic red sauce joint to hunker down in? Well the atmosphere exceeded all expectations. We went there on a Sunday night as a walk in and were seated in about 10 minutes. It is rather small so i could see this wait being very long on a busier weekend night. The food was incredible cozy italian. We started with the garlic bread which i think is much better steal than the garlic knots for the price. Then we got the meatballs and spaghetti, the mussels and linguine, while i went for the chicken parm with the caesar salad (it says house salad on the menu but you can sub for the caesar which is i think the superior choice is. Every last bite was consumed! my chicken cutlet was huge i could even share is amongst the table. The meatballs were huge! and the clams were wonderfully fresh. We were so full we left with a tiramisu and cannolis to go for later and these were also spectacular. Wait staff was so kind and great at checking in on you as well. Bennys is definitely worth a visit. My only reason this does not get 5 stars was because the food takes FOREVER to come out. The garlic bread came out right away and we waited at least 30 minutes for the entrees after that. I'm not sure if that is normal, but definitely not the place for a quick bite, make sure to have some time. We will be back again!

Oh Benny's everything begins and ends with the quality of the service and here it was wonderful. Every single person on the staff made my wife and I feel welcome and attended to while we waited. It's the kind of spot you can't wait to come back to. The food has been stellar every time and according to my wife the dirty martini is to die for. The steak and cheese hit it out of the park and even as a die hard Boston sports fan the Philly centric vibe is something special. I can't say enough great things about this place, and as an add on- the girl who worked the front of house deserves a raise because she was outstanding

Service: incredible service. The male bar tender although at first seemed quiet and maybe could be taken as uninterested quickly opened up. The female bartender was happy and talkative from the start. Attentive, caring, and the owner was even getting into conversation. Beautiful people in a beautiful establishment. Ambiance/atmosphere: idk where to begin. It is perfect. Everything you would want in a casual fine dining experience. Dim, but bright while Being quiet but so full of life. The bar was perfect and the seated tables have perfect space and comfortability. Bar seats aren't known to be all that comfortable, but I could have sat there all night. The type of place you could have a first, second, and even a wedding night date, but also feel comfortable enough to talk sports. Food: This food was so incredible that I attended 3 times. I was in Portland for a week and ate there 3 out of those 7 days. After the first meal I knew I needed more. I even got food to go on my way to the airport, late for my flight but by no means worried. Worst case scenario I miss the flight and eat at Bennys again tomorrow is all I thought it myself. Unfortunately I made it. Let's Talk food Philly cheesesteak: as the owners were Philly Italians, you can imagine that it was perfect. The most amazing chewy, but crispy soft semolina stick with perfectly cooked 8oz shaved ribeye with cooper sharp melted in and all sitting in that perfect loaf of bread. This Philly was purchased all 3 times. Absolutely amazing. Chicken Parmesan: a perfectly crispy, Juicy, savory chicken cutlet underneath a perfect in house made marinara and mozzerela. The choice of a side salad that had the perfect dressing to go along with an amazing crisp fresh crunch.(also can be enjoyed with an amazing spaghetti). This masterpiece could also be served on another fresh baked semolina stick and you can imagine it just brought it to the next level. Truly a perfect chicken parm. I'll Be perfecting my cutlets until I can match these. Desserts: The tiramisu was perfect, the best I've ever had. It was creamy, rich, and had the most perfect coffee flavor. The best part is it was the perfect cool not cold temperature. Just amazing. Cannolis: Two very large cannolis come in an order and they're perfect. From the sweet, rich, but citrusy ricotta filling to the perfect crispy shell they were heaven in each bite. I got a second order my first time and my next two times I got 2 orders straight away. I'll be waiting to enjoy these again. Best cannolis around. Espresso martini is by far the best I've ever had. Highly recommend. My next trip to Portland, I'll definitely be reserving tables for each day that I'm there. Bennys I'll be back and that is a promise.

This has been one of the spots to recently open that has been hyped up as a must try. Due to an event in the area my wife and I had no excuse but to check it out! Opened by the people behind Ramona's that I have not tried. They want to be a Philly inspired sandwich spot while also being a red-sauce joint. Their space is small with bar seating available while also offering tables too. Showing up right around open both options were available which we decided on a table. One side getting chair and the other booth style. It reminded my wife of a New York spot. Due to our event drink wise we stuck to just water that our waiter was attentive to refill the bottle when needed. Food-wise we started by splitting their mozzarella sticks and while tasty and seasoned well had almost no cheese pull to them and if you look at my reviews a different spot has amazing best I have had mozzarella sticks! Next time I would change and try their garlic knots. Entree wise I got the spaghetti and meatballs while my wife got the Fettuccine Bolognese. We both enjoyed our meals but they did not quite reach to being our favorite versions of that meal or pasta in general that results in the four stars. For the price point and only getting three meatballs it was a touch disappointing. I will say despite this they nailed their tiramisu that was the perfect ending to the meal! I hope they succeed and are successful in business! I think we need to return to try their sandwiches for a different take on it. Also I would come back for their pasta dishes but it will not become by go-to spot. Good addition to Portland just needs to improve in some ways to push me to thinking it's outstanding!

My friends and I ordered takeout from Benny's while running late to a show. We arrived earlier than expected with about 15 minutes to spare and asked the hostess if we could sit at the bar to eat our takeout and order drinks--she said yes. The bartender even gave us utensils. Moments later, another couple waiting for takeout sat next to us and were served drinks without issue. When a third friend joined, the hostess suddenly became uncomfortable and spoke with the manager. She returned to tell us the bar was "for dine-in only" and asked us to leave, saying, "I'm just telling you what my boss said." The owner, Josh Sobel, then came out with another staff member and loudly insisted that in all his years he had "never had anyone sit down after ordering takeout," even though the couple beside us had done the same. He declared it was "his fucking restaurant" and told us to leave. I calmly explained that we had asked permission, ordered drinks, and intended to tip as dine-in guests. The entire exchange left me feeling belittled and disrespected. We were there no longer than 15 minutes--the exact amount of time it would have taken for us to eat order a drink tip more money and leave. To make matters worse, the food was mediocre: my meatballs were oversalted, and the Balboa cocktail was bland and undrinkable. In a city like Portland, with SO many great restaurants with exceptional service I'd recommend spending your time and money anywhere else.

What a cool, unique spot in Portland. We sat at the bar and the service was fantastic. We got the mozzarella sticks, the cheesesteak and the clam pasta. The mozzarella sticks were amazing and the cheesesteak was also fantastic. The pasta was okay. It was pretty busy in there so I suggest making a reservation. I will be back to try more of their food!

I love that they have a vegan sandwich option. It was delicious. The Caesar salad is really good as well. My dad enjoyed his chicken parm. The service is prompt and always friendly. It is a really cool old school vibes in thers. Def recommend making a reservation if you can because they are consistently busy.

Sooo good! Beautifully decorated, delicious food, fun atmosphere, friendly staff. We loved it and will definitely be back!

The food was well worth the wait!!!! The service was so welcoming. Pretty hip place. Loved all of it!!!!

Loved this new spot in downtown Portland! Benny's offers an intimate ambiance filled to the brim with Philadelphia nostalgia. Our waitress was friendly and attentive. The menu is a bit small but everything we had was really good. I ordered the chicken parm sandwich, overall it was fantastic. If I was being nitpicky, the chicken was a little dry at parts. My husband ordered the Philly cheesesteak and it could have used a little more cheese. However we were both very happy with our meals and left empty plates.

Love love love this place. As a Philadelphian, it was a super cool vibe. Diner meets cool, hip restaurant.

This ain't you father's cheesesteak joint! And it's quite the opposite atmosphere of the dark Broken Arrow we sadly lost on that spot. Bright, airy, friendly and it could never be called pretentious. The feel was part diner, part bar, and the 2 TVs have MLB for Phillies games! The menu looked good and I was gonna try their cheesesteak (and ask to swap traditional provolone--whiz aside--for the stated cheddar) when I copied a neighbor's order of mussels, the daily special. It was a pesto sauce with fococcia, and both were outstanding! Some of the best I've had. Drinks? Well all I could say is the excellent Goldies martini cost $10, and it wasn't happy hour! And then dessert: tiramisu or cannoli. We got the latter and, again, seriously best cannoli in Maine. Apparently they have a pastry chef. And, uh, only $9...for TWO! Damn! Sure, the cheesesteak is like $19, but a pathetic Pat's steak in south philly is now $18!!

sat at the bar towards the end of the evening on Bennys opening night - the establishment is so clean cut, it's a very soft, comfortable environment. the decor is awesome with vintage philadelphia photos and athletes. i tried the mozzarella sticks, they're huge ! the breading on them is a great texture. oregano is very present in the seasoning. the pretzel garlic knots were 10/10. two of my favorite things combined! the texture of the pretzel is spot on. a bit crusty exterior with a soft, sour doughy inside. the tiramisu was out of this world. very flavorful. great light, fluffy whipped topping and dense cake.

Not great. The chicken Parm sandwich was not a good quality piece of chicken. It was breaded in what I believe are the salty, highly oregano spiced, Progressive brand breadcrumbs. It was a dried out piece of white meat chicken, and the sandwich taste was overwhelmed by the oregano on the chicken breading. There was hardly any tomato sauce and very little cheese. There's a place in Atlanta I frequent called Capozzi's-it's owned by two Italian brothers from New York. Their chicken Parm sub beats Benny's hands down, no contest. Sorry Benny's, but your chicken Parm sandwich needs work.

Food was real solid. Cocktails were on point. Service was great. Love the decor. Good portions. Would recommend for good casual Italian.

This place rips, we wandered in hoping to seat 4 without a reservation (bold, I know) and they were incredibly accommodating. The food was great, very excited to see seitan on the menu (no deep fried tofu mess here.) Things came out quick, wine selection was great, and Mayzie was fantastic; super attentive and helpful in choosing menu options. Keep it up!

If I could give 10 stars I would. As a guy born and raised in South Philadelphia and have eaten many of meals in South Philly, Little Italy NYC, Brooklyn, Arthur Ave in the Bronx and the North End this place ranks high on the list. Totally legit food, service and ambiance. I would say it's cross between Villa di Roma (old school) and Pesto (tasty, quality and service) for you Philly peeps. The chopped salad, chicken parm, eggplant parm and cannoli's were all incredible. Take my advice when in Portland Benny's is a must. Josh you represented Philly proudly. Keep up the great work. I would make the 6 1/2 hour drive just to eat here again.

Absolutely loved this place! I loved the vibe inside, the service was amazing and the meatballs were probably the best meatballs I have ever had. Meatballs, pretzel garlic knots and the cannolis are a must have. Such a great spot, and will be going again for sure before I leave town!

The food! We had four pastas, an eggplant parm, and garlic bread. Only the bread was good.

What a great find in Portland!! Fantastic food, great service and very friendly staff! I learned that many of the dishes were designed by the head chef! Well done chef! Great place!! I will be back!!

I wish this place was open in the day. Really dope Cheesesteak and excellent Negronis. Nice vibe. Service cool as well.

We had a lovely time at Bennys! Eggplant delicious! Bartender super nice! Cesar yummy! Great ambiance!