Monsieur Benjamin is a sleek Hayes Valley bistro where Chef Corey Lee dishes out modern French staples in a chic, gallery-like space ideal for pre-show bites.
"Fried chicken à l’anglaise stuffed with homemade ham and Gruyère and topped with a sauce suprême with button mushrooms is now up for grabs at Corey Lee’s casual bistro in the Civic Center. “[It’s] kind of retro, but so tasty,” he says."
"Monsieur Benjamin helped usher in a new wave of French restaurants over the past few years. The snappy black-and-white bistro drops unapologetically rich dishes, like oeufs mayonnaise, crispy frog legs, bone marrow, and seafood sausage. Make no mistake, this is a Corey Lee restaurant, and it’s only deceptively casual. Stocks and sauces are slow simmered, aprons starched, herbs arranged with tweezers, and everything is impeccable." - Dianne de Guzman, Eater Staff
"Chefs Corey Lee and Jason Berthold’s major Hayes Street restaurant Monsieur Benjamin will close for good on June 29. In an Instagram post and note on the business’s website, ownership let fans know there will be no new lease for the upscale French restaurant now that its ten-year-lease is set to expire." - Paolo Bicchieri
"One of Hayes Valley’s most prominent restaurants is about to close after a decade of fine dining riffs on Parisian dishes. Monsieur Benjamin, chefs Corey Lee and Jason Berthold’s expansive Hayes Street restaurant, will close for good on Saturday, June 29." - Paolo Bicchieri
"For some briny bites before walking over to the SF Symphony to sit through live film scores, Monsieur Benjamin is the answer. The modern French spot is the ideal pre-show stop in Hayes Valley, and the raw bar items are highlights on the meat and seafood-heavy menu. Oysters sourced from all across the country get zhuzhed up with a squeeze of lemon, zingy mignonette, and hot sauce out of a branded miniature bottle." - Julia Chen 1, Ricky Rodriguez
