Northwest Raleigh Neighborhood Pub and Eatery

In the 27613 zip code, there’s a neighborhood restaurant and pub bar called Ben’s Place. It’s a great little neighborhood place to hang out. It’s situated off Glenwood Avenue in Cornerstone Commons Shopping Center which is just down the street from the Raleigh Carmax. When we first went in Ben’s when it opened, the place was lacking character. It just felt like a bare room. No artwork or paint yet. Well, that’s all changed. They now draw a neighborhood crowd. The neighborhood has over 1,200 homes in the Long Lake and Cornerstone Park subdivisions.

When you walk into Ben’s, the hostess stand is straight in front of you and the bar is on your right. The bar is very Regal-Begal-like. You know from the 70’s sitcom Three’s Company. But the bar wraps around more like the 80’s TV Cheers bar. I’ve actually been to the Cheers bar in Boston. It’s call the ‘Bull and Finch Pub’. When I went, there were a lot more people than just regulars like Norm!

Anyway…at Ben’s, the restaurant is to the left. It’s a very small restaurant. I dare say it’s less than 500 square feet. My fav’rite thing to eat when dining in, is the Shrimp and Grits. But it took me awhile to warm up to that dish…literally! No, I love Shrimp and Grits, but they served the toast accoutrements (is that the right word?)…COLD! Well not just cold…but FROZEN. So I realized that part was not cooked fresh and they forgot to microwave it. The new waiter apologized profusely. I gave it another shot another time and it was prepared right that time. As it should be. Plus, I gave them a heads up that they served frozen toast last time.

Ben’s has very few items on the menu itself. But a lot of choices would be overkill for such a small restaurant. Some of the dishes are under the cute heading … ‘pub grub’.

Btw, they’ve made up for my frozen Shrimp and Grits experience several times over with their Fish Tacos. That meal is the fisshizzil! Not a fancy dish name…but the BEST FISH SOFT TACOS I’VE EVER HAD. And for 8 bucks you can’t beat it! Well…after sharing this with you, they’ll probably wanna raise the price.

They use a very tender and moist fish. I’m no fish expert – but I wanna say it’s like a rockfish. The corn relish sauce on the side is really good with the fish! There’s also a dipping sauce that’s like a thousand island dressing. They give you two of these tacos that I usually split into two separate meals. The tacos comes with fries which I can’t complain about…who doesn’t love fries!? But Eric and I try to be health conscious so we substitute the fries for cooked fresh spinach which in my opinion is even tastier! I think they cook it in garlic so it gives it some flavor.

Oh and if you’re thinking of trying somewhere new for lunch, Ben’s Place is open and they do have outdoor seating for nice weather days. Lotsa those around here in Raleigh.

Related posts:

• Local Raleigh Cheers Bar…and Restaurant

Category: Raleigh Restaurants