There is nothing I can say except if the waiting staff were a bit more attentive this would be a 5 star restraunt the food is delicious homemade good authentic italian cooking and you are not rushed through your meal though this might not be intentonal as you have to try extreamly hard to get the waiting staff's attention once they have taken your order big loss for the restraunt as not as much drink being served between courses but the atmosphere is electric and everybody seemed very happy.

We arrived and were shown to our table. We were given our menus and then waited 10 minutes before anyone came near us again. We had been in the restaurant almost half an hour before we were asked if we'd like a drink. We then waited another ten minutes before our order was taken. My partner Liam ordered meat balls to start, followed by steak. I ordered calamari and a pizza with feta and pepperoni. The meatballs were delicious according to Liam and my calamari was perfectly acceptable. Our main courses arrived and immediately I could see from Liam’s face that he was disappointed with the steak. I wasn’t surprised as it looked terrible. It was just a steak served on top of some soggy roast potatoes with a side order of ordinary boiled vegetables. My pizza had chicken on it instead of pepperoni. And I don’t mean roast chicken – it looked like that cheap thinly sliced stuff that you get in sandwiches at a garage. When the waitress asked how everything was, I didn’t want to cause a fuss but felt I did need to mention the wrong ingredient on my pizza. She offered to change it but I didn’t want to wait because Liam would be finished his meal by the time I got a new pizza. As expected, the pizza had almost no flavour so I was forced to smother it in chilli oil. A male member of staff approached us and asked how the meal was. I told him about the mix-up with the pizza and he told me that I was eating the pizza so it must be good. My Irish born parents live in Umbria so I have had plenty of experience with pizza. By no stretch of the imagination could that pizza have been described as ‘good’. He then muttered something under his breath about getting us desserts or coffees or something. I assumed he meant that we would be given them on the house. When we asked for the bill, we were offered nothing - not even a drink on the house! Avoid this place!!!

Enjoyable meal here after a walk out Vico road. I had the pasta dish with lobster and my friend had halibut. Both were good and nicely presented. Side dish of carrot, cauliflower and broccoli was a bit unimaginative compared with the main dishes. Followed by a decent tiramasu and coffee. I like the atmosphere and we had nice seats by the window. I found the staff friendly. I'm not a fan of the automatic service charge of 10% but that aside I'd be back.

The atmosphere very welcoming, food fantastic, service very quick and helpfull. Quite expensive for an italian restarant but I didnt expect any less from Dalkey. I would definitly recommend the vegetarian pasta dish, absolutely delicious

A group of us ate here last nite. I ordered a starter and found a piece of plastic in my salad.Reported it to one of the waiters and she did'nt make any effort to rectify the situation. was very disappointed, service was a bit hap-hazard.wouldn't be rushing back here

went here with the 2 kids for an ealy meal. Very disappinted. So chaotic and noisy. Staff not very friendly and seemed to be busy chatting to each other and having a laugh rather than taking orders etc. Garlic bread ok, bit bland. Polpette was very tasty. Pizzas bland, although nice crisp bases. Wouldnt bother coming back, staff didnt bother to say goodbye when we left. Bit of a who cares attitide. disappointing.

We had a family Sunday lunch at Benito's yesterday. The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming and a baby chair was provided immediately on arrival - several other families were dining also. Minestrone soup was delicious, as were the calamari starters. Sea bream was filleted on request with no problem. The only niggle was that the accompanying vegetables arrived 10 minutes after we got our mains.

Went here for some lunch yesterday. Staff were just ok, could have been more helpful. The food was delicious but we were waiting for vegetables for our main course for too long and they came out tasteless and clearly just microwaved. It's good place for quick bite but I probably wouldnt' rush back.

ate in here over the weekend - a very enjoyable experience - service was good and staff were friendly. food was cooked perfectly and ate every bit! looking forward to my next visit!

Went here with my friends at one Saturday night. We all fell comfortable and get a good experience. The food was great, I ordered the Polpette Casarecce as starter and the main course was Lamb Shank. All the food was cooked just perfect and tasty. And the service was good as well, very friendly and helpful staff. Only the price was a little expensive I think. Will come back soon.

Full of families with kids, the noise is terrible. We decided to just order a pizza and get out of there. Pizza was ok, the service awful. Not a pleasant experience. Maybe the takeway would have been a better option?

Ate in this restaurant for the first time recently and was nt overly impressed. Walking in I got impression that the restaurant was a bit sticky as if it had been open all day. The staff were bright and breezy. I ordered the Anitpasti which promised a selection of parma, salami, vegetables and cheeses. I got the ham which was obviously straight out of packet in the fridge, there was 1 artichoke also straight out of a jar and 2 triangles of the same cheese. To me that is not a selection. I then ordered the pesto risotto with prawns. The presentation was not good but I carried on. It tasted nice but was extremely oily and after a few mouthfuls I could nt eat any more. My two companions both had the Mediterranean salad but these consisted of mainly leaves. One main course was the fish which my friend liked and another main course was the chicken stuffed with cheese. Very rich but tasty. The basil mash was lovely. To finish we asked for a cheeseboard and got some Carrs biscuits and 6 triangles of the same cheese - pecorino. When I questioned this I was told there were three different flavours ie spicy, aged etc. Where was the docelatte. cambozola, etc. So regretfully I won't be back.

Was at Benitos with a large crowd last night. Although the prices were very good on the early bird menu it had been agreed we would order from, the service was very poor and the food unremarkable. Also, the acoustics were dreadful and it was very hard to hear anyone talk. Unbelievably, although I ordered a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc at 26.50, I was not served it. I paid for it and it was poured without showing me the bottle, and turned so that I couldn't see the label. Only when I asked to see, did I realise I was being given a bottle of French wine. I said that was not what I had ordered and a few minutes later someone explained to me that they were out of the NZ wine and this was the nearest they had to it. (It was completely different, and I didn't like it at all) I was disgusted that the staff didn’t tell me they were not giving me what I had ordered. Finally they gave me a more expensive bottle of NZ Sauvignon Blanc. But they didn't seem to see anything wrong with replacing my original wine order without asking me my opinion and giving me an option to refuse. I will not be back.

Response:
I have checked with the person who sat beside me. My version of what happened is accurate. I was given French wine, not shown the bottle & not told it wasn’t the NZ I ordered. I did not choose the French; it is the first time I’ve ever sent a wine back (it was within 2 minutes). Then I was told there was 6.50 difference in the NZ wines; eventually I was offered the expensive one at the lower price. I would have liked an apology on the night, didn’t get one, hence my honest review. A review is an opportunity for a restaurant to improve the food or service, not to deny their blunder. Couldn't Benitos just have said sorry? Now I’ll be telling all my friends what happened. CCTV – yeah, right! However, I bet no-one else will be fobbed off with the wrong wine in the near future. I REALLY won’t be back!

Posted by: SouthDublin18 on 30/06/2010

Popped in here on Sunday evening for a quick bite. Nice atmosphere in the place , we were well looked after by attentive and efficient staff. I had meatballs to start...delicious! Really good in a very tasty spicy sauce. For mains I had a vege pizza which was typical tasty Italian fare , nice thin crispy base. Suprisingly for me there was no room for dessert! Bill for 2 came to 47.50. All good. Dalkey has a great choice of places to eat out but I'll happily return to Benitos.

I ate in Benito's with a friend on a Friday evening around 8pm and we were seated straight away. When the waitress came over to us to set the table, she quite disinterestedly told us of the specials and then left to answer the phone with our table half set. Unsurprisingly this gave us a less than ideal impression of the place. I ordered the lank shank and my friend had the 6oz fillet. Presentation of the food was very good and both were tasty, if a little rushed, and obviously pre-cooked (which is inevitable for the shank). Again we were left pondering the mind set of the staff when, after one mouthful of the very nice pesto mash, we were asked if everything was alright. The fork hadn't even revisited the plate and we were already being quizzed. I have to say the big let down for Benito's is the quality of service. In a market where Italian Bistro style restaurants are ten a penny, the focus really should be on the experience offered to the customer. There were a number of instances which left a distinctly amateur impression, and a number of irritating points. One particular instance was when ordering a coke, and getting a glass of warm, flat, straight from the 2 litre bottle beverage with two ice cubes in it. The final insult was the compulsory 10% service charge levied on the bill, bringing a distinctly mediocre experience to an end at the cost of €53 for two.

I visited Benitos with family last night and it pains me to say I will definately NOT be going back any time soon. On arrival after being seated it took at least 10mins for us even to be offered some water. We were not told about any of the specials of the day and the one thing that we did order was no longer on the menu. In my opinion if it isn't available it should not be advertised, it was, after all, the dish that had originally drawn me to the restaurant. We all had pasta dishes, none of which were memorable. The price for 3 mains and a half bottle of wine was 50euro approx. My first time in Benitos a couple of years ago was completely disappointing, I was hoping it would redeem itself this time....unfortunately it did not!!

Ate here with family . Very friendly staff had a lovely evening.

Bit of a mixed bag really. Food is genuinely good but my wife was disappointed as her "half-lobster" was more like a quarter or a third of said crustacean. Great atmosphere and very positive attitude from staff but a 40 minute wait between finishing starters and getting mains seems excessive especially when not terribly busy - would hate to see what it's like when it's busy. Feels like it has great potential but needs to sharpen up its act

First visit here as part of a group of 12 - we were really well looked after by friendly staff, and the food was delicious. Looking forward to next visit :)

Our shared antipsto starter was very good well presented with a good selection of very good quality cured meats and olives with artichoke hearts. Main courses were Mediterrenian Pizza and Risotto with prawns which were both average. Two nice coffee's to follow and we paid the bill which was expensive for what we had. Service from our female waiter was very good but her colleague was typical of a lot of restaurant staff we have encountered...casual and lacking attention to customers. Overall an expensive average experience and we will not hurry back.

This is my favourite local restaurant in Dalkey where I eat maybe once a week. Looking at the other customers, there are many like me. The welcome is warm and friendly. This is by no means a formal restaurant so the comments of one reviewer who complained because the waiter held up two fingers to confirm a table for two are not fair. The food varies from ok to very good with the pasta with local lobster being outstanding. There is an excellent wine list (all Italian, if my memory serves me right) as the owner, is a real wine enthusiast. The service is casual but efficient - as befits the type of restaurant and the expectations of the customers who know all the staff by name and vice versa. In a word, a good, friendly, reasonably-priced Italian restaurant in the heart of Dalkey.

Went here with the girlfriend. Got the early bird menu. I got the bruschetta for starters - it was really really tasty. She went for the soup. We both got the chicken for mains. It was really tasty. Service was excellent with really friendly smiling waiter. Overall good value with tasty food looking forward to going again!

Great night here doesn't look much from the outside but when you step inside it's beautiful. Very friendly staff specially our waiter who seemed to know exactly the level of service to give us, not too overbearing not forgetting us. Ordered our meal and we were brought a bruschetta which I could have eaten more of them for the rest of the night. Unfortunately this is the kinda place you want to lick your plate in but you can't. Food portions were big did not finish my starter or main (had the steak) but enjoyed every bite I ate. Looking forward to my next visit :)

Went there last night for my partner's birthday. We had checked out the menu on here, and read the reviews, and it seemed okay. We arrived and it wasn't extremely busy but there were other tables occupied. We were shown to our table straight away but neglected to be told the specials of the evening. Overall the food was good, the minestrone soup was a bit bland and wasn't what I am used to but it was fine. The main courses took a while to come to the table and when they did the food was different temperatures. I'm sure some of it had been sitting around while the meat/sauces where being done. The deserts were lovely. And they offered us a complimentary drink at the end of the evening but we were stuffed so declined the kind gesture. Overall the restaurant was nice but I wouldn't have said it was worth €90.00 inc 10% service charge!

Went for early bird which was great value. Think we paid 20 euro for 3 courses. I had Brushetta which was good, the chicken Diavalo which was big & yummy & the lemon cheescake which was gorgeous! The service was excellent. We were there in the middle of the day & they're were a good few people in & out. Try it for a tasty bite... but maybe not very romantic.

Average Italian fare. The €15 for two courses is decent value. The food is not spectacular, but the service and atmosphere compensate. The bruchetta was nice, as was the polpette starter, if a little on the small side. The pizza was average and could do with more toppings. The carbonara was good. All in all a good value enjoyable meal in a very nice setting.

Booked here at the last minute on Saturday evening after an unsuccessful attempt to get a table elsewhere. Just got there in time as they had to turn away other potential diners coming in off the street more or less as soon as we had arrived. We were 3 adults, 2 children and a baby and high chair was provided relatively quickly. Garlic bread was slightly burnt but pizza and pasta dishes were all ok. One of the kids had the prawn starter and chips as her dinner and the batter on the prawns was lovely and light. The other had a child's portion of carbonara and again they enjoyed that. Waitress made us feel it was no problem to get what we needed for the kids which was great. Our nineteen month tried a bit of everybody's and went away full. The two girls scoffed the chocolate cake until it got too much for them but was readily finished by my hubby and his son. A tirimisu was also ordered and vanished. Nice local restaurant but not necessarily somewhere for that special meal. Early bird is fab value though.

Four of us went here on a Friday night, very quiet. Three of us got the early bird, and to be honest, weren't too impressed. The pizza was basic and the base was actually too thin. The pasta arrabiata was boring and bland. I only ordered it because it said it was fresh pasta, but the sauce wrecked it. The only hit was the lobster pasta special, but otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.

We arrived at the door and a young man waived from the bar and held two fingers up! I nodded to say yes there was two of us and he pointed at a table by the window! This must be a new way of meeting and greeting in Dalkey? When the same guy took our order he was already walking away as we ordered our drinks and this was the tone for the night. The food was unremarkable after that and if I was to give this restaurant a little advice it would be to look after your customers and at least make them feel welcome on arrival and then maybe the food will taste better!

Early bird and Sunday lunch are great value here and there’s a nice feeling about the restaurant. Wouldn’t be keen on the name of the place but the food is delicious.

Early Bird on a Sunday. 3 courses for 20euro - although annoyingly not the same dishes on the main menu and there is no description on the early bird card. I had the minestone soup which was decent, and my boyfriend had bruschetta and tomato which was excellent. Lasagne came next unfortunatley quite lonely - no bread or salad which was a bit of a let down. My boyfriend had the canneloni which looked very similar but was tasty. Lasagne was ok, if a little small. Dessert was Tiramisu - quite good, and lemon cheesecake - delicious. I had a glass of house red which was good but not too much choice if you're drinking alone as this is the only thing available by the glass! Service was excellent - very attentive. 10% service charge added.

Had a nice evening here, the food was very good and teh service was friendly and prompt. The only reason i would think twice about going back was the value for money. The prices move it into the top league for restaurants in dalkey, but i'm just not sure the food can command teh prices. It might be a personal thing so please feel free to try and let me know if you agree/disagree

went here on Saturday for lunch. there were only 6 others in the restaurant and the waiter was still painfully slow. He was also quite rude. the table next to us had to ask for bread about 4 times. It was obvious he didn't want to be there. i had a pizza which wasn't nice. there were 4 pieces of salami and about 5 mushrooms on the whole thing. my date had the bruschetta for a starter which was lovely, but still won't be back

They have the best fillet steak I've had for the price. Not expensive but quality. Only problem was the girlfriend didn't like the pasta dish that she got.

Was here on Saturday. This is the nicest Italian I have ever had in my life. The minestrone soup was to die for and the lobster was out of this world. The service was amazing. The wine was really cold the way it should be. The staff were so helpful when deciding on what to eat without being in your face. Brilliant!!!!!. I fully recommend this place.

I was here a few weeks ago with a group on a sat night. What can i say, GREAT NIGHT. Their staff were so attentive, one girl in particular who was looking after our table really made our night. Our table got so much attention and regular trips to make sure everything was ok. All of our food arrived on time, which was great as it was a large group. Great selection of pizzas. The atmosphere was fun and we were left to enjoys our drinks, as opposed to been rushed out. I will be returning for a second visit soon.

Myself and friend ate here at the weekend and I can safely say I will most definitely be back. We shared a starter of prawns and then I decided on pizza, but far one of the best I have had in a long time. The staff were extremely friendly, efficient and bubbly which really made our evening. The bill was very reasonable and I left feeling I received value for money, not that I had been ripped off like with most restaurants. Overall it get a thumbs up from me.

My husband & I went to Benitos on Saturday night for a meal. We were disappointed as it was going to be a romantic night out. They had the lights on full; the room was too bright. A waitress lit our candle when we had finished our meal. The menu which is online is different to what they have on their menu in the restaurant. The portions were small enough. We weren't full leaving it. I had a fillet steak which was cooked perfectly with a handful of chips & a bit of salad. I never have a starter as I'm not a big eater but I'm sorry all in Benitos. We won't be back.

I was in Benitos a couple of weeks ago with a friend & it was yummy! We went for the early bird option & the pizza was delicious! I really like Benitos, it's relaxing, the service is great & the food delicious. The only thign I didn't like was the "entertainment", this guitar player came out & blasted us all out of it...way too loud! We had to seriously start yelling at eache other! That was the only part of the night that wasn't so enjoyable! Otherwise a lovely place to go.

I have been to Benitos before and really enjoyed it so I went back with a friend last nite. The food is delicious and great value for money. However when we were half way through our main course some guy with a guitar started playing and it was AWFUL! We had to shout at each other as he was so loud and to be honest I don't even think he was good! They should seriously rethink the entertainment as without it Benitos is a lovely place for dinner!

This was one of the most stale and boring places I've ever eaten. Really no good and dull

Have been here twice and can only say its ok. Foods fairly bog standard and nothing to get excited about. Service is quite good and on the night my group visited they gave us all a free drink and some free desserts - but reading all the other reviews they seem to be giving out freebies on a regular basis and you would have to wonder how they can afford to and are they compensating for something else all the time. I wouldnt really bother visiting again.

Benitos is a favourite and we go here regularly both to the restaurant and the take away. The pizza is always excellent - nice crispy bases and fresh toppings. Its very god value. The staff are lovely and very helpful... nothing bad to say about Benitos - definitely worth a visit!

Ate there last night - it inspired me to join Menupages.ie. We went for the Early Bird - we both have a food allergy and this was taken in to account - the Chef made us a fresh starter - not on the menu. We then had pizzas, yummy and fabulous Ice creams, a bottle of house wine, coffees and sparkling waters - and the bill was under €70.00!!! The waitress however was the reason we would go back. She was fantastic, funny, and helpful - she was so cool we were kinda hoping she would pull up a chair and join us!

We had a gang night out in Benitos last weekend and had a great time. First off, the staff are great - very friendly and so easy to deal with... nothing was too much of a problem and they kept the wine flowing all night! Our food, with the exception of 1 dish) was lovely - I had the Gamberoni Fritti which were yummy - so much so that I refused to share, but managed to snag some of the Polpette and the Antipasto Misto from unsuspecting friends which were both very tasty. As I don’t like olives, I passed on the Pollo Diavola but the friends who had it found it very claggy and overly spicy - the staff noted this and gave us a bottle of wine with their compliments to apologise. The fillet of cod was excellent and appreciative comments were made about the Sea Bass. My own Pizza Capricciosa (no olives, but onions instead) was perfect with a very thin and crispy base and the perfect combination of toppings. We even managed dessert and this was the highlight of the evening - everything was fantastic. The cheesecake, which I usually dread, was light and tasted of real lemon. The Gelati was home made and the chocolate orange icecream vanished at the speed of light, and the Tiramisu didn't stand a chance! The cost of this meal - €45 incl. service for 3 courses and lakes of wine... fabulous value and we'll be back (again!)

We went for the early bird. It was very busy but the waiters were very charming. Unfortunately our main courses took a very long time to arrive, but as a result our very apologetic waiter gave us complementary drinks. The food was good. Definitely great value for money which is hard to come by in Dalkey.

Visited Benito's as a treat for the children. We were 3 adults and 5 children, table was for 6pm so we wouldn't bother any serious diners. We had plenty of space and the restaurant clearly caters for family groups. No one told our waiter though. Throughout the meal he was frosty and superior - quite unusual for Italian restaurants where the staff are generally good with children. Our food was only OK (soggy pizza, flaccid deep fried mushrooms, dull salad but acceptable pasta dishes) and certainly didn't make up for the service.

I go there regularly, and am never disapointed! In Benito's you can expect good food at a reasonable price and fantastic service with a smile!

Found the place to be very bland and boring. Basically nothing for vegetarians to eat other than bruschetta (and non-vegetarian cheese based dishes) Bruschetta normally I love, however it was cold, extremely over seasoned and not very fresh. The menus look cheap and sparse, the staff were unfriendly and more concerned with gossip than waiting on tables. Also very loud with hoards of children.

Have eaten here a few time and the staff are helpful and fun. The food better than average and reasonably priced. The complimentry drink with the bill alway leaves you feeling good. Overall a pleasant evening.

Typical Irish-Italian. The food was nice but reminded me of something from a supermarket. Whilst good quality food, fairly priced and quiet good service, there is no atmosphere whatsoever in this establishment.

I have never been so disappointed in an Italian in my Life. The service is shabby, the pizza was disgraceful and the over all feel of the place is like a canteen. I went here for a meal on a Fri and the place was only half full, yet we were still shoved into a corner. We were not offered a wine list, just brought a bottle of house red. Which was very disappointing. The pizza was no better than a frozen, and our waiter spent more time texting on his mobile than looking after customers. I feel if its fast food you are after so to a Take Away. This place really leaves a lot to be desired. Very disappointing considering its great location. They also automatically add 10% service charge, which I feel is totally undesired considering the service was so poor. I would not return, even though I live around the corner.

The staff are friendly and the food has always been very good. The only downfall is that it can be quite noisy when it's busy.

It was OK - we went for the early bird on the Thursday. The menu for the early bird is VERY limited. I think the reason is to get you in the door and then you decide there's nothing to choose from, so you go to the regular menu. However, the portions of the early bird were fine and it was all ok. The flamenco guitar was a nice idea but totally deafening! You couldn't hear yourself speak. All in all, ok but nothing to write home about.

A very mediocre restaurant - only been when Don G's was full! Food is average, premises a bit uncomfortable .... However the food is standard Italian fare and good value. Good for families with children but nothing outstanding!

I was there once - few months ago - and that is really memorable are the names of the Chef dishes, many of them fascism-related. In Italy it wouldn't have long life but here we are far enough. Food was ok and staff nice.

Benito's is a good-value Italian eatery in the heart of Dalkey. What it does, it does well and that includes good caprese, tasty pizza and delicious bruschetta. The place is keenly priced and have never had a bad experience there. They do a well-priced lunch and also takeaway. Interestingly, I have some Italian friends who refuse to go there because of the connotations of the name (i.e. Benito Mussolini) so just good to know if you're thinking of taking Italians there be sure to check they're ok with this before booking!

I was in Benito’s last week for a birthday party. When we got there we were left sitting for about 15 minutes after being seated before anyone even gave us the menu. I ordered the fillet steak.... if you do the same make sure you get a big starter and a big dessert after... the steak was smaller than a beef burger and the quality wasn't much better. Very disappointed!

A good local Italian restaurant. The pastas are good and the pizzas very good. If you want a decent meal without getting all dressed up try here.

I went here on the first week of opening, after hearing great reports. It was cosy yet lacked an atmosphere. My minestrone soup was half oil, half tomato soup, and the pizzas were quite soppy. The pasta also tasted as though it was bought in a supermarket.

Benito's came highly recommended but was a complete disaster. The food was cold and badly cooked. The flavours clashed in every dish that we ordered and the waiter was completely disinterested in our complaints. Manager was nowhere to be found and the bill was exorbitant, particularly since the food was literally inedible.

A welcome addition to Dalkey's eating emporiums. Good food, served promptly and good sized portions. Enjoyed the Chicken Diavlo and Fruti del Mare pizza. Leave the Queens to all the Gavan L-B types and park yourself here for food, wine & Pirroni beers!