Mr. Benny’s Steak And Lobster House

It looks like as of October 5, the Mr. Benny’s in Matteson has closed its doors for good.
A sign on the front door, says to vist there Mokena location.

Yesterday, my husband and I spent a wonderful evening at Mr. Benny’s! We were celebrating my birthday (9÷4÷2015) and from the caesar’s salad (prepared by Larry) to our server (Peggy), EVERYTHING (as usual) was 5-​star!
We understand the Matteson restaurant will be closing after many, many years on October 3^rd but NEVER FEAR… They will merge with the Mokena location!
So we will follow them and «Move the party» and continue enjoying the fantastic service in Mokena!

We go to Mr. Benny’s about once a year, and this was our first disappointment. I went there for Valentines Day with my wife and daughter — terrible experience! We made reservations weeks in advance, only to get seated by door where cold wind hit us. We asked to be moved as soon as they sat us, our request was denied, and our waitress then had an attitude. We waited 30 minutes for drinks and water. Menu was limited due to the holiday. My wife’s fish/​meal was served cold, and my medium well filet was raw (blood red, not pink in the middle). Steak was sent back, filleted and returned within minutes with only the middle surface seared, still red in middle of the halves. My daughter asked for ketchup when her meal arrived, which the waitress never brought. Bad food and poor service.

My husband and I love Mr. Benny’s. I personally really enjoy the throw back décor and I love the sound of Frank singing while I eat. We try to go on prime rib nights because it is our favorite. For me the food and the service is first rate. I love the fact that the owner recognizes us when we come in and that we can just sit at the bar and have good conversation with the other patrons. I never feel rushed, or mis treated in any way. I have been going to the restaurant for several years and it is a special treat

I spent new years eve dinner with my boyfriend and another couple at Mr. Benny’s, and it was a complete success! We arrived about ten minutes early and had a drink at the bar, within five minutes our table was ready and we were seated. Even though the restaurant was extremely crowded, it was new years eve after all, we had great service. My steak was absolutely melt in your mouth good, though I wouldn’t expect any different. Everything was wonderful!
This place had fantastic «old world» class that is hard to find in the restaurant industry today. The service and food are divine! Keep up the good work Mr. Benny’s; I’ll be back when I find myself in the Midwest!

Classically awesome. I recently joined my wife for dinner here and met a friend for her birthday. Firstly, the owners immediately greeted us and welcomed us. Secondly, the interior is stuck in a supper club time warp and I loved it. The food was expertly executed without pretense. I had a NY strip and my wife the lemon chicken. We also order the house made blue cheese chips; terrific. In a world full of over the the top and hipper than thou pretense, Mr. Benny’s delivers the comforting Chicago steak house goods we crave from time to time. A true gem in the south suburbs. Thank you folks and keep up the great work!

Amazing service… Warm, Inviting ambiance with an old world Chicago feel. Hit the bar to unwind and finish up in the dining room with wine and an excellent steak. Medium rare was done right with a sweet lobster tail finish. One of those family owned since forever ago places that the locals know well. Houston Texas says thank you for vary enjoyable Sinatra music filled dinner.

Very cool ambiance! I wish steakhouses were still like Mr. Benny’s! Old school done right! Have the calamari (yum), soup & filet.
The soup was a shrimp gumbo… so good! The filet was perfectly prepared! Amazing flavor & the definition of medium!
I’d love to go back!

Awesome restaurant! I never comment on restaurants unless they are amazing and this one is great! I travel a lot for work and go to tons of places to eat around the country and this one is one of the top!

There are steakhouses, and then there is Mr. Benny’s. Established in 1971, the food, décor and service seem to take customers back to that era, when excellent cuisine, attentive service and atmosphere were the norm, not the exception. Mr. Benny’s is everything a steakhouse should be: with classy, subdued décor; fabulously attentive service (Rebecca was stellar!); and food fit for a king and his queen. We felt like royalty, were fed like royalty, and thise are reasons enough that Mr. Benny’s will never need anything but word-​of-​mouth to keep it’s doors ooen and it’s clients completely satisfied. Bravo!

So yummy! The blue chips were awesome and the filet was perfect. I liked that the décor hasn’t been updated.

In town on business I was craving some steak or lamb, and Mr. Benny’s seemed to have good reviews so I decided to give them a shot.
I was greeted by the hostess and another gentleman who was the owner or manager — e shook my hand and was very nice.
The restaurant is dimly lit and has a very nice atmosphere. It feels like what I would think an old steakhouse from the 70s would look like — but it is well kept and everything also looks brand new — so it’s either been kept in pristine state or is supposed to have a retro feel. It’s very nice. They had some Frank Sinatra playing when I came in — and olé blue eyes kept playing through my whole meal. While it was pleasing — I would have preferred a little bit of variety in musical selection and not just Frankie. But if that’s the worst I have to say about the place — and it is — then it really is a totally non-​issue.
I ordered the New Zealand rack of lamb. I was brought nice warm fresh breas sticks with butter. My meal came with a garden salad — which was very nice mixed greens and not just iceberg lettuce. There was spiniach and other greens.
My lamb arrived on a sizzling hot plate — I had chosen the «cottage fries» which I guess is a fancier way to say «waffle fries.» — and my green vegetable was brussel sprouts. The lamb was cooked just the way I asked — medium rare and was quite good and well seasoned. The fries were also very good — well fried, not too greasy and just the right amount of crunch/​soft ratio. The sprouts were great too — they were halved and grilled with a nice buttery garlic sauce.
Overall — great experience, great atmosphere and great food. Go, you won’t be disappointed!

This place is my go to spot! I’ve never had a steak here that was anything short of excellent! My mother eats on a gluten free diet and they’re always more than willing to accommodate. The food is excellent the service is second to none and overall they just do everything right here. I’ve been going for years and hope to continue!

I’m sorry to read some of the pretty scathing reviews for Mr. Benny’s. When you go to Mr. Benny’s be prepared for an old school steakhouse experience. That means Sinatra and Dean Martin music playing in the background, brick walls, red leather chairs and a good gin martini. No sports playing on TVs in the bar either– how refreshing! Love the self-​service coat check.
My husband and i live in the area and just felt like a night out. We’d been here before for a last minute New Year’s Eve celebration– that night it was very crowded and dinner was a bit harried. Last Saturday, however, was a much more relaxing experience. We had a lovely, leisurely dinner with excellent service. Most of the tables were filled with large groups– probably Christmas parties.
We had some pretty good Cab, the aforementioned martinis. He started with a wedge salad and I had the tableside-​made caesar– one of the best I’d had in a long time. They make it extra zippy with a dash of tabasco and some great croutons. You have to try the cottage fries– they are thick housemade potato chip fried to a dark crunchy brown– yummy! My scallops were very good and my husband really enjoyed his grilled whitefish, too-​both came with small sides of sauteed escarole.
No, it’s not trendy and it is a bit pricey, but we’re awfully glad to have it here nearby.

Hello, FOOD SNOB here.
Well 20 years ago went I went here I would have given this place 5 stars. But with a changing neighborhood you have to make changes. Still a good place to go for dinner, but the menu is much more limited these days. One type of fish, one type of veal etc. Dinner comes with a salad which is very good. Mixes Iceberg and Green leaf together for a good combo.
My fish was very tasty. The ribs were OK, have had better.
Dinner comes with a choice of Potato. Would be nice if they had some kind of Veggie on the side with it too.
They were also a little skimpy on the Martinis. Could have been a little bigger.
The inside is very nice and the service was very good. But has seen better days.
They do have a location in Mokena Il. Perhaps they are putting more into that location. Maybe I will get a chance to try it some time.

In a world of chain restaurants with their over processed «fire grilled» fare and younger staff calling you and your wife «guys» and continually trying to upsell, we were taken by friends to Mr. Benny’s. A trip back in time where first rate service, dark décor, no rush atmosphere and Sinatra ruled.
Had one of the special fish offerings (Chilean Sea Bass). Portion was huge and hard to finish. My wife had the Salmon and loved it… and couldn’t finish it. Our friends, who are regulars ordered «the usual». The waitress knew. No rush environment, encouraged to linger. Reminds me of the nicer places my parents used to take me… except now I have to pay.
Anyone who gave this place less than 4 stars, probably would be happier at Applebees.

I imagine this place was all the rage once upon a time but that time has passed. I can think of lots of other places to get a better steak. The service was very friendly but the meal was less than average.
Needs not just an update but a complete redo of both the physical plant and approach to cooking and serving food. Time marches on and it has left this place behind.
Won’t be back.

The owner has now written me harassing messages twice because of my earlier 3 star review of Jan. 7^th 2011. He just told me that it is customers like me that make him dislike the restaurant business. He does not have to worry, I will never be his customer again.
One message I can understand and I got it last Spring. To message me again is inexcusable. I have blocked him.

In an area full of chains, this family owned steakhouse really stood out.
Definitely old-​school with brick walls and black iron. And the service is old-​school too with the owner shaking my hand at the door, making small talk, introducing his sister who waited on us. They even made the Caeser table-​side! Now we came at the end of the night so that could be timing. But we genuinely felt welcome.
The food was wonderful. Oysters and salad were not too expensive, but steaks and seafood were definitely pricey. We had the New York strip and the bone-​on ribeye. Both cooked rare as requested. We felt the prices were worth it considering the quality.
All and all a wonderful experience with a friendly vibe that’s rare! Plus Sinatra on the hi-​fi. :)

I really enjoyed this place tonight. The highlight for me was the super-​friendly staff, who asked my name when I arrived and remembered it through the whole night. Very relaxed, very friendly. Nobody seemed to mind a bit that I was a little underdressed for the place. A brother and sister run the place, she was hostessing, he was bartending, and it was a nice family feel.
The atmosphere is low lighting with sinatra-​type music, and it does feel like something from an earlier time, but not in a bad way.
The food was really good. I loved the baked french onion soup, also loved the caesar salad (prepared tableside, kinda cool). Their hot fresh breadstick-​like bread was super good. I had the filet, and Larry my server and bartender had it cooked exactly to the doneness I less-​than-​expertly described. It was a really flavorful steak, makes me want to go back there tomorrow just thinking about it. The only food item that was not fantastic was the double-​baked potato, mine was a little dry, but based on the quality of everything else I bet that is not the norm.
Super-​friendly people, very tasty food. This was my first visit but I’ll be back.