Bentara Restaurant

In my top ten all time favorite restaurants in the country. For you doubters: dine with a friend and order the roti chanai and spring rolls as an appetizer and try the Ayam Goreng Pedas and the Tom Yum Soup (both with the regular level of spice). You will leave there looking forward to your next visit.
Lunch service is sometimes a little slow, but that’s the worst I can say about this establishment.

Writing this review as my stomach is turning upside down again and I think ill pay a visit to my bathroom once again. My first visit to this establishment was 2 hours ago. I never had chance to try Malaysian cuisine before with reading mix reviews I had minimal expectations from this place. The food was ok however I had mix noodles, the beef included in that tasted little bitter. I couldn’t Eat more than few bites and had to pack it to go which I just threw away. I hope I don’t get food poisoning.

Just realized i never gave a review for one of my favorite places!
Now its one of my favorites purely for the one thing i always order– Goreng Pedas (regular spicy). Its so good.
The service itself is super slow… And i feel like it never comes out hot (temp wise) and each persons meals come out one by one (is there only one stovetop?)
But i love that one dish so much i get over the cons every time. I also wish they gave you more but I’m always contently full after it. So that request is just my pure desire to eat more of a good thing. :)

As a Singaporean eating food here, I can tell you its not place to Malaysian food at all. Was very disappointed and would never go back. We order Mee Goreng and Nasi Goreng and the taste was not near authentic.

What a gem in New Haven you don’t hear much about. Traditional Malaysian food for a great price and endless wine choices. Medium spiciness on the Village Rice was perfect. A great date spot and plenty of room for a large group. Best in New Haven, maybe?

Bentara came highly recommended by someone I trust who used to eat there years ago. After reading the Unilocal reviews, I had some trepidation, as I am a fanatic about service, and was ready to go elsewhere. When my daughter had to cancel, however, I decided to check it out alone and have a low tab, in case the experience was poor.
I walked a few blocks from my hotel to this spooky neighborhood — not a soul around on a snowy Sat. night except someone who asked for change, but left me alone when I declined. Inside the restaurant, however, the ambiance — which commenters barely mention — was great: beautiful lighting, nicely spaced tables, attractive layout that has some private nooks, a handsome little bar, projections (silkscreens?) of marionettes that reminded me of The Year of Living Dangerously, and cool music — Brazilian or world — played at exactly the right volume.
I was seated promptly at a table next to the front window, which was freezing. At my request, the waiter moved me to a warmer spot. My waiter was terrific — pleasant, attentive, efficient, prompt. Everyone working there was moving quickly, and if not on the floor or placing an order, they were putting away clean silverware or pouring water. Clearly, the owner has read these reviews and corrected the major service failures.
I ordered the tom yum soup with tofu and a Singha beer. My waiter assured me that the medium spice was indeed medium. Maybe it is for him. There was so much chili pepper in my soup that I sneezed and it burned my lips and throat. I ate it anyway. It was a huge bowl, way too much for this mere mortal, and I left a third behind.
The soup, accented with authentic Malaysian flavors of lemongrass and lime, was only fair; the shrimp-​based broth lacked character and did not infuse the tofu, which seemed to have been added one minute before serving. I am a decent home cook, and I expect restaurant broths, soups and stews to have complexity, a feat achieved only by building flavors and simmering for hours. I would not have a soup there again.
I would return for the bread that diners love and a grilled item, probably steak as the salmon reportedly is often overcooked or unavailable. Entrées are expensive for this cuisine and this location, but perhaps they’re worth it. My tab was $ 20 and I tipped the waiter more than 20 percent, to reward not only his service but the establishment’s turnaround of this essential element.

Bentara’s wide windows bring a lot of light into the front of the restaurant, which has a very open feel. They’ve also brought a good deal of warmth into their Mee Hoon Goreng, a fried noodle dish, which was a delight on a cold day.
This is my first experience of Malaysian cuisine, so I can’t compare Bentara to standards of that style. The dish was certainly cooked well and very flavorful, and it’s hard to ask more than that.
Our server was polite and efficient, and our water glasses never emptied. I was particularly taken with their tea, which was probably jasmine scented. I could have enjoyed far more.
If you’re in New Haven for lunch or dinner, this is a good choice.

When I was a college student here and wanted a nice meal for a special occassion Bentara was my go to. It was away from campus and had amazing food. Sadly I hear that the reputation has gone to crap since those 2011 days.
Super trendy with great food, curry, and experience. Sad to have seen it gone down.
Thank you for the past experiences Bentara, but like the ex girlfriend I went with here, it seems to have all just been a memory.

Bentara has seen a precipitous slide into that unfortunate graveyard of bad restaurants in New Haven. What was once a lively, always packed restaurant now is empty, sticky, and sad with poor service and mediocre food. I once hosted a cocktail reception and private dinner here for around 30 people a few years ago and was blown away by how attentive the service was and how delicious the food was. When the Bentara owners also owned Central Steakhouse, they even let us order off of the steak menu for our guests who were not as excited about the Southeast Asian fare.
Fast forward 3 years, and Bentara is not a place I’d take dinner guests again. After reading some of the recent Unilocal reviews, I was a bit worried about coming but thought that I would give them the benefit of the doubt. First of all, our server provided some of the worst service ever. I tried to order wine, and she told me that I shouldn’t order the Sauvignon because the «bottle was too big.» Try to riddle me with that one. Too big? Who wouldn’t want a large bottle of wine, especially for a dinner group of 5 people? Confused, I let her bring me another pricier wine menu. I ordered one bottle, she disappears for 20 minutes, then comes back to tell me they don’t have it. So I order another Sauvignon, and she disappears for another 10 minutes, only to return to tell me they don’t have that one either. «Coincidentally,» the only bottle of Sauvignon she has is a pricey $ 38 bottle left. Upcharge, much? Exhausted after trying to order THREE other bottles of wine, I relented, but very unhappily.
Now on to the food. You know it’s trouble when not a single person comments on it. No «mmmm-​ing» and «ahhhh-​ing» or any sentiment whatsoever about enjoying one’s meal! Everything just looked so sad, dried out, or doused in an unidentifiable sauce. I ordered the rice cake noodles, which were overly sweet, even for Malaysian/​Singaporean food. We order a few appetizers, including the stuffed tofu, satay, and the spring rolls. The spring rolls were mushy, the satay was hard and dry, so I didn’t even try the stuffed tofu.
I will NEVER come back here again or bring guests here. The service was inexcusable, and Bentara should be ashamed. I will not be surprised if they too, like Central Steakhouse, go out of business.

So unfortunate what has happened to this place. A few years ago, we used to frequent Bentara often. The food was tasty and creative. We went back last month, however, and it felt like a completely different establishment. We ordered the BBQ Salmon and the curried mussels. Both dishes were cold on arrival. The salmon was raw in the center and completely covered with a tasteless «curry» sauce that was the color of French’s mustard. We returned our dishes and they did bring us hot dishes — but mediocre taste. The manager did apologize but no comps were given.
Overall, definitely over-​priced. Not sure if they changed management and/​or chef, but the food recently has poorly prepared and terribly underwhelming.
Will not be returning ever again.

Will be avoiding in the future. The food is hit-​or-​miss, the silverware dirty, and the entire meal overpriced. We did have excellent service, but it didn’t quite make up for the rest.
We went for dinner on a weekend night and the place was mostly empty. When we sat down, some of the silverware was extremely sticky and the water they poured for us had a faint yellowish tinge. This is not somewhere I would ever bring a date.
The goreng stir fry we ordered came with beef that was tough, overcooked, and none too fresh. The ghee bread with egg and onions was bland.
However the tom yum soup noodles were very good, and the curried mussels were tender and flavorful. Our waiter was extremely friendly and attentive, anticipating our needs throughout the evening.
If you’re really craving Malaysian you can drop by and hope you choose one of their better dishes. However for the prices they charge you can find much better food and ambience in New Haven.

When Bentara first opened some 15-​ish years ago, it was fantastic. The filet mignon in particular was one of my favorite dishes in Connecticut — a prime cut piece of meat with fantastic seasoning. The food in general was good, the restaurant looked quite nice, with a touch of the exotic, and Bentara was clearly a pioneer in Ninth Square.
But Bentara today is an example of a once very good restaurant that has lost its way.
At a recent lunch, the Kelantanese Kerutuk that I was served was a visual mess. At best, one might say it looked like dog food; a more honest comparison would be to a certain bodily excretion. In fact, when it was served to me, the women sitting at the table next to ours actually looked at it and laughed. You must add some spice that changes the color from brown, people!
As one other recent reviewer noted, the utensils are cloudy and disgusting looking, and the first set I was given was missing a fork. And in fact, the entire place is tired and worn looking. The help is slow and doesn’t particularly seem to care.
Bentara had a good run, and deserves credit for that. However, if the management doesn’t care to uphold the standards they established over a decade ago now, it’s probably time to exit. In any case, I don’t plan to be back.

I really don’t know how this place is one of the top 10 restaurants in New Haven. It is way overpriced for the quality and quantity of the food. Nothing was worth mentioning in regards to the food. Everything was overly dressed with soy sauce. Probably gave me a few tiny pieces of poorly seasoned chicken in the stir fry noodles. Told us that the medium heat was going to be REALLY spicy… ended up being not spicy at all. I could not believe the prices on these dishes– $ 14 – 18 for a few strands of noodles and $ 22 – 30 for main dishes. Ridiculous.
To top everything off, the service was horrendous. It was like they were trying to get us out and the restaurant was empty. They were taking away plates while we were still working on the lasts of our food. I will never return.

Bentara — Whats going on?! From my favorite restaurant to one that keeps letting me down…
Over the past year (or so) the service and food has taken a real nosedive.
The service is very poor. It used to be great, and some of the old regular servers are there still and when they are it is on point and fantastic — otherwise, the new staff leaves a LOT to be desired. Especially, it seems, when thinking of the bar staff. They really haven’t been very friendly or accommodating.
The most annoying aspect of Bentara lately is the take out issues. I have both eaten in and dined out of Bentara with no issues what-​so-​ever in the past — now when I call Im constantly told the restaurant is too busy, or they aren’t taking take out orders — so we just go to order in person, and guess what, the restaurant is empty and we get food. So, is the staff just lazy now?! I really don’t know. Why would anyone turn away money and business? It blows my mind, and I have to think the owners do not know this is happening (and it happens, a LOT).
And to top it all off, the last time I got food (take out) from Bentara, myself and my partner got sick the next day. Like, mild food poisoning sick (I got all veggie dishes). The food didn’t taste right, and I guess I should have listened to my taste buds.
None of this would EVER have been the case before a year ago or so… what changed?
Whatever it is, change it back, because its a sad state of affairs over on Orange Street…
I really hate to say anything negative about a place I have held so dear for almost 15 years, however I feel its important to bring these issues to light, and I really do hope the owners of this great spot read these reviews… because you are wonderful Bentara… please PLEASE come back to me…
I miss Bentara. The way it used to be.

A-​OK but has gone downhill.
When I first arrived in New Haven some twenty years ago, Bentara was the edgy new place in town. It was the first trendy place to breach the warzone of 9^th square. The food was delicious and the ambience o-​so-​cool.
Have I become jaded in the last twenty years or is Bentara feeling its age too?
The food definitely seems to have gone down a notch in quality. What used to be fresh and sparkling on the tongue is now duller and oilier. It’s still good but I think the global foodie movement has made us all a bit more discerning.
I really liked their wine flights as it was a good way to really taste the difference between different varietals. Those are long gone — apparently, given the blank look my waiter gave me.
Bentara is still an impressive restaurant but resting on its laurels a bit. It needs a physical spruce up (the bathroom in particular seems like it has been 20 years since its last coat of paint) and the chefs and owners need to go to Malaysia for a month for a creative retreat.

Bentara is a restaurant that deserves more love in New Haven’s crowded culinary scene. It boasts some of the most authentic, delicious, and truly ballsy Indonesian cuisine I’ve tasted in the state.
I am not going to pretend I really know a lot about the menu, as I have been here maybe 5 times over the course of my life and have ordered the Tom Yum noodle soup with either shrimp or chicken every single time. But y’know what? It has been consistently awesome every single time.
The service here is not always perfect (my mother and I waited about five minutes before anyone came to give us a table) but the food really is pretty outstanding and, for the price, extremely awesome. I think my giant bowl of crazy spicy, delicious, and meat-​packed soup was about ten bucks.
Anyway, while this might not be the best restaurant in the entire state, it is one of very few spots in CT you can get truly awesome Indonesian cuisine and, what more, some food with actual heat!

A few associates and I went to Bentara, which is a Malaysian restaurant. We got there at around 7:15pm and were seated at a ta in able in a quiet part of the restaurant. Even as the restaurant received more customers, it was still nice and quiet in our spot.
The restaurant has an open feel and is simply and tastefully decorated. Service was very attentive, yet unintrusive. I was amused when I asked the server what dishes he would recommend, he pointed to the most expensive items on the menu. As dinner companions knew something about Malaysian food, I went with their suggestions, which were less expensive but very good. Entrees run about $ 15-​$ 30.
For appetizers, we ordered roti chanai, a light fluffy bread with a dipping sauce, and beef and chicken satay with a peanut dipping sauce as well. The satay, essentially grilled skewered meat, also came with sliced cucumbers and sticky rice pressed into cubes, which it made easier for dipping.
We each ordered a fried noodle dish which came with a choice of different meats, shrimp, or tofu. I ordered the mee goreng with tofu. The dish is composed of egg noodles fried with a variety of vegetables, onion, and chili. I chose a medium level of spiciness. Diner beware! I found the medium level of spiciness to be spicier than what I expected as did my fellow diners, but it still quite good. The dish comes with lime wedge, which adds just the right amount of acidity and balances the spiciness. The portion was great. In fact, I could not finish the dish and took the rest home.
For dessert, my friends ordered the chocolate torts and the fried banana with ice cream. I tried a spoonful of both of theirs – quite good. The fried banana/​ice cream was a huge dish! I ordered the «ABC,» which is shaved ice with syrup that is not too sweet, which was perfect, served with red beans, lychee, and grass jelly. Initially, I thought the dessert was bland until I discovered that one must mix all the ingredients together. The shaved ice sits on top of everything else. It was refreshing, light, and just sweet enough.
Our bill came out to be about $ 40 a person with taxes and tip included. All in all, a delicious and memorable experience. I would definitely return to Bentara.

Been here twice and both times they ran out of something that we ordered. The first time, it was the salmon for Ikan Percik (Grilled Salmon). Seriously?! You have 2 salmon dishes on your menu, how can you not have salmon? They did have it on our second visit, and even though it was delicious it was way overpriced at $ 22 for a piece of salmon barely the size of my palm (and I wear size XS gloves in my lab). Good thing we got an appetizer (Roti Murtabak — like Roti Chanai but with meat). Both their Roti Murtabak and Roti Chanai were delicious, and the only reason there was even a second visit.
For dessert we got this Asian ice slushy thing topped with jellies, agar, syrup, and red bean. Except they didn’t have red bean. Hmmm, isn’t there an Asian market right across the street?
Oh and ridiculously slow service for a place that is 90% empty…

This was my first time eating dinner here, though I’d been here for a happy hour or two and tried some of the foods at last year’s TGWNN party, beautifully hosted by the owner of Bentara.
I took my boyfriend here for his birthday (since he kept bringing it up and had no plans to actually go, +1 for Meredith). Actually now I forget what he ordered, but it’s my review! We started off with an appetizer of Roti Murtabak which was… ok. It tasted fine, but didn’t really have much flavor, nor spice. Generically bland, I guess. They were also out of the mussels which we’d originally wanted. Looking at their online menu, I don’t see the dish I ordered, but it was a plate of long beans, calamari, onions, etc. with a side of white rice. It was very tasty, not too spicy (I think I ordered medium/​regular?) and was incredibly filling. Service wasn’t super fast, but fine. I guess Bentara is on the ‘pricier’ side of dinner venues, but the food’s good and I’m pretty sure it’s the only Malaysian restaurant in town. Dinner for 2 with wine, under $ 75.

As you other Asian food lovers out there may already know, authentic and quality Malaysian food is hard to come by in most U.S. cities. The abundance of Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, and Korean restaurants can make you forget about the tasty food that comes out of this delicious south east Asian nation. The food at Bentara pays great homage to the authentic dishes of their homeland. For those of you who have yet to have the pleasure of trying Malaysian food, I think it’s best described as a blend of Indian and Thai spices and cooking techniques. Which makes perfect sense considering it’s geographic proximity to these countries.
OK, enough general BS about this type of food, let’s get down and dirty about what you can expect when dining at Bentara. I’ve been here 5 or 6 times and can say that while I did go in with cautious expectations, each time I’ve left feeling very satisfied with the meal. My only issue is that I have trouble remembering the names of each dish!
Yes, the service isn’t great. Yes, it isn’t cheap either. Yes, they don’t give me party pours of bourbon neat. But overall I’m always very pleased with the flavors and execution of the food here. I can’t speak of the whole menu, but here are the dishes that have tickled my taste buds:
1. Roti Chanai — Great way to start the meal with this Indian inspired unleavened flat bread. The curry-​like sauce is excellent for dipping and my only complaint is that they don’t give you more of it. My wife and I always share this appetizer, and I’m always wishing that I could just get my own. Ahh, the sacrifices you make for love… they’re endless!
2. Mee Goreng — This is a stir fried egg noodles dish with bean sprouts, cabbage, shredded carrots and sawi (mustard greens) flavored with soy sauce, tomato sauce, garlic, onions and topped with condiments. A solid and tasty noodle dish that is great to share with the table.
3. Mee Bandung — I was in a noodle soup kind of mood and wanted something flavorful and hearty. The waiter recommended this egg noodle based dish that’s cooked in a hot and spicy broth and served with vegetables. The bowl is pretty ginormous and you can probably fit two of your heads in it. The noodles are thicker than a thin Cantonese style egg noodle, which work well as you slurp up the spicy broth.
4. Kelantanese Kerutuk — now this dish is THE TRUTH! THE TRUTH! I challenge anyone who enjoys Asian food to not enjoy this dish. The light yellow coconut milk curryesk sauce is so creative and tasty that you will find yourself liking the plate to gobble up every last drop. The baby potatoes are cooked to perfection and it’s all simmered in a fantastic mixture of spices (coriander, fennel seed, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and chilies).
5. Kari Curry — while not as rich and deep in flavor as I like my curries, this is perfect for my wife’s tastes. We usually go with chicken as the protein and it is served with green bell peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes in a coconut curry sauce. The portion size is large and we often take home at least half.
To sum up this lengthy and verbose review, a very solid option for Asian food in downtown New Haven. You’ll probably spend a decent amount, but will also probably want to come back for more to try out the different dishes. Just writing this review is making my mouth water for that Kelantanese Kerutuk sauce!