Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse

Best steak I ever had. My husband choose a 3 star restaurant to try during or visit. This restaurant would be comparable to a 5 star restaurant in Oregon. The steak is so tender and comes out already cut and sizzling. I had rare while my husband had medium rare and his friend well done. All three steaks were cooked to perfection. The marinate was so tasty. Food came out fast and waiter in was on par.

The first time I went here was two years ago and just realized I never reviewed this place. There were three of us celebrating my mother’s birthday. The steak is aged and was perfectly cooked. All the sides were delish. We were all pleased with literally everything. The décor, service and food was excellent. This place is in line with the style of steak and sides as you would get at Peter Luger’s. The difference is the décor and service was FAR better at Ben & Jacks. For that reason, I will always come back.

Restaurant week review:
Restaurant week is meant to give you a flavor of what the restaurant has to offer, I have a serious problem with places that cut costs to pump out meals for customers during this time. Maybe they don’t think the diners will know better? Maybe they were busier than normal? no excuses for an EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING experience.
I looked past the lackluster menu and mistakenly put my trust in the establishment, hoping that since the owners were two «Peter Luger Alums» that they would have some pride in their food instead of simply using their work history as a cheap ploy to hook in customers. Boy was I wrong…
Starting with the bread, we were given a chopped up arrangement of stale wonder bread… literally rock hard in places, no olive oil or accompaniment besides some land o’ lakes butter. I should have walked out, but my dining partner insisted it was late and the rest of the meal would be better. When we complained to the waiter they commented they were out of bread and had bought this at a deli down the street…
My friend and I started with the «Caprese» and «soup of the day» which I ordered after the waiter insisted it was excellent, needless to say I was a little hesitant at this point, the soup was supposed to be an «Italian pasta soup», which I guess is slang for leftovers… The Caprese arrived dry, no balsamic or oil, with a single slice of store bought mozzarella topped with a thick slice of unripe beefsteak. The waiter was not amused when we asked for oil to drizzle on it.
The soup of the day would have been better had it come out of a can, because this was the most watery vegetable stock with 3 pieces of pasta in it– immediately sent back because it was like drinking cabbage water… the house salad it was replaced with was better, but meh.
The steaks were 2 sirloin, and though they were cook alright for medium rare (perhaps a little overdone) they were likely difficult to fire correctly given how thin the pieces of meat were. They had absolutely no flavor, the cuts were undoubtably ordered from the same deli they got the bread from… We would have been better off going to food emporium and grilling our own. USDA Prime my ass…
In case you are still surprised, desert was store bought ices which were entirely too sweet.
Rude waiters, shitty food, honestly one of the worst dining experiences in my life… I will never be back needless to say.
Because I’m generous — ¹⁄₁₀

Was super excited to try this steak house after knowing that the owners formerly worked at Peter Lugers. The place was nice with the wine racks on the wall and was dimly lit. the atmosphere was there but the place was a bit more chaotic than I would have liked. I felt they tried to squeeze In more tables and tried to make the turnover quicker. Don’t get me wrong, the staff were friendly and we weren’t rushed out but everything came really fast, a little too fast. I was disappointed with my steak as I asked for Med rare and it came out Med well. It was quite dry and being that this is a steak house, this is sth that they can’t mess up on. My partner had the filet mignon and that was cooked pretty well, so I guess I was just unlucky. For dessert, I had the chocolate mousse which is sth that I don’t usually order but glad I did cos I really liked it. The crust was thick and crunchy and the mousse was not too rich. The cheesecake was disappointing tho as there we’re icicles in each bite. It def wasn’t defrosted long enough which is also a major fail to me. Would I come again? Yeah, I would give it one more try but definitely not during RW where I feel the quality is definitely compromised.

Came here for restaurant week. Wasnt too impressed with what they have. I mean. its not gross… but I definetly had better steak.

The staff is very friendly and the food is phenomenal. My wife and I have been here a few times, she usually gets a Filet Mignon, I usually get a New York Sirloin. The meats are cooked to temperatures of our liking all the time. Appetizers are great, their sizes are well too. Side dishes are also very good. Overall, it is a great steakhouse that has not disappointed us at all!

Had a great dinner with my cousins here. Make sure to order creamed spinach with the porterhouse. It’s delicious.

I surprised my boyfriend with a date night here last week, and it was absolutely perfect! He opted for a glass of Merlot, while I stuck with my usual Pinot. We started with tuna tartare and the caprese salad, both with were delicious. The tuna was incredibly fresh, and I loved that it on a bed of avocado. The caprese salad came with huge chunks of tomato and mozzarella, so I was very pleased. Salads are hit-​or-​miss with portions, and this was a big hit.
I don’t eat red meat, so I got the seafood pasta in a white wine sauce. The portion was INCREDIBLE, and I even had enough leftover for lunch the next day. My boyfriend got the ribeye and said it was the best steak he’s ever had. I could have passed on the broccoli, as it looked overcooked and sad. For dessert, we split the tiramisu. All in all, the great staff, incredible food, and perfect ambiance made for a wonderful date night. I will definitely return.

I was there in summer 2015. First I didn’t want to go in, since the place looks super fancy and we were dressed like typical tourists. However, the menu on the outside looked too good to miss it.
The menu I chose came with a salad for starters and a cheesecake for dessert
I had filet mignon with a crab cake. It was just amazing. I couldn’t be happier with that choice, I am still dreaming about this delicious crab cake!
Price was a bit high, but totally justified.
Also, service was great, even though we probably were not dressed like their typical customers:)

If you want to go to Luger’s without leaving the city, this is probably your best bet. Yes, you can go to a few others, but this feels a bit more authentic. Maybe because the waiters are made from the same cloth or the service is exactly the same. No BS. Meat is good. Bacon, which is usually my favorite appetizer, felt like it was better at Luger’s. The sides are fine, nothing particularly stands out.

Came in at 8 on a Sunday on a recommendation from the Nomad Hotel concierge. My companion had the attractive priced fixed menu with a green salad, a smaller sized but fair New York Sirloin and Cheesecake. I had a rare cooked New York Sirloin with Broccoli. Everything cooked to perfection. The waiter was attentive, fun and professional.
We also had 2 glasses of Moldavi Cabernet as well as coffee and ended up with a bill short of $ 200 including gratuity (we are europeans, so I guess they added the gratuity for that reason)
Will definately come back if I stay in Midtown again.

I probably have no business writing food reviews, because I cannot tell the difference between a filet mignon and McD quarter pounder. I will however, say the customer service was prime.
I had a huge group of friends over and the night just flowed pristinely (and so did the wine). The ambience is delightful and classy.
That said personally the filet mignon did not leave that much of an impression for my simple palette.

Ben & Jack’s overall score: 92
When you’ve been to as many steakhouses as me, the whole experience can start to get a little bit stale (hence my reviews of almost everything else out there lately). As you can imagine, there’s not much variance in the menu or methods of preparation. There are certain things that are just tried and true. But chef Admir of Ben & Jack’s is constantly innovating, pushing himself to experiment with new flavors, and actually competing in top level food events all over the country (and winning them, to boot). With a background in science, Admir understands exactly how the beef aging process works, how much humidity is needed during the process to avoid drying too quickly, and precisely when to cut off the process and get the meat ready for cooking. His knowledge goes beyond beef though, and it shows in his end product. Although my wife and I didn’t get to try too many of his most creative innovations, the basics that are on the menu here are executed with exceptional precision. Let’s get into it.
Flavor: 9
I initially received an email from Ben & Jack’s inviting me to come in for a porterhouse. As you meat minions probably know, my preferred cut is a rib eye. I asked Admir if there was anything to the porterhouse that set it apart from the other cuts, or whether the rib eye was a good gauge of his best abilities. He suggested the rib eye and a strip, so that’s what my wife and I ordered.
I scored the rib eye at an eight, but the strip at a ten. Crazy, right? I usually am not a huge fan of strip, because it occasionally has a bit of chew to it — a bit tough. But the strip here was incredibly tender, juicy and soft. It was perfectly cooked to medium and beautifully presented pre-​sliced on a hot plate.
You guys all know that I’m not a fan of the hot plate presentation (I worry about residual heat causing the slices to continue cooking the steak beyond medium rare), but the owners of Ben & Jack’s hail from a Peter Luger pedigree (some were there for nine and ten years before they struck out on their own). At Ben & Jack’s, they’ve preserved the traditions of great old standard bearers like Luger, but they have elevated and improved everything. The hot plate thing? It was fine here. Nothing got overcooked or continued cooking on the plate, and the lower edge of the strip, which tends to get a little overcooked because it is furthest from the bone, was still tender and delicious even though it went up to about a medium or medium well at the very tip.
Just so you know, the «they» that I am talking about are owners Jack (center), Harry (right), Ben and Russ (not pictured). And last but certainly not least, that’s Admir on the left.
Cousins, brothers, nephews, uncles, co-​workers/​co-​owners, and all around great guys, they left Peter Luger and opened up the first Ben & Jack’s (44^th street between 2^nd & 3^rd, currently being re-​modeled) back in 2005.
Okay so back to flavor… As for the rib eye, the cap was delicious. The fat was entirely edible and tasted like meat bubblegum with a little charred crisp to it. The cut was a partial bone-​in, meaning there was a small shard on one end, and a bit of bone across on the other side as well, but not connected completely.
This resulted in having some really nice fatty meat connecting the two bits of bone — like a good beef spare rib. The eye meat was tender and uniformly cooked the entire way through. This is what I’m talking about when I mean precision:
Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 9
You’ve got all the basics represented here, with a prime rib to boot. Everything is prime and aged in house. I can confidently report that Admir knows what he’s doing in the kitchen, and I’m looking forward to coming back for a tour of the aging room and the kitchen.
Portion Size & Plating: 9
Portions are good here. If I had to guess, I’d say my rib eye was about 18oz and the strip was maybe 16oz. The plating is basic yet rustic and elegant on the steak and sides, but with the apps you will get some very beautiful looking plates.
Price: 10
Since this was a press meal, I didn’t have to pay. I left a nice tip because the service was awesome, but the prices here were very fair as far as NYC steakhouses go.
Bar: 10
Excellent bar. The place was filled up even on a rainy Thursday at 7pm. It wasn’t too loud, and everyone was having a good time. The bar is long and wide, stretching back from the front of the house with high tops and plenty of elbow room to move around.
I’d definitely hang out here, especially because they make a killer martini as well.
We also tried a nice cabernet with the steaks, served in their «B&J» wine glasses:
One or two of Admir’s innovative ideas actually came in the form of cocktails inspired by their versatile steak sauce…
Review cut for length…

My boyfriend and I came here for our Friday dinner date! We were very excited about having dinner here! I got sirloin and My boyfriend got rib eye and we shared a side of asparagus. The steak was really good, Although, mine wasn’t cooked medium well like i asked but it just had a lot of red! I didn’t mind it though because it was still delicious! We only had 6 asparagus for $ 12 which i thought was ridiculous, But I know its a nice steakhouse and their prices is normal specially for NYC. Also, the location is amazing, If you sit outside you could see the empire state building while enjoying your meal :)

We went here for the RW dinner. It was a standard steakhouse. The staff was very attentive despite it being busy. The food was just «meh», not terrible but not good either. I was expecting more from a fancy, high priced steak house. Even with the RW discount, it still came out to $ 50 pp and I could have had better cuts of steak for that price elsewhere.
beef barley soup– standard
Canadian bacon– I was disappointed that it was not the regular bacon. However it was pretty good. It was not too salty and had a nice smokey flavor. The fat at the edges weren’t chewy but it melted in your mouth. It was the best thing I ate here.
lamp chops– It came with 2 medium sized pieces, although one piece was more tender and less gamey than the other. They both needed more flavor.
sirloin– It was a medium small piece. It was not the best piece of sirloin because I came across many pieces of tendons on the inside of the steak. The edge pieces had a buttery flavoring but the insides needed more seasoning. Their steak sauce was very good. It was not too overwhelming like A1.
steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes– Absolutely no taste: no salt, no butter, nothing.
cheesecake– OK. It was definitely on the light side, not too sweet or creamy or cheesy. It was almost like an Italian cheesecake.
carrot cake– standard but also not that sweet.

We sat outside because it was a great evening which probably wasn’t a great idea because the traffic on 5^th in that midtown area is always pretty busy and loud. Our waiter was very attentive and provided a great service.
We started the meal with the tuna tartare and the bacon. The tartare was OK, with avocado and seaweed and sesame seeds which gave it a bit of a texture. It was good but not the best I’ve had. The bacon was tick and a bit too rich for my taste but again I’m not a person who can eat a thick slice of bacon straight up.
For the main we ordered the sirloin, the prime rib and I had the surf and turf plus the German potatoes and asparagus for the sides. The sirloin looked really good even though I didn’t try it. The prime rib was just OK, def not the best, a bit tough and not the most flavorful. The filet from the surf and turf was def not a good cut and it was well done on the edges and rare in the middle. The lobster tail, although really large, was pretty tough and unflavorful. The German potatoes were also just alright, I don’t get the hype about them. I liked the burned pieces that were crunchy and gave it texture, sort of like hash browns but really not that special.
So all in all, although the service was great, the food was just OK. I don’t think I’ll be coming back, just too many way better places to spend $ 450 for dinner for 3.

Solid steak house fare at this spot near Madison Square Garden. If you need a bite before a game or concert at MSG look no further than the burger at this joint. It gets the job done and holds its own with some of the better burgers in the city

If I was to give my opinion based on a food alone Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse would end up with three stars. However, I have to add one for an excellent bar service!
The interior is simple and homey — light wood, dark wood, landscapes on the wall, small intimate tables. We were promptly seated and handed the lunch menu. I decided on french onion soup and chicken francese and both dishes were tasty, but nothing to remember fondly. My fiancé ordered 12. Oz. Sirloin Steak, which was highly recommended, but he also stated after eating that it was rather mediocre. We had cheesecake for dessert and it turned to be almost the best part of the whole meal.
Almost, because the very best part were drinks! The bartender was brilliant! It was enough that I told him ‘not sour, but not sweet, maybe sth with strawberry’ and five minutes later I had a really tasty drink on my table. I had three with my lunch: D.
We had a nice, quiet meal and the prices weren’t very high, so if you are nearby give it a go.

E-​Scale: ⁷⁄₁₀
Went here for restaurant week. I ordered the soup, filet mignon, and cheesecake. My bf got the bacon, sirloin, and cheesecake.
The bacon was surprisingly filling, I was skeptical at first because it was one slice, but it’s a good quarter of an inch thick.
My soup was mediocre. A very simple pasta, bean, and vegetable soup. It was served sloppily with soup crusted all over the edge of my bowl. I could have mistaken it for soup from a diner. As far as taste goes, it was very good soup and served HOT. Redeeming qualities there to make up for the lack of originality and presentation.
What stood out most was the filet mignon. I was given a substandard steak knife and it still cut through that filet mignon like butter. It has been a very long time that I have had steak that good.
My boyfriend’s sirloin was also very well cooked, tougher though compared to the filet.
The cheesecake dessert was underwhelming. It was not particularly bad cheesecake, but also not mind blowing. It looked and tasted like it came out of a box that the restaurant ordered from a local bakery.
I really liked the whipped cream side. Very rich creamy, though from the looks and taste of it, I wonder if it’s some kind of expensive cool-​whip.
I don’t want to give this place less than a 4 star simply because of the filet mignon. It is a steakhouse and they did the steaks just right. Everything else I may be able to chalk up the fact that it was restaurant week and we came at A VERY busy time.
I’d like to return here some other time to sample other dishes that are not on the RW prix fixe.

On November 9^th, I made my third trip to Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse; my second visit at this location. My Mother wanted to see a show and have dinner in NY for her birthday. When I asked her what she wanted to do for dinner, she said «that place with the good lamb chops.» I knew exactly what she was talking about. She wanted that king size portion of lamb chops she had at Ben & Jacks nearly two years ago for my birthday dinner.
The restaurant was not as very busy so we were able to move up our reservation. I think this is going to be the only complaint in this review. There was food particles stuck inside the menu that was handed to my wife. Now we have walked out of restaurants in the past due to cleanliness. Had it not been for the fact, that we knew from our previous experiences what we were about to enjoy in regards to the food; we probably would have walked out. I would hate for this place to lose customers on something as simple as making sure the menus are clean.
Dinner service at Ben & Jacks always starts with cocktails. Vodka Martini for the Wife, wine for Mom, and just like old times, an old fashion Manhattan for me. The drinks were good during our previous dining service, but they on point this time around. Since a drive to exit 4 on the NJ turnpike was in my future, I was restricted to one. Our first course consisted of Calamari, and beef steak tomatoes with mozzarella. Three thumbs up for the calamari, and two thumbs for the tomatoes and mozzarella; I am not a fan so I did not partake. We were actually considering dining someplace else earlier in the week. The look on my Mother’s face after taking a bite of her lamb chops said we made the right choice. She actually thought they were better this time around. The wife and I went with the steak for two and were extremely pleased; again.
From the moment you walk through the doors, till the moment you leave; you will see that Ben and Jack’s define service. When it comes to service, and their food, Ben & Jacks does it one way, the right way.

Ein großartiges Steakhouse! Wirklich amerikanische Steak Tradition. Hier bekommt man riesige Steaks vom «dryaged beef», welches in der eigenen Trockenkammer reift.
Für ein Steak sollte man allerdings USD 60 plus tax&tip plus Appetizer (ca. USD 10 – 15 plus tax&tip) rechnen. Dazu kommen noch die Getränke, wobei né Flasche Wein gerne nochmal soviel kosten darf wie ein Steak!
Wir hatten das Porterhouse for 2, medium rare, was wirklich hervorragend war! In meinen Augen jeden Cent wert! Die Beilagen wären allerdings nicht nötig gewesen, da das Steak mehr als ausreichend war für zwei sehr gute Esser… ;)