Bennie’s Thai Cafe

I went here for lunch with my partner. I ordered Thai fried rice with chicken and thai iced tea while my partner ordered curry beef with brown rice and thai iced coffee. Although the beef was chewy, the flavors were so good. The thai iced tea and coffee were too sweet for me though. I had to dilute with water X5. That said, see below my list of pros and cons:
Pros:
Decent prices
Attentive wait staff
Well-​flavored food (there is a balance between the spices and actual food)
Wait staff does not hover around you asking silly questions like «how is the food?»
Cons:
Borderline crowded
2 toilets (one for males and one for females)
Food is prepped so quickly which can be a tad bit suscipicious

Stopped by Bennie’s for a quick lunch after flying in from Chicago. The space is pretty good for a NY FiDi lunch joint and service was very quick. I was seated immediately and chose to order off the menu rather than one of the lunch specials which are served more of a fast food Chinese buffet way with ready made dishes on display and you choose your entrée. I started with the tom kha gai soup and the cashew chicken with brown rice. The soup was tasty, a slightly different broth flavor than what I’m used to with tom kha. My only complaint is that the chicken and vegetables were cut in huge pieces and strips that it was hard to eat from a soup spoon. I realize for efficiency they use the same vegetables they keep cut for the entrees but it wouldn’t be the worst thing if they had some smaller cut soup friendly veggies to prevent having to use a fork and knife to cut them up in your soup bowl. Same thing with the chicken. Props to it being served in an authentic shallow stainless steal bowl with handles — somehow added to the flavor (in my head).
The cashew chicken was a nice treat and further confirmation in my theory that east coast Thai is different from the midwest and the west. In western states they serve cashew chicken with pineapples and everything is more soy heavy. East coast doesn’t use pineapples and they make their sauces more authentic without soy! I just wish there was more sauce in the dish. Servings are definitely big for the $ 11 – 12 entrée portions.
Overall Bennie’s is trustworthy and quick but not exactly special. The Financial District is hurting for good Thai and Bennie’s is one of the best in the area.
I’ll swing by here again next time I’m visiting our NY office but more for proximity than anything else.

Don’t order their Thai ice tea, it is tooooooooo sweet! I never had such sweet Thai ice tea. And when I order, she told me is $ 3. And then I ask for no ice, she said $ 3.5! I ask why, she said because she need to fill the whole bottle! OMG can not understand.

Given the severe lack of Thai lunch options in the financial district, Bennie’s usually wins my Thai business out of default. The place is big and open with lots of seating but gets packed in the middle of peak lunch hours. I always go with the spicy noodles with chicken, which is decent enough and a hearty helping. The wait staff are also really nice and pleasant. I understand how people may be annoyed that they only take AMEX or cash but I am so used to having my AMEX card shot down at different merchants I actually find it endearing.

I had been looking forward to eating here for a while since my friend had mentioned that they had really spicy jungle curry. If you know me, you know that I am a huge fan of spice. The spicier, the more heartburn I have, and the more cleared my sinuses feel the better.
They are located half way underground, so that it feels private and quiet, a feel that is quite welcome in the heart of NYC. There are small windows that span the upper half of the wall, so that you can spy on the legs of people who are walking by the restaurant.
I ordered a jungle curry, extra spicy and was asked «are you sure», which made me all the more excited since it usually indicates that the spice level is through the roof. They serve the curry in a small metal bowl and some rice in a separate bowl. I was surprised to see that the curry is not the standard green thai curry or red thai curry that I think about when I see the word curry. Rather it looked like some sort of broth with an assortment of meat and vegetables in it. Extra spice just meant that they added a lot more of those dried red peppers in it, which I did not feel made it more spicy, just more of a nuisance to eat since there were way too many.
It is a nice meal for a cold winter day however, and I did enjoy the subtle burn that dish provided. It was well flavored and the price was decent for NYC.

Hands down best Thai food in downtown. Don’t go to other Thai places around the area, it is more fusion, and taste like Chinese food.

The Pad Thai here is pretty good. The best that I have had in this area of the city. I will definitely eat here again.

Great little downtown gem. Great pricing. It is below street level and can get crowded during lunchtime. They make great Pad Thai and other dishes. Good spice levels! Friendly staff. I’ve come here several times.

Perfectly reliable Thai take out food. Never been to the restaurant. But order in a variety of dishes like green curry, pad Thai and they are always fantastic and perfectly Thai-​spicy!

My lunch place for Thai. I usually get the Thai green curry with rice from the counter, zero waiting time and it’s cheap. They would kindly give you an extra spoon of sauce if you ask. For sit down my favorite is pad thai. Love the sweet peanut taste, yum. I took some co-​workers there too and they liked it too. Prices have gone up in the last couple of years though. Lunch special (curry+ rice) is now $ 8.70 as of November 2015.

Careful, you might miss this place because the address is oddly placed and it’s actually a couple of doors down in the basement. Last night I had Pad Thai Noodles, a staple that you can never go wrong with. The atmosphere was very rushed, but it wasn’t crowded at all, they didn’t even up sell me with appetizers or desserts, some folks might appreciate that. However I didn’t feel the need to actually leave, I sat for a few after my table was cleared and the bill was closed. I’d definitely go back for their chicken pad Thai noodles. I only gave it 4 stars on the food, it’s not the prettiest Thai restaurant I’ve ever sat in.

Good Pad Thai and good service! Will stop by whenever I can just or the pad thai.

I walked all the way here from my office and it is very annoying that they only accept cash or American express.
Save yourself thebhassle and do not make the same mistake I made.

Lets start with the fact that this place is on the lower level of the street, which makes it a bit difficult to find. I was standing right on the front and i could not see it. Eventually i remember somebody mentioning that when you are at 88 fulton you must look DOWN!
So there it was in sub cellar level of te street. I walked in right at the opening of lunch 11 am, i didnt even bother to see the menu. I just wanted pad thai and a thai ice coffee. I can see the waiters waiting eagerly for customer to come into the restaurant. Within 10 minutes i had a nice serving of noodles with crush peanuts and large shrimps. It was more sauce than usual but i went for it. At first i tasted the sauce it waa a bit too sweet for my taste. I had it at other places and they seem to put much more garnish than at bennies. The shrimp had a nice bite to them and they were very well seasoned. Overall it was good, lets talk about price. Given that this is Manhattan and we are near the financial district I have to say it is a bit expensive $ 14, the ice coffee was good but the waiter brought it out with the condense milk already in it. For ny taste the coffee was very sweet. It could have had less condense milk but for coffee i defintely will return. As foor food, i will have to come back and specifically check the lunch specials of the day. The table next to me commented that the lunch specials are the best bang for the buck…

Been rolling through here like a stone for about 15 years. My picky side would have me eating old good reliable chicken with garlic sauce. (This was all I ate when it came to Chinese food, so I carried it over to other cuisines, safety was it).
I am no longer that picky dude (different picky dude now :), and went with a Chicken Curry which I enjoy at other Thai restaurants, also because the garlic chicken wasn’t on the lunch menu. My friend also ordered a Chicken with Basil from the lunch menu. The meat was subpar, either fatty or dark meat where as we also ordered a garlic chicken off the full menu so he could try it and I could continue to try it: P, and the meat was all white meat and cleaner/​leaner.
It seems Bennie’s may be using the eh chicken for lunch, which I guess would save them some money. I’m sure folks don’t mind, but for my companion and I it was two different worlds. It bothers me that it’s not consistent across the board, lunch and dinner. Shoot I ordered them at the same time. At least mention it on the menu, maybe charge more for the option of white meat? Also it’d be nice to get a salad with the lunch special, this would make it more special.
About the value, as it has been years since I’ve been popping in it seems the costs has gone up (to be expected with real estate, etc) but you’re not getting anything more than you would some where else.
I ate at Enthaice on the Upper East Side yesterday and the lunch special alone was $ 7.95 for a protein with your entrée and an appetizer. Both restaurants have Thai staff. Definitely feels like the better value and quality is with Enthaice and other restaurants. I will still pop in from time to time for the chicken with garlic sauce (Pad Gra-​Tiem Entrée garlic sauce) at Bennie’s, but those times may not be as frequent as they once were.

I love how another reviewer says there’s a «language barrier» in this place in terms of service — I’m guessing because the servers are Asian and not, OMG, Caucasian? In NYC of all places, too!
Good, friendly, and fast service.
Food came out super, super fast (too fast, suggesting the food had been re-​heated or pre-​cooked). Ordered fried dumplings and they were tasty but came out about 5 minutes after I ordered them.
Also had some kind of noodle with chicken and squid (forgot the name, not pad thai). Only had several pieces of squid and ¹⁄₃ chicken.
Tasted OK, but not great — wish it was spicier.
Décor is lackluster but very average place.

I’ve had food here and have liked it in the past, but today as I passed by their side door during lunch, I saw a slab of meat wrapped in something just sitting on a table with a door open to the outside.

This place is below ground level.
The thai fried rice had that distinctively thai fried rice smell. I still don’t know what it is yet, but would love to know.
The Tuesday pork lunch special looks like it’s worth coming back for.
Cash + Amex only.

This restaurant is like a hidden treasure. You might not find it right away because it is below street level. The family that runs the restaurant is adorable. Great Pad See Ew. Oh and they have the cleanest ladies restroom in all of NY. They even use Bath and Body Works hand soap. My cup was always full of water, instant refills, you won’t even need to ask.
Hospitality: ***** (my glass was always full) Taste: **** (my fav Thai restaurant is in SF) Cleanliness: ***** (Bath & Body Works soap) Location: ** (hard to find, but you will be glad you found it)

Not bad for some good afternoon eating if you’re down by the Wall St area looking for a decent Thai spot.
The lunch specials are worth it and will keep you full and satisfied. It didn’t taste as good as Obao but the green and red curries are delicious; they taste lighter than most places.
Just a fair warning. If you come during lunch, they will take your order in a hurry and will scoot you out equally as fast. Grandmas gotta make way for more patrons. So eat quick.