Bennie's Red Barn Reviews

Love this place! Outstanding service. Best steaks we have had. The Derby Pie is awesome too. And add romantic lighting, big fireplace, and a singing waiter.... doesn't get any better.

The food was pretty lousy. I had the seafood platter and the scallops and oysters were rubbery and chewy. Nothing tasted fresh - it all tasted like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for several hours. Our server was very nice and gave great service, however the food was just not good.

This restaurant has been on St. Simons at least since my childhood in the 70s, and I love to eat here on my visits home to see family. There is a unique blend of rustic charm in the decor and elegance in the dining experience. The prime rib is spectacular! Parking is easy also.

Had this guy singing with a beautiful voice and the food was amazing

Inquired into eating here on the 31st on the 30th, and was told to arrive around 5:30 pm (opening). We arrived on the 31st, but there was no available seating for the entire night (they made no indication it was reservation only - no big deal, just make sure you get a reservation on new year's eve). They informed us and several other groups that we could make a reservation for the following night, which we did. The following night, when we arrived, the doors were locked and a sign was posted that the restaraunt was closed for new year's day, despite the three groups in the parking lot waiting on the 5:30pm opening. Not sure when the business is actually open because the staff doesn't seem to know when the business is actually open. Will update the score next year if we manage to get in.

The food here is absolutely delicious. Our waiter was wonderful & attentive. I cannot wait to come back here!

OH MY GOODNESS!! Loved the food and the atmosphere! Such nice people

Old historic barn converted to a restaurant in 1954. Pricey but seafood was fresh and delicious.

We got to restaurant at opening. No large crowd. Rude hostess sat us in a corner. Not anyone else in the place even spoke to us. We waited over 15 minutes.
Other people after us were being waited on and had food on the table. We got up and left. I hope this is not the normal for them. Very disappointing.

Steak was fantastic but i felt the servers were quite impatient with our party, but all in all i wouldnt say it was bad

Love the bar wrapped around the tree growing through the middle of the bar, a must see!

Amazing at Christmas time! I so enjoyed it so much the staff atmosphere and being with family and friends!

Some things never change. Always great steaks and Southern charm.

I'm not sure if this place has just gotten worse over the years or what. I have fond memories growing up of going to Bennie's and enjoying the atmosphere and the food. I was visiting the island recently and decided to head out and grab a good steak. Service was horrendous, taking 20 minutes to even get our drink orders in. I ordered a filet medium rare and was presented with a steak that was stone cold and raw completely in the middle. I hate sending food back but this was far from medium rare and looked like it had a quick sear on either side then dumped off. I asked the waiter if it was medium rare which he responded yes without looking at the steak. I apologized and asked for it to be thrown back on the grill. The waiter takes the food without saying a word. Later I'm presented with a steak (from what I'm assuming was a manager) that was straight out of the microwave and was asked if this was 'better'. Needless to say I was not impressed and decided to pay the bill and get the rest boxed up. It's a shame people come to the island and get suckered in to this place. For the prices I can get literally dozens of better steaks here in Atlanta at a number of different places. Such a shame that I'll never be going back to a place that I used to have fond memories of.

Great steaks. Super wait staff. Interesting and historic interior.

The service was not exceptional, but not bad. The "entree's" come with house salad and choice of baked potato or French fries. I ordered the T-Bone steak, medium, baked potato. The salad came out first. Iceberg lettuce swimming in a "pool" of oil and vinegar dressing and two small slices of tomato. The lettuce were huge pieces, unwieldy, and frankly I don't like having to use my knife on my salad. But it turned out to be ok, because the salad was unedible after the first bite. The disappointment was profound, especially since I ordered a pricey steak dinner. The steak was cooked to order, but was not as good as what you could get at one of chain steak houses. Its hard to ruin a potato, but the fact that the potato came bare, without the condiments on it, was another disappointment. I ordered the potato "all the way", (butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon bits, chives are normal) but all of the "toppings" came in separate containers, except chives which never came at all. Overall, the ambience of the place was quaint, but the food is sub-standard and/or way, way overpriced for what you get. Will not repeat. Ever.

Very nice, food was great but over priced (noodles were soggy). Good service.

This was a really, really nice surprise. Good food, nothing fancy, but did I mention good food. The scallops were as good as anything I ever had in Boston and the house salad with its wilted lettuce was exactly as my mother made it and they happily shared the recipe with me!

Good steak at decent prices. There service was quick, but it wasn't too crowded that night, so it may be a bit slower on a busy night.

An outstanding place for good food and music with an incredible decor

Sunday brunch buffet is worth the trip. Yes it's fried, yes it has pork fat in it, yes it will kill your arteries. Enjoy it, most people live to long as it is!

Yes Bennie s is BACK! Tonight the service (Jamie) was incredible.
Folks there are some bad reviews out there with time issues.
Well let me educate you on how top quality food is prepared...the guys in the kitchen (Greg & company) prepare each meal to order. You can bet it is worth the wait...The prime steaks are hand cut and cooked over a live oak fired grill. Get ready there is no where this can be replicated. Simple flavors done right! Done miss this when on SSI. Plus this is the landmark restaurant on SSI.

Great atmosphere and something for everyone. The wait staff is wonderful!

Best ribeye in South Ga. Gin and tonics were also superb!

Good atmosphere with nice cuts of meat. The salad and bread were both decent as well. The only gripe I would have is with the way the steak was cooked / seasoned. I ordered a medium rare ribeye and there were parts, even near the center that were almost cooked all the way through. Secondly, and this may be personal preference, but I like quite a bit more salt on a steak prior to it being grilled. I felt that the one I ordered here was somewhat lacking in that department. Not bad, by any means, or even worthy of bringing up to the staff, just a heads up. I will likely be back as there does not appear to be a lot of good steak options in the area.

If you re lucky enough to have Gordon as your waiter, he is a wealth of information and will provide a great service. The steaks were excellently prepared and the fried chicken was excellent, lived up to its name as award-winning. Also the bread putting was amazing. It had a bourbon butterscotch sauce and was to die for. Get it !!

I love love love this place. ..BEST STEAK, SALMON, FRIED CHICKEN & LONG ISLAND ICED TEAS . FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS EXCELLENT FRIENDLY SERVICE. ASK FOR DEBORA (waitress) and Stephanie (bartender)

Pretty damn old skool. Bar outside waa fun but main restaurant was super tired.

Good...pricy...soggy salad
..I've had better.

Absolutely fantastic. I was here on business with my boyfriend and on our last night here came across this listing and thought we would give it a try. Waiter Gordon was fantastic, fried chicken and filet were excellent, and got serenaded by Chip. A local school was having a large outing, I would say 25+ kids and 10+ parents who also were the audience of Chips singing of some oldie but goodie classics. It was really great to see youth be engaged in this way. The service was excellent, the food was fantastic, and the peach cobbler made by Gordon himself was exactly what I'd been looking for during our Georgia trip. Overall highly recommend this establishment.

Went on a Saturday night. Group of four. Busy as expected. Cannot remember my servers name. Was automatically given a house salad which consisted of a bowl of iceberg lettuce, two tomato wedges, and a house dressing very reminiscent of an Italian or balsamic vinaigrette. No cheese, no onion, no croutons, no cucumber, not even a diff choice of dressing. The rolls were ok but they were def frozen rolls that come on a cardboard tray and are thrown in the oven and pulled apart when they come out. Nothing special AT ALL. Of the four steaks three were ordered medium, only one was correct. My baked potato was very tasty tho. We all only drank water. For a $35 overcooked ribeye with unsatisfactory sides I would ve preferred for my party to spend their money at a Longhorn or Outback.

Food was great, the party I was with got 3 different steaks, all cooked excellent over an open fire, my children loved it and didn't even add steak sauce, Chip came to the table and ask how it was, we said amazing, he said that was easy and sang "Amazing Grace" to us, this experience is one that is worth the drive, Danielle our server reccomend the brownie for dessert, she was correct it was the best, Good service, good food, good atmosphere, I will definitely be back

Excellent selection of home cooked foods. We enjoyed the buffet. Welcoming atmosphere, come as you are.

Years ago a great establishment!! Now?......not so much. The front staff is ok at what they do but the kitchen can not keep up with the amount of patrons this beautiful barn holds. Our meal came out staggered and COLD my husband finished his GREAT LOCAL shrimp but they were cold and for 18.00 there were only 10 medium sized shrimp. He also ordered steak fries and they came out after his shrimp were gone. ( They were Luke warm.....not cold..... lol ) my 12 year old woke up throwing up (she had steak fries and fried oysters)..... coincidence??? I hope so. Anyhow if I were looking to eat in St Simons my choice would not be here maybe Frederica House right down the road.or even Halyard's !! JS

All time favorite. Could go there every night and never go anywhere else.

This place is amazing, recommend the cowboy cut whatever you get.

We made a reservation and got seated a little early..This was great being New Year's Eve, and they were extremely busy..Wife got the Cowboy cut Ribeye and it was huge, and also delicious..I had the Seafood Platter fried which was also mouth watering... Service was superb, and made for a memorable evening...

I celebrated my birthday here this year. It was grand!

Pretty freaking good steaks. Great okra, skip the scallops, finish with the raccoon.

The atmosphere makes it a five star, but the service and the food drops it down to a 2. An older gentleman who was born when this restaurant was built, kindly sat down & told the story of Bennie & of his own. He sang after the story as well. The waitress Amy was extremely rude. They only have 1 menu per table but when asked for more, she stated that everybody who comes here knows what they want and do not need more than 1. My wife and I are from Ohio so obviously had no idea what they have. My stepmom has hearing aids & didn't here her ask if anyone wanted a dry salad or their classic. When she asked her if she could get some ranch dressing, she got offended and told her that she asked her prior if she wanted a dry salad or not. My stepmom also got a steak and told Amy that it was a bit chewy and the waitress defended the fact that she did not order their steak, but one that was shipped from somewhere else which she had never told us prior. They did not replace the steak but did take it off the bill and added a $3 fee for doing so. This waitress would of been better working at Dicks Last Resort restaurant. If you go and get her as a waitress, ask for someone else unless you want to have a good laugh at her attitude.

Great food. Great service and we were made to feel as if we were the most important people in the place even though it was packed full

Had a terrible experience. Reservation @7:30, sat down around 8:30. Salads finally came out and were warm and drenched in dressing. Surf and turf arrived. Broiled shrimp was cold. Steak was burnt and tasted like a charcoal briquette. They managed to burn the steak, yet it still came out cold. Avoid this place. Crabdaddy's and Frederica house much much better options. Hope this saves someone's night.

We always have a great time while there. Servers are excellent. On multiple visits our steaks were off even when we come before the dinner rush on slow days. Just minor consistency issues in the kitchen. Otherwise, it's a staple on the island that should be around forever. When it's good, it's great.

Amazing food. Friendly service. If they would bring Chip back, I would give it 5 stars. I missed hearing him sing!

BEST T_bone. Baked potatoes, Broccoli with sharp cheddar oussing on top bread and butter,. Ice tea

The service and food was amazing the employees made me feel amazing and I really enjoyed dining here.

Enjoy great steaks and the wonderful fireplace. Great service.

The food was not up to par with the price point and general hype of the place

Love the old charm of the Red Barn
The best tasting steaks and chops.
Top it all off with a Racoon. Delish!

Excellent service, friendly staff, and awesome food.

Let me tell you , it's a neat old place as a novelty, the food was really good and the bar worked hard to keep up. We had made reservations for our party of 12 and the table was ready in about 10 minutes. Our waitress had her hands full and really worked hard to give it her best shot. The place was way over priced though and old Bennie sends you out sour dough rolls and a salad bathed in italian dressing not cold and crisp. Forget asking for ranch or blue cheese and so on. You get what they want you to have. I liked it though and the meals are served with your choice of fries or baked potato and all else is a la carte The food came out to my surprise,fast and it was hot and tasty. We had everything from the the ribeye (large), the filet (small) , the seafood platter (bountiful) to the fried chicken(some of the best i've ever had). 2 peolple could have split the chicken or the seafood platter or the ribeye, all else was portioned for one person.Old Bennie would be well served to have folks walking around with a pitcher of ice water and tea along with carrying the most asked for condiments cause otherwise your food will be cold waiting on them. The place was WAY over priced, dim and LOUD, but how often do you get to eat in an air conditioned barn? And brother let me tell you it was was packed and gave no signs of letting up.There was a children's section on the menu although i did not scan it. My bill for 3 with tip ,1 cocktail each no dessert was $96.00 So all in all it was a neat thing. If your on the island give it a try, otherwise find yourself a Carrabbas , Bonefish Grill or for that matter if you want a good steak at a good value find a chain steak house and get the bloomin onion to go with it :-)))

Great rib eye , great atmosphere strongly recommend ......

My husband, daughter and I visited here after a recommendation from a friend. They each got the shrimp dinner and I got a NY strip steak. My steak was huge and cooked to a perfect medium as I ordered. We enjoyed our food and will be back.

it had verity amirican food . if u looking for spicy and like Mexican food what i love it to . then saerch another place .and they dont have hot tea haha

Y'all for real- this was the best steak I have ever had in my life. My date had the crab legs and besides him spilling butter on his leg (his fault not theirs) it was nothing short of amazing. My only regret is that I wasn't alone because I would have logged out and those crab legs would have been mine! You know us ladies can't pig out in front of dates it's not lady like. But yea, please eat here. It's so worth it and not over priced

Excellent. One if the best steaks I have ever had! Seafood was great Rolls melted in your mouth. Only thing better would have been honey butter!!

I love this place. My great grandparents use to eat here, feels like home. Awesome food

Ribeye steak was good salad and mashed potatoes were ok. All in all it was not a $28 meal, $22 would have been more like it. Service was excellent though.

Smoked steak and shrimp best surf and turf in the are love the Pina coladas

The waitress was very nice with a warm smile, I loved those cheese grits that was cooked to my liking, hat's off to the manager as well as the cooks

Went to Red Barn for our anniversary. Best Rib eye ever! Mainly older crowd. A couple can expect to spend from $60 to $100. I would definitely recommend.

Good service and atmosphere but the food did not blow me away.

Loud, seating was very close together, service was slow, waitstaff could not answer our menu questions. Prices were too high for the overcooked steaks we got. Our salads were very small. Just a so so meal. There were too many singers at one time. It did not blend well. Even though we had reservations, our wait was too long. Perhaps. It was just an unexpected crowd the Saturday night we went.