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All 173 Bakersfield Restaurants »

Benji's French Basque Restaurant

4001 Rosedale Hwy, Bakersfield, CA
661 328 0400
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Ranked #32 of 173 restaurants in Bakersfield
4.0 of 5 stars 19 Reviews
Cuisines: French
Dining options: Reservations
Restaurant details
Dining options: Reservations
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19 reviews from our community

68% Recommend
    7
    6
    4
    0
    2
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
North Carolina
Top Contributor
87 reviews 87 reviews
Reviews in 30 cities Reviews in 30 cities
37 helpful votes 37 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 March 2012

This is what Basque food should be about. They start by serving fresh bread and butter, then a huge bowl of homemade vegetable soup, along with a bowl of beans to add to the soup and their very hot salsa which we also added to the soup. Then came the simple oil and vinegar dressed salad. This was followed with... More

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San Francisco Bay Area
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 March 2012

Benji's offers a traditional Basque homestyle feast. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. The food is good, tasty, and plentiful. The marinated tongue was great, the soup, salsa and bean combo delightful. You know Basque style, you have to pace yourself for the main entry. I had oxtail stew, almost as good as my wife's. Benji himself was personable... More

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Pleasanton, California
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
23 helpful votes 23 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 March 2012

The ambiance feels out of the 1950s, especially with the "set up" --vegetable soup, salad, tongue, vegetables, beans, etc. However, we really enjoyed eating foods we hadn't eaten before (like tongue) and scalloni. Delicious! Price for complete dinner was about $20 person not including drinks, tip. More

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Bakersfield, California, United States
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 February 2012

I didn't want to go here but had to meet family. The service is so so the place it's not very nice looking. The set up was not bad. The rack of lamb a home run I was shocked. More

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See 2 more reviews by Tommy L for Bakersfield
jason93308@aol.com
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 January 2012

No need to order anything other than the set up. Great food the lamb is amazing. The best bloody Mary I have ever had. More

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Tehachapi
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 January 2012

Love the creamy sauce for the pickled tongue and the much quieter environment in comparison to the other highly touted basque restaurant. More

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See 5 more reviews by Peggy543 for Bakersfield
Bakersfield, California
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 January 2012

Food is acceptable, atmosphere is terrible. The dining room is drafty and no one wants to eat with their jacket on... More

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See 11 more reviews by Mkteach for Bakersfield
Fox Island, Washington
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 October 2011

Excellent service, good food. Very crowded dining room. More

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Corona, California
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 October 2011

Basque restaurants feed and fatten you. When you sit down at a table, you are committed to "the setup." This means more food than the average mortal could possible consume. I think I remember a delicious vegetable soup, beans like my mom made (no, I'm not Basque), salsa, salad, tomatoes, beef tongue, french fries. With an entree, all of the... More

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Bakersfield, California
Top Contributor
76 reviews 76 reviews
Reviews in 27 cities Reviews in 27 cities
93 helpful votes 93 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 August 2011

Dinner at Benji's last night was an enjoyable experience. I have eaten here many times. The atmosphere in the dining room is more upscale than you find in most Basque restaurants, although I enjoy the loud, jovial places, too. The meal started with vegetable soup, beans, salsa (served warm here), and sourdough french bread. Delicious! The next course included green... More

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See 18 more reviews by Futuremauian for Bakersfield

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