Unfortunately, this most recent visit to Benchmark Brewery in Santa Barbara was a real letdown. The service was underwhelming, and the food left a lot to be desired.
We started with the spinach dip, which was extremely thick, dry, and paste-like—honestly, it made us feel a little queasy. I ordered the pozole, and it may have been the worst I’ve ever had. It was served cold, and the broth was completely flavorless. Even more confusing, the bowl was overwhelmed with toppings,mostly cabbage and radish, which took up nearly half the bowl. If you do decide to try it (though I wouldn’t recommend it), ask for toppings on the side.
The chicken dish also arrived cold, as did our French fries. Oddly, the extra side of fries we ordered came out colder and noticeably smaller than the ones served with the burgers. The one bright spot was that my nephews enjoyed their burgers.
All in all, this experience was disappointing enough that I wouldn’t recommend eating here, at least not based on this visit. We were all really disappointed after a $200 lunch for a group of 6.
We would have told one of the team members but they never returned to our table. So disappointed and taking this off the list of places we eat when in SB.
Mimi Timrott
Visited Santa Barbara for the day and we had lunch at Benchmark Eatery. The food was delicious and the staff very friendly. The live music was an added delight.
Melissa Alonso
Drinks and food are ordered up front which was fine, but we had to go up for refills which was inconvenient for the price of the service. The chicken sandwich was amazing, but the fish and chips were bland and oily. The servers were not very attentive and were having loud conversations that messed up the atmosphere.
Harnoor Mutneja
Service and atmosphere was fine. The food was GOD AWFUL tho. We got the fried calamari and spinach and artichoke dip. Thank god we ordered a little bit before we ordered more. I was SO turned off by their frozen ketchup which had the water separated from it. Didn’t feel like eating anything after looking at that
Mike Ringer
6/14/25 Update: The food has improved since the last time I was here, but the service has absolutely jumped off a cliff. Once again, our family showed up and we were about 14 people.
From the start, the servers acted like getting water was seriously inconvenient for them. On the upside, the food came out quickly after we ordered, but there were missing condiments that were promised on the menu. We asked for them. Repeatedly. The servers were expert in actively avoiding eye contact. At one point, 3 of them were just standing around talking to each other while we were still waiting for help. And there was no way anyone was going to get a drink refill without flagging someone down. I'm not sure if this was a failing of the individual servers or management, but Benchmark is off my list of places I would choose when it is my turn to choose a restaurant.
Let me be clear, the food was really good, but I would wait until you're done to offer any kind of tip. I wanted a refund for mine!
Charles Festejo
Great food and attentive staff! It's a little different on how you order food, but it seems to actually work out better in some cases. The food looks and taste great! The atmosphere is very nice. I would come back here again if I'm in the area.
REDESIGN ARCHITECTURAL STUDIOS
Always an amazing burger and chill chill beer!
Carlos Moreno
Pretty cool place for a bite to eat. The was quick, the service was friendly and the food was great.
Vittore Cavalli
New favorite when in town. Highly recommend. You will be a regular too.
We enjoyed a super delicious meal (salad) which was served quickly. You have to place the order yourself.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Renee Abikoff
Enjoyed sitting outside. We had the best server! Loved our food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Fried Chicken Sandwich
Solly Cos
Had a veggie burger, nothing special, but not bad either.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Devin Arndt
Take this as constructive criticism as someone who is not familiar with the area and has never had the opportunity to try the restaurants here in Santa Barbara, the Bench Mark Eatery was my first choice however, disappointed, the burger I had ordered tasted watered down. There was no flavor except what only stood out was the bun. I ordered onion rings the following day and thinking you can't screw up onion rings well they tasted bland too. The Jack in the box I had this morning was more appealing, I paid the same amount for a meal there and got more food. I'm not impressed with the food. Places like this make me desire Foster Freeze and The Spot with better tasting food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Jim Mannoia
Had a nice BLT with fries on a beautiful summer afternoon in September. Ate out on the patio. Prices are not cheap but everything is higher these days. Almost $20 for the sandwich with a drink!
Updated 7/4/25
Unfortunately, this most recent visit to Benchmark Brewery in Santa Barbara was a real letdown. The service was underwhelming, and the food left a lot to be desired.
We started with the spinach dip, which was extremely thick, dry, and paste-like—honestly, it made us feel a little queasy. I ordered the pozole, and it may have been the worst I’ve ever had. It was served cold, and the broth was completely flavorless. Even more confusing, the bowl was overwhelmed with toppings,mostly cabbage and radish, which took up nearly half the bowl. If you do decide to try it (though I wouldn’t recommend it), ask for toppings on the side.
The chicken dish also arrived cold, as did our French fries. Oddly, the extra side of fries we ordered came out colder and noticeably smaller than the ones served with the burgers. The one bright spot was that my nephews enjoyed their burgers.
All in all, this experience was disappointing enough that I wouldn’t recommend eating here, at least not based on this visit. We were all really disappointed after a $200 lunch for a group of 6.
We would have told one of the team members but they never returned to our table. So disappointed and taking this off the list of places we eat when in SB.
Visited Santa Barbara for the day and we had lunch at Benchmark Eatery. The food was delicious and the staff very friendly. The live music was an added delight.
Drinks and food are ordered up front which was fine, but we had to go up for refills which was inconvenient for the price of the service. The chicken sandwich was amazing, but the fish and chips were bland and oily. The servers were not very attentive and were having loud conversations that messed up the atmosphere.
Service and atmosphere was fine. The food was GOD AWFUL tho. We got the fried calamari and spinach and artichoke dip. Thank god we ordered a little bit before we ordered more. I was SO turned off by their frozen ketchup which had the water separated from it. Didn’t feel like eating anything after looking at that
6/14/25 Update: The food has improved since the last time I was here, but the service has absolutely jumped off a cliff. Once again, our family showed up and we were about 14 people.
From the start, the servers acted like getting water was seriously inconvenient for them. On the upside, the food came out quickly after we ordered, but there were missing condiments that were promised on the menu. We asked for them. Repeatedly. The servers were expert in actively avoiding eye contact. At one point, 3 of them were just standing around talking to each other while we were still waiting for help. And there was no way anyone was going to get a drink refill without flagging someone down. I'm not sure if this was a failing of the individual servers or management, but Benchmark is off my list of places I would choose when it is my turn to choose a restaurant.
Let me be clear, the food was really good, but I would wait until you're done to offer any kind of tip. I wanted a refund for mine!
Great food and attentive staff! It's a little different on how you order food, but it seems to actually work out better in some cases. The food looks and taste great! The atmosphere is very nice. I would come back here again if I'm in the area.
Always an amazing burger and chill chill beer!
Pretty cool place for a bite to eat. The was quick, the service was friendly and the food was great.
New favorite when in town. Highly recommend. You will be a regular too.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beer Battered Fish & Chips, Benchmark Burger, Onion Rings
Fast casual
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
We enjoyed a super delicious meal (salad) which was served quickly. You have to place the order yourself.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Enjoyed sitting outside. We had the best server! Loved our food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Fried Chicken Sandwich
Had a veggie burger, nothing special, but not bad either.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Take this as constructive criticism as someone who is not familiar with the area and has never had the opportunity to try the restaurants here in Santa Barbara, the Bench Mark Eatery was my first choice however, disappointed, the burger I had ordered tasted watered down. There was no flavor except what only stood out was the bun. I ordered onion rings the following day and thinking you can't screw up onion rings well they tasted bland too. The Jack in the box I had this morning was more appealing, I paid the same amount for a meal there and got more food. I'm not impressed with the food. Places like this make me desire Foster Freeze and The Spot with better tasting food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Had a nice BLT with fries on a beautiful summer afternoon in September. Ate out on the patio. Prices are not cheap but everything is higher these days. Almost $20 for the sandwich with a drink!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Loading...