EXCELLENT! Great restaurant in 5 points area of Raleigh. Puerto Rican food with a modern twist by Chef Kevin Ruiz. Tapas style with small plates and larger entrees. TRY IT ALL! We started with cocktails. Turns out everyone ordered the Maui Mullet. With bourbon and pineapple. YUMMY! Local beers, wines, and non alcoholic beverages also available. For the table we tried a number of dishes. Some we so good we ordered multiples after we tried it! My least favorite were the empanadas out of everything we tried….really deep fried which overpowered the filling flavor. But everything else was OFF THE CHARTS GOOD. Tried the rice with peas, the Brussels sprouts, chicken thigh, ribeye cap, burr at a salad (multiples not because of the portion size, because everyone wanted it and then wanted more), chicken mofongo, charred octopus, the pork chop (OMG! It was Fred Flintstone size and absolutely delicious), and Weekend at Grandma’s for dessert. Sounds like a ton of food but we had 5 people and wanted to try a variety of things. Our waitress was knowledgeable about the menu and made great suggestions for ordering in terms of selection and amounts. Chef Ruiz was in the kitchen and walked around and spoke to patrons. I’ll definitely eat here again…and again…and again!
Isaac Rodriguez
Julieanne mixed up amazing cocktails while Kevin fed us incredibly delicious dishes!!! My girlfriend has gluten allergy and had no issues with menu either. ❤️ Thank you for a wonderful experience, can't wait next time!!
Stephanie Ruggiro
First time eating at Bendito. I have been following them on Instagram since they’ve opened and happy I finally got to try it. Service was great, wasn’t too busy so our waiter was super attentive. Didn’t mention the wine special, which I had seen on Instagram.. but other than that service was great. Food came out super quick and you could tell everything was made fresh to order.We ordered 4 different items to try a little bit of everything. All four dishes were great and had a lot of flavor. Definitely homemade for that super authentic feel.Portion size was decent for two people to share. The only dish I thought was a little small was the skewer. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it was definitely on the smaller side.Restaurant was super clean and had a nice ambiance. Would definitely want to go back and try some of the main courses.Overall great experience and will be back.
Kim Johnson
Amazing experience! We sat at the bar. Ordered Pina Cojito & Vinho Verde. Both were fantastic. The steak tartare and the clams were out of this world. Jacob, the bartender, was very entertaining and knowledgeable & made fantastic drinks. Kevin, the owner, was amazing. He is also the executive chef. Kevin chatted with us, asked about our food preference and allergies, and made sure our order was perfect. I cannot say enough good things about Bendito! Only wish we had discovered it sooner. Delightful, delicious, and gastronomicly incredible experience.
Audrey V
The shrimp ceviche was amazing. The clams were amazing. The skewers swordfish and the pork belly, wow!!The roasted oysters tasty. I wish there was some heat to temper the sweetness. I would recommend, delicious fish, elegant presentation.Great Tapas spot.
Joe Fulbright
Pretty disappointed at this price point. The chuleta was very overcooked and tough. The grilled oysters are overwhelmingly sweet with the guava cheese topping. The burrata salad was excellent. We’ll give them some time to work out the kinks and revisit.
Robin Mehera
After learning of their opening we had been wanting to check out for a while. Unfortunately it was not worth the wait. The food was not the best, small portions, barely any flavor. The prices were also bonkers.I have been to Puerto Rico for food and this was not even close. Only positives were the staff and the decor.
Michael Tribett
This place is excellent, I highly recommend the pork belly skewers, empanadas, chocolate hazelnut mousse, and gnocchi. I do think there was an issue with the pork entree we ordered, it was extremely overcooked and had it not been for the incredible vegetable side it was served with would have been far too dry to eat. Overall, incredible food, drinks and service!
Megan Smith
Dined here for the first time last night! It was absolutely amazing for restaurant week. All dishes were flavorful and that was the best glass of rose I’ve had in awhile. My friends enjoyed their cocktails. Chef Ruiz creates perfection! Highly recommend if you are looking for something different! Great atmosphere.
DPAC SHOWS
WEPAAA! We were there on Sunday and really enjoyed our meal. My favorite "tapas" were the Clams, Beef tartar, Ceviche, Pork Belly Empanadas- I'm talking these were next level. The guava/queso changed the texture of the raw oysters too much for my liking (but flavor was there). The Chuelta Kan Kan was a huge table favorite both literally and figuratively. The Octopus and Chicken were amazingly flavorful but pricey for the portions. The desserts were good but didn't live up to the rest of the dishes. My only real crital critique was the "pan". $6 for 4 slices of a loaf was disheartening. Chef Ruiz, please give the bread for free. The drinks were also great and well garnished. Overall, we had a great time with great food. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.
Chef Kevin Ruiz has created an excellent, hot, new restaurant that is sure to be a favorite for many. We had the empanadas with pork belly which were delicious. The clams were also a highlight of the meal. My favorite was the pork skewer and the swordfish skewer - both well grilled and seasoned, and both delicious. Save room for the chocolate and hazelnut empanadas for dessert! Service was very good, especially considering we were there on the first night.
Alex Farquharson
Hands down one of the best meals of my life. No lie. The atmosphere, the drinks, the food. Omg the food is savory and fun. Chef Ruiz and his team have an incredible experience to give the people of 919 and beyond something special to experience. We had the Beef Tartar, Clams (had my heart),Salad, shrimp ceviche, The biggest Pork Belly we ever feasted on and put us in the food induced coma since Turkey day with the Chocolate. Thank y’all cheers
Blair B
Wow, wow, wow! So glad we came with friends so we were able to try and share several dishes. I have too many recommendations: Beef Tartare, Papas Rellenos, Arroz con Gandules, Burrata Salad, all 3 skewers and the Butchers Block. Even the Pan was next level with the whipped adobo butter! Don’t forget to try a cocktail too! The mezcal drinks were lovey. I meant to take more pictures but we tucked right in. Can’t wait to go back!!
EXCELLENT! Great restaurant in 5 points area of Raleigh. Puerto Rican food with a modern twist by Chef Kevin Ruiz. Tapas style with small plates and larger entrees. TRY IT ALL! We started with cocktails. Turns out everyone ordered the Maui Mullet. With bourbon and pineapple. YUMMY! Local beers, wines, and non alcoholic beverages also available. For the table we tried a number of dishes. Some we so good we ordered multiples after we tried it! My least favorite were the empanadas out of everything we tried….really deep fried which overpowered the filling flavor. But everything else was OFF THE CHARTS GOOD. Tried the rice with peas, the Brussels sprouts, chicken thigh, ribeye cap, burr at a salad (multiples not because of the portion size, because everyone wanted it and then wanted more), chicken mofongo, charred octopus, the pork chop (OMG! It was Fred Flintstone size and absolutely delicious), and Weekend at Grandma’s for dessert. Sounds like a ton of food but we had 5 people and wanted to try a variety of things. Our waitress was knowledgeable about the menu and made great suggestions for ordering in terms of selection and amounts. Chef Ruiz was in the kitchen and walked around and spoke to patrons. I’ll definitely eat here again…and again…and again!
Julieanne mixed up amazing cocktails while Kevin fed us incredibly delicious dishes!!! My girlfriend has gluten allergy and had no issues with menu either. ❤️ Thank you for a wonderful experience, can't wait next time!!
First time eating at Bendito. I have been following them on Instagram since they’ve opened and happy I finally got to try it. Service was great, wasn’t too busy so our waiter was super attentive. Didn’t mention the wine special, which I had seen on Instagram.. but other than that service was great. Food came out super quick and you could tell everything was made fresh to order.We ordered 4 different items to try a little bit of everything. All four dishes were great and had a lot of flavor. Definitely homemade for that super authentic feel.Portion size was decent for two people to share. The only dish I thought was a little small was the skewer. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it was definitely on the smaller side.Restaurant was super clean and had a nice ambiance. Would definitely want to go back and try some of the main courses.Overall great experience and will be back.
Amazing experience! We sat at the bar. Ordered Pina Cojito & Vinho Verde. Both were fantastic. The steak tartare and the clams were out of this world. Jacob, the bartender, was very entertaining and knowledgeable & made fantastic drinks. Kevin, the owner, was amazing. He is also the executive chef. Kevin chatted with us, asked about our food preference and allergies, and made sure our order was perfect. I cannot say enough good things about Bendito! Only wish we had discovered it sooner. Delightful, delicious, and gastronomicly incredible experience.
The shrimp ceviche was amazing. The clams were amazing. The skewers swordfish and the pork belly, wow!!The roasted oysters tasty. I wish there was some heat to temper the sweetness. I would recommend, delicious fish, elegant presentation.Great Tapas spot.
Pretty disappointed at this price point. The chuleta was very overcooked and tough. The grilled oysters are overwhelmingly sweet with the guava cheese topping. The burrata salad was excellent. We’ll give them some time to work out the kinks and revisit.
After learning of their opening we had been wanting to check out for a while. Unfortunately it was not worth the wait. The food was not the best, small portions, barely any flavor. The prices were also bonkers.I have been to Puerto Rico for food and this was not even close. Only positives were the staff and the decor.
This place is excellent, I highly recommend the pork belly skewers, empanadas, chocolate hazelnut mousse, and gnocchi. I do think there was an issue with the pork entree we ordered, it was extremely overcooked and had it not been for the incredible vegetable side it was served with would have been far too dry to eat. Overall, incredible food, drinks and service!
Dined here for the first time last night! It was absolutely amazing for restaurant week. All dishes were flavorful and that was the best glass of rose I’ve had in awhile. My friends enjoyed their cocktails. Chef Ruiz creates perfection! Highly recommend if you are looking for something different! Great atmosphere.
WEPAAA! We were there on Sunday and really enjoyed our meal. My favorite "tapas" were the Clams, Beef tartar, Ceviche, Pork Belly Empanadas- I'm talking these were next level. The guava/queso changed the texture of the raw oysters too much for my liking (but flavor was there). The Chuelta Kan Kan was a huge table favorite both literally and figuratively. The Octopus and Chicken were amazingly flavorful but pricey for the portions. The desserts were good but didn't live up to the rest of the dishes. My only real crital critique was the "pan". $6 for 4 slices of a loaf was disheartening. Chef Ruiz, please give the bread for free. The drinks were also great and well garnished. Overall, we had a great time with great food. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.
Restaurantji Recommends
Chef Kevin Ruiz has created an excellent, hot, new restaurant that is sure to be a favorite for many. We had the empanadas with pork belly which were delicious. The clams were also a highlight of the meal. My favorite was the pork skewer and the swordfish skewer - both well grilled and seasoned, and both delicious. Save room for the chocolate and hazelnut empanadas for dessert! Service was very good, especially considering we were there on the first night.
Hands down one of the best meals of my life. No lie. The atmosphere, the drinks, the food. Omg the food is savory and fun. Chef Ruiz and his team have an incredible experience to give the people of 919 and beyond something special to experience. We had the Beef Tartar, Clams (had my heart),Salad, shrimp ceviche, The biggest Pork Belly we ever feasted on and put us in the food induced coma since Turkey day with the Chocolate. Thank y’all cheers
Wow, wow, wow! So glad we came with friends so we were able to try and share several dishes. I have too many recommendations: Beef Tartare, Papas Rellenos, Arroz con Gandules, Burrata Salad, all 3 skewers and the Butchers Block. Even the Pan was next level with the whipped adobo butter! Don’t forget to try a cocktail too! The mezcal drinks were lovey. I meant to take more pictures but we tucked right in. Can’t wait to go back!!
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