Review Benjamin On Franklin - Adelaide

Love the name of this pub. Good play on words. The service was outstanding at this pub. Very helpful and social with all customers we noticed and being visitors from Sydney we were made to feel special. Outdoor and indoor seating options and we decided to sit out in the beer garden where the NRL was playing on a widescreen TV - very happy about that. Ordered a share plate of food for dinner which was more than enough. Good offering of food and drinks at this location

The staff are wonderful. Isiah is the manager and treats you like family. This is our local and we love the way your treated. Musical bingo is awesome. Food is good. Enzo is the chef. Great live bands.

Simple pub food done well and very reasonably priced. There were 20 of us eating and everyone’s meal was well presented and well cooked. Thank you also to the staff who let me bring a birthday cake for my daughter and then went above and beyond adding the strawberries and candles and presenting it so well despite being busy. Your kindness was noted and appreciated.

Great pub, lived the sharing menu options. Great place for small groups. Enjoyed the beer garden. Food was amazing. Worth checking out.

Omg so good.!!! Such a lovely warm and inviting atmosphere. Sitting out side in the warmth of the sun sipping one of there many craft beers and enjoying the beautiful food. Blissful!!! Great place to go with work or friends . 5 out 5. I had the haloumi burger and broccoli bites, YUMMY!!

Great bar on the city fringe. Absolutely love the crystal ceiling art instalment / lights - amazing. Hundreds if not thousands of crystal glasses hanging from the ceiling in a wave patter - $38k worth. The service is first class with various rooms and a large rear courtyard area. A great pub with great ambience and food.

We recently hosted our engagement party in the beer garden and could not recommend this venue enough! Staff were so friendly and professional. They helped us throughout the night and were very accommodating. Everyone enjoyed the food and the selection of drinks was great. The beer garden looked amazing and our guests commented on how perfect the space was for the event. Thank you so much for helping us create a memorable night! :)

Fantastic wings!! $10 for 1kg of wings on Thursday nights. Staff very disorganized, gave us an extra kilo of wings (not complaining!). Food took a long time to come. BBQ, Buffalo, Caesar parm and maple flavour. Margarita pizza also good.

Visited 4 or 5 times with a big group while staying up the road during Tour Down Under. Every time the staff were so helpful, friendly service and went out of their way to make suggestions on beers and wines. Great 2 for 1 deals and happy hour. We held our end of week event there - the platters were so plentiful, tasty and good value. Lovely outdoor courtyard and cosy indoor dining. Can recommend.

The staff at this place are fantastic; jovial and very helpful when it came to recommendations etc<br/><br/>The pork belly was delicious, the chicken wings mouth watering. Good selection of wine and beer. Would recommend

Pizza delivered burnt (almost black) after reminding the staff that a meal was missing rom the table. A replacement pizza arrived, overcooked, all up over an hour after ordering.<br/>Large roach on the wall, a couple of flies around the table.

Took the wife and in laws to the rebooted Thursday wings (and ribs) at the Benji. Staff were incredibly friendly and a great help. Ambience was delightful. Started with a couple of $4 schooners before tucking into wings, ribs, poutine and corn. All the food was excellent! The buffalo wings were tasty and the ribs were tender with a beautiful charred/smokey flavour. Poutine was delicious - chips were crispy while the curds and gravy were super flavoursome. Finished with both desserts. Well worth the visit, looking forward to getting back there!

Came here for an impromptu Friday lunch and were pleasantly surprised! The lunch food menu was great value with most dishes being between $12-$22, with a few hovering near $30. We ordered a deconstructed burrito and a jambalaya, both served in a large ceramic bowl and both were delicious. $20 each! The menu is inventive and interesting. <br/>Standard wine list, many wines by the glass to choose from,and a big boutique beer collection on offer. <br/>Service is casual, but we were happy to go in and order our selections for the day, and the waiter was obliging to switch on heater when it turned a little chilly outside. <br/>All in all, quite a pleasant experience!

The Benjamin on Franklin has a lovely atmosphere, great staff and great beverage selection but unfortunately on this occasion the food was disappointing. Meals were overcooked and there was a general feeling of lack of care from the kitchen. Hopefully this was just an off night.

The scene is well described by others. It was a cold Sunday evening and our group of 6 arrived for dinner to find the place rocking with a DJ pumping out old and new rock to an eager crowd of 40-something's. We made our way out to the dining rooms and found an acceptably quiet table.<br/><br/>Unfortunately the cold breeze running through the pub couldn't be blocked out so a few of us looked like eskimos trying to stay warm. There were other better situated tables but it was too late for us to grab it.<br/><br/>Coming here for a comfortable meal and drink session is probably best done outside of winter, or when the DJ isn't happening. (Nothing against the DJ though, the crowd upstairs really enjoyed themselves)<br/><br/>All our meals were very good and despite being priced on the plus side we thought they were worth coming back for, especially to have out the back in one of the outside alcoves.

Organised a xmas ladies lunch in November - 16 people wanted the library room but needed one long table so got moved to Atrium Room. <br/><br/>Well the food the bar service the customer service was brilliant we had a wonderful afternoon. The ambience in this room and hotel is lovely and exactly what I wanted.<br/><br/>Do give them a call for a group booking they will do their best to give you what you want. Will be back for sure....<br/>

Been here many times and the food never disappoints! Whether it is sitting in a booth out the back on a summers night or by one of the indoor fireplaces in winter, this place is fab. Plenty of parking and staff always extremely friendly

Lovely food, good ambience, timely service. Clean, classy, low key, comfortable beer garden seating. Great for lunch and tapas. Stocks Kangaroo Island O'Gin and uses local SA produce. Nice place to eat after shopping at the motorbike store nearby :)

Farewelling a colleague brought us to Benjamin on Franklin this Friday lunch. This lovely bohemian style pub might not appeal to everyone, but I found it rather fetching. Decorated with bygone pieces, decked with vintage furniture and art pieces, it has a certain appeal. They also have a beer garden with booths for the warmer weather which is fast approaching.<br/>Service was standard, nothing of note. Their menu offerings includes standard pub favourites such as schnitzels and burgers. Price-wise, it is on the expensive end, so those on a budget should come on the days with lunchtime specials. I had the grilled barramundi which was nice, the chips and salad made up the sides. I must admit the chips was super crunchy, a highlight of the meal. My colleagues had meals which included pork burgers, a penne pasta (special of day), salt and pepper squid and schnitzels. All looked appetising in its presentation.<br/>There were 13 of us and I was pleased and impressed that all meals came out around the same time, it is definitely a very important point worth commending.<br/>Will come back for the chips!

Our group had a long lunch on Saturday, everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal. Duck with a sprinkling of liquorice was delightful, we had an array of dishes which were delicious. Prices reasonable and the staff were welcoming and couldn't have done enough. I cannot explain the negatives maybe different chefs at different times.

Over priced menu and drinks. Lack of flavour and very basic food... Sounds better on the menu, disappointing on the plate. Appealing decor, and lovely outdoor seating area, but wouldn't return.

Do yourself a favour, don't go there, you deserve better. The service couldn't be worse at this place, the food was below average. We pay for service, you deserve much better than this.

Stepping into the Benjamin On Franklin is kind of like stepping into your eclectic, designer-savvy grandma’s house. The front bar walls are scattered with black and white family portraits, there’s a rickety old piano in the corner and boudoir lounges and mirrors in every direction.

Unethical and very disappointing. My sister-in-law booked an area for 65 guests to attend her engagement in the beer garden. The booking was made a few months ago, but 3 days before the event they phoned her to say they had double booked and that the other booking was made first so she would lose 1/3 of the area she booked. It was an outright lie that the other booking was made first, because the diary page for her date was empty when the booking was made. <br/><br/>We later found out that a friend of the owner was celebrating a birthday and we had been 'rearranged' to make room for them!<br/><br/>We luckily were able to move the booking to the Havelock, and they were fantastic and so understanding.<br/><br/>Personally, I am surprised that the Benjamin on Franklin is even in business.....their total disregard for their customers is unforgivable....they simply did not care that the were ruining an engagement party.<br/><br/>My advice would be, do not plan any kind of event at this venue (unless you are a friend of the owner).... it could lead to a lot of stress and disappointment.

Nice venue, but left unsatisfied. Nice decor with throne type seating. Friendly staff who are doing their best. Value for money is not there. Have to order meals and wine at the bar but the prices don't reflect this. Meals were small. Quite a few from the group were still hungry after their main (pork & salmon choices). Two specials were recommended to us but the kitchen had run out of one well before 8pm. One can order entree, main and dessert to feel satisfied, but that would be quite pricey for a pub.

Great service. Such good service. Waiter was attentive and funny all throughout the night. Love the decor. Schnitzel was great as well.

Worst accommodating place ever. We had 14 pp booked a table and had lunch there. we were told that we all had to have the same choice, entree & main, or main & dessert. for $48, someone had to have something that they didn't like. even though we suggested that we could pre-order, the staff told us that they just couldn't do it. that staff was very rude and not making any sense.<br/>the food was not even ordinary, the Xmas pudding - terrible dessert!!! definitely not worth $48, and we are definitely not going back, and we will tell everyone we know, corporate and friends, DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ordinary. Had a craving for schnitzel and gravy. Went for the chicken schnitz with mushroom gravy. Unfortunately it missed the mark. The sauce was bland and gluggy, and there wasn't enough to go around for the schnitz and none for the chips. The side salad which I ordered as an extra came with no dressing. Wines by the glass are limited and uninspiring - but still pricey for what they are.

Excellent Service. great food,. 12/ 10 : We had very good food here, with attentive speedy but not intrusive service. The Baramundi ( $17.00 + salad @ $2.50) was perfectly cooked, plenty for one person.The Burger with Squire's beer ($17.00) was a very good deal, tho I was a little disappointed that the delicious Burger ( with giant meant part !) had no vegetable content. [ Thinking about it later, we realised this is b/c many people despise their salad on principle, so they waste it ..!]. I'll have Side salad that next time.(was $2.50 extra, as above), The decor is eclectic Gen Y retro/vintage, nicely done. Even the tap water was drinkable, and - when we asked for it - not nearly frozen, on a cold May night. <br/>Well done Benjamin's !

Absolutely brilliant staff, we were a family of 8 and they served us with unique flair in a beautifully, stunning setting. A very lovely night out and a must see for a visit to historic Adelaide. <br/>Absolutely wonderful!!

Went for Sunday lunch - was quite empty, so didn't need to book. I really liked the decor and the beer garden is great - food was disappointing though. I would go back, but only for drinks, not a meal.

Good night had by all. Good setting, food very good, staff very pleasant and went out their way to help make a good night for our group of 20.

Word of advice, if you must go here (possibly only an option if every other pub in Adelaide is closed) do not get a set menu, you'll be forced to pay for food you never received.

Have been here several times and have enjoyed it thoroughly. Best parmy in Adelaide (tastes real, not fake). The fritters are incredible as are the hot dogs. A must try.

Liked the place. Staff very good. Lamb shanks were brilliant. I had the Burger the meat was quite tasty very nice. Enjoyed that. BUT French fries it was like eating at Maccas. How about a few home made chips that really spoilt the meal for me. Anyway just a thought

Terrible service, stale bread, steak was good but couldn't eat the tasteless fish. When we tried to order dessert & coffee told there was just 1 dish to pick from and the waiter would have to make it himself. In other words... Hurry up and leave! Will not be back.

Romantic table by fire, great service, lovely food. Thank you entertainment book for introducing us to Benjamin, we'll be back.

Poor service. Bad food. I ordered the grilled fish and it was disgusting. It wasn't grilled it was hard and seemed like they had just scraped the beer batter off and served it like that. I couldn't cut through it was so hard! Staff were rude behind the bar and was told to wait im busy when trying to order a drink. they also didnt know how to use the computer system and got a number of orders wrong! I won't come back to eat here that's for sure.

Great looking pub that oozes style & ambience. The menu is small, yet impressive, but unfortunately doesn't live up to what it sounds like in print.<br/>My advice...just stick to the cocktails, I don't think food's their thing.

Great decor with good food. Been here twice now-both times with a number of people-and everyone has had a good experience. Initially we were concerned by all the negative reviews but this has prove not to be the case. Amazing decoration and fit out-loads of different spaces-good for parties and groups. Service has been good-although they did seem a little overwhelmed on a busy sat night. Food is not gourmet quality but is upmarket pub style and very well priced. Really well stocked bar and wine list. All in all we think the place is great and would head back there again-possibly on a quieter night so we could really enjoy it.

Above average. We'd heard good things about the Benjamin on Franklin so decided to give it a whirl when we happened to be in that part of town. The new make-over is really impressive; arty and stylish without being pretentious and the staff very friendly and welcoming. Where we were seated in the restaurant was a little cold but not really uncomfortable and the smaller spaces good for groups without being isolating. We found the menu arrangement a little strange but all the 'classics' were indeed there (apart from mushroom sauce as a choice for the schnitties - wtf?!). Prices were good and while I discovered that The Locovore's version has spoiled me for all other burgers, the schnitzels and other meals ordered at our table were pretty reasonable. With a good range behind the bar, we'll be back again no doubt. 6/10

TERRIBLE!! this place could did have potential, It's not just the staff it's the owner never have I felt so uncomfortable in a that type of envioroment by management, It's sad.

Nice Decor and great vibe but average food.. I would recommend just coming here for the drinks. Lots of different areas to hang depending on your mood.

Fantastic. I celebrated my 30th birthday upstairs. Organisation couldnt have been easier with lots of recommendations and tips from the staff (kelly), it was very easy going and flexible. The room itself is so gorgeous and the staff at the function (Tess) was simply amazing. She was courteous, lovely and attentive. The food was good as well, in particular the risotto balls! I came in a few hours before the function to blow up some 50 balloons with helium. and guess what. The boss himself blew them up for me - all of them and then I got a beer on the house for standing next to him and watching him :) I very highly recommend a function at benjamin on franklin! <br/><br/>Location, staff and food were outstanding!

Good food, good atmosphere. Maybe the chef/ menu/staff have changed since some of these reviews were written but we had a lovely meal with nice wine and great service. The place looks lovely and has a really nice feel to it. We even moved to couches for dessert and coffee and there were no problems with that.<br/>I was surprised at how reasonable the food prices were too. As I thought the refurb might add to the price.<br/>The main problem was that the old tables that are used in the dining room aren't very functional and to sit close enough to hear each other we had to sit at funny angles around the table legs. Also the tables are a bit close together so staff and patrons often bump into your chair.

Just fine by us. We've been to the Benjamin twice now, for a quick dinner, and enjoyed both occasions. The food was fine and the prices in the normal range, the young staff pleasant and friendly but not over-familiar. debbielee, if you want a "regular" pub chicken schnitzel, I think you should go to a "regular" pub, maybe the Cumby down the road a bit. I think the Benji is placing itself well in the once-a-pub-now-nearly-a-restaurant genre. The beef pie was unpretentious but very nice, all cooked under the pastry, and my partner is keen to go back and have it again. Bemused by all the negative reviews.

Disappointing for many reasons. A group of 14 of us went for dinner before going to a function upstairs. Not only was the service rude (felt like an invasion of the staff's time/space), the menu looked to be trying too hard. At a pub what about a regular chicken schnitzel? Nope, not there. I settled for a salad which was covered in oil that I couldnt even eat. After trying to sort the bill - no split bills there, we went upstairs to the function. <br/>The upstairs is nice and very cosy with an open fire. The balcony is great for some fresh air as it was too warm indoors. <br/>The upstairs toilets were........interesting. 2 unisex toilet cubicles off a hallway and a basin & mirror in another room. It felt very exposed and a bit too intimate being unisex and of course got very dirty.<br/>I would be very happy to never go back to the Benjamin on Franklin again.

Poor management food average. We visited Adelaide from USA Alaska found the food to be expensive and not all that great we asked to have our steak cooked a little more as I like is med the manager showed up and as quite rude we were not asking too much just another couple of minutes cooking. Did not want our money back or were even complaining.<br/>Sorry not a good look for Adelaide restaurants

Told to F OFF by owner. Dear Adelaide,<br/><br/>Please save your money and spend it at McDonalds because their customer service triumphs over the BOF, even that of the owner.<br/><br/>After misinforming us of their booking procedure, we were placed on a table inside, rather than the requested outside.<br/><br/>When questioned, a staff member acknowledged that they had stuffed up their bookings and had to book outside tables. <br/><br/>Over came the owner, who proceeded to argue with us that the BOF wasn't at fault and that we should leave it alone because "this is why Adelaide is crap because we aren't like Melbourne, Sydney or Queensland"<br/><br/>We did receive a complimentary bottle of champagne but were told by giving us this "we better spend up big"<br/><br/>We were then told to "hurry up and order or F$&@! Off" <br/><br/>Top all of that off by grease being spilt into one of our handbags and all over a phone.<br/><br/>One of the worst dining experiences ever.

Food ruins Experience. I have been to this pub for many a 'Sunday session', and while the drinking out the back is great, I recently made the mistake of going back for the food: it is really not up to standard!<br/><br/>I have the 'wagu' burger which was tasteless, dry and small, (and expensive!) while my dining partner had a schnitzel. We ordered extra gravy once it arrived because of the ungenerous amount on the meal, but were charged for $3.00 for an extra pot (it tasted packet made).<br/><br/>I love this pub for its ambience, decor and clientel, but they really need to re-think their food. If they can't manage pub mean 'standards' then I will certainly not be returning for their asian 'tapas' offerings.<br/><br/>I hope they improve things soon, this spot is too cute to be serving ugly grub!

The food is very average and not worth the money. Friendly staff with a really nice decor, probably better to go there for a drink!

Tried again Fail again. We tried benjiman on franklin again after the disastrous meal and night last visit just in case it was a bad hair night on the manager's behalf. <br/><br/>Unfortunately we wasted another $97.30, the meal was average undercooked fish appeared to be frozen not fresh. Poor attitude once again from the manager who smelt of cigarettes and wine when we complained about the raw center of the fish. When it came back it was dry and overcooked like it had been excessively microwaved. <br/><br/>At "Fatty Dave" like the old saying goes if you have good service you may tell one or two people but if get bad service or meal you tell everyone! <br/><br/>Never going back and spreading the word on this poor establishment.

Great pub awful food. I love the decor of the Benjamin. They have managed to do kitsch without being tacky or try-hard. Unfortuately the only word i can use to describe the food is crap. I have eaten there half a dozen times and have been dissappointed each time. I even was asked by one of the staff how the food was and gave them an honest (diplomatic) response which wasn't taken too well. Admittedly I haven't eaten there for about a year now but I wont be going back to try again in a hurry. I'll stick to a liquid diet at the Benjamin thanks.

Such potential.... ...unfulfilled. After hearing about the impressive renno's and checking out the website including what looked to be an impressive, if not a little posh for a pub, menu, I decieded to give Ol Benji a crack. Some feat for someone who is otherwise with-in metres of many other pubs, and doesnt often venture into the bad-lands west of Morphett Street. The renno's are indeed nice, quaint even...but one doesnt venture to the pub to stare at a chandelier do they? Not to mention parking in said bad-lands to comment on how "quirky" the garden furnatuire is. One goes to a pub to drink. And Eat. On this note: wine selection was avaerage and overpriced, as was the food. Out of our table of 8 diners I was the only one who thought my food was good and portion plentiful (I had the mussels). 3 out of the 8 went past Macca's later, which is definately not a good sign (but i guess it was lucky we were so close to North Terrace after all). Food and service definitely not good enough to be a posh/foody pub, and atmosphere too uptight to be a drinking pub. Maybe it cranks in summer? I plan never to know...

Don't bother..... Really wish I hadn't bothered to head out on a cold night. Poor service, rude staff, below average food for the price - all round disappointing experience...don't bother.

Pleasantly surprised!. I regularly review urban spoon to choose where to dine and decided to go against the reviews with this one and give the venue a try. I have never commented on any of the restaurants I have researched but felt I had to with this one. The result? My experience was sensational and I am trully glad that I did! I went with my husband for a romantic dinner and will definately be returning. The food was incredible, the use of quality and unique ingredients made sensational dishes! The food arrived promptly and the waiter that we had was chatty was obviously proud to work at the 'Benji'. The wine list was one of the best that I have seen with a variety of varietals spanning many regions with unique qualities. It is beyond me how there are so many negative comments about this hotel and I reccommend people that do read these reviews to go and try for themselves. A great little treasure! I can't wait to try out the beer garden in summer!

What happens when management goes bad.... Friend had her party there last weekend, 70 ppl, function room with food etc. When we arrived to set up the room that morning, there was food on the floor, ants on the floor, vomit in the toilets, empty bottles, and general smell and grot. When the staff were asked if it would be clean before the evening, we were told it was a mis-communication with the cleaner, but there was no apology, no ownership, no consideration at all. To ensure it was clean, her Mum had to go and and check it out before the party started - luckily, it had improved by then.<br/><br/>Party had been in swing for half an hour when we were told to evacuate due to a fire alarm. It turned out it wasn't an alarm, but there was actually a fire in their chimney - in the words of the fire brigade "that's what happens when you don't get the chimneys cleaned out". <br/><br/>And what of the staff/ manager through this? They didn't clear the function room, we were left to manage that. My friend was told her room hire would be refunded, but then that was retracted by the manager - who offered 2 bottles of bubbles, a big difference to a $350 refund. He was rude, arrogant, argumentative, and completely lacking in negotiation or customer service skills. It took myself and my friend's hubby to sort it out with him and finally he apologised and gave us a glass of bubbles per person. Not that he actually told the staff upstairs that, so we had to wait for that to be resolved.<br/><br/>Honestly, we still had a fabulous night - but that was in spite of them, not because of them.

Great!. I organized a dinner for my wife's birthday for 15 ppl last weekend and after I had made the booking I read some of these reviews and felt very worried that I had booked a dud. HOWEVER, we were all pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere and decor was fantastic - very different and we loved it. We all had great food, served by friendly staff and thought the prices were very reasonalbe for what we received. The wine list is the best one I have seen for a long time with a great selection of varieties, regions and vintages. Maybe after getting some of this previous negative feedback the managers have made some changes and are back on track. We will definitely be frequenting the Benjamin again!

Thank god for reviews. Ok so i was planning to invite my friends for drinks here for my birthday...but after reading these reviews...i have changed my mind. A racist manager and expensive food served cold is not what i was after..<br/>i have had many good experiences at other pubs its a shame that the Benjamin leaves a bad impression with more than just one group of patrons!!!!!!!!

Not happy Jan. Prices were too high $15-$25??????<br/><br/>try $25 - $45.<br/><br/>The food was ok for the price. Admittedly we ate in the dining room which has a $5 surcharge for the "pub" meals.<br/><br/>But get a steak and chips for $40 you expect a great steak and a heap of salad/veg/chips............nope!!<br/><br/>Lets not forget this is a pub. i think they did.

Really average food - nice atmosphere in the booths out back though

It's also important to look at how many reviews people have done. People that have only had one review or only reviewed the one venue can not be taken seriously. The other thing which happens is when you transform a hotel from is crappy to one that is grand you still have those crappy customers that want something for nothing. I feel sorry for the new management of the hotel. Change is a hard thing to deal with, get on your bike and move on.<br/><br/><br/>-----05 Oct, 2010-----<br/><br/>Great Reno, the wine list is great not the main stream crap. Food was good and friendly staff. Must be doing something right to be booked out and have line ups.

Benjamin on franklin. I think Pete and James (comment) must work there and trying to redeem themselves of past comments!!! Interesting place but cold staff and average food.....there are a lot of top places in Adelaide to eat and this place needs to keep up....

Looks Good... but. Work function on a Saturday evening with 15 people. The private room looked great the cocktails were delicious and the staff were friendly.<br/><br/>When it came to the food we had a set menu with fish, chicken or steak mains, when asked how the FOD was done and what it was.. We were a little confused when told it was a whole fish in soup!!! And that was after asking the chef. As it turned out my fish was not whole but a fillet and it did have some soupish sauce with potatoes, but was unfortunately cold then once reheated was dry :( the steak was served with chips to some and while apparently good did seem a little counter-meal-ish in my opinion. The chicken was said to be good by those who chose it. The wine list was interesting and we had something Spanish that I don't remember.<br/><br/>Overall a little disappointing but has potential to be good. If I see some good reviews in the future i'll try again!

Food ordinary friendly but not attentive service interior space good to see something different . Would go back for a drink this summer in beer garden !

Best food staff and atmosphere

Not cool either. Im with Rabs' comment below, a very similar experience for our table plus the manager was even smoking inside!

Who Servers Who?. The Pub looks great after the renovations but we were left feeling that ordering a meal was an impost on the staff.<br/><br/>Once we had paid I felt it was a case of "how fast can we get you out the way".<br/><br/>They claim a "Romatic" setting - not for us at this pub.<br/><br/>It is truely sad when you leave a pub and feel sorry for the staff who have to work at a place like this. Sort of trashes your night out!

Don't try the Chicken Schnitzel. The schnitzel was raw in the middle... A pub that can't cook a Chicken Schnitzel?

The Benjamin on Franklin is beautifully designed pub. The intricately hand crafted timber dining furniture, the elegant vintage chairs, the warm cosy fire place, the innovative light fixtures, the exposed stone work and the spacious outdoor courtyard are some of it’s impressive features. The attention to detail of this place is truly amazing.

We ventured into the city today to try Benjamin on Franklin. I had been there once before for drinks, but never eaten there. Walking in it has an old Victorian/English type feel to it. Lots of dark wood and antique style furniture. I thought it was very cosy inside but we ventured to the back beer garden to eat. It was much more modern out there with large booths which were very appealing.

The menu consists of some “pub classics” as well as more fine dining options, thus adding to the overall appeal. They also have suggested beer pairings with each item, with a focus on boutique Australian beers – so everything was pointing to this being high on the wish list. The furniture, lighting, bar, courtyard, dining room….everything just works nicely together and this is all adds up to a very cool place indeed. The service was very proficient, courteous, friendly and the food came out quite quickly – not so soon you questioned how it could happen, but long enough for some good conversation before it arrived.

Horner & Pratt Lazy lunching with the work peeps at Horner & Pratt: Soy latte; $4.00 Chicken burger: chicken breast marinated in yoghurt and veggie relish with tzatziki and guacamole in lightly toasted Turkish bread served with a side of house salads; $14.00 Horner & Pratt 31 East Terrace Adelaide SA 5000 P 0410 361 310 Opening hours Mon Closed Tue-Fri 8:30am-4pm Sat-Sun 10am-4pm View Larger Map Benjamin on Franklin Stone & Wood Pacific Ale Bird in Hand pinot rose; $8.00 Sweet potato fries with homemade BBQ sauce; $7.90 The biggest bowl of sweet potato fries I’ve ever seen for $7.90! It’s big enough to be a ‘main’ let alone a ‘side’ dish. Same with the onion rings (below)! Onion rings; $7.50 Bacon and seafood medley spaghetti with tomato basil and red wine sauce; $21.90 Roast duck salad, rocket, Spanish onion, candied pecans, raspberry balsamic & fresh herbs; $19.00 Pepper crusted Atlantic salmon on a basil and pesto risotto with tomato and cucumber tendril salad with sweet balsamic dr