original benjamin's calabash seafood

good seafood, plenty of options! great friendly staff and i loved the crab legs! would recommend for a buffet, which normally i do not enjoy since the food is made in bulk and the waste is probably astronomical, however this place was well kept and almost an event in itself! the offseason was a good time to try as i heard the wait can stretch from an hour +

great food, great service! we were met at the door by a very friendly "pirate" whom my son (3 yrs old) loved (probably because he gave him "treasure"). we waited aprroximately 5 minutes to be seated. the host was very friendly and the waitress was one of the best we've had. she even brought steaming hot crab legs from the buffet. it was an exceptional experience! i've seen a few bad reviews but i think they are probably from the type of people who can't be pleased. if you leave this restaurant unhappy, it's probably your fault. $31.95/adult, $11.99 / ages 5-12, $2.79 / under 5 (drinks not included in price)

excellent food & staff!!! best seafood on the beach!!

redicuously crowded. good was fine. large selection. expensive. probably my last visit.

went to one that wasn't the "original". was terrible compared to the real thing. if you want seafood this is the real deal. expensive but worth it.

here is an honest and accurate review.

the food is abundant and great. there are an absurd amount of choices ranging from crab legs, crab imperial, cajun salmon, and many other fishes, as well as a "cooked to order" pasta bar, prime rib, and some great desserts. it's not cheap at 31.95 per adult, but my wife and i felt we got more than our money's worth.

the only thing i would throw caution at if i was being honest, is the mass chaos that sometimes is present. the place seats 1000 people. i went to the buffet 9-10 times(getting plates for the kids), and sometimes i could go straight to the food, and sometimes there were lines that rivaled concert port-o-johns. if you don't mind saying "excuse me" a few times, this place is a must!!

we ate at both the top two buffets in myrtle beach and this one i must say beats captain george's, hands down. service was surprisingly excellent to be as busy as they were. with or without a coupon be prepared to spend roughly 30-33$ for adult buffet, 13$ for 6 and up , and $3 for kids under 4. seems to be the going price for ayce buffets here. captain george's was a little bit more but tip and all it cost $100.00 for the four of us at both places. go here, better items on buffet, crab legs are warm and the fried oysters are delicious.

great seafood buffet with awesome atmosphere and customer service. great staff and atmosphere. good price for the size of the buffet: 160-item buffet plus 25-item dessert bar. seriously, the customer service is amazing.

even though the prices here run a little on the steep side, the place was clean, the choices of food were huge, and the food was very good. attentive staff rounded out my visit. a definite must for vacationers. ps - the pirate out front is an absolute
hoot for kids and adults alike

wish i could turn back time. i wish i could turn back time and undo our decision to visit this restaurant. i paid $111.00 for a meal that was much less than mediocre. the atmosphere, decor, staff, and variety of food was amazing. unfortunately the taste was a complete let down. from the shrimp to the crab legs to the dessert we were disappointed. i've had better food at a hospital cafeteria. save your money, it's not worth it!!

over all very nice. every thing was fine... just fine.
crab legs were boiled,, steam is so much better..
service was very good.
i like the place but there are better out there.

best sf buffet in town. best seafood place at the beach. hot food. clean friendly locally owned not a chain. way better than captain georges.

we went for crab legs and were not disappointed! big, juicy, full of meat! $29.99 but well worth the money. can't speak of the other food but saw plenty of things to choose from. will be going back.

i am a certified chef and a hard critic as well. from the start the hostess was nice and took our reservation for six on a wednesday night and was told it would be a 45 minute wait. the reason being there was two coach busses just leaving. the wait was extremely less then projected, which from the start is a plus.

from this point the hostess took our party to our table, explaining where restrooms were and how the buffet is set up, again another plus. also another advantage, the restaurant didn't smell of gross fish, like you find when walking in restaurants such as red lobster. as we were seated, we were given a basket of sweetened hush puppies, taste like a donut, was absolutely amazing.

our server, lorna, was the absolute best. she was attentive and friendly.

now onto the food. from a chefs prospective, this is the best buffet i've been to. the seafood is fresh, flavorful, juicy, tender. the food is amazing. the mussels where perfectly seasoned and cooked, and for a buffet mussels are difficult to not over cook. for the crab legs the chef hands you three clusters of crab at a time. definitely enough to keep you busy for awhile. i was extremely impressed with how delicious the food was, especially for being a buffet. only complaint is that the plates aren't big enough, for i'm one who likes to get one of everything.

time for dessert. all items are make in-house in their bakery. the items were delicious! i have no complaint on food at this restaurant.

now lets talk about pricing. the cost is $30 a person. why? seafood is an expensive product, especially with the selection they have, the price is extremely reasonable. now if you are one who is a picky eater or doesn't like seafood, then perhaps you may not feel the price was worth it. i see reviews of how it's too expensive and expect more. hello!!! this is a seafood buffet! buffet = all you can eat! if you want seafood, expect to pay a good price. and if you are more worried about the price instead of great food, there's a mcdonald's in the area, get a mcfilet. and again, for being a buffet, this place exceeded all expectations.

i can't help but to strict down all the ridiculous complainers on here:

some say the fried seafood tastes the same. well no duh. if you fry something, it's going taste like grease and breading. what do you expect?

another complain people say is about the price. let me put it this way. you pay $30 for all you can eat. if you go to a restaurant with an a la carte menu (pay for individual items or entrees like red lobster) how much will you pay for that one entree? about the same? if you don't want to pay for great food, go somewhere else.

this restaurant, from a certified chef perspective, receive the best review i have given any restaurant. i highly recommend this restaurant. a+++

better than i expected! nice touches all around, good atmosphere, and very friendly staff. like the uniforms. have to explore a little to see all the decor. and the food was good. we were there early, but i didn't have anything that was not tasty.