original benjamin's calabash seafood

in myrtle beach there are several really bad seafood buffets. this is not one of them. the food is well prepared, often refreshed, and very enjoyable. if you are looking for a goodplaceto eat all the seafood you can, this is the place! while you are there, take the time to closely examine and admire the beautifully crafted ship replicas ranging from 12 inches in length to more than 15 feet. then go downstairs and meet the artist/craftsman who creates them. great place, great service, good seafood, and lots of it!

thisplacewas horrible. i will not pay my hard earned money for this bikini bottom food ok. only thing good is the crab legs and they speak for themselves. over priced like hell but staff is nice.

don't be fooled by pint sized imitations or bad reviews that must be for other restaurants with a similar name. the pirate at the door looked as authentic as pirate can(at least as i would think one should look). thisplacewas packed in the parking lot but everyone was being seated almost immediately, the hosts were great, and our waiter was ever present to quietly help without being a bother. there was no shortage of food and it was all fresh and hot. the crab legs and prime rib were my personal favorites. and there was plenty of things a person who doesn't like seafood could eat too.

when deciding on a delicious feast to eat on your beach vacation, this should be your last choice. i think dining with satan would be more delightful than eating within the overly tacky decorated walls of this restaurant. in fact, they have spent more on their decor than they would ever consider spending on the quality of their food. as we ventured through the doorway of benjamin's, we were greeted by a nice gentleman who gave us mardi gras beads. i don't understand what these beads have to do with the theme of their restaurant, but it was a pleasant greeting. i do wish this man would have been handing out umbrellas. because as we waited in line, we had to navigate buckets which were placed in the middle of the path entering the restaurant. these buckets held old rainwater and air conditioning condensation. i guess perhaps it is an obstacle course before you attempt to stuff yourself at their buffet. we finally got to our table and were greeted by a pleasant server who is the only reason i am giving this restaurant 1 star rating. she did the best she could, and i think she knows deep down in heart thisplaceis worse than hell. but she needs a job. and she did her job with a smile and always made sure we had refills and napkins. one by one, we made our way into what i think dante referred to as the 9th circle of hell. this is a cramped, poorly designed buffet area. lines snaked around recently thawed out frozen seafood, side dishes, and desserts. they do have crab legs, which i'm pretty sure came out of a box. frozen. shrimp tasted foul. if you like throwing down to get your dinner, then you might give thisplacetwo stars. i don't like fighting for my food. will never come back.

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 thisplacewas 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 +

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. theplaceseats 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, thisplaceis a must!!

even though the prices here run a little on the steep side, theplacewas 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

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 theplacebut there are better out there.

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

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, thisplaceexceeded 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+++

best selection of seafood. my family and i love this place. great food! i just did not like paying $4 for a bottled beer. other than this, great selections!!!!!!!


-----27 feb, 2012-----

great choices. good buffet. great choices. hit and miss with crab legs. you have to get to the crab legs when they come out. get 2 plates....attendant will only give you 2 clusters. clusters fresh out of the steamer are awesome.


-----30 dec, 2010-----

best seafood buffett in mb!. plain and simple...if you want seafood buffett, then benjamin's is theplaceto go. hands-down....the best of myrtle beach. coupons available for early-bird folks.

typical seafood buffet x 1000 seats. entry into theplacewas loved by the kids, pirates giving out beads and the entry is great with all the ships and sharks etc. we were a party of 10 that entered at about 9pm on a wednesday night and were seated straight away. our waitress was polite and attentative.
they certainly have 170 items as they claim, steaks were a little dried out. people at our table said the crab legs, the clams & mussels were excellent. i did notice that a lot of the hot food in the buffet warmers were certainly not as hot as they should have been, getting some supposedly hot food back to your table only to find it is cold or at best luke warm wasnt a good thing. i also noticed they turned off all the buffet heaters while people were still seated in the restaurant. not a good thing to maintain temps in certain foods that were already luke warm to start.
there is a large section downstairs for kids, i did see them wiping down all of the kids play equipment with sanitizing spray which is always a great thing. it is expensive, go there with an empty stomach and get some crab.

anyone who criticizes this restaurant is rediculous!
ie: we had to wait in line a really long time!
no kidding it is an amazingplaceto eat if you don't want to wait in line go to one of the terrible imitators and get right in!
ie: it was crowded!
yes it is very popular. lotts of people go there. if it stunk it wouldn't be busy!
ie: it was expensive & i didn't get what i felt i paid for!
yeah that is how most people feel since theplacehas been in business for so long! places that typically charge $30 for a buffet and provide inferior products usually are packed every night of the week!
my family has been going there for over 10 years when we go on vacation! it has never let me down and only been exactly what they advertise themselves to be!
if you want fast, cheap seafood go to mcdonald's & try the filet-o-fish!

outstanding !. one word for thisplace"wow" so much to eat and so little time. if your in the mood for seafood this is the place!

...a must for seafood fans.... thisplaceis a must visit on every trip to the grand strand.... have not been in over two years but is better than ever. crab leg lovers will be in heaven......great variety of foods from scallops to ribeyes.....always fresh and flavorful...