Benji's in Norwich

We booked afternoon tea. It was dreadful. Service was slow. The wrong tea was brought and not changed despite our protest. The prosecco drinks we ordered did not arrive at all. The so called sandwiches were simply door steps served on a single thick piece of bread. They were taken from the counter and put onto a cake plate. Two of the cakes crumbled when we lifted them. We complained when paying the bill but it was plain our concerns would not be escalated hence this review. We have used Jarrolds for 50 years without complaint but will not return to Benjis. it is wrong to exploit customers in this way.

Disappointed called in for breakfast ordered Scrambled eggs with a side order of bacon The eggs in my opinion were of the liquid egg Variety use in commercial baking cheap product the bacon expecting rashers got a side order of chopped up bacon bits another product of commercial trimmings the toasted couple of slices of baguettes well can’t say much about bread?? Overall for a premier store and redesign as French bistro does not do the French style any justice having lived in France for 20 years

A real surprise find in a department store - a terrific licensed cafe. We had a fabulous local wine and some very good olives (not local!).

Roast lunch .gravy a bit bland.triffel also on the bland side .miss the coffee refills . 7 out of 10.

How many makeovers has this 1st floor eatery gone through over time ? Have used all of them during 50 years in Norwich. Yes prices rise and steeply recently but there is always the issue of value for money and sadly. this isn't the case with Benji's latest manifestation. No complaints about the service and potential of what is offered - there just isn't very much of it now. Paying £13,50 for a bowl of heavily milked scrambled egg, a tiny ( and tough skinned ) Toulouse sausage all balked out with half a toasted baguette doesn't seem like value to me. There are numerous other brunch outlets in Norwich producing more substance, quality and value than Benji's does now. It was once a busy, popular part of the Jarrold's store. This time at midday half empty and waiting staff nearly outnumbering the guests. Come on Jarrold's look at your pricing / profit margins again and restore our faith in this oasis on the 1st floor.

Without doubt this place has gone downhill over the last few months. The seating near the top is not good now that it’s a bar. The salad which came with the quiche was mostly green leaves, there was also some slimy strips of something (maybe cucumber) which looked like wet tissue. The food is overpriced and not good value. The ordering process has changed from waiter/waitress to order at the desk, not very friendly. The teapot lid didn’t match up to the pot and broke when removing it to stir the tea. Would not revisit.

I usually love this place for the service and the lovely menu but visited the first time yesterday and was shocked at the poor and expensive menu! The choice was shocking with v small portions. Jarrolds what have you done? Please change this back to the old Benjis’s where the choice and service was exceptional

The cafe has changed but not for the best, you now have to order at the counter, the menu has been reduced. Food was open and sat there at the counter. I much preferred being served at the table it was always a lovely place to sit with friends and a great choice of food.

I’m a Benji’s regular. This is the first time I’ve visited since it reopened as a “Parisian cafe”. The menu is great, food lovely. The atmosphere is a not great. The music blaring out is awful - not at all French. It really detracts and makes you not want to sit and linger.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit here. The food was excellent and the service good without being pushy But what happened to the 3 course set menu??? 2024 08 Disappointed that the menu has changed to junk food Please bring it back

Visited for lunch and very impressed with the food and service. We both had amazing pizza’s that were among the best we have ever tasted. Friendly service and nice atmosphere.

atmosphere, hustle and bustle of a great department store. Pork pie platter excellent, tastes and flavours excellent, presentation excellent. Im a wine geek so Winbirri Bacchus, Norfolk Sauvignon blanc was deliciously refreshing, dont be scared, its really great. Niggles, and believe me, this is only constructive criticism. Don’t scrape away other peoples food rests infront of you guests. Even when you are busy, acknowledge a new guest. This place is only missing a host, although the young team is just young, not too bad, actually super friendly. un summary, when your partner cant stop the shop, then retire to Jarrolds Wine Bar.

An enjoyable lunch to bring relief from the shopping! The soup and hot food were tasty and all piping hot! Very friendly service. The basement has a wonderful cheese and deli counter, we bought lots there afterwards.

Attended Jarrolds customer evening, ate in Benji’s restaurant. Massively impressed with the quality of food and energy of the restaurant team working under challenging conditions. I will certainly take the opportunity to eat in Benji’s next time we visit Jarrolds based on my experience tonight.

Jarrolds have transformed their department store into an attractive, interesting venue offering quality light meals with the usual retail opportunities. We had a good reasonably priced lunch with good service on a pleasant setting.

We have been here for lunch before and it has always been very nice. The service was still lovely but we ordered Croque Monsieur Sandwich what we got was a very poor ham and cheese toasty. Will not be ordering this again.

Delicious full english breakfast Friendly helpful staff Clean and tidy Lots if tables

Lovely breakfast. I had avocado, Parma ham and a poached egg on toast with an earl gray tea. Friendly staff and great food.

We used to enjoy going to Benji’s as a good spot for breakfast or lunch when in Norwich. We arrived having booked and the menus were totally changed - no Eggs Benedict - one of the best dishes. Nothing on the new menus seemed appealing e.g a chicken and avocado ciabatta for £15.25 - really? So, some marketing weasel has decided to ruin the previously good and varied menus for worse and more expensive options. Well done. Hope you are not getting the additional margin you were hoping for. Why is everything run by clowns?

Cooked breakfast good but very limited choice.

Had lovely day out in norwich today with hubby. So of course we have to call to his favourite restaurant benjis jarrolds. And we both had the prime steak burger and this was 100% the best I've ever had well worth the price and time, fully recommend you give benjis a visit and try this burger out

Excellent service, caring and knowledgeable staff. Clear explanations of menu options, great for those of us with allergies. Food delicious and good portion sizes.

I have been a loyal customer to Jarrolds for many years. Firstly, I have never been so disappointed, two weeks ago to hear that the cooked breakfast in Benis is no longer going to be available going forward, and now just two weeks later the menu has changed again beyond recognition. It is quite apparent after dining that the food is no longer unique, as it is comparable to many high street chains, my partner and I will refrain from visiting jarrolds in the near future and we do hope the chef will reconsider the menus.

Only one thing poor. Google maps failed to mention that it's in jarrolds dept store. Otherwise everything was excellent. It was interesting in that my partner left me having a coffee whilst she wandered around the store.

This has to be the goto place in Norwich for morning coffee. A really good food menu, a pleasant setting and particularly friendly and helpful staff.

Restaurant on 2nd floor of Jarrolds department store which is in Norwich City centre We went for brunch, they do a Saturday only special brunch/breakfast menu I had the French Toast which was lovely Jarrolds is close to a large multi storey car park (St Andrews), and less than 10 mins walk from either the cathedral or castle Norwich Market is only across the road

Ordered Duck Salad for Lunch, to be honest the dish could do with more Duck could have easily ate the shredded Duck in One! Basically it was Salad not much Duck.

We visited Benji’s for the first time on Christmas Eve for breakfast. We had a very warm welcome, and our waiter was very friendly. Food and drinks were extremely tasty. The coffee was one of the nicest I had tasted and you can tell that it was made with passion with us all having a different design on top. The seahorse was incredible. I had the French toast which was so fresh. The fruit was so tasty and so lovely to have more than just berries, the watermelon and pomegranate seeds added such a lovely texture. Everyone else enjoyed their breakfasts too. Well done Benji’s.

We had a great time! Food was excellent, service was good, lovely atmosphere - would definitely recommend!

Our breakfast go to place! Great selection of good quality ingredients cooked well. Lovely ambience and fab staff. Well worth a visit!

When my other half suggested meeting at Jarrolds for lunch I was a bit suprised as I had not been in for anything more than a sausage roll and a coffee previously and this was about 10 years ago. However, this place is absolute dynamite and I am suprised to see some poor reviews. The service from start to finish was brilliant and the food, well it was amazing. We shared breads and oils to start and i had the cod whilst my other half went for the lamb. Superb quality food, well presented with plenty of flavour. The price point is spot on for the quality of the cooking and the ingredients. We both went for the Baileys Creme Brulee which was another masterpiece. Jarrolds itself has undergone a bit of a renaissance in recent years with the fantastic deli, cheese counter , etc as well as stepping up its game clothes wise and this restaurant is further proof that this lovely independent shop has dining excellence at it's heart as well. We absolutely loved it and we will be back.

Really looked forward to our visit here but staff didn't seem very interested in the customers, lots of staff about but seemed more eager to speak to each other that serve and it wasn't a busy time. Food was tasty but both were luke warm and portions very mean for the price paid, such a shame as so much potential but lacking in basic customer care.

Great quality food, friendly and professional staff, good value! Would definitely recommend 😊

Was really looking forward to our visit with friends Poor service, disappointing menu, and had to adk for our order to be taken. Won't be back.

We enjoyed the friendly and calm atmosphere, with excellent service, good food and value.

Always a pleasure to eat at Benj's friendly and helpful staff we were served by George

Excellent food made perfect by wonderful service from Oliver

This is a review about George, the young man who served our group of four at lunch, earlier this week. Sadly, two of the meals fell well short of expectations and we (politely) complained. George normally works in one of the other eateries in Jarrolds, and had been seconded to Benji's as they were short staffed. He was given no support by his manager (who chose to avoid us) in dealing with our issue, and the kitchen left him high and dry. So its actually 1 star for Benji's, and 5 for George, who was unfailingly polite, and wanted us to be happy. He will go far. While paying our bill, it became apparent that other diners were also dissatisfied, so it was clearly a bad day at the office in Benji's. George, you are a credit to your profession, and deserve immediate promotion.

Very attentive and pleasant staff.

Had lunch at Benji's today and we all 3 loved it. We had the set menu, such incredible value and lovely choices. The food was absolutely excellent, the restaurant is so pretty and both our waitresses could not have been more helpful and cheerful. We will definitely be back and telling all our friends. Thanks Chef and staff.

Myself and a friend booked an 11.15am slot for a breakfast/brunch with Prosecco. The staff were lovely, all smiling and helpful and the food was great. The full English breakfast was so big we couldn’t finish it and the quality excellent. I don’t know what was happening last year reading these reviews but they have clearly upped their game as it was faultless service and food. Highly Recommended.

Had lunch here with my mum- nice little intimate restaurant on the 2nd floor of Jarrolds. We both had steak frite, which was perfectly cooked, and came with lovely vine tomatoes. Service was impeccable and friendly, great drinks selection too. Highly recommend booking ahead as it is popular.

Excellent breakfast with a glass of prosecco. No toast or coffee included but breakfast was still good value

Excellent flame grilled steak sandwich, friendly staff and great value. I would recommend to visit for lunch on a shopping day out.

Having really enjoyed our evening meal here on the Jarrold's Customer evening, when service was excellent, we booked for lunch. As other reviewers have commented, service was extremely poor. We were given menus when seated, waited over 15 mins for someone to come and take...

Visited Benjies again for first time since covid and were very disappointed with the service we received We have been going to Benjies for the last five years and never felt so unwelcome as last week. We were shown to our table and given menus...

We chose to visit this restaurant at early lunchtime as we are big fans of the Jarrold brand. We stood at the ‘Wait Here’ sign and waited patiently for attention. There were lots of empty tables and several staff who were not actively serving. A...

Great food and drinks, great service. Scones and cakes all freshly made, good choice of teas and coffee. A well organised and managed cafe with a great setting.

We met some old friends for lunch here and were delighted. The interesting, not overlong, menu produced some very good food with no undue waiting. The staff were uniformly charming, discreet and helpful. We stayed talking, for some time, but were never pressured into paying...

A superb lunch in pleasant surrounds, served by welcoming staff. we were given our drinks free because the food was a little late being served. this was a really nice touch and very much appreciated. We felt very safe there with the staff very conscious...

First time visit to Benji's restaurant in Jarrold's today. What a superb lunch. A nice friendly welcome upon arrival and being offered a choice of which of the free tables, all well spaced apart, we preferred was very thoughtful. The set menu at £17 for...

Didn't enjoy my last lunch at the restaurant although I mentioned what I was unhappy about my comments were brushed aside and felt I was being rushed to finish. The waitress seems to be looking for tips. I've decided not to return again to Benjis I do not recommend it more interested inn quantity than quality!

Our first meal out post lockdown since Christmas Eve 2020. Glad we booked as Benjis was very busy during the Privilege card holders evening. Seated in a raised table with a great view. Excellent social distancing measures Great food. Especially the starters. My favourite dessert with summer pudding was the ideal ending. Great service. Great meal. Thank you. Highly recommended

We recently returned to Benji's and were delighted to be there. The staff were welcoming and masked, and the tables were spaced and all was sparkling clean. I watched the cleansing of tables/chairs between customers. Impressive. The new menu was interesting. We enjoyed a Croque...

Came in Benjis before work saturday and it was very busy, I was served quickly. Louise and the team always offer excellent service and the food is wonderful, thank you to all in benjis.

Came in for lunch with a couple of friends after shopping and enjoyed it from start to finish. We had a butchers board to share and it was great that it was charged per person so there was plenty for all 3 of us to...

Very busy but the service was very good. You can have a light snake or a meal the choice is yours. We always go there when shopping. D & R B

I went for lunch with my brother - prosecco and eggs Benedict followed by a coconut latte (anything with coconut in it gets points from me!) The food was delicious and James our waiter was fantastic - excellent service and very engaging and funny and...

Amazing breakfast with glass of prossecco. We had great service from James.Nothing was too much trouble. Our table was booked for 11.30 on 25th January. Will defiantly be back

We’ve been going here years and watched as it’s reinvented itself keeping current in design and menu choices. Sadly our recent drop in was disappointing with stale bread on the finger sandwiches which maybe due to being made up early in the morning and refrigerated...

Popped in for a quick bite on a Saturday lunchtime - great atmosphere and food. Limited choice of vegetarian but good quality. Great service and value

Just called in for tea and cake. I'm rather fussy about Eark Grey tea...but this delighted me....real tea leaves with a beautiful fragrence to the tea!The ' homemade cakes lokoed very good. The carrot cake did not disappoint! Lovely and moist...and 2 good size pieces for the price.

Se sentó a las 0910. El restaurante estaba abierto entonces, aunque sus horarios de apertura son estatales, no abre hasta 1000. La mayoría del personal llegó a 1000. Como consecuencia, los dos camareros presentes en 0910 se volvieron locos con demasiados clientes. La comida era buena, aunque más cara que la media.

Awful service. No hot chocolate. Then completely ignored and we never received cheese scones which we ordered. Completely ruined a Christmas treat for my girls!

Acabamos de tomar una copa, pero a pesar de que nos mostraron una mesa y con un montón de personal no ocupado, pasaron unos minutos antes de que se tomara nuestro pedido. Lo que obtuvimos y el tiempo para obtenerlo del pedido fue bueno. También se podía ver que los platos principales servidos a otras personas con comidas completas se veían bien, pero necesitan mejorar el servicio.

Booked a table for 1430 on saturday. We were so shocked by the attidude from a company like Jarrold. We have spent alot of money here and dont except, to be treated this way.

If you want be be served and not be discriminated against, dont come here. Shocking, horrible behaviour.

We enjoyed our "starters" at Benjis as part of the Norwich "Moving Feast" and thoroughly enjoyed the food, service and experience

Nosotros 4 adultos y 2 niños pequeños almorzamos aquí.

Fabulous restaurant excellent food great staff and good value for money in a lovely location.

Mi hija y yo disfrutamos de un fabuloso almuerzo en un viaje de compras a Norwich. Nos recibieron con una sonrisa y las camareras amables y atentas. El menú tenía mucha variedad para todos los apetitos y una buena selección de bebidas. Optamos por hummus, aceitunas y pitta como entrante, ensalada de cangrejo cromer y sándwich de carne seguido del frangipane, que era absolutamente delicioso. La comida fue presentada hermosamente ya un precio razonable para la calidad de la comida. El restaurante tenía un ambiente agradable y relajado. ¡Definitivamente volveremos a visitar! Jarrolds es una tienda fantástica, así que combinado con el almuerzo es muy fácil pasar unas horas. Recibimos muy buen servicio también en el departamento de maquillaje. Gracias y bien hecho ?

We dine at Benji's as often as we can, the food is lovely, well done to the chef he has never let us down, we have dined here as a couple and with friends, ( who now also come as often as they can),the price very reasonable and the menu is varied, my favorite course is the sweet the Eton Mess is to die for !

Al visitar Norwich con un amigo, solo queríamos algo para mantenernos en movimiento. ¡Los bollos de queso de Jarrolds son para morirse! Quesos en toda su extensión y el tamaño de los mismos, enorme. Taza de café rellenada sin cargo adicional. El mejor lugar para entrar en

A favourite, but tends to be busy so we only go when we are in the centre early. They specialise in generous servings of very fresh everything, and have a nicely designed little corner of the first floor at the best (and beloved) department store in town. There are other cafes in the building and they do different jobs, but this is the one we go back to.

Fab little restaurant with delicious breakfasts and a super ambiance. We come regularly, usually for breakfast or coffee , and can’t fault it. And being on the ladies’ clothing floor, well, that’s certainly a bonus.

Nice environment and good coffee. The Store has had a thorough make-over over the last 12 months and it is far more use friendly and inviting in all aspects.

A little bit pricey: but the quality of the food and the helpful staff make it worthwhile. Much enjoyed their lunchtime snacks. A very pleasant venue and much improved to what it was.

Fantastic service and good quality food at reasonable price. Has to be worth a look?

We went to the Jarrolds customer evening and went to this restaurant for our tea. We decided to only have a starter and dessert which we were told was ok. When the bill arrived we didn’t notice that we had been charged £27 miscellaneous. We phoned and queries this and were told we had been charged for the main meal we didn’t have!!!! If we had known we would have eaten a main meal as well. The manager on the phone was very rude. Be warned they charge for food you haven’t eaten!!!!!

Such a pleasant setting with good food, high quality teas and coffee, excellent service from really helpful staff. This is now our 1st choice for tea and coffee in the city.

Era el día de la madre, así que no pudimos haber conseguido una mesa, pero había espacio

Fui a la casa de Benji por primera vez, no me impresionó. Llegué primero, esperé a que me saludara el personal, me quedé esperando un rato, el personal pasaba junto a mí, así que subí a uno y luego llegaron mis amigos. Nos sentamos en todas partes se veía muy lindo y pequeño lugar. Nuestra camarera vino a tomar nuestro pedido de té de la tarde y qué bebidas queríamos. No pedí pescado y mi amiga me dijo que ella era pescetaria, que la señora nos dio una mirada en blanco pero dijo que lo arreglaría. Ella trajo bebidas y luego preguntó qué bebidas queríamos algunos de nosotros nuevamente. La comida de mis amigos llegó y dijeron que era vegetariana, que ya le había explicado a la señora antes de que ella solo quisiera pescado, no otra carne, así que fueron a buscar una rebanada de sándwich de pescado. Nuestra comida era encantadora, muy agradable té de la tarde! , pero nunca nos preguntaron si queríamos más bebidas o si todo estaba bien, no estaban exactamente ocupados tampoco, solo un par de otras personas allí. Luego le pedimos a la señora del otro lado del restaurante la factura, ya que no iba a venir en ningún momento poco después de hacer un gesto. Esperamos aún más para pagar, una vez más, nadie vino, terminamos caminando hacia el mostrador para pagar, pudimos caminar fácilmente y nadie lo notó. Sólo había dos camareras por su aspecto, en su mayoría vi una en el escritorio y una de limpieza. Cuando pagamos, mencionamos a la señora lo malo que había sido y ella era encantadora, ambas lo eran, pero debían prestar atención a sus clientes. La señora dijo que había estado muy ocupada y estresada, pero eso no es una excusa, ya que hemos pagado por una comida y un servicio que no deben ser ignorados y no había muchos otros clientes allí. La señora también dijo que no tenían suficiente personal, ¡así que los jefes deben resolver esto! No dejes que las jóvenes se ocupen de ello. El precio era realmente bueno.

We came here unexpectedly as the other cafe In a Jarrolds was heaving. With only a limited time available the staff couldn’t have been more helpful with checking with the chef how long our order would take . We both opted for the Eggs Benedict which was delicious.The food being served to others look amazingly presented too. A lovely atmosphere with friendly and efficient staff. We will definitely be returning soon. Ps we loved the wine glasses but were too shy to ask where we could buy them.

Great.love their breakfasts. Always friendly.

Jarrolds en Norwich tiene varios cafés y restaurantes. A menudo vamos al piso de arriba de Benji o al deli en el sótano.

Qué pequeña joya (sin juego de palabras). Muy buena comida fresca bien cocinada y servida. El menú ofrece algo para todos. Visité con mi familia para adultos y niños pequeños. Reservamos una mesa.

We met here for lunch on Christmas Eve when no other independent restaurants in Norwich were open. We had an excellent meal, sampling the fish platter, the avocado houmous salad, the duck salad and the chicken salad. All were very tasty. We had a lovely bottle of wine, delicious affogato for dessert and the service was absolutely perfect.

Coffee weak, tastes like instant. But service is lovely.

Visitamos mientras compras en Norwich. Tenía dos cursos de un almuerzo opcional de tres platos. Un poco más de 13 para un confite de pato bien cocinado, hermoso merengue con crema de chantilly de fruta escalfada y una copa de vino tinto. Gran valor en un entorno agradable con un personal amable.

Nice place for lunch, good service and good food.

The best eggs benedict I’ve ever had! My partner had a really nice sausage baguette too. Coffee is also amazing.

Lovely lunch had on 30/09. Admittedly this wasn’t our first choice for lunch, where we were going to go was closed so thought we would try the pantry and completely forgot this was here. We both had plaice goujons with fries and it was lovely. The tartar sauce with red onion in it was also very good. The restaurant is lovely with plush furnishings, an anterior designers dream I’m sure. Staff were lovely and attentive. Our mains were £10 so reasonably priced too. We didn’t have desserts but I’m sure they are just as good as the main courses.

My husband and I decided to have lunch at Benji's restaurant whilst shopping at our favourite department store. It was a Saturday lunchtime, around 1pm.

This is the first time we have had lunch in Benji's, previously we have been there for morning coffee. We were impressed, excellent service and the meals we had were very good. The restaurant is stylish with a nice atmosphere, definitely recommended.

This was our first visit to Norwich and we decided to have lunch at Benji’s in Jarrold’s dept store. The menu choice was varied and the decor was inviting. Our food choice proved delicious and the service attentive. Would definitely return if we were in the area.

Friendly restaurant and relaxing atmosphere.

A mushroom on a bun a burger dose not make. WayOver priced sorry. You would get much better meal at the market accross the road..... Much better options all over Norwich don't bother....

If you have not yet discovered this gem in jarrolds Norwich you must great food and great price basically a hidden treasure within a store

Escondido en el primer piso, Benjis es un restaurante que sirve almuerzos y cafés. Ambos tuvimos hamburguesas con queso y papas fritas. Las hamburguesas eran muy gruesas en un pan de brioche. Tuve tocino por 1 extra, aunque era muy salado. Un montón de opciones que incluyen sandwiches, lubina, vegetarianos y todo tipo de platos. Servicio de camarera Buen ambiente. Dos platos principales con un té, una dieta Coke y un café para 30. 00. Ambiente muy relajado.

Benjis es un acogedor restaurante estilo bistro en la tienda departamental Jarrolds. La elección y calidad de la comida y el vino son excelentes y el personal es muy atento y agradable. Mención especial para Michael, el gerente del restaurante, que hace el esfuerzo de hablar con todos los comensales para asegurarse de que estén contentos con su experiencia.