Ah yes, Benson Brewery. I have made many a visit to this restaurant, yet still have not written a review (*cough* taken good enough pictures to write a review*cough*). I’ve definitely visited for many a birthday/parents-in-town dinner, but I had never discovered their amazing Happy Hour deals! A few friends and I went for dinner before a concert to check it out!

Benson Brewery is located in, you guessed it, the Benson neighborhood of Omaha. There are a lot of restaurants and bars around that area, making it a pretty popular destination. Benson Brewery also has their own in-house brewery and always have a number of selections available on draft. They are, however, a microbrewery, seeing as they do not bottle or distribute any of their beer.

Also, full disclaimer, this place is more known for their burgers and pub food than anything else. I do not eat beef and have not tried the burgers, but I do like their food overall. Every time i’ve visited, i’ve ordered an appetizer – they’re a tad cheaper and the portion size is the same as a meal! The real deal is Happy Hour – half off all appetizers and beers. This easily makes a 15-20$ meal only 8-10$.

The two dishes i’ve ordered here that I love the most are the Smoked Salmon Dip and the Seitan Wings. I’m all about interactive foods – things that require assembly or take longer to eat, I feel like I enjoy them more and it lets me eat my foods slower. Anyways – the Smoked Salmon Appetizer is really the most interactive of foods. The dip is presented in a little jar with toasted bread slices, roasted garlic, a charred lemon, and pickled vegetables (my favorite!). Smoked salmon dip does sound a little bit weird, but trust me – it tastes so good with all the add ons.

Another attraction – the vegan wings! How can you have wings without an animal, you may ask? The wings are made of seitan, a popular meat substitute amongst vegans and vegetarians. Seitan is made from wheat gluten, extracted by cooking and rinsing what dough to remove the starch, resulting in a high protein product. For these wings, they breaded and fried vaguely wing-like pieces of seitan and coated them in hot wing sauce, BBQ sauce, or IPA Mustard. I really liked this dish – its a great interactive option for vegetarians, and the sauces are really flavorful.

I’ve also tried the Poutine, fries topped with gravy and cheese. Honestly, I think I just don’t like poutine as a dish – the fries get soggy and the whole purpose of eating fries for me. Regardless – i’m probably not a great judge as to the quality of the dish.

However, Benson Brewery’s namesake – the beer – is not all that great. Their IPAs and Ales are pretty good, especially for how cheap they are. However, their attempts to do other, more complex styles fall flat. Twice i’ve ordered their Kettle Sour. The first time I got it, I thought they had mixed up my order and given me the wrong beer – it was not even a hint of sour. My second time trying it out wasn’t any better. Its great to have a lot of microbreweries serving good food – but the beer is nothing to rave home about.

Benson Brewery is a good spot because it has something for everyone – beer, burgers, good appetizers, and options for vegetarians and vegans. The Happy Hour deal is really unbeatable for the price of the food and beer and the quantity you receive. If its nice outside, sneak out to their back patio/beer garden so you can enjoy the weather and the food at the same time.

The Bottom Line

Good food and environment + decent beer = great happy hour!

Cone Rating: 3.75/4 Cones

Location: Benson, Omaha, NE

Price: $-$$ (Cheaper for Happy Hour!)

On the Internet: Benson Brewery Website, Yelp page