“Come as a stranger, leave as a friend” isn’t just a line at Benny’s Cocktails & Grill ….it’s the vibe
By: Andrew MacKenzie
Tucked between Surin and Bang Tao beaches in Phuket, this low lit bolthole does what so many restaurants promise and so few deliver: it makes you feel at home the moment you step in, whether you’ve trekked in from the tropics or just wandered up the road.
Opened in 2015 by Benedikt De Bellis an Italian long settled in Phuket with luxury hotel polish from Europe to Asia Benny’s has quietly become one of the island’s most dependable goodtime addresses. The team are the sort you actually remember: sharp, warm, and e.ortlessly on it. Service here isn’t a performance; it’s hospitality with a heartbeat.
The kitchen is all about flames and flavour. Smoke curls through the room and the grill does the talking. Think plush steaks with proper char, slow smoked BBQ brisket that barely holds together, and pork ribs lacquered to a sticky shine. There’s tableside theatre with steak tartare – mixed before your eyes and tuned to your taste – and beautifully pink New Zealand lamb. If you’re in the mood to flex, the top grade Japanese A5 Wagyu is as indulgent as it sounds, while the house smoked ribs deliver that deep, campfire hit. It’s comfort food, elevated; familiar, but dialled in with precision.
Benny’s also knows how to throw a smart dinner. Every so often, they host wine pairing nights that attract people who care about what’s in their glass. Menus are tightly curated, pours are thoughtful, and conversation flows. A standout in recent memory: an evening with Italy’s Pio Cesare, which drew the island’s wine lovers for all the right reasons.
At the bar, the inspiration skews classic – those suave American bars of London from the golden age of travel – but the execution feels bang up to date. The cocktail programme is crisp and confident: a clean, floral Lychee Martini; a smoky Rum Old Fashioned with just enough swagger; a pitch perfect Negroni that hits the bitter sweet bullseye. It’s the sort of list that makes you linger. On live-music nights, the room softens, conversations stretch, and one more round feels not only likely but inevitable.
Benny’s isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. It’s polishing it until it gleams; pairing the primal pleasure of the grill with service that actually sees you. I came for the smoke and the sizzle; I left already plotting my next return. Stranger to friend? Job done.
Visit:
Benny’s Cocktails & Grill, 5/6 Soi Had Bang Tao, Cherngtalay, Thalang
Open: Tuesday to Sunday, 5:00 pm – 12:00 am (Closed on Mondays)
Reservations: recommended +66 (0)80 700 1509