Big Bens Family Diner

I came many times...

I came many times for all day breakfast. I been coming here since they have opened. I always get the same thing, steak and eggs. I even bring other friends for the first visits here. I come here today and they girl working tells me that can't make my eggs because they stop making breakfast at 4 and it's like 4:10. I come location places for better service than this. take care of your customers, they are all you got. don't forget that.

as others have said swearing loudly from kitchen, slow wait service and mediochre food. haddock and chips - chips were not hot and very greasy and the fish was not well cooked. gave up and left. not going back there

The Food Has Always Been Good

Bens is a regular in our rotation. The quality of the food is pretty consistent. We usually opt for the Steak and Mushroom pie which is fantastic. The atmosphere is ok, however the tile floor in the dining room can make for a noisy dinner, especially if other patrons are talking loudly. We expect that the service will be hit and miss because it seems they can't seem to keep a regular waitstaff employed. We've never seen the same waitress twice and a few times I've noticed the servers aren't very knowledgeable about the menu. Although the food is always spot on, we've noticed that a few of our favourite menu items are no longer available, yet they remain on the menu. (Calamari and shrimp) Soda beverages here are a little nasty too. If you're expecting Coke or Pepsi, you'll have to put up with some sort of no-name fountain substitute. Recently they've finally acquired their liquor license but beer prices here are a little unreasonable. I suppose the higher liquor prices might just be on purpose in order to keep the local drunks from hanging around but it will also keep me from enjoying a beer with dinner as well. Still... I have to defend the food here... it's consistently good.

I have visited Big Ben's several times and every time I have been there I have heard very loud cursing coming out of the kitchen. I have seen who I presume is the owner being very short with and rude to the waitresses. The service wasn't great either. The waitresses seem unpolished, or like they do not really care about the service they are providing. The food was decent every time I have been, but it is not worth dining in for. I will not be returning to Big Ben's.

Pardon me!!!

Well, me and my grandfather went to big bens the other day for some food hoping for a meal that was more than adequate. As my grandfather and I were waiting for our appetizer ( poppers ), we were hungry. As we were only one of about 3 or 4 tables in there we waited for a while it seemed, our appetizer was good! As we were waiting for our entrees our server... Sam ? Was pleasant and very attentive when my glass was empty she quickly refilled it. The dining room is very warm and comforting. Than I heard from the employees door a number of swear words and my grandfather and I looked at eachother in shock of how loud it was. Even the other tables heard it. The little girl on the other side of the dining room spun her head pretty fast and her parents didn't look happy. I had the chicken panini and the chicken was soo dry. Okay maybe the chips would be better but they were soft and covered in grease! My grandfather had the sr. Cod and chips, he said the fish was great but again the same problem with the chips, warm not hot and covered in grease, overall decent service, food was terrible! What a shame as this restaurant has quite the mixed review, people tell me it is good but maybe the kitchen just had an off night with a tad bit of a temper!

slow service and terrible food

The worst experience in a restaurant I ever had. Slow service, food was lukewarm, and disgusting. There is nothing outstanding about the food, decor or service and not worth the money we spent here. I thought since there was so many 4 and 5 star reviews made about this restaurant that this would be a good place to try out - I was wrong. I think too many friends and family are commenting here?

Nice decor, lousy food

This was my first and will be my last experience at Big Ben's. We went here because we pass it quite often and thought we would give it a try. I was surprised there was only one other table in the place. I ordered the roast beef dinner as it is my favorite meal when dining out. It turned out to be the worst roast beef I have ever had in my life. When I ordered, there was no choice of rare, med or well done. That should have been my first clue. What kind of a restaurant doesn't give you the option of how you want your beef? After finishing our second drink finally the meals arrived .The waitress just dropped the food off at the table and left.There was no breadbasket, no horseradish, no butter for the mashed potatoes, nothing else came with the meal. Looking at my dinner it looked like someone opened up their beef sandwich and dumped the beef on the plate with a mountain of mashed potatoes, and a few sticks of carrots and a spoonful of peas and a yorkshire pudding. It was so thinly sliced, a previous reviewer hit the nail on the head when he said it was like a tv dinner and may I add with the portion size to match. You certainly don't get much for the money. I expected a lot better from a traditional english restaurant.

Cooked to Perfection...

After reading mixed reveiws for Big Bens, hearing fantastic word around town and finding unbelievable deals in the local news papers. It was time to check it out for myself. Over all I had a great experience. I had a Cesar salad as an app and a beef soup for my boyfriend. The salad was a classic nothing unusual and the soup was perfect, it was thick and hardy. It tasted like my grandmother made it straight out of the garden. I had the one pc basa and chips, it was cooked to perfection! My boyfriend ordered a rare steak and got just that. The whole presentation of his meal came as a surprise. It was beautiful. A good portion of meat, veg and lovely mashed potatoes. The service was great, our server was friendly, she made our visit welcoming but not over baring. We will coming back to try breakfast, heard that weekend mornings are a hit.

Best Buy, Best Food

I don't know who the people were who reviewed earlier and burned Big Ben's but they didn't eat at the same place we did. The food is outstanding we've become regulars there for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I can honestly say we've never had better food in a family diner. It's all fresh, with amazing flavour and presentation. The atmosphere is relaxed and your not rushed. But because it's fresh you have to have be able to wait this is not fast food, sitting under a heat lamp. From Soup to Dessert we've been trying everything on the menu and have not been disappointed yet. The staff are attentive and responsive to questions or concerns. Fantastic value for money well worth the visit.

tasted like tv dinner

Well after eating at big bens. I can honslty say I won't be coming back to this place. me and my buddy ordered the deep fry ed pickles and the "poppers" which was below average. For the main course, I ordered the roast beef dinner which it tasted like tv dinner and my buddy thought the meal was really bad also. I'll say one thing is good about this place. we ordered the deep frayed mares bar and it tasted really good. The staff was decent. over all, I wouldn't come back to this place because the food was sub par and for the money we both spend. we would expect alot more.

Amazing Experience

This is the second time my wife and I have been. This time it for breakfast. The place was very busy when we walked in and we still had awesome service.This was the best breakfast in Brantford. The omlettes were great, not runny. Potatoes where cooked right through and they were not small either. Definitely a good bang for your buck.

Absolutely a great meal. Everything was cooked on sight. The roast beef was perfect and the garlic mashed potatoes where heaven. They used real garlic in the potatoes. The veggies where not frozen and where done so they still retained there crunchiness and color. Eric did a bang up job. Can't wait to go again.

The Best Fish and Chips

We have been to Big Bens on a number of occaisions. We have been there with our two grandsons, aged 5 and 3 who were supplied with crayons and colouring pages to keep them busy., as well as my mother in law. Each experience has been extremely positive. The service was very friendly and the server made sure we had what we needed and athat we were satisfied without interfering with our meal. The food was delicious. The menu is very tempting, so many traditional English meals, but I enjoyed the haddock and chips so much that I have had it every time. My mother in law is from England and she loves her fish and chips. She said that eating them at Big Bens has spoiled her and now she doesn't want them from anywhere else. She does wish she could have a glass of wine with her meal. Oh yes, they do have dessert I have tried the banana bread cheesecake, yum yum. and the deep fried mars bar which is served with vanilla ice cream. Very rich, but good. I will definitely be going back. Finally a really good, affordable local reataurant that is not a chain!!!!!!!!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy

My boyfriend and i came around 730 and were the only ones still there. It was our first time so maybe we missed the dinner crowd. I asked for a water with lemon and was brought a glass of water and a squeeze bottle of lemon juice... Really??? We ordered and waited a while for our food ( wouldnt want to know how long it would have taken had the place been busy) but it was worth the wait. Our fish was fresh and battered perfectly....but for a place known for fish and chips we were surprised to have to squeeze our tartar sauce out of a packet and once again another lemon juice bottle was brought over. It seems like it wouldnt take much for the owners to get someone to make homemade tartar sauce (its really easy) and to cut some lemons considering the price for the dinners (the squeeze stuff really isnt adding to your food). I would visit again and have spread the word about the delicious food but I will be bringing my own lemon next time.

As I do every weekend, I headed over to Big Bens for my cup of coffee and my usual. (waffles and fresh fruit.) I searched the menu looking for something new to try and finally decided to go with the "Toasted Western." When I got my meal it looked delicious! It was defiantly one of the best breakfast's I've had in a long time! I will be back yet again this weekend for breakfast...but trying something new and delicious on the menu this time might make me more adventurous and try something else next time!!!!!

Wow is right!

As a newby to Restrauntica, I was posting a review on another restaurant & was looking at the recently reviewed establishments & was surprised to see the below negative comments. We have been dining here since they were a little hole in the wall with only 4 tables before they expanded. This is a fabulous place to enjoy a meal & have found Tracey & Neil very gracious as our hosts. The portion sizes have always been very generous, the prices reasonable, the food hot & the service friendly & courteous. I am confused as to why you (Brantfordfoodie480) have offered your condolences, I do hope that they have not had a death in the family. I am also surprised that you rated the food, service & atmosphere as worst ever when you say you have never dined here. You say you manage a family diner, could this be rivalry?

My son and I went to Big Ben's for the "roast beef" dinner about three weeks ago. When our meal came, the "roast beef " was similar to what we purchase at the deli counter for sandwiches. It was sliced very thin and piled up, about 3 to 4 ounces, and the texture was not beef that had been roasted. Today I saw their advertisement in the April 7 edition of The Brant News, and the picture of the "roast beef dinner" was not what I received on my plate. Needless to say, we were very disappointed. Unfortunately, we will not be returning.

COLD Fries

We got home with Fish and Chips dinner for 2 and a kids meal, we had take out. We live exactly 3 minutes from the restaurant. When we got home the celery bread and fries weren't even warm. I offered to heat them up in the toaster oven for the family but they were too hungry and couldn't wait. It was disappointing fish was hot and good. No one really ended up eating the fries just a few to try and enjoy the meal.

I had an awesome experience at big bens . My mom my dad and I went to big bens for lunch for my moms birthday. It was soo sweet when we got desert they wrote happy birthday love kelli ( thats me ) on her plate , Tracy was our server and she was awesome ! . Our food was great, and the atmosphere was very welcoming and very friendly . Being at big bens feels like being at a family dinner , I will 100% be back.! :)

Extremely Incredible Value

The value of their breakfast special is incredible. The quality, quantity and presentation are worthwhile at double what they are charging. We recently enjoyed a scrumptous supper, that included their celery bread, ceaser salad, and a steak that was done to perfection and melted in my mouth. I