A brand-new Benny’s pizza restaurant, Benny Ventano’s, just opened up in the Fan.
The new Benny’s has recently replaced a Mexican restaurant, Continental Divide, at 2501 W. Main St. The Benny’s pizza chain has taken up residence in towns all across Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Pennsylvania. Most of us know the Benny’s at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Based on the rave reviews I’d heard about this particular Benny’s, I know a lot of people were looking forward to one closer to VCU.
Originally, I was really excited to try out this new Benny’s, especially because I liked the one in my hometown, Fredericksburg, Va., a lot. The atmosphere is super laid back, the pizza’s cheap and the staff is always friendly. Really it can’t be beaten.
However, when I visited the new uptown hangout it wasn’t really what I expected.
My Review
“Some of y’all ‘bout to be real mad at me, but it must be said.”
Not going to lie, my first experience at the new Benny’s here in Richmond wasn’t really a positive one. I know—let me explain myself.
This Benny’s, like pretty much all other restaurants in Uptown, is a unique place with a relaxing and fun atmosphere. Similar to other Benny’s in Virginia, there’s a simplicity to these restaurants that puts their customers at ease and is just a great place to hang out with your friends. The staff members working there are really nice, one of them even going out of her way to refill my water cup for me. Sadly though, the food at this Benny’s wasn’t very satisfying. My pizza, along with my friend’s pizzas, wasn’t exactly the best.
I decided to order the “wild bill” pizza, which is Benny’s version of a buffalo chicken pizza, and my friends decided to order regular ole’ cheese. When the pizzas came they looked great, however, they didn’t taste like traditional Benny’s pizza. The problem was that the pizzas ended up not being cooked all the way, causing some of them to fall apart. Of course, we wouldn’t mind eating pizza that’s a little messy, however, it ended up being quite doughy. Not only this, but the chicken on my pizza was a bit rubbery.
It also kills me to say that the ranch really was not doing it for me. As a sort of ranch connoisseur, I was very sad about this, to say the least.
Although my experience with the food might not have exactly been the most positive, this establishment is new to the area. As a new up and running restaurant in Richmond, it might take a while to get into the swing of things and really get a routine running with their staff and food production. That being said, I am willing to try Benny’s pizza here again in the future.
Although I didn’t have a satisfying experience at Benny’s, that doesn’t mean you will too! I encourage you to go and check it out for yourself.