It's closed permanently turned into a rental vacation place. Opened a small place in Thomson I'll but has odd hours and it's very small

Went to this BBQ spot over the weekend and it was everything I hoped for! The brisket was juicy and smoky, and the ribs fell right off the bone. The house-made BBQ sauce had the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. Sides like mac & cheese and coleslaw were just as good. Great service and chill atmosphere--I'll definitely return! read more

Benson's On The Mississippi - Barbeque Near Me - Albany, Illinois

This is a nice little rivertown restaurant. If you come while it is light out, you may be lucky enough to sit by the wall of windows and enjoy the view of the Mississippi River. I would try to get a reservation if this is a priority to you. The parking is curbside and can be a little tight. The prices are a little high for the area, but the time and talent to make smoked meats make the prices understandable. The food was good, but there were several things we tried to order, but they were out of those options, so we may have enjoyed them more than what we settled for. Everything from the asparagus to the meats was pretty heavy in black pepper and spices, so it tended to be spicy, which not everyone at the table appreciated. It might not have seemed so spicy if the food was served with some type of bread like at most other bbq type places. We did enjoy the pickles and onion on the plate as the vinegar cut some of the fattines that meat tends to have. I can't say enough good about the service as they were top notch very kind and attentive. read more

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I'm not sure if we came on a good night or not, but I'm not sure what all the bad reviews are - as someone who travels for a living, I was super impressed with this spot! I travel to Clinton a lot for work and am always less than impressed with the food options, this place was randomly recommended and wow, it's going to be a normal spot for me. We came in around dinner without a reservation and were immediately seated, by the window at that! The view was GORGEOUS. The dining space was bright and airy, very welcoming. It feels like a family establishment. Now the service. We were joking we literally had 5 seconds between each thing, they were BOOM BOOM BOOM. Drinks, apps, meal, dessert, I swear everything was out within 5 minutes from each other. Maybe some of the best service timing I've ever seen, we were amazed. The food, wow. For the middle of Iowa? This is it. The onion rings, the fried goat cheese. I was here for it. People at the table got the crawfish? boil and they all loved it, apparently the lobster Mac is some of the best the table has ever had, and I just got a couple sides - the asparagus and regular Gouda Mac - because there was so much food. Literally everything I had was so tasty. The cheesecakes were bomb too. I will absolutely be back every time I'm in town. read more

Good menu. Nice variety. Service and ambiance very good. Taste good to excellent. Bit pricey but overall worth the little extra.

Bud is a phenomenal chef. Have had almost everything on the menu and ALWAYS been delighted. Great service and ambiance. Always need to share a slice of Steph's cheesecake and a coffee to top off the evening. read more

Had a very nice dinner with another couple. The restaurant has a nice river view and informal atmosphere. We shared onion rings that were crispy & nicely done. Between us we had all different entrees- Atlantic Cod, Beer batter shrimp, the mixed fish plate, & the smoked meat sampler. Large portions & no complaints. Cheesecake for dessert was really good. The server was young but very well trained & did a great job. read more

The service and view were spectacular. I ordered the wagyu with experience ordering them around the country, and this was easily the most tough, fatty, over seasoned steak I've ever ordered. Simply inedible. I then ordered the shrimp cocktail and found them to be completely flavorless with an overbearing sauce that horribly complimented the plain shrimp. My grandma said her stuffed potato was wonderful, with the fake tasting cheese giving it a sour appeal. Generally underachieving food, with an atmosphere that nowhere near makes up for the steep price point. read more

Benson's is a wonderful restaurant with a great view of the Mississippi. They have specials over the weekends but be sure to order before they run out. When I'm able to splurge this is the place I have in mind. The only item that wasn't great was some sort of bread pudding with some sort of alcohol in it. Wow was the flavor so strong it took away from the rest of the dish. Taking a walk down to the Mississippi before or after is refreshing. They are usually packed but the times that we have been, there isn't much of a wait. There is a beautiful bar to your left once you're inside. read more

Good! I love the ambiance of seeing the Mississippi! The food is prepared well and you get amble amounts! The staff is friendly and attentive! read more

Ordered 4 meals to go on a Saturday night. Two were burgers with fries and the other two meals were pulled pork sandwiches with 2 sides each (baked beans, smoked Gouda macaroni and cheese, grilled asparagus). Pulled pork sandwiches had a lot of pork on them, very good, and so was the Mac and cheese!! Would be cool if the place made their own bbq sauces, but for right now, they served their bbq with Cookies bbq packets. Since our meals were to go orders, they weren't very hot when we were ready to eat (which is expected, but easy to zap in the microwave really quick). Our friends really enjoy this joint and we would love to give it a try again and eat inside. Keep supporting our local businesses, especially when they serve tasty food! read more

Nice family owned BBQ joint along the Mississippi. Had dinner and drinks at the bar several times while in Collins for work. Always very welcoming and enjoyable experience. read more

Stop the narrow last night on the 6th January ,4 of us. wonderful twin waitresses. wonderful food, great atmosphere. will always go back...Nice little road trip from the Q.C. read more

Well the Low Country Shrimp Boil was fantastic!!!! Who would have thought you could find this in a small Illinois town on the Mississippi River. Thursday special 18 Large shrimp, red potatoes, sausage, and corn onyx's cob. Under $20 Friends told us about this restaurant/bar. It was enjoyable, clean as a pin, and a great view of the river. The menu is great, weekly specials. The waitstaff is attentive, nice stocked bar and beers on draft. You gotta go. read more

The views from our table was amazing. And it was disappointing after that. My husband ordered the smoked prime rib. It was very dry and overcooked. I ordered the shrimp which was also overcooked, tough and served in a puddle of grease. The dinner salads were very small and uneventful. Service was just okay. Our drink glasses sat empty. The waitress never came back after serving us until she brought our check. read more

We had the Wednesday night special of Fish & Chips with Chicken strips. It was delicious. Each dinner came with two nice size strips of Battered Cod & two pieces of Chicken strips with nicely done large cut French fries that were hot and done perfectly. This place has great food with a lot of nice choices on the Menu. The dining room overlooks the Mississippi with a magnificent view. Great food and a real relaxing environment. It is well worth any drive to get here for sure. read more

We Luv Benson's OTM....always enjoy the hospitality and especially the food - would say the LC Shrimp Boil is our favorite but lot's to choose from especially the smoked meats....always return for a great meal... read more

We tried Bensons on the river last night for the first time. Delicious! Great service, great food and great drinks. The pulled pork shoulder was moist, smoky & hot. The smoked turkey breast sandwich had great smoky flavor and the candied bacon was delicious on it. Even the grilled asparagus was smoky and flavorful. Everything was hot and we received our food very quickly. We will definitely be back. read more

We just moved to this little town of Albany! We stopped in for the prime rib. We were there a little later at night -about 7:30 pm and they were out of the prime rib. Disappointing but understandable as we were a little later in the evening. I had the gumbo special with grilled shrimp and my husband had the fish platter. Everything was SO GOOD! Great views. Slightly pricey but not out of line. Our waitress was very nice and attentive. Cheesecake was really good for dessert!! Will come again! read more

If you enjoy cheesecake... You must try Stephanie's Cheesecake! Delish! The crust is delightfully thick and rich. The cheesecake is one of the best around! I do wish they had more choices for toppings, but honestly, this is so good, you barely notice it being plain! read more

Had reservations on Friday night, and our party of 4 was seated right away. However it was 20 minutes before anyone seemed to notice us and ask our drink orders. The food was tasty and plentiful, but the dining room was blinded by the sun. There are floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Mississippi River, but no shades at all. The sun shining on the water completely blinded almost everyone in the dining room. They even brought me sunglasses, which was nice, but please put some roller shades on these windows!! read more

We had reservations at 7 pm on 7/20/23, the restaurant seemed quite busy. We were seated right away near the windows which was a nice view. Our drink and food order were taken promptly and then it was downhill from there. One of the forks was dirty which was quickly replaced with another dirty utensil. The food was lukewarm at best. Everything was bland however the portions were plentiful. I ordered another cocktail when our food arrived, and we never saw our young server again even though she only had 2 tables. She seemed more interested in taking pictures of the sunset than waiting on us. When she brought the bill, she did notice she had forgotten my drink, so she comped us the coke that my boyfriend ordered. Had our server paid closer attention, I would have ordered at least 2 more cocktails and that would have increased her tip as well. I also feel like the restaurant could have been cleaner as I did see two ants on our table as we finished eating. We really wanted to love this place, but it was a miss for us and we will not return. read more

If you're expecting the Thomson location in Albany, don't go there! If you want EXCELLENT food at a great price, join me in celebrating this addition in Albany. The Bella burger is one of best I have ever had. The Grilled Shrimp and Sirloin was "good" coming from a meat eating man who DOES NOT eat salads as a meal. Cocktails are spot on. Beer is cold. Pictures next time. We were hungry.. High five Benson's! read more

Great spot right on the river! The food is phenomenal, the service is great, and it has a comfortable atmosphere. From the bbq, to the fresh catches, everything on the menu comes out quickly and tastes amazing. Definitely would recommend this spot if you are looking for a great dinner experience! read more

Bensons has the potential to be a really great barbecue joint on the river. The ribs tasted great and the brisket was tender. You could taste the dry rub on the outside which I enjoyed. However, I have a few issues with this restaurant. Nothing on our plates came out hot and there were some problems with the food. The brisket as i mentioned was tender, but it was very fatty. The bourbon beans were tasteless, reminiscent of refried beans in texture but with no flavor. The Mac and cheese was cold and gloopy, the bread roll that came with the barbecue shrimp was ice cold. The shrimp themselves had not one drop of barbecue on them. The barbecue sauce came iced cold. Also the tall chairs at the tables were all very wobbly. I just really think if all the food came out at the appropriate temperature and not like it had been sitting on the plate for ten minutes before being served, it would've been a completely different experience and I probably would have given 4 stars instead of the 2 I'm giving. read more

We are so excited to discover this wonderful restaurant! Come hungry-the portions are very generous and the food is delicious. We tried the beer batter shrimp, and it was crisp and tasty. The beef brisket was tender and smoked just right. I ordered the bbq baked beans on the side. They had a little kick, but were very good! My husband loved the Friday night special prime rib dinner, with baked potato and asparagus. The staff was very friendly and attentive. We had a window table with a view of the Mississippi River! Our meals were done quickly and came to the table steaming hot. We will be back! read more

went for the shrimp boil. the shrimp was so overdone it was dry and curled so tight. we split an order and for the 2 of us, they gave us one very dry ear of corn so we had to ask for another very dry ear of corn. i ordered a manhattan which came in a half full glass for $10. also, they would not let us sit next to a window because we did not have reservations but 2 of the tables were unoccupied thu our entire meal. go back???? does not look good read more