Stopped by Benton Station the other day for lunch. I ordered the bacon cheeseburger and fries. Unfortunately, the fryer was down for deep cleaning so they substituted a bag of Lays chips. Actually, this is an option for many menu items if you don't want fries. It saves you a couple of bucks and maybe a half-inch off the waistline. The 1/2 lb burger was well cooked, the bacon was tasty, and the lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions were crisp and fresh! I've visited several times over the seven years I've lived in the area and have always had a good experience. Make sure to try the pies if you have room for dessert... or maybe just have dessert instead? They completed a slight remodel a year and a half ago. Nothing major but the place looks nice and clean inside. The kitchen also received completely new appliances and a makeover. There's a small market attached if you need drinks or other sundries for the road. Gas pumps are outside and I think they got new ones recently as they appear to be an improvement over the old ones which were hard to read. Be careful as this is a remote out-of-the-way location so you'll find higher gas prices than elsewhere. Located at the intersections of Highways 6 and 120, Benton Station is owned by the Benton Paiute Tribe. Bishop is 35 miles south, about a half-hour by car. Tonopah, Nevada is 80 miles east, about an hour and 15 minutes drive. Hawthorne, Nevada is 84 miles north, an hour and 20 minutes. Mammoth Lakes via Highway 120 and Benton Crossing Road is 46 miles west, almost an hour's drive. The eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park (at the top of Tioga Pass via Highway 120) is 62 miles away, a little over an hour. If you're in the area and hunger is gnawing at your stomach stop by Benton Station for a bite and a little rest. They're open for breakfast and lunch only! read more

Benton Station - Bacon cheeseburger. Had chips instead of fries. - Gas Stations Near Me - Benton, California

Unfriendly service, even when you go out of your way to be nice and when I tried to purchase a whole pie as they advertised they tried to sell me a pie missing a slice out of it..... I've never even see a place try to do that before and she acted like it was normal....gross read more

Went into the Benton station very very rude. There was a little short lady that is rude ! iI guess she is the manager and I guess she's supposed to be the vice chair of the tribe. She does not like Hispanics very prejudice. So me and my family got up and left. I do not know how that place makes business with her being there. read more

My husband and I had arrived to Benton from our overnight stay in Lee Vining. We had to spend the night in a motel in Lee Vining unexpectedly due to a hard closure on Hwy 935 due to the repairs needed with power lines along a portion of 395. Needless to say, we had to backtrack and work our way via Hawthorn to get to Bridgeport, and that put us in the direct path of Benton. What a charming, historical town. Much to our relief, we discovered the Cafe! It was 9:30 on a Saturday morning. There was one other couple sitting at a rable and a female employee milling around behind the counter. My husband escorted me into the Cafe and because the employee didn't acknowledge us, I chose a table for two nearby a window and my husband excused himself to me and exited the Cafe to use the public restroom outside of the building. I sat quietly and unnoticed by the employee,  she had even left the counter to stroll over to another area of the Cafe. The other couple were either not wanted on, or probably ordered already. But, I didn't smell cooking food. Nearly five minutes passed and the employee still hadn't looked at me, although I know she knew I was there because she saw my husbandcwalk in together and then he had exited. Finally, well into five minutes and counting, from behind the counter she looked at me and asked, from acrossthe room, "Can I help you?" She didn't really seem to understand what to do about a woman sitting at a table in a Cafe. Her tone even sounded a little like: "What do you want?"  Or, "What are you doing here?" My answer was one word, "Breakfast?" She wordlessly brought me two menus and put them on the table and turned her back on me. She didn't even offer water or coffee for starters. Just then, my husband walked in. He sat down, but I quietly shook my head at him. He whispered: "do you want to go?" And, I said , "yes." We just got up, left and moved on. I have a standard of behavior. I don't sell myself short. I won't stay where I'm not wanted, and i wont give business to any establishment that doesnt want it. Period. read more

Clean friendly, desert cafe. Perfect stop on our road trip for good burgers and fries. I was super nervous based on other reviews but this stop is A-OK. Would stop in again. read more

The best breakfast around 100%! Great place to eat when staying at the benton hot springs. Will definitely return

I have only had the pie at Benton Station but wow is it delicious and homemade! We ended up ordering 4 slices because it was so good. This cafe is so charming and the view outside is stunning. You can also fill up gas, dine in for breakfast, or buy drinks and snacks from the market. read more

Benton Station - Banana cream pie - Gas Stations Near Me - Benton, California

Last resort... but even then. So beyond the overpriced gas, disgusting bathrooms and pretty lackluster atmosphere. The employees are rude, stuck up, miserable individuals. At least the two ladies who were there when we were there are. They accused us of stealing and acknowledged that they are pretty rude unwelcoming individuals. Literally saying, "yeah I'm not very nice". This place shouldn't have 4 stars. The food looked gross and on our way out a local lady we made conversation with also acknowledged how poor of an attitude the ladies inside have. If you have to stop here. Don't. There are better options. Plan ahead to not have to stop here. Then again how can you blame the workers for being lazy, miserable, greedy, stuck up to kind customers they are stuck in Benton for the rest of their sad angry lives. read more

The pie is really good. The service...really needs some customer training. They're not good with people and I've been coming in here for 4 years now. Same thing. It's like they all hate the job. They never say hi or are kind. And the food is too expensive for what you get. Greasy, undercooked, or overcooked read more

Terrible place. "Food" was obviously freezer to microwave and WAY over priced. I'd recommend driving the extra 15 miles to Bishop for food. It was my second time there and I regretted it as soon as the "food" got to the table. The "cherry on top" was a disabled man came in with his service dog and got refused service because they didn't want the dog inside. The older gentleman refused to leave his companion in the car in 95 degree weather and left. I had 3 bites of my burger paid and left. No doggy bag for this stuff. read more

While they do have gas at the Benton Station, keep in mind the cafe is likely to make you violently ill, depending on who's cooking. Both my wife and I were in agony for days because of this place. I would not rely on eating anything "cooked" here. Go for a hot tub at Benton Hot Springs and drive 40 miles south on highway 6 for decent grub in Bishop. read more

So while out on Vacation I decided to make the drive from San Francisco to Las Vegas. After a beautiful drive through Yosemite, my car was running on fumes. I pulled into Benton just as the fuel light came on in my rental car. Thank goodness, because I'm sure AAA would've laughed at me for letting my tank get so low out in the middle of nowhere...(and how would I call them anyway with no cell reception out here?) When I say out in the middle of nowhere, I mean literally "out in the middle of nowhere". Hwy 120 is literally nothing but miles and miles of desert brush in this area. Hwy 6 is also extremely desolate. Benton sits just a few miles away from the Nevada border above 7000 feet in elevation which means it's a bit chilly, and windy because of the miles of plains surrounding it. It's absolutely beautiful! It's almost like being on a different planet for an east-coaster like myself. Benton Station is a welcome resting place for the weary traveler. There's a grocery attached to pick up some supplies. There's a small diner to order some food. and of course....there's Gasoline! It's almost the only thing in this small town, other than Benton Hot Springs.... If you're traveling by here...stop in! You'll probably be needing to anyway. read more

Much better than expected. This is not fine dining, but being out in the middle of nowhere in what looks like a rundown gas station, this was actually good food. There was nothing fancy on the menu: burgers, sandwiches, salads, ... But the burger and the salad were good. There was one server who was manning the restaurant and the cash register for the store, so ordering took a little extra time because there was a lot of activity in the store, but otherwise the service was good. read more

The 5 stars is for the amazing pie! (The other food was probably a 3 star.) While staying in Benton for the hot springs, we drove here for dinner (options are very limited in this tiny town). We got burgers and a honey fried chicken. The chicken was not fully cooked the first time, so we sent it back. They seemed to re-fry it, and then it was really quite good. The burgers were fine - not bad, not amazing. But then we ordered pie. I think we ended up getting blueberry, cherry, and coconut cream. I can't decide which was my favorite but they were all pretty amazing. Especially considering this place is in a gas station in the middle of nowhere. But the PIE IS AWESOME!!!!! So stop here and get pie if you're in the area. read more

For its remote location, this is a great little restaurant, convenience store and gas station, a welcome sight for motorcyclists. The Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe of Benton should be commended for reopening and managing the restaurant (and facility), which sat vacant for many many years. From peach, apple to blackberry, their homemade fruit pies are excellent and are served hot, a la mode upon request. They serve a hearty breakfast. In addition to the classic American lunch fare, the veggie wrap with fresh fruit on the side is a tasty lunch selection. It's a nice place to stop for breakfast or lunch, especially after a soak at Benton Hot Springs or a Saturday motorcycle ride. read more

Surprisingly good! Had burgers and my daughter had the soup (meatball) and salad. Very good meal stop during our stay in Benton. Friendly staff, small store attached. We enjoyed our meal here, great way to get out of the heat! read more

Benton Station - Corner, because I felt weird taking pictures of the place :) - Gas Stations Near Me - Benton, California

Benton Station is a surprisingly good little café- basically in the middle of nowhere on US Route 6 between Bishop, CA and Nowhere At All, AZ. For about $8, you'll get freshly cut and fried french fries (insanely better than In-n-Out- more of a 5 guys style), and a perfectly cooked sandwich. We ordered a few burgers, the french dip, tuna melt, and a patty melt. I couldn't find the slightest thing to complain about, but I did notice that the meat was exceptionally flavorful, especially for California. The onions were perfectly caramelized, the vegetables fresh, cold, and crisp, there was just enough sauce to add flavor without being overwhelming and the bread was crisped just right. The roast beef was delectable and extremely tender and flavorful. I did think the jus was overly salty, but, if used judiciously, was flavorful. Even the tuna melt was exceptionally balanced and seem to have cheese grated into it to provide a creamy sharpness to compliment the tuna. After the meal, I talked to the waitress and was told that they buy their meat from a local processor that purchases a lot of FFA and 4H projects. Very cool... We eat at small cafés all over the country (and eschew chain restaurants unless absolutely unavoidable) and I would easily rate Benton Station in the top 10% for the quality and taste of the food. The decor is that of a typical greasy spoon / café (old and worn, but clean), but I didn't go for modern minimalist décor. As a postscript, I'll note that the gas station, situated as it is, almost 40 miles from the next gas in Bishop, CA, does not actually price-gouge conspicuously. Gas was 20 cents a gallon more than the Shell station at US 6 and US 395. read more

If you're in the area, you have to go out of your way not to eat here. Unfortunately, that is what my wife and I usually choose to do. I've eaten here on several occasions when passing through in recent years and, while I've never been made sick from it like the other reviewer, the overall experience has usually been underwhelming. The quality of the cooking varies quite a bit depending who's in the kitchen. Locals are known to pay attention to the schedule and make a point to go when the right person is at the grill. At it's best, it's an average dining experience. The menu and decor are uninspired. The service is usually uninspired too, and at times it can even be a little bit sullen. It's too bad. The cafe is in a great intersection location, it has a quaint '50s quality to it, it's 30 miles from the next-nearest eatery, there's a great view of the White Mountains, and it even has potential to attract a near-captive dinner audience from a nearby B&B. I've always thought that, with a little TLC, imagination and friendly service, this could be a great cafe. Imagine a few special menu items, homemade pies and cinnamon rolls, fresh-squeezed orange juice, great coffee...mmmm, who wouldn't stop in the middle of nowhere for that? It wouldn't need to be fancy, just clean, friendly and imaginative. read more

Benton Station - Benton Station - Gas, Convenience Store, Cafe - Gas Stations Near Me - Benton, California

When travelling to Benton on business, I did not see many food options. Deciding to chance the Gas-Mart/Restaurant, I asked the cook what she would recommend. Well, For 5 bucks I was served the most delicious sandwich I've had in a loooong time, and I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area! Thumbs up! The fries that came with the meal were only above average. read more

This is the only gas station within hundreds of miles around that is open 24/7 and accepts credit cards so if you are running low on gas you better stop here before it's too late... read more

Just had lunch with 5 buddies . We found this spot while riding motorcycles through the area. We ordered Cheeseburgers, fries and a few Patty Melts . All good stuff all made to Order. If you happen to be passing through , it's worth the stop read more

Great place. Great food. Stop here all the time. Drive north from here and enjoy a great drive to US395 north joining 395 at Mono lake.

We were out exploring on Christmas Eve and were very happy to find this cafe. We were the only customers but service and quality were great. A few more vegetarian options would be nice but it's difficult to complain when the food is hot and fresh many miles from anywhere read more

Best pie ever, amazing food, a lovely place where I enjoy stopping when I'm passing through or visiting the area. The women who work there are amazing cooks. read more

A small cafe with limited options but they did have a great veggie wrap that was filled with fresh avocado, radish slices, finely chopped peppers, and lettuce and tomato. For a hungry vegan in the country, it was very good. Service was prompt and courteous. read more

We took a chance at this very mediocre looking cafe and were surprised by the food. I had the fried chicken which was about as good as it gets. Homemade mashed potatoes and a fine salad, and of course the very delicious pie. The only thing mediocre was the corn out of a can, which is totally acceptable for such a tiny cafe in a tiny town. The best part of the meal was the meatloaf my girl ordered. How special can meatloaf be, after all? Very special in this case. I'm no meatloaf expert, but this was the best meatloaf I've ever had (don't tell my mom!). The waitress was polite and attentive, as were the cooks and other locals who came in to visit and do business. The meal was so good we came back for breakfast after camping at the local B&B. Breakfast was just as good as dinner the night before. This is not a shiny new cafe, but the people there kept it clean and it was a real authentic country cafe treat. Not the same for the restroom outside by the gas pump, but that was no surprise. Don't go there if you need a spotless experience, but do go there for great home cooked meals. read more