Benchmark

Food is good, the tacos were a let down. They should have used a real corn tortilla or flour. A soggy wrap that had no flavor was disappointing. Colorful yes, but served no purpose. The burger was very good and cheesy. Spirit infused saké cocktails, no thank you, ordered wine instead. The brown butter cake was delicious. The pot de crème had these hard to bite into coco nibs. Along with a really big spoon that doesn't fit into the pot.

I am all about the atmosphere to get me in the door. But when the food and service matches a cool vibe, I am sold. This was the case at Benchmark, situated in the historic section on Santa Ana, blocks away from the central judicial courts of Orange County. It had been years since I had been in the area and my friend randomly chose Benchmark to meet for lunch, since it was not far from the courthouse where we were. She picked the perfect spot. Benchmark was all outdoor dining for lunch, but even on this hot July 2023 day, it was cool & comfortable under the white tent-like awnings. The delicious mock-tails helped in keeping us chill too. If it weren’t for a work lunch break, I would have enjoyed the cocktail version, which I bet are heavenly. (I see there is space which is indoor-outdoor for events, but for lunch just one patio was open for the weekday work crowds.) Our server was very busy managing 7 -10 tables on his own, but he was super attentive, delightful & helpful. Plus, the food came out super fast. Which was great for the working lunch crowd. We added Branzino to our salad & split the ahi tuna and artichoke dish. Plenty for all and was just what we needed on a heatwave Friday lunch in Santa Ana.

We had a lovely dinner at this place. It has 2 nicely decorated outdoor sections. The weather couldn't be better for outside sitting. We wanted to try different menus, so we ordered 3 appitizers, which were plenty food for both of us. We enjoyed every dish and my favorite was the lemon oilve oil cake! It was just right amount of sweetness with refreshing citrus flavor. If you are more of a sweet tooth, their brown butter cake was also fantastic. We will definitely go back to try more dishes! Oh, and they also have their own parking area!

We had the most wonderful time celebrating my wife’s birthday at Benchmark. We rented the private dining room which is absolutely amazing. It was so spacious and well decorated. It allowed my wife to bring a balloon arch and have a space for photos to be taken as well as plenty of room for the gifts to be displayed. We felt like we had the whole restaurant to ourselves because it’s so private. The food was absolutely amazing and everyone loved all the options we provided. We ordered the food family style so that everyone had the chance to taste all the different menu items because we knew how good they were. Some of the items we got were the benchmark burgers, the Asian chicken, the pasta dish, artichoke fondue, crispy pork belly, flat iron steak, and even more I can’t remember. Having such a variety of different styles of dishes made the event so much fun because we tasted so many different beautiful flavors. The chef here is a genius and the service was exceptional. They were nice enough to allow us to bring in our own dessert and they served it on plates for us. They allowed us to come early enough to setup and didn’t rush us out when it was time to leave. The owner Duane even stopped by to make sure everything was going perfectly. What a nice guy! Wonderful restaurant, wonderful food, wonderful people!

I don’t have enough good things about this place. I am celiac and I had an incredible meal here with my best friend. It is hard to find places that are so accommodating to people with allergies and restriction. Our server was able to tell me what meals are gf, what could be made gluten free, and which to avoid. The half roast chicken was one of the best I have EVER had. The food also came out on time. The mini pecan pie desert was also gluten free. I went there months ago and i think about frequently. Benchmark is perfect for so many occasions. I found this place here on google so I figured I would place a review. Good review karma.