Benny’s on the Beach has been sitting on the Lake Worth Beach Pier since 1986, which makes it a Lake Worth landmark by its own signage and by general agreement. It has a legitimate claim to the best breakfast and brunch in Palm Beach County, and the setting does a lot of the heavy lifting. The pier tables sit directly over the Atlantic, close enough to hear it working underneath you. Max’s Piña Colada arrives in a fresh-cut pineapple, which is exactly as ridiculous as it sounds and exactly what you should order. The lobster roll and Benny’s Boil carry the lunch crowd, and the kitchen runs from eggs to dinner without ever pretending to be something it isn’t. Live music, full bar, salt air. Come early if you want a rail table. The locals already know.
The Full Story
Writing these reviews, I spend a suspicious amount of time litigating the question of whether a place is actually on the beach. Just last week I had to look you all in the eye and admit that a joint I loved had no sand whatsoever.
Not today. Benny’s is built on a pier that runs across the sand and keeps going out over the ocean. You are not near the beach. You are above it. It does not get beachier than this, and I’d like a moment to enjoy not having to explain myself.
First, though, a public service announcement for anyone whose spatial awareness runs at the same level as ours. There are two Benny’s. Oceanwalk by Benny’s on the Beach sits up the beachfront, and Benny’s on the Beach is out on the pier. Same owners, nearly three football fields apart, completely different personalities. Oceanwalk is prime steaks and a curated wine list, the kind of place where you consider the wine. Pier Benny’s is cold beer, beach bar staples, and seafood that was recently swimming past the pilings you’re sitting on. Both are good. We went where the salt air was.
Correct call. There isn’t a bad seat. There’s a small covered area up front for when the sky turns on you, but most of the seating runs shotgun-style down the length of the pier, aged planks underfoot and blue-and-white striped canopies overhead. It’s a look nobody had to design, because the pier already did it. Upstairs there’s a second covered deck with more tables and a view that makes you forget you were going anywhere else tonight.
The beer list leans local with Copperpoint out of Boynton Beach, but the one to order is Benny’s Beach Beer, which Copperpoint brews just for this place. There’s also a board on the table that maps which fish is running which month. Somebody there cares.
Which brings me to the staff. Diona ran our table like she’d been doing it since 1986 herself, and Justin may be the single happiest food runner in the state of Florida. I don’t know what they’re paying him. I hope it’s a lot.
These folks also don’t just occupy the beach, they look after it. They sponsor cleanups and they mean it. We will always hoist a cold one for a bar that understands the ocean out front is a big reason anybody showed up.
Insider Tips
Stay past dark and the whole pier goes red. Not for atmosphere. Sea turtle nesting season runs May through October, and white light sends hatchlings toward the parking lot instead of the ocean. So Benny’s turns the place the color of a darkroom every summer so baby turtles can find the Atlantic. Best-looking building code compliance in Florida.
Beach Bar Bum’s Prime Seat
Any table along the rail. Nothing between you and a beautiful stretch of South Florida coast but the wind. It isn’t heaven, but it’s within walking distance.
Thirsty for more? Dive into the Bum’s full guide to the best beach bars in Florida.
