Genna Bena's

I frequently patronized Georgia Blue in Flowood prior to moving from MS, so when my mother told me about a place in Clinton “similar to GB”, I was intrigued — intrigued, but did not have expectations, especially for a restaurant in Clinton. Because who thinks of food when they think of Clinton lol. I ordered the Spicy Shrimp Po-Boy — emphasis on PO 🤣. Now, the flavor was not bad at all. Even the shrimp was prepared well. The fries were surprisingly cooked very well too. I usually do not like a thick fry, but these were hot and crispy. The downside is that it was nowhere near spicy…like at all. The bread could not have been fresh, considering the way it fell apart as soon as I picked up a half of it (I cut it myself). It was so crumbly to the point that I ended up eating only the shrimp and slaw with a fork. Would have done the toppings more justice serves as a taco. For dessert, I had the crème brûlée. I will admit that I was very excited about this and had higher expectations than what I should have. I won’t say anything except to look at the video. My mom saw me put my spoon in it and said, “That’s firm pudding.” It certainly wasn’t crème brûlée. I tried to eat it, but I had to go ahead and bring it to the attention of our server, who notified the manager. She was fine with replacing it with another dessert, and I appreciate them not making a big deal out of it because I really wasn’t upset about it, just knew I didn’t want to accept something that wasn’t what it was supposed to be. Decided upon the salted caramel brownie to go. I did not eat the brownie, but apparently my aunt and sister enjoyed it. I very much so liked the ice cream served with it. While I was certainly not the only one that experienced some dissatisfaction with my meal, I was the only one who said anything. It should be noted that, when I arrived from PEARL to the restaurant, they’d already ordered their food, but mine came out at the same time as theirs and it was not hot. So they’d been waiting a while and it still came out cold. Mind you, there was only a couple inside and our table when I arrived. When I pulled up, I wondered if they’d just opened because I only saw two vehicles in the lot. I would give them another try to see if it’s better, and I truly hope so, as they may be all Clinton has to offer lol.

Have dined here twice. Overall the food is quite good, especially for Clinton (not too many quality options in Clinton). The beef tips Monday lunch special is good, just can’t say it is great. It was hearty and filling, just kind of monochromatic on the flavor — a good flavor, just not as complex as I think it could be. The salad with comeback dressing was very good. The fried okra appetizer is also really well done! The atmosphere feels like it was only halfway thought out — something about it feels almost like it isn’t quite fully finished. Server was nice, but did not offer a drink refill. Overall, I’d go back. I’d even recommend. It is good place to eat.

As a fan of Georgia Blue in Madison, I had some expectations walking into Genna Benna’s in Clinton. We came in at 7pm on a Sunday evening. Three other tables beside us, party of two. So not busy, at all. It took 25 mins to get our drink order. I ordered a French 75 and was surprised when asked by my server if I wanted cognac or gin…of course i replied with gin. The drink was ok but served in a little kids party cup? My hubby ordered the queso burger, it came with bacon and queso cheese and side of fries. Nothing else. No lettuce, pickle, onion, tomato…the typical toppings on a burger. I ordered the catfish plate. The catfish itself was fried perfectly and the taste was on point. The dipping sauce was good too. The coleslaw was a major disappointment, lacking seasoning and dressing. The best thing overall was the hush puppies. They were delicious (crispy outside, fluffy inside with corn) but in my opinion, the hush puppies should never be the highlight of any restaurant. Total bill was $55.

So this is my second time getting take-out at Genna Benna. My first order was the fried catfish platter, the fish and fries were good but the coleslaw tasted like it didn’t have any seasoning on it. I love coleslaw so I was disappointed that there was no effort to make it taste worth anything. My second attempt I got the bbq salmon. I wanted to love this so bad. It had the potential to be good but it was sooooo dry!!! The mashed potatoes were dry, the salmon was over cooked (I asked for medium temp) the flavor on salmon was good but DRY!!! The broccoli was dry, no seasoning, no olive oil. Doesn’t seem like it was pan seared or anything to add flavor. I wanted to like it soo bad but they don’t make that extra effort to really drive their recipes to the next level. Subpar is my opinion. Please go and try it for yourself, probably the best in Clinton, but that’s not saying much.

My first time to eat here and I was pleasantly surprised. We stopped at the new Clinton location. I had the cat fish plate and It was really good. 4 pieces of fish with 2 sides and hush puppies. Needless to say I was full when we left. Also, our waitress was outstanding. She said her name was Teresa with an H. Definitely going back soon.