Benson's Tavern & Beer Garden

Coors on tap. That's why we went. Decent. Could have been/should have been colder. 'Nuff said.

Little dive bar. Bartender was nice but the $14 fish and chips was chewy and burnt. Way not worth it

Loved this place!! The band was Rodney Rice and they were so much fun!! The beer garden is very cool and the whole place has an inviting old schoo

Benson's Tavern is Salida's dive bar. Like most dives, it's perfectly imperfect. Cheap drinks, rowdy crowd and crammed like sardines. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

After a fulfilling pizza dinner down the street and some shopping post Thanksgiving parade, I got permission from the old ball and chain to head to Benson's. It was mighty cold outside, but that glorious Rainier sign was luring us in. We snagged the final two stools at the bar and imbibed.

Drinks are cheap and they taste appropriate for what you're paying. The wife stuck with her G&T and I went the whiskey soda route. Old Grand Dad. After a few rounds, the bill was still satisfyingly cheap.

Service was where it lost a star for me. Bartenders were keeping busy, but not very friendly at all. I attempted to start one and could tell he had no interest in keeping one going. And the other bartender seemed to ignore our direction. She eventually took my order and then forgot to make my drink. Not the end of the world, but c'mon take my money!

There were definitely some creatures of the night making their way in and out of the bar. I love people watching and there were no shortage of characters here. It was getting loud, people were slamming shots and cheers-ing to whatever floated their inebriated boat.

Would come back, just keep your expectations at the right level.

Cute little place to grab a beer or some grub. Sit outside or inside. I opted to belly up at the bar. The environment feels like a dive bar which is my favorite type of bar.

Their beer and liquor selection is extremely limited. Several alcohols/beers I asked for weren't in the bar or they just ran out. Lots of local beers on tap.

Service was friendly. Location is front and center.

I am surprised that they call themselves a beer garden because a beer garden they are not. Number one there was no garden, and number two they did not have a big selection of beer. Being in Colorado, a state known by beer connoisseurs around the world, I was disappointed that they did not offer local craft beers. They did have a couple of IPAs and sours. I went for the Guinness.

Because of Covid, and the time of year, when I visited, the city of Salida rolled up the carpets around 9 pm. I do appreciate that Benson's stayed open because after hiking all day, my wife and I did want to stop by a place for a drink.

If you are looking for a late night place where all the servers hang out once the bars close, this is your place.

This dirty dive bar is not a family friendly place. Do not take your kids here. Our table and seats were sticky and smelled like a old dish towel. All the silverware and cups had smudges and spots on them and you can tell they do a half-ass job cleaning. We walked in on a whim after driving for 5hours and everything else around for food was closed. We were all desperate and hungry and regretted it. There were people at the bar yelling obscenities and had no self awareness of the others around them (including kids).
The food is greasy and guaranteed not the best you can get in the area. We sat after our meal for about 30min and got ignored and had to ask for our check. The people are rough, the whole experience was rough. We will never come here again when we pass though.

Really fun dive bar good pub food, burger big enough to split. Fun atmosphere, friendly folk

Great customer service here, but more than that FUN FUN FUN.
Visiting Salida, CO for one week the locals are fantastic. This tavern and bar is centrally located and the food is delicious too.
Super find.

After a big day of hiking, we arrived late into Salida, and were looking for a place that was open. Benson's fit the bill. Just FYI, this is the place where the locals hang out which makes it super fun, and a nice way to meet people. They do serve food, so if you are hungry, stop by.