Ben Franklin Bistro

Like stepping back in time to much simpler days. this is the cutest little bistro I've ever seen. Not a very large breakfast selection however, what they have is great. They have great selection for lunch including a huge variety of sandwiches. The bistro is also a cute little antique shop. The service is great, staff very friendly and welcoming. Would have given 5 stars if they were a little more able to cater to gluten free needs. Not the idea restaurant for gluten allergies.

We come to Clinton periodically for our children’s sporting events and often look for local establishments to try out. I’m happy this bistro was open at 1pm on a Saturday. This place had something for everyone, including my insanely particular daughter. I enjoyed the building, it maintains a lot of its historic charm. It is quite spacious, and the tables are spaced quite far apart, so you definitely won’t be crowded or bumped into. The sandwiches got good reviews from our party of four, the salad was rated quite high by the aforementioned picky daughter. I guess the only drawbacks were the fact they were out of several things, and ran out of soft drinks so we never got refills… and weren’t really offered an alternative or comped for any, but whatever. The food was better than expected and was delivered promptly despite the staff seeming somewhat unprepared for the rush of people arriving just before close. I’d definitely come back. I’d like to try those burgers.

I was meeting my friend Diana for lunch to treat her for birthday. We live far apart and her neighbor Mary was willing to drive her part way. I offered to drive more than half way if they would do the rest. That brought us to Clinton, MO. Since it was taking us several hours to get there, I wanted it to be special. A quaint, unique restaurant - different from your every day type. Ben Franklin’s Bistro came through with flying colors. It was very spacious, we had a table off to ourselves. The service was fantastic and the food was superb. My friend and I went to high school together, 48 years ago (shhhhhh). We decided to get together a little more often…and Ben Franklin’s Bistro just may be our go to place. I would recommend this establishment to any and all who just want to share a fun dining experience with family and friends. Now, if I can just find out what they put in that Pasta Salad. YUM!

Have stopped here several times over the years for lunch. Service is excellent. Very unique decor and clean. Sandwiches/salads were enjoyed by all. Tried the Rocky Balboa. Delicious and good serving size value. A real nice stop on the square.

I would give them a solid 3 stars. Food was good but nothing too special. Prices on website not accurate-most meals were around $11 with entree and lays potato chips. I found my quesadilla slightly soggy and the chicken was only in half the quesadilla, while the other half was only filled with red peppers. The entire bottom 1/4 had only a tiny cheese in it, so it would have been much better if the food was evenly distributed. The taste was fine though. We ordered coffee before we left. It was super simple, nothing special, so the $3.00 price was appropriate. Staff was super busy and not especially friendly; not rude by any means, just rushed and not chatty at all.

It was good food and good service. Entering this restaurant was like stepping back in time. It is an older, historical type setting. The menu items are named after historical people and prsidents.
The portions are nice sizes. The prices are good. The food presentation was nice.
Parking was not a problem. The area is safe.

Had lunch here today. Sandwiches were good but took awhile to be served. Came with basic chips.
It was very smokey inside, coming from the kitchen area, no doubt.
Prices seemed fair and service was decent.

Quaint little country store front converted to a restaurant, good home cooked style meals with friendly staff, we will be back for sure!.

The food was not fresh and was burnt. Worse meal possible. Would not recommend this place to anyone.

From out of town. I was overly satisfied with the breakfast. It was suprisingly ordinary, but was a perfect meal for the start of the day. It was well balanced and excellent in taste. For a small time restaraunt, it is very good.

The only criticism I can make is the organization of the staff. They were nice and very pleasant, but is obvious they are not like a chain of restaraunts. To each his own, but this place was overall very good