Benny The Bum’s

Benny The Bum’s

By: Blake Montalto

For seafood lovers in Northeast Philadelphia, Benny The Bum’s is a destination where the menu puts the ocean front and center. Located on Bustleton Avenue, the longtime crabhouse and bar offers everything from steamed crab and oysters to crab cakes, seafood pasta, wings, and hearty combination platters. The restaurant brings in DJs every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for customers who want to dance after they eat.

Crabs are naturally one of the biggest attractions at Benny The Bum’s. Diners can choose from snow crab and Dungeness crab, as well as larger combinations such as the Crab Daddy Feast, which pairs Alaskan snow crab with shrimp, clams, and mussels. The Crab Steam Pot combines Dungeness crab, snow crab, and shrimp. The Bayside combines lobster tail, Alaskan snow crab, and shrimp. The restaurant offers several flavor options for the crab, including drawn butter, Cajun seasoning, and lemon-garlic sauce, with corn and potatoes accompanying the steamed selections.

There is plenty to explore before the main course arrives. Benny The Bum’s menu includes a raw bar featuring oysters on the half shell and clams, along with appetizers such as crab balls, fried calamari, and stuffed mushrooms filled with lump crabmeat and lobster cream sauce. The soups are another seafood highlight, including cream of crab and New England clam chowder.

Among the restaurant’s signature entrées are Ben’s Pure Crab Cakes, made with jumbo lump crabmeat, and the Hungry Harry, a combination of shrimp, scallops, crab cake, and flounder. Even with such a strong seafood identity, Benny The Bum’s menu extends beyond the raw bar and steamed crab. Guests can find seafood pasta, sandwiches, burgers, chicken dishes, and sides. The restaurant’s popular “Bum” Salad combines jumbo lump crabmeat and shrimp with bacon, egg, tomato, and house dressing. The salmon cheesesteak offers another indulgent option for diners looking for something familiar with a seafood twist.

What ultimately defines Benny The Bum’s is the variety within its seafood menu and its friendly atmosphere. Whether the craving is for a pile of crab legs, a bowl of crab soup, a broiled crab cake, or a mixed seafood feast, the restaurant gives diners plenty of ways to enjoy the classics, along with the option to dance the night away. With seasonal menu changes and weekly specials featuring available fresh fish, Benny The Bum’s continues to make seafood the centerpiece of the experience.