We chose Benihana for an anniversary lunch and made a Resy reservation in advance, specifically noting that we wanted to be seated in the bar/lounge rather than at a teppan table. We arrived a few minutes early, checked in, and were asked whether we wanted the express lunch, which we declined. Even so, after waiting about 15 minutes, we were brought to a teppan table anyway. When I reminded the hostess of our seating request, she appeared irritated. After another short wait, she took us to the correct table, but the welcome felt cold and rushed, and we were not even given lunch menus. What saved the experience was our server. He was warm, polite, attentive, and genuinely helpful throughout most of the meal. He was the strongest part of our visit and made an otherwise frustrating experience much better. The food itself was tasty and the quality seemed good, but the portions and presentation felt disappointing for the price. The plating made the portions look especially small, and overall the meal did not feel like a strong value. We had also noted in our reservation that we were celebrating our anniversary, but it was never acknowledged, which made that detail seem pointless to ask for in the first place. Near the end of the meal, our server also disappeared, and another server had to step in to help us close out the check. Overall, this was a mixed experience. The food was decent and our server did an excellent job, but the poor handling of our reservation, the unfriendly hostess interaction, the lack of acknowledgment for our anniversary, and the underwhelming value for the price kept this visit from feeling special. read more

I was there for lunch around 1pm, the place was not busy. The host told us that it would be around 20 minutes of waiting time that's expected so no complaints there, but once it turn to close to 45 minutes. Then they sit us on and waited another 20 to 30 minutes. They took about 20 minutes to take our order for drinks and they took about 10 minutes to deliver it. They ask for my regular order was fast but it to about 45 minutes to start with the soup and that's when I decided not to wait any more, I ask for my check and cancel all my order. I spoke to a manager and was on the front to paid for my drinks 2 cokes and there was no one there and there was more people waiting there. Then the manager ask me if that was all I drink and he said it was fine that we didn't had to paid for the drink at that moment I just thank him and walk out. I would not recommend it at least that location. I being at the Anaheim location and they didn't had that issues. read more

Benihana - Thats only of the drinks and that is the only thing good about it. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Downey, California

Love this place !!!!!! Great ambience! Nice staff & great service ! The food is always amazing here ! read more

Benihana - Before the meal - Sushi Bars Near Me - Downey, California

The service was horrible. My server Melody need customer service training she is racist and rude. I was eating at benihana in downey since it opened i eat there at least once a week and the two times that I had her was terrible. It sad that I should have to go to another benihana just for better service. And the manger that was in charge Giovanni didn't even address my complaint but I did contact corporate and will keep complaining until something is done even if i have to give her a bad review everyday. read more

I went to Benihana I saw Chris and I was like damn this service is so amazing I wish I could experience this on the daily. I ended up falling in love with him read more

This place used to be good not anymore. Check out this table we sat on, the grill had never been clean. What an upset. The filters in this place need a clean and upgrade. The restaurant is covered in smoke that penetrates your clothes, shoes and bags, due to the filters not working to clean up the air from the cooking. Highly recommend you not to come. Overall, the food is overpriced and mediocre portion. Taste isn't there because garlic butter can only do so much. If anyone needs to visit this place, it's should be the department of sanitation. read more

Benihana - Dirty grill after being seated. The tables were sticky. Just don't come! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Downey, California

We arrived around 8:10 pm on Tuesday night and were seated quickly, along with two other parties, at our table. Service started great, and everything seemed to be moving smoothly at first. However, it took about an hour for the chef to come to our table. When he finally arrived, he was quick, efficient, and apologized for the delay, which we appreciated. What stood out more, though, was the lack of communication beforehand. During the wait, there were no updates, and we weren't sure what was going on. The parties next to us were becoming impatient. At one point, we flagged down the host (the only employee nearby at the time) just to ask if the restaurant was short-handed, and we were told no, but the hour-long wait said otherwise, which we brought to her attention. She responded that she doesn't handle tables, which felt dismissive. Her overall energy also felt low. As someone who has worked as a host, I understand how demanding the role can be. We weren't expecting her to fix the issue, just to acknowledge it or point us to someone who could help. Overall, the food and chef experience were good, but the lack of communication and response from staff made the experience frustrating. read more

Precious, precious, precious.... that is all! My daughter and I visit Benihana quite often, and to be honest, the service is usually just okay. But this time was completely different, our server, Precious, was like no other. She was friendly, energetic, and genuinely funny. She kept us laughing the entire time and made the whole experience feel special. On top of that, the food was amazing, perfectly cooked, well-seasoned, and you could truly tell she put care into it. It felt like she added her own special touch. Precious was incredibly personable and had a smile on her face the entire time. She went above and beyond, and it did not go unnoticed. She absolutely deserves recognition, whether that's a promotion, lead position, or a raise. Honestly, I would drive an extra hour out of my way just to come back to this location if I knew she would be our server again. She made that much of an impact. read more

It's great to have a favorite restaurant will always deliver everytime you visit and that is Benihana at the Downey location. Our reservation last night was for 7:45pm and waited about 5 minutes before being seated. I noticed they went up in price with their food items. I ordered the Splash N Meadow which is my favorite and it was great, tasted good and prepared well. Our chef did an excellent job with our food and the performance. Our server was Monique and she was awesome! She was really nice, very professional and just provided excellent service for us for the entire evening. Monique made it a great dining experience. You definitely want to request to sit in her section. The atmosphere is typical loud, people having a good time and enjoying the food and show. Cannot wait to return soon! read more

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For customer service, the food was not great quality overall bad experience. Place was dirty overall. Of your looking for a good 100/100 hibachi go to Tokyo Hibachi in Lakewood that place will never fail you read more

Typically i love Benihana. We visit often to this location. Took my daughter for her birthday last night and it was terrible. I got handed multiple dirty dishes- multiple times. My sister has water dropping on her from above and brown water on her dish. And when i let them manager know- she took 50% off my sisters dish and called it a day. While we waited for a box and our check, we still had dirty plates being handed to us where they served my daughter birthday ice cream on. I couldn't believe it. It's not our usual experience and was so disheartening. They should have just made it right, offered to quickly move us so my sister wouldn't have water dropping on her from above (idk what was leaking). They handed her napkins. 50% off her dish. And we kept waiting and waiting. Gross. read more

Why make people make reservations on a major holiday only to tell people its a 2 hour wait? When asked why not text or notify people ahead of time so they're not wasting time coming over, the staff said that they did it yesterday but the manager told them to stop doing it. It was so sad to see so many people dressed up and forced to leave on Valentine's Day and even worse to have plans ruined. Staff seemed lost and everyone had different messages about what was going on. Chaos- would avoid. read more

It's great when you have a group of 8. It's perfect to take up an entire table to yourselves without another party joining. I took my executive bosses here for our holiday dinner and it was interesting. SERVICE - Kinda the star off for this location. When getting there early enough to check-in for my reservation, there was no one manning the front and took a while for them to acknowledge me trying to get someone's attention. And as great as our chef was, it seemed like it was his first or second time doing this out of training because he seemed nervous. That's not docking points off their service, just wanted to let people know it can happen. FOOD - Food was good, despite watching the chef douse EVERYTHING in the same garlic better (from all the proteins, to vegetables, to fried rice). So it may seem they all have the same flavor. AMBIANCE - it really depends on your table and your chef. Ours was okay and we had a long day at work so it took a lot for my bosses to get going. But the table next to us had a super enthusiastic chef that was very engaging, so not sure if that would've livened up our table. I think chefs feed off the energy of their table. I'd come back though! read more

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Fire- come check it out! Good vibes, good food, good people. Overall had a good evening with the family. Nathaniel is your guy. read more

Benihana - Nathaniel in action! Fireman by Lil Wayne - Sushi Bars Near Me - Downey, California

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Went there for lunch today. Food was fine albeit kinda sparse on the plate. It was barely enough to make it a descent value for what we paid. However, Daisy, our server was helpful, efficient, knowledgeable and checked on us each time she walked by. We appreciate service this attentive. Ambiance was okay but the music was loud and sort of obnoxious. If it were not for Daisy, the server, I would have given this restaurant a 2 star rating. read more

Went back to the place, and it will probably be my last time. The staff was great, but the food had too many flaws. First, the fried rice had a little vegetables, and they got cheap on the portions, but the prices should reflect the price increase. However, they remove more than what you paid. The place is always understaffed, and the bookings exceed what they can handle to maintain a balanced staff, but this place only wants your money and ignores the experience. Save your money, ignore the Downey location, and look for a great value because the place has gone from a 10 to -1 in a short time. read more

This was probably the worst experience I've ever experienced. I understand Father's Day is going to be a very busy day but the organization of the staff was terrible. Had a reservation set for 6:00 pm and did not get sat until 7:30. I don't understand how multiple parties can fill reserved slots? Apparently this location is known for this as well according to other complaining parties leaving. The worst location we've attempted to try by far read more

The two stars were earned solely by the chef, who did a fantastic job with cooking our meals and entertaining us while doing so. Otherwise, the service was abysmal. Our waiter appeared promising at first, but then slowly faded away from our table. He forgot to bring me water despite asking 3 different times. He never came around to ask for refills. He did not hand out utensils. He was not attentive to the chef when the sauce plates and mushrooms were missing. He actually disappeared after the mishap with the chef. We saw the tables around us arrive after us, get served attentively, sang happy birthday to, provided dessert, and were given their checks before we got our glasses of water. We had to escalate to the young manager, and even then it felt like we were annoying the manager. How dare we have a poor experience and escalate it smh. Not sure if I'll be back, which is a shame because the food was delicious. But I don't want to spend another 2.5 hours waiting around wondering my glass of water is. read more

Came here for lunch with my mom and want her to try this location. The green tea has no taste and the soup and the sauces to dip the foods are extremely salty. The serving spoon for the ice cream is unclean. Still have food stuck on the spoon. Don't think I will come to this location again. read more

Just celebrated a belated Mother's Day here! It was my first time and this experience exceeded my expectations. Robert, is a deeply skilled and amazing chef and entertainer. He engaged our entire table, double and triple checked our order for accuracy, and then made sure our entire lunch was exceedingly delicious! He is a star! Thank you for a lovely experience and kudos to our dining companions for being so kind and generous with their amazing energy. read more

We had such a great dinner. It was very entertaining. René was our cook and he was very funny. The food was very delicious. Definitely recommend this place. read more

This was a pretty cool place and experience. The service was really good. We got Nathaniel as our chef and he was pretty amazing. He really knew how to engage with everyone on the table. I also liked the way he was playful with the employee working behind him. Made us all feel comfortable. The food was pretty good too but the prices were low key a little high. My bf and I shared the Benihana trio and loved it. Definitely feel like we paid more for the experience which makes sense considering that's what it's known for. We also ordered some shrimp sushi that was actually soooo good. Not sure if I'd come back but it's definitely an experience to try at least once read more

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We had reservations as required. Waiting an hour to get drinks and still no food. They claimed no ice tea, but another server found it??? I'm puzzled. I'm disappointed and dissatisfied. Won't come back. The sushi was poorly represented. read more

First off it's always a wait and today we arrived a little early. The guy who offered me drinks and returned my lost keys I didn't know I lost. ( I really wish I had cash to give you) great customer service from him. My server was cool at first but we did the power lunch. Had an amateur chef. Food was ugh. My fried riced taste like pepper not chef fault. Rice came from back. Server rushed us although we had plenty of time left. It's just a downgrade down. Gives Applebees vibes now. Chef did try to make conversation and he was positive. Server was decent at first but went into bad service. Dropped off to go containers as soon as we had all our food which no one requested. Felt rushed food was ugh. Will not return read more

I recently made a reservation and received a call informing me that, due to Valentine's Day week, the lunch menu will not be available and only the dinner menu will be offered. I understand that special holidays sometimes require adjustments; however, I was a bit disappointed to hear this, especially since Valentine's Day itself is not today. One of the main reasons I chose to dine with you was for the lunch duet option, which allows for two protein selections with the chicken fried rice. While it is not inexpensive, it has always felt like a great value and part of what makes your lunch service appealing. I completely understand if menu changes are necessary on Valentine's Day itself, but extending the dinner-only pricing throughout the week feels a bit discouraging as a regular guest. read more

They have a very nice happy hour. The bar is very loud, and very cold. It seemed like there was something off because there was a very loud noise like an alarm. Other guests actually complaint and didn't eat their dinner because of this. I really liked the food the service was ok. read more

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We have been to this location many times over the past few years and have always had a great time, but today we had a bad experience due to misinformation received from staff. Was going to come here on New Year's Day because my husband had a $30 birthday coupon that expired today. The coupon says it's good Monday through Thursday (New Year's Day is a Thursday this year) and makes no reference to not being usable on holidays. We even called this location to confirm that we could use it today and they said "as long as the system accepts it, yes you can." We go ahead and make a reservation on OpenTable and get there and my husband walks in to confirm with the hostess at the front desk that the coupon can be used. The hostess said yes and then (I'm assuming) a manager who was next to her said that the coupon wasn't usable on holidays. My husband just said thanks and walked out. We totally understand this policy IF and only if it's stated on the coupon itself and the staff we talked to on the phone actually knew the policy regarding this stuff. Wasted a night driving 30+ minutes here and back and ended up going to somewhere else in the area that we are currently in the car waiting over an hour for because we weren't able to make reservations. read more

Food was ok. But it's way over price. It's not worth it. Service was good. And the ambience was ok.

If I can rate it no stars I would but as a frequent person who goes once a month maybe twice and the awful service I receive yesterday was by far the worst I spend 3hrs and never spent that long there... I understand businesses do have bad days and and no one is perfect I get it 1st: I have a reservation at 8:30 was seated host took our drink order & we placed our appetizer order "shrimp lovers roll" it took at least 1hr for the roll to be done and when they brought it out no sauce just plain sushi my bf ask waiter "this supposed to have sauce" I'll bring it to u ok the side but with a attitude then when when we need it refills waiter was no where to be found.... 2nd it took the chef 45mins to come out & some issue happen with the grill they fixed it and we had to wait another 15mins to warm up to start chef was cool he was a vibe he received money from a gentlemen and it felt like he was catering to them and we were push to the back burner and it's not right... we when he started cooking he cooked our veggies the steak I asked med & received it well done by the time he made the rice he over cooked our rice it was so hard and our veggies weren't even cooked they were just mixed in our rice our food was already cold and he ran out of garlic butter and he decided to make some on the side but with on soy sauce no garlic it was a sad dinner over all 3rd as I left I ask for a manager and waiter stated there was no one there I called today and the manager was trying to buy me from speaking up and made me feel like I was lying it wasn't right do better for your customers and fix the issue... read more

Went for Mothers Day my reservation was at 1:15 once seated it was so hot at our table it was almost unbearable even the cook was struggling. The ventilation was horrible our eyes burned from the smoke! The cook was great and the food was good but I would not go back due yo how uncomfortable we were read more

I brought my family to Benihanas to eat for there first time we are a family of 5 and we order 2 of the emperor feast that brings filet mignon and chicken. We also ordered chicken fried rice, fried calamari, tempura shrimp and pork dumplings. The portions were very small when the chef stated to give us the food. There was a couple sitting next to us and he served them a lot more food. He served us very little portions. I have never experienced this before I've gone to Benihana's many times. And to bring my kids and their mother so they can have an experience at Benihana I am very upset and disappointed. We asked for a table just for us so they can experience the joy of being at Benihana's, but today was not that day. And for the price we payed is if I payed for the couples meal I'm so very upset and when I spoke with the manager she just gave me the run around and she left to speak with the chef and never came back so we just got tired of waiting. The staff at this location are not friendly at all whenever ill go to Benihana's, I will always get greeted with a smile and a friendly face but not at this place it seems like the staff at this location doesn't feel like working there. read more

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I've never been out to dinner with my family and been so disgusted! This so called cook arguing with customers. Sarah, I believe her name was . Foul language, so unprofessional. Children at the table and this ruined my birthday dinner.. nobody seems to know what anybody's doing over there. NEVER AGAIN! DO BETTER Benihana. I will be following up tomorrow with a formal complaint . read more

I wanted to take the take time to shout out our amazing server jaimie that went above and beyond for us this past Memorial Day! There was a long wait but as soon as we were seated with her she was on top of Everything and super fast at bringing us any thing we needed- she also was super friendly. It's not often you find severs this great read more

Everything about Benihana has become to commercial, including showing us slabs of steak options and trying to upsell every option on the menu. This location is SO incredibly smokey. My eyes were burning so much I had to step outside. Our reservation was for 745, we didn't eat till 9 pm because our server didn't turn on our table. Our cook, Maria, was kind, friendly, and professional. Our server took forever, unfortunately. This place is too loud, too smokey. We were offered appetizers due to the grille taking so long and they were added to our bill at the end. The vents probably need to be deep cleaned to work efficiently. I feel so bad for the workers. They are probably inhaling so much smoke and have so much environmental exposure. The manager did comp the appetizers and make it right but it took forever to figure it out. Wouldn't recommend coming to this location. read more

I went to the Benihana in Downey this last Friday around 6:00. They sat us pretty quick which was good. I think they wait until the table is full of customers which is understandable and expected. After ordering our dinner it took a while to get our first course. All the food was alright but the portions could have been larger. Me and others who ordered the steamed rice didn't get it when the others got their fried rice so I had to eat my chicken without the rice. We got dessert but the ice cream was already half- melted and was sad looking. To make it worse I showed a coupon I was emailed to get $30 off and the server said that it's only good Mon-Thurs but that she'll ask the manager about it. She came back and said that it couldn't be honored. It did say in the fine print which I didn't see but I felt like the manager should have come to explain that to me. That didn't make it at all better. So I'm not going back ever to that location or maybe to any location. Over priced for mediocre food. read more

Benihana - Sad looking half-melted ice cream smh. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Downey, California

OK, I have to start by saying that I've been to Benihana's almost every year since I was a little kid and tonight was the best show I've ever had!! Benihana you need to give chef Renee and Sergio a raise because not only were they busy with other tables but they made us feel so welcomed and cared for. (Also laughed so hard) I will continue to come back to this establishment as long as I'm being served by both of these guys. Thank you so much. Looking forward to returning soon. read more

Love the food, but unfortunately the wait was crazy today. We had a reservation for 2:30pm and it's now 3:40pm with no food yet. I overheard the server mention they don't have enough cooks, and several tables were still waiting as well. Really disappointing experience because we could have gone to another restaurant nearby and already been finished eating by now. Great food, but the service timing today was not a good experience and makes me unsure about returning. read more

Thank you Benihana for such an incredible experience. Always love coming here to celebrate birthdays. Had the most amazing time with our server Vanessa. We had reservations for 11am (seriously the best time to come is when they first open). It's not as busy and you get seated right away. The other great part about coming when they open is they have lunch specials making the experience affordable. The ambiance here is always warm, friendly, and inviting. Food is always fresh, on point, and I look forward to my next visit! read more

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Had a reservation for a party of four at 12:30 PM, went for the lunch special that's advertised for "power lunch" 45 minutes for $15.95 was told by Daiyra & Katherine " manager & receptionist, that there is dinner only even though in my confirmation it clearly states there is a lunch special offered I showed them my confirmation they still would not honor it. The manager was extremely rude. I am very dissatisfied with the service I received. we had planned this for a while a group of girlfriends that don't live here. They are from out of town. was so disappointed. definitely will not be returning. read more

Benihana - Power lunch $15.95 don't even waste your time trying to get it because they do not honor it! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Downey, California

Today 7/28/2021 Unfortunately today I had a bad experience at Benihana's in Downey Ca. First of all I end up with a chef from last week that when i asked him to put extra garlic in the chicken fried rice he gave me melted garlic butter so i can put it in myself. To me that's gross and if I'm paying for expensive food it should be made as asked ! Then the food had no flavor because it doesn't have enough seasonings . To be honest with you I never saw him put salt or pepper on the food. I brought my two granddaughters with me today and they ordered from the kids menu and the asked me gramma can you order our ice cream and it's not their first time they know their order comes with ice cream. I asked the server for their ice cream and he says it doesn't come with ice cream. I said yes it does he says no it doesn't only at dinner. I show him the kids menu that says it comes with ice cream and he says no again OMG at this time I'm furious. Because my grandkids are looking all puzzled. I ask for the manager and he says ok but keeps working so I had to go to the front desk to complain which by now I've spent a lot of time wasted. One of the managers comes and says oh yes it does come with ice cream you can take it to go. I had no choice because now the table has been cleaned. Again SMH I feel so disappointed as I was brushed off with my grandkids having to take their ice cream home and wasted time and to top it off I get a message in my email saying I didn't show up and I felt like a kid being scolded. Telling me the following: Hi Josephine, We understand that plans can change unexpectedly. We learned from Benihana - Downey, CA that you weren't seated for your reservation on Wednesday for 3. If you did indeed make your reservation, we're sorry about the mix up. Please let us know and we'll clarify with Benihana - Downey, CA directly. When you miss a reservation, it can adversely affect the restaurant. So we kindly ask that the next time you need a rain check, please do what you can to cancel the reservation. By canceling, you can help out the restaurant and also open up the table for another diner to have an amazing dining experience. You can easily cancel a reservation online, with our apps, or by calling the restaurant directly. Kind Regards, The OpenTable Team I'm like ???? I even called them to tell them I was going to be 5 mu So you tell me how would you feel ! read more