Our place to eat when we want to celebrate or just want something different. A lot has change since the 20 plus years we been coming here. Food still good, prices gone up and up and up. Service hit or miss, mostly hit. We enjoy it. Don't forget to bring cash to tip the valet read more

It's been something like 20 years since i've been here. It was more crowded than I remember, but otherwise same great dining experience. Valet parking was affordable and pretty easy in and out. The service was great. With a reservation, we were sat once all our party arrived. The service was good and the show while our food was being cooked is always enteratining. The salad to start is so so basic, yet oddly so so good. Slowly our food starts being prepared starting with the fried rice, veggies, then onto fish, meats and chicken. I enjoyed most of my food. I say most because the chicken was way to over cooked. Since it was the last thing served, yet first protein on the grill, I think it just was on way to long. Everything else was flavorful and cooked to perfection. It was a lovely evening and a fun experience. read more

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We had a reservation for 9:30 PM and arrived on time, only to be told that they were running 30-45 minutes behind. We waited patiently for 45 minutes, and when we followed up, they told us it would be another 30 minutes. That's over an hour of waiting after having a reservation. What's frustrating is the double standard--if you arrive even 5 minutes late for a reservation, they make a big deal and won't seat you. But when they're the ones behind schedule, all they offer is a casual "sorry." There's no accountability, no compensation, not even a sincere apology. The food may be decent, but the management and customer service need serious improvement. Not worth the hassle. We won't be coming back. Not what it used to be, a decent restaurant turned out to be a ghetto! read more

Thank you to our server Ben!! You are the best!! You gave us amazing service when it was so busy!! Made sure we were taken care of at all times!! Martin the chef.. amazing!! I'm always happy to see him!! And William...such a great human.. so many over booked reservations and being under staffed at that location.. he was cool, calm, and collective when people were so upset. Kudos to him. Good vibes equals a good time. Thank you!! I appreciate you all. read more

It's really sad that I have to write this. The food is great but the way they organize the reservations is insane. We had a 7:45 reservation and they did not seat us until 8:40. So please tell me how that makes sense? Why not close off some times and not be an hour behind for people that have made reservations. I will not return to this location. read more

By far the worst experience! Nobody there knows what they're doing or actually wants to work. Poor management which trickles down to poor staff. Wait times is ridiculous long for no reason. I tried giving this place another chance, but they failed again read more

The food was really yummy. I liked it. The waiter was nice, worked at a good pace. The only things I will suggest for the ambiance is to make it more spacious. It was a little bit crowded. And my Husband mentioned the smoke from the tappon grill was blowing in his face. I like the green tea ice cream and their appetizer salad. Thank you for dinner. We will be back again soon. read more

Stay away. Reservations are not honored. We had made a reservation for 7 PM but when we got there we were told we had to wait 45 minutes plus for a table To be available?! What is the point of making a reservation when they don't even honor it. Horrible, placed was filled with unhappy guests and the valet parking was overcrowded and narrow. STAY AWAY!!!! read more

I normally hate to write reviews let alone bad ones. But I have to say, Benihana is not what it used to be. The place is so dirty and the chefs are so dirty. The guy cooking our meal tonight was sweating on the grill. I was so disgusted that I had to run to the manager to tell him to go tell the chef to go wipe his sweat off before it landed on the food while cooking. I do not think I will ever go back. It's sad because my kids loved the experience because of course they are kids they loved the show. But as for us adults, it's just not the same anymore. read more

One of the worst experience I ever had. If you make a reservation, it doesn't matter you're still put on the waitlist we had made a reservation and we got there and they told us that we had to wait 40 minutes and I said why are you accepting reservations? If you're behind reservation shut the reservation system off after waiting 20 minutes. I checked in again and they said we have to still wait 40 minutes and then looking around everyone was dealing with the same situation if your restaurant isn't capable of taking reservations, don't accept reservations just get walk-ins because people are driving there with their big groups of party to have to go somewhere else. There's a wonderful place right down the street that the food is better. The service is better. I suggest everyone go there. read more

My husband and I visit Benihana semi-regularly when we are in the mood fora nice meal. I made reservations for 6:30 Jan. 17. Arrived on time and noticed the lobby was PACKED with people standing around. Bottom line: when I finally got to the host stand I was told the wait would be AT LEAST an hour, and yes, that was for people with reservations. Come on Benihana...what is that? How is that acceptable?? We left and will not be returning anytime soon. read more

Amazing servise by Dana she was incredible please hire more individuals like her. Servise was 10 of 10. Sean Dama read more

Came here last year and it was lackluster, but a year passed and clearly management turned this place around... Amanda went above and beyond and she was only the front of the house... I mean seriously, she didn't have to make sure the kids were comfortable or safe and did everything to make sure the kids were the most comfortable. Ruben, what a gem! His service was top notch, for a second I thought he was the chef because of how knowledgeable he was about the food, but nope, apparently he was just the server... just great. Chef was solid, funny. And always a charm to see other people celebrating and Benihana just provides an environment where this is the perfect spot to celebrate a special occasion. Thanks again to the management that turned this place around! read more

Really great service, great food ! Also went with a large party would recommend this place to family's that want to celebrate any event.

I was here a few weeks ago for my daughter's birthday. I have been coming to this location for well over 35 years. The waitress that we had that night was one of the best that I have ever had. The hostess was not welcoming at all. (It was the beginning of the evening) the chef was the worse I have ever had. He started off by throwing egg shells at the gal across the table from me. She spent the rest of the evening covered up with a napkin. Not long after that he put the oil on the grill but because it wasn't clean, hot rice popped right at my neck, face and blouse. I said "ouch" and he laughed. The gal across the way suggested that we all wear napkins. He never checked on me. I had red welts from the burns. They stung for the rest of the dinner and kept me up most of the night. I didn't get any permanent marks. But we had a 5 yr old at the table with us. He could have been burnt. Also was not entertaining at all!!! All of the other guys did tricks. He slightly shook his hips? I did call the restaurant and was hung up on. Sent emails and left a message with corporate. I have never heard anything back. I paid full price for my meal, I didn't make a scene. I didn't ask for a refund, but I would have liked a call or email back. I will never return, nor will my family. We would usually all go 2-3 times a year. read more

We ate at the Encino location for Easter with our friends and two small kiddos. The ambiance, food and service were excellent. I'm pretty sure our kids enjoyed the show the most but we also appreciated Marvin's humor and talent. The food was delicious and the service (Moises) was top notch. Benihana is definitely an old school hibachi dinner show but it's stuck around for a reason. We'll be back for a wonderful dining experience again and hope we get Marvin! read more

Benihana - Encino - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

I have a reservation at 6:00 And I wait an hour and a half to be seated I lost my appetite read more

Unfortunately, our Server was terrible. She kept talking to one of her regulars and forgetting about everyone around including us a party of 4. It wasn't just a dinner we were there for a Birthday celebration btw, Jenny that was our Server took the picture and NEVER came back with it. I paid i asked for a receipt and she NEVER came back with it. I actually had to ask The Manager, Ameer for the receipt. Btw, we NEVER got the Picture. I will Say Tony the cook Is Amazing though. Everything he made just melted in your mouth. read more

It's always a pleasure to come to Benihanna with friends and family. The ambiance, the smell of the garlic butter, the cocktails and the delicious food are what always keeps me coming back. I always like to wait for my table and the bar and grab a cocktail. I did not catch his name but the bartender was so sweet and so attentive. This was the first time I actually ordered something other than what I usually order which is the Benihanna trio. Filet Mignon, chicken and colossal shrimp with chicken fried rice plus the onion soup and salad to start. I got a Spicy shrimp roll which was a very generous portion and decently priced. Our cook was Marvyn and he was just absolutely fantastic, he was hilarious and so inviting. The one thing I enjoy about Benihanna is that I ALWAYS have left overs so I feel like I always get my money's worth. read more

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Service was great. Wait times a little long. But immediately after arriving home, we all had the worst 'FIRE HOSE' diarrhea ever. If you don't mind sitting on a cork for a day or so, this place is definitely for you. read more

My hubby and I love Benihana's - always such a fun experience! We had reservations and only had a small wait time. We parked in the lot behind the restaurant (I forgot how much we paid). We were seated with another family and everyone had a great time. The food items were cooked to perfection and our chef was extremely fun and entertaining. Would definitely come back! read more

We had a 7:30pm reservation. We did not get sat until 8:00pm. I swear there's no AC in the building. The lobby was sweltering. It was hotter inside than it was outside... and we are in the middle of a heat wave. When your hosts need to use menus as fans, clearly something is wrong. These are very small hibachi tables. And they are smushed so close to each other. Every time a chef needed to come through with a cart I had to suck in and push myself into the table. And it happened often! I will say that our chef, Osvaldo, was excellent about catering to our needs and dislikes. We had a vegetarian at the table and prepared their food in a section of the grill with no meat. The prices are very high, but we all did go home with a lot of leftovers. We had the veggie tempura as an appetizer and it was bland, flavorless, and bland. read more

Benihana - Encino - Birthday scoop of ice cream - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

I had a great time! Thank you Owen and Rex for the great hospitality and food service! read more

Benihana - Encino - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

Food was really good as well the service we got. My only but, was that we got directed to a table in a small room in which each time the cook and or the waiters had to go through my we have to move closer to the table to the point that it was very uncomfortable. read more

our chef's name was Miguel he was very entertaining even with new skills. I've never seen. He made a gingerbread man for us with the rice. Gave us a very nice light show We also had a kid with us, which he very well entertained overall, very nice and the food was cooked perfectly just super well put together and delicious read more

Had a horrible experience, chef was amazing but the server kept giving us condescending passive aggressive comments. Ruined the whole experience for us. read more

We Showed up this past Saturday at 7:25 for a 7:30 reservation to be told that our time is just place in line. Young man said it would be over an hour. I've been a gold member with the open table for a few years and this is slowly been happening . We will no longer go to Benihanas encino. Reservations are no longer a priority. He made a Mistake and after questioning him he then said he was taking the 6:30 reservation's wye we arrived. WTF read more

I've always loved Benihana--until tonight. Money has been tight this year, but my mom LOVES Benihana for her birthday & I wanted to do something special for her. I've been looking at the menu online for days now, so I've felt pretty prepared. I wanted the Fried Rice Trio.. which is just a mixture of steak, shrimp, & chicken mixed w/ their fried rice. A serving for (2) costs a little over $30. I tried pulling it up to show her online, but the WiFi wasn't working so there was nothing I could do there. I asked for the Trio w/ Fried Rice (which she later explained to me was the wrong way to order it) ..but where I 1,000% wasn't wrong was literally explaining "the rice w/ the 3 proteins on it" as I ordered--so I thought that would be understood. By the end of the night, I had been served the smallest bowl of chicken fried rice at the table because the chef overfilled all of the bowls ahead of mine. (Everybody at the table was given a heaping scoop, while I was given a level scoop) The steak was excellent, but the chicken & shrimp was really bland w/o the rice that I had intended to eat it w/. I brought up the issue to our host at the end of the night to try & get it resolved in some way, but she just looked at me like I was an idiot because "I ordered wrong." (again, despite literally describing the item I wanted because I couldn't pull it up off my phone) ..I probably should've just said something sooner, but this is the one place where doing that ruins the experience for everybody & I just didn't feel like doing that. I also just thought it was going to be made at the end, until I realized that the chef was done cooking all of the rice, so by then it was too late. Either way--this was a very bad experience that left me feeling no desire to return. What should've been less than $50 somehow turned into a $96.91 night. 2 stars because at least my mom had a good experience. Thanks a lot, Benihana. :^ / read more

Made a reservation, showed up (on time) only to have them say they are an HOUR behind on reservations... HOW?!

How can you not enjoy Benihana? It's great entertainment with very amazing food and fresh ingredients. The $30 Birthday Coupon is sooooo perfect to enjoy a decent 5 course meal. I ordered the spicy hibachi chicken with white rice. It comes with onion soup which was great for my soul. Salad was very decent with the ginger dressing. Entree was delicious BUT NOT very spicy at all which I was hoping for more kick. It was supposed to end with a hot green tea but our server did not even offer nor mention it to us. Although, I did inquire can I switch it out for a soft drink and she said no subs. BUT I will say that they did offer a selection of ice cream for my birthday: vanilla, chocolate, rainbow sorbet, plus a cute little birthday song. It's a typical Benihana restaurant. I think they should have a bit of remodeling because the place is a bit dated but it still works. Just needs a little more livening up My server was Nardur, I know I am butchering her name, pardon and the chef was Rex. I do believe the server was a bit overwhelmed as she had multiple tables. So, she was NOT as attentive as I would have like her to be. There were a few instances where she forgot all of our requests for items. Rex was great and put on a show. My friend and I went on a Tuesday at 8pm and it was PACK!!! I am not sure why I was shocked but I am like it's Tuesday. It's a 1.5 hour dining experience. Parking is valet, $5 for lunch and $7 for dinner bUT I was lucky enough to find street metered parking which is free after 8pm. **But between us, they should increase the birthday certificate to $40 for inflation** AND let's be serious, we shouldn't need to print out the birthday coupon. Save the trees. Nonetheless, free is for me and the coupon still worked lol and I still enjoyed birthday dinner with my friend. read more

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We visited Benihana for the first time on April 18 to celebrate my dad's birthday, but unfortunately, the experience was terrible from start to finish. The cook was not engaging at all--no energy, no interaction--which is part of what makes Benihana special. But worse than the lackluster service was what happened afterward: we all got food poisoning. Everyone in our group ended up with severe diarrhea by the end of the night that lasted into the next day. Our plates included tofu, steak, and chicken, and we were all affected. I called the restaurant the next day to report what happened and asked whether they use MSG in their food. I was told a manager would follow up with me, but now it's been three weeks--and still no call, no apology, and no acknowledgment of what happened. I'm extremely disappointed in the restaurant's lack of accountability, both in terms of food quality and customer service. Getting sick after a birthday dinner is bad enough, but being ignored afterward makes it worse. I expected better from a place with Benihana's reputation. read more

I use my birthday certificate here and got the Benihana's delight with two extra garlic sauces. The sauces are $.80 each, and I am so excited to continue my hibachi flavors with some New York strip steak I bought. The food was amazing, the portions were a little smaller than I remember, but The taste was still out of this world. I got my food within 45 minutes and the manager was very helpful. The parking attendant is also super nice. He was very accommodating and had great spirits! They were a couple of new people here that definitely you can tell that they were new and needed some help, but they tried their best. It was very busy, which is shocking because it was Wednesday, but people were coming in and out of the door heavily in 45 minutes that I was there. read more

Benihana - Encino - Take out - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

Came here for a birthday party, the food isn't amazing nor was the waitress that helped us. The experience was less than satisfactory being our appetizers came after our entrees, wrong appetizers brought and so on. Just overall frequently reminding our waitress of things that shouldn't have to be voiced. The only 5 star was Alexis our busser, I believe was his position. He really made a poor experience to a wonderful evening once we realized he was the person to ask for anything, he brought it immediately and checked in on the table frequently. He arranged for the cake to come out and took a picture and just really showed hospitality. So thank you soo much Alexis, I hope the establishment can recognize your impeccable customer service. read more

Benihana Encino is always a fun experience and one of my favorite spots to go with my son on our dinner dates. The food can be a little heavy, but it almost always hits the spot. The chefs are entertaining, the atmosphere is lively, and the service is usually great. Prices have definitely gone up over the years, but it's still worth it for the experience and the quality time we get to share. read more

Yup sh*t holiday food! Our chef Christina started cooking at the wrong the table! Our veggies were all onions. The soy sauce came out in gluten free to go packets! Everything was over cooked or burned!! Horrible presentation!!! Can I add that we requested easy access for handicapped (space for a wheel chair), how are going to get out! read more

Benihana - Encino - They could seat us any far back after putting my reservation in 2 weeks ago for handicapped accommodations!? - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

Utterly filthy & disguisting restaurant. As soon as we sat down, I immediately noticed that several of the plates in front of us had pieces of rice and food stains on them. Then I started looking at the huge cracks in the tabletop that were filled with grime and food. After a few minutes, I couldn't bear it anymore and got up to leave. Avoid at all costs. read more

BEWARE OF GREASE!! We came to celebrate a special occasion for my family and we are very disappointed with our experience. We were seated in the middle room against the wall when I felt something drop on the side of my head/hair. I touched it and noticed it was grease that fell from the a/c vent above us. It's was disgusting and sticky and had to go wash it off. As I approached a manager dressed in blue long sleeve shirt he didn't say much or apologize and just said he would get someone to come clean. Meanwhile more grease dripped on my other guest face. When the cleaning guys arrived they assumed it was coming from the hood but it was falling down from the vent. They said they were unable to clean that and offered to relocate us while some of my guests were already eating the soup. Again not one apology from the manager. We were relocated to the back room and continued our lunch there. I didn't want to ruin our whole experience because of this and our relocation so we made the best out of it. As we were getting ready to leave my son was sitting under a different vent and a drop of grease dropped on his face. At this point I tried to approach the same manager and he acted like he didn't care and didn't say anything to me so at this point I asked for another manager and I was approached by Jason. I explained to him what happen and how the other manager did not seem to care about what had just happen to my self and 2 other guests. He did apologize and offered to speak to this other manager. I unfortunately did not get his name. Be aware of the vents above you as they are filled with grease!! After we moved they sat another family in the same spot we originally sat! You can't make this up! Smh! We spent over $500 here for shitty experience. Very disappointed! read more

Chef and food were good but service was so terrible. No one ever came to refill our drinks or ask if we needed anything. Phone service was even worse. Talked to 5 different people on the phone / 4 different phone calls. I understand it can get busy due to dinner rush but the restaurant felt dirty and unorganized. So disappointed as my family has been coming here for years and my last visit was one of the best experiences/ great service. read more

The food is cooked to order, right in front of you. You get lunch/dinner and a mini show. The kids will certainly have a memorable time. The service was prompt and attentive. Our cook was friendly and engaging. Kudos for everyone who assisted us during our dining experience. This location get a lot of business and could truly use a renovation for the main dining area and bathrooms. read more

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Beware! They overbook, apparently intentionally, and have no regard for the time set for reservations. Therefore, when you make a reservation on open table, as we did yesterday for Mother's Day at 6:15, they don't honor or care about the time set. They started off having a hard time finding the reservation, and then informed us that there would be at least a 45 minute wait! We waited for a long while, without much movement, and when we heard them struggle with finding other party's reservations, and telling others that the wait was now about an hour, we gave up and canceled and went next door for dinner. Many others were doing the same. The extra irritation, and our belief that they intentionally overbook, was that they had texted me and also called me the day before to confirm, so they had to know what was going to happen but didn't warn us. It is thus obvious that they don't care and won't honor reservations, but wanted us to stay there and get drinks in their bar while we wait ( forever). While we understand that it was a holiday evening, we are still angry about their indifference about this problem, and we will never, ever go back. So beware! read more