Regardless of location always a treat ! Wonderful atmosphere great family experience highly recommend Benihana !

I have been coming here since I was a child. The food and the experience is the only reason anybody comes still. It's always packed, which surprises me. The service is horrible. The people you get seated with are usually in bad moods, which is awkward. The chefs are usually decent and take care of you well, but they have the same tricks that they've been using for 20 years. I wish they would come up with something new. The fact that you still need to pay for parking is always a drag. Nobody really smiles or is welcoming, but the food and drinks are delicious. As long as you come with that in mind, you will enjoy your super expensive meal at the very least. read more

Our sever, Emily and our chef, Juan were fantastic!! Great service and great food! It's always a fun time at Benihana and we will continue to go on occasion. read more

I started going to Benihana's back in the 80s- that is when the " chefs" were actually trained in Japan. They were detailed and serious about their job. It was a wonderful. Contra - the last decade or so, Benihana's has downgraded tremendously --- it become like Denny's. It has lost all sophistication and professionalism The food does not taste the same. My shrimp was chewy. The soup had way too much soy sauce. And it seemed to me that all the people working there were waiting for their shift to end so they can go home. Most of them showed a very cavalier attitude when it came to service. The service was bland. Our waitress seemed to be so dense she didn't come back once to offer us water.She kept forgetting things - like to bring forks, to bring sauce that we requested. The person making the food seemed half asleep perhaps he was high. The atmosphere reminded me of a cafeteria at a halfway house. It seems Benihana's may be involved in a program in which they hire people who are given a second chance after being incarcerated -- everyone was tagged with tattoos and had a very sluggish mentality. - they had no real concern to attentiveness to the customer. . It was a horrible experience and it's a consistent experience in the last decade or so. I only went because my 93-year-old mother still likes doing the traditional dinner at Benihana. read more

I went with my family last week to the Encino location, and the young man named David T. was so helpful and friendly. His service made my family's experience a wonderful night out! On top of that, the food was impressive and served beautifully. Encino Benihana knows what they're doing! read more

Great service and even better food. Great place for birthday celebrations and free dessert! Blanca was the best! read more

Benihana - Encino - Prosecco and gin and tonic - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

The place is busy and has energy. There's communal seating which arranges 8 people sitting around a chef in the center. The eating experience includes 5-6 servings of food and takes about 1.5 hours to complete. A bit noisy if you're looking for something more quiet. Has valet parking onsite. read more

We had a reservation, still waited about 20 - 30 minutes to be seated. We had our Order taken, the drinks and soup/salad came. At which point, we did not see the waitress again for 40 minutes to 60 minutes. Our dirty dishes piled up, including the salad bowls, soup bowls and dirty sushi plate. My wife was disappointed in the sushi; Tuna Krispy Rice. We were seated next to a kitchen area, I watched as our waitress purposely went out the other exit no less than six times so she never had to walk by our table. She went out the other side and around, never once looking at us (so no less than 12 times total). No refills on anything since she never came by. One couple literally got up and demanded their check so they could leave. Someone at our table complained to the manager who seemed disinterested, at which point the waitress came over and complained that someone outed her to the manager. Everybody was so pissed off that we sat there for so long without seeing the waitress that everybody wanted to leave and nobody requested dessert. We were also there for a birthday and in the past you usually get a picture and maybe candle. Nothing, again which at that point we had been there an hour and a half and everybody just wanted to leave. Let me also add, it was extremely expensive and no alcohol was ordered. My wife got sick from her Order. It's honestly disappointing how bad the experience was. This is a never return for me. Valet is $7 keep that in mind. read more

The staff were friendly and no wait time since we went early. Blanca was such a pleasant waitress and Juanito was a great chef. The food was incredible, as always! Love all the courses and the entire culinary experience! read more

Great experience. Chef Arturo listened to all requests and our server Owen was very attentive.

I love this location! The food is always great and the service is on point. Tip: you don't have to pay valet. If you find a spot, you can pay a meter or look for free street parking. read more

I've been here plenty of times and can say over the years that the quality of food hasn't change, but the portions and prices have. The food was delicious yet when it came to the shrimp appetizer they gave me 3 little shrimps, I did not order the jumbo shrimp or anything. The old appetizer used to have at least twice as much. I feel like if you're going to charge twice the price nowadays, you should at least keep food portions the same. The presentation is also lacking because before they plated the zucchini nicely and now they give you barely any, mixing it in with onions. Not even 3 years ago I paid 25$ for the same meal, today that meal is over 40$. Our server was great and our chef was very nice. The inside is well decorated. read more

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

Haven't been here in ages and was so excited to bring my kids here. Valet is $7 on weekends and is convenient especially today when it was raining. We made a reservation for 6 on open table last week and we had no issues. Showed up a little early and waiting a little and was seated. The staff was super friendly and kind. They have a great kids menu and they turn into hats! They have kids cups and high chairs. Our chef Marvin was so great with the kids. Tons of food and entertainment. Took our picture at the end as it was my daughter and son's first visit. We had plenty of leftovers and had a great time. It's just like I remembered it. Great place for families and yes it's not cheap but it's also not the most expensive. Besides you get so much food so it makes it more worth it! This is super random but I wish there was music in the restroom. It's dead silent in there! read more

First time at Benihana and I had the BEST time. Owen and Juanito make quite the pair! Juanito even did some magic tricks for us. I was entertained and smiling throughout! Def will come back again soon. Thanks guys!! read more

Bam was amazing! Super charismatic and made the dinner even better. Martin is an AMAZING cook and is a total comedian. Extremely enjoyable night. read more

"At Benihana, it's not just a meal, it's an experience." Sure, if that experience is a perpetual clown fiesta. Previously a regular, I had my final visit last night: When I made my reservation for my birthday dinner, I was beyond clear we only wanted to be seated with Chef Justin. We specifically visit to see Chef Justin. We don't mind waiting for his table. I checked in at 6:47 for our 7:00 reservation, again reminding the hostess we requested Chef Justin. When we hadn't been seated by 7:25, I asked about our table status. I was told we were a no show, despite my early check-in. I explained that I had checked in early, and again reminded that we requested Chef Justin. We were apparently put back in the queue. We were finally sat around 7:45. Our chef was not Justin. My order was incorrect, and still incorrect after the manager intervened to correct it. Inexplicably, the server asked the people next to me what kind of ice cream they wanted, but not me, then brought me a flavor I didn't want, THEN asked me what kind of ice cream I wanted unprompted. We asked for extra sauces to go, which didn't come, so had to ask for them again. The food was fine, but there was hardly any "show" (half the point of visiting Benihana) and we could barely hear the chef. We had other quibbles I won't bother to list. This was a typical experience. We won't be back. The bald, bearded bartender was great, though. read more

Came for my bday wh my siblings and was out of this world . We all had a great time and it was worth every single penny . I'll be back . Thanks for making this a family bday to remember :-) read more

DAVID T was the mannnn and made our date night special! Had so much to eat and drink, perfect night

It's pretty sad that this company doesn't care about serving good food they care about quantity instead of quality I have been coming here for years 1 to 2 times a month and we only go with chef Justin only to find out he's no longer on the teppan tables. We have walked out 2 times already cause of it we've had other chefs here where they don't care if the food is cooked correctly while Justin makes sure the chicken is cooked properly. Management seems to think cooking fast is the priority which doesn't make any sense to me in a place where you are spending over $150 for 2 people. If I'm spending that I would like my food cooked properly. Management please do yourself a favor and get Justin back to teppan where he thrives. read more

I've been a patron of Benihana for decades! I visited a few days ago and the place was super busy! Unfortunately, the meal preparation as over sauced, over buttered, over seasoned and all three parties at the table agreed they've never seen a chef "butter the zucchini like it was bread (on both sides) or season the rice as if the recipe called for 50% rice and 50% seasoning. The amount of oil used to grease the frying surface was insane. All these attributes were in complete excess to what used to be their method. Corporate should be aware of these imbalances. read more

The quality has gone way down hill. So much so that we feel like we will see Benihana on Gordon Ramsey secret service. We all got so sick really sick. Been going to Benihana for 40 years. Started in Beverly Hills which was a much better restaurant to begin with. Not smoky and gross bc high celings. The quality just way down hill. Don't go. If you do plan spending the rest your night in the bathroom. read more

Had the most AMAZING birthday at Benihanas, shout out to our new friend Rueben. He brought the best vibes and made it the best birthday ever. He was so attentive and made our table feel so special. I will literally come back just to see him again! Thank you for the best bda read more

Came in on December 28 for a 6:15pm reservation. Were told they were 30 minutes behind and that there were 2 groups in front of us. It's now 7pm and we're still waiting for our table with 2 groups of people still ahead of us. I'm not sure what's going on, but this has never happened before with a reservation. read more

I made a reservation for 6:15pm and I've been waiting over 45 min. They need to stop overbooking it makes it messy and very unorganized.

The food is mediocre but the kids love it here. I don't think they clean up the place. The pleasant staff compensates for it with great service. read more

Typical benihana, and i was super grateful the hostess sat us earlier than our reservation since we were starving. However that was the only highlight of the meal. Service is incredibly slow, and clearly understaffed. The servers are hustling yet thr managers just stand around and chit chat. There was actually a lot of down time and yet somehow couldnt ever flag down a server. I will avoid this location in the future. read more

Great food! Too bad they have served hot beer for the past 25yrs I've lived in this area though. Doesn't get anymore California than that.

Came to celebrate my son's 19th birthday and the staff was a delight. We come here very often and the environment is always so friendly and welcoming. The food was delicious even when there was a mistake on the order they have corrected quickly and very pleasantly. I love coming here!! Thank you for always making birthdays so special for us! read more

As always very professional and fast. The food was delicious, and the entertainer didn't dissaponted read more

WOW! That was my reaction when I took my first bite! (LOBSTER ROLL A LA DIABLA, CUCUMBER RAPPED WITH CREAM CHEESE) OH MY! Must Try!!! If you like quality sushi... Then you're DEFINITELY headed to the right spot. I I was greeted by Crystal (Server) who was just so pleasant and suggested great appetizers to start. Totally loved the music and the vibe. Special Shoutout To Don Raul who made sure we were catered to from the beginning to end. Service was stellar and food was perfection. Officially my sushi new spot! Excited to come and try more goodness! Truly Delicious! read more

Very strange service at this location. Our services disappeared for good 10 minutes, never refilled our drinks or anything. She didn't know anything about the menu or how things work. We tried to pay upfront. The lady at the front didn't bothered to charge us, instead asked us to wait by the table for the server. They could have simply charge us. Not trained properly at all. And went she finally returned, she demanded a tip. Saying we need to tip for her and the chef both. No matter how bad the service was. Happy tip the chef not the horrible service. read more

Great location! They are always so welcoming! Hunter is a great cook! He does all the tricks to entertain the kids (and adults) and season the food to perfection! The manager, Ray, walks around talking to guests. Will definitely recommend! read more

Very bad customer service. We waited for over an hour to be seated, and ended up leaving. When you go to an establishment with a reservation and you are still asked to wait for over an hour because you kept getting pushed back to accommodate other patron's that defeats the entire reservation process., asked to speak with the manager and he was also very dismissive and not helpful at all. We will never return to this establishment. read more

A rather odd combo of a most excellent grilled beef entree and mediocre everything else (scallops, shrimp, mushrooms, chicken, included salad, supermarket style sushi). The red flower drink (their classic) was a winner but the prickly pear margarita tasted like it was pure well tequila and sugar. The hibachi experience was more kids' clown comedy than impressive... but this seems to vary by table. We happened to be in the cramped fluorescently lit room with four hibachis. It was about 50 degrees in there when we entered (which we assumed was due to plentiful ventilation) so we all kept our hats and coats on. But when the grill turned on the ventilation didn't really work and it became a smoke fest; one of the kids in our party had to leave (and take an adult with him) to get away from it. He couldn't breathe. That room had uniquely poor design where patrons faces were forced to be close to the smoky grill because if you backed up your chair you'd constantly be in the way of the carts the bussers used to supply the tables. Like literally you'd get bumped into every one to five minutes. Sadly they'd probably need to tear down that whole room to fix the layout problem. Don't book here unless you're guaranteed a table in the main room. read more

Wow! Just wow! I had the worst experience at this Benihana location. I went there to celebrate my birthday with friends and family. Our server, Brando, was incredible. However, our chef was decidedly lackluster. He dropped a spatula, had to leave the table several times because items were missing, and seemed to have a cold he was fighting because he was sneezing and coughing into his elbow throughout the dinner preparation. That was all fine. People have bad nights. The real trouble began when I paid the bill. The manager came to my table and insisted that my payment had not gone through. He was rude and aggressive. When I asked a question about it, he told me to open my banking app and look for the charge. I did, feeling embarrassed about being treated this way in front of my daughter and my friends. I showed him that the account showed the payment as "processing" and told him that is completely normal for recent transactions. He insisted that I pay again and then was dismissive and condescending when I asked him about it. He dismissed me and walked away while I was in the middle of my sentence. The server felt badly, and reran my card without including his tip. He was apologetic about the behavior of the manager. I tipped him in cash, paid my check a second time, and got out of there feeling embarrassed and disappointed. Two weeks later I noticed that I had been charged twice for my meal. I called the restaurant to get the charges reversed and was transferred to corporate to lodge a complaint. I'm was told someone would call me back to remedy their mistake. Three days later nobody had called. I called again and was told that my complaint would be "escalated" so that I would get a quicker response. Nobody returned my call. Four days later I finally got in touch with Marlon, the general manager at the Santa Monica Benihana. He assured me that the charges were reversed and even sent me a photo f the refund. That was three days ago. He asked me to write a good review after all of this. I told him I could absolutely not do so! He didn't offer any compensation or apology for how I was treated. He defended the manage and made excuses for his behavior. I just checked my account and the charges have STILL not been reversed! I worked in restaurants for over 15 years and I would NEVER treat a customer this way! I'm appalled by their behavior both at the restaurant, and in the corporate office. If you are looking for a good dining experience, look elsewhere! There are way better ways to spend your money than at this location. read more

The food and teppanyaki table waitress service along with the cook were great. However, actually getting to that point in the evening is the larger issue at hand. BIG issue at hand is this place does not honor reservations worth a damn. We had an 8PM reservation and when we arrived among total chaos we were told they were running 30-45 minutes behind. First off that is UNACCEPTABLE!!!! While I understand reservations can run 15-20 minutes behind, which is a fair grace period as there are circumstances especially on busy Saturday nights that happen, we were not sat until 9:10PM. We were not the only one there experiencing the same issues. Everyone in the waiting areas said they were waiting 50-60 minutes past their reservation time to be sat. That is absurd, no way around it and no excuses. For a restaurant to not be able to control their reservations and figure that out is ridiculous when thousands of other restaurants just as if not more popular across the city of LA can figure it out. We dine out plenty at popular busy restaurants in LA and never have had issues like this before. Management claimed it was an issue with open table allowing unlimited reservations, but that is nonsense. The restaurant has to do a better job either limited the number of reservations or managing the time slots better. That fact that every person in there was having the same issue and complaining to the front host and manager is not good. We have been to many other Teppanyaki restaurants across the valley like Musashi, Yamato, Something's Fishy, etc., all the same menus and concepts and they do not seem to have these issues. Also, we came to this location last year and were told the same thing upon checking in, however the wait time only ended up being 15-20 minutes so we did not make a big deal about it. read more

Fun! recently celebrated a birthday with friends and it was great. Service was great and our hibachi chef Miguel was fantastic. the food was perfectly cooked! can't wait to go back!!! read more

I love the food here and the actually service with the chef cooking for us. but i hate the fact that i call in a reservation a week in advances and because they over booked me and my girlfriend for her birthday have to wait over 45 minutes to get seated. as i previously mentioned the food is delicious but debatable if it's worth the wait read more

What a truly fun experience! Joe was our chef and he was phenomenal. Great sense of humor, and very talented with the food and cooking of it. Kaye was our server and she was excellent. On top of it the whole time. Yakisoba with chicken was delicious as well as the vegetable fried rice and vegetables. He had the shrimp and steak and said it was really good. The onion soup was delicious as well. Had a nice bottle of Francis Coppola Pinot Grigio, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Started at the bar with a white peach sake sangria and that was a delicious specialty cocktail. Very refreshing! Really fair prices for what you get. Took home a lot of leftovers. Was very pleased with this whole experience, and will be back! read more

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Had a reservation, arrived 10 minutes early. About 20 minutes after my reservation time had passed, asked the hostess if she knew about how much longer, without even looking at me, she responded "there's two tables ahead of you". Since I don't measure time in table amounts, I asked for a time frame. She responded with "20 to 30 minutes". This is on top of the 20 minutes we had already been waiting past our reservation. I'm sorry but waiting nearly an hour past a reservation time defeats the entire purpose of the reservation. Decided to leave and go elsewhere, had to pay $10 valet for no reason to leave. So dumb. Avoid this spot and go somewhere good in LA for the same price or better. read more