We were really looking forward to a great experience but we had the opposite. The chicken was way over cooked. They changed their salad dressing i believe and it tasted horrible. a they changed their soup as well more like a onion soup. Then they got rid of brussels sprouts in the rice. it was also super cold in there. the valets didn't pay attention and took 10 min to get my car. i had to go out in the rain and complain to them. Stay Away!!! read more

Had a question about the Birthday coupon , so the manager Dean was brought over. First off he was not professional at all just, straight out rude and was no help. He pretty much yelled at me to check my email as I showed him my email and asked him to show me what he was talking about ,he did not even know how to show me. As a manager You should have been more helpful. I would probably not visit this location due to the fact that he is here. Encino Location! read more

1 out of 5 noms Overall: If you like a show, then go. If you care about service, stay clear. The food is good, not great. But then again most go for the show. We waited an hour to get our table and then another 20 mins to get service. I ordered some beverages only to be served in a dirty glass. The chef was good as expected, but the service alone is the reason that i cannot give this location anything better than 1 star. read more

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

Second time in a row. We love this place and are here right now, but this is the second time we have sat for over an hour before even getting soup. The group next to us came in after us and are already into the main course. This has been a birthday staple for years and years... but something has changed. Sidenote, tried to use my birthday certificate on my actual birthday but I can't.... Only valid Monday through Thursday for dinner. The irony is obvious, but they May want to rethink that rule! read more

The service was wonderful! A special thanks to our waiter Ali, making our dining experience truly memorable, she was very attentive and accommodating. The food was excellent, ambiance was perfect. read more

Make a reservation! This way you don't have to wait in the small lobby or at the bar. Food is super yummy and prices are great! Entertainment is always a plus when you eat) My wife loves the place! Get some drinks while you wait for you seats at the bar read more

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

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Wow! This has been our go to for birthday dinners for years. We fully understand prices being raised due to COVID but the portions? For almost $300.... UNREAL. Please see the photos for an idea of this complete rip off. Choose more wisely than we did. read more

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Our family has been celebrating birthdays at Benihana for decades but this is the first time we went to the Encino location, due to some family relocations across Southern California. Wow! What a treat, especially for someone who thought they knew the Benihana experience completely. Maia at the reception was incredibly kind and attentive. She helped us not just when we arrived but thorough out the meal and as we were leaving. Owen, our waiter, simply the best ever. Funny, kind, witty, and incredibly on it! Our chef and the bartender were also great. In fact, probably the best chef I've ever experienced at Benihana across dozens of visits and locations. Look, if Benihana isn't your thing, I get it. But then don't go. If you like Benihana, as we do, you can't find a better one, top to bottom, than the Encino location. We were told this was the second Benihana ever. I think they have it down! Bravo team! read more

We went to benihana in encino for lunch today and I was impressed so impressed with the staff. Maiai and Ashley gave us the warmest welcome upon entering. Ben our server was personable and polite and great at his job. Miguel our chef took extra time out to entertain the kids and cooked our food to perfection. It was such a cohesive team and kept us with a smile on our face from start to finish. I didn't meet the manager but his staff is a great reflection of his leadership. Thanks for making our daughters birthday special read more

Food, service and cleanliness has gone WAY down and the prices have doubled! Definitely not the same experience as it used to be, especially the Encino location. Management could care less about the customers and they don't care if they lose long time customers! read more

From the start, the experience was terrible. Reservation was at 6:45pm and the host said that we're all checked in and to wait. Ok sure, no problem. 25mins later, still waiting. Walk-ins come in and were told that they can be seated for the 7:15pm slot. We have a reservation for a reason and now the walk-ins are waiting for a less shorter time than us?! What's the point of having a reservation if the restaurant is not ready to seat us at the time scheduled and for walk-ins to be seated faster?! We're only a party of 4. Finally seated around 7:20pm, the waitress took our drink orders, which were only water and one hot green tea. The waitress disappears for a long time. Gone so long that the table next to us who sat AFTER us got their waters 1st! Then the waitress tells me that they can't serve the hot tea because they don't have cups to serve them in at this time! If the restaurant menu states that their meals are 5 courses, which includes the hot green tea, then why would they not be ready to serve them by not having cups?! Ok, fine. Got our meals, nothing extraordinary. The kicker comes at the end when we pay our bill. When the waitress brought the bill, everything was correct and my husband hands his card. The waitress takes it and a few minutes later comes with the card reader with the bill details. At this time, my husband had gone to the restroom, so she hands me the card reader to enter the tip and close the bill. Since my husband already checked the initial bill details, I went ahead and just clicked on the suggested tip percentage to close the bill. I then gave the final receipt to my husband when he came back. Good thing he looked at the receipt because the bill total before tip was completely different from what was originally given to him. The 2nd bill that the waitress gave had an additional charge for an item we didn't even order! So he was shocked to find that there was an additional $18 difference! It's not even the amount that bothered us but the outright scam that was being pulled. Done with this place! Never again! The only person deserving of a star in this place is the chef, Reggie. He did a great job and was pleasant. read more

I don't write reviews often, but I had such a horrible experience ordering takeout from this place that I have to speak out and say something... DO NOT ORDER SUSHI FROM THIS PLACE (RA SUSHI.) Do not expect your food to be delivered on time. Does not even deserve 1 star. I placed my order on Postmates at 6:57pm with an estimated time of arrival of maximum 60 minutes. Checked Postmates app 50 minutes when it said "food is taking longer than expected." Called Benihana at 8:04pm to follow up on the status on my order. (Finding the number for RA was a hassle btw because it wasn't on the app. Seems like they're trying to hide... Someone from my group found out it's part of Benihana so I called that number (818) 742-9208. We're not from the area so how would we know they're combined?) When I called, they told me that I set the pickup time to 8:59 which is not true because I asked for an ASAP delivery time! Mind you, my order should have been on the way with the driver at this point (8:04pm), past the originally quoted 60 minute delivery time. Then the manager told me that they were barely starting on my order at that time since we had a "big order" (i.e. sushi platter, which was disgusting. More on that later.) and that it wouldn't even be done until around 8:59!!! At this point my group is HANGRY. We haven't eaten since lunch. We were so hungry that half of our group drove to McDonalds. They ate their Chicken nuggets and McChickens before we even got our sushi delivered... I tried to give RA Sushi a pass because maybe it's the driver? But when our food finally arrived at 9:17pm, things took a turn for the worst. This was worse than gas station or supermarket sushi. If you could even call it sushi. - The nigiri in the sushi platter looked like it was haphazardly thrown around. Looked nothing like the picture. The tuna was redder than Benihana red. The fish didn't even last like anything. - Poke chirashi was bland af. And the "sushi rice" for the both the chirashi and sushi was NOT sushi rice. It was just regular rice with sesame seeds on top. Proper sushi rice has some vinegar flavor and a hint of sweetness. - The rackin' shrimp: not rackin'. Especially when they don't even send us the sauce that's supposed to come with it. How you gonna expect us to eat these dry pieces of shrimp without the sauce to balance it out? - Crazy Monkey roll: just tasted like straight cream cheese. Blandest food in my life and it took more than 2 hours to get delivered. I've had RA Sushi in Torrance which was good, and this branch just tarnishes their name. I'm sorry, Aoki fam, these guys need to step it up. read more

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you wonder why the rating is so low... the rumors are true. you will experience service so poor it would not be tolerated anywhere else in Los Angeles were it not for the fact they cook in front of you. wow... what a price to pay. it is now 8:30 as I write this. here is what has happened so far. we were told when we arrived for our 7:15 reservation that they would be a half an hour behind. they lied. they knew it when they said it. the manager literally hid in the back like a child while the poor hostesses got the brunt of the dissatisfaction. no apologies from the manager, he just sent out someone else to pretend he was the manager!! the food has not been served at all yet but I can already tell you... it's Benihana. they are all the same. drowned In butter with yummy high fat sauces. enjoy! read more

Take out was crap. I would never come here again!! Not only was it the same price as dining in, my food was COLD and my mean was not medium well. It was cold and still super pink in the middle. Extremely disappointed given the price for one person $30. read more

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We went there for my sons 10th bday! We all loved it! Service, food and drinks were fantastic!

Great customer service from Sitti and excellent food. My husband and I always come here to celebrate our special occasion.

I came here with my family tonight. The place was PACKED. If you are at ALL slightly apprehensive about being around a bunch of people, post-covid, in close quarters... this is NOT the place for you. If you have any sensory or noise issues...this is not the place for you. Very loud. If you DO decide to come, come right when they open or late at night. The 7-8pm time is not recommended due to the crowd size, parking, etc. I will say the food is delicious. They do use a LOT of butter (regular and garlic) when they cook, so be aware. Our cook was awesome, though. Very friendly and kind. Drinks were good. The bathrooms (both men and women) needed attention. Both had broken soap dispensers. How long have those been broken? No one can get those fixed? The floors needed to swept/picked up. You can tell a lot about a restaurant by how their bathrooms are maintained. This restaurant does not pass that test. The air vents in the ceiling are extremely old and rusted. They need to be changed. Our table had a bunch of dirty napkins, straw papers, and food under it from the previous customers. One of the seats was dirty. You've GOT to do a better job of cleaning up before seating next guests. Presentation means a lot. It looks like you don't care when you present a table like that. I know the goal is to get people in and out and high turnover, but this was kind of ridiculous. The whole place feels in desperate need of repair and maintenance. It needs to be repainted, too. The room we were in was VERY cramped. You should take out at least one of those tables. Chefs and waiters have to squeeze through/past everything. Overall...I wouldn't be back. Especially considering the cost and the fact that honestly, the place isn't that clean or well kept. I had read the other reviews before I went and most were not wrong and mirror what I'm saying now. Valet parking was $6.50. Hard to find street parking. There is 2 hr parking near restaurant, but you might be there longer than two hours. Keep this in mind. read more

The service here was horrible there was a family with about 11 kids throwing around a water bottle in the waiting area not allowing other to wait for their table on a proper manner all this going on while staff were at the bar watching the college championship game, this happened around 2pm 4/7/24 the yelling and screaming and nothing got their attention to get them to ask them to stop very the game was much more important, I can assume they were management as there were dressed different then severs and waitresses, horrible experience read more

I get diarrhea EVERY time I eat here!!! I waited 2 years and got diarrhea again.... something eeally bad here

Great food. Great service. Needs an immediate update and maybe a bit more cleaning. Everything else is amazing ! Frequent visitor

I love Benihana! Growing up it was always one of those special things to do with my parents, good memories here. Well not this location, but we did enjoy it here as well. Not quite as authentic and magical as when I was a kid, but I am still obsessed with their ginger salad dressing. They sell it by the bottle, I really need to get one next time. The wait was a bit long, the show...meh but the food was good. Go at lunch when prices are half for the same size portions and a shorter wait. I had the chicken and fried rice, my son the chicken and plain rice and my husband the steak and shrimp, all prepared just right. Not the best but always fun. read more

Not a good experience. Service was very mid. Drinks took forever to come, chef was nice but also took an hour to come out after we sat down and the place wasn't even that packed. I went with my boyfriend and we shared a table with another party of 4, we all bonded over how we felt about the place. The food made my stomach hurt instantly. read more

Maybe it was because we showed up at 5:00pm versus 8:00pm on a Saturday night. But the food was amazing this time around, and Ben was amazing! Next time I'm here, I'm asking to sit in Ben's section. (I know I'm cheesy) But seriously, Ben brought everything together. read more

I came here on a Friday night for dinner as a party of 5. We had a reservation so we were seated pretty quickly. I ordered the Hibachi Salmon w/ Avocado Tartar Sauce and opted to pay extra for the chicken fried rice, since it seemed popular. The meal comes with a side salad and soup. The dressing on the salad was extremely salty and it was really weird to eat (who wants salty lettuce) - I couldn't finish it. The soup was also mediocre and was essentially water with some mushroom thrown in. My bf also found a hair in his soup which was pretty off-putting, but he didn't want to make a scene and complain. Then our chef prepared our chicken fried rice for us. You could see that our chef was trying to attempt different tricks but would fall short a lot of the time. The fried rice itself, once he served it to us, was really bland despite all of the butter the chef used. I couldn't eat more than 3 or 4 bites of it and regretted paying extra for something that tasted worse than plain white rice. As for the entree, my salmon was actually pretty good. When the chef was cooking it, there was a considerable amount of butter thrown in, so I'm sure that definitely helped. My bf ordered the steak and scallops but they were both tough and overcooked. He also got ice cream at the end of his meal but it tasted worse than what they sell at the dollar store. Overall, my entree wasn't too bad but everything else tasted pretty gross or bland and I couldn't finish it. The "performance" from our chef put on was pretty mediocre (at one point he was trying to flick shrimp tails into his hat, but one of them landed on my bf's food) but that could be because it was the end of the day. All things considered, the food here is overpriced for what you get and the novelty wears off if you're above 10 years old. I wouldn't come back again and pay to eat here. One other thing I'd like to add is about Benihana's Father's Day gift card promo where you buy $50 in gift cards and get an additional $10 card for free. I purchased a $50 card for the promo and got an order confirmation that it was received. However, a couple days later I got an email saying my order was cancelled and they couldn't give me any specific reason for "security purposes". My card wasn't overcharged and there were no issues with my bank. My boyfriend then tried to place an order with his card, but the site didn't let him process it. After contacting customer service they essentially told me "Sorry, we cancelled it for reasons we can't tell you. Next time make sure your card/bank doesn't have any issues, you're not on a VPN, etc - basically a list of things that didn't apply to me. If you're a company and you're promising something to your customers, then own up to that. If you regret running a promo then cancel it, don't try to lie to your customers. TLDR: Overpriced and not worth it, food is overcooked/bland/gross, company is cheap read more

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

I was in town for business. Decided to have dinner here. The environment was awesome. The spicy tuna roll was great. It wasn't too spicy. They also have their own sauce, which is equivalent to sriracha. However, their sauce was delicious. It was better than sriracha. The texture of the sauce was perfect. The drinks, are so delicious. Service is great, people are very kind. Definitely recommend. read more

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

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I didn't receive my fried rice. The portions were very small like child size. I'm very disappointed and we eat this multiple times a week. I also called the restaurant ; to be left with no answer. And I literally was calling over and over and I couldn't get through. I wasn't going to let this go, because you guys could do so much better like normally you do. I would take this up with your manager and his manager & your moms boss and your moms, moms boss. read more

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

I've spent numerous bdays parties at this location celebrating quite a few birthdays. This location has seriously gone down hill. From terrible front desk hosts to reservation management that took my reservation for 2 tables guaranteed next to each other. Upon arrival the host and acting manager told me that they do not guarantee tables together only if available even with a reservation. I told them that I've celebrated many birthdays at this location. This is the first time that I'm having to deal with front desk hosts and management that clearly do not have things under control. Most of my guests were in the entertainment industry and not use to Management being so incompetent. Never again will we go to this location and celebrate anything such an embarrassment. There's nothing to actually resolve. The managment team there Patrick whom I spoke to over the phone when confirming my reservation was not nice or very accommodating. I also asked him and the prior manager whom I originally made our reservation with who also guaranteed two tables together, asking both managers at different times that I am requesting Reggie for my chef. Zero help no one accommodated me. Even after calling to request few weeks in advance. As soon as we got there they said sorry we can't guarantee two tables together...? I told them sure I understand your policy but don't tell me that after reassuring me that it was guarantee. While my guest of 20 are literally walking in. Hostess was not in the least Friendly more so cold and Un-accommodating. My guest and I will never again have any sort of gathering at this location. read more

Jonathan was a legend tonight! So sweet and entertaining. He made my friends birthday so lighthearted and fun. Thanks Jonathan!!!!

We were just there yesterday.. for 2 birthday celebrations. I really wanna call it a nice experience because the food was really good and our chef was very entertaining... but our reservation was at 2pm and we got there at 210pm and we were not seated until 250ish and our server didn't see us until 330ish. They were very busy and I think they weren't able to anticipate the staffing needs. Our party really enjoyed the food.. but the wait time was ridiculous. read more

This location has gone downhill. The building itself is dilapidated and the service has gotten very bad. Portions are smaller, quality of the food is noticeably worse, and the chef's dinner show is just awful. I remember getting a truly terrific show and experience, but now the chef simply goes through the motions--absolutely no enthusiasm behind it. What a shame. read more

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The place was super busy, and the food was top-notch. I don't know how the hostes kept up with the rush, but they got everyone seated with a smile! Maia was super helpful and made sure that we got a table as fast as possible. Great fun!!! Great Drinks!!! read more

Slow service. Slow cooking. They dumped garlic butter on literally everything. There was a giant tub that was filled over the top and by the end, the entire tub was gone. Interior was outdated and tables are too close together so it feels overcrowded. No music or anything to attempt any vibe. Chef was really slow and did not portion out the meals correctly. Some people got more than others. Some was forgotten all together. Save yourself some money and go elsewhere. read more

You would think going to eat at Benihana's would be a semi-perfect way to end a Thursday, but, alas, it was not. This was our second time at this location; only because it was the closest one to us. We were expecting a much better experience than before but there were some things that were really bothersome. For one, the amount of children screaming and crying the entire time we were there. It felt like I was at an amateur screamo concert; I had to move in about an inch and a half from my partners ear for them to hear me. Management and staff should really address the issue of crying/screaming children and let the parents know their 5 year old's are disturbing the peace. Secondly, our portions were much less than before. We had a Rocky's Choice while my partner had the Spicy Tofu with Vegetables. Might as well give us crumbs and call us ants. The amount in decrease in portion was so significant we were shocked! They gave a bigger portions to the children at our table who didn't even eat the entire time. Staff should learn to appropriate portions the correct way and give children less portions. It didn't feel right. Another thing to add was the way the chef cooked the food. I don't know anyone who likes their rice burnt because that's what we had last night. I would've preferred eating it raw at that point, Jesus Christ. Third, our waiter was such a sourpuss. The amount of times she rolled her eyes at us was too much, it was like she having a continuous brain spasm; it was plain rude, while we were not. We understand they have other tables, we do, but the eye rolls are so unnecessary. Lastly, the fucking valet. Why is there even a valet at Benihana? And why don't they advertise their pricing for the valet? The other Beni' locations don't have valet, so why does this one? To top it off, the valet driver didn't let me close my door until I paid, again, ADVERTISE THE VALET COSTS MONEY. I would've gladly paid if the price was advertised but it wasn't. I handed him a good tip and he still didn't let me close my door. This Benihana needs major improvements if it wants to continue making their customers happy. I want to be able to go to Benihana without hearing tantrums, eating burnt rice, and dealing with fed up servers. This experience really ruined Thursdays for me, so way to go, Benihana's. read more

I go every damn heat for my birthday and sometimes if it's a special occasion then I'll be there! This place is so delicious. It is a bit pricey but the steak is so tender and good, THAT RICE !! Is to die for! That garlic butter. And just the atmosphere is pretty cool. You sit with your people and it's just a vibe. Love benihanas! No complaints. read more

I'm really surprised about the wonderful reviews here. Really? Honestly I don't think this place is better than Yoshinoya. Yes come here for the entertainment. The chefs here know how to entertain! Shrimp flipping into pockets, fried rice heart throbbing, and onion volcanoes ( sorry I spoiled the show for any of you who haven't seen). Everything seems to have the same sauce smothered on it. Other than that, I would suggest coming here if you have the free Birthday coupon that you can sign up for on their website. Bon Appétit read more

Benihana - Encino - In the works! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

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I was craving Benihana a few weeks ago and convinced my fiance to take me here. He really didn't want to be bothered with having to share a table with others so I called the restaurant to see if we'd have access to the full menu if we dined privately, the host said yes. We arrive at Benihana and were seated immediately in the private dining area. I had a look at the menu and to my dismay the restaurant does not provide a full menu for private dining like the host said. I really wanted the lobster and scallops so we had to put our name on the wait list to access the full menu. While waiting we munched on edamame and had the chile shrimp roll which is delicious! I also had a moijto and could barely taste the alcohol..that's not a good thing in my book. After waiting half an hour it was time for the show! We were seated with a family of 4, one child was 6 years old or so, the other one was only a few months.. yea the baby cried. Now I understand why my fiance was against coming here. This was our second time dining at Benihina..the first time we visited we were seated with two annoying chicks who hadn't seen each other in years and were playing "catch up" during the cooks entire show.. and talking loudly. It didn't bother me as much as the crying kid. My fiance thought the chicks chatting was worse. The food was good, not amazing. I'm over it for now. Probably wont be back until I have a kid. The chef messed up one of our orders. He gave some of our lobster to the child sitting at the table. So what did he do?.. He pulled out a fresh lobster. Cooked it and gave us a few pieces to make up for the mistake. He then put the rest of the cooked lobster in a bin.. To eat later on his lunch break? Not quite sure. But what he should've done was give us all of it in an effort to make up for the mistake. Cheap and tacky. Hope he had a nice lunch read more

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

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We had a 6:30 reservation and were not seating until 7:00. This location was absolutely packed on a Sunday night. The staff was friendly but other reservations that came in after us were seated first. Due to this, we will not be returning. Once we sat down, Owen and Christina made our night. They had us smiling and laughing read more

We were here on Christmas Eve. We knew it was going to be busy so we made reservations. Even though we made the reservation, we waited close to 45 minutes to be seated. However, once we were seated, our server and chef were extremely nice so it made up for the wait. The chef was entertaining and made our food just the way we asked, no salt and butter! We always ask for no salt and butter on our food because the food can be salty. It is also very difficult to reach anyone at the restaurant so we use open table to make reservations. read more

I took my two sons and three friends there for my son's 22nd birthday. The food was fine after a long wait, even though we had a reservation for 6. My problem was the attitude... one of my son's friends is African American and he was treated slightly different. Then, we are given the picture they take at the end of dinner and you literally can not even see the kid.!!! They have it darkened out. I felt so bad. I mentioned it to the host booth as we were leaving and the woman literally laughed at me. So unfortunate read more

Came here last night for my birthday and I had a great experience. The food, service and staff is wonderful. Very attentive and friendly. Watching the chef cook the food in front of you is really a nice experience and he does tricks....very impressive. I ordered the Benihana trio and it was very good. Came with chicken, jumbo shrimp, filet mignon, fried rice, sautéed veggies. And before hand you are served a side salad and a miso soup I believe. And if that weren't enough you get ice cream at the end and hot tea if you like some. And since it was my birthday they sang me happy birthday it was a birthday well spend read more

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

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