Well, we are now officially convinced after 25+ years of being loyal to Benihana that we will not be returning to this one particular restaurant. Tonight we were celebrating my mother's 73rd birthday and a server managed to ruin it for us. The server didn't just manage to provide us with poor service but, we also caught her on a lie. After catching her lying, she became upset and walked away. That's when it shocked me and basically I had to call the Mgr over. He tried to smooth it out by providing us with 20% discount, which I am thankful for but, with this experience I must say I will no longer give them my hard earn dollar for a good family celebrations. It appears that this is where the quality of customer service is headed for Benihana. It's so sad to see trends of bad service. read more

I deliver food. I think this place is great for dine-in. Call ahead this place gets busy. Customer service is okay. Parking sometimes is hard. I think this place is overly rated and overly crowded by people. 5 stars for food - I think people like food of this place. read more

My boyfriend and I come to this Benihana location AT LEAST once a month. Every time we come our experience isn't exactly consistent, but it is always enjoyable. Today we came and the experience was wildly different. First of all, Benihana isn't exactly cheap. We pay a lot of money to eat here and it's mostly for the experience. Tonight, our cook did not complete the usual Benihana grill-top tricks and in addition he nearly injured several of the guests at the table when a cooking tool he used broke in half and flew towards us and several other guests at the table. We brought this to the manager's attention. Although he gave us a discount on our meal, he seemed uninterested in how the implications of this single experience has impacted our relationship with this Benihana establishment. UPDATE: I filled out the official comment form on the website as Lee C. told me to and requested someone contact me, it's been several days and I haven't heard anything back. read more

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Reserved a specific time but was able to eat an hour after. Hope it'll be better next time.

Bad news, boys and girls. Way back when, Benihana was kinda cool. The food was average but the teppanyaki chefs were fancy and did all kinds of tricks to make for a good time. So fast forward to 2024 - HUGE disappointment. Extraordinarily overpriced mediocre food. Way too many other teppanyaki restaurants out there to waste your time and money here. read more

Whenever I dine at a teppanyaki restaurant, I'm pretty predicable in that I order steak and shrimp. However, I didn't feel like eating meat on this particular night, and now looking back, maybe I should've just gone with what I know. I ordered the Chef's Special - Seafood Diablo. The menu description: Scallops, shrimp, calamari, udon and assorted veggies with a special homemade sauce. The "homemade sauce" is a joke as it is merely shoyu (soy sauce) and chili paste. The seafood was overcooked and the dish was very salty. Our chef was pleasant and friendly, but I think he was a newbie because it was the longest teppanyaki experience I've ever had and everything was extremely salty because of his heavy hand on the shoyu. The service was decent, but the food was disappointing. read more

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

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I went there yesterday for my uncle's birthday. I made a reservation but we were late because of traffic. When we got there, we got seated within five minutes. The server took our orders and got us our drinks. He gave me a water with the dirtiest lemon wedge ever! My napkin cloth was DIRTY as well! My uncle got the the Deluxe Treat ( comes with filet mignon and lobster tail), the kids shared a chicken, and my aunt and I got two hibachi steak. We all got fried rice with our meal. The rice was so HARD, it made my mouth hurt after eating it. I told the chef I wanted medium rare but he fully cooked my steak. We got a soup and salad before our meal. The soup wasn't that good at all, it was too salty in my opinion. But I like the salad! To be honest, I would rather go to Musashi or Yamato because it's way better. read more

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Visited Benihana for the first time! I don't know why I never been here prior. First time but won't be the last, watching the chef cook right in front was an interactive experience! Definitely enjoyed my time! Food came out exactly as I asked and very delicious! read more

I hate giving one star reviews. This actually might be my first one. However, I'm sorry Benihana you ruined my dinner experience and I can't let you get a freebie. Parking is valet only, so make sure you bring a couple of dollars (I think it was $3?) or you can find parking on the street. My parents and I had a reservation at 7pm on a Friday night. We got seated relatively quick with another party of 5. The restaurant looked like a cross over from a 90's stereotypical Asian restaurant. Nothing too amazing, and the lighting was dim. Our server asked if we wanted anything to drink and we all said water. She then asked what we wanted for our entrees and I got the scallop and steak meal, while my parents ordered the hibachi steak. Food: We all got a salad for our first "meal" and it was okay. The ginger vinaigrette was really salty for some reason. I wasn't sure why but my girlfriend and parents couldn't finish it. We then had the onion soup for our next course. This is why I gave them a one star. I was drinking the soup and honestly it wasn't great. I just ate it because I paid a good amount of money for this meal. Halfway into finishing it, I find a small hair in my soup... I thought it was mine, but I looked and there is no way any of my hairs would be that small (see attached picture). I didn't want to make a scene or complain so I just stopped eating it. We then got served our friend rice by the teppan yaki chef and it was okay. Pretty bland, a lot of garlic and butter. Nothing too special or unique. He then went on to serve the vegetables(zucchini and onions) and yet again, nothing note worthy. Then was my main course, the steak and scallops. The steak was overcooked. I wanted it medium and he made it medium-well to well-done. The scallop was overcooked as well and it was tough and not as soft as I wanted it. Service: Our waitress was nice but that's not enough for me to give a restaurant a good rating. The fact that I got a hair on my food was an issue and shouldn't happen. 1/5 Pros: -Friendly servers -Spacious restaurant -The show Cons: -Low quality ingredients -Lack of food handling regulations -Expensive and unimpressive -Valet parking one read more

Benihana - Encino - Hair in my soup - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

I made reservations over a week ago for a party of six for Thursday 6/11/2020 for 8pm. My party arrives and there's a security guard saying the restaurant closed down due to an emergency and they are only doing take out. Sooo when was someone going to call me and tell me my reservation was cancelled??? There were people in my party who traveled over 60 miles for dinner just for us to arrive and be turned away??? Then the security guard tells us the one in Santa Monica is open and we can go there. I live by the one in SM and know better so I called that location and the host said they weren't taking anymore parties. Unprofessional and a waste of time. read more

We really enjoyed the food. Ordered the land n sea. Steak was perfect and scallops were not over cooked. Fried chicken rice was yummy. We go for the food, not really for the show, but enjoy to watch children having fun. The interior does not a facelift. The valet parking price needs to be posted more visibly. read more

We had yet another great night at Benihana Encino. I've been coming to this location since I was a teenager and it's been a joy to share many meals here with my family. My kids love this place and Benihana beats out their competitors in all categories of service, food quality, value, ambiance, and attention to detail (not mixing up gluten free and seafood accommodations). Our food was great and our chef had some fun tricks... we were also WOWed by the chefs at other tables (one caught an egg in his hat!). Expect to come here and be treated like family - smiles, beverages refilled when you need it, multiple courses of food, and staff who enjoy what they do. They won't rush you out either - plan to spend 90 minutes to 2 hours there for a 5/6 course dinner. We were sad we didn't get the traditional birthday pic (they were out of paper) and my son decided that he wasn't a fan of the green tea ice cream he ordered to celebrate, but overall it was a great night. Be sure to plan ahead and get a reservation - there were small parties waiting 2 hours at 4pm! - and be prepared for the Ventura Blvd parking situation or valet. Note: The entire restaurant is teppan tables except a small front bar area that I have rarely seen busy (the tables are the attraction!). Bring the whole family to Benihana and they will happily take care of you and sing you happy birthday on your special night! read more

Allways good great service friendly staff great chefs highly recommend if you can get a reservation

First time at Benihana with chef Justin who absolutely wowed us with his delicate attention to detail while preparing our food. We definitely waited a long time to get seated but the entertainment made it worthwhile. Be ready to catch food in your mouth...if you're up for the challenge!!! read more

We come here all the time. Decided to pick up/take out today. Very disappointed. Ordered the steak meal. 3 pieces of shrimp, lots of mushrooms and a little steak. Definitely don't recommend picking up! What a shame! read more

Fried rice is top notch, same with the shrimp! You will never find fried rice this good anywhere in the world, but the chicken and steak are not that good. They could be better, and that's the reason for the 1 less star. Service is great and they treat you with care. The chefs are also show offs :) Ambience is fine, you know. It's a restarunt! read more

Great food n wonderful time must go try it really good Service is great n you won't regret waiting read more

I recently hit a promotion in my company, my mentor decided to take me to Benihana. The environment and food were exquisite. I enjoyed shrimp and steak while my coworkers had a feast eating scallops and fried rice. This experience was all possible because of three people. Jesse, our chef was beyond amazing, he delivered a great show for me and my peers. Mike, the manager was very professional and friendly, he gave us all a warm welcome to the manager. And last but not least, Ali's behavior and customer service was out of the roof not only with us but I noticed her kind manners were perceived by the whole table. The definition of what every server should strive to be. Thank you Benihana, this won't be the last time we stop by. Best regards, Fabricio C. read more

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

Had reservations for 8:30 didn't get seated till 9:45. If you're gonna make reservations a thing at least honor them!

The food was great it had lots of flavor and tons of options. The guy who was serving us was really nice and funny! The place's vibe was not for me but I did not really mind it. Overall this place is pretty good it just needs more decoration and more space. I will come here again. read more

Idk where to start. I had a very upsetting experience w this location. First off I walked in, nobody was there to greet me for my take out order. I waited.. I got my family meal for 4 in a bag and the entire paper bag ripped! I asked for utensils and had to wait again. I got some rinky dinky yellow one probably from the employee lounge. Then I asked for Diablo sauce and they half empty filled and I was charged, I had to wait for my change when they could've gaven it to me for the inconvenience! Not going back to this location, the 2 stars I am giving are for the front girl who was very nice and complimented me. read more

I want to start off by saying that we love Benihana. Our intention was to purchase dinner and support a business in our neighborhood during COVID 19. 1 My sister mentioned a seafood allergy, and got shrimp on her salmon. Thus, she couldn't eat it. 2. We ordered a side of salad (cost ~$5) and got about 5 pieces of lettuce. So sad 3. We ordered veggie fried rice. Repeated no chicken. And it came with chicken. A few other negative pointers, but I think the above 3 bullets knock it all out of the park. Overall, sad. Simply sad, especially considering an allergy was involved. read more

Benihana's is the greatest restaurant in life, get mad because you spent 6 dollars on rice, and you spent 50 dollars on a platter that didn't taste good to you shouldn't be made 1 star. It's your fault you went there, It has many delicious flavors etc. It's the greatest restaurant of all time imo. read more

Very good service and food!! The old style. Brought back so many memories as a kid!! Went for a birthday party and it was so much fun I would definitely go again!! Everything was good! Just could use a little clean up.. (vacuum) but a great time here! read more

Food itself is meh, you can easily get better quality food for a similar price elsewhere. Fried rice was okay, all of our seafood and steak were way overcooked. You are definitely paying for the show of preparing the meal and not the food when you come here. And the show part was fine. The chef was pretty good, but not super entertaining. There are lots of tables around you and the chefs at other tables did a little bit more. Someone in our group went to a different benihana location recently and said this was not as good as the other locations. Service was good, waiter made sure we had what we needed. read more

We have come to this location of Benihana's multiple times over the past 11 years and have always loved it. I'm not sure what happened this past Friday on March 8, maybe there were too many birthday parties going on. But we came to celebrate my nieces, sweet 16th birthday party. There was six of us, and our food was overcooked and not good at all. What's more, they gave all of us adults less food than my 11-year-old child. The bill with tip was close to $600. And then I had to remind our waitress twice that it was my nieces 16th birthday party, and they ended up singing to her at the last minute. But only two employees sang to her, whereas while we were there, I looked around and multiple employees were singing happy birthday to the other tables. It's sad because we have been coming to this location for over a decade, but we certainly will not be coming back. read more

It was an experience. Randomly our party of three thought to try this place for the first time ever. Keeping expectations low based on overall yelp rating was a good frame of mind. We had reservations for 9 on a Saturday. We arrived several minutes early and proceeded inside. Annoyingly, for whatever reason, they had two men that upon first glance looked like LA County Sheriffs deputies, with guns/tasers and the whole shebang. Wtf. Not a great first impression, honestly. Why have two wannabe coppers on the scene, my guess, it's gone down at this Benihana. Yikes... Since we weren't rolling 8 deep, we were forced to sit with a group of 5. I don't like this policy, but do understand the rationale behind it. I also didn't like having to wait for the party of 5 before sitting down. Everything was done in this slow, inconsiderate manner. This is clearly a place where you'll need 2+ hours to sup proper. Once seated and given menus a waitress came. They should be cognizant that many might come for the first time and need explanations and some kind of introduction. Everyone ordered drinks and apps and our meals. After they slothfully bring out drinks, apps, soup, and salad. I would pass on the apps as the crispy tuna was just ok and the sushi sampler gross. The soup was a bit basic and the salad featured a distasteful dressing. Clearly these are not the stars of any show. Finally after waiting 30 minutes after eating everything, the chef comes and confirms orders. Annoyingly, the group of 5 changed their order at the last minute, which negatively affected my group, since we were being treated second, or at least addressed second. The chef, Julio, was trying but simply put was not very entertaining. I expected a little more palpable enthusiasm, pizazz, but only got a little eggshell hat trick and some random karate hand movements. The volcano onion was a bust, lasting all of 4 seconds. The set up was confusing. This is where explanation would have been helpful. Another member of our party and myself ate our rice, not thinking it was meant to be eaten with the proteins ordered. This was exacerbated by the fact that I was shorted of rice, while 3 of the 5 people in the other party got 2 bowls of rice each. Not being a stickler, but I always get and screwed and was not happy about the way all of this unfolded. Like I said, our party was not treated comensurate with the other group. The chicken fried rice was alright but I'd probably stick with the regular fried rice next time--the chicken failed to add anything to the rice, imo. I ordered Rocky's Choice, which was chicken and steak, another in our group ordered a tuna steak and another the Deluxe. The basic choice was good. My steak was well-seasoned and I was glad I didn't spring for filet mignon. The chicken on the other hand was not up to my standards. I wanted tender, juicy, well-seasoned chicken, but such was not delivered. Again, portion sizes for our group were noticeably smaller compared to the other group. The ice cream was served. We never received our green tea, again unacceptable. Also my eyes were sensitive to the smoke/fumes within 10 minutes of being seated. They need better vents, obvs. Several others made comments about their eyes hurting. Overall, I do not think I'd be back again because the food definitely did not match the price. It was a gimmick, pure and simple and once was enough. My meal was $28.50, the tuna $26 (without dessert), deluxe $46~. We ordered a couple drinks, so our total for three was $200. We honestly should have went to a steak house for better food and a superior experience. I felt grifted. read more

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I would give this place a zero star if yelp allowed that. Since we couldn't get through to reservations and the machine would just loop and loop no matter how many times you chose "number 1 for reservations", we decided to drive over since it was just a Monday night. When we arrived At 6:40 in the rain the parking attendant asked us if we had reservations. We said no. The man said ok run in and see if you can get them and then we'll give you a ticket. Since it was tainting, I called. The man answered the phone and took my reservation. It was 6:40 and he told us to come at 7pm. He asked what name the reservation would be under. I gave him my last name. He asked what my phone number was and I told him. I asked him what should we do until 7 (wondering, was there a place inside to wait?) he said yes come in and check in with the host". Immediately we parked got a ticket from the parking attendant and paid him the fee to park. We walked in my 4 kids who all ALSO heard the reservation sat down on the waiting seat and patiently waited while my husband and I checked in with the host. I gave him our name and our number and he said we had no reservation. I said we all just spoke to you on speaker phone in my car. He said it was impossible because only two people are answering the phone. I told him the number we called. He at first said no that's not the number and then when he realized I skipped the area code he stumbled and backpedaled and said oh yes that is our number. I told him I thought I pushed 3 to get to reservations the other female and the alleged only other host in existence at Beni Hana that night was next to him and rudely said "well actually it's zero you push". So I called the number and low and behold it was a ONE you push. The hostess said "see" and I say back "YOU thought is a ZERO" this is all on speaker and I said "is this not your number?" And the man said yes that's our number but nobody could have talked to you here. I could NOT BELIVE MY EARS! even if the man host said "I'm sorry someone must have picked up the phone and accidentally not know how to make reservations...or IM SORRY there must be a misunderstanding" but NO! ONLY BLATANTLY TELLING ME I DODNT SPEAK TO ANYONE. He kept repeating "YOU DONT HAVE PROOF!!!!" Hahaha like Beni Hana in encino is THAT much of a hot spot that I'm going to lie and try to get in by use of VIP treatment in front of and with my four small children. Hahaha. This "Host-Manager" was name "AMIR" . Amir N. Anyways, I give BENI HANA 10 STARS DOWN. And 3 THUMBS DOWN. and last time I went there 10 years ago it was not that good anyways. Just wanted to show my kids a rice volcano. We ended up going to YAMATO instead it was WAY nicer and a 100% better experience. And less than 2 miles away! So happy the universe looked out for us like that read more

Are you freaking kidding me. I order the family meal plus 1 scallop add on cause my wife wanted some scallops. The scallops are smaller than the size of a quarter. Come on.. I like your food but rip off your customers. read more

Benihana - Encino - Price for scallop add on. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

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Celebrated my Mom's birthday here the other night & I have nothing but great things to say about this establishment. From the valet parking ($5) to the happy hour specials while you wait for your party to arrive, to the meal itself and the customer service, all 5 stars. Here's how my experience went.... I made reservations for 10 people the day before for 630pm. The fact they were able to accommodate us on such short notice was awesome. We arrived shortly prior to 630 & waited for the rest of our party to arrive. I loved the lay out, with the bar adjacent to the waiting area. There's table seating there and I was almost tempted to order some specialty rolls while we waited. I'll definitely be back to try the sushi. Our party arrived and we were seated shortly after. I will say the Teppanyaki section of the restaurant is pretty tight, they definitely make the most of the space. Tony was our chef and he was so cool. Portions are pretty big, we're definitely splitting a plate next time. By the time our main entres were being served most of us were getting full... lol.. All the food is fresh and cooked to perfection. I really enjoyed the Chicken Fried Rice, Steak, Shrimp & Succulent Chicken Breast. Pretty much enjoyed it all... lol.. As mentioned above, customer service was phenomenal! Make sure the ladies in your group bring sweaters for themselves and the kids. They keep it nice and cold cause of all the grills they have. Can't wait for our next trip to Benihana! read more

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Decided to use my $30 birthday certificate for takeout tonight. Ordered the hibachi steak and chicken family meal deal and an order of hibachi shrimp. Comes with 2 salads, white rice, hibachi chicken fried rice, and different dipping sauces. The sautéed onions and zucchini were seasoned well. The salad was so-so. The hibachi chicken was fine. Unfortunately, the hibachi steak was well done. It was suppose to be medium rare. Good portions overall. read more

Benihana is underrated and overrated at the same time. Food and cocktails are sooo good. But then you get your bill and always ask yourself "was it worth it?". The answer is yes, but you still gotta ask. If Benihana was a single restaurant and not a chain, I think every foodie in LA would think they found a goldmine! read more

Benihana - Encino - Cocktail offerings from Buddha and his homies. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

I would give it ZERO stars if I could. If you look at my profile, I hardly review restaurants, only if the quality of the food/service is amazing or terrible. The server was great, he has only been there a few weeks. We have been coming to this location for over 15 years. We ordered dinner, they made my filet mignon first, before the vegetables and shrimp appetizer, which is odd and it was even browning from sitting out; the process of sitting out (oxidation). Gave them a chance. It tasted like crap, I was so disappointed. Decided not to eat there and only paid for our drinks. The manager didn't care, I feel over the last few years managers often change. Will not be eating at Benihana ever again. It is very sad as my wife and I have been coming here for many years. Yamato's for the win! read more

The worst ever service ever not even the best Benihana and they think they are the Beyoncé of Benihana when they are NOT it is the worse one I've ever been to! You have reservations and you still wait forever !!! I would not recommend this this location the manager William Miranda !! Is very disrespectful and took 30 mins to get back to us don't come here unless u wanna argue and it's not that clean inside read more

Drinks were horrible. Lighting was too bright. Worst of all, I ordered the filet mignon and they served us the normal steak and didn't correct it on the bill. Not as good as I remember it at all. Won't be returning. read more

I've been here many times and our server BEN made the experience wayyyyy better than ever. He was super nice and attentive. He put the Ben in BENihana. Our Hibachi server was also super fun and amazing. read more

This place is the worst. I have no other words to describe it. They never answerthe phone, I don't know why they even have receptionists. I made reservations here twice. The first time I went it was the summer and super hot and I noticed no one is there, when I asked why, it turns out their AC was not working. With Teppanyaki it gets even hotter without AC, so we left. I had made reservations again for today and when I called to confirm, one of the table is not working so the lady said there is a long wait. They should just close this place. read more

Been coming here since I was a kid. Hate to say it because it's been my favorite but it's gone completely down hill. They didn't devein the shrimp so had poop in the shrimp. The cook burnt basically everything to the point it tasted charred. There was a bloody feminine product in the bathroom floor, trash was full, all around gross. 3 managers on duty just standing around and not managing their staff. When I complained the manager said "I know" as if it's always a problem. read more

FIRST AND LAST TIME! We had reservations for 8:15 it's 9:30 and they are still over an hour behind on reservations. Obviously it doesn't matter if you have reservations or not. What's the point!? THERES PEOPLE SCREAMING. Lee, I've been trying to email you but the address is not valid. read more

Benihana - Encino - IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU HAVE A RESERVATION HERE. YOU STILL WAIT OVER AN HOUR! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

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Had a great visit tonight for my son's birthday. Ali was an awesome server, so sweet and gracious to our kids and made it a great birthday celebration. She was attentive and went out of her way to make us comfortable. Juan was our chef and he was impressive. Food was delish and he had lots of fun tricks. We have been many times but tonight was a memorable visit. Thank you. read more