On Thursday night, I had the whole family of 4 and were seated in front of chef cooking for us. The food steak and spicy chicken was really good. The garlic rice was awesome and we all loved it I would come back here just not on a busy night. My server Nalinee was so attentive and a sweetheart. I didn't need to talk much, and she knew what to do to make us smile, thank you Great neighborhood you can't go wrong with Benihana thank you server and chef making us happy read more

I hate to write a bad review, specially about a place I been going to for a long time and realizing how many bad ones it already has! Benihana's Encino needs to train managers accordingly so they are able to do the same with their employees, or maybe is time for new staff! This place is literally going down fast I mean is such big brand name people are always going to end up ordering at least once in their lives, but what about us locals that want to be back? Not assuring our return seems like is something they don't care about anymore. I've been here many times, always order the same and is always good food. On Valentine's Day I decided to order the usual but also decided to try their sushi for the first time and I was actually blown away. The only thing that was inedible was the edamame, it was so hard we threw it out. Fast forward to 2 weeks later I decide to get all sushi last night (a big order at that) and it was crap! Not fresh whatsoever. The cold sushi was warm, the avocado had dark spots and the cream cheese tasted expire. It was so disgusting it ruined my appetite and most of it was leftover. I don't think I'll be able to come here in a long time due to the horrible taste it left in my mouth. Benihana I get you guys are busy but get it together to assure satisfaction and the return of your loyal customers. Don't make it hard for us to want to leave a tip, since that becomes the case when your food might be a hit or miss. read more

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

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This is like a whole new restaurant experience at Benihana. And it was amazing. As my husband said- it was the best meal we had in over a year. Covid measures- asked to wear a mask when not sitting at your table and scan QR code to view menu on your phone. Every other table was full so don't forget to make reservation in advance. The food was outstanding (great job chef John). He put on the show thing but the food was so good I forgot about the sauces. You didn't need them. I had the lunch Duo shrimp and chicken which comes with vegetables. My husband had the chicken/steak duo and everything my amazing as was the vegetable fried rice. Yes butter makes it all good but seriously everything was tender and perfectly cooked. I can't recreate that at home. Our server William was awesome. Took our orders, answered our questions and super friendly. No one had to ask him for a refill or forks bc he thought of it first. Bonus- he asked up front if there are any food allergies which was really appreciated. Parking was easy- plenty of street parking or valet in the back. read more

Service is good. Very entertaining. My 1 yr old loves the show, also loves eating the food being served to her. She usually is picky but i guess she looks at it and thought someone is also playing the food and she loves it. Benihana chicken fried rice ftw read more

I love coming here, it's pretty amazing when you can get Jesse to be your cook. Funny and charming, quite an accomplished and accommodating chef. But every once in a while you run across a hostess who can just throw your entire day off. If you mix in with an improper server, like Victory for instance she can make your wait last from 1pm all the way till 4pm. She simply did not care, and continually brushed us aside. I was very unhappy with her professionalism. But Jesse made up for her as best as he could,he succeeded but Victory's lack of attentiveness and the fact we basically had to complain our heads off to the other staff and finally the manger Dom, before our grievances were taken seriously. Don discounted our meal, which removed some of the putrid taste victory left in our mouths. Thanks again Jesse and Dom. Hope Victory doesn't sour too many other clients for you to fix read more

Just went today and had the worst service ever. I ordered the dinner and got the lunch special treatment. The waitress was very rude and not helpful at all. The portions were smaller than usual and the Chef was very messy and dirty. The cleaning rags hanging out everywhere, food thrown everywhere, I often go to Benihana's 15 times out of the year and for a lot of our birthday parties. Today was just one of the worst. I don't think I'll be going to Encino location again. read more

Last night I had dinner at Benihana and it was truly a wonderful experience. Arturo was our chef and everything was amazing . The food was nicely seasoned topped with garlic butter ! Yum! Ali was so amazing as well . She's was very charming ! So sweet and attentive ! read more

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

Thanks Ali for a wonderful service. I already knew that the food is great, service was remarkable good, Ali knows what she is doing even that it was really busy. Michael read more

Payment goes through a third party apparently when using an apple card to First Star Roofing which is a closed business a couple doors down at a fake address. Our server Maximilliano couldn't handle two tables at slow lunch time, no cherries in watered down shirley temples, i asked for a side of crispy onions which usually comes on the side and he put them in my soup before it came to the table, the people sitting across from us were also having difficulties with the server. He got overwhelmed and stopped coming to our table. Took forever for my mom to get her steamed rice, and a refill on her green tea. The manager was cleaning our table more than our server which was odd. Our chef Marvin was great but leaving our table many times to assist the other guests we were sitting with because Max refused to come by our table. At the end of the meal Max handed my mom the handheld to pay with, she paid with apple card and he said he needed to restart the machine once he saw the tip he got, and my mom wanted to make sure she didn't get double charged. Then when he handed it to her again she put the same amount and got a notification from this roofing company that she paid. We're at Benihanas so you'd expect your money to be going to Benihanas but it doesn't say that. Overall a really weird lunch and we're really disappointed. Food was fine, thank you Marvin. Service was terrible. Didn't get the managers name he's a short dude with glasses who was too busy flirting with the hostesses to notice the terrible server he hired. read more

Benihana - Encino - Raw egg left from previous chef; refused to clean. When I took a pic someone came with dust pan/ broom, swept the shells, left the egg. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

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my family had a reservation at 1:30pm for 11 people, but when we came waitress brought as for a table of 8 people with 11 chairs. I specifically told them during reservation that it's party of 11 people for Mother's Day. We were like a sardines on a table.So, it's was a big problem to get another table and separate 3 for a small table. When we got menu, I was surprised that it was a dinner menu, but it was given food on a plate like lunch menu. For example, I orders scallops with shrimps and get only 4 scallop, it's so little for $43.99 a plate. All our food so dry with no taste, no lemon. I was so disappointed and never come back. read more

This place is a real hit or miss depending on which chef you get. Food tastes just ok, but honestly the shows are why people come. I see some people complaining about Mexican chefs at a teppanyaki "Japanese" restaurant, but dont let that bother you. Honestly you could have an amazing show with a Latino chef and a boring dull one with an Asian one too, so dont be prejudiced. Parking is expensive and valet only. read more

Poor service!!! Long wait!! Unprofessional staff Poor Poor Poor Fucking service!!! read more

This place has always offered special experiences for me and my family but what has lately made it extra special is having Ali V. as our server. She's great with little ones, patient, pleasant, polite, and overall really pulled it all together for us. Thank you!! Oh and the fried rice, garlic butter, and filet mignon are theeeee best!! read more

If there's a place my sons would go as a last meal or the only meal they would have to have, it would be Benihana. It never disappoints reason why they choose it for birthdays and special occasions read more

This was our first time at Benihana. It was an awesome experience. We Had some drinks before our meal and the bartenders made perfect mai tais ! Nali our waitress was super sweet and super quick. The chef was so entertaining and his cooking was delicious. At the end of the meal the manager David stopped by and asked how everything was. Such a great gesture from a manager. Everyone at this location really knows what customer service is all about. Reservations would be highly suggested. We didn't have to wait long at all. read more

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I don't know where to start. We got seated 1 hour after our reservation. This location was over crowded and smelled like pee. Once we got seated our chief messed up everybody's order. The meat and shrimp was under cooked. The raw was cold and so was everything else. We asked to speak to the manager he was hostile and rude and didn't even offer to move the food from the bill the food was tasteless and cold. I woke up the next day with a terrible stomachache and I'm honestly thinking off suing them read more

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

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We came here around 8-9 months ago, and we were pleasantly surprised with how good the food and experience were. We decided to come back again last night for my girlfriend's birthday, after finding out our original restaurant nearby recently closed permanently. Unfortunately, this experience was much worse. Upon being seated, my girlfriend takes her seat and scoots in, and notices something black just got on her brand new blue dress. She goes to the bathroom to try to clean it up and comes back (stain still on her dress). We look around at what could have caused it, and soy sauce was spilled all over our section by a prior party and not cleaned up properly. Waitress comes over, takes my girlfriend's napkin, and wipes one time. I ask if she can please go get a sanitizer rag to actually clean it up, because her dress already got ruined and we don't want old soy sauce on our clothes. Nothing was done to make it right, no apology, no discount, nothing. Aside from that, they didn't have drinks that were on the menu (didn't say they were out, just said "we don't have that"), and the food was not up to the same standard as last time. I highly recommend people consider alternatives rather than coming here, because this experience was just bad overall. read more

It would have been a good experience until the very last end. After paying the bill and giving a generous CASH tip to the THAI server, she came following us on our way out asking for more tip. A cash tip of $20 for a bill of $55 should be enough i would think. I wonder if this is costumary? read more

21st wedding Anniversary made seating reservations for 5 for 430pm. We were coming from an hr away, called to try to push our reservations back. The male host said they can only honor a 20min. grace period. We made it at 15min late, checked in & we were told to let them know when our entire party was present. (Our daughter had to get $25 Uber to meet the 20min grace period since we weren't going to make it if we stopped to pickup) At 30min pass our original reservation time we checked it with our party of 5 present. Our party was mixed with another similar name but made the correction. We were told they will call us shortly. The building is old, crowded & the path to the restroom is a hard tile that I almost slipped wearing heels. The bathroom was not kept. Trash & paper towels everywhere. The bar was cool! Had a cold bottle of Stella Artosis. One of the few imported beers. No beers on draft except the house beer. The bartender also made virgin piña coladas for the kids to hold them over. We saw many ppl come & go after us & we were not seated. An hour later my husband went to ask & was told they called our party but we didn't answer. Found out they mixed our name AGAIN with the other party. We were finally seated 2- 1/2 hours passed our original reservation time. The food was great. The food was amazing & almost worth the ticket price. ($25-35 per entree) if you LOVE fry rice, grilled chicken & shrimp. All in all we were determined to eat teppanyaki dinner served at the well known restaurant. But the service was a GIANT disappointment. There were at least 4 hostesses & neither knew how to coordinate our reservations. Honestly, wish we would have stayed closer to home. Tokyo Kitchen in Montclair is just as good, half the price & less crowded dining & no slippery floors. You're paying for the name not the service. Don't come hungry & don't be late. read more

Service was pretty slow here. I didn't like the idea of two strangers sitting with us during Covid. The waiter was really slow in checking in on else. I saw lots of cross contamination on the grill. read more

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

We had a great experience, service was outstanding and food was delicious! It was so much fun the cook was very friendly

Food is great, entertaining while eating especially for the kids. But, there horrible on reservations and not timely. Once you sit everything's fairly quick. read more

Stopped by for lunch with my boys (6-9yrs). Joel was our chef. Joel did a great job cooking our food and entertaining my kids. I was very pleased with the service. The waitress did a great job keeping our drinks filled. Overall experience was great. I was Leary about bringing kids here but I would defiantly recommend it! read more

Came in today for the first time to have lunch oh boy I made a mistake. It's almost dinner and I still haven't been served. I got here at 1:50 pm and now it's 3:04pm the entire table is upset the worst experience I have ever experienced. To make matters worse the table we had the water sprinkles went off. Wtf? So we got transferred to another table and waiting for the grill to heat up. I'm not coming here again read more

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Oh Benihana, where do i start ...we had reservations for 6:15, got there at 5:40 and people that arrived after us got seated, it wasn't until t asked the hostess who was sorta short with us that we would be seated at the next table , the tomato's in the salad were too cold and oh ya there also was a hair in it. I did not get my appetizer till after my dinner ...the hibachi chef was good overall experience poop read more

This place is gross. Every time we order from here it's missing half our order, takes over 80 mins and is cold. Forgot both our salads and rice but we're charged $150? Not worth it. Go to 405 teppanyaki instead read more

This was first time at this "historic" location. The door said it opened in 1964. It is due for a makeover. Every single table in the bar area was covered with rice....including "clearer" tables with setups. Service in the bar area was almost non-existent. I ordered a Sushi entree and was not given a miso soup or a salad. The bartender did not deliver my platter for over 5 minutes. I got it myself. Bathroom was clean, except the floor. They need to swap out their old mops. Dinner was good. Food quality was standard for Benihana. The show was sweet. There was a long line outside on a Tuesday night. read more

Always a joy go to Benihana despite the location. When you come here you can count on getting piping hot food full with flavor. Ps they have a tofu option for my vegan/vegetarian people. I barely found this out so you're welcome. The only thing is that it's cooked on the same grill as the meat but I'm sure they might be able to clean a section off to cook it first. Nonetheless it's very delicious. You can pick which sauce it's cooked with. I chose chili and teriyaki. It was scrumptious. Also I never think of Benihana as a place to grab drinks but boy was I wrong. I got a pina colada and boy was it tasty. They definitely didn't forget to put the alcohol.. that's for sure. read more

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This is my favorite spot in the valley. There is no other place I'd rather be. Nothing I don't love here. The waiters, the chefs, the cocktails, FOOD, everything is on point. I have really missed this place during Covid & I have a gift card I can't wait to use in person again. read more

Service and food is always great. Had a reservation for 9, still took about half hour to be seated. Was busier then expected for a Wednesday evening. read more

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I'm sorry for this restaurant Owner, Management is so weak and the cashier is very very rude. DON'T COME HERE!!! read more

I love Benihana! They have the best chicken fried rice I've ever tasted (you can also get in without the chicken if you're a vegetarian). I order their salmon avocado tartar but I get it with teriyaki sauce and it's soooo good! Their chefs are always entertaining and the food is always delicious. This location is super great! The only problem I have is the wait time. Even if you have a reservation it takes you a while to be seated and even longer for your server/chef to get to your table. Expect to be here about 2 hours on average (if not longer). read more

I promise they never have to worry about me ordering here again. It's been one bad experience after the next and tonight is the icing on the cake. The ONLY reason I'm ordering tonight (10/19) is because my sister came over and wanted to eat here with her birthday coupon--I will never order from this location again; May not even eat at any Benihana's location again. So tonight, I call and ask to speak with the manager, I'm placed on hold for about 10 minutes. I asked to speak with the manager because last time I ordered take out, they messed up my order. My friend ordered her entree and asked for no shellfish because she's allergic, shrimp was still placed with her meal. I asked for my fried rice to be cooked hard and it was soggy, as if the rice was over cooked. I called and spoke with Patrick, he said he'd put it in the system for me to get a replacement meal. I asked for a full refund so I wouldn't have issues when I wanted my replacement meal, as well I didn't know when I'd order from Benihana's again. Patrick was supposed to call me back and never did. I called tonight and spoke with Ray. He could not find anything in the system for my replacement meal and called Patrick. Patrick supposedly said he remembered something along the lines.... I'm not sure exactly what Patrick said or if ray really talked to him. Ray said he would honor the complimentary meal and Ray overall had good service. When I asked to add to my order I was placed on hold and NOBODY EVER CAME BACK for almost 20 minutes. They actually never came back, my sister called on her phone and that's how we were able to complete our order. I ultimately did not eat my food and I feel like my palate has expanded past Benihana's. The service I received and the food has not been good at this location. I understand we are in a pandemic and we're all being affected. If your business is struggling to keep up with the demand and provide quality service, stop taking peoples money and wasting their time, respectfully. read more

We love benihana because their service is absolutely amazing the food is delicious and their ambiance is wonderful . Dean was a very polite man which was the manager . thank you for your amazing / horrible service . Love the balasanyan's read more

I love the experience! Well, minus the happy hour. We were standing in the bar area for 15 minutes and we were ignored by 2 bartenders and when we were finally acknowledged, the happy hour was over, luckily the bartender was nice enough to honor us the happy hour prices. We came here on a Tuesday night and it was crazy busy. It was also towards the end of the month, so people were here redeeming their birthday gift certificates. Basically the chefs cooks in front of you and puts on a little show. It's perfect for first timers or tourists. I got the salmon dish and it was delicious. The fish was cooked perfectly and it was juicy and moist. I love their chicken fried rice, it was simple, yet flavorful. There were a total of 7 people at our table, so be prepare to sit with strangers, unless you book a large party. *I recommend making reservations and it was easy to do it through Open Table. *Happy Hour is from Monday-Friday, 4-7pm *There's valet parking only, but it's free *Also, sign up for a birthday gift certificate on their website, when it's your birthday month, it's a free $30 gift certificate. Who doesn't love free stuff?* read more

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An institution. Over fifty years, serving you full of delicacies. It covers all the bases for a night out on the town!

I love this place! I love the experience! I love the food! I love the service! I have came here for my birthdays and I have came here for many of other peoples birthdays. This is a nice restaurant where they cook your food in front of you. I like restaurants where they cook for you. I don't like where I have to do the work. The energy in this place is fun because you eat as a group. You sit in a table with other people unless your a group of 12 or more then you would have your own table. I think it's fun sitting with new people and with people you know. Interesting things happened when you sit with people you don't know....usual good things! Also the food here is really good. I always get the chicken Hibachi with the meal. Which includes salad, soup, veggies and shrimp. I love the cooked veggies. However my favorite is the chicken fried rice. That's my special treat when I go here. You can add it on for a few dollars. They also have awesome green tea ice cream. The service is good here and I forgot to mention the waiter does tricks while he prepares your food in front of you. Very cool tricks...that put a smile on your face when your eating. Oh and if it's your birthday you get a free picture with everyone! read more

I love Benihana!!!

I've loved Benihana for years and have been to a few different locations... this particular location is definitely on the lower spectrum in terms of atmosphere. First off, it was packed in there (to be expected on a Saturday night) but the look and design of the place did not make the nearly 30 minute wait with a reservation super pleasant. There really wasn't anywhere to sit and the waiting area was super small. Despite the ambiance, the food always continues to impress. The wait staff was extremely nice and of course the "show" part of the evening is pretty much the whole reason why anybody eats here. Our chef did all the usual tricks and the food came out amazing as usual. Although they really get you with assuming you want the fried rice when they don't tell you that it's really an extra $4+ (but like, would you really get anything else?). You certainly get your money's worth as I left STUFFED. I just think they need to up their interior. The Beverly Hills location that closed was super fancy and a much better experience. I'm sure I'll be back here because the food really is delicious. read more

Curbside/Take-out was very disorganized. I put an online order and got there at the expected time but had to wait an additional 35 minutes. I could tell they were short staffed and overwhelmed with orders but the people waiting in the lobby were barely acknowledged. One guy was asking about his order and one of the server's passing through just waved him off. Phone kept ringing and ringing. Once I got the food home, I couldn't believe how little the portions were. We got the chicken &shrimp dinner for 4 and it was barely enough for 2 people. For $65, it wasn't worth the money. Food was still good but the service was terrible. My family and I love Benihanas so it's very disappointing to have such a bad experience. read more