The food was good when we were there, the service was also pretty good but everyone in our party got ill a few hours after we left. This review turned into a 2 star instead of a 4 star experience. If you are looking for a fun night out you would be better off choosing a different establishment in downtown Milwaukee and spending your money there so you don't end up getting sick. We ordered the hibachi steak and the lemon chicken nothing out of the ordinary. read more

The hostesses were incredibly rude and treated us like we were a big inconvenience. Our server was great and the chef was fun, but the food was nothing more than mediocre. Hoped for more! read more

I wish I could give zero stars cause that's what got was zero. No order, and they already ran up my credit card so that money is tied up until the pending charge comes off. I ordered on grubhub, happy to have another sushi place to choose from. Since I typically order $100 of sushi at a time I figured they'd be happy to have my business. Apparently not. They cancelled my order because they were out of 1 item. ONE SINGLE ITEM, and they cancelled a $100 food order. So I called. They said "we didn't know how to cancel 1 item so we cancelled the whole order". But told me I could reorder- um no, they were "closed" on grubhub so I couldn't reorder. All they would have had to do is call me, I'd have said "no problem, send the rest of the order and refund the item you don't have". So because they ran out of a $12 item they are out a $100 order and a future customer. I will never order again. I wonder if the owners are aware of how poorly the employees handle customer service issues. read more

An embarrassment to the downtown Milwaukee dining scene... Manager encouraging over serving of the patrons at our table, who were already wasted. Yelling at the waiter of our table for not offering a woman more wine when she still had a half glass left. Obnoxious, rude manager ruined what would have other been a fun and romantic dinner. read more

DON"T GO HERE! This was the worst dining experience I have ever had. The chef was horrible. He never spoke to us, did one or two little tricks, tossed our food on our plates and then walked away. About 2 minutes later a staff member came over and started mopping the floor with bleach! We were still eating and drinking! The staff was waiting by the kitchen door staring us down. I went over to talk to our server and the manger, I explained that the staff was being rude and if they didn't want us there they shouldn't have taken our reservation. They didn't see anything wrong with the bad chef, the staff glaring at us or the bleach during our meal. We were never served our desert, which we paid for. We wanted to get out of there as fast as possible so we paid the large bill with gratuity included and got out of there. I have never left a comment for a restaurant. But this Benihana deserves the energy to get out the word to never go here!! read more

Good for a group. Not if you're just out as a couple. Certainly not if you're by yourself! Everyone will look at you like you're a loser if you go by yourself. The food is pretty good. I mean, for a gimmicky place, it really is delicious. And most of the fun comes in watching your food be prepared. Drinks are good...keep them coming and you'll have a good time here! read more

Too "busy" for to-go orders. Apparently as they get "busier" they only service customers in restaurant. It seemed a little off to me.

I went there on a date and had a great time. I may not be a connoisseur when it comes to high quality hibachi restaurants, but having a 5 course meal (clear soup, salad, mixed vegetables, shrimp and rice, and a main entrée) and getting to watch a very talented professional chef work his magic for about $30 for a hibachi dinner seems like a great deal to me. read more

Benihana - Milwaukee - Seafood Diablo - Japanese Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

So me and my sweets FINALLY get someone to watch the kids :), that means we FINALLY get to have our 2nd date without the kids. We decided to go and enjoy a beautiful Sunday evening in downtown Milwaukee. We first head to the Milwaukee Public Museum to checkout the Dead Sea Scrolls and then from there to BENIHANAS. Never been so this was something new for the both of us. We got there and the atmosphere was beautiful. The waitress was very friendly and very cool, she was Japanese (confirmed through chit-chat) and was very helpful. Now comparing this place to Fujiyamas was not a difficult thing to do because the similarities were high but there were 2 things that made BENIHANAS stand out over Fujiyamas. One was before they took my order for the Hibachi they asked if any of us had any food related allergies and that ultimately made me favor BENIHANAS over Fujiyamas because I am allergic to shellfish and when the chef came he fixed my meal first and then the rest of the customers so there is no cross-contamination from the different meats (beef and shrimp). The second thing was the wait staff. In my previous review about Fujiyamas I stated how big of an ASSHOLE the waiter was but at BENIHANAS a Japanese woman waited on us and she was great. We even asked her about the Japanese soda and where we could buy it outside of the restaurant but she didn't know but if she did she definitely would have helped us out. At Fujiyamas we asked about the waiter about the green tea ice cream and where we could get some outside of the restaurant and he gave us this sarcastic/snoody look and said "we can give it." Overall the big thing that makes BENIHANA better than Fujiyama is the fact that I felt BENIHANA really cares about the customer and when they asked of any food related allergies before serving us won me over. Although expensive I highly recommend going. read more

Are there any Japanese people working here?? Place looks a little dated. Food was OK. I went To Benihana's the first time about 20 years ago. Back then it was new and exciting and I remember the food was really good. Not so much this time. Don't think I'll ever go back. read more

Not the consistency you expect from a chain restaurant. Service was poor from the hostess and waitress. This by far was the worst experience / food, I have had at Benihana's as this place is usually rock solid. read more

This restaurant needs an overhaul on menu and personnel. The heyday of it being the celebrity go-to hibachi joint are long gone, and specifically to Milwaukee, were never here. The concept is still awesome, but here is where they went off the rails wrong. 1. Over thinking their value: a $75 tab for a 2 person dinner which only included one tiny overpriced cocktail AND a built in 18% gratuity on a Sunday evening when the place was empty is crazy. You read that right - not a party of 6 or more, but just 2 people by ourselves at the hibachi table had a mandatory 18% tip!!! I normally tip 20%+ but I hate being forced to tip. 2. Menu: the hibachi dinners are up-priced to begin with being more pricey than our beloved Mt. Fuji in NY. They don't include any noodles and if you want fried rice instead of plain steamed rice it's an added $4.50 up-charge. $2 for steamed Brown rice didn't make sense either. So no noodles, no fried rice included, 3 small shrimp constitutes an 'appetizer' and a small steak with a wide fat strip that got trimmed off making it even smaller. I don't dine out for stuffing myself, but there should be enough with soup, salad and entree to keep me from having to stop and bring a snack home for later. Lastly, the seasoning could have been better without having to dip everything in the ginger sauce...the mayo based one was confusing and out of place. 3. Personnel: If there was a manager on duty, the person was indistinguishable from the other staff hanging around looking disinterested in being somewhere at 6pm on a Sunday with no clientele. Our waiter and cook were nice and served professionally, but the fact that I had to pay for parking when they had a parking lot that had cones up blocking entry (was empty) and we seemed to bother some staff by showing up (i.e. looking up from their cell phone while lounging on the 1st floor) really P'd me off for a night out with my wife.....and the food...and the $75. read more

Gone way downhill from its prime. Gave it a few extra chances only got worse. Seigos was the ultimate but closed. No dressing but maybe a teaspoon, no filet (only some fatty steak) chicken combo, no warm/ heated sauces, poor cooking, no entertainment, slow, expensive, try to get out of coupons or birthday gift certificates, mandatory 18% gratuity no matter how many in your party, only parking at their lot is $5 valet or find your own alternative! this place sucks bad! Use to be 5 stars now not even one star. Horrible! Had to battle about getting a printed certificate for my birthday through entire dinner read more

Very nice and clean. Our server was attentive and made suggestions. The cook was entertaining and the food was amazing. I had soup, shrimp and hibachi chicken. This location has been a staple in the community and I'm glad it has stayed around. I will certainly go back. read more

I always wanted to try this place & well I did this past Saturday & was thinking it would kind of be like Seigo's in Sussex & I was little disappointed in the place. When we first got there, of course you want to go to the bar to get a drink, it took at least 10 minutes before someone came out to help us. At dinner time, normally you are suppose to get the rice before the rest of the meats & other veggies that they serve you so you can eat everything at once. They finally brought the rice out when we were almost done eating. It was not a good experience at all. I would rather go to seigo's for hibachi style anyday!!! read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. Had to ask multiple times for food or drinks. Wrong food was brought. Waitress was rude when we asked for drinks multiple times and we could see her just standing around talking with other employees. You'd think a restaurant in downtown Milwaukee would be better but they'll never be getting another dime of my money. read more

Went here for my boyfriend and i's anniversary and could not have been more disappointed. First, we paid 20 dollars for 2 drinks that tasted like a gas station icee, next we were seated with a weird family (I know this isn't the establishments fault, but it still ruined the experience...), the miso soup was beyond subpar, the ginger dressing was bitter and disgusting (these are typically my favorite parts of going to a Japanese steak house, so I was very sad) our cook was mediocre, nice guy but also boring, the meat wasn't bad, but I was already annoyed with everything else that it didn't taste as good as it could've. If you're looking to spend 100$ for a dinner date and feel like you're in a high school lunch room, this is the place for you. read more

I I've been to many different Benihana locations over the last 20 years of my life from Key West Manhattan Chicago to New Jersey and I've had a different experience in each one all better than the other I visit this location 2 years ago and enjoyed myself recently visited today and was extremely disappointed place was very dingy felt old service was extremely poor the chef did a good job he seemed nervous and didn't really take any requests very well but he had no help from his staff console raising his hands and trying to call them when he needed something there was only about 5 people in the entire restaurant that's including our table I know it was Sunday but we got there early and because of their delay wined up staying late I really want to give this place a better of you and I know all it does need is management to step up read more

Meh... I have been to this location before probably over 5 years ago and can tell that this place has gone down hill. Had a drink at the bar while waiting for my friends to arrive and the drink was not only overpriced, but also full of sugar and no alcohol. When we went upstairs to enjoy the hibachi, the service was poor. I had to ask the waitress multiple times for some water. At one point, I was thinking about getting up and going over to the counter to grab the water for myself. The food was good but nothing special. The chef was probably the best part of the whole experience. He not only put on a show, but also had a fun personality! After receiving our food, the waitress came over shortly after and asked us if we wanted boxes. What?! We were literally still eating our food! One of my friends said yes thinking she would just go grab a box for it and set it aside. However, the waitress took her plate from her and started packing it up! The restaurant only had two other parties seated so it wasn't like the place was busy and people were waiting to eat. Overall if you want hibachi, don't bother trying it out here. read more

It's a tad bit expensive but fun-ish. $5 for valet parking or look on street for free after 6pm. $3.50 extra for chicken fried rice or $2 extra for brown rice. White rice, shrimp appetizer, salad, green tea is included with the hibachi price which varies from $18.75 for chicken to $39/2 filet mignon or $36 for lobster, 2 green mussels, lg shrimp, & scallops entrees. Whoever your grill chef is determines your level of entertainment & various tricks that are performed. The upstairs grill area serves 8 but you can also sit downstairs at a table or at the sushi bar area. read more

The most overpriced, average meal in Milwaukee. Don't come here if you're looking for a nice night out - you won't get it here.

Horrible service - took a long time for anyone to stop by to order drinks, then drinks went empty. Was not clear who our waiter was. Only two tables occupied and they still had bad service. Only helpful person was the sushi chef who ended up getting us drinks. Sushi was warm and mushy. We left to eat elsewhere after two rolls. Soup and salad were bland. read more

I LOVE hibachi! I have been to Benihana's in other locations and had a great time. This Benihana should be skipped over for any of the other delicious hibachi in Milwaukee. The service from everyone, but the chef was horrendous. I've been to McDonalds with friendlier staff. The waitress that we had for dinner was awful and rude the entire meal. The food was tasty, but not worth it to have to deal with this awful service. There are so many delicious hibachi places within 15 mins and I recommend any of them over this dump! read more

Didn't want to give any stars!!! Service food and prices sucked!!! Called and complained got no where with the manager!!! Very rude!!!

We had a great experience at Benihana. It was pretty busy, and our servers and chef were great. Teppanyaki is in short supply in Milwaukee and eating at Benihana is a nice way to add flavor to an evening or weekend. read more

Was not impressed at all with the food - we have had MUCH better at other Japanese restaurants. And, it was very expensive. We also were going to use the Valet parking - no one was there. Could hardly understand the waitress and our cook - well, what can I say - absolutely no personality - not fun at all. Drink prices were extremely high. Definitely will NOT return there. read more

My Co-Worker and I stop by Benihana for lunch frequently. Today, the owner paid a visit to our table. She was extremely pleasent. The atmosphere is comfortable and the restaurant is extremely clean. We ordered the Hibachi lunch special (one shrimp and one chicken). The food arrived in a timely fashion, served by their friendly and professional staff. Every bite was delicious and the portions were plentiful. The price for each lunch was between $9 and $10 (very fair for the portions and quality). I recommend this to anyone in the downtown Milwaukee area looking for a great lunch spot. read more

Sitting at an EMPTY bar, in the EMPTY lobby. Was told to wait at the bar for 10 to 20 minutes. The bar was full for 2 minutes, then they were seated. That was 15 minutes ago. We've been sitting here ever since. No one has said anything. read more

Let me start by saying that I have eaten at "Benihana" in other cities and I have LOVED the food and service. However, in Milwaukee, I was very disappointed to say this was not the case. The service was non existent for starters. Then, because the restaurant was basically empty on a Thursday night, there was nobody sitting at the hibachi tables, so being cooked for wasn't a choice. So I sat alone at a table with harsh lighting and wondered who was going to cook, let alone wait on me. I ordered sushi for starters which was spicy tuna and it was mushy. I ordered steak and scallops and I was very disappointed at the quality of the ingredients. The scallops were so teeny and appeared to have been cut in half, making them even teenier. The steak was not cooked as I ordered, so that was disappointing. And the ginger sauce they served apparently had been watered down to stretch it further..it was like water. I hated that I had spent so much (overpriced) for the quality I got and was wishing I had gone somewhere else. I saw no one after I was served so I honestly just ate quickly and got the heck out of there. Try Benihana in other cities like Atlanta, but not Milwaukee. read more

It is an experience that our grand kids love....but there is nothing welcoming about the place...hostess is indifferent...vaguely offers for you to go to the bar while they get ready for you...if you choose not to go to bar you sort of stand around....no one comes over to offer help with coats or a drink....servers ok...grill guys are entertaining...and the highlight of the experience...food just ok....this time our car was broken into in the restaurants lot...nice touch...when we told the valet who presumably was watching the cars...he said, oh it was some kids...like he knows who it is and that this has happened before...no sympathy, offer to report to police, refund the parking charge....sort of the same attitude experienced at the hostess desk.....not hospitable at all...aren't we customers and shouldn't we be treated as valued guests? read more

I was there as a result of a birthday coupon given by the company. The coupon was generous, however, my husband received his shrimp stirfry for (26 dollars) without the onions then received the onions solo 20 minutes later??? The website pictures presents Benihana as an upscale dining atmosphere but the Downtown Milwaukee location is not. read more

Thought we would enjoy a nice dinner before going to a concert. The entire experience here was unacceptable the minute we walked in the door. We had 6 pm reservations and was told we had to wait 10-15 minutes. While we were waiting, people coming in without reservations were also told 10-15 minutes. After waiting, we asked again and was told another 15 minutes. We asked to see the manager, but was told the manager was upstairs tending bar and did not have time. Some of the other patrons who had reservations for the same time left in frustration. We stuck it out and were finally seated a 1/2 later and it took another 10 minutes for the waitress to show up at our table. The food was good, but skimpy portions for the high prices. We never got our rice, even after asking for it several times and told they were making it fresh. Other tables seated after us were getting their rice. We also never got our hot tea or dessert. Poor service, bad experience and got shorted food = never coming back. Complaining did no good and the manager apparently didn't care enough to address the issues. This used to be a great place, but gone totally downhill. Save yourself and stay away! read more

I loved the service but if you don't have a reservation maybe go some other time, but other than that excellent food and fantastic chefs. 9/10 would eat here again. read more

No. So not worth it AT ALL. The guy cooking for us never engaged our group, never did the fancy stuff to "entertain" us, and really could have cared less if any of us were there or not. Overpriced for what you get. None of us appreciated the "upcharge" on the chicken fried rice; they could have at least informed us before slapping an extra $28.00 onto our bill for it. Really? It is RICE. Very very disappointing. Many other places to go for Japanese food; don't bother with this place. read more

I love Benihana and have been going since I was a kid but this last week I had the WORST service ever at this Milwaukee location. The food was fine, but the chef was unfriendly, rude and messed up a few of our meals. Rather than creating a fun environment, he actually made it incredibly awkward. Shortly after he left with no eye contact or even the traditional bow and thank you, another employee began mopping with a strong chemical smell (right where our chef was standing). It's not like we had finished and were just lingering while the staff wanted to go home, we were still eating....and fast at that because it was getting more and more awkward and the manager was no help at all. No dessert (which was included in the meal) and we basically ran out. I have written to the corporate office. I will continue to eat at the Burlingame Benihana as it has always been good but this Milwaukee one should CLOSE....yuck! I would give negative stars if I could. read more

I have never been so disappointed!!! I will never go back or recommend it to anyone!!!!!! The OWNER was super rude, tried telling one my friends that she was wrong (even though she wasn't) and called the server out in front of everyone that made the mistake. A double vodka tonic was $13 with rail vodka. It was talked about and the owner came over and said the reason is because it is a double. Excuse me? Then the rest of the dinner she stood and stared at us. It was uncomfortable. I do not understand how she is still in business and the coproration hasn't taken it away from her. It was unbelievable read more

I would give it no stars if possible. First we were a table of nine. The waiter caught an attitude when asked to take our picture, which is understandable being that it's not his job. Everything went down hill after that. I was forced to get straws after repeatedly asking with no response, i also got lemons for myself after he forgot after asking 3 times. Also when asked for another fork after eating a salad the waiter said and i quote " didn't you already have one?" I don't understand what his issue was and after asking for napkins and silverware without getting it i complained to the manager whose response seemed acceptable until the waiter return with an sarcastic apology. I would not recommend this place because sheer lack of customer service and lack of response from management. Also management asked if i wanted to excuse his tip from my bill after 4 Ppl had an issue. Please be cautious upon leaving we heard other Ppl complaining and the common factor is if they know because of the size of our party they're getting a tip anyway and don't feel the urge to be courteous. No i don't want to tip him after i already complained and you put it in the bill and no i don't think anybody at my table should have. Our food should've been courtesy of our horrible waiter read more

My husband and I don't always get to go on dates and I was really excited to come here. We didn't have a reservation but saw that the place was empty. We went in and we're rudely told it was going to be a 45 minute wait.... for a completely empty restaurant. This isn't real a review on the food itself but the establishment and staff. I understand that maybe a chef went on a break or for some obscure reason they had to do cleaning at dinner time. But come on, 45 minutes? After that I wouldn't go back. Lakefront brewery is right next door and has some pretty good food. read more

Thirty-two years ago at age 10 I had what was probably the most memorable dining experience of my life at a Benihana located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The chef was funny and just slightly "naughty " enough to make my sisters laugh...his "vegetables make you sexy" line took the cake, and his showmanship was flawless. The food was excellent, and I still remember my mother raving about the wonderful service. So when my family and I visited the Benihana in Milwaukee for the first time a few weeks ago, we were all expecting to have a nice evening., I would have to say that visit earned a three stars. The restaurant was nearly empty on a Saturday night, which seemed strange. Despite this, it took some time to get the rolls we ordered, and I have to say quite frankly the rolls were sub-par--nothing better than what you could get at a middling supermarket these days. When it was time for our hibachi show, the chef was obviously not quite as experienced, but it was still fun and he was really trying. The food he cooked for us was delicious. As far as the service...sorry, it just felt a bit unprofessional...our server seemed a bit blunt (but not rude...lacking in finesse), and management seemed indifferent. Fast forward to last night...we waited 15 minutes to be seated for our reservation, which wasn't horrible, but we had a reservation! We were then seated with a group of three pleasant young women at the hibachi. The restaurant was very busy this time, and loud. Our server took drink orders, and neglected to bring a second chilled glass for the large Sapporo we shared...and it took a good 10 minutes to bring the second glass. Our guest in the party wanted to order a roll, and we were told that "we are too busy to make sushi tonight" ????? For a restaurant in that price range, to negate an entire portion of the menu is unthinkable...and its a chain, for heaven's sake!! Maybe a staffing problem? So we ordered appetizers, which we waited and waited for...and weren't brought out until after the hibachi chef had already started cooking and was putting food on our plates! I wanted to refuse everything, but with a guest present decided to not say anything. The server did apologize, citing the business of the evening. The hibachi chef did a nice job, but didn't seem to connect with anyone but one of the young women at the end of the table (?). Can't imagine why. When he served up the shrimp portions, (four of us ordered colossal shrimp), her plate was literally filled. When he served my husband's and my portions, I saw her crazily generous serving was at our expense. While we did split an entree, we each had 2 shrimp on our plates...she had to have at least 15! My daughter and her friend had the same order as this young woman and had probably 8 colossal shrimp each. And what would I say to complain about this? "Excuse me, the chef gave that woman our shrimp?". So I didn't say anything. Oh, and an order of wine took 20 minutes to appear...I got the glass after 10 minutes, and 10 minutes after that my server brought the carafe of wine. I really needed the wine at that time to quench my irritation at the whole experience. It seems to me this place just really needs more professionally trained staff, and the management needs some help in learning how to run a busy specialty restaurant. With the prices at Benihana, an organized wait staff, properly portioned meals, and a warm and welcoming atmosphere should not be too much to ask. Overall, my experience was like what I would expect from a Culver's, not a Benihana. Oh, and that reminds me of my final gripe...for the entire meal, we faced a wall with a little shelf that had a Sprite bottle and large Culver's paper bag sitting on it. I can't believe that we are the only people that noticed this? I guess it did make the dirty steps leading up to the hibachi room feel a little less alone. Benihana in Milwaukee...a cafeteria experience with the prices of a four star restaurant. This review is not meant to be a personal attack at any one person...kick up the level of service, warmth, cleanliness, and organization and this place could be truly wonderful. read more

The salmon was horrible and the sides are not the best. The restaurant is too small cuz they get so much service (I don't really know why). I don't recommend this plans if you are looking for good sushi. Nice location tho. read more