We came here for my wife's grandmother's 90th birthday celebration. She chose Benihana because of the location, the japanese food (because Japanese grandmother knows best), the entertainment, and the ability to seat 20 people with no problem. We booked this restaurant very far in advance, and they were okay with adding people she decided to invite at the last minute. Family came from all over the country for this dinner party. The service was a huge disappointment. No one expects Benihana's food to be amazing, and it wasn't, it was mediocre, as expected. I got the trio, which was good, and my wife got the spicy hibachi chicken. She didn't like her chicken - it was doused in sauce, salty, and the chicken was overcooked. We both thought the fried rice was delicious, because, hello butter! The server was friendly and attentive, and the chef was personable and entertaining. We brought our own cake, and they sang with us, cut the cake, and served it. Here's the reason for my two star review, aside from the saucy and overcooked chicken. After the first table was done eating (across from the other), the waiter took the ice cream orders for those who ordered a "special" entree. When the second table was ready for ice cream, the waiter said he was offering complimentary ice cream to everyone at our table. The other table didn't get this same treatment. Rude. When it was time for the picture, we had to rush to all get in the frame, and the manager took one picture and disappeared. We didn't even know he took the picture. After we ate our cake, we were talking and getting ready to leave while we were boxing our leftovers. The manager came over and told us "to leave because we need this table and you've been here a long time already." SO RUDE. I was appalled. I understand having to leave the table shortly after eating to allow them to seat other parties, but give us a chance to box our food, and ask us to leave in a few minutes, not NOW. We spent well over $2000 that night, and I expected better treatment. Instead, we felt rushed out. Left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. I wouldn't recommend this location to anyone due to the terrible service and treatment by the manager. I would only come back for grandma, if she wanted to come. She was very happy with her birthday party, which is the reason for the 2 stars. I would have given it one or two more if it wasn't for our experience with the service. read more

First, we called ahead to make reservations and the phone receptionist was very welcoming. We knew about the $30 for your birthday, so we signed up for the coupon right away, however, once I got the link in my email, it said I'd have to wait 24 hours to actually print the coupon. I mentioned this to the manager Sue and she said as long as I could print it tomorrow and bring it in so they could meet their corporate obligation, then she would honor it tonight (my actual birthday). I thought that was a very kind and managerial gesture that shows an appreciation for the customer and not just the bottom line. We made reservations for 730, but ended up coming earlier, so they moved us into the next available reservation. We had to wait 15 minutes, but I felt that was fair. Our chef, Jorge, was obviously not Japanese, but who cares? He cooked as well as any other chef I've had at these kinds of restaurants before. He mixed well-meaning humor in with his twirling knife skills and the three parties at our table all had a good time, while still able to enjoy private conversations. The food quality was better than I remember, and although it's been off my list of places to dine for a few years, it's definitely back on my radar. Our server was Korean, but she spoke clearly and politely, didn't miss any order, and was very attentive with drink refills and special requests. Even Sue, the manager, came to the table to take pictures and sing along at birthday time...another show of why it seems like this lady cares about her business and her customers. Lastly, someone else reviewed them tonight and admitted they showed up late for their own reservation (4 minutes past their 15 minute rule makes you 19 minutes late...the restaurant's location can be found at the intersection of: Get a GPS and leave earlier next time). I think it's unreasonable for an entire party to show up late and expect their reservation to be honored. Don't be mad at the restaurant...be mad at yourself. read more

Really good. Came here to grab some lunch specials. I was really impressed. 2 dishes ordered - Hibachi Chricken and Filet Mignon. Jose was our cook and Nick our waiter. Nick was extremely friendly, warm, and welcoming. We were excited to have the entire table to ourselves with no other customers at that time coming in. Jose was super chill and a great conversationalist. He's got mad grill skillz and we were impressed. Once the cool cooking show was complete it was time to chow down. Food was very very delicious and was prepared very well. Had so much we were able to take home some doggie bags for later. Overall great time and great food. We shall return. read more

Standard Benihana Fare. Definitely a good deal for lunch time. Come for the teppanyaki specials. Skip the sushi. Hibachi Chicken, Fried Rice, Veggies, Salad, and cooking entertainment for only $9.50. It's a steal! I was super stuffed when I left, with some leftovers for home. read more

We stopped in for their Happy Hour. Although dinner was good, the drinks and food off their happy hour menu was plenty enough to get you satisfied. The young gentleman/manager at the bar was very helpful...good convos. read more

Did a dinner here with some friends, it was really nice place! They only let us use four tabs at first, but she was flexible and let us do six. read more

I have always heard of these places, but I have never been. I wasn't avoiding them though, I simply never lived near one. When I was in Monterey, my girlfriend's mother wanted to go here to celebrate her birthday. I was excited at the prospect given their fame for teppanyaki! On our visit though we ended up sitting in the sushi room and having our hibachi style entrees to eat there. This was kind of an interesting prospect. I never knew you could have hibachi without partaking in it with total strangers. This is a real boon for those with social anxiety! At any rate, I went with the "Splash 'N Meadow" entree which afforded me a nice mix of grilled colossal shrimp and sliced steak. What's nice about the entree though, is that it includes soup, salad, and dessert as well which makes for a bargain price. The soup is simply prepared with green onions, mushrooms, and a basic miso broth. Easy and enjoyable. The salad was really colorful with bright purple ribbons of kohlrabi, julienned carrots, a few cherry tomatoes, and a bed of green lettuce. The steak and shrimp were pretty tasty. I was really impressed that the dish was not overly salted and that the flavors were clean. Too often I have seen chefs ruin these entrees before my eyes, so I was enthused to get a slightly more sophisticated offering this go-around. Further the pairing of fried rice which included egg and chicken worked really well. The rice was really well done; thankfully, the chef knew how to use soy. For dessert, we had a scoop of Haagen-Dazs, which I have never found to be a bad choice in life. A terrific dinner all around and so much better than the many hibachi places I have been to around the country. The staff was really friendly. They accommodated our request for photos quite well making sure the photos came out well. They sang a song for my girlfriend's mother and placed a crazy balloon hat on her head. The waitress was pretty adept and remembered the names of my girlfriend's parents (they're regulars). I couldn't fault the service here. A great affordable spot if you like this sort of thing. Recommend. read more

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We showed up 5 minutes early and the host told us we would be seated on time. 30 minutes after our reservation with no status update we get brought to our table. Seemingly putting us in the lounge was just money collector. The people we were seated with even looked pisses for waiting so long. So pissed we left. edit. we're still hungry and my 3 y/o is pissed. f this place. read more

Good customer service. Our cook was Miguel he was excellent very polite and took care of everything we wanted on our food. The steak and chicken was perfect. The veggies were on point. Not a fan of the salad dressing or the sushi. Was disappointed with the Las Vegas Roll, it was suppose to be spicy and fried but it wasn't battered right && not spicy at all. The Long Island mixed drink I got was also a little on the sweet side. Overall would return! read more

Great lunch specials... Too bad the service is so slow that I won't be returning. Unfortunately the main dining area was full so we had to sit in the lounge area. We were seated very quickly, but no one came to take our order for almost 30 minutes. After we placed our order, we didn't even get our water for another half hour, AFTER we asked for it again. The food that came out was cooked in the back, so it was the same food that we would have gotten at the teppan tables. However, it wasn't very warm, as if it had been sitting at the counter and waiting to be taken out. If you plan on coming here, you should definitely make a reservation to sit in the main dining area, and set aside a good 1.5 hours of your time. read more

Last Friday, we took a little trip to the Monterey Aquarium. We didn't plan to eat at Benihana, but we stumbled upon it as we were leaving the pier. My kids wanted to eat at McDonald's (like always) but I wasn't having it. I expected to wait very long, but to my surprise, we waited about 5 minutes. They gave us salad with ginger dressing which I ate, but wasn't a huge fan of it. They also brought out onion soup. It may sound gross, but it was actually pretty good. After we had our soup and salad, the chef finally arrived to start his cooking show. He started cooking the chicken fried rice. It was delicious! I opted for teriyaki chicken which had mushroom in it. I liked it a lot as well. The chef gave us complimentary shrimp to dip in some really good sauce ( I forgot the name of it). At the end, he served us zucchini and onions. At that point, I was so full and didn't eat it. Overall, we were very pleased with our dinner (except for our children who still wanted happy meals lol). The chef (Geronimo) was nice, the waitress was very attentive and made sure to keep our drinks refilled, and the manager came over to ask how we liked it. I'll definitely be going back for my birthday which is in a couple of weeks. I wish we had a Benihana close to our home! read more

Benihana - Monterey - Chicken fried rice... Yummy! - Japanese Near Me - Monterey, California

We've been going to Benihana locations for decades but the Monterey location is probably the best. Host Justin is simply incredible; he makes every person he handles feel like royalty in a prix fixe 4-star restaurant. Our hibachi chef is marvelous also (we always sit at the same table). The food is consistently excellent, with high quality ingredients. The place has a lovely ambiance and is extremely clean. Employees are inviting, friendly and accommodating. Can't think of too many other restaurants we'd rather patronize on a regular basis! read more

Jose was our chef! He was hilarious and so energetic even when we were the last group before they closed. Food was delicious. Serving sizes are huge. I liked this Benihana way more than the one in Japan Town in SF! Much more lively, better service. We stayed at the Portola hotel so we just walked here. It is a 3 min walk. Perfect! read more

We came in to town and this spot came to mind, the service was great the food was amazing. We went there with the kids and they had a wonderful time, the waiter was extremely nice and very professional. They made us feel like kings and was worth every dollar. We explained to the cook that one of the kids does not want the shrimp touching his food and he took it to heart and cooked the shrimp last. read more

If you're craving some delicious steak or sushi, Benihana is my Go-To spot in the area! I came here on a Tuesday night and was surprised of how busy it was for a weekday. I came here with my girlfriend and sat at the bar to enjoy some good drinks and food. The bartender was highly attentive and made the experience enjoyable. We ordered the surf and turf (steak and shrimp) and a few sushi rolls. The portions were more than enough and overall had a great time. - Definitely 5 stars on the service and 5 stars on the food. read more

Worst service we've ever experienced. We had a 7:45pm reservation and didn't get seated until just about 9pm. It took almost an hour to get any service once seated. Employees were arguing in front of guests, the manager never came over to apologize for the poor service. Overall would not recommend this location. read more

If there was a 0 star it would be. We have been to this restaurant many times and loved it! But in the past month I have called to place s pick up order and denied 3 times. First I was told that they didn't take pick up orders until after 7. It was around 6:45 by the time he would have taken my order it would have been 7!! The second time I was told 8. This last time I was told they were too busy to take my pick-up order. I have never been to a restaurant didn't want business. I won't be returning. Which is unfortunate because I love their food and Lynn is soooooo great! read more

I've been to multiple Teppanyaki restaurants, and I was disappointed with how Benihana compared. Cons: - Our chef lacked personality and didn't engage much with the table - There was a $3.50 up charge for fried rice (most places include with meal... felt like a cheap move) - The food wasn't very flavorful. The rice was greasy and the meats were bland. - We didn't see any fire during his cooking. I thought a mini fire show was just standard Teppanyaki entertainment. I brought my young son for the first time and was super disappointed. - The prices are high, and overall the experience wasn't worth it Pros: - You can turn the kids menu into a hat - Their bday song includes a drum (although there's probably a charge for that too) read more

The chef really has the moves and groove! Quite entertaining! :) Love their chicken fried rice. read more

Benihana - Monterey - Japanese Near Me - Monterey, California

If I could give this restaurant no stars I would. We came here for our 4th wedding anniversary we drove 2 hours to eat here and we arrived on time at 730pm I reserved a day before. We showed up they kept us waiting for 20 minutes I asked how much longer it would take. One of the lady's said "she's checking how much longer" a family walks in of 8 and the other gal takes them before us. They watched us walk out and didn't bother to come get us to say "hey we got you're table ready or something" we where really looking forward to coming here for the first time but we will never come back here again. read more

Such an amazing place. To start off, the decorations in the lobby are really cool. I love how they have suits of armor in glass cases and japanese paintings on the walls. As you approach the dinning area you begin to see how this experience is going to be one you have never had before. The tables are actually the grills that your food is cooked on. As you sit around the table with other guests you are greeted promptly as a group by the hostess. She than takes your drink order and lets you begin deciding on what food you would like. Once you have decided and the table is ready the hostess places the order in which the chefs than prepare all of ingredients they will need before arriving at your table. Everything happens in such a timely manner because each table has its own designated chef. So right away you know you will be receiving your meal in due time. Once the chef arrives he introduces himself and than not only does he cook your food but he puts on a show while doing it! The food itself is fantastic! I love being able to be asked by the chef how you would like things to be cooked and play a role in how your food is made. Unfortunately if you order a meal like Sushi that is prepared in a different room so you lose out on the theatrics of your food being created. All in all I would give this places an A+ Definetely stop here if you have not been and are visting from out of town. read more

This restaurant is one our all time favorites. We go for birthdays, anniversaries, apparently my 4 year olds preschool graduation.... so why only 3 stars? Because it is very hit or miss. We usually look so farward to the treat that a lot of the time it is a let down. So lets break down the stars. 5 stars for food. It always tastes great. Very fresh. And a good selection of meats, seafood, soup, salads, veggie dishes, and some sushi. 3 stars for wait staff. Most of them are pleasant enough. Sometimes not so much. But for the most part, they just seem to be there. Based on this last experience ONLY: Chef entertainment value:1 star. We have a favorite chef. We look forward to watching him do all the tricks and fun stuff you look forward to when going to teppan yaki. We got him this last time and it was so bland watching him. There were no fun things anymore. Just cooking. And I know its cheesy, but thats why my 4 year old requested this place. For the beating rice heart, for the chicken made out of the scrambled egg, for the shrimp tails being tossed into the hat. We got NONE of that. Such a disappointment. All in all, I know we'll be back. How could we not? But next time, I think I will lower the bar on our expectations. That seems to be a good way to not be let down. read more

I am soooooo mad at this restaurant! We made reservations for 11 at the "extended" table because we had 2 birthdays! Well, we got lost trying to find it, but did phone ahead and say so. We arrived 4 minutes past their "15 minute rule" and were told that they gave our table away. Keep in mind, we phoned ahead to alert them we couldn't find the darn place! So they ended up splitting up our group 7/4, which totally killed the whole party experience. The food was good, the chefs were nice, but you couldn't understand hardly a word they said, and I kept having to ask them what they said...I think that's bad. Would I go back? No. The show was just ok, and I think expensive for what you got. But mostly, I wouldn't go back because they totally ruined our whole experience. read more

The only reason we went was because we had a discount coupon from restaurant.com. Without that, this would have been w-a-a-a-y too expensive for the quality of the food. Everybody knows that Benihana is more about the show than the food, right? As long as you know that, you probably won't be disappointed. The chef's performance is what makes or breaks the Benihana experience, and our chef was good, but didn't really have the spirit of a performer that a Benihana chef needs to be great. So, it was fun, and the food was fine, but I still think it's overpriced. read more

We went for a short weekend trip to Monterey and was so excited to see a Benihanas! My husband and I had been to one before and couldn't wait for our kids to see the Chefs and all the excitement. The food was really good and the price wasn't too bad for 5 of us. I would have liked to have seen a little more excitement from the Chef. He was ok, I just expected a bit more of the fancy tricks and flying food. II will go back if we are ever in the area! Their chicken fried rice was out of this world! read more

Happy hour is amazing... 5-6:30 The food is unreal and the service is A+ If i could, i would give this place more stars read more

Took my 4 kids and my fiancée to dinner. Was really fun and the kids loved it. Pros: Nice atmosphere. Chef was awesome and very entertaining. VERY kid friendly. Kids loved the food and the cooking right in front of them. Place was clean. Servers were on the spot and took good care of us. Cons: Food wasn't great but it was good. A little bit pricey for what it was. Overall: Overall we had a great dinner and it is something that the kids will remember. I liked it and would bring them back in a heartbeat. read more

Went here before my Senior Prom. Yummy food, generous helpings, not cheap (but fun for a special night out!), nice decor, and fun entertainment. My complaints: - Very loud - Some tables are very close together. All in all, this is a fun place to enjoy a large meal! read more

Sushi and sashimi: looks ok, tastes just so so. price is a little beyond average. Service: polite but not every waiter/waitress can remember what you told them or how to charge from your credit card. read more

Happy hour from 5-630 pm is pretty good. 6 dollar large sake 3 small sake. Rest of hh menu is also good read more

Benihana - Monterey - Japanese Near Me - Monterey, California

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This was an amazing experience. Wonderful customer service. I was blown away by how they take care of me. I never had to ask for a refill or anything as they handled it without me asking. Food was great tasting and fresh ingredients. High quality. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants to enjoy a great meal with a friendly environment. read more

Benihana - Monterey - About to tear up some Benihana' son! - Japanese Near Me - Monterey, California

Love me some Benihana's! We were just in Monterey for the Labor Day Weekend and stopped in here a couple times: the first time was for dinner and the wait was too long. We came back the next day for lunch before we left. I had a Fillet Mignon for $14. YUMMY! Food and service was great. Highly recommended. read more

Was here a few months ago with the fam............And I wasnt really wanting tons of food.......So I ordered sushi, WoW it was great! The food is always good here, it is a little pricey but def worth it. Downside.....parking isnt great in this area and its kinda touristy because its right by fisherman's warf. read more

It was my husband's birthday so I decided to go to Benihana. There's a parking garage near Benihana in case you can't find street parking. I had made a reservation about half an hour before in order to give us time to get there from our hotel. The hostess was nice and friendly. We only waited for a few minutes for a seat. After we sat, we were also joined by a party of four that was celebrating an engagement. I picked the Benihana delight (chicken breast and colossal shrimp) and my husband got the Rocky's special (Hibachi steak and chicken breast). Both were served with Benihana onion soup, Benihana salad, hibachi shrimp appetizer, vegetables and mushrooms. We didn't order anything for my son since he normally eats whatever we have on the plate. Our chef Marco was very entertaining. My son also enjoyed mimicking him by pretending to cook with Marco with a fork and a spoon. Marco and the party of four were very entertained as well. You should have seen the smile on my son's face as he pretended to cook. All the other servers, chefs and the manager couldn't help watching him either. It was so darn cute. Everything was very delicious. Our meal also came with dessert so since we were celebrating my husband's birthday, they also sang a happy birthday song for him. We really enjoyed our time there. We will surely come back to Benihana the next time we are in Monterey. read more

Good sushi and great atmosphere. We celebrated our anniversary there and got free ice cream and a print of our picture that they took. Loved watching the show on the grill even though we didn't order any cooked food. read more

Benihana - Monterey - Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Monterey, California

If you like dingy, dark, and dumpy then you've found the place. I don't recall a single window in the entire place! Feels more like I'm at some bordello doing naughty deeds than going to eat somewhere. If you like a good Japanese steakhouse, go 2 minutes down the road to Sapporros....same fun, GREAT view. read more

One of my favorite restaurants. The food is fresh and hot off the grill. They have great sushi and great drinks. It's also a very fun environment Get the all you can eat sushi it Rocks! read more

Benihana - Monterey - Nice place - Japanese Near Me - Monterey, California

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Been coming to this Benihana since they reopened and even before they had closed down for a few years. The service is always just whatever but the food is always really good at least. Just disappointed they stopped doing to go orders since I typically would order out from here a few times a month so that really changes things read more

Under new ownership and reliably good! Just went there the other night and had a wonderful time. When I think of Benihana's, I think of the teppanyaki (as do most people), but I was pleasantly surprised at how good their sushi was. We thoroughly enjoyed their shrimp crunch roll and other yummy sushi as starters. Then it was on to the teppanyaki show. If you've been to Benihana before, it's the same thing you've had elsewhere, but it's still a lot of fun. The food was great (mmm, sauteed lobster) and the chef was darn good. If you've never been to Benihana (or teppanyaki), it's well worth the trip for dinner and a show. They have Happy Hour from 5-6:30 pm, and the lunch specials seem pretty good (under $10 for lots of food!). I'll have to check it out again for those items too. Not an everyday type of Japanese, but a great way to spend a special evening. It's tucked in a little bit from the Custom House Plaza, and they validate parking from the structure across the street (on Pacific). read more

I am not one to regularly review places but I was impressed with the service and kindness of the staff here. The food was good and the show typical, however it was the kindness of the staff that made the experience more enjoyable. We were celebrating a special day and mentioned it to the host. They went above and beyond to make our day even more special. Our server was Erica. read more