I have never made a review for any business but today me and my family had the best dinner we couldve possibly asked for. Our chef Vincent was so personable and had the best energy for a big group of 9 people. He was very accomadating with our preferences and was sure to make our experience as enjoyable as the food was. Our dinner was delicious and i cant thank him enough for the energy he brought to the table. Benihana is very lucky to have someone like him. read more

Benihana - Newport Beach - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was great! The waitress made me feel like I was a VIP.

Our chef Vincent was awesome! Really made the experience enjoyable and fun! Our server Patrick was also really attentive and sweet!

We had such a wonderful experience at Benihana and always love coming here for special occasions. Felipe was an outstanding server -- attentive, friendly, and made sure everything throughout the evening was perfect. Our chef was phenomenal as well and made the dinner both entertaining and delicious from start to finish. Benihana continues to be one of our favorite restaurants, and it has become one of our favorite places to celebrate birthdays. The entire team made the night feel special, and we truly appreciate the amazing service and atmosphere. read more

Benihana - Newport Beach - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Memorial Day veterans bait'n'switched.. I decided to try the Memorial Day veterans' special, which seemed like a great deal..buy an appetizer and get one of three hibachi entrees. The food was decent, but the portions have gotten smaller over the years. I remember that pre-COVID meat portions were much bigger. The appetizers were $18 each. I got a soft drink for $8, and an extra $8 for the truffle sauce I used on a single piece of meat. Between my wife and me, both veterans, the meal cost $72 before tax, even though it was supposed to be complimentary with the appetizer. It's strange that the restaurant doesn't tell you about the high markups on other items. The rice was another disappointment. They usually give plain sushi rice, so I upgraded to fried rice, which cost an extra $8. The service was okay, but the server should have told us about the price increase for a few simple things. So, the total cost, including tax, was $100. All in all, I can't help but feel bait'n'switched. I would have rather stayed home to eat had I been aware of the high cost of adding [fried rice] instead of white(never seen a hibachi style grill do white instead of fried by default), a [soft drink], and [truffle sauce] because it made what was supposed to be a free meal with appetizer (as advertised) cost 100$ after tip. Again, with no mention of any of this extra cost from the waitress. Overall I feel obligated to one star, because it's one thing to be sneaky with advertising and half-truths, but even worse to target veterans on Memorial Day(many have experienced PTSD or homelessness, can't really afford a lot). read more

Nothing special Service was average, food barely ok, what really cut my attention was seeing one of the staff eating in the next section where she could be seen by guests Poor management read more

I've been here so many times but had to write a new review because we had the most fun ever with Chef Jordan! He had great handiwork with all the tricks and he was entertaining with nonstop jokes and singing. Somehow he was able to keep everyone entertained and still cook an amazing meal. The scallops and shrimp were nice and tender and the steak were the right temperature. Our server tonight wasn't very talkative but she was very efficient and came to refill our tea and water without us asking. When we asked for anything, she would bring it immediately. read more

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Benihana is usually a reliable go-to for me, I visit this location pretty often, at least once a month, but this time, the visit started off on the wrong foot. I originally came in for the 45-minute power lunch, but was told there would be a 10-15 minute wait just to be seated.....this kinda defeated the purpose of a "quick" lunch. On top of that, I asked and learned that I wasn't able to use my $25 birthday reward toward the power lunch, which was disappointing and almost made me leave. I ended up staying and ordered one of the lunch boat specials in the lounge instead, and thankfully the experience improved from there. Within minutes of ordering, my soup and salad came out, and the full meal followed shortly after. The lunch boat presentation was nice and included a good variety: salmon as the main protein, half a California roll (4 pieces), 2 tempura shrimp with dipping sauce, assorted tempura veggies (onion ring, sweet potato, asparagus), 4 pieces of sashimi, edamame, rice, and even a peeled orange on the side . That said, the portion of salmon was surprisingly small--definitely not the highlight if you're coming in expecting a filling protein. The rest of the food was solid, but nothing particularly standout. Overall, the meal itself was decent and service was efficient, but between the initial confusion around the power lunch and reward restrictions, it didn't quite live up to expectations this time. read more

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Tyler the tall server and Chef UNC took care of business; so kudos to them. They're the main reason I didn't score Benihana Lower on the yelp grading score. So yo, listen. Let's keep it a BUCK. The chicken fried rice is single handedly keeping this business afloat. It's just an all right restaurant across the board. I do insist it used to be slightly better and higher quality like 15-20 years ago but whatever, that's not really too important, just a side note. The doodle and the pregnant side chick seemed to enjoy the main courses though. 乾杯 P.S. God bless the ANACRIME DUCKS. Won series last night. read more

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Had a reservation at 6:30PM on a Saturday evening. Got there and got seated maybe within 15 minutes. It took a while to get our orders in. The manager I'm assuming came to say hi, a server who wasn't our server came to say hi, and then eventually our server came. She was very sweet, took our order, and went on. I get it, it's a Saturday evening and they're busy... but we didn't really get any food served or anything until about 7:45PM.... so to get there at a reservation and not eat for about an hour and 15 minutes was kind of a long time, especially with a 1.5 year old. We were lucky the family sitting next to us were so sweet as my kid was getting antsy and hungry, which rightfully so, as were we. Vincent, our chef, came out and he was super sweet. Very funny, impressionable, and just over all an awesome guy. 5/5 for him! Everything came out delicious none the less, just wished the service was a little faster and that it didn't take that long to at least take our orders. read more

Benihana - Newport Beach - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

I have to say, the sushi here was extremely disappointing. My wife and I decided to check out their happy hour, and unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations at all. We started with the Garlic Edamame, which tasted good, but the portion was surprisingly small. We then ordered the Spicy Salmon Roll and Spicy Tuna Roll from the happy hour menu, and honestly, the size was almost laughable. Both rolls were tiny and lacked substance. Next, we tried the Salmon Avocado Roll, which was also very small and underwhelming for the price. We also ordered the Chili Ponzu Yellowtail Roll for $24, and it barely had any fish on it. The roll itself was tiny, and for that price point, it felt like a complete rip-off. The hot sake was listed as "happy hour" pricing at $9, but that is pretty much standard pricing at most sushi restaurants, so there was really no deal there either. At that point, I was already frustrated because I'm usually never disappointed when going out for sushi. We ended up ordering a couple of cheeseburgers with fries instead. They were okay, but even those were skimpy on the onions and jalapeños, so I wouldn't recommend them either. What made the experience worse was the service and overall atmosphere. We intentionally sat at the sushi bar because we wanted to interact with the sushi chefs, which is usually part of the experience. Instead, we were required to order everything through the server, while the chefs barely acknowledged us at all. Our server also spent a lot of time standing around the register talking with other staff members. This was around 4 PM, so the restaurant was not busy. I don't mind spending good money on quality food and service, but this experience completely missed the mark. If you're looking for a good sushi experience, I would honestly not recommend wasting your time or money at this Benihana location. read more

Benihana - Newport Beach - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Don't trust the reservation system. Made a reservation for the family on open table for evening of daughter's high school graduation. Out of anywhere in OC this is where she wanted to celebrate. We have older family members who usually eat quite early but we booked later reservation for them (7:30 pm) to make sure we could fit everything in. When we arrived in cap and gown we were told they were sorry but they were over booked and we would need to wait 40 minutes. We could wait in the lounge and have a drink. We sat down in the lounge and could not get a server to help us. After 15 minutes I walked to one of the servers and asked if it would be possible to order and she said it would be faster if I walked to the bar. I went to the bar and my good friend walked each drink back to the table as it was made for all 8 family members. We ultimately were seated after an hour but then once at our table we waited so long to have our chef come. We ultimately ate dinner at 10 pm (on a 7:30 reservation) and left the restaurant exhausted at 11. No offer of complimentary dish or coupon for the trouble. Probably my last Benihana visit. read more

Came here a couple weeks back to do a joint birthday celebration. It was our first time back to Benihana's in probably about 15 years. We had a bit of nostalgia about the place and decided to give it a go with the kids. I guess the best way to describe the overall experience is mediocre. We were seated promptly which was fine. Things started off kind of rocky though as our server wasn't particularly friendly, and seemed downright annoyed when it took us some time to get the kids settled and to figure out what we all wanted to order. That harried beginning set the tone for the meal and makes it hard to come back from. Our chef Vincent was pleasant though and did a great job of cooking and doing the little things to make our meal enjoyable. It wasn't a great place to have a conversation though, as with the set up and how loud it is in there, it's hard to talk to the people at the other end of the table. At the end of the day we walked away having a decent meal at an inflated price point. Given our overall experience though, I'm pretty sure this will probably be our last visit in our lifetimes. For the price there's just so many other better options. Oh well, it's been fun Benihana's! read more

We used to come here a lot when our kids were younger because they loved the show. But after last night I think we all decided that we don't want to come anymore. They just can't manage their reservation at all! We had a 5:45 reservation and didn't get seated until 6:30 and the chef didn't come to our table until 7! The people at the check-in stand apologized that a couple of tables were late ... But that's ridiculous. A 5:45 reservation is probably only the second dinner seating. Are they saying every single one of their first seatings were 45 minutes late? I'd understand more if we had a 8:30 or 9pm reservation ... I can understand 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there, you end up a bit late by the end of the night. But we were at the beginning! Then, the food was not great either. I think the chefs spend so much effort on the show and trying to be entertaining that they don't pay attention to the food. I watched the chef cooking my steak -- salting one side heavily, flipping it over, salting it heavily again. And then 2-3 minutes later, doing it all over again. The steak was completely inedible. It was SO salty! The only good part was that I said it was salty and the chef immediately made another one -- this time pretty well. So kudos there, which is why I added one star. We're probably not coming back read more

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+ Exquisite culinary style to delight and entice the senses. Love the hilarious, mesmerizing performances by the charismatic teppanyaki chefs. The egg catch, the onion tornado, the choo-choo train, to name a few ;) . Sometimes I wonder if they drop the utensils mid-performance on purpose. Cooler if they didn't. - The portion was a lil small. I suppose the price point is more derived from the entertainment value than sustenance. + Very nice, helpful, attentive staff. - The busser who watches the hibachi chef's show seemed a lil intimidating. - When placing my order, I asked the waiter which items do the chefs do the best tricks. Unfortunately the waiter didn't know. - The Hibachi Tuna Steak (dinner?) menu item is extortionate. The tuna steak was seasoned texturally but not ambrosially. The only other difference we discerned was the small bowl of salad I received. Thus, not worth the 75% price increase from the non-tuna steak. + Staff went above and beyond to accommodate our birthday celebration. Thank you! + Ample parking. - Non-private seating. If your party is small, you'll likely be seated at the same table with other small parties. Furthermore, the dining tables are arranged so that strangers face each other. + Boisterous, fun ambience. . Tip: join their FWB program for $50 off your next birthday visit! $47.50 Hibachi Tuna Steak + $27 Hibachi Steak Lunch + $1 fried rice - $50 birthday + tax + tip = $42.58 read more

This is our favorite Benihana location so we came here to celebrate my husband's birthday. Our chef, Adagio, was amazing! The best chef experience we've had at any locations. He was so personable and entertaining. However, our server, Emily, wasn't that great. First of all, she wasn't very attentive. There were several times when we had to ask other staff to call her to our table. We had to request utensils, food we ordered, and finally the celebratory picture. When we asked her about it, she said "Oh, it's by request." Luckily, we know about the picture but if it's your first time, how do you know to request it? She seemed annoyed that we even asked. She just didn't have a nice attitude. It's the first time we've experienced this at this location. Usually, the service is exceptional. Maybe Emily was having a bad day but it sucks we got her the day we were celebrating my husband's birthday. read more

Benihana - Newport Beach - Blue Hawaiian - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

I am so disappointed that I have to redo this review. Especially considering I praised this place years ago. While I appreciate the manager still coming out to greet, the food was lackluster. I ordered colossal shrimp and they needed to be cooked longer, yuck. Whoever the bust boy was, needs to take a few classes in table etiquette. Why are you grabbing plates that people are actively eating out of? We had to tell him multiple times that we weren't finished. My family ordered a filet and a steak and they were both bland. The shrimp crunch roll was warm and had an unusual taste. The ginger dressing on the salad was old and had a spoiled taste. Other than our friendly waitress and the friendly manager, this by far is one of the worst Benihana experiences I've ever had. read more

Benihana - Newport Beach - Speciality menu - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Had an amazing 5 star experience at Benihana for lunch today. My wife and I both had the filet mignon lunch with chicken fried rice and everything was perfectly cooked. Cheers and kudos to Paul our chef who was a rockstar. Our server Stephanie was very sweet and attentive. Would definitely recommend coming during later part of lunch as they are not as crowded. The Manager named Joshua is an absolute gem as always checks on us and is extremely kind and gracious. The whole team deserves raises! We are definitely coming back real soon. Love us some Newport Beach Beni!! read more

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Good service Today was the best cooked steak I have had here Very impressed Everything was done well No complaints Will come back read more

Felipe was awesome he help us out with menu care for our needs in ordering best performance shows cooking skills best birthday for my wife glad to come to NP Benihana location Our chef Aurelio out chef was funny and professional with full of energy again will let all of family and friends know at this location Last is the GM Josh T. Knowing that he love his job it shows to all of his staffs so easy to talk to and understand what customer needs and expectations read more

Benihana - Newport Beach - Birthday lunch - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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I've been a regular customer at the Newport Beach Benihana for years, typically dining there about once a month with my family, friends, and for special occasions. I've visited many times with my wife, my mom, and groups of friends, which is why this experience was especially disappointing. I'm writing this review specifically about a recent interaction I had with the Newport Beach location and the manager, David. I had purchased a significant amount of gift cards during their promotion (buy $100, receive bonus promotional certificates valid January 1 through March 31). I ended up missing the redemption deadline by just one day (April 1), and I called politely to ask if they could make a one-day exception. Unfortunately, the response I received was very rude and dismissive. There was no effort to show understanding, appreciation for my repeat business, or even attempt to offer a reasonable solution. As someone who has consistently supported this location, I expected a much higher level of customer service. I completely understand policies and expiration dates, but the lack of flexibility and poor tone during the interaction left a very negative impression. A small gesture of goodwill could have gone a long way, especially for a frequent customer. Based on this experience with management and customer service, I will be reconsidering whether to continue supporting this location moving forward. Yelp took my first review down since there was no proof of my actual visit so I attached several food pics t show I've been at the actual Newport Beach location. read more

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We visited on a Friday evening for our son's 10th birthday. Despite the restaurant being packed, we were seated within 10 minutes of our reservation time. The star of the meal was the wagyu beef, it was absolutely excellent and worth the upgrade. The standard filet, by comparison, was a bit tough and unremarkable. The fried rice was delicious as always. The salad and appetizers felt mass-produced and could use some attention. Our chef Tam did a great job making the birthday boy feel special, which meant a lot. That said, the tricks could use a refresh, they're fine for first-timers, but repeat customers know the routine by heart. Some new material would go a long way. read more

Had an excellent dinner! Enjoyed the chateaubriand - soooo yummy! Our chef was entertaining and created delicious food. The service was top-notch. Fun atmosphere from start to finish. read more

We had a 5:30 pm weekend reservation and we were sat within 15 minutes. Restaurant was clean with comfortable teppan seating. Two birthdays at our table, special food requests and we were eager for a memorable evening. Chef Vincent has seriously raised the bar on how amazing Benihana can be! All of our food was accurate and succulently delicious. The chef easily interacted with all eight of us (adults and young children) while working his magic. Delightfully original, entertaining and hilarious! Vince made our birthday dinners wildly successful and both families hope to luck into this Chef again. He made coming back a priority for us. read more

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I made a reservation at 6:30pm on a Saturday. My family showed up there for my mom's birthday. We weren't informed when we checked in on time that they have a new policy they seat as many reservations as possible and then move the other reservations to the next timeslot. We weren't informed ours was 45 minutes later.... We left. What a waste of time on my poor mom's birthday. Oh and Lee C. can save his half hearted default apology I see to other people who wrote about the same issue. I don't need it. Just like I don't need Benihana. read more

There is a 45 minute guarantee or "lunch is on us." However, my experience lasted over 1.5 hour and I still paid the entire amount. They also forgot our fried rice. After a few reminders, they brought it out at the end when we already finished all of our food. Birthdays will not be acknowledged during a power lunch, even though they asked during the reservation. I reached out to customer service and no response. Power lunch is a great deal, but you do get what you pay for. $16 for shrimp, chicken or tofu and $20 for filet mignon or NY strip. Comes with either soup or salad, vegetable fried rice, vegetables, and sauces. read more

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Worst birthday experience for my wife. Server forgot part of our order. Steak cam out over cooked and boiled. Huge amounts of pepper on the food couldn't even eat it Manager came over and said sorry we have a new person back there I can see all the pepper. Way to much she said. They remade it and it was almost as bad and they forgot part of the order again. They also offered us fried rice during the order than charged us extra and didn't tell us. We were so hungry we just ate paid the bill and left. Such a horrible experience read more

Yikes - spent $1000 here for a party of 14 and definitely left disappointed. 1) Arrived at 6:35 for our 6:45 reservation to check in our party, but was told we couldn't get checked in until everyone was 2) All of our party arrived at 6:50 (total 14) and we did not get seated until 7:20 3) Our waitress went on break without informing us or introducing us to a new server - this meant that half of our appetizers did not arrive and we did not get refills on our drink. No one checked on us the entire time. 4) Our party was split into two tables and the first table was able to finish their ENTIRE MEAL, before the chef for the 2nd table even started. 5) There were several errors in the food prep and our chef had to go to the back of the kitchen himself multiple times to get the missing items 6) We asked the same waitress for the dessert we brought and she again forgot them so we had to go the host table to ask. The one star is for the chefs - they were friendly and accommodating. Unfortunately the rest of team made the experience unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. This will be our first and LAST experience at this Benihana's - NOT WORTH THE 1k we spent!!! read more

Good food Service was good The manager Mr Josh Turner has outstanding personality To running good business u need someone like him read more

We came to celebrate my son's birthday. Our waitress Emely was great, she took our order brought our drinks, but our chef Andy was not social at all, arrived to our table with a grumpy attitude. We asked for spicy fried rice, he didn't make it. When we told him he looked as his ticket and said no and continued cooking, ignoring our requests. He overcooked the egg in our fried rice, and the mushrooms. In general he didn't make our dinner very pleasant. I recommend anyone coming here to ask for the younger black chef, he made the next table over have a great experience. (I don't know his name) read more

Benihana - Newport Beach - Dinner - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Tried the lounge for the first time. Service was a little slow as the restaurant was packed! But I the sushi was actually not bad. read more

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I joined Benihana's loyalty program, Friends with Benefits, and periodically $25 dining dollars would appear in my account. Today, I used this reward towards a sushi combo lunch which includes an assortment of fresh nigiri and California Roll, along with miso soup and signature salad. Overall, it was ok, not bad and not mind-blowing. For the price of $25.50, the fish to rice ratio could be more generous. Also, something to keep in mind, especially on Fridays, parking can be a challenge. Self parking spaces are limited because the onsite lot is split and shared with valet parking (for $10) read more

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Happy hour on a Thursday here was perfect! Just so happens that we walked in at 3:15 and were told about their happy hour menu from 3-6pm! Great variety of options. We were seated at the bar and the bartender was great! He was very attentive and made delicious drinks! There wasn't a wait and it wasn't busy or loud . Really enjoyed the ambiance and speedy service. Ordered some edamame and sushi as well as their mango margarita. Will have to come back and try the rest of their happy hour menu. read more

Benihana - Newport Beach - Happy hour menu is great! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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We have come to Benihana's always celebrated birthdays. This Benihana stands out. Josh Turner is so friendly goes above and beyond to make you have the best experience delicious food. The chef was interacting and wonderful. read more

So for those of you that don't know the only review that effects your over all star rating is the first review you write so this follow up review does not really effect anything but this is my way of sending a message to the corporate office and also to make sure the consumer knows just how bad the new changes at this restaurant chain really is. In december roughly 33 reviews were written for this location. Anaheim and Downer had a little more. Out of the 33 reviews 95% of them are 1 or 2 stars. My wife said it's going to be a while before we ever come back here again. What really sucks is that the staff including the cooks, the waitresses and most importantly the host staff is the one getting yelled at and treated poorly by people having to wait 90 minutes just to be seated and then another 90 minutes for their food. Shame on the new owners for treating their employees like this. I already shared in my review above how two different employees at two different locations asked me to write a review and or to contact the new corporate office. P.S. The Ai response to all the bad reviews is such a half ass attempt to solve a problem. read more

Jojo, Isaias, and Caitlyn were awesome- so nice and helpful! Vincent is the worst and why am I waiting an hour with a reservation!!!!!!

My family and friends had a great time celebrating birthdays at Benihana. We got Vincent as our personal chef and he was entertaining. Not only was he a fantastic chef, his funny charm made the kids laugh and the meal more enjoyable. read more

Benihana - Newport Beach - Chef Vincent - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Came here during happy hour and also ordered dinner entrees. The portions were incredibly small it was like a lunch portion. The taste was just ok. The price point was also high for the amount of food you get in return. We like other spots much better and will not be coming back. Nothing to write home about. read more

Awesome Mother's Day Meals (2 of Splash Meadows & Benihana Delights)!!!! Amazing Chef Tam, everything so flavorful & fast. Also so Dom, the waiter, so efficient & attentive! Manager Josh came back a few times to assist. Overall a Great Meal & we'll be back for more. Best regards, Wu Family. read more

Unfortunately, I did not get to experience this location because the staff informed us that corporate has consistently overbooked the restaurant. Our party had a reservation and yet there was still an hour wait once we arrived. There were four other parties all ranging from 8-20 people that had reservations as well and were excited for their dinner. Such a bummer, hopefully this stops as it's a very popular place. read more

Benihana - Newport Beach - front door area - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California