Food was excellent, had the Chateubriand...amazing!... our chef Piña was great, good ambiance and extra love on the food.. read more

Benihana - San Diego - Chateubriand... - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

My family and I have been loyal customers of this Benihana in San Diego for years. We have celebrated our anniversary there, my grandkids' birthdays, and even held business meetings there, which is why what happened on March 21, 2026, was so heartbreaking. We had a reservation for 8 people at 7:15 p.m. for Teppan seating and checked in immediately. The front host, who I believe may have been named Demi, was exceptional. She was welcoming, attentive, playful with my grandkids, and even took our family picture. She made us feel appreciated from the moment we arrived. Unfortunately, once we were seated, the entire experience changed. Our waitress came to the table aggressively and pushed us to order drinks and food immediately "in one shot." As we ordered, she repeatedly commented that it was "too much food," asked if we were going to share, and even told my daughter to split my grandkids' plate. That alone made all of us uncomfortable. The worst moment came when I ordered a Perfect Piña Margarita for my wife, which was going to be shared with my wife and daughter. When the waitress returned with an extra glass, she tried to pour the drink at the table. In the process, part of it spilled onto the hot table, creating steam, and we could all clearly see the liquid running down the outside of the glass, over her hand, between her fingers, and dripping from her nails into my daughter's glass. We were shocked. I told her that was not right, and she simply walked away. Later, when I tried to add a lobster tail, she again told us it was "too much food," as though she had authority to decide what we could order. At that point, my family was already upset and had lost our appetite. I asked to speak with the manager. The night manager, Terri, arrived already confrontational, cut me off while I was explaining the situation, and defended the waitress by saying that many people order food they cannot pay for. I found that remark deeply offensive. I felt my family was being stereotyped and discriminated against, possibly because we are Hispanic. When I told her that was not right and that I would be speaking with management, she replied, "I am the manager," and then told us in front of other tables to clear the table. We left humiliated, heartbroken, and disgusted. Another server gave us the number to report the incident and said this was not the first time. After years of supporting this restaurant, I never expected my family to be treated this way. read more

Benihana - San Diego - Some of her staff was upset the way we were treated and gave us the number to report her - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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If there was an option for zero stars, that is what I would give this restaurant. We came here for my daughter's birthday, who is 6. We had reservations at 8. We get there and the host tells us that we need to wait 30 minutes because the chefs are behind. Which was fine, we waited, after 30 minutes go by, we ask the host and she said another additional 30 minutes. At this point we talk to the manager and she states that they can't control the reservations and they over booked. We finally get seated, my kids order milkshakes, which came out after 30 mins all watered down!!! It is 10:15 and we have no chef at our table. My daughter, whose birthday it was, started crying because she was so upset and sad. Our reservation was at 8. Spoke to the manager numerous times and he did absolutely nothing. Very unprofessional staff. I had a baby and he was crying the entire time because it was way past his bed time. We didn't get to eat our meal until 11. WE WILL NEVER COME TO THIS PLACE AGAIN! BE AWAKE TO WAIT HOURS TO EAT!!! read more

Had the worst experience tonight . Waited almost three hours and did not get attended . The party in front of us got attended first when they got there an hour after us . The manager had no manners and was disrespectful. She said she couldn't do anything for us . Been here like a dozen times and never experienced this . Crazy and disappointing. read more

I would have gave them a 0 STAR if available !!! Horrible service! They should never take reservations if they are going to overbook and make parties wait. Its about 1:30 hr wait time . And the staff are not even apologetic.. its like this is normal to them. Our reservations was at 8:00 we were not sat down till about 9:15 once we were sat down we still waited another 30min to only get our drinks. Until about 10:20pm We just decided to leave. The chef never came out. So disappointing. Waste of time! Ruin my Grandsons Graduation Dinner :( read more

Chef Fausto and our server were wonderful! Had an entertaining dinner and fun time celebrating our daughter's birthday! We will definitely be back. read more

It's been a long time since I've been to Benihana. We were celebrating a friend's bday and it was fun enough. Our cook was Miguel who was very funny. I felt it was more like a comedy show vs like the good old days where they performed tricks like throwing the shrimp tail into the hat. No more throwing food in the air , just tapping the spatulas loudly. He did do the smoke and fire thing with the onion rings. There were 6 of us so we had the entire table to ourselves. I ordered the 6 course meal which included soup, salad, shrimp, zucchini, mushrooms, the Splash N' Meadow which was steak and shrimp, fried rice and ice cream. The steak was cooked perfectly - medium rare. I felt the food was a little salty but it was tasty because of all the butter they used. LOL. I also ordered a Hugo Spritz which was good. (There's a full bar.) Service was good. This was expensive, about $60 for each meal choice and cocktails were about $16-18 each. So after tax and gratuity, it was about $100 per person. You can definitely get better food else where but it's more for the novelty. They sang "Happy Bday" and jiggled a tambourine to our friend. They don't take the complimentary Benihana photo of your party anymore. As mentioned before they don't do as many tricks anymore so to me it's not as great . I think you can sign up online and on your bday month you get $30 off. Parking was difficult as the parking lot was full so we had to find street parking. Is this a place I would go to all the time? No, but maybe once in a blue moon for someone's bday. read more

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Somethings never change and in this case it's not good. This place is still super busy and still doesn't have enough chefs. We came for a birthday celebration just like most of the restaurant. Seated fairly quickly in the one back dining area that had four stations so 8 tables. All sat within 15 minutes of each other. Server was great - drinks, salads and soups came fast then the wait begins. Our chef was a female that was really dull, no charisma and food was just okay. Meanwhile another 45 minutes passes and the other half of the dining room still waiting for chefs - chaos breaks out when the chef rolls in and goes to a table that hadn't been waiting as long as another- people yelling, managers trying to calm folks down offering whatever they can to diffuse the situation. Bottom line - TELL PEOPLE WHEN THEY CHECK IN THAT ITS GOING TO BE SUPER DELAYED! while our dinner was average time as we expect it having been there before but if chefs call in, adjust better by letting people sit and wait and then blow up causing the whole experience for others to suck. I'm out going forward - for the price tag I'd like to be served in style and appreciated, especially when the experience in the cooking was dull and the outcries were entertaining it was so awkward. read more

Haven't been here in some years, Daniel was the server and was very polite and friendly also. Had a great tasting meal made by the super friendly and talented Avelino. Other people in my table had allergies and he made sure to be exact in those areas. The food also tasted very good, the only downfall is the price for portion. I feel like they give you 1/2 of the food for double the price, in my opinion it's better to just go to Shogun, way cheaper and much more food. Also super delicious. Overall I'd say shogun is my favorite. My meal for one person with tip came out to 88$. Pretty ridiculous. read more

Benihana - San Diego - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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Worst experience at an upscale (expensive) restaurant ever. A Chef who acted as though he had not been trained at all. He cooked our food ONE ITEM at a time!! We ended up eating each vegetable alone as it was getting cold. No show, no interacting with us, the customers, it was totally bizarre. No eye contact, nothing. The "manager" did nothing but bring us coupons to spend MORE money to get a little money off.. as if we would ever return. read more

they shouldnt take reservations if they are going to overbook and make parties wait.. the wait isnt 5-10min either. Its an hr wait. And the staff isnt even apologetic.. its like this is normal to them. Update: our reservations were at 7:45 & we sat at our table at around 9 and waited until about 10:20pm when we decided to leave. The chef never came out. So disappointing. Waste of time. read more

I made a reservation for 6:30pm on a Friday night for my husband's birthday. I noted that it was his birthday on the reservation. When we arrived there were people waiting outside, inside and frankly all over. We decided to wait in the bar and get some drinks until our name was called. We were finally seated at our table at 7:40pm. Our server was very attentive and took our order and delivered our drinks, soup and salad in a timely manner. Then we waited and waited and waited some more for our chef. Our table wasn't the only one waiting either. We asked what was taking so long and were told that they didn't have enough chefs and that they were overbooked. The server who took our order kept apologizing and brought a complimentary order of edamame which was nice and appreciated. Our chef finally arrived around 9pm! He did a great job and the food was good. He just seemed a bit tired and not as animated as some of the other chefs. It didn't help that our table wasn't very enthusiastic because we were all tired of waiting so long! We finished our meals and the ice cream came and there was no candle on my husband's ice cream. I told our chef it was his birthday. No one came to sing to him. Additionally, the restrooms were a mess. The stall I used literally had feces rubbed on the wall. I swear I can't make this stuff up! By the time we left it was 10:10pm. I felt horrible because it was my suggestion that we go there for my husband's birthday. He and my daughter had never been to Benihana before and I had really talked the experience up to them. It was a complete disappointment. Having dinner should never take almost 4 hours! read more

Kevin did so many crazy cool things! He made very well cooked food and was very nice.the Ambiance was nice when he turned the lights off and made a nice fire volcano and did it right in front of me. Another addition to the ambiance was it feels like you're in the right place at the right time.5/5 would go again! read more

Benihana - San Diego - benihana WAGYU STEAK FRIED RICE - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Great birthday dinner for my daughter. Always a fun time! Service was great and show was entertaining read more

Benihana - San Diego - Green tea - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Nick the bartender was amazing! And the food was really tasty. The Yellowtail and Scallops yummy! The best of all, Nick making the whole experience and ambience great! He has a good sense of humor. I will come back and bring my daughter and friends. read more

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You'll definitely have a fun dinner experience at Benihana. My family had reservations and we only needed to wait about 5-10 min for the table to be ready. Chef Luis was great, he was so funny and all the food came out good! Dinner at Benihana is definitely a good idea if you're looking for dinner with entertainment. read more

We were a party of seven celebrating my son's graduation. We arrived around 8:25 p.m. as walk-ins and were informed that the restaurant was short-staffed. To help secure a table, I made an online reservation for 8:45 p.m., and we were seated around 8:55 p.m. We understood the delays given the staffing situation. We ordered drinks, appetizers (dumplings, calamari, and a sushi roll), a chicken tender meal for my granddaughter, and our hibachi dinners. Our chef, Avelino, initially brought food intended for another table but quickly corrected the mistake and provided an entertaining hibachi experience. He did a great job making the evening enjoyable despite the delays. During the cooking show, Avelino asked us to leave a review, and at that point I posted a positive review because he had been wonderful. However, several issues occurred afterward. While our meals were being prepared, we still had not received our appetizers, my granddaughter's chicken tenders, or the extra portion of rice my son had ordered. Avelino noticed the issue and spoke with our server. The server then informed us that the kitchen had already closed and could no longer prepare the appetizers or the child's meal. This was very disappointing, especially since those items had already been ordered. Communication between the kitchen, server, and chef appeared to be lacking. To help, Avelino set aside some non-spicy food for my granddaughter because the hibachi meals we ordered were spicy. We appreciated his effort, but it should not have been necessary. My granddaughter's meal never arrived, the appetizers were never served, and my son did not receive the extra rice he ordered. Avelino even had to split a portion of rice between two people so it appeared that my son had more. Avelino deserves recognition for doing everything he could to improve the situation, and his service was excellent. Unfortunately, the lack of communication, missing items, and the kitchen closing before completing our order left us disappointed. To make matters worse, I was charged twice for the bill, totaling $355.91 per charge, and I was not provided with a receipt at the restaurant. Fortunately, I was able to locate the charges through my account, but I am still waiting for clarification and resolution regarding the duplicate charge. I contacted corporate twice but no answer. While Avelino's efforts were outstanding and greatly appreciated, the overall experience fell far below expectations for a special family celebration. read more

Benihana - San Diego - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Benihana, Mission Valley, San Diego A reservation was for 1:45. We waited 20 minutes to be seated and we've been waiting for over an hour for a chef to come to our table so we've been staring at this all that time and still no sign of a chef. What happened to you, Benihana? read more

Benihana - San Diego - Empty grill - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

The absolute worst Benihana location I have ever experienced . The staff to the quality of food is an absolute no.

My husband and I love going to Benihana for dinner - we have probably been here at least five times in the past six months. Tonight was probably one of the smoothest nights we have had here. We decided to come early (I booked a reservation for 5pm). We only waited about 10 minutes and were seated. Once seated, we met our server, Isabella, pretty quickly after the hostess did her spiel. She got our drink orders, food orders, and knocked out everything like a professional that had been doing the job for at least 10 years. When I asked how long she had been working there, I think she thought I had a criticism about her service coming. She sheepishly said, "Oh, can you tell? I have only been here one week." I couldn't believe it. This girl KILLED it. Not only did she expertly time everything, she managed to take care of refills and remember additional requests made (i.e., to go bags, extras). She flipped that table by 6:30pm. She was excellent. Ambience was good as usual. The food was great, and we really enjoyed our dining experience. I hope we get her again the next time we come in. read more

This was one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. Despite having reservations, we waited more than three hours to be seated. In hindsight, we should have left, but we stayed because we were celebrating a birthday. The service was poor throughout the evening. The chef was adequate, but the food was bland, greasy, and disappointing. To make matters worse, the table next to us repeatedly used profanity in front of children, which created an uncomfortable atmosphere. Overall, the experience was frustrating from start to finish. I would not return, even if the meal were free. There are far better options elsewhere. Stay away. read more

Food and service time was spent w the best people and amazing chef I'll be back for more with this chef Didn't wait long good time read more

Benihana - San Diego - The best ever!!!! Seriously good energy very attentive made the night !!! #askforavelino - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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Jesse B. did an absolutely AMAZING job! From the moment we got there, he made the entire experience unforgettable. He got us seated quickly, was incredibly entertaining, and his cooking was beyond excellent. The food was delicious, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. You can truly tell he cares about giving guests the best experience possible. This isn't even our first time with him, and every single time he exceeds expectations. Jesse B brings such great energy, talent, and personality to the table. If you get the chance to have Jesse B., you are seriously in for an incredible experience. Highly, highly recommend! read more

Benihana - San Diego - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Total fail on trying to make my son's birthday special by taking him out to this restaurant. We checked in 40 minutes before our reservation time. Got seated right at our reservation time and the service from our waitor was great BUT the chef never showed up! We decided it was time to leave after waiting over an hour and a half for the chef to show up for the teppan show, which wouldve been the highlight of our night. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Shouldve believed all the other reviews here when they say they pack you in like sardines without guaranteeing a chef.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] What a waste of time & we ended up at good old Mcdonalds for my son's birthday dinner. Please do better, Benihana. This was a very dissapointing experience for what should have been a special celebration. read more

Is Terri short for Terrible? Because it's definitely not short for Terrific. I came here last night to celebrate my graduation with a party of 10 and it was an experience I will never forget, unfortunately not for the right reasons. The staff was genuinely wonderful, kind, congratulatory, and apologetic about the wait. Our hibachi chef Chris was absolutely fantastic. I wish I could give the team 5 stars, because they deserve it. We had a 7:30 reservation and were told there was an hour delay. We asked to wait in the bar area and employees said yes, so we sat and ordered sushi and drinks. Then the manager Terri came over huffing and puffing, scolded us, and told us we couldn't sit there, claiming she was "reserving" those tables for a party. Here's what's important: every other table in that bar area had guests doing the exact same thing, waiting on their reservations, having drinks or sushi, no full dinner plates. She walked past all of them and singled out our group specifically. There was no signage, no communication to the staff who had just told us we could sit there, and the chairs weren't even arranged for a party. WE had put them together. When I pointed out that her own staff had allowed us to sit there and that clearer communication would have prevented the confusion, she became hostile. My brother addressed her conduct and she threatened to cancel our entire reservation and remove us from the restaurant. We moved and arranged another set of tables to fit our group, which she also could have done for her party to avoid this whole situation. At 8:18 PM I received a text from OpenTable confirming my table was ready. When I went up, staff asked our party to stand by the wines to be seated. They looked at their tickets and were surprised, because it wasn't my name even though I got the text. They looked at their system and found my name still on the waitlist and not up for a table. They pointed at an image of tables and said they would need to talk to Terri to figure out what happened. I then watched Terri quietly approach a group that had just entered the bar area. One person in that party said "yay, she saved the night" as they were taken to a table. Two systems confirmed I was next. OpenTable and the waitress's own ticket. We were not actually seated until 8:42 PM. I have the OpenTable text and photo timestamps to prove it. Check the security footage. This is not disorganization. This is a predatory practice. People come here for birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries. They have driven there, gotten dressed up, and have nowhere else to go on short notice. Overbooking knowing that customers are essentially stuck is intentional, and it is at customers' expense. This is a one-manager problem. The rest of the team deserves 5 stars. But Terri should not be running this location, and based on a year's worth of reviews saying the exact same thing, Benihana is not listening, despite directing everyone to benihanalistens.com. Ironic. Also referred to as Terry in other reviews. I invite you to search her name both ways. read more

Benihana - San Diego - Text confirming my table is ready. 48 minutes after our 7:30 reservation but table was not ready and hostess was confused. - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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We had an amazing time on Thanksgiving with my Mom. Great customer service from our Waitress to a fun, entertaining cook with our Chef. To add, the food cooked to perfection. Overall a great experience and glad we spent Thanksgiving there! read more

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The hostess(es) are all incompetent. We booked ahead of time and for some odd reason they couldn't find our reservations. We were told that other folks are leaving and we would be seated if we waited. After an hour of zero response, we went to check and got served with the ol bait and switch "Oh we have to prioritize our reservations first" Why didn't they disclose this initially? Needless to say we left. read more

Great service and excellent food. Wonderful experience all around! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambiance was awesome especially since we had several first timers in our party.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Great food & ambience![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Betty was great & service was fantastic ! Really love the garlic butter

Oh how the mighty have fallen... to start, I usually have a strict rule about keeping my reviews and, especially the ratings, about the food... but because the service and performance are so integral to the experience at Benihana, I'm making only a little bit of an exception. If you're like me and haven't been to Benihana in a decade or two, since they sold to private equity, you're in for a shock. Think overpriced ($50 before tax or tip for a kids meal?!) Japan-themed Cracker Barrel on a Disnified discount cruise line with mostly decent food. Headlines: Moldy, brown tomatoes in the "salad," They didn't serve us all the courses ordered, Chef did less than half of the traditional performance and dropped the spatula, knife, and long fork several times (missed hitting my wife by a few millimeters), and had virtually no personality whatsoever, We were packed in like sardines, The food was actually pretty decent otherwise, but it did not make up for how awful the experience was in every other way. I would have given one star, but the food got it to two. We will never go back. It's a real shame how they've ruined this iconic institution. read more

Paid for fresh shrimp got pre-cooked shrimp disgusting don't waste your money on pre-cooked shrimp

We had such a great time at Benihana! Chef Jacob was not only incredibly skilled, but also super engaging and funny. From the onion volcano to the knife skills, the entire performance kept us entertained the entire time. The food was just as impressive...perfectly cooked steak and lobster, flavorful fried rice, and fresh veggies. Everything was seasoned just right and served hot off the grill. You can really tell Chef Jacob takes pride in both the presentation and the flavor. Great energy, great food, and an overall memorable experience. read more

I did take out and the lady was nice and offered us water while we waited for our food. There was not that many people there when we went. We went around 5pm. We order Park Cabbage Dumplings, Combination Fried Rice, beef noodles, salt and pepper chicken wings, Kung pow chicken, walnut shrimp, broccoli with garlic, and shrimp fried noodles. We felt the food was very bland and needed more spices. The walnut shrimp had too much sauce. Not sure what the sauce is made of, but it tasted a lot like mayonnaise. If you look at the photos, I think we all have different opinions of the ranking. We would not go again. Not worth the amount that we paid for. read more

Benihana - San Diego - This is what we ordered - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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Make a reservation and be prepared to wait... bad very bad service... lots of anger in the waiting room due to understaffing apparently and the food is almost certainly overpriced... and after waiting and getting annoyed it distracts from the experience... it used to be fun ... now it's like why bother... read more

Benihana - San Diego - No one is happy in this photo ... lots of reservations ... not enough room -- maybe they should just give up - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Love the Beni food is good fun atmosphere chefs are so friendly and fun love the silly jokes service was excellent came here for my bday celebrations read more

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We wanted to go someplace special for Valentine's Day, so we selected this specialty restaurant. We hadn't been here in over 16 years, but remembered loving it. They were so busy, they were running behind on reservations. But, they were honest about the wait time, were extremely apologetic and courteous. Once we were seated, everything flowed smoothly, the good service continued with the person who seated us and got us started with drinks, soups, etc. She also gave us complimentary cookies for Valentine's Day. The highlight, of course, was Jake, our cook. He was incredible!! He was artistic with his juggling of the cooking utensils, funny, informative and a talented professional who made all of us feel special with his service, ability to single each couple or family out for attention just long enough to let us feel special. read more

Benihana - San Diego - Special Valentine's Day menu. - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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We had such a great experience! Our waitress Linda was great-- so warm, attentive, and on top of everything. She checked in and made sure we had everything we needed the entire meal. Our hibachi cook Letty? was just as fantastic! Super friendly, fun to watch, and he cooked everything perfectly. The food was so good -- flavorful, fresh, and cooked exactly how we asked. You can tell he loves what he does because it shows in his energy and in the food! Overall, great service, great vibes, and delicious food. Highly recommend asking for Linda and Letty if you go! read more

Benihana - San Diego - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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1/5 -- What's the point of a reservation? We had a reservation for 7:45 PM and arrived at 7:48 due to absolutely no parking available. I repeat: no parking, other than parking in a long like down the street which I joined or a $10 valet option, which I would have been extremely upset about paying for given what followed. Upon arrival, we were told the restaurant was "a bit behind," yet they hadn't even seated their 6:45 reservations. Those guests weren't seated until around 8:05 PM. By that point, it was clear the reservation system meant nothing. After waiting about 30 minutes, I asked to speak with a manager. Carlos did not come out to speak with me until another 15 minutes later, making it 45 minutes total that we had been waiting. At that point, he informed me that they had just seated their 7:15 reservations and that it would still be a while before we could be seated. I appreciated that honesty. However, while standing near the host desk earlier, I overheard one host give an honest and transparent answer to a guest about the actual wait time, which I also appreciated. Unfortunately, another host immediately told her to instead say they were "making progress" because it makes guests feel better. Personally, I prefer honesty. At a restaurant where meals easily cost between $50-$100 per person, transparency should be the standard. Nothing was offered to account for the wasted time. The only accommodation made was canceling the reservation on their end so I would not be penalized through Resy, which I asked for and appreciated. After that, we left. I'm highly disappointed. I've been to Benihana locations across the country and have never experienced this level of disorganization. A reservation should mean something, especially at a restaurant of this caliber. What was supposed to be a great experience for my mother and brother to have during there first visit to San Diego, turned in a disappointment. read more

Benihana - San Diego - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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First time trying out their happy hour menu and it was delicious and inexpensive. Our server Tommy was a delight, he was genuine, friendly and served up some great cocktails. The passion fruit mojito was my favorite! He put the World Series on when we asked and the background music was a vibe. My only con was the wagyu burger, I've had wagyu many times but the one here was dry and the bun was cold, definitely not a fan of that but all of the other dishes made up for it as did the service. read more

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Made a reservation for the 45 min lunch and it was great! They cook in front of you but don't do the cooking show, which was fine by us. Our chef was nice and spoke with us a bit. They don't let you substitute any of the items on the lunch menu, which was also fine. Food was great and portions were perfect for lunch. read more