On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Nightlife, Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Loading...
While I've never been to one of these particular chains before, there is a similar restaurant in Florida (where I'm from) that offers a similar experience and they're always a fun place to go for a hearty meal. Plus, you get the added bonus of having the chefs come out and cook your food in front of you. I was torn when it came to rating this restaurant because I enjoyed the food, but there were a few other minor details about the location I dislike.
- The parking is horrific. And I went on the Tuesday after Labor Day for God sake! You have the option of cramming your car into the small parking lot next to the restaurant which offers valet parking ($8.00) or you can opt to park in the smelly, piss ridden parking garage across the street (which I did...a mere $3.00. Screw valeting. Benihana is expensive enough)
- Considering the look of the interior and exterior of the restaurant and the fact that it's apart of a chain, I don't think the prices are reasonable. I enjoyed the atmosphere, yes, but it's very family oriented and not an intimate dining experience that one would expect after reviewing the food and drink menu prices. Very noisy with lots of children but appropriate for the evening's activities. The spicy steak that I got (which wasn't even considered Filet Mignon) was $24.00. It was an excellent dish but not worth that price.
- The service was pretty attentive and our server was a very friendly woman who interacted well with the table. She sent over a wrong drink in the beginning of the night but it got fixed quickly and wasn't a big deal.
- Like the numerous reviews here also say, I recommend going for lunch if you are dying to try this place. The lunch menu is half the price and they offer better menu deals and combos.
- The drink/cocktail menu is excellent. I highly recommend the Mai Tai. Very strong and hint of sweet at the end.
Keep in mind this restaurant is a chain, has multiple locations throughout California, and therefore not necessarily the best example of genuine Japanese food experience. It's more like a commercial version of the original.
I miss the old Marina Del Rey location. When we came to this location, the maitre d' said 2 chefs called in sick, thus they were short of help and we decided not to press our luck.
A couple weeks later we walked in again, at the start was the same not so welcoming maitre d' , the worst part is getting past him or her. Once you've moved past the sullen maitre d', the show begins.
The pictures I posted are from a vegetarian's perspective. So I will let the pictures tell the story of our dinner. I've had this several times at different locations, so even if you do not see it on the menu, just tell the waitress or waiter. Most vegetarians are probably unaware of this.
If you're vegan and you don't mind the vegetables being prepared on the same grill, with the same cooking utensils, this would work for you too. Otherwise, it might seem a bit squeamish to some.
They also add on the fried rice (no eggs request was honored) which we both liked and yakisoba noodles (likely made with egg). My friend likes coming here for the entertainment factor and the sauces, which are liberally applied to the plain, steamed vegetables.
There are more than several factors which will keep me from returning here ever again. At the top is the not welcome at all maitre d', second is the slow service, third is the ventilation in this branch. The air here smells awful. I wonder if the chefs who got sick became ill from their own food or perhaps the air? I agree with Kevin K., find another branch of Benihana's to support.
Benihana makes very delicious and succulent food. I occasioanlly have dreams about going to Benihana and enjoying their chicken yakisoba.
What most people don't know is that Benihana is highly affordable during lunch. You can walk out paying $11 bucks if you order one of their lunch specials.
For dinner you're gonna pay a lot more, but you also get a lot more food too. My girlfriend and I typically spend about $65-80 bucks for dinner depending on what we order. Though I have to say that their portions are pretty enourmous... if you're not into overeating, than you would be totally ok sharing an order with someone else (this doesn't apply for lunch)
The biggest thing I dislike about Benihana is that they make you wait a looooonnnnngggg time before they seat you. That's because they wanna make sure they have a full table before they get the cook to work. This is not a problem when the restaurant is busy (ironic), but when the restaurant is slow, be prepared to wait a bit.
My favorite Benihana food is the fried rice, chicken yakisoba and the grilled veggies. Crap... just writing about it makes me wanna go back!!
Recommended.
As far as teppan goes for a chain, Benihana does it right for a moderate price. You get the teppan show (cooking in front of you and you usually seat at a table to fit 8 people, so you may be with strangers), and if you get a good chef it can be a lot of fun. They don't do any noodles with the teppan dishes like some places do. The sushi is good for appetizers. I usually always get the lobster and filet, and with everything else you get (salad, soup, rice, shrimp, veggies) it's plenty of good. I've been to Benihana's all over the country and have yet to be disappointed. I would like to give this 4 starts but in reality this is a chain that follows a structure, and it's good. This is not some specialty place going above and beyond in any way.
ok.... sunday night, group of five. We first arrived at benihana's at 6, our reservations was at 630. We could'nt be seated becuase they wanted a full viewing of 6 for the chef. ok, no problem, so we went to the bar to wait, it was absolutely no one up there, not even the bar attendant, we could've made away with a few bottles and no one would have known, ;) not that type of person though. anyways, so we wait..... wait......wait......more waiting.... then finally the mystery waitress appears (sniffling :/). He takes our oders, then brings three back after 20minutes. 17 more minutes someone from downstairs comes up to tell us our table is ready and tries to rush us down stairs. By this time the bar attendant disappears again and comes back sniffing :/ , and we tell him," hey where's the other two drinks, He says," oh yeah" and walks away it takes him 10 minutes, just to bring out one drink and we say," hey, wheres the other drink" he says," did you order 2" "um,,yeah" "o, ok, i'll make it now" it takes another 10 minutes and both drinks are spilling and the cup were wet, no apology or napkin.
Mean while the downstairs guy is huffing and puffing telling us to hurry up.
So we try to go downstairs and they stop us and tell us we cant pay for everything together we have to pay seperately. btw the sniffer tried to rip my friend off.
i read the reviews for this location before i went and a reviewer said how frustrated he was for having to pay upstairs then down stairs, and i did'nt understand why he was so upset. now i do. its so irritating and not needed.
So we go downstairs and begin, the cook was friendly, even though he wasn't japanese, the show was ok, and the two people just kept to themselves. Thanx to the people i went with the night was fun, the food was alright. Oh and another btw if you don't like kids dont go here(even though no one likes to admit it) they were everywhere. the drinks were'nt that good also. Another thing the vents on top were not working so all the smoke was going straight into our eyes. Overall, just ok. and the last btw, make sure you dont go with boring people, or you'll probably end up asleep, and ripped off.
It's easy to say this is not real Japanese food, because it's not, but Benihana is pretty good when eaten in moderation. I would recommend going here at lunch time, because you can still get a lot of food, but at far-reduced prices than during the dinner hours.
The clear onion soup, fried rice, and mustard sauce are very good.
Definitely one of the better Benihanas across the country.
I came here with my boyfriend and his family and I had very high expectations because they all loved it and it's always packed.
After trying it I do not understand the hype.
We were a party of 8 so I understand that the food would take a very long time but this was ridiculously long. The chef seemed to be trying to multitask to get everything done with ended up causing all the food to be extremely overcooked. I asked for medium-rare and this was the most well done piece of meat I've ever seen. It was completely inedible for me.
The only thing that was decent was the chicken fried rice, but that was a tiny portion and I've had better for far cheaper.
Also annoying, the happy birthdays that were sung (and screamed) throughout the whole meal.
I gave it an extra star only because I could see why people would come here for the show and experience. I, on the other hand, just wanted some delicious food! So, Benihana is not for me.
My brother has been coming here for his birthday every year since he was 11 or 12, as well as last night on his 27th birthday. He has matured from shirley temples to sake when he comes.
"God, I hope Dan doesn't pick Benihana again. Last time we went for his birthday, I was on the side of the table of 3 drunks who were obviously drunk before this place, and smelled very bad. "
*Cut to next scene, last night around 6:55pm, I hop out of my car at the $8 valet and speedily walk into the restaurant so I won't be given shit for being late, because my dad's watch is set a few minutes fast and he expects everyone else's watch/clock/phone to say the same thing as his,*
I walk in and to my right sitting down is a touristy family in shorts and light patterned sweaters. That is not my family. Then in front of me are two huge basketball players who even slouched are at least a few inches taller than me when I am standing up in heels. They are not my family.
Finally I look to my left and there is a well aged late 60's guy in a vintage Prada casual suit. A woman who slightly resembles what Farrah Faccet now looks like. A guy who has a rugged look to him, except he is metro- sexual looking oh so cool with his two cell phones, and finally a woman who is in a pea coat, skinny jeans, some vintage flats and looks like she just spent an hour running. This is my family. Even at a little kids birthday party, we talk property and real estate.
This year we were seated across a sweet 30 something couple and a mother in law, they shared a bottle and kept to themselves. No smelly people for my sister this year!
We looked through the drink menus and now I am starting to consider Benihana as a pre-party place, the drinks are way cheap, $7 for a vodka soda. We ordered some wine, some Sake, and a couple dirty martinis, yum!
I love the smell of the sauce the chef throws on the habachi grill and with the meat and the vegetables and the spices, We obviously got the chicken and steak combo with the fried vegetable rice, because isn't that what everyone gets?
Me and my sister discovered their sushi menu which must be a recent addition because we would have tried it last time. You can't expect the sushi here to be anything special, I got the dragon roll and two of the cuts somehow became one, and on top of that I couldn't get them separated :(
BUT IN THE END, don't you come here to watch THE ONION VOLCANO ERUPT?
No reason to go here if you live anywhere near West LA, unless you've got kids or some tourist friends in from Iowa. Food is mediocre at best and very overpriced for what you get. Totally for the tourist scene, but even some tourists must have seen Lost In Transaltion or something and know this can't be really good Japanese food.
There's so much better stuff around it for the same price or less.
Staff and the chefs are very friendly though, I will give them that.
Big time dissapointed by this particular Benihana. Up in Seattle, WA the Benihana there is like my top 5 favorite restaurant and I would give that one a 5 star.
After moving down here I was excited to see another Benihana so close to my apt but this place is not even close in taste or decor to the other Benihana I've been to.
I agree with other posters that atleast the service and chef was friendly. Please try a different location however!
Blah... When I decided to take my friend to benihana's, I wasn't expecting the best or the good. But I didn't expect bad. The good was mediocre at best but the worst part was our chef.
When I go to these places, I want to be entertained but our chef didn't have any personality what so ever. He just cooked. Nothing else. Where is my onion volcano, where are the big flames? All I got was the fried rice in a shape of a heart
I want to start out by saying that I was overall pleasantly surprised by my experience here. After reading some of the reviews, I had a pretty daunting feeling about coming here. But the gf wanted to go, so we went.
We got there and were told that there was a 30 minute wait. Luckily, they have a bar upstairs where you can wait, grab drinks, edamame and some sushi. Not only that, but when your table is ready, they'll come up and get you. That sounded pretty great.
The bar was nice and fairly empty, so we easily got seats. I think they could have had a larger selection of appetizers, but edamame was pretty good. It was expensive and small, but whatever. The sushi was the same selection as the one which comes with the dinner menu. The drinks were the same too.
The services was horrible. Despite very few people in the area, no one came up to us for the first 10 minutes. Finally someone did, took our orders, and left. We got our edamame another 10 minutes later, and ate it without anyone ever coming up to us again. Finally, we were told by someone from the front that our table was ready. I asked if our bill would be transferred and was told that I had to pay here separately (which is sort of stupid). At this point, we were 1 of the only two groups left in the bar area. Despite seeing that we were called downstairs for dinner, no one comes up to us. We wait about 5 minutes, and then I just calculate how much we owe (plus a very small tip) and leave it on the table. It's only when we are walking down the stairs does the bartender acknowledge our presence by yelling that we have to pay first. I told him its on the table and walk away.
The dinner itself was much better. The people who took our orders were efficient and really polite. We did have to ask for our drinks twice, but everything else came quickly and with no mistakes. The chef was friendly and pretty funny. He didn't do some of the stuff that I've seen chefs at Benihana do before, like using the spatula to throw the egg and break them mid-flight, but he did the volcano and some of the other stuff. The meal itself was good and fairly filling. Of course, without the show it would have been much too expensive, but you pay for the whole experience more than anything.
If not for the bar experience, I would have given this place 4 stars, but the bar really screwed things up.
I wouldn't recommend coming here unless you're a group or a date. Our table consisted of three couples, and a group of two guys who clearly were not a couple and not happy to be there. They ate quickly, didn't say much, and left before we were even served our desserts.
Oh, and there's a parking garage right across the street, something I wish I knew before I came here as we parked two blocks down.
A friend and I have attempted to eat here in Benihana. I don't know why since this is not in any way "authentic" and I have never had any luck with commercial Asian chains. EVER. So, on our first attempt, we walked in, sat in the waiting area and with less than a a quarter of the place filled with people, they kept us waiting for over 15 minutes. And for what reason? Servers and cooks were everywhere, some standing around, but no one could even seat us and take care of us? Wow! So we left.
The second time we tried to come was out of desperation. It was Saturday night and after going from restaurant to restaurant trying to get in without having to wait for 30 minutes or more without a reservation, we make another attempt at Benihana. This time, our wait was less than five minutes. A significant improvement from our last visit.
When we sat down, there was already another couple sitting down, opposite us on the large table we knew we had to share. Awkward, but we figured that we had each other and could focus on a discussion between the two of us without worrying about those around us. Then the four seats between us two couples were now occupied and the table was full of strangers and it was definitely uncomfortable for us. After waiting for what seemed like hours, although it was a long-enough 10 minutes to get our beverages, my friend and I literally got up and ran for the door.
We vowed never to come back again and we will honor that, I promise you.
The Good: This was my first time to good old Benihana. I use to think this place was so cool, but I think I was a little kid. Not as awesome as I thought it would be. Cool to see some cooking tricks. I loved how little kids get so excited about an onion volcano. Meh...I say meh.
The Bad: Overpriced and not that much food. I don't like how I have to wait to see other people eat before me. I mean if I'm watching food cook I want some, but noooo I get disappointed and watch the food get servered to other people. I don't like eating my food at different times, I'm alittle ocd and like a bite with all my food. I don't like sitting at a table with people I don't know, I will say the people we sat next with were very cool and put up with me and my friend. The service is slow and it takes awhile to get the food started. As the lady next to me stated "This is a place that you go only for kids and/or birthdays", so true, every table I saw had a kid and the the one at my table had a birthday I had to sing to, and it went like this Happy birthday to cough cough....Happy birthday to you.
The Ben: I saw Trevor Ariza....GO Lakers!!
For a chain this place sure fluctuates wildly between restaurants. Unfortunately for the Promenade area, this one isn't a keeper.
Food: Like anyone else, I came to Benihana for the teppanyaki show. I ordered the yakisoba dinner which was already pretty pricey at around 12 dollars. I've been to the Benihana in Anaheim and was pretty impressed with how unique the yakisoba tasted. It was similarly unique here, but had an additional weird factor. My dad ordered the Land N' Sea (filet mignon and shrimp) which was way more expensive. You'd think if you were paying about 30 bucks for a meal you'd get something pretty impressive. No. My dad got like 4 tiny shrimps, one of which the chef dropped on the table trying to flip it onto his plate. His filet mignon was tough and microscopic. I mean, the thing was like the size of 6 sugar cubes. Perhaps the only item I truly enjoyed was the onion soup at the beginning.
Service: Our chef took forever to get out of the kitchen. When he finally arrived, he started sneezing and coughing like crazy. If you're sick, don't show up to work! Especially if you work in food service! I think his performance might have suffered because of his illness. He'd flip things off the table multiple times and actually smacked my sister with a piece of something. He didn't do many tricks other than making the onion volcano and trying to flip stuff onto plates/ his hat. Also, the wait here is atrocious.
Atmosphere: Unlike the Benihana in OC, the ambiance here is not spectacular. Because the restaurant is so small, you don't feel like you're transported off the streets of Santa Monica and into Japan.
Synopsis: This Benihana is not worth the wait!
Benihana use to be a big treat when I was growing up. How exciting for a child to watch someone cook on a grill in front of you! Now, as a foodie it's more than just the show.
I have frequented a few of the Benihana locations and this one in particular is quite casual (we are just blocks from the beach).
This location is swarmed with children. I know, I know, it is a "family" restaurant but give me a break. I know that there are many parents out there who try to control the amount of wrestling that occurs in the waiting area and unfortunately the two dads and 3 kids (that were annoying us in the waiting area) had the pleasure of sitting with me and my party of 3.
The service is typical of every benihana location. You have your table waitress and your teppan chef. Both were ok. The food was also just ok. I had the land n' sea - filet mignon and scallops. The filet was really tender and the scallops tasty. The fried rice usually blows me away, but this time it wasn't as good as I remembered.
I was really excited to go to Benihana since the last experience was awesome in Las Vegas. It's funny how the ambience can make or break your experience. The quality of food was way better there and the authentic decor made you feel like you were in Japan. Unfortunately this location is just the opposite.
We won't be back.
Mediocre food at best with very high prices. My vegetables were so very bland as was the onion soup. I have heard people rave about Benihana's salad dressing but I found it extremely salty and sour. I did enjoy the crunchy shrimp tempura rolls, they were very tasty. Other than those rolls, everything was very boring. Our personal chef was boring too, no fancy tricks or anything interesting. I expected a lot more of an experience here and I didn't get it. A bill for 2 was almost $80 (including tip) and we didn't have any alcohol. I will not go back to Benihana and will not recommend it to those who ask.
If you want your steak well done, ask for medium.
If you want your steak medium well, ask for medium rare or rare.
If you want your steak medium, medium rare, or rare, step away from the table and find another restaurant.
Since I love meat so much, I was seriously offended by my overcooked hibachi steak, and the only reason I came to Benihana's is that my friend had a gift card that her boss gave her for the holidays. I don't know what she did to piss off her boss so much that her boss gave her such a crap present, but I hope I never make my boss feel that way about me.
On top of that, Alfredo, our chef, didn't really entertain us very well. Yeah, he did the beating heart thing with the fried rice, he tossed a few shrimp into his hat, and he did the onion volcano, but that was it. His "performance" was pretty lethargic, and for $21, I expect a decent show, and if my meat is going to be charred, then I expect Alfredo to be swinging from the rafters on a trapeze while the waitresses ride on elephants.
I'm giving them an extra star for acommodating our group of 15 for lunch without the bat of an eye
The food was tasty
Fried rice kinda bland
My colleagues lunch boat looked tasty but alas my lack of seafood eating kinda excludes me from ordering that
The lunch specials are surprisingly reasonable and a fair amount of food
The "show" was barely a show, I think the only cool thing our cook did was make a volcano out of the onions
I wish they added more flavor to the chicken besides just butter, I mean please?
It's good
I would go back
Not super impressed
They gave all of us separate checks which is pretty darn awesome
Really 3 stars for the restaurant and an extra for being awesome with our large group
Some people pay to eat great food, others pay for great entertainment or atmosphere. Sadly this place falls short in all areas. The atmosphere is not bad though, but you'll probably leave with the stink of beef on your cloths, maybe a splatter of grease on your favorite shirt as well. If you want to see a guy throw knives in the air then this is your place, if you want to have an amazing meal go anywhere else.
Fried rice was really good here... I think I'll add 5lbs of butter to my fried rice next time I make some at home, too. MMm!
I was just going to get sushi at first, but then I decided to just have the Benihana experience. There was sooo much foooood! I got the calamari dinner. It was 22 dollas or something... came w/ soup, salad, buttery fried rice, and a shrimp appetizer. Everything besides the fried rice was just okay for me. My calamari was very tender, but I was just so full, I couldn't finish it. It also came with vegetables, but I don't like asparagus so I gave it to another girl in the party I was with. Her name is Barbie... for reals.
It seems like every chef has the same act when it came to the tricks at the grill. My favorite was the onion ring volcano. You'll have to come here to see what I mean... I think I'll try it at home, too. But other than that and making the shrimp say "Happy Birthday" ten million times, don't expect too much magic.
This place burned a hole through my wallet, but the fried rice made it worth it. Probably won't come back anytime soon, though.
Hibachi Benihana Teriyaki!
I would have given the Hibachi beef four stars mostly due to the mustard sauce, but considering slowness of service, lack of appetizers and price, Benihana gets a three.
Honesly, the only reason to come here is because you can't make it out to Koreatown or Little Tokyo. Yes, it's a fun atmosphere and it can be entertaining if you get a chef that does tricks while cooking in front of you. But if you only care about the food:
- it takes too long to get to you
- it gets to you slowly and in painfully small quantities
For the amount paid for any of the Dinner options you could get a plateful of marinated Korean bbq meat that you can cook your damn self at any one of many super-dope restaurants 12 miles further east.
That's the one thing that sucks about the West side. It's not Koreatown.
Food was ok, entertainment was the typical toss the ol' onion in my hat trick....ahh, but my date and I both got the shits and pukes after so I will never go back. I'm mean duh! They are using the same utensils for the meat, poultry and fish!
Great lunch specials! I went here on a Sunday for lunch and loved it, not that many people so there was no wait, if you come for dinner you usually have to have reservations. If there are less than 6 people in your party then you will most likely sit with people you don't know, but if you are lucky like we were you will meet some interesting folk and have a great conversation! By the way this Beni Hanna has a more casual setting then the Beni Hana on La Cienega.
p.s
Better to park at the public parking structure across the street (free for 2 hours) instead of paying money to valet.
I love this place--always have, always will! I always leave so full I'm ready to pop. I think it's decently priced for all the food you get. I usually order the Splash and Meadow-- onion soup, salad, fried rice (a must have!), steak, shrimp, onion, mushroom, zucchini, and ice cream. Love the ginger sauce for dipping, too!
If you go on the late side, like around 9ish, you can sometimes be at a table all to yourself. My boyfriend and I had our own huge table the last time we went and it was awesome! Much faster too b/c there was less food cooking on the grill.
The one thing I don't like is sitting at a "community table" but other than that, it's great food and a fun time!
What the hell WAS it about me and this place in College? I swear, when my boyfriend and I started dating, we must have ate here...what...7...8 times? At $100 bucks for a dinner for two, you would have thought that we would have taken advantage of the finer things in Los Angeles. But no. I loved me some waitin' for an hour, seated with some family for their kids birthday, 4 course surf and turf, everything tastes better with butter, Benihana.
Dont get me wrong. Its good. But lately the "entertainment" from the chefs has become uninspired, and $100 bucks goes a long way past buddah cocktails and chocolate ice cream, dontcha know? Worth coming for the experience, but dont drain your paycheck here more than once.
Everyone seems to be saying that the quality here is unpredictable. Fortunately for me, I had a great first visit. I concede that might have a lot to do with the novelty of it.
Five of us went for a birthday dinner. It was my first time and I was pleasantly surprised by a very nice, accommodating, quick, and entertaining chef. He was a sweetheart! I asked way too many questions about what was in the food and what he was doing but he explained it all. He made us the beating heart with fried rice, the onion volcano, caught things in his hat and pocket, and flipped stuff onto our plates. It seems to be pretty standard stuff but it was quite fun to see.
I got the salmon tsutsumi-yaki, which was a little bland. The chicken fried rice was yummy (I just wish the waitress had told us it was an extra $3). My friends seemed to like their food but I do admit it wasn't super memorable, meaning I'm not dying to go back for any of the dishes. The meal also came with ice cream and I had trouble deciding between green tea and mango.
The meals are a little pricey for the quality but they come with so much food I couldn't finish it all. I guess you go there for the show anyway.
Overall, this is a fun place that everyone should try once.
fun fun fun!
this is the place you go when you want an entertaining meal, and a good one. expect crazy escapades from your personal chef that include beating hearts of rice and happy faces. the only issue with Beni's is that you have to fill a whole table so you could sit with people you don't dig at all.
Beautiful People Ranking: 7/10
Ritz Rating: 6/10
Crave Rating: 7/10
I have always heard great things about this expensive restaurant. My friends took me out to dinner here for Christmas, and I can honestly say, I was less than impressed.
The restaurant had a funky smell. I walked in, and immediately got sick to my stomach. It was a mix of bad burning food and old lady. Vomit.
The food had no flavor, and the meat tasted like blood. I am not a picky eater, I will pretty much eat anything, but this was the one time I left a lot of food on my plate.
They say the chef's do fun things while they cook. Not at my table. I even thought, "Hey, we are sitting with children, this guy has to do some cool tricks to entertain the kids." Not even a close.
For the price of a dinner meal, I would have expected more flavor and more show. I got neither. You spend a lot less and get a lot more at a mongolian bbq.
My boyfriend LOVES Benihana. No matter what the occasion, his bday,my bday our anniversary, new years eve...he thinks we should celebrate at Benihana.
This location is different from the others in a few ways. #1 - they serve sushi #2 - they have a sushi bar and bar bar upstairs. #3 - when you go to this location you just might run into someone famous.
Ready for my celebrity run in story? So we went for Tony's bday. We weren't really paying a whole lot of attention to who they were sitting with us. Sometimes you get a good group most of the time you don't. So we're seated waiting for the "show" and I decide to see who's at the table....um Halle Berry! Yes, you heard me... Halle Freakin Berry! Ok, that's huge right? So I look over at my boyfriend to give him the "WTF do you see her" stare and who is sitting to my left....Tom Freakin Hanks!
Forget the food! Come here to make a few bucks off of TMZ!
My favorite chef was fired from here for helping himself to the sake. This location is near the Third Street Promenade, so it can be packed. I would recommend making reservations for dinner. The lunch specials are a good deal.
In general, Benihana is a popular teppanyaki (aka teppan-style or hibachi) restaurant. Teppanyaki is stir-fried food cooked on a large, table-top grill. If you've never been, you should try it just for the spectacle of the tossed knives and the delightful sizzle of food. Benihana is expensive, so many people save it for special occasions; you can expect to hear "Happy Birthday" sung at least four times during your meal. Their salad dressing is divine.
Vegan Report: Benihana offers a "Vegetable Delight" cooked in foil so it doesn't touch the grill (though the accompanying appetizer will be cooked on the grill). Their soup isn't vegetarian, so I always get two salads instead.
My bf was impressed b/c it was his first time. For some reason the thumping fried rice heart & steam spilling volcanic onions never gets old for me. Kinda like simulated Japanese comfort food for the masses.
When you desire a no-brainer, semi-entertaining food & atmosphere drop by & say hello the friendly chefs, even if they're not all of Asian descent. Kids would dig it here too. =D
I was so disappointed with the whole night's experience especially when it was supposed to be our date night. It started quite horribly, since we weren't able to get a reservation in time we decided to do a walk-in, wrote in our name and waited in the upstairs bar area as they told us to. There was only one name ahead of us when we got there so they told us it'll be 30 minutes at most since it's also just the two of us. While we were at the bar we kept looking over to see when they were going to get us. 1 hour and 3 drinks later they still didn't call us, so I had to walk downstairs and ask them what's going on. The classic "we tried calling you but you didn't answer so we skipped you" excuse got pulled by 2 staff members who swore that they came upstairs to call us. There's no way they could've missed us cause we sat at the top of the stairs.
Anyways, they made the night 1 star better cause they 'agreed' (not offered) to comp one of my drinks for skipping us and seating 5 other groups before us. So when we finally got seated the teppanyaki chef at the table across had already started doing his thang. I was really disappointed to see how lame his whole routine was. And to make it worse he had leaned back and pieces of shrimp tails came out of his chef hat and dropped on our side of the table, one or two pieces got on other people's clean plates. Gross!
OK I'll admit that this is my first time at Benihana Santa Monica, which is more of a reason to be super disappointed with all the hype. I grew up in a very Japanese influenced country where teppanyaki restaurants mean top-notch teppanyaki chefs with a min. of 8 yrs of teppanyaki food handling experience with all the tricks in the books like tossing their cleavers, clanging and banging the griddle with their tossed kitchen tools while the food's cooking, doing the spins and twirls of the salt and pepper shakers, doing super fast meat chopping with one hand while sauteeing the vegetables with the other hand, performing crazy smoky and fire tricks on the griddle... the whole nine yards. Then it makes sense to traditionally tip the chef at the end of his show. I'll tell you this now, Benihana is nowhere near the real experience of a teppanyaki dining. If you want the real deal you better do your research for an authentic teppanyaki place in LA, sorry I don't have one to recommend yet.
The food wasn't that bad but could be better with the kind of money they're charging. They should offer different quality meats like kobe and wagyu beef. Their green tea ice cream at the end of the meal was more like vanilla ice cream mixed with green food coloring that taste like coarse green tea powder. EWW.
The best part of dining at Benihana was chatting with the waitress who also happens to be Indonesian and told me there are about 12 Indonesians working at that Benihana. An interesting fact to me.
The "show" was not impressive at all - our chef barely looked up at us( I've seen some hibachi shows in my day). However, I love hibachi food; especially the fried rice.
I recommend going for the food and the experience ... hopefully you'll get an enthusiastic chef!
Horribly overpriced food, go here if you dont care at all about what you eat. You will get what costs $15 at any chinese, for $50
Where else can you go to watch some crazy chef named Jose with mad-cutting skillz?
This place is more for the entertainment from the chefs then the quality of the food. You'll enjoy some tricks and jokes that the chef pops up now and then, like the onion ring volcano and the beating heart rice... Oh and you'll definitely be hearing lots of birthday shout outs, damn this place is popular for that.
Yea yea.. soo on to the food.
I got the Hibachi chicken special. Basically it comes with onion soup with mushrooms which had way too much onion for me, salad with amazing dressing, shrimp appetizer which I did not have because I do not like it, vegetables which were superb, and of course the chicken which lacked flavor and was a little bland. All that was about $ 22, not bad for all of that food.
Other than that the food is decent, but not sensational except for the fried rice. This rice is delicious only because the chef put like 10 spoonfuls of butter on it, talk about cholesterol!! The rice alone calls for a heart attack!!
3 stars well because of the rice!
ehhh, exactly what I expected: pretty crappy food for not a great price. I guess that's what happens when you go on a triple date and you don't choose the restaurant :(
noteworthy incidents:
1. I requested an extra glass for the large beer my bf and I were sharing. The bartender/waitress grabbed a dirty glass from the bar and started rinsing it out!!! I couldn't believe it, so we just shared a glass.
2. The "chef" manning our table cracked open an egg for the fried rice. It was a completely rotten egg, so he just cooked it up a little then swept it away. At least he didn't include it in the rice, right?
DEFINITELY not going back...
Fried rice.... yummy. Great for groups.
I recommend not eating for two days prior to dining at Benihana.
Decent food and fun times, depending on your group. If you don't want to be paired up with the loud and obnoxious, be sure to go with a group of 8 of your choice.
Sunday Brunch
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
$10 off Dinner
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills
Category: Barbeque
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Torrance
Category: Sushi Bars
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Barbeque
Neighborhood: Encino
Category: Nightlife
Places NOT to go no matter how desperate you…
Ah, the Promenade. My neighborhood: for better or…
