Richard

Great experience! Manager Ray and staff made my experience great! I would recommend to come to Benihana’s in Encino…

Jeremiah Jones

The service and food are always great here. However, today was exceptional. We've enjoyed teppanyaki for many years and have been going to Benihana for about seven years. Today, the host and bartender were both friendly and genuine. Our server, Kristen, was super kind and attentive. The thing that was different today was her earnestness. She just seemed to feel comfortable and made us feel comfortable as well. Our chef, Juanita, was also amazing. He was also very genuine and friendly. The food that he prepared today was the best teppanyaki meal we've ever had. Everything was cooked perfectly. We ordered the hibachi supreme which includes chateaubriand and lobster tail. The steak, lobster and shrimp were seasoned and cooked to perfection.

Darren Hayes

Over 50 years of being a loyal customer I still enjoy it as much as my first visit. Today our hostess named Jackie was truly exceptional and the food was incredible. Chateaubriand and lobster you can never go wrong.

Amazing servise by Dana she was incredible please hire more individuals like her.\n\nServise was 10 of 10.\n\nSean Dama

Thank you to our server Ben!! You are the best!! You gave us amazing service when it was so busy!! Made sure we were taken care of at all times!! Martin the chef.. amazing!! I'm always happy to s…

Excellent food! Superb Service! Fun ambiance! \nHighly recommend taking in your family here!

I've been coming here for years, and these days I mainly come for the entertainment. The teppanyaki chefs always keep my kids engaged, and the food is consistently great. Chef Gus was excellent!\n\…

Benihana had been off my radar for at least two decades. I have very fond memories of the whole experience - and it IS an experience - especially being entertained by the teppanyaki chefs. This visit was for a friend’s birthday, so expectations were high. There were 14 of us, which meant two tables. At ours, about half ordered the Land & Sea (filet mignon and scallops), and that turned out to be the right move. The filet was tender, the scallops were cooked well, and overall, the food delivered. So why 4 stars? We had 7:00 PM reservations but weren’t seated until 7:30. I understand they were trying to coordinate two tables for a larger group, but that feels like something that should have been sorted out earlier in the day. The location itself is older, and it showed a bit - especially with the smoke. Our neighboring table seemed particularly smoky, which drifted over at times. Our server was excellent. She was attentive throughout the meal and even helped cut and plate the birthday cake someone had brought, which was a thoughtful touch. Our chef started off engaging and fun, leaning into the classic teppanyaki performance we all remember. But about halfway through, the show element tapered off, and it became more about simply preparing the food. I’m not sure if that’s the norm now or just the style of that particular chef. All in all, it was a fun night, and everyone had a great time. Was it exactly as magical as I remembered? Not quite. Maybe Benihana has changed. Or maybe I have. Either way, it was still a solid, celebratory evening.

Overran was excellent, the chef was awesome and the food was soo good, we order the lobster, had a good taste. The only think is while we were wating in the table for order, we wanted some water, (it was so hot outside and inside) so we wanted some, we asked a waiter for some glasses but it took 20 min to get them, and it wasn’t crowd.

Our reservation was at 7:15, and we were called to our table at 7:51. There doesn’t seem to be good time coordination. Juanito was very dynamic in presenting the food. The food was good and the portions were generous.

Lisa Smith

We came for a birthday lunch. There was another lady celebrating her birthday too. Ali was our server and she was great. Jesse was our cook and he was outstanding. The food was fresh and cooked to perfection. It’s not just lunch but an experience. The soup was hot and full of flavor. The rice was full of yummy garlic butter and steaming hot. Oh my the steak was so juicy with tins of delicious flavor. The ice tea was really crisp and refreshing. The birthday girls got a free ice cream and photo. Ten out of ten recommend the food here. You have to pay for parking but it’s LA so. We experienced a little hiccup and spoke to Patrick the manager. Patrick is one of the worst managers I’ve encountered. He was rude, unprofessional and extremely condescending. Because he was so rude we had to ask for the GM Jason. Jason was very professional, helpful and understanding he even solved the issue without insulting us. Thank you Ali , Jesse, and Jason for a delightful dining experience. The restrooms are small but clean.

+27

Larry M. Pearlman

The food was very good and the best part of the experience is that the food is served hot, except for the soup, which was served warm. However, the air conditioning at our table was severely chill and we had to wear sweaters and jackets, which diminished the enjoyment of the night. The prices are too high to be concerned about staying warm.

+1

J M-E

This establishment is a landmark structure that has been here for years. The staff is efficient and professional. Food is better when you eat at the restaurant. You pay for the show and the friendliness of the chef. It’s a long standing tradition to go here for our birthdays. I almost always get Rocky’s Choice, and ‘yes’ I got it tonight. My hubby got the Splash n’ Meadow (steak and colossal shrimp). Both are 6 course meals including soup, salad, rice, shrimp appetizer, veggies, ice cream or sherbet. Hot green tea is also complimentary (See pics). 5 course meals don’t include the dessert. TIP: 1) Happy Hour is from 3-7pm at this location and only at the bar. You can get the Benihana award winning sake large for $5 (normally $11). 2) Parking on street next to restaurant after 7pm is free or across the street before 7pm (see the pic 3) Sign up on website for birthday coupon worth $30. Read the fine print.

+11

The food and teppanyaki table waitress service along with the cook were great. However, actually getting to that point in the evening is the larger issue at hand. BIG issue at hand is this place do…

The food and teppanyaki table waitress service along with the cook were great. However, actually getting to that point in the evening is the larger issue at hand. BIG issue at hand is this place …

We had never been but my son decided this is where he wanted his birthday dinner. There were 5 of us, and 3 other ladies added to out table. Not sure if our cook, I believe his name was Junior, w…

The food was really yummy. I liked it. The waiter was nice, worked at a good pace. The only things I will suggest for the ambiance is to make it more spacious. It was a little bit crowded. And my H…

I've always loved Benihana--until tonight. money has been tight this year, but my mom LOVES Benihana for her birthday & I wanted to do something special for her. \n\nI've been looking at the menu o…

overpriced, plain food. Disappointing experience. Pricey and have to pay for parking.

We went there for lunch. I had Hibachi Steak and it’s good! You should go there for lunch because you get the same amount of food for almost half price of dinner.

All the reviews hold true. The food was great and the staff (except the hostess) were very friendly and accommodating. They get 100% from me, except the hostess who clearly hated her job and all the customers in front of her. The good: The server and chef were lovely, friendly, entertaining, and amazingly accommodating of a guest with food sensitivities. Cross contamination is unavoidable given the shared cooktop but for anyone without severe allergies they will go out of their way to accommodate. They read the note in the reservation about a birthday and made a point of celebrating both parties at our table. Service once seated was quick and attentive. Very happy. Now, the bad: We arrived on time but missing a member of our party, so they wouldn’t seat us - which is fine! I totally understand. However, it was a 50 minute wait before we were seated, and according to all the other customers we spoke with, they had arrived on time and waited 45-60 minutes to be seated *with* a reservation as well. They clearly either take too many walk ins, over book their reservations, or both. Avoid dinner on weekends or plan to spend up to an hour killing time at the bar or standing around. Also, there were probably 30-50 people waiting at any given time during that hour. There is not nearly enough space for that many people. It was so crowded it was “Fire Marshall would shut them down for safety” overcrowded. I would absolutely go back to *another* Benihana but this one was way too much chaos.

Paul Stithem

Cramed in, tables were back to back, every available space had a table and crowded. No atmosphere at all. Food was good. Table chief went through the motions, didn't have us try to catch shrimp in our mouth. Seemed more like a cash cow than a nice place to eat.

Esther A

The server was attentive. The chef was entertaining. The food was decent: the filet mignon and main course shrimp were much better than the steaks and chicken. The salad was salty with too much dressing. Their onion soup was okay. The chicken fried rice was worth paying extra for. The dining area was dark, too narrow, and required some upgrades for the price we paid. One visit was enough for me.

Gillian Goldman

We were starving and wanted to go to it fun delicious lunch place in Encino. Neither of us had been to Benihana in years. Sadly it was not stellar… 🤷‍♀️ The room was typically dark and a bit tired. The food I had higher hopes for since it’s cooked right in front of you and so you’d hope it was fresh and flavorful. Somehow it didn’t hit the mark. The soup was really good onion broth, the tempura was hot but not light and crispy but more sort of soggy. The salad was literally all white iceberg lettuce - no green. The protein was good but not great. The service was excellent tho…our server was super attentive and the cook funny and talented at least in the preparation. Would be a decent place for a group celebrating a birthday with cocktails…that way all the attention would not be on the food or the room. The bill was a couple hundred dollars so still pricey.

+16

I brought two little kids here on a Saturday and they are an hour past reservation. Anyone with kids that are ready to have dinner know what that's like. I will say the staff did all they could to …

I brought two little kids here on a Saturday and they are an hour past reservation. Anyone with kids that are ready to have dinner know what that's like. I will say the staff did all they could to …

It's really sad that I have to write this. The food is great but the way they organize the reservations is insane. We had a 7:45 reservation and they did not seat us until 8:40. So please tell me h…

It's really sad that I have to write this. The food is great but the way they organize the reservations is insane. We had a 7:45 reservation and they did not seat us until 8:40. So please tell me…

We were 7 for a birthday dinner for my 11 year old grandson. We all arrived exactly on time and were seated. But then we were terribly rushed. I didn’t get what I ordered but nobody cared. Instead of…

We were 7 for a birthday dinner for my 11 year old grandson. We all arrived exactly on time and were seated. But then we were terribly rushed. I didn’t get what I ordered but nobody cared. Instea…

Service was great but food very bland. Not impressed at all. My husband and I had never been to a Benihana restaurant but it was highly recommended we go when in California. Also very overpriced. W…

service was great but food very bland. Not impressed at all. My husband and I had never been to a Benihana restaurant but it was highly recommended we go when in California. Also very overpriced. W…

Downey Benihana. We went for a 3;15 reservation, food at 5:00. Chicken fried rice was overloaded with oil and very little chicken. Food not as tasty as in the past. Steak and vegs were missing …

Downey Benihana. We went for a 3;15 reservation, food at 5:00. chicken fried rice was overloaded with oil and very little chicken. Food not as tasty as in the past. Steak and vegs were missin…

Brenda Backal

For thanksgiving I didn’t wanted to cook so I thought would be a great idea to go here. We had the worst cook ever, he didn’t even knew how to cook anything never the less his knife’s skills that are essentials for this job were very non existent, rice was burnt as well as the vegetables because he forgot to cook them first so he was in a hurry, meat and chicken we had big and small pieces, anyway was a very bad experience, I have to remind the cook about the sauces and the pepper on the veggies and everything else. I understand was a holiday but that’s not an excuse and more when they have the same amount of guests almost every day. The waiter was not in site was, a terrible experience and not like the one we have had before. Managers or kitchen manager should understand that knife skills are a must.

I made a reservation for my mom's birthday and specifically let them know it was for a special occasion. We arrived 15 minutes early, only to be told they couldn't seat us and that there would be an …

I made a reservation for my mom's birthday and specifically let them know it was for a special occasion. We arrived 15 minutes early, only to be told they couldn't seat us and that there would be a…

I made a reservation for my mom's birthday and specifically let them know it was for a special occasion. We arrived 15 minutes early, only to be told they couldn't seat us and that there would be a…

By far the worst experience! Nobody there knows what they're doing or actually wants to work. Poor management which trickles down to poor staff. wait times is ridiculous long for no reason. I tried…

Service was great. wait times a little long. But immediately after arriving home, we all had the worst 'FIRE HOSE' diarrhea ever. If you don't mind sitting on a cork for a day or so, this place is …

Wish I would've read reviews before spending my time driving to this place. Made reservations for my birthday dinner which was gonna be our first time coming here. Was pretty excited with all the…

We had a reservation for 5:15, party was on time, and they told us it was going to be more than an hour wait. What is the point of a reservation? How does a restaurant that has been in business thi…

Never ever ordering takeout from Benihana's ever again. I spent over $115 on an Uber Eats order n it was the biggest waste of money. Not the only did they forget my potstickers, but the portion siz…

Horrible Experience. It is important to reveal full disclosure before I rip into this Benihana location. Ive been going to Benihanas since I was 8 years old. I'm now 55. Many of the locations were i…

My daughter wanted to celebrate her birthday at Benihana, so I made a reservation for 6:30 PM weeks in advance. On the day of, I got a text at 6:15 saying our table was ready. We arrived on time at 6…

My daughter wanted to celebrate her birthday at Benihana, so I made a reservation for 6:30 PM weeks in advance. On the day of, I got a text at 6:15 saying our table was ready. We arrived on time at…

My daughter wanted to celebrate her birthday at Benihana, so I made a reservation for 6:30 PM weeks in advance. On the day of, I got a text at 6:15 saying our table was ready. We arrived on time at…

I made a reservation for 7:30pm for a party of 4. We arrived 10 minutes early and were told that because they were “backed up”, we would have to wait 45 to 60 minutes. I asked why they were accep…

I made a reservation for 7:30pm for a party of 4. We arrived 10 minutes early and were told that because they were “backed up”, we would have to wait 45 to 60 minutes. I asked why they were accep…

Benihana was bought out and it shows :( Food, service and cleanliness has gone WAY down and the prices have doubled! Definitely not the same experience as it used to be, especially the Encino loca…

Benihana was bought out and it shows :( Food, service and cleanliness has gone WAY down and the prices have doubled! Definitely not the same experience as it used to be, especially the Encino loca…

Absolutely ridiculous experience. What is the point of making a reservation for a party of eight if you’re still going to be left standing in the lobby for 45 minutes?! To make matters worse, our waitress Heidi was beyond rude and treated us with total disrespect the entire night. If you don't like your job then quit! It’s a shame because the food was actually pretty good but the waitress was rude, disrespectful and unprofessional. We won’t be coming back to be treated like an inconvenience.

Let me start off by saying if you make a reservation expect to wait an additional 45min to be seated after 6pm and also once seated over 20min for someone to actually bring out your drink. I am beyond disappointed in the way my family of 6 was treated. As we waited for our table with a reservation we watched families who had arrived after us be seated. I did ask for a realistic time. On how long Each time we were told a few min. After checking in @ 6:55pm for our 7:15pm res. We were seated @8:19pm. I guess we were not very well liked for asking because we got seated right where they keep extra chairs and where servers come in and out. I said to myself its okay we are inside. Mind you this was a dinner for my son turning 18 one of the "milestone" yrs. From here we waited quite a while for drinks. One of my boys asked for a water and a lemonade. The water never came after asking multiple times. The waitress kept saying one sec and helping other tables. Crazy part is we sat next to 2 young white women who asked for drinks and water and got exactly what they asked for. No shade to them they were very kind and we had a few good laughs. We finally had our food cooked got our show the cook wished my son a Happy birthday about 3 times loved it. Our server was MIA for most of the time at other tables. My boys and my husband would take turns sipping out of my drink because no refills. When she would come around it was like pulling teeth to ask for anything. We had mentioned our 5yr old got white rice with her meal and it never came. We also kept mentioning my son's birthday where usually when u are done with your meal you get your ice-cream and they come out with the instruments and sing happy birthday and a complementary photo.Nope, not for us. She just said do you need boxes? I had to mention with our meal we get our ice-cream. She instantly started to name off the ice-cream flavors to yup, you guessed it the 2 young ladies who didnt want desert. Finally she addressed us and my husband asked is it okay to maybe get 2 flavors to try. "OH no, that is not allowed. So everyone knows only one flavor," directly looking at one of my boys. We all selected our flavors, and asked for drink refills (that NEVER came) and waited. I thought maybe they were getting the candle/lighter ready I mean after 6 times of saying its his bday, on the reservation notes they wouldn't forget. Wrong! They brought out our ice-cream that looked as if it was served with a tea spoon. No birthday nothing. While she gave us the ice-cream I had asked for a bigger container of the ginger sauce as I have asked for it before with no issues. well it was an issue she said nope only have little containers that you put your left over sauce in. I asked if it was possible to get 4 sauces as they had cleared our table and she said IDK if we have any let me see what I can find. What?Benihana is always fully stacked with the sauses/garlic butter thats their thing. I just felt like we were bothering her with our presence. I ended up having to speak to the manager kindly voiced my experience and he said I will take care of something on the bill. Again we waited for the check and a random person we saw walking around if they could help us. Finally she came back with full bowls of ice-cream, one with a candle thinking great she remembered. She looked at the check and said hum 50 dollars was deducted this is wrong, and proceeded to walk to the table across from us and sing happy birthday to someone else. My son was so puzzled. She came back to say she had a nose bleed and they took $50off for the birthday boy. I just smiled. She handed me my $434.17 check said tap here. I put my pin and that was it Today I look at my bank statements she added a 20% tip onto the bill! An additional 88.30 for a service that was trash! I am beyond upset over this. No wonder she would not allowe me to hold the card reader. Food was fantastic, cook was amazing, but her service was so poor that I wont visit again. Especially for adding a 20%tip without asking. This was just the worst

Maggie Yu-DiPasquale

Awful online and phone ordering process. AI on phone is useless. I had to call back 3 times! Only saving grace is the hostess, Nicole and Dean (possibly a mgr.) contacted me to verify my order. When I went to pick up, it was a zoo. My order was not ready at the time promised. I had to wait 20 minutes for sushi chef, KP, to make 2 rolls. Then, I had to ask them twice to charge me even though the receipt has NOT PAID YET stapled to the bag. Took another 10 minutes for young waitress to figure out how to access register because Manager walked away and didn't assist. My $98 could've been well spent elsewhere.

Carlyn Ruano Garcia

I’ve been to three different Benihanas in other states and have never experienced customer service this poor. We had reservations yet still waited an entire hour to be seated. When I checked with the hostess 30 minutes into the wait, I was told—very dismissively—that there were no available tables and we “just had to wait,” reservation or not. This was especially disappointing on a birthday. To make it worse, once we were finally seated, a couple who had just walked in without a reservation was seated right away at our table. The food was mediocre, the service was mediocre, and the “birthday ice cream” that was implied to be complimentary ended up being added to our bill. Overall, extremely disappointing experience. I would not recommend this location.

Maddie S

I had a very horrible experience, to start it off I made a reservation and they made me wait 40 minutes to get seated. The host was rude to me and my husband about it when we asked how much longer. I can understand a couple minutes but there’s no point in making a reservation if we have almost an hour wait. When we did get sat we got a server named Owen that was pretty nice but seemed like he was in a rush and rushed us with ordering and leaving. On top of that he would give these weird looks but that could just be my impression. Now with our cook Tony he was great and we enjoyed him, he did a great job with our food. After Tony was done giving us our food Owen rushed with the to-go boxes and bags and we literally had no time to eat. I’m not sure if that’s normal but my experience wasn’t the best. Also, the menus and checkbooks are covered in grease and it’s so nasty and the bathrooms are horrendous, there was toilet paper on the floor and the toilets looked like they either haven’t been cleaned in a while or some people had a mosh pit in there. I’ve worked in a restaurant industry multiple times and I’ve never gave a customer a check book or menu with that much grease. It makes me imagine how their kitchen looks like. Other than that I will not be visiting again unfortunately and hopefully Tony gets a raise.

Samira Carpenter

I had dinner here over the weekend to celebrate my husband's birthday, and the experience was deeply disappointing. We had a reservation for 6:45 but ended up waiting nearly an hour for our table. That delay wasn't ideal, but we didn't let it spoil the mood. We had good conversation and figured it was just a busy night. This was fine. When we sat down, we enjoyed the experience we our chef. He was engaging, funny, and the food was excellent. Unfortunately, the service from our waiter ruined the rest of the experience. The moment the chef finished plating, the waiter came over with our bill--before I'd even taken more than a couple bites, and before I'd touched my fried rice. Along with the bill, he handed out to-go boxes while we were still eating. The entire table was stunned. When I asked if he was serious, he brushed it off, asked for our ice cream orders, and rushed away. Another staff member brought the ice cream and again asked the table if we needed more to-go containers, even though none of us were close to done eating. The food itself was good, but the way we were rushed out was shockingly rude. It completely ruined what should have been a special celebration. I would not return, and I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone who values being able to actually enjoy the meal they've paid for.