Zachary Zimmer

Kathy and Josue were the best. Definitely coming back just for them. Thank you guys so much for making us feel so welcomed and for making such great food. Enjoy the lighter Josue and let me know if you need a new one or a refil @socaldivinity on Instagram 😁🤝

Jessica Runnoe

Chef Josue was awesome! Very personable and had fun jokes. Can’t wait to go back!

Victoria Smith

Chef Ivan was amazing! Super talented and very personable and funny. Benihana is always great but this is probably the best experience - and food - I’ve had! He knows how to cook for sure! Kathleen was our server and she was wonderful! She was super attentive and kind, as well as being quick and helpful - she is amazing at what she does!! Would definitely come back just for these two!!

Pamela Zirbel

Wonderful Christmas meal... crowded for the holiday but the staff was great. Omar our chef was wonderful

natalie

Seating was comfortable, the food was fantastic, and the staff, specifically Josue, were absolutely incredible! Josue was very quick with his hands and extra witty, making for an unforgettable dining experience!

Vanessa Lopez

Chef Ivan was amazing! It was our first time visiting Benihana and he made this visit one to remember😌!The food was excellent and prepared perfectly and the show was awesome! ☺️🙌🏻

Denise Mitchell

Overall good experience. Meal was delicious, service excellent. Tables seem too close to each, so room seemed crowded.

Dean M

We had Thanksgiving lunch here. Our chef, Ivan, was great. Steaks and scallops were tender and tasty. The presentation by the chef was spot on. Definitely a fun afternoon.

Arabella Bandy

Came here with family to celebrate my sister’s birthday and we all had an amazing time. The kids were amused and loved it. Food was so good and Mark was so awesome. It was a 1st time for many of us and he made it absolutely memorable!!!

Clarissa Parga

Our chef Adrian was amazing. We had a table of 9 with 5 kids under 11 and they had a blast. The fact that he included them as part of his show was the best. The food was phenomenal. We were so happy with the whole dining experience. I was able to make a reservation same day using open table which was super easy and the text notifications were very helpful.

Tisha

Henry was so entertaining. He made us laugh and is a skilled chef. We ordered the Benihana trio with fried rice and everything was delicious. We enjoyed the whole experience.

Sarai Avila

It was my first time here and I’ll definitely be back. I’m allergic to shrimp, so I’m always cautious when eating out—but they did an amazing job keeping everything separate. Since they cook the food right in front of you, it was super reassuring to see that there was no cross-contamination. Big shoutout to the staff for being so careful and making the experience enjoyable and safe! Make reservations!!

+5

Kevin Ranta

I have been going to Benihana restaurants for over 30 years and they are one of my favorite restaurants to go to for birthdays and celebrations. This was the first time I tried the Anaheim location and was not disappointed. I like the Newport Beach atmosphere a little bit more, but this is a great one for happy hours and business related meetings. You can’t beat the samurai treat or the Benihana special. Filet mignon is worth it and the shrimp is always good. Do yourself a favor and get the chicken fried rice.

+2

Jorge and James are awesome! The service, the quality of the food and the atmosphere were exceptional!

Jorge and James are awesome! The service, the quality of the food and the atmosphere were exceptional!

Jorge and James are awesome! The service, the quality of the food and the atmosphere were exceptional!

James was great. very attentive. the food was ffantastic and the atmosphere is incredible.

We hadn't come back for 8 months (due to previous review) and were expecting little but were pleasantly surprised by our server Liberty. She was very attentive and served us our soup, salad, and…

We hadn't come back for 8 months (due to previous review) and were expecting little but were pleasantly surprised by our server Liberty. She was very attentive and served us our soup, salad, and l…

Joshua Chamberlain

We went to check out where it all began. Friendly service all around and Hector our Chef was very entertaining. Good eats & pretty good drinks. It's probably a good idea to make reservations.

+14

We visited Benihana in Anaheim as part of our hen do celebrations and it was such a lively, flavorful experience. From the moment we walked in, the staff made us feel incredibly welcome. Our chef was…

UPDATE - We went here in October for Happy Hour - After another 10 minutes the and no one coming to wait on us, I went up to the bar where the bartender didn't even acknowledge me as I stood in fro…

UPDATE - We went here in October for happy hour - After another 10 minutes the and no one coming to wait on us, I went up to the bar where the bartender didn't even acknowledge me as I stood in fro…

We had a reservation at 6:15. When we arrived, the rude hostesses snapped that the reservation doesn't guarantee seating (WHAT??), but only ensures that we get on the waiting list. We then waited…

We had a reservation at 6:15. When we arrived, the rude hostesses snapped that the reservation doesn't guarantee seating (WHAT??), but only ensures that we get on the waiting list. We then waited…

VERY DISAPPOINTED. We were visiting Anaheim and went for my wife's birthday. She's been to others before, but not for a while, and I'd never been. I was looking forward to the show I'd heard about and seen on TV. First we walk through the main room were we see all kinds of excitement and action to get sat in the back room where they had 3 tables but only one had people. Very quiet, very dull, felt away from the action. We joined the family and waited. For an hour we heard cheers, applause, and laughter coming from the other room. Jokes being told, tricks being done, I couldn't wait. Finally after an hour our chef shows up, starts banging the grill with the spatulas, finally the show can start. He spins an egg for a bit and THAT WAS IT! Spent the next hour watching him cook our food and chat with the head of the family we were sitting with. Like littery just chatted while he cooked, no tricks, no banter, no jokes, no onion volcano. Just chatted with the guy, and only the guy. Like they were sitting at a bar or something, while he cooked. Maybe cause we didn't order drinks and got the chicken and they all got the steak he thought they would tip more so he didn't really have to pay attention to us or put on a show. I don't know. All I know is we got no show, we got ignored, and my wife was VERY disappointed on her birthday.

Stephanie Gomez

Our reservations were made for 6:30 PM. We were not able to be seated until 7:40 PM. Our chef, Nick was friendly, entertaining and compassionate Our server did not get her name was forgetful and did not order take our order correctly. It was difficult to track her down to get this corrected. Our chef had to assist. Leading to errors on our bill. The restaurant is over booking intentionally the restrooms remain filthy. The restroom doors entering, and each stall were worn down and dirty. Our table in the corner was very dark. The curtains remained down the entire night. The overall place just felt dirty I appreciated the photo gesture from the server on the other side of the table. Would not return here again. But if you must eat here, ask for chef Nick!

Reservation at 8p and was told it was a 30 min wait time bc they were behind. Went to the bathroom in the mean time. The bathroom was DIRTY. TP on the floor no reciprocal for feminine products to the…

Reservation at 8p and was told it was a 30 min wait time bc they were behind. Went to the bathroom in the mean time. The bathroom was DIRTY. TP on the floor no reciprocal for feminine products to…

Reservation at 8p and was told it was a 30 min wait time bc they were behind. Went to the bathroom in the mean time. The bathroom was DIRTY. TP on the floor no reciprocal for feminine products to…

reservation at 8p and was told it was a 30 min wait time bc they were behind. Went to the bathroom in the mean time. The bathroom was DIRTY. TP on the floor no reciprocal for feminine products to t…

We Booked for the anniversary of my Wife. The floor of the restaurant was sticky, the tepenyaki cook's apron was dirty, the show was really not good, but on the other hand the food was good and th…

Summer

Was there for a birthday dinner for friend going through chemo... just wanted a fun night out for her. Nope. Was horrible... our cook definitely didn't want to be there. Kept looking around at all the fun others were having I guess. Did none of the things that make it an experience. All other chefs were great... engaging customers, talking with them, making it fun. Not our guy. Then charged us and extra meal.... I spoke with GM Halil... that was a waste of time. Won't go into it all but what a horrible GM. The Manager, Paul was a good guy. Asked for his assistance with the bill. Took care of it. Now, he should have been the one to bring the correct bill out instead of sending a server Eldrige (who was great) to do it and apologize or wish friend a happy birthday or something to engage. It was just a bad experience and we used to go there all the time... guess we're going to Newport from now on. Terrible customer service.

Carrie Z

I stopped by for Happy Hour and hung out in the bar and lounge area. The bartender, who was the only one working the entire room, was friendly. Tried a few items from the Happy Hour menu: Salmon Avocado Roll: 3/5 – Fresh salmon and avocado, but it lacked any other real flavors. Simple, but not exciting. Shrimp Crunchy Roll: 3/5 – Very standard. Gyoza Pork: 3/5 – You get six pieces. It was just okay. Tokyo Wings Sesame Garlic: 2/5 – These were tough and hard to chew. Vegetable Spring Rolls: 0/5 – These were a huge miss. The inside was mushy, and they had zero flavor. Definitely wouldn’t recommend. Before drinks, HH comes to about $20 per person. Overall, the experience was just okay. The food didn’t really impress. The full sit down dining experience may be much better.

+1

We went THE DAY BEFORE Valentine's Day and they didn't allow their lunch special. Pathetic. Won't be back!

Horrible scheduling. We book a 7:15 dinner on a Thursday night a week in advance and show up only to be told they are an hour behind schedule and won't be able to seat us. What is the point of accept…

We made a 7:30 PM reservation at Benihana for Saturday, February 7, expecting to be seated around that time. Instead, we waited an hour and a half past our reservation time. Our table wasn't ready …

we were made to wait for over 90 min before our dinner started even though we had a fixed time reservation. we complained to the Manager, Joe, the next day and were given lip service on returning m…

We made a 7:30 PM reservation at Benihana for Saturday, February 7, expecting to be seated around that time. Instead, we waited an hour and a half past our reservation time. Our table wasn't read…

we were made to wait for over 90 min before our dinner started even though we had a fixed time reservation. we complained to the Manager, Joe, the next day and were given lip service on returning m…

we were made to wait for over 90 min before our dinner started even though we had a fixed time reservation. we complained to the Manager, Joe, the next day and were given lip service on returning m…

Horrible customer service including up to the GENERAL MANAGER named Jim. I went for my birthday dinner to support their small business because it's been a staple of my childhood and proud to see it…

Horrible customer service including up to the GENERAL MANAGER named Jim. I went for my birthday dinner to support their small business because it's been a staple of my childhood and proud to see …

I visited this Benihana location today to celebrate a friend's birthday after seeing their lunch special promoted on Instagram. We arrived at 11:00 a.m. when they opened and were told by the host, …

It was a birthday dinner and a reservation was made. We were told when all the party arrived we would be seated.\nIt took over an 1 hr to get the room Then waiting another 45 min for chef. Waitre…

I came across a bogo discount to try their hibachi burritos. Sounded interesting enough so decided to try it for lunch yesterday. As I ordered online I opted for extra steak for both burritos (extr…

I placed an online order, The operator took the order wrong 4 times before finally repeating it correctly to me on the 5th attempt. I drove to the Anaheim, CA store to find the Order was incorrect, a…

We went to the Anaheim CA restaurant for our thirtieth anniversary celebration dinner. It was a very disappointing experience indeed. Not only did they make us wait for over 90 minutes for our di…

I don’t even want to give 1 star. I’m giving this place 0 stars. Had a reservation at 715pm. Was told they were 30 minutes behind. We decided to wait. At 745pm asked the manager (bald gentleman..did not get his name) when we’d be seated and he told us it would be 15 more minutes. I asked him realistically if it would be 15 minutes. He answered very rudely, “no, it could be 20-30 more minutes.” No apologies, just an extreme rude response so we left. After reading other reviews, I see this is normal for this place. Why take reservations if you can’t accommodate them? I highly suggest you go to Hibachi Steakhouse in Anaheim Hills. They are absolutely fantastic, never more than 10 minutes behind if you have a reservation and they are extremely hospitable. Or you could go to Koki’s in Tustin. Less expensive and nice people. Now I know why the last time I was at Benihana’s was about 10 yrs ago. I will never go back ever.

Frankie White

This review is not to discredit Benihana as a brand, but to document a completely unacceptable experience with one individual: Cristian, the chef. My family made a simple request for no oil/as minimal as possible for our portion of food, and from that point on Cristian became openly condescending and hostile. He repeatedly mocked us throughout the meal, sarcastically narrating every step and intentionally asking if “every little thing was okay” in an exaggerated, demeaning way. This was not playful—it was deliberate and meant to embarrass us. We were seated with strangers celebrating a birthday, so we didn’t want to make a big deal out of it to ruin their night and dinner experience. As a result, we were forced to sit through the bullying behavior until it became unbearable. It was relentless and escalated to the point where my wife was crying, and we ultimately left our table and waited outside until the check came just to escape the situation. To make matters worse, Cristian made a racially inappropriate “well done” joke directed at an African American middle schooler, clearly referencing skin tone. That is completely unacceptable, especially toward a kid. Benihana is supposed to be “upscale dining”… right? The kid was not amused either, his mouth dropped and did not laugh at the “joke”. Our server, Joel, was excellent and handled this professionally. He helped us speak with the manager, Paul, who took a portion off the bill and suggested we give it another try. While appreciated, the experience was already completely ruined for us. Thank you Paul for addressing the situation. We spoke to the other family we did not know prior to dinner in the parking lot and they agreed with us entirely. They harped on the fact that Cristian even got their orders wrong multiple times, and was completely out of line the way he treated the entire table. If I behaved this way in my own job—toward anyone, especially a family with an infant—I would be let go before my shift ended. No customer should ever feel trapped, disrespected, or forced to leave their table to avoid an employee. This experience was embarrassing, upsetting, and unacceptable. If Cristian is representing the brand on the floor, customers deserve to know exactly what they are walking into.