Doesn't Recommend

daveandy1

Joined 4 years ago

Ehhh........... I am a Benihana lover. I'm a Southern California native, and am accustomed to the locations in Ontario, CA and Santa Ana, CA. These two locations are stand alone restaurants, that are extremely themed both inside and out. Moving to Reno, NV, I was disappointed to learn that the closest Benihana was 130 miles away in Citrus Heights (Sacramento), CA. Tonight, we finally took the plunge and took the drive. I had trouble finding it because it is NOT your typical Benihana. This location has been labeled the "Benihana Grill." This location occupies the corner unit of a strip malll, and very closely resembles a Chinese fast food restaurant. Now, with that said, the menu is the same. You can order all of your Benihana favorites at this location. The geographic location could have something to do with this, but the overall quality of employee there is poor. Our cook was some middle-aged Asian fellow, initially pretending to have a heavy Asian accent and using a fake name. Five minutes into dinner service, he has dropped the facade and spent the remainder of the service chit-chatting with our table mates about fishing, beer, and dirt bikes. This caused him to ignore the food and burn the rice. Not to mention we didn't get the usually show. Everything else was up to par. Our moods gradually improved as the quality of the other courses improved.

Overall, this location is OK. It's kind of like a movie that is loosely based on a book. Those who have read the book will typically not enjoy the movie. If you've been to any other Benihana location, you will most probably not enjoy this one.

Recommends

benjaminH851

Joined 5 years ago

good food and the show was great!. I've never been to an actual Benihana. I have been to a lot of copycat places though. I even worked at one of those copycat places. Most of the experiences I had with these places were just ok. Nothing special. The food is obviously not the best quality available, but it's more about the show right? Right.

So after watching a movie with Eugy in J-town, we were starving and it was a little after 9pm. Most places were going to close up soon. So as we're walking and trying to decide, he said jokingly, "hey, what about Benihana?" Me... "SURE!!"

So we head in. I couldn't stop laughing. I pride myself on being a foodie, knowing food. How to make it. How to eat it. And I'm against most chains, but sometimes, you just have to live a little and forget about all of that.

Overall, the food was good. Actually, it was pretty damn good! I had lobster and filet mignon with chicken fried rice. Everything was cooked perfectly. Our chef was funny and the show was great! And I order my Samurai Iced Tea in a Tanuki Mug. That tea was strong. I was pretty tipsy when I left there.

We'll definitely be back!

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Knife-wielding chefs put on a show at this communal Japanese grill.. In Short
Benihana started out as a tiny four-table restaurant in New York City's theater district before becoming an international chain. Diners sit around large tables where chefs ostentatiously chop, slice, stir-fry and grill. Entree options are simple--shrimp, chicken, steak and scallops--and preparation is uniform. Every entree comes with a similar stock of sides: rice, onion soup, shrimp appetizer, iceberg lettuce drizzled with dressing, sauteed vegetables and green tea.

Doesn't Recommend

bellko

Joined 6 years ago

I don't like a rude stuff!!. Their Food is good.

Servers, Chefs and other stuff were nice.

But on the front...I guess it's maneger of them, the old guy was so rude to us.

He was terribly rude, he made me and my husband very bad feeling.

I can't belive it!!

Used be, the restaurant has nice manegers.

But now it changed.

So I can not recommend BENIHANA.

Recommends

guilinggao

Joined 9 years ago

Fun & yummy!. Yummy... Teppan-Yaki ... japanese style BBQ, chef cooks right in front of your table, a great entertaining dinner! None of the food is marinated, which makes 'em fresh & nice. If you are looking for a great dinner expericence, here it is!