4. Restaurants

Benihana Seattle

1200 5th Ave Suite 3, Seattle, WA, 98101
  • (206) 682-4686
  • Store is closed

Benihana Seattle Menu

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  • Blair K.

    Been coming to Benihana for their Lunch Sushi Buffet for years! Long awaited review for this place. Monday-Friday starts at 11:30am and i believe they end at 1 or 2 pm. Price: about $17.50 including tax Food: Nigiri Sushi buffet + Typical sushi rolls that changes each time you go. They always have salmon nigiri (which is my favorite), Unagi (eel), Maguro, Ebi (shrimp). You can also find white tuna, and mackerel nigiri. The rolls are very delicious and flavorful as well. Miso, hot green tea, edamame are all unlimited so take advantage! The buffet also serves salad with a japanese dressing and fresh fruits. Quality: for the price, i have to say the quality is at its finest. usually, especially eel, other restaurants will charge you so much, but at benihana you can eat as much as you want. Fish is not cut thin or anything like that so have some high expectations when you come here because they will not fail you. there is one rule though, you have to finish all the rice from the sushi! they will charge you if you have some rice left behind sadly. I give this place 4 out of 5 stars only because sometimes they can be very rude and not so friendly. but other than that, this place is must try!

    (4)

  • Sophia L.

    I'm going to be frank here. It's OKAY. In all honesty, what you are truly paying for is the experience. You are paying for a cooking show right in front of you while getting a little food. However, here comes to negatives about this restaurant. The food is actually extremely mediocre. I ate it, and honestly, it's like food that has been cooking in front of you with very little seasoning or flavor (which they only put a little bit of butter...or maybe it's mayo + salt and pepper). Even the entree itself is so little that I don't even know what to do... it feels like an appetizer. And, this didn't happen to us, but the people we were dining with ordered two sushi's, but they never came and the waitress got a scolding because she wrote it on the back. It is way to expensive for what it is. My boyrfriend and I left the restaurant not exactly feeling satisfied with our 70$ meal. It's unfortunate that such a creative restaurant doesn't do better food.

    (2)

  • Deena L.

    Love this place! So entertaining watching the chefs cook in front of you. You'll have to make a reservation. I went for my sisters rehearsal dinner with about 15 people. Great place for large parties. You can get really tasty drinks too! I got the Benihana punch! It comes in a large mug (I chose the cat mug) and an umbrella. You can take the mug home too! I ordered their colossal shrimp and hibachi steak and chicken. You can't go wrong with any of their steak or chicken entree items!

    (5)

  • George B.

    This is the original place for good teppanyaki. I've been going to this particular Benihana since around 1990 (circa age 9) and the only things which have changed are the menus and the outside fountain, basically. Recently came here for a date and were seated right away. Our waiter was young and kind of quick, not personable like past waiters. (((Bathroom break: The men's bathroom was a mess and there was no toilet paper.))) The cook was great, but kept on making mistakes (like flinging a shrimps tail into someone's beer and saying "Japanese mistake") which I found to be hilarious but the person with the beer looked less than amused! I had the hibachi shrimp and my date had the spicy chicken. I also had a $4 iced tea which was good, my date at some sort of fruit punch drink. Other tricks were funny and it's fun to watch all the cooking right before your eyes. As always, clothes smell like onions and seafood after going here. Overall this place is more for tourists. I would have given 3 stars but, that night I went to sleep and woke up at 3 AM with a stomach ache so bad I could not fall asleep, about 30 min later I vomited up the whole meal: onion soup, salad, veggies, rice and shrimp. I don't know why this happened but it caused a three star review to lose a star. NOTE: I've been on a really healthy diet and maybe all the fat and oil was the cause of this stomach upset. I know it was not food poisoning, rather the food was just not settling. Probably won't be back, but recommend you do go if you've never been. As for me Seattle Benihana: Born 1990, died 2015. You will be missed.

    (2)

  • Theresa B.

    Food was good, nothing crazy. I would expect a lot more but my curiosity has been satisfied with this place. The food was good, there was some table side entertainment although I'm not sure how much I like someone in front of me while I eat. Kids had a good laugh so the restaurant supplied great family entertainment. I don't think I will be going back. Not because it's bad but because there's better Japanese food around town.

    (3)

  • Elina K.

    I've been here a couple times in the past for birthdays/with family from out of town and was always so mesmerized and impressed by the teppanyaki chefs. I came here recently with my bf for our anniversary and was a litttttle let down with our chef. People come here to watch the cool tricks, so that's why y'all are getting 3 stars today. I guess we just had bad luck or maybe he was having a bad day but I caught myself watching the chefs around us more than the one right in front of me and felt a little bad. He messed up a couple times, dropped something, and burnt my eggs in the chicken fried rice. Other than that, I had an enjoyable experience and the food was good. I can't rave too much about the food because...well you see it cooked right in front of you and you can see how basic it is! All it is, is butter, lemon, or teriyaki sauce with salt and pepper. But I did enjoy the dipping sauces they give you for your entrees! One was a mustard something, and the other was a ginger based sauce and both were so yummy! I dipped everything in them even my veggies lol But anyways, this is a breakdown of what I had: 1. sake sampler $14- came with a sparking, fuji apple, and coconut flavored sakes all with different degrees of dryness. These were pretty good! Not too strong and not too sweet. I'm not a huge sake fan, so this was a good choice for me because it had a nice balance of alcohol and flavor. My favorite was the fuji apple. 2. Sushi sampler $11- good deal for the amount of sushi you get! This came with a cali roll, "shrimp lovers" roll, and crunchy roll. Pretty plain, nothing special but a good app for only $11 to get you started. 3. Benihana Special $38- Yum! I truly enjoyed both the lobster tail, buttered and lemon'd to perfection, and my chef cooked the Hibachi steak to a beautiful medium rare. 4. Chicken fried rice $3.50 each- I thought it was good for only 3 bucks and you get a huge portion! However, as mentioned earlier, he overcooked the eggs while trying to do a cool trick, which was annoying because I love eggs and the trick wasn't that cool and not worth burnt eggs. 5. Since we were celebrating an anniversary, we got free sundaes which was cute :) Honestly, I don't think I'd ever come back for a casual dinner or go here for just the food. When we went, there was like a sweet sixteen and 2 prom parties. It's more a spot for basic, rich, white people so I'd stay away unless I got a good teppanyaki chef next time to actually entertain me!

    (3)

  • Yen P.

    What a fun night here! The beautiful Japanese theme inside and out! The cooks were very talented and skillful with their tricks of their trade! The food was very tasteful! I like watching them cook the food! I ordered the surfer side seafood combo meal with mango colada drink! The price was reasonable with the food and entertainment! Thank you!

    (5)

  • Doug T.

    Don't go here for the authentic Asian food. It's not a sushi place.. It's an interactive grilling experience... This is my great alternative to Chuck - E - Cheese, Red Robin and other places when my kids have a birthday and I can't handle another stuffed mouse or two hours of the kids asking for quarters.. It's great entertainment for kids and teens who are either enthralled by the sight of a volcano onion or really don't have much to say to their date. The kids also get a commemorative ceramic drinking glass that looks like some sort of Asian figure, (Ninja, fat cat, or something). A couple quick tip, parking is validated underground on University Street and you will, despite all the vents, smell like fried food after walking out..

    (5)

  • Han S.

    This is my first negative review. I waited tables in college, I know how hard it can be. Yesterday I take my 3 kids (all over 10) to a fun and entertaining lunch. I know it gets busy so I made (early lunch) reservations, showed up on time, kids all on 'best behavior' mode etc.. Everything to hold up my end. We are seated at half a table with another family of four. Our orders taken, our drinks show up, cook shows up, orders again verified. He proceeds to do the thing, cooks all this food, and then just puts it on the plates of the others people cleans super fast and leaves. He only cooked ONE of the orders we had. The people sitting with us had mounds of little steak and chicken, while my kids got two bowls of rice, some veggies on a plate.... That was it. Its not like this was a 'in the kitchen communication error'... He cooks at the damn table, and could see 3 kids with empty plates and does nothing about it. 3/4 of this order he got totally wrong, with the customers sitting right there. (also - his English was not an issue, this was not a communication problem in that sense.) At first I was confused but as soon as the waitress came back I asked 'What is up? We got no food.?" Insult became injury.. Nothing happened. Nobody came back to fix the food, talk to us, help us understand. I watched her take the other tables, our chef fix food for other people. I timed for 10 minutes while we all split one chicken yakisoba. My kids hate cabbage. Once finished we still did not have a cook, were no longer getting drink refills, and no information. I just walked to the manager, explained what happened, and all I got was 'I'm sorry" and a bill for ONE YAKISOBA and 4 DRINKS.... I don't want you to be sorry, have some pride, make shit right. I trusted you to not only flip spatulas but also to feed my family. I am not looking for a free ride, just hold up your end, and saying 'sorry' then charge full price for that shit show? That is not making it right at all. I paid and left. I had to take my hungry kids to Panera Bread to feed them. VERY poor experience at this place. I will not be back.

    (1)

  • Michael C.

    I'm writing this review to let you know about their $15 all-you-can-eat sushi bar at lunch. Not a huge selection, but it's fast and delicious.

    (4)

  • Betsy W.

    I love teppanyaki so naturally after a seahawks win I wanted to celebrate! I wasn't overly impressed with the pageantry of the cooking or the meal. Three stars because there wasn't one thing wrong with it. It was just OK. There is a place in Everett which I think is better and have been to many others around the country that I would rate higher. If you are looking for an exceptional experience I would probably try elsewhere. If you're in the neighborhood of this location and are craving some teppanyaki it will probably suffice.

    (3)

  • Scott D.

    Service was horrible. Never brought water, place settings, miso soups, didn't clean off table before we sat down. However, sushi was decent. Don't sit in the sushi bar area. We saw many other table going up to the actual bar to order heir own drinks even though they were at a table. The area was only half full too!

    (2)

  • Long P.

    Went in for the lunch hour today... The cook was very rude to people at our table. Food was very bad and salty will never come back again.

    (1)

  • Dany P.

    We had a party of 5 and a toddler. The wait was so long! Once finally seated we were given our menu while a few others joined or table. They didn't know what they wanted order so we all had to wait since the chef will bring everything out to cook at once. We were disappointed with the lack of "show" from our chef. It was just a lot of loud banging from the salt and pepper, a toss here, a toss there. He didn't have any interaction with us what so ever. We didn't even get an onion fire volcano! We were sitting there wishing we were at the next table over. They had an amazing chef who was engaging with his dinners the whole time he was cooking. No one comes here for the food. We all know it's not going to be a five star tasting dinner. But we do want to be entertained. Which we were not. The service was also lacking. Our waitress was missing half the night. Took forever to order, took forever for our drinks to be refilled, and we had to flag down a different server to get our check settled. Considering the prices we were expecting better service, and food. I won't be back.

    (2)

  • Laurel J.

    Went here for my 21st birthday, with 9 of my friends, on a Saturday night. The place was packed but luckily I had made reservations the night before. Had an amazing time and we all ate delicious food. Our chef Sergio was an excellent and very skilled chef. He kept the entertainment lively and kept us laughing. I got the lemon chicken dish (huge portion size, accompanied by grilled onions, peppers, and shrimp). My first legal drink was the "Cherry Smash" -whiskey and cherry stuff- I felt a little tipsy towards the end of dinner, but then again I'm a light weight. Was also given ice cream as a little birthday thing they do (check their birthday promos online) and several of my friends' meals included ice cream at the end. Drinks are around -$10 Main dishes around -$20-$30 AND, to several of my guy friends' delight, we happened to sit across from Tim Lincecum, who, for all of you who don't really follow baseball (like myself) is a pitcher for the Giants.

    (5)

  • Phattra V.

    If you want to spend $100+ on your date and receive mediocre food, service, and table side "entertainment" then this is your spot! I've been invited here by others on multiple occasions but would never venture here on my own whim. Each time, our chef looked like he didn't care one bit about his job and the food definitely showed that. There are plenty of other restaurants with better quality for a lot cheaper. My definition of overrated!

    (2)

  • Hangie N.

    Love it. Everything was great. I went here on my bd with friends so i got a lil discount. The service was okay, but we have to wait kinda long before the chef can cook for us. The chef actually really talented. He made all find of fun stuff to make us laugh. While we were eating all the staffs came around and sang happy birthday song to me then took a picture of us so we can keep it in memory. I had such an amazing experience here. Recommended!

    (4)

  • Rachael K.

    Filet migon was the best part. The rest of the food was okay. Service was friendly and interactive. The most surprising was how kid friendly they were. We had a 7 year old and 18 month old with us. Great experience but not somewhere I would frequent regularly.

    (4)

  • Carrie H.

    I have only frequented the Seattle Benihana twice. My first experience was quite enjoyable partly because it was a new thrill watching the chef prepare the food at my table. The drinks, on that first occasion, were also expertly crafted. I applaud the bartender for providing perhaps the finest cocktails of my life, hands-down! My second experience at Benihana's was just a-ok. I was a little miffed that my party was squeezed into a joint table with another party. Our chef, although entertaining was not particularly attentive or engaging. I was entertaining a guest and felt badly that the experience was not 5-star amazing. I second the previous reviewers that describe Seattle's Benihana as "hit-or-miss". Additionally, we left hungry and had to stop at "Dick's Drive-in" on the way home, to satisfy our hunger. In Bangkok, I had the opportunity to dine at Benihana, at the Chao Praya Marriott. Now that experience was amazing! The chef engaged me into his act and allowed me to take the spatula and give it a go. Little extras, such as the arrangement of the fried rice and pageantry of the teppanyaki made the meal memorable.

    (3)

  • Emily J.

    Came here after a long day in the sun and was hoping for some good sushi, which is usually the case when you go to Benihana. This is my first time at this location, so maybe they do things differently than what I'm used to. Our sushi was all, how shall I put this... Old. The shrimp tasted cold and rubbery, and the spicy tuna was just not as fresh as I am accustomed to at other locations. Our server, Mark, was great, and my drink never went empty. Not a horrible experience, but I was severely disappointed in the sushi quality.

    (2)

  • Em T.

    Friday May 22 @7:10pm Very good sushi place, their side ginger was excellent & salmon was fresh + good sushi rice. The spider was great. Love the service. Rita & the sushi bar man was really nice & attentive. I didn't have to wait long for food or service. Everything was clean and neat. Overall I will definitely bring me family next time to enjoy the wonderful service and outstanding sushi :) -Em

    (5)

  • Zach T.

    My dad used to be the manager here when I was younger, and I haven't been back since just a few weeks ago. So this place was very nostalgic to me (I even saw a few of the people that still work there - after nearly 20 years!). As far as the food goes though, it's just ok. Not really a ton of flavor (I got the Benihana chicken), but you go here for the experience. Service is great - waiters are always there to pick up dirty plates and refill drinks. The chef is funny and entertaining (more entertaining if you have a beer or two in you!) If you haven't experienced Teppanyaki, Benihana is worth visiting if you have a special occasion going on (birthday party, company party) and a ton of cash to spend (it's very pricey). But I really wouldn't recommend it otherwise, too many better places around the area.

    (2)

  • Tony L.

    I haven't been to Benihana in a long time, and I have to admit: I was pleasantly surprised. We stopped by on a Friday night, and only had to wait a few minutes for a table. They fill up each table of 8 before they seat you (there were only two of us, so we sat with a party of 6). Each meal comes with onion soup, a small salad, grilled veggies and shrimp, steamed rice and ice cream (green tea one is good and not too sweet). We ordered: Benihana punch: skip this overly sweet drink (should have stayed with a beer). Deluxe treat: this came with filet mignon and lobster (good, but anything with lots of butter should be) Ocean treasure: lobster, shrimp and scallops were good as well Each dinner is in the $40 range, which isn't bad. They will upsell you the fried rice, which we both got for an extra $3.25 a person. As others have mentioned, they don't do the crazy tricks anymore, but it is still fun to come, especially if you have a large group. Also, they take the Passport card, so think 2 dinners for just $40 (before all of the extras). I will come back to try some of the other dinner combos.

    (4)

  • Debbie P.

    So once again I've given Benihana a chance. And once again, it's for my birthday dinner. This time I was able to use my $30 birthday certificate without a fuss, because I clicked on the link for the GC and printed it. Then it gets even better... So, this meal was with my hubby and 2 other friends, pay attention, there are only 4 of us in the party and this little bit of information will play out later. Of course, we mentioned that it was a special occasion and we requested 2 separate checks for each couple. As usual, we all place our orders, we have our teppan yaki dinner with an unenthusiastic chef :/ BORING...YAWN... I was also anticipating the usual Benihana photo op, which did not happen. I had one every year I came on my bday. :( At the end of the meal, I got my bday dessert. YAY! :) THEN THE BILL CAME...$30 was deducted from the bill, BUT 18% gratuity was added to our bill, not to our friend's bill, just ours?!?!? WTF?! Remember, we had a total of 4 people in our party. SO, SO, SO disappointed... Never again at the Seattle location.

    (1)

  • Anthony N.

    My coworkers and I have been craving sushi for a while and Benihana has been brought up a few times. Today, we finally decided to check out their lunch buffet that everyone's been raving about. We got there shortly after 11:30 (they open at 11:30) and there were only a few open tables left! I pretty much only stuck with the nigiri and had like 3-4 pieces of the other fried rolls. The nigiri was pretty decent, they had salmon, tuna, albacore, mackerel, ebi and unagi. Everything was pretty fresh and the service there was really good. Nothing super wowing, but for $15 for AYCE sushi, it was good. I'll most likely be back with the coworkers again!

    (4)

  • Robert M.

    Went back again for their sushi lunch special only to be denied ANY type of service. Seated at the bar and not once did a server approach me or acknowledge me. Had to get my own glass of water from the bus station and couldn't believe that I had become the invisible man. Everyone seated around me was offered something while I stood alone. Boo-Hoo :) Foods a great deal and the sushi ain't bad. Perhaps the ball was dropped somewhere but after leaving a $0.00 tip with an explanation, I'll assume it hopefully won't happen again.

    (2)

  • Claudine M.

    All-you-can-eat sushi lunch buffet for $15/person. I AIN'T HATIN'. My coworkers and I came here for a company-sponsored lunch event. I called the day prior and talked to a lady who sounded a bit frustrated by the fact that she had to pick up a phone call and explained to me in a few words as possible that they wouldn't take reservations at the lounge, where all-you-can-eat happens. They only took reservations for the main dining room. OK, I said, and we hung up. I wasn't sure if our lunch plans were going to work then because we were a bigger group, so I called again later during the day and spoke to a different person, a guy, who sounded much more professional and pleased to help. He told me that they opened at 11:30 and that if we got there right at 11:30, then we shouldn't have problems getting tables. He said that some Fridays, sushi eaters start flocking outside minutes before they open, but since we were going on a Wednesday, we should be okay. We got there at 11:17. We were the very first ones there. Minutes later, more people arrived. Eventually, there was a big enough number of people to fill the entire lounge. And they haven't even opened. They unlocked the front door at 11:31 (and 37 seconds). Heck yeah, I counted. I missed breakfast for this, and I was starving. No problems getting seated at the lounge, that's for sure, but a few members of our group were either not sushi fans or vegetarians, and they asked if they could order from the regular menu. The answer was a resounding NO but that they could go to the main dining room and eat there instead. We thought that was awkward but understood it was just how they operated. And so they went, while we sushi eaters stayed and got up to fill our plates with art. And love. Okay, it didn't really feel too much like ART or LOVE. It was alright. The buffet selection was decent -- a salad, fruits, a sizable variety of sushi, and about 4 different types of fusion rolls. I sampled several items, and they were okay! It was not the freshest sushi in the world, and everything looked like what you would expect at a buffet, maybe slightly better presented than at Mizuki or Bluefin (and the plates themselves are much more sophisticated, too, by the way). I left a clump of rice from a piece of sushi on my plate the first round, and the waitress said that would warrant a $0.05 charge but that she she would let it slide this time around. The thing about their sushi items was THEY ALL HAD A VERY THICK LAYER OF RICE. I figured it's kind of a scheme to control customers' appetites, I guess -- you fill your insides with so much rice and get full quickly and don't end up eating all the precious seafood. So if you go, get just enough so you don't have leftovers, and EAT THAT RICE, SON! But again, for $15.99, are you kidding me? I'm not mad! I'm coming back!

    (3)

  • O.D. C.

    I've been to a lot of Benihanna restaurants over the years in many cities... Seattle location was great, pleasant atmosphere, great food, service, and spirits.

    (5)

  • David P.

    Simply one of my all-time faves. The steak, the shrimp, the miso soup, the dressing in the salads, it's all just perfectly prepared and presented year after year. I love the photos of all the old Mariners starts and celebrities, the chef's are very entertaining and generous. Being to share experience with others is great teppan fun as well. Also, it can be spendy, but if you have a Prime card it is the best deal in Seattle for the quality.

    (5)

  • Celine L.

    BIRTHDAY DEALS WOOO! I'm a big fan of deals, and as such, I found Benihanas awesome $30 coupon for birthdays. (That's a lot!) So me and my foodie best buddie went out to try this place! Traffic was horrible, but that's not their fault. Parking was easy - use the IBM lot between 5th and 6th on University Ave. $4 for parking, marked down from $8. Nice! We were sat pretty quickly, it's teppanyaki style dining so we sat with two other groups of people. All adults. (I don't know why that's relevant) We were helped quickly, my onion intolerant foodie buddy was graciously taken care of - they made his food in the back so as not to cross contaminate. The chef was awesome as always, they always make a few mistakes. I think his name was Sergio, and our waitress was Ayu(spelling?) it starts with an A.. Everyone was awesome but the portions were SUPER small for the price. I know we're mostly paying for the show, but still. Maybe it's because I'm used to buffets and stuffing my face. Lol. Service was quick, everyone was kind. No problems. Except my table group was super not interested in the chefs tricks, which made the whole vibe a little lackluster.. But that's not the restaurants fault. I also got a super special ice cream with my dinner because of my birthday coupon. Yay! PS. I need to come back for that sushi buffet again. It was awesome.

    (4)

  • Ryan D.

    Benihana has been one of my favorite Teppanyaki restaurants around. This was the first time I have been to the Seattle location, and it was no different! I was a little surprised with how small this location is, because I am used to larger Benihana's. The service was very great, and we were treated like we were dining at a 5 star restaurant. This is the great thing about Benihana, you will be treated with respect 100% of the time. Now about their menu, I am always a fan of Shrimp and Chicken teppanyaki, and they have the combination for $26.95. This combination comes under the specialty combination which includes- Steamed rice (fried rice for $3.00 extra), Onion soup, Shrimp appetizer, Hibachi vegetables (onions, zucchini, and mushroom), Hot green tea, Ice cream, Bowl of salad (ginger dressing or vinegar and oil) and, The choice of meat you ordered! If you don't feel like having shrimp or chicken, their filet mignon is a great option as well! Oh and of course if you are not a meat lover you can always go for the seafood option! Anyways, no matter if you are in Seattle, or any other metropolitan cities where there is a Benihana, you should try it out! You will not be disappointed!

    (5)

  • Jonny M.

    Found out the hard way that they are no longer accepting the Passport card in 2015. The 2-for-1 deal with passport was the primary reason we went. It's always hit-or-miss on the entertainment. If you're lucky, you'll get a good chef, we were not lucky when we went for my Birthday a few days ago. The chef made tasty food, but barely talked to us. I've been to Benihana many times over the years, and I was disappointed to see the portion sizes getting smaller. Additionally, we had a non-existent server. She got us drinks, and we didn't see her again until we had to pay for our meal. Also, the sushi was not very good. I feel like Benihana used to be a classy establishment, but now it seems to be going downhill. I don't think I'll be returning :-(. Unfortunately, the ambient noise is too loud, and the meals are too expensive for what you're paying for. Additionally, I was really turned off by the lack of service.

    (2)

  • Ng Y.

    Great food, great chef, bad attitude and the worst waiter, especially June. 5 stars for the food, and 0 star for June.

    (1)

  • Bryan M.

    So I've been here twice now. The first time was about 4 years ago. Pulled a definite finger nail out of my mouth that somehow was in my food. When I told the waitress they took my food but didn't offer me more or a discount. Last weekend my friend held her graduation dinner here so I decided to give it another chance (kind of obligated to). I don't usually eat meat so I decided to order the tuna steak. The waitress informed me they no longer had tuna. Okay so since I was the last person in my group to order I quickly decided to get the salmon. She informed me they no longer had salmon either, but that they had shrimp or scallops. I felt rushed and ordered the mango shrimp in a panic. The portion of shrimp was very disappointing in size and only tasted okay. Very overpriced. Service was satisfactory though. Everyone else I ate with seemed to be happy with this place. Me, not so much... you're a Japanese restaurant in Seattle... with tuna and salmon on your menu... but you no longer carry it.. K then.

    (2)

  • Joe T.

    My cousin took me here for a late lunch early dinner. I did not know they served sushi. It was pretty good. I ordered my usual rainbow roll. My yard stick for all first sushi visit. It was pretty good. Service was pretty good. Definitely would eat here again.

    (4)

  • Polly C.

    I've been to Benihana about five times within the last seven months (only because my coworkers seem to love love LOVE that place), so I feel it is appropriate for me to write a review. I must say the food and chef's "entertainment" has really dwindled down compared to a few years ago. The food is lacking flavor and nothing to rave about. The chefs also aren't very interactive or entertaining- they might as well go to the back kitchen and prepare our food, otherwise I might fall asleep watching them. You're better off going to Tokyo Steakhouse in Bellevue for better food and entertainment.

    (2)

  • Theresa D.

    I came here the other night with a group of friends for dinner. The food was good, the chef was entertaining, and the service is consistent. But there were a few cons. When you get seated at Benihana, you always get seated at the same time with a group of people to maximize the seats at each table. At this particular time, there were ten of us, and we were all coupled up. This time was the first time they charged us 18% gratuity for being in a large group. I mean what?! Yes, this is totally normal at lots of restaurants where it's more out of the norm to have a large group. But to be charged this 18% when they normally seat people, and split the bill at the tables, every table, every time like this, seemed to be nickel and diming. My opinion, I mean.

    (3)

  • Katie E.

    What an outstanding experience we had on my husbands Birthday last Friday! We just adored our chef, Jason (I think that was his name). He was so personable and told us his whole life story that led him to work here, very fascinating! He is an outstanding cook and made our food wonderfully and just how we wanted...perfection! I had the Classic Shrimp dish (so good) and my husband had the Samurai Feast. We had other family members there and they too are still raving about the food and service! We just enjoyed the environment and the staff, all were fantastic and welcoming! We will be back for sure, worth every pretty penny! I recommend this restaurant with enthusiasm!

    (5)

  • Greg P.

    Had a great time celebrating my bf's bday! Staff was super helpful and kind. They went way out of their way to make sure it was a special event. The chef was funny and attentive. Food was just good and well done, nothing amazing. It was the entertainment that we came for anyhow. I wanted to leave more of a tip for him but they actually include the tip and don't have a spot for extra. Funny side note: DL Hugley and friends were sitting just two tables away and we never felt ignored. We were truly treated like stars! Ps: DL is super polite and kind!

    (4)

  • Chris N.

    My family and I ate here in March and had a great time. Food was excellent and the kids totally enjoyed the Chef's show. I would recommend this location to anyone. Also, being able to park in the garage under the restaurant was a huge help.

    (4)

  • Mai Chi N.

    I came here with a couple of friends. I thought it was just like regular sushi bar, so I only ordered a couple of sushi rolls (which weren't even good and authentic) and no entree. When the cook (Sergio) came in and knew I didn't want any entree, he looked at me amusedly, "Why are you even here? Happy Hours?" (WTF did that suppose to mean). Later, he tried to fling a freaking shrimp's tail onto my cup of water. The tail landed on my plate, which had my sushi rolls on it, instead of my cup. Damn, that was lucky for him cuz I would be hella pissed if the tail had landed in my cup. When my second order of sushi arrived, he looked and me and said, "Oh, so you like sushi? Why didn't you go to Safeway?" And that just ruined the whole evening. I don't think I will ever go back to this place. The servers were nice, but they were pretty slow and even made wrong order! And Sergio just killed my mood.

    (1)

  • Miesha P.

    Super fun and excellent food!! Good for parties. Try their grape escape it is amazing!!!

    (4)

  • Rosey L.

    The food is good but over priced. The experience is a very unique, but just once in a long time will be enough

    (3)

  • Cinnatea L.

    I always want to like this place. Every year or so I'll go for Happy Hour remembering how great the selection of food is for Happy Hour (truly one of the better locations in Seattle). Then I am reminded why I don't like Benihana. The service is always so terrible. :-( Sloooooooooow service. If you don't mind slow service, the Happy Hour is worth trying.

    (2)

  • Lanna N.

    Super fun experience! Came here and got the "love me tender" special and it even came with the picture!

    (5)

  • Keith A.

    Foe food was as good as always. I got the duo lunch special. My wife got the spicy chicken. Both were good. This was my wife's first trip to benihanas. She enjoyed the food. My own complaint, and I took a star away for this, was there was no show. No volcano, no train... Kind of bummed

    (3)

  • Renate H.

    Never will eat at Benihana's again! Worst experience I've had here! Felt rushed to place order. My cousin and I got food poisoning (possibly from the shrimp) Entertainment: non! Chef didn't put on a show at all!! Only thing done was banging the utensils and flipping shrimp tails into his hat!

    (1)

  • TN C.

    As for chain restaurants go this one is pretty consistent. The Chef was kinda funny. Put on a good show and entertaining, even if Ive seen it a few times. For a busy place the wait wasnt too long. The service was typical/ok, its been the same at a few different Benihanas Ive been to in different cities. Food here is good. The steak and shrimp was delicious. The chef was on it as everyone at the tabled ordered different things and different levels of cooked for the beef and no one had their order wrong. Fried rice was pretty good. The portions arent bad. Have not had the sushi at any Benihanas yet. All Benihanas seem to have pics on the wall of famous people. And they do a good job with the birthdays, very lively.

    (4)

  • Adam J.

    I was a regular there for one year and was very impressed while employing the passport dining card and if I had rated it at that time I would have given it 5 stars ad me and a buddy ordered the most expensive item on the menu their pre mium steak with lobster and all the trimmings for $40. It was the best deal in town. Then suddenly, the new year rolled around and I had just purchased the new passport card and getting excited to use it, but they discontinued it despite the fact their name was still listed in the passport book as honoring the card. I got no apology from the restaurant and when pressed said they had posted a notice on their front counter that you needed glasses to read that stated it was no longer being honored. Then the meal...the chef took half of my portion of veges and gave it to a guest who wasn't suppsed to get it with her meal, but had asked for it anyways. Then the chicken was the worst chicken fillet I'd ever eaten. It was immeshed with fat and had the texture of squid?? The steak was good and everything else except the horrible chicken. I almost feel they deliberately served it to me like that as I have never seen the chef let the chicken cook past and throughout everyone else's meal. He served it me very last and was just terrible. Anyways, I consider the food overall to be good or better depending on the night and chef cooking it, but after being a weekly regular for a year and the sudden changes to using the dining card gave me a very bad impression that their management and not necessarily their quality of food is severely bereft of the A+ service chiefly on the management side I gave come to know. It will be a long time until I go back to them.

    (2)

  • Kevin C.

    Safe bet that cannot go wrong - but the fact that they are so large deprived uniques of authenticity of Japanese cuisine culture - overall great place to spend a night for

    (4)

  • Chuan C.

    the service and chef performence is pretty good. but the food is just soso. fried rice is too saulty and the seafood is ok.

    (4)

  • Zachary B.

    This is my second time to a Benihana restaurant. And it was good and enjoyable experience like the last time I went to one. I came here with a party of 7 for my half brother's birthday. We arrived about a half hour early of our reservation(Our reservation was for 6:30) so we decided to wait in the lounge til then. Our server in the lounge was excellent, very nice, friendly and attentive. We ordered a couple sushi rolls, Las Vegas and spicy tuna. Both were tasty and satisfied us til we got to our table. We got to our table at 6:30, the time of the reservation. Our server in the restaurant itself was also very friendly and attentive to our needs, we all thought she was wonderful. She took our orders when we wrre ready, and came back with in a couple minutes our Benihana onion soup, which was just delicious. We also got salad, but I'm not much of a salad eater, so I gave to my dad, who said he enjoyed it. Then our chef arrived to our table, who we had a blast with. He was fun, jokey, and had a great time chatting with as he prepared our food in front of us. Did a couple neat tricks, like the famous onion volcano and knife work with butterflying the shrimp. As for the food itself, it was excellent. I got the Splash N'Meadow, which was just delicious. The steak was perfect, and cooked how I liked it. And the shrimp were big and tasted well with the dipping sauces. And we finally got dessert, I got the Green Tea ice cream. I would say it's okay. Not my favorite flavor, but tasted good. My only complaint is the noise in the restaurant, as it's hard to hear others at your tables sometimes due to the noise. But I can sorta forgive that a little due to it's size. All in all, I would recommend this place if you want to go for a very special occasion, like a birthday or anniversary. Visited Sunday, January 25, 2014

    (4)

  • AlyxandraMonique S.

    I loved eating at Benihana. The food was delicious. I very much enjoyed the California Rolls and Hibachi Chicken and Shrimp. Everyone accommodates you with good service. Our cook, Lucas was very personable and hilarious as well.

    (5)

  • Charlene L.

    I've been coming here since I was a tiny tot... The staff recognizes my family and we have grown to become friends with a few chefs. I do love their steaks and all the sauces.. the salad dressing is also delicious. However, let me get this out there... If it wasn't for the passport dining card that provides the low price of any 2 entrees for $40 total, then I probably would never come here. I think for lunch the discount is $17 for 2 entrees... But my fam doesn't come here for the show.. I've memorized all the steam onion volcanos, and egg spinning around on the spatulas tricks.. I'm here to get that meat sizzling and into my belly! Of all the chefs, there are better ones that actually cook the food better.. request Miguel when you can. He's awesome and lets not forget that he makes the best fried rice there@

    (3)

  • Mimi R.

    I had a dinner at this restaurant last night with my daughter. We were seated at the second table from the entrance. The experience I had last night was extremely unpleasant due to the waitress who served our table. She was rude, didn't have qualities to be a waitress at all. She treated us as if we were her servants and we were not even her customers at all. She looked down on us when she took our orders with cold facial expression. She didn't fill water up at all and was unattentive whole time until we finished our dinner. I've never experienced such an unacceptable attitude at any restaurants in U.S. or other countries. That kind of waitress must be fired right away because she's already ruined the reputation of this restaurant and she will do the same thing to other customers again and again in the future.

    (1)

  • Alexis C.

    I love Benihana and I've been to other Benihanas a million times... but every time I go to the one in Seattle, I am absolutely astonished at how they rush you. I forget, and then I go back, and I'm shocked every time. They bring you your soup & salad at the same time, and bang out your food so fast you don't have time to enjoy a course at all. But then when the chef finishes cooking and you finally have your full entree... two waiters show up IMMEDIATELY to box up your leftovers. While you're still eating. They were harassing a woman at our table who was still trying to eat. Give me your food! Give me your fork! Can I not just eat in peace? I understand that they make more money when they get more people in and out. But the whole point of a restaurant like Benihana is that your meal is an experience. If I wanted to just eat and get in and out I'd go to a teriyaki joint for a fast meal. I know the real estate is probably pretty expensive, being in downtown Seattle. You've got rent to pay. But I would rather spend an extra $5 on my entree than feel like I'm just an inconvenience, can you please give us your money and get out now. It feels very hostile and unwelcoming. It feels like you're just in their way. I know it's not the waitstaff's fault--it is a coordinated effort that is obviously a directive from management (it's consistent, it's happened all 3 times we ate there in the last two years). The food is good, but the way they treat you is terrible.

    (2)

  • Mic E.

    I love Benihana I took my sister she come out town she love Benihana was Monday night we have a visitation the place it was packed full service was wonderfulThe chef it was Tyler but he did wonderful job will be back

    (4)

  • Nellie H.

    We had a great time here last night. The food was good, and our chef was really fun when it came to entertain my 7 year old. They were out of the green tea ice cream, which is why I took a star off. We were lucky and got seated with good folks, who were as obnoxious as we are. The food was great, and if possible, I would exist on that fried rice alone for the remainder of my days. I was sad that all the old tricks they used to do were gone. We did get the volcano, and egg yolk throw, but nothing like they used to with throwing shrimp in the mouth (though I could see that being a liability these days). I almost wished I worked downtown so I could enjoy the all you can eat like many other reviewers have talked about on here.

    (4)

  • Harry S.

    They din't pick up their phone so i can make a reservation! Never depend on these guys if you are making last minute reservation!

    (1)

  • Davvona B.

    Went here for my boyfriend's birthday today. Great atmosphere and service. Food is okay, a little bland, but the entertainment makes it all worth it. Will definitely come back for another occasion. We started with 1/2 roll appetizer of the las Vegas roll. I had the surf and meadow special while my boyfriend had benihana's special. There's so much food, you'll get full quick!

    (4)

  • Lindsey K.

    My cousin, hubby, and I went to celebrate my birthday and to use the $30 certificate they gave me. We got there just in time for happy hour and we were able to get the Blue Punch Cocktail for TEN DOLLARS! :) It was awesome. On top of that, the sushi rolls were all half off! Teppanyaki there is always awesome. My cousin and I got the Samurai Treat which included soup, salad, colassal shrimp, filet mignon, veggies, and dessert. I was stuffed. Too bad the parking is $4 with validation. Wish it was FREEEEE~

    (4)

  • Inna B.

    Benihana is a wonderful and dangerous place for me to be near when I'm hungry for some lunch. Why? Because I love sushi and they have a lunch sushi buffet! The lunch buffet costs about $16 before tip so it's not exactly a cheap lunch, but it's a BUFFET and it's pretty impossible to get that much sushi for that price anywhere else in the area. I'm not a fan of the rolls because I don't really like fried things or avocado, but I really enjoy the fruit bowl next to the salad (melon, strawberries, pineapple!) and the nigiri sushi (except shrimp/ebi). The sushi isn't really the best I've ever had, but it's good enough to satisfy and get me to return for future lunches. The salmon tastes very buttery so I can't have much of it, but it's good. I also really like the unagi (nigiri) they have. I hope I don't find myself here every week, but I hope they continue the buffet lunch and don't raise the price anytime soon.

    (4)

  • Tina C.

    Great deal if you have the 30$ birthday certificate. Just make sure you do not share if you go with some one else. Their sashimi plate is so delicious, for around 28 bucks and their rolls are at a reasonable price. I have also had their all you can eat and love it too! It's 30 bucks.

    (5)

  • Ron M.

    I still think Benihana, hands down, gives you the best value for quality sushi in the city. From my last update in 2008, the price of their sushi lunch buffet still goes for $15.88 before tip! Seriously, how can you beat that? With that said, Benihana continues to be a smart buy in these very trying economic times. And you know what? I can still put away 24 - 32 pieces away on any given visit! Is that something to be proud of? Not really, but I like to get the most bang for my buck! Back in 2008 I wrote about them experimenting with opening at 11 a.m., but that was a short lived thing and they went back to opening at 11:30 a.m. How can you eat so much? Mmmmm....so good! | | O O |_ ________ _| | || || | __________________________________________ You are on plate #3! Uh-oh..... | | O O |_ ________ _| | || || | __________________________________________ I'll have the waitress And a wafer thin mint, please. bring you a bucket. | | | O O |_ ________ _| | || || | __________________________________________

    (5)

  • Jumada S.

    Dinner was wonderful. A great place for a group. Our server was Kevin and he did a spectacular job taking care of us. We will be back.

    (4)

  • DD A.

    I personally feel this establishment is worthy of a second chance. I think with large groups it is difficult to satisfy everyone. Next time, I will only bring a maximum of 8 guests at a time. I recommend visiting the website for this establishment to view the menu before booking your reservations. Tip: Park at the IBM Building underneath Benihana Seattle.

    (3)

  • Kris J.

    Very entertaining but Passport cardholders beware: I took a group there last night and my Passport card saved me a whopping $7 on a $300 tab. Seven dollars? WT*? Why even be in Passport other than to confuse people into thinking they'll get a free entree like you do at most Passport restaurants? Very attentive service and entertaining chef however. Stopped at Dick's on the way home due to very sparse servings.

    (2)

  • Zach R.

    We went on Saturday 7-11-15. We made reservations online which was easy and they confirmed within 48 hours as promised. Our chef was boring and played up the "Japanese" stereotype during his time cooking. Frank was not a good showman and came across like Lesley Chow from the hang over movies. I ordered a spicy tuna roll and was charged for it even though it never found me. I wasn't able to move my plate closer to eat because the chef said his arms weren't long and he didn't want to reach. I spent the meal reaching for my food trying not to wear it. The ginger sauce was okay. The mustard sauce was watered down and thin and didn't have much flavor. At the table was my wife and I, two ladies, and 2 married couples. The most irritating part of the experience was that my wife and I ordered individual meals as did the two women. The other two married couples split meals. When Lesley was cooking the food up like the fried rice, vegetables and meats instead of giving those who ordered their own meal a full portion and splitting a portion in half for the couples he divided things up EVENLY. I don't know about you when I spend a $100 on a meal I expect to get what I paid for and not a lesser portion because things were divided up evenly among people who weren't paying for it. The chicken, filet, and shrimp were bland and lacked seasoning.The portions size were terrible because they were divided up evenly. Lastly when I reserved online I listed that my wife had a seafood allergy thinking it would be no big deal. We've eaten at plenty of other teppanyaki restaurants and they just cook the seafood last and it's no issue with cross contamination. When we sat down they advised the chef wouldn't be cooking her food with everyone else and her food would be cooked in the back and brought out to her. When the coking started it was apparent why it would be cooked in the back due to the level of cross contamination going on. Half way through the meal when my wife got her food it was ice cold and they served her the wrong rice, the food had been cooked and sat in the back. As soon as by check was fixed we were out of there deservedly not leaving a tip.

    (1)

  • Phily B.

    Pricey sub-par food. But hey, "you're paying for the show!" At least that's what everyone told me... PROs: * Cocktails were well made! Tasty to drink, but still enough liquor to give you a nice buzz after a couple * Service was kind and welcoming. * Our chef was fun, social, and extremely entertaining! * Awesome place for a large group of friends... especially if you have never been to a hibachi restaurant. CONs: * Ugh the food... all of the hibachi food is sub-par. Quite frankly you can get better tasting food from a teriyaki shop! I was with a party of 18... nearly everyone said their food was MEH * Pricey! Oh man, be prepared when you see the check! Everyone said the same thing... "you're paying for the show!" Well then maybe the show should have included some fireworks because the food sure isn't worth this price! * If you have already been to a hibachi-style restaurant, you probably won't be seeing anything special. If you've seen one, you've generally seen 'em all. * You know that smell once you walk in? Yah, that's what you're going to smell like when you walk out hahaha OTHER COMMENTs: * A friend of mine had sushi. It looked pretty fresh, and he said he did enjoy it. * I am yet to try the sushi buffet that everyone has been raving about * The IBM Parking garage is located on University St, BETWEEN 5th and 6th Ave * They validate parking for the IBM parking garage, which brought it down to $4 instead of $8 FINAL THOUGHTS: I recommend this place if you have never been to a hibachi-style restaurant, or you are looking for some entertainment; sooo groups of friends or dates are all fair game. If you are looking for tasty food, turn around and head the other way! We came here for a friend's bday and had a lot of fun! But the check was a real damper T_T And hey, this is coming from a guy who eats out in Bellevue regularly! Price-to-Quality graph? Yah its below the line. I'll be back again to check out this sushi buffet everyone is talking about, but don't expect me to have hibachi again unless it's another birthday!

    (2)

  • Alan B.

    Our overall experience was just ok. It has been 12 years since I been to any teppanyaki so I was very excited coming here. Came here on a Saturday night at 5pm it was packed and needed at least 45min wait. So we decided to come back on a weekday with an appointment. We got here 30min early on Friday night, they were able to sit us right in with another family of 6 which was nice. The service was fine, pretty standard didn't wow me. I ordered hibachi supreme and my wife had the deluxe. We both also got the chicken fried rice with additional $3.25 each. The chef was cool, made some jokes so it was not boring. However the fried rice was not good... Even Panda Express fried rice was better. Not worth $3.25 for it unless you know your chef can make great Fried rice. The soup was not bad but I like them hot not just warm/room temperature. Both steak and lobster tail are great. Overall portion is smaller, they could give out more portion on the veggies. The family that sat with us were 3 generations (between age 16 to 70s) they finished all their food, no left over. And of course I am a big boy so I was only 70-80% full. I am glad I am using my passport card, so I saved about $40 off total bill. However because I used the card, I gave about 22% tips.. But When I gave my parking pass and CC to the waitress, she asked me to take the parking pass to the counter myself for validation. I guess it's not her job? Also water and tea stopped being refilled when you done eating. Too bad I already put down the 22% tips. They asked if you are here for any special occasion, but it was the birthday of the young girl's that sat with us. Maybe give her a free ice cream? Come on! Or what's the point to ask? Like others said, you are paying for the show I guess? But it didn't wow me.. Not even the service. Not sure if I will come back for teppanyaki anytime soon but I would like to try their lunch sushi buffet.

    (3)

  • Shawn K.

    Went for mother day dinner, chef not overly entertaining . Food came fast and furious. Felt rushed for dinner. Nothing special, food adequate but over priced for what you get. This establishment is not a place for frequent diners but for the special once in a blue moon entertainment spot. Service slow and not very attentive considering the amount of staff there. Gotta step up the game if they want regulars . Better food elsewhere at a better price. So many employees you'd think service would be impeccable . A few faults ... Try this place if you've never been....

    (3)

  • Melissa B.

    I decided to take my boyfriend here for his birthday dinner, as we both love "experience" type dinners..Pink Door, Brazilian rodizio, etc. etc. This was my first time at a Benihana's and I had high hopes for a fun-filled, yummy experience. When we first sat down, the waiter asked us to pose for a photo, which I thought was a bit odd...but then a few minutes later he came back with a printed picture with a frame around it that said happy birthday...aw!! Since it was party time, we decided to order the blue globe drink to kick things off. The drink earns points for presentation, but I don't think there was any alcohol in it! And I don't mean that in the sense that the alcohol was cleverly disguised and 20 minutes later I'm on the floor. No, this tasted like sprite and blue curacao...and it was $25. :\ Moving along...we both decided to order the Filet Mignon and Lobster Deluxe. I enjoyed every course, and appreciated that you got a lot of extras with the meal...makes for a better show to see everything prepared, and made me feel better about the $38 price tag! The lobster was good..but I would've enjoyed some sort of butter sauce or something. It was cooked in butter, but sometimes I just like to submerge my lobster in a boat of butter, ya know? Moving along to the filet..very yummy! He cooked it according to my specifications, and I definitely enjoyed it, but I have to say that I have had better steaks cooked at home. As far as the chef's presentation skills...we were expecting a little bit more. We noticed that some of the surrounding tables got a little more of a show, ours was just alright. Still really fun to have your food cooked in front of you though. After we finished our meal, we each enjoyed a bowl of rainbow sherbet, which was also included in the meal. I snuck away from the table and ordered two pineapple halves, which includes all of the waiters singing to the birthday boy. I was a little bummed you had to order a second "dessert" to get the singing package, but it was worth it. A nice refreshing finish, even though we were pretty overstuffed. Overall it was a great experience, everyone was so nice..the owner even shouted out the door as we were leaving, "Happy Birthday Mike!" ***Tip: Sign up for their e-mails and you get a $30 coupon to use towards the birthday person's dinner, valid M-Th!

    (4)

  • Elise J.

    Love this place! Great staff and yummy food! Our chief did some fun tricks, which made the atmosphere really fun. Our waitress was nice and attentive! I ordered the "Benihana punch" and for a $1 more you can have it in a special mug. I chose the Buddha mug and was very happy with the drink! After dinner our waitress washed and cleaned out my mug so I could take it home! Great service. Overall the food was amazing, well worth the money for all the food that you get! The Benihana trio is really good, I would order it again! I thought this place was great for date night or a night out with family. You can dress up or be casual doesn't really matter!

    (4)

  • Charlene I.

    Great enjoyment for a young kid...not so great for an adult's pocket. lol Came here with a party of 24 and even though 22 of us were present they absolutely would not seat us until the other 2 arrived! I thought that was a little inconvenient.. granted, people should be on time, but shit...2 people? Damn man... Anyways! PROS: - Teppanyaki style cooking at japanese steakhouses are always fun! My son was amazed and terrified at the same time to see rising flames and a steaming volcano made from an onion. - service was good aside from the reservation issue... CONS: - Location & parking... (sundays make it a little easier since you can park wherever on the street almost) - Pricey for OK tasting food. I'f I'm gonna rack up a $100 bill I'd want the food to be a little more appetizing All in all, this isn't a bad option for a special celebration... would I come here for a regular meal? Probably not!

    (3)

  • Kathryn E.

    Their lunch time sushi buffet is amazing. Its the reason we come there once a month from way up in Snoho county. Its usually filled with business professionals, as it is right now town. Though I most often go with my retired parents and my 2 year old daughter. They have high chairs, and she is a pretty well behaved child who likes the fruit, the edamame and some of the sushi. Usually the guys in business suits get a kick out of seeing a 2 year old in pigtails numming on some sushi too. Though if you had a pack or more busy kid's this would not be the place for them. You know your kids, if they're calm and polite, they are welcome. The buffet included, fruit, salad, edamame, and miso. Plus a selection of rolls and then the star of the buffet wonderful, generous pieces of nigiri. All you can eat nigiri! I love their yellow tail! Its all fresh and wonderful. There is no better deal around for sushi. Plus it's close to the cool down town library and other down town attractions. One of my favorite spots, yummy sushi and a great bargain during lunch! Plus a full bar, if you're in the mood for a drink.

    (5)

  • Mike C.

    I came here during lunch time for the All-You-Can-Eat weekday lunch special. For $17.47 (after tax), it is a pretty good price if you aren't super picky since the selection is in fact quite limited. The lunch buffet includes sushi, nigiri (love the seared salmon!), fruit, and salad. Your server will also serve you a bowl of miso soup. The sushi is good, but not amazing. I left Benihana satisfied on a full stomach.

    (5)

  • Marianne S.

    I just recently went to Benihana for the first time for my cousins birthday and it was fantastic. The food was delicious and the presentation amazing, as well as the entertainment. It was a nice way to spend a night out, dinner and entertainment a tied up into one. The steak and chicken was great and I loved the shrimp! I could eat that all day. Even the soup and salad they brought first was fantastic. I will go again, when another special occasion comes around.

    (5)

  • Vikki C.

    We came here tonight for a friend's birthday. It was exciting and fun in that it was the first time for both of us here and we though "why not"? There was added incentive as we are both March birthdays and each had a $30 birthday gift certificate to splurge on our meal. I ordered the "Rocky's Choice" which had both hibachi steak and chicken and as with all other teppanyaki entrees comes with an onion soup (nothing too special in my opinion and was a bit watery), a fresh salad (which wasn't bad and the dressing was nice), shrimp appetizer (I think I have concluded that seafood does not taste good cooked this way), vegetables( which was really just zucchini and onions), fried rice (we opted out of getting steamed rice by paying $3.25 extra- the fried rice was actually pretty good but then again, when have you ever heard of getting bad fried rice anywhere?), hot green tea (like you can get at any other Japanese restaurant), and ice cream/ sherbert (I got the orange sherbert which was actually pretty good). ALL the foods had to be dipped into the dipping sauces because they were pretty tasteless/bland by themselves. The quality of the food wasn't amazing neither was the quantity for the price. For the quality and quantity, I could get an equally filling meal somewhere else for probably 1/3 the cost. The only redeeming factor was that their drinks were very tasty. We ordered the white peach sake sangria and it was very sweet and refreshing. Yes, people say that eating here is more for the show than for the food, but I will have to admit that the "show" itself is lackluster as there wasn't much that the chefs did. Overall, with our combined certificates the bill came out to be about $15. Had we not had the certificates, the bill would have come out to be about $75! On a regular occasion, I would honestly not be willing to spend this amount on food of this quality. All in all: Come here for happy hour or for drinks but for food, there are better places.

    (2)

  • Tor W.

    I was curious about the AYCE (All You Can Eat) sushi buffet at lunch, which came out to $17.47 after tax. It was a disappointing and cold experience. They were busy but staff were ill-equipped to accommodate a rapidly-growing throng of people pooling at the front. When I was finally seated at the bar, my server was sulky and not very responsive. The "buffet" itself was quite disappointing, including a small selection of mediocre, slumped-over rolls that don't taste the right temperature. The nigiri seemed rubbery and merely decent. The chefs didn't even bother to push new rolls to the front after the earlier offerings were quickly depleted, and I had to awkwardly stretch with the tongs. This pales relative to my AYCE sushi experiences elsewhere, including the best I've had at Kingsway Sushi in Vancouver and Blue Fin Sushi in Northgate. I ate until I was full, and was still left wanting for some quality. At least the miso soup (included, ask your server) was hot, and the final thing I ate before slinking out of here with a sad sigh. Even for the price, I wouldn't term this a good deal.

    (2)

  • Kelly A.

    Lorraine, Louainne, whatever your name is: rude as hell. Get out of the customer service business and stop answering the phones. You're not fit for the job.

    (1)

  • Chris H.

    If you are going to Benihana it isnt for the food, its for the show, the environment, to be entertained at your table. Its overpriced and the food isn't superb, but you just have to remind yourself its not an authentic Teppan and it is a chain restaurant. Regardless, I still love coming here for dates and birthdays. The chefs that cook tableside always help to lighten the mood and get everybody at the table laughing. I am a big fan of their dipping sauces also, I can taste the ginger just thinking about it. Pour some of that over your rice or dip your meat in it and you will be in hogg heaven.

    (4)

  • Shaun G.

    Excellent food. Great ambiance.

    (5)

  • Yue Z.

    First of all, u need to decide which side of restaurant that u gonna eat. One side is sushi table. U basically eat sushi , just like A regular sushi bar. The another side is where I ate, barbecue. tables with iron flat on top. And one chief will stand right in front of u and cook for u. Really good food and watchable show from chief. But too many stupid questions. Kinda expensive if u order 2 entrees for 2 person. But 1 entree per person will definitely feed u up.

    (4)

  • Michelle G.

    Liked the dinner and how each time. It's always more fun to go in a group of people that you know unless you are really social. The monthly chef's special is a great deal especially if you get the fried rice.

    (4)

  • Hai Yen N.

    $15 sushi lunch buffet. I wish I worked closer so I can come here every day and self-induce a sushi coma. Miso soup, salad, fruit and green tea are included in the price. The nigiri is great; the amount and quality of the fish are excellent. The rolls are decently good and you can request things from the sushi chef behind the bar if you want something besides the standards that are laid out. There isn't a huge amount set out at any one time, so the sushi is being freshly made on a regular basis. Nice servers too. Do you really need more info? Go now!

    (4)

  • Jim T.

    Standard Benihana fare. No surprises, here. But it is fun and the birthday deal is cool, if you sign up well in advance for it.

    (3)

  • Sandy H.

    When I go into Seatle, this is my favorite restaurant. I love the Benihana Chicken and all the sauteed zucchini & mushrooms. I loved the bean sprouts as well, but last time I was there, we were not served any.... have they dropped them from the menu? Lunches are served with steamed rice & green tea. Dinners are served with steamed rice, green tea & salad. And if you run out of rice, they are happy to serve you a second bowl. Don't be afraid to ask for a fork if you are not an expert with chop sticks. I know they tell you the ginger sauce is for one item and the mustard sauce for another. But honestly, I like to dip both the meat or vege's in both sauces. The ginger sauce is especially good just poured over the bowl of rice. And now, they sell the sauces all bottled and ready to take home! Older children may appreciate the showmanship of the chefs, but it's definitely not appropriate for smaller children. With the the hot grill at the center of the table, burns are likely to occur. And, since you're sharing the table with complete strangers, they may not appreciate your children as much as you do. :-)

    (5)

  • Nick L.

    Good service and selection of foods. Chef had a cool personality, I think he would have been more entertaining if the other people that share the table with us were a little more talkative.

    (4)

  • Justin M.

    I love Japanese food and really enjoy watching the show. Our cook was fast and funny! The food was excellent! I will be back!

    (4)

  • Lauren S.

    Staff and management is involved and friendly. Extremely child friendly as well. The staff were so great to my six year old daughter. Food is always yummy. Drinks are amazing. Cant wait to go back. Wish I could eat here every night.

    (5)

  • Serra A.

    Went here recently for dinner with a group of friends. Horrible service, especially from the manager. Food was mediocre AND if you ask for hot sauce they charge you 50 cents! Wow. Skip this place and never look back.

    (1)

  • Chandler N.

    Best Teppanyaki experince ever :)

    (5)

  • Renee B.

    Food is good for the amount you get anyway. Don't come hungry, and don't come expecting a spectacular show. The cooks are nice and even some-what entertaining. However, the wait staff could use a class or two in customer service, maybe even common courtesy. If you are on a first date, I would skip this because of the cabaret seating and the unbelievable background noise.

    (2)

  • Brooke S.

    I'm the Behihana Chef on the SP12..... Bad, ass, all-you-can-eat sushi lunch for $14. That's not wicked cheap or anything, but that's how much you'd probably end up spending on sushi lunch when all is said and done anywhere else. Except for QFC or something. Anyway. ALL YOU CAN EAT. For decent sushi! I really like that they just have a bucket of pickled ginger and you can take a whole bunch. Or maybe that's tacky. Whatevs! I paid $14! Looks like they also have $1 rolls M - F, 5 - 8pm. I'm totally going to hit that up.

    (4)

  • Gail A.

    With the enormous variety of authentic, delicious and affordable Japanese restaurants in the Seattle area, why on earth would anyone want to eat here? I sure didn't, but my well-intentioned sister chose Benihana to celebrate her birthday with family and friends. I read the reviews on yelp prior to dinner - made sure to wear a washable shirt, expected it to be pricey, but was looking forward to the "experience." What an awful experience it was. I expected ok food - it was awful. I thought the chef cooking the food would be entertaining - it was pathetic. The place was packed when we arrived. We waited 35 minutes past our reservation time to be seated. The waitress took another 10 minutes to make an appearance. Whatever, I don't have huge expectations for a busy, chain restaurant such as this. What got me was how awful and gross the food was. For the 20-30 per person price, I at least hoped it would be tasty. It wasn't. It was crap. The "soup" was plain chicken broth with a few mushrooms thrown in. The salad was wilted, with a glop of dressing that tasted like Thousand Island. The frozen shrimp appetizer was ok......I really like shrimp, and I like onions, and those are difficult to mess up. The "terriyaki" was laughable. I cannot believe they pass this off as good meat. It was a bad cut of meat, with a little bit of soy, cooked in canola oil. Greasy, tasteless. I could go to Dick's and eat two deluxe burgers and feel more satisfied and healthy. The chef, or cook, who prepared the meal seemed aware of how lame the show was. I swear I saw him roll his eyes at how boring and pointless it was for him to clang his knife and spatula around. This is supposed to impress us??? Entertain and enthrall us??? He had a slightly pained expression throughout the entire evening, and I felt bad for him. Later that evening, I lay awake in bed planning the yelp review I would write. It was going to be brilliant. Unfortunately, I forgot most of it, and this is what you are stuck with. So please, if you have any appreciation for Japanese/Asian food whatsoever. please do not go to Benihana. EVER. It's an insult to good taste and service. Oh, I almost forgot, you will stink like canola oil for at least two days afterwards.

    (1)

  • Mimi C.

    It's definitely a place you will walk out smelling like the lunch/dinner you just ate, but a place you can expect and see that everything you eat is fresh. All you can eat sushi during lunch is a great deal since Nikko @ Westin closed down years ago (I feel old!). Dinner at the grill is a feast with amount of food they give you - though flavors are all the same and nothing special. Service requires some work...

    (3)

  • John H.

    visited there on a rainy night. place is filled with people, very good business. chief name " D*n**" cooked for us and it wasn't very entertaning compare to the one I went (City of Industry, CA). Food was good but chief was rushing / cooking quick as if we should finish quickly so they can seat next round of customers. I would go back if I get to eat for free ~

    (2)

  • Theresa B.

    We come here a few times a month for lunch for their sushi buffet - big fan of the punch card! Fresh fish, decent rolls, salad, fruit, miso, green tea, and edamame are all included. The sushi chefs have a great sense of humor and like to rouse the regulars. Decent service too. Being that it's across the street from my office, it's easily become one of the regular lunch spots.

    (4)

  • Sarah M.

    It's like Asian food without the Asian. When I walked up to the restaurant and saw two high school girls in bright satiny prom dresses sitting outside in the 40 degree weather, I knew this wasn't the kind of joint that I would ever visit on my own free will. Tonight was my first and hopefully last experience here. There were 8 of us. We were celebrating my friend's daughter's graduation from college along with her boyfriend and his family. As we waited, more teenagers in cupcake-inspired dresses exited the premises. We had a reservation but had to wait anyway. First off, can it really be considered an Asian restaurant if they don't have TOFU ANYWHERE ON THE MENU? I am not just talking about entre's. It was absent from everything from appetizers to sushi! I am seriously asking if there is any other place in Seattle or surrounding area that passes themselves off as "authentic" and blatantly ignores a diet staple. I had some sushi since I saw I couldn't get a tofu stir-fry. (I am trying to let it go) The spider roll instantly fell apart and it was clear that there was no craftsmanship in that or any of the other nigri pieces I got. It was overpriced but considering there are many overpriced sushi joints in town that was not too surprising. Other places though, at least take pride in the art of sushi making. Even the sake was disappointing. Sure, they didn't make the sake, but they sure overpriced it. My friend's LOVED this place. I assume this is because it's an "event" to them. They oohed and ahhed at all the little tricks and cuts the chef did and felt that the price was reasonable! I didn't even know what to say except that a positive review for this place speaks more about the person giving the review then the actual restaurant. This place makes people into snobs because it's so bad you can't help but feel somewhat superior to those people who like it. And then we have to all jump on yelp to purge our system mentally if not physically. The only redeeming quality for this place was its service. For being remarkably busy, we had two or three people making sure we had what we needed. Water and tea was filled promptly, dishes were cleared when needed, and everyone seemed really friendly. I don't mind anything that is simply grilled and seasoned (even though I don't eat meat) but at best it was worth $10 and should have been served in a Styrofoam container to-go because that was the quality. Let me clear, it's not that I'm saying you should never ever go here. If you are the type of person that thinks spending $100 for two people is how people eat out in the "big city," if you have to drive 10 miles to get to a decent restaurant anyway and driving over 20 miles means the food will be that much more special to you, if you are a fan of the movie Cocktail and wish you could see someone do that with your food, or if your diet consists of meat and potatoes and you want to try some "exotic" fare. If you, or a group of people you know, match this criteria, Go here, stay here and please enjoy.

    (2)

  • Iris T.

    We go here at least twice a month. Love it - the food, the people, the sushi. Though if you have issues with having too much sodium, i would not recommend going here. You would leave here feeling like you are having a sodium attack. But...for people like me who love sodium, its not too bad. Oh and if you are part of the Benihana's Club, you get coupons every month, your birthday and anniversary (Buy 1, get one free, $10 off, etc). Def join the club.

    (4)

  • Me H.

    A great stop when you're trying to accomplish a trifecta sushi happy hour downtown. Their happy hour runs from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm but all they offer are $1.00 hand rolls, you know the ice cream cone looking rolls. They are a little on the tiny side for a hand roll but for a buck a piece they are worth it, fresh just the way sushi should be. Plus their mango tini I had went perfectly with my hand rolls. I've been to Benihana a handful of times for their teppanyaki lunch but I've never been that impressed with the food, or the fact I leave the place smelling like I've just spent an hour behind a deep fryer. If you go for lunch or dinner and do the teppanyaki don't wear anything you can't toss in the washer as soon as you get home to get the stink out otherwise you'll start stinking up everything. Oh and wash your hair before you go to bed or your pillows will end up smelling too, trust me on this one. I've yet to make it up there for their all you can get sushi lunch buffet but I hope to soon. I know a few sushi lovers who might want to join me. If the lunch buffet is as good as everyone says I'll come back and give them another star for now it's just 3 even though the $1.00 hand rolls are tasty.

    (3)

  • Abby H.

    It's true, you come to Benihana for the experience. I mean, why else would you wait 20 minutes just to watch someone cook and fling food at your face? Thank God they have parking. I was just incredibly underwhelmed with Benihana. For the prices and they hype of these places, I was expecting a little more fanfare. Our cook was a really nice guy. Not exciting. Amusingly sarcastic. Nothing fancy. Benihana is the meat-and-potatoes version of Japanese cooking, it seems to me. For the veg of the group, you're going to be left wanting, as well. No, after eating at Benihana, I think I'd rather save my money, plunk myself down in front of Iron Chef reruns and eat Top Ramen. At least I'm getting what I paid for.

    (3)

  • Jemima B.

    I recently took a group of college students here. Our group filled two tables, so that was nice. They were very good to our group, and our chef was very nice and did all the tricks and made all the cheesy jokes--exactly what we wanted. Great for groups!

    (4)

  • Andrew C.

    Went here tonight with my family for myself and my dads birthday. The chef was great. Very friendly, funny, obviously great food. Overall, very efficient service, great experience.

    (4)

  • Jerome B.

    Anyone who comes here pays for the experience there, and nothing else. The food was okay, but what really made my time at Benihana, was when the chef cooks right infront of you and twirls his cutlery while fire spews from the hot surface. If there was no show, the price of the food would be outrageous. As you enter the front of the restaurant, they have a wall full of pictures of celeberities that visited the restaurant. Marketing plan and REALLY gimmick-ey. They want you to feel special that you are eating at the same restaurant as eva longoria, dennis rodman, and Ja Rule. I took 2 stars out because of how expensive the food was how it was reflected in what kind of food I got. good show though.

    (3)

  • Tim O.

    Yep, I've been here about 3 or 4 times for the full Benihana experience. Food is good (MAYBE above average. Maybe). The show is interesting. It's sort of like watching someone cook your meal for you. Except they toss the food around a little. Neat. I'm actually going to talk about the HH here. That's b/c I'm a HHH (Happy Hour wHore). $1 hand rolls. That's right - $1. They're like little presents made just for you by the sushi chef and delivered by the grumpiest cocktail waitress known to humankind. Maybe she's grumpy b/c she's slingin' $1 hand rolls all night. Damn, that sounds kinda dirty.

    (4)

  • M. G. D.

    I've been to Benihanas in a couple or three cities. San Francisco and Seattle for sure. Seems like another one too, but I can't recall. This is a chain, but I'd give it a "trusted" place to eat rating just because it is a chain and you know what you'll get. I really like the group seating. Met more than one interesting character by being seated at the same table. Most memorable: "Hi, I'm Fred. I'm an alcoholic." Gotta love those 12 Steps. Anyway, you should get a decent teppanyaki at whatever Benihana you're in. Oh, now I remember! I think I went to one in San Antonio, TX. Business travel is so much fun.

    (4)

  • WENDY B.

    So i heard great things about Benihana`s . Went there last Sunday for a birthday dinner . It`was so fun . Gotta do it again. The chef Tony was funny . The food was awesome ... They have a bunch of pics of famouse people some are super old & they look really young . It`s nice , clean , & A whole alotta fun . Go if you get the chance ....

    (5)

  • Kyle F.

    I have been coming here for over 10 years. The filet minion is better here than at the met. I think the value of the dinner is better than I expect coming to a spot like this.

    (5)

  • Traci J.

    I'm a little bummed. I chose this place for my 50th birthday lunch with co-workers. We go there all the time and always get Rocky's Choice (steak and chicken teppanyaki combination). The last time we went, we got the great big Chinese chef who's been there forever. This time, we got a guy who didn't say boo-squat, other than "how do you want your meat?" He didn't even launch in to the schpeal about what the two different sauces were for. He chopped and cooked like an old grandma and it was painful to watch. The food was done verrryyyy slowly and not all that great. When we usally go, the chefs slap on a big chunk of butter on top of whatever they happen to be making. This guy puts a little bit of butter off to the side and then puts the meat on top of it. The mushrooms didn't sizzle, they just kind of got gray and simmered. The zucchini slices just were lying limp on the griddle and he did that same weird saucing. Instead of chopping them up and tossing around with the sauce, he used a spatula to pour sauce over and then he cut the slices one at a time and gave one slab to each person. Other chefs divvy up the stuff by eyeballing. My friends and I were so disappointed, we were rolling our eyes at each other, like "oh my god, get this over with." I told the longtime manager about our experience and all he had to offer was a photo out front in a souvenir frame. He said alot of others requested that mute chef at dinner, and maybe he was just tired because his wife just had a baby. Aaarrgghhhh. I'm not paying $20+ to eat here again in a long while.

    (2)

  • Brian N.

    I hadn't been there since my high school prom, but we thought it would be fun and its on our buy one get one free card. I wasn't expecting a center cut tenderloin that I didn't need a knife to cut it with. I've been to a lot of steak houses and haven't had a piece of steak melt in my mouth like that in a very long time. The lobster tasted great and I love their fried rice. Yeah, its a little cheesy- the chef looked like he was in his personal hell, its definitely overly priced, but what I ordered was really excellent food. My wife ordered the standard teriyaki beef and shrimp and it was okay, but mine was damn tasty.

    (4)

  • The-Hoa H.

    Okay so apparently you have to have to make reservations in order to even get a table at this place....on top of that your entire party has to be there before anybody could be seated...and the tables seat between 10-16 ppl......so of course you're arriving in groups....and you're going to have to wait! The chefs and waiters/waitresses are all cordial and super diligent at what they're doing. They pay attention to the details of every order...and they do it right. The food is cooked right at the table and you get a show as you eat....My gf and I ordered the filet mignon and hibachi chicken for two....came with an appetizer of gripped shrimp and onions....some onion soup and a small salad.....then we got some pieces of filet mignon and chicken with a bit of rice....portions here are tiny for what you pay....quality is above average in terms of the protein and seafood but what doesn't impress me is the quantity and lack of flavor! Also if you're really counting your calories then ask the chef to lay off the butter for you cuz they use tons of it! That aside the meal was pretty good and was definately fun to watch.

    (4)

  • Ronnie K.

    Enjoyable evening, good food, and fun vibe. The evening started out fortuitously enough with my having received a free drink from the bar. (Apparently, they forgot to charge me for it, and, I'll admit it, I didn't exactly point out the mistake.) For the record, the house merlot at Benihana is pretty tasty... Moving along to dinner. As we were escorted to our seats, I noticed that the smell of fried food was thick. Mind you, I had been warned that I would leave smelling like, well, fried food. I just hadn't accounted for how true this would be. Our cook was entertaining -- albeit, in a cliched, but endearing way -- and the food was really good. (There's something to be said for food that is literally right off the grill.) The highlight of it all was the lovely green tea ice cream that I enjoyed for dessert. Light, creamy, and refreshing. So, going back to the whole fried food smell...we didn't realize how badly we smelled until we were out at a nearby bar afterward, when someone commented as they stood near us that it smelled like fried food (which, would be notable since the establishment we were at does not serve food). We admitted that it was, indeed, us that smelled of all things fried. In summary, don't wear anything fresh from the closet or that would require dry cleaning if you're planning to dine at Benihana.

    (4)

  • R J.

    I have been here in the past with a big group of friends. Its a great place to go if you like seeing your food cooked in front of you. Pricey and small portions, but the food is very decent. I wouldn't recommend this place if you want authentic sushi but great for an entertaining night. I took off a star because the whole time during our meal, I felt as if we were being rushed to get out of there by the staff! We had reservations and still had to wait a good 30 mins when we got there.

    (4)

  • Mandy C.

    i'm writing this review to encompass both the teppanyaki lunch specials and the all-you-can-eat lunch, as I've had both recently. (A) Sushi: There was a big ol' spread at the sushi bar. I went when they had probably just put all the different kinds of sushi out so it was well stocked. I ate a lot of sushi. I stuck to my faves that I like such as eel nigiri and spider crab roll, etc. It was a good deal of food for what, $14 or $15. I ate a lot for that much. Just be sure not to leave the rice and just eat the fish as they wanr they'll charge you for the uneaten rice, I guess. (B) Teppanyaki (what you think of when you think of Benihana - the chefs clanging around on the grill with spatulas and lighting stuff on fire etc.). I am a fan of their New York steak & shrimp -- "Chef's Choice" on the menu. I have had Rocky's Choice but I find the chicken to be not that great; kinda dry and just a lot of meat. It's a kinda fun place as long as you have a talkative chef. We've had a good guy at this place who jokes around with us but the last time I went we got a mute guy. That was a bummer. If we're gonna sit around and watch our food cook, at least spice it up. I need to be entertained!!

    (4)

  • Janet T.

    Not a great spot if you're looking for fresh tasty sushi. This is probably the last place I'd go to if I was craving for rolls since the sushi was terrible and oh so NOT fresh. The teppanyaki is pretty entertaining but totally not worth the price. I've been here twice and both times, not by choice. The prices are ridiculous and I'm guessing you're paying to watch the chefs twirl, be pyrotechnicians, and cook in front of you because it sure isn't for the quality or quantity of food. Don't be fooled by the portions because I think its the waiting that gets you full.

    (3)

  • Mark P.

    Tough decision between 3 and 4 stars. Benefit of the doubt as it was New Years Eve and we made reservations late. Went there because my daughter would like it and she did. Wait in lounge poor service - must close before eating not very clean, friendly or attentive. At dinner seated with good group of peeps; meal was OK; show was pretty good as well. It is what it is and there is probably another similar style place in town but we went for our reason. 150 for 3 for dinner before tip.

    (4)

  • Neil C.

    Overpriced marginal food that you watch being prepared at your table...If you want to spend that kind of money for good food, there are so many other restaurants in Seattle worth trying. Five of us ate there and the bill was close to $300 with tip. I don't think we have spend that much at a restaurant in years. My advice is to skip Behihana unless you want to spend a lot of money on marginal food. You go there for the unusual dining experience, which, lets face it, is just not that unusual.

    (1)

  • Manuel A.

    Initially I was going to give it 3 stars, but when I think about how much I spent, I had to go with 2 stars. Went here for all you can eat sushi lunch, which out the door was $19 with their 18% tip because of our group size. You have to get here right when it opens or all the seats are taken, but they can accommodate large groups if you are there when it opens. The Sushi was alright, with a couple of goods mixed in. They had about a dozen different types and I tried them all + soup+ salad+ pineapple. I think the pineapple was the best thing they had going. If you are a really big eater and you like average sushi, this is probably a good place for you. I on the other hand ate too much and spent 3x what I normally spend on lunch downtown and frankly would have been happier with a $5 sandwich.

    (2)

  • Carrie H.

    What is not to love about flying, sharp knives, and wicked awesome Japanese chefs? Sure, they fill every stereotype, but this is what keeps this place alive! This place is best with a group (get your own chef), so no taking your date here, unless you don't want to see her again.

    (5)

  • Ducky M.

    Hmmmm....finally went to Benihana's for the first time and I just wasn't that impressed. Sure, the show at the table is great fun and great entertainment for the kids and yadda-yadda-yadda, but I really feel like people over-look the food and drink quality (although, i didn't try the sushi and would be willing to give it a shot again after reading the reviews on the sushi here!) As for the "stir-fry-show"-food, I thought everything was pretty BLAND. Just not enough spice and love in the food. Very generic and definitely too expensive for the portion sizes and the quality. I thought the beef, in particular, was pretty bland and just tasted of low quality. This combined with the tiny martinis with big prices, the bartender who resold me a drink that was sent back, and the less-than-thrilled, contrived banter from the chefs made me re-think another visit. Who knows, though. I might check out the sashimi in the bar for a differant take on things.

    (3)

  • S C.

    The food is quite good. I love the tepanyaki style, so anything coming off of a hot iron will make me happy. However, it's almost painful to keep up with the oohs and aaahs pretending I am totally amazed at the chef for his mediocre performance. I go here because they're on the list for my buy-one-get-one entree free card, but I probably wouldn't go if I had to pay the full price, except for a few pieces of nigiri sushi at times. They had the best uni in town.

    (3)

  • Amy B.

    If you are looking for an all-you-can-eat lunchtime sushi place downtown this is a good bet. Its cozy and never too crowded. A bit of an undiscovered hideaway. Its good. While the selection isn't huge, they'll make pretty much anything for you if you ask. Overall, good value for your $14.

    (4)

  • Ass Man Z.

    This place is like the Studio 54 of sushi...a real throwback to the 70's. Unfortunately, the food is so-so, but whatever..it's fun.

    (3)

  • Heidi P.

    If TI thinks Benihanas is cool enough talk about it in his lyrics, then it must be a place to check out, right? I think the place is actually cooler in theory than it is in action. It's definitely a novelty restaurant. Hence the reason you spend $30.00 a plate and accept the fact that unless you call in with a reservation of 8 people, you will be forced to sit next to a random stranger. We got to sit at the end of a table, which was nice, but I had to sit across from a sour faced guy who looked as if Benihana's was the last place on earth he wanted to be. We were by the front door so it was noisy and hard to hear the chef crack his jokes. However, It was entertaining to watch him cook up the food. The food itself was pretty plain. The dipping sauces definitely made them tastier. I had Lobster, Scallops and Shrimp. For $30.00, I thought my dinner was a pretty good value. I Brought home a good bit of my rice and seafood. I was stuffed. The portions were pretty generous, so it really wasn't a bad deal. The grilled veggies-onions, mushrooms, and zucchini were really good. I was shocked to look over and see that Sadler (my anti-veggie bf) ate all of his. Sadler's dinner came with ice cream. I ordered green tea ice cream for something like 3 bucks extra. The service wasn't overly friendly, but very efficient. I wasn't wowed by anything, but I also have no complaints. We were able to use our passport card, which brought our $70.00 dinner down to $40.00. We enjoyed our dinner and the experience, and were happy that we tried it out, at least one time.

    (4)

  • Michelle V.

    One word says it all: YUM!

    (5)

  • J H.

    I've dined at the hibachi grill one time, but I have eaten here... maybe 30 times for sushi. I go once a week for lunch, and they have an amazing buffet!! I almost want to rate it lower so that I never have to wait for a seat :) They know me, they are nice, they make great sushi. Their cuts are top notch, makes me want to go TWICE this week!

    (5)

  • M S.

    I had the steak and shrimp combo w/ fried rice. I love the fried rice and the shrimp was also really good. The steak was tender (although I ordered well done and it was still bloody so I couldn't eat all of it). However, it did take a little while to get the meal started after we were seated.

    (4)

  • Hailee P.

    Its entertaining and good food but not worth the spending. Everything is seasoned with the same stuff, its kinda tired and boring.

    (3)

  • John K.

    Didn't get enough water, but the food and presentation was so good that I'm still giving this five stars.

    (5)

  • Maria C.

    The beef they use does melt in your mouth and the show can really be a lot of fun, with flying knives and all that, and kids really do love it. You shouldn't be shy if you want to eat here, because unless you're part of a big group, you'll be eating with strangers around the grill.

    (4)

  • Joelle A.

    I did not have such a good experience here. I went for a friend's surprise birthday celebration, and the host had made reservations for our group on a Saturday night. It seemed to also be the dinner destination for quite a few high school students before heading to their semi-formal dance, so the restaurant was packed. Since the restaurant wouldn't seat us until our entire party arrived and the surprise guest of honor was running a little late, we ended up waiting in the entry way for quite a while after our full party had arrived. Once we were seated and went to order, we were told that they had run out of some of the menu selections. The chef working behind the grill did not engage our group very much, and the staff seemed to have difficulty in addressing some members of the group's concerns about dietary restrictions and our frustrations with being seated so long after many of us had arrived. I certainly wouldn't go back.

    (2)

  • Angela S.

    Benihana, been here several times. Its good food and entertainment at a pretty high price. I came here with some friends last night. I always forget how amazing the friend rice is. The rest of the food is good. Just not fantastic on any level you can rate a restaurant.

    (3)

  • Nadine W.

    Four stars for the kid-friendly atmosphere but only three for the food. At first it seems expensive but it is actually a great deal and ideal for kids of all ages. This place is extremely popular, especially with families. Every table has children ranging from infants to junior high. We went there with our 19 month hoping that the entertainment of watching the chef perform throughout the dinner would keep her entertained and it did! Needless to say, they are very child friendly. They offer a children's menu that turns into a chef hat, mock-cocktails for little ones, and a fun show performed by a chef who stands at the center of your communal table preparing the food. This would be a great place for a child's birthday party. The meal itself was very good value and includes an appetizer, soup, salad, vegetables, main courses, tea & desert all for one price. We got their Rocky special which was around $24 and their shrimp and steak combo which was around $26. They also offer a full sushi menu here. The food is good but nothing miraculous. Make sure you have a reservation though as this place gets packed.

    (3)

  • Jessica P.

    Love this place! I have now been here two times and it's a great experience. It's best to go with a large group of friends! When you order be sure to order some Sushi to start with because it's soooo delicious and you can take left overs home if you can't finish. The chicken was cooked a little longer than I would have preferred as it had that dry taste but the steak we ordered was delicious! I like my steaks medium done and my husband rare so we ordered med-rare and we got medium which was good on my part not so much for hubs. So if you do get steak it's more done then expected. Otherwise awesome experience!

    (4)

  • Jake L.

    Thoroughly disappointing. Benihana features teppanyaki style dining with a high-class twist--and prices to match. My date and I ordered a filet mignon and chicken combo alongside some warm sake and fruit smoothies. The smoothies were actually quite tasty, and the sake wasn't bad, though I'm not a frequent sake drinker so it's hard for me to judge the quality. As is standard of teppanyaki, the restaurant experience goes well beyond the taste of the food. The chefs (who came out after an unfortunately long wait) cook right in front of you, juggling their knives and flipping food onto your plate. It's impressive fanfare and foofaraw but at Benihana it seems to come at the expense of good food. A lot of our food was overcooked and underseasoned. The fried rice we ordered was drenched in soy sauce to the point that it wasn't enjoyable, and the chicken was served as just that: plain chicken. The filet was tasty but I've had a lot of filets and it wasn't on the high end. If you like a show and have money to spare, Benihana is for you. High prices and mediocre taste prevent me from giving a better review.

    (2)

  • Marisa S.

    I normally am a Benihana fan. But, this location is not the best. They did accept my reservation and have a table ready when we arrived. But, there service was just average and our chef did not do a very good job. My friend did not even eat her dinner! It was a bit of a disappointment. This is the restaurant I chose to celebrate my Birthday.=(

    (3)

  • Liz D.

    Salt. So much salt in everything. The Chef was entertaining and the service was excellent. The food on the other hand was mediocre at best. The food doesn't justify the price tag.

    (2)

  • Alexis P.

    edit_ giving them one more star for their all you can eat sushi buffet. it's pretty much teh sh1t I went there once because my boyfriend is absolutely in love with this place, and he was going to ask me out that night. haha. Anyways, I had a hard time figuring out why he was so fascinated by this place... the food was very overpriced. the chef person that made food for the table we sat at seemed really rude.. maybe he thought he was being entertaining. He pretty much only talked to a kid who was sitting at our table in Japanese. Back to food again... Their food really is b l a n d. that really is the word... if you look up bland in dictionary, a picture of benihana steak should be right there next to it. My mom makes WAY better teppan yaki than them, I swear. They give you sauce stuff for dipping your food in, but they also taste kind of... confusing. one kind is really salty, while the other kind is... I can't quite explain, but definitely better than the way salty one.. because I remember only dipping my food into that one. The soup is also interesting too, can't say it's delicious.. it's alright, not anything amazing. it's garlicy and i like garlic. hey it's soup.. that comes with the meal. Anyways, I think we ordered two of the cheapest entree there, and the check was about $46. I would probably never go back again... but since everyone here raves about their all you can eat sushi during lunch time, so maybe I will check that out sometime. So let me correct myself.. I would never go back there for dinner. But I probably will because my boyfriend loves it and I will take him there for his birthday.

    (3)

  • Jason S.

    Atomosphere fun, and good place to go for a company function. Not for a nice two person experience. Food healthy,flavorable, not bland at all. Cook's personality varies on who you get. Parking is validated, but easy to miss entrance. Long wait on a Friday night, be prepared to sit and have some sake.

    (3)

  • Randy H.

    This was the first place I went to eat in Seattle when arriving to Washington, and I enjoyed it! The excellent knife tricks the chef does, that tasty food, the erupting Onion, aww man, wut a great time! The food was deeeeeeelicious!

    (5)

  • Corrine C.

    Came here for dinner last Friday with the hubby before our Wicked show. Made reservations over the phone for 5:30pm. Finding street parking was crazy - fyi: there's a garage next door that Benihana will stamp and it will cost $4 to park. As I was waiting for the hubby to find parking- I looked at the wall of celeb photos. They were starting to get pretty busy- I would recommend making reservations on a Fri. evening. Seated pretty quickly after the hubby arrived- they wouldn't seat me w/o him. We waited for them to fill the rest of our table area and got our hot towels. We ordered the Hibachi Steak, Hibachi Chicken, and a rainbow roll. The roll was alright- I've had better and worse. The show was just alright too... I used to come here for lunch when I worked nearby and remember the energy level being more exciting. Our chef was kind of quiet. Popped a few shrimp tails into his hat, made the little onion volcano, but that was pretty much the highlights... Food was good. You get miso, salad, shrimp appys, then main course with veggies (zukes, onions, shrooms) with a bowl of rice. Just the right amount of food- we were full and didn't have to carry leftovers home.

    (3)

  • Kook T.

    the food was great the hostess/manager at front desk was very rude..

    (4)

  • Deborah K.

    Three for dinner last night. Very attentive but not hover-y service. Excellent fresh ingredients prepared in front of your eyes, entertainingly and with a flourish by your chef in that initmitable Benihana style. The onion volcano is fun, and then you eat it! About $120 for three with a mojito or beer apiece, including soup, rice & salad plus tip - pricey but worth it. An occasion or out-of-town guest night, especially if they like slightly exotic but are not into the raw sushi experience. The waitress almost apologized for having to tell us about the unagi (freshwater eel) special; too weird? I ordered it, delicious, buttery and savory. Now B's has sushi, separate menu and a sushi bar. Benihana's is a tradition like Trader Vic's, only with real Japanese food. Enjoy!

    (4)

  • Rob M.

    Went to Benihana for a birthday party with a 8:30 reservation for 15 people. We checked in at 8:25 and were told they were running about 10-15 minutes behind and that we could wait in the bar, no big deal. It took 15 minutes for the bartender to even look at us and another 5 minutes to get the drinks we ordered all while we sat AT the bar. We checked with the hostess after getting drinks and she said it was going to be another 5-10 minutes. We ordered another drink and waited another 15 minutes and asked the hostess about our tables. The hostess said, "I told the server to get you, why didn't you come?" No one had come to get us, no server even passed us. My girlfriend politely told her this and she just kept repeating "I told the server, why didn't you come?" So this was annoying but we were at least on our way to being seated. We were walked to "our" table, a 10 top, sat for 11, reserved for 15. We literally had to have people sit away from the table with their plates on their laps. The food was meh, the show was non-existent and the bill for the lady and I was near $150. Did they offer any comps or any other semblance of remorse for messing up, no. NEVER GOING THERE AGAIN

    (1)

  • Lagwana E.

    Well, I don't know why, but I really like Behihana. I just think it is great to have entertainment while you eat and I love tepanyaki. The food is predictable Behihana, but for me, that is a good thing. I especially like the shrimp and steak option and the yummy sauces they give you for dipping. Yeah, it is a little pricey, but not too bad, and I always come away full.

    (4)

  • megan d.

    sushi! i know this place is a chain but they have the best buttery salmon sashimi! this was the last place i would expect to have good sushi but i can't say enough about the quality! and there's an awesome "hand roll" happy hour from 6-9 pm. And of course there is diner show thing is which is still a great stand by for parties.

    (5)

  • Rick L.

    Always lots of fun, sharp knives, lots of tasty food cooked in front of you. It may not be actually having dinner in japan, and yeah it's kinda corporate, but it's always fun, and damn - it's yummy :)

    (5)

  • Jenny Y.

    I took my friend to Benihana for her birthday. We had the sushi buffet for lunch. During our lunch, the waiters and waitresses, 5 different people, came over 5 TIMES to tell me that I had to eat the rice or I would be charged. I do have a habit of eating them separately. Is it illegal to eat the fish and rice separately? (Plus, the rice was very sour with too much vinegar added.) I can't believe that a restaurant would interrupt a customer's meal 5 TIMES for this. And they didn't say it in a very nice manner, either. Also, while I was eating, they kept coming over to the table asking me if I wanted a check. This is very rude and unacceptable. It was my friend's birthday so I didn't want to make a scene and complain. I did finish everything on the plate. I used to go to Benihana a lot for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. However, after this experience, I will NEVER EVER step into the restaurant again.

    (1)

  • MM R.

    Experiential dining. Grab a group so you fill an entire table/grill. Familes are welcome and the kids love the show! Great for birthdays and special family occasions as this isn't an entirely cheap date. Grandparents enjoy it too. No flaming cocktails but lots with umbrellas, swords and fruity garnish (again, the kids love that!) They often will have early dinner specials, pre-theater, etc. Food is absolutely consistent, good and I think, pretty healthy.

    (4)

  • Ku S.

    My favorite place to go for my birthday. Unfortunately they don't fully validate parking anymore.

    (4)

  • Kyle W.

    QUICK SUMMARY: Great food, incredible service, and good prices. Such a fun experience! And if you got a Passport Unlimited dining card, then this is one of the best deals in Seattle! FULL SUMMARY: My girlfriend and I love going to Benihana because every dining experience is a fun and entertaining opportunity. We have a Passport Dining card which gives us two meals for $40, so you can't complain about the price. That even includes their Hibachi Supreme which has the most tender steak and a lobster tail! The staff is extremely helpful and quick to refill your drinks. They have gluten-free options so my girlfriend never misses out on the quality of the food. And they cook right in front of you so that is quite entertaining . You are seated with a group of strangers as the tables are communal, but it's never been an issue when we go. I fully recommend going there for a fun date or anniversary!

    (5)

  • Elysium C.

    My family goes here for all our birthdays because they have one of the most generous birthday coupons around! $30 off the birthday meal! And the food is amazing! We always request Sergio as our chef because he is great and very entertaining. It's a fun place to go with big groups as well as a small group because you get to meet interesting people at your table!

    (4)

  • A D.

    Came here for a birthday celebration. Kind of pricey, but the experience is totally worth it. I was completely mesmerized by chef (Miguel). His cooking skills kept hold of my attention, and he would crack these adorable jokes that entertained our whole table. The food itself was not super impressive. It kind of lacked outstanding flavors, but wasn't BAD. The drink selection is pretty good.

    (3)

  • Akili P.

    For being the place that it's supposed to be. I'm not all too hyped up about it. I thought this place was supposed to give you that WOW factor. But, the gentleman that served us was funny and entertaining. I can see why people come for the entertainment, but for the food...... I'm not so excited about. The price point was higher than other places that I have at at but I strongly believe you are paying for the entertainment and the name.

    (4)

  • Cory Z.

    The service here is superb - as it should be, since the menu pricetag is quite spendy compared to the other teppanyaki places around here. I went with my girlfriend and three other friends without making a reservation (on a Saturday night to boot). I consider it luck that we ONLY had to wait 45 minutes for a table. I guess the snow that day was a helpful factor but I digress. Food-wise, it's pretty good - especially the filet mignon; very juicy and tender. The chicken that we got with it, not so much. It was a tad bit dry and overcooked, to the point that the ponzu dipping sauce could not save it. The group that we were seated with at our chef's table ordered lobster tails - now THOSE looked really good! =9 Overall I was pretty satisfied at my experience here. The chef was very entertaining and skilled, and the supporting cast of employees were all very kind, courteous, and professional. I may come here again if I decide to splurge.

    (4)

  • Opal D.

    The chef we got didn't do ANY theatrics... I'm not exaggerating - he did NOTHING! No flying shrimp tails, volcano onions... not even any semi-fast chopping... he simply cooked the food, scooped it on our plate (with as much fan fare as I would at home), and walked away. WE FELT CHEATED! The food was tasty, portions were large, and the fish-bowl sized beverage we shared was extremely tasty and strong (albeit extremely sweet).

    (1)

  • Camille C.

    I just recently made a dinner reservation for 25 people for my boyfriend's surprise birthday dinner & they were sooooo accomodating! I had the Chicken Teriyaki with no mushrooms w/ fried rice & shrimp. So YUMMY! Especially the shrimp! I tried a piece of the steak my boyfriend ordered & ohmygoodness, it was so tender! Melt in your mouth, seriously! They give you big servings, it might not seem like it but believe me, they do. We also did SAKE BOMBS, my first. I brought a cake in from an outside vendor which they charged a 10 cent per head slicing fee which wasn't much but just giving you Yelpers a heads up! If you sign-up for the Chef's Table they will send you a $30.00 gift certificate good for the month of your birthday. Just make sure to bring your ID because they will thoroughly check it. The guy at the front desk was so AWESOME! He took so many pictures for us & with us. Quite a character to end the night with. Thanks BENIHANA's for making my boyfriend's birthday dinner a SUCCESS! I will for sure be back for my birthday when I get my Chef's Table gift certificate! [=

    (5)

  • Gilad B.

    Not a lot to say here. Fun, friendly, good food, and great outing. With Benihana you know what your gonna get and its great. Come and enjoy the meal and I will say its not as expensive as I thought.

    (4)

  • Ariel B.

    Went for sushi a few weeks ago. The rolls were bland, dry and tasteless and poorly constructed. I've had better california rolls at QFC and that's saying something. I know their cooked food is good but stay away from the sushi bar at all costs.

    (1)

  • Chrys H.

    I have to be completely truthful in saying that I arrived not expecting a truly excellent meal and I freely admit that my experience that evening exceeded my expectations. I had a 9pm reservation which I realize was within 30 minutes of closing time. I also had a voucher for a birthday anniversary which required a two entree' order. I explained that my wife had a medical issue and could not attend and would they be able to accommodate my request and withing seconds the agreed. I took the additional step of printing out my menu request since it was within minutes of closing time and I thought the gesture wold be appreciated since half of the entire order was going to be takeout (which was sushi and sashimi since I was traveling home to Bainbridge Island). At the teppanyaki table the chef asked if anyone had any food allergies and one person mentioned sesame seeds and I volunteered that I didn't eat meat of any kind although I do eat fish of all kinds as I order the Surf Side. I can say without reservation that the chef was absolutely sensitive to my situation as he was very studious about asking if the chicken could be prepared at the same time, etc. His name was not on the final bill but he deserves accolades for his sensitivity. All in all is was a great meal. I wouldn't say that it was the absolute best seafood combination that I've ever sampled but it was very satisfying and the community atmosphere added to the experience. Now, the best part of the entire meal, and I kid you not, was the quality of the sushi and sashimi. I've been around, so to speak, and I can honestly say that the quality of the selection that was given to me was far beyond average. I would actually rate it in the top ten in terms of presentation and quality. My order consisted of Tako sashimi, Eel sashimi, Ika sashimi, Maguru sashimi, Tobiko sushi and Maguro sushi along with two Salmon Skin HR. Perhaps it was a good day but I can wholeheartedly recommend the selection that I ordered and it was spectacular. By the way, the server was Rita and she was very professional, attentive and punctual. I do not know the name of the general manager but I believe that he deserves accolades as well as I believe that he was the one who approved the accommodation that I requested and was readily accepted. I will definitely return and in my opinion this is an excellent restaurant to entertain out of town guests.

    (5)

  • Dan P.

    This is the only Benihana in Seattle. The tables were kind of small in the hallway where we sat. I looked over to the main dining area and the tables looked bigger there. We parked in the IBM building and they validated so it was a little cheaper. Our chef was pretty good and did all the fun stuff. He made a mistake and gave my wife's filet mignon to me and gave my cheap steak to her. I was happy...she wasn't so happy.

    (4)

  • Tom S.

    Have been coming here my whole life with the family. It's a great experience if you've never been. The food is so good. Get the fried rice

    (5)

  • Courteney M.

    I just had an amazing birthday dinner at Benihanas! The Hibachi Steak was delicious but U kept eyeing the Jumbo Mango Shrimp too! The service was great! I also signed up at Benihanas website and recieved a 30 dollar birthday dinner voucher for my meal.

    (5)

  • Kelly L.

    I'm not sure why this place is so popular. Food is not good, beef was choice quality which is the lowest and it's pricey.

    (2)

  • Drew R.

    I love Benihanas and have been to many across the country. This particular location, though, will leave you wanting better service. They "turn and burn" you - meaning that the busboy is literally at your table trying to put your food in to go boxes just 5 minutes after you've been given your food. And they also try to get out of serving you the free ice cream that comes with your meal. Instead of telling you that your meal came with free ice cream, they instead say, "would you like some dessert?". Tricky! I say go - the food is good - but just be prepared to stand your ground and stay as long as you need to to finish your meal even though they'll try to get you out and be sure to ask for your dessert! ;-)

    (3)

  • Alex G.

    I signed up for the Benihana's mailing list which promised you a free birthday dinner during the month of your birthday. They've been sending me emails with all of their promotions and specials for a year, sometimes several times a week. After a year of the junk emails, they stopped a couple of weeks before my birthday. I didn't get my free birthday dinner coupon either. When I contacted them, I got a response from Benjamin that they de-activated my account (conveniently right before my birthday) because I didn't click on the links in their emails. So they want you to click on the links in their emails for a year so that you can get a free birthday dinner. Sounds pretty ridiculous to me. Horrible customer service.

    (1)

  • Gerald Q.

    I forgot our chef's name, but he was very informative that he might as well be a tour guide for Seattle too, great cook, great food, all the staff has excellent customer service. I go to Benihanas in CA and this one by far is at the top.

    (5)

  • Danica S.

    The fried rice, soup and shrimp were good. Steak was over cooked and veggies aren't anything to rave about. The company and entertainment was the highlight of dinner and made the $60 bill worth it. Skip the cheesecake. It had a whipped-like texture and thick gelatin glaze that was pretty icky. Ah well, maybe I'll stick with seafood next time.

    (3)

  • kris r.

    A little pricey but what do you expect in a downtown location restaurant. Food was okay, their wasabi was not even hot or taste like wasabi. The show was short but other table next to us had a wonderful show. Sushi was overpriced for what you get. I come here once every 3 years when family is in town.

    (3)

  • Glenn B.

    Overrated. The show with the chefs preparing the food is fun but after experiencing that, I recommend going to another steakhouse where the focus is on craftsmanship and not show. The steaks came out good but not great. The sushi wasn't the best I've ever had. I'm not sure if the soup is made in house but it was awesome. So for the price, I would go to a great steakhouse. Keep in mind that I'm rating the food and not the show. For someone who's not picky about food and they are entertained by the funny performance, it's a great, fun place. For that, it's worth going to. But if it's just you and a few people who savor GREAT food, skip it and go elsewhere.

    (3)

  • Ruby P.

    Just the show is worth the price Food lacks flavor very bland The fried rice is the best thing on the menu But love the birthday dessert and song thing :) thank you

    (3)

  • Jane W.

    Wonderful service. Went with my boyfriend as he got the $30 off coupon for his birthday. The servers were very attentive, chef was kind and funny. We both got the filet, and it was delicious with the fried mushrooms and shrimp appetizer. They even took a photo as we sat down, and printed it out for us before the meal had begun with a "Happy Birthday" written on it! We were also surprised with a small cup of ice cream at the end of our meal. It seemed a little empty when we were there, but then again it a tuesday night. The lovely staff were so kind throughout the night. Left a great impression!

    (5)

  • Sarah M.

    After seeing this place on The Office, I wasn't sure that I wanted to go somewhere super kitschy but my husband insisted...and I caved...and it was on the Prime Card...and close to the theater...so off we went. While totally cheesy, I had such a good time! You sit down at a big table with a bunch of other people...there were 5 others at ours in addition to us. Then you order off of a menu - even though I came in hungry, I probably could have done without the sushi appetizer as I made it about half way through my meal before I was stuffed. There are different options of steak, filet mignon, lobster, shrimp, chicken, etc. and as expected, a chef comes out and cooks it while doing all sorts of tricks. As much as I wanted to poo-poo it, there were some that were actually pretty impressive. Maybe we had a good chef. He joked around with the little boy at our table and kept everyone engaged. I had the filet mignon, chicken, and shrimp and my husband had lobster with filet mignon and shrimp. All of this came with onion soup, salad, vegetables, and rice - you can pay extra for fried rice which is totally worth it. Then you get the meat and then ice cream for dessert. The soup and salad were both very good. The soup, while designated as "onion" tasted more like miso soup with fried onions in it. Pretty good. The salad came with a ginger dressing which was awesome. Loved it. The vegetables (zucchini, mushrooms, and onions) were also great sauteed with soy sauce and oil. The fried rice was awesome! Probably one of my favorite parts besides the filet mignon. The filet mignon, I must admit, was some of the most tender meat I've ever had in my life. I ordered it medium and it was perfect. Melted like butter. The chicken I wasn't impressed with - I bit into a piece that tasted like it was raw so I spit it out. Wouldn't recommend. This whole feast would have been much more expensive had we not had our prime card. It was only $40 for the two of us not including my spiked punch and sushi appetizer. Otherwise, it's about $40 per person for what we ordered. So basically 50% off which is not bad. A very MINOR nuance that only gluttonous people would point out (me) but if you sit at the end of the table to the right of the chef, I got way less food than everyone else. Not that it was a big deal since I had more than enough but I tended to get the scraps and the charred bits that were scraped off of the grill. Again, minor point. Fun place - would be great to come here for a family event or with a big group of friends.

    (4)

  • Mina M.

    I love Benihana's. Their food is not amazing, amazing but it's enough to make you crave for it once you find the things you like. I have had my prom dinner here and a birthday dinner here and they really up their service for your special event. Yes, you do sit with other people if you have a small party of maybe 7 or less. If you have bad anxiety than you should probably sit at the end of the table or sit in between who ever you're with. There are friendly people in this world and will say "Good bye. Have a nice night" when you're about to leave because you've just shared lunch or dinner with them at the same table. They get busy very fast so if you have a small party of 2 or 3, you can get seated pretty fast. If you happen to end up in that 3-4 closing time and still want their food, I suggest eating a small meal as their dinner is very filling. Try Specialty's across the street for a sandwich or a soup and explore the city. Their sushi is good and I like that they have half orders if you just wanted a little bit and not a whole roll. I have not tried anything raw from there yet as I have always shared my sushi with whom ever I was with who always liked everything cooked. I know, how boring. Their seafood is good. Scallops, HUGE. Their steaks are excellent. Vegetables excellent. Dinner soups are excellent. Their chicken is good. Their prawn/shrimp is also good. Their ice cream is well.. ice cream. Their lemonades are refreshing. I usually get a soda or a water so I cannot tell you about their other custom drinks. Their waiter/waitress service is very good. They check up on you, refill your drinks, take away your plates, and immediately start cleaning up after you leave. Their chef service is amazing. They usually make you laugh and get to know you better to make sure you have a great experience. Only a few are shy or tired or have run out of what to say or when there's a only a few of you at the table. They always ask if you need anything more like their special dipping sauces. I have never seen any of them get their orders wrong. They're also really good with kids. I've seen lots of kids with chef hats, easy to use chopsticks, and their own drink cups. For a dinner for two, our total is about $60 to $100. About $25+ per item and maybe a little less during lunch time.

    (5)

  • Barry L.

    We went here on my bday looking forward to the usual 'Benihana standard' of stellar service and outstanding performance of the staff. Unfortunately that came to a screeching halt about 2 minutes after we were seated. Welcome to the world of June, our server. Wow talk about a buzz kill. She was awful from the moment she started talking at our table. I knew it was all downhill when she didn't even make eye contact with me anymore. I don't know what her problem is, but everything she did was delayed. From the time we order drinks to her general awful attitude. Thanks for making my Benihana Birthday the worst June. I would avoid her at all costs.

    (1)

  • Jeremy Y.

    Tried this out for the first time with a co-worker last week. The staff was very friendly and the ambiance was nice, but the sushi was just so-so. We went there for their all-you-can eat sushi lunch special for $14.95.

    (2)

  • Michael R.

    Very entertaining and fun place to get dinner. I do enjoy the food but it isn't amazing, so you are paying for the show essentially. Not a place I would go regularly, but somewhere you can go when you are looking for a dining experience a little different from your everyday sit down, order, have your food brought to you experience.

    (3)

  • Dicky L.

    I went to Benihana for anniversary dinner with my girlfriend. We park at the IBM garage where you can get the restaurant to validate and only pay $4 for parking. We made reservation ahead of time and when we get there we waited about 15 minutes before we actually seated in. I understand that they need to get 8 people together before they can sit us in the teppanyaki table. When we finally sit on the table, the greeter ask us if we have any special occasion, we mentioned about our anniversary and then he took a photo of us and gave it to us about 10 minutes later which I think it's a really nice gesture of them. What amazed me is the chef, if you are lucky to get Sergio as your chef, you will be entertained. He is very skillful and will make your dinner time really fun. When I went to the bathroom, I looked at other chefs and I'm glad that we have Sergio as our chef. I would only gave 4 stars if our chef is so-so but we have wonderful dinner experience with him. I could not believe he play with the egg yolk and toss it up high in the air, and catch it again with his spatula. I thought the yolk will splash all over the place but he did it many times again! The food itself is amazing, if you order the teppanyaki set, it comes with shrimp appertizer, grilled veggies, friend rice, soup and dessert. You will definitely full with the amount of food they gave. I ordered the lobster and fillet mignon. The meat tastes great and tender. The lobster itself is yummy and buttery. I'm glad I came here for our anniversary dinner.

    (5)

  • Kayla H.

    I love me some teppanyaki! (sp?) And I have never been to Benihana before. Came here for lunch with the bosses on the corporate card WHOOP WHOOP. I had teriyaki beef and it was DELICIOUS. Jose was our chef and he was AWESOME. He was super funny and had some good puns. He spoke pretty softly so you had to listen closely to what he was saying and then you realized how funny he was. We had a good time. All of our food was really good. I would definitely come back here. This place is so hidden in seattle but it is bigger than in looks.

    (4)

  • Joni G.

    We took my dad here for his birthday. He and my brother had never been so I was excited about taking them. I had brought a cake and they informed me there was an additional charge for them to take it out to my dad which was odd but I agreed. The dining "show" was great and entertaining. Our waitress was ok. Not the best and not the most attentive as they were very busy. She could have been better. We each ordered filet mignon and lobster. The filet was cooked perfect but was extremely bland. We noticed that other parties received a huge bday celebration with singing and my dad did not and we also paid additional for the serving of his bday cake which basically consisted them of placing the bday candles which I brought on the cake and cutting and plating it for us. The entire process was rushed and we were given our bill immediately. I understand that they were busy and the best was to increase revenues is to speed the customer turnover experience but I expected more of a special experience for my father's bday. I probably won't be back here in a while.

    (2)

  • Claire V.

    This place takes forever I'm sitting here in the restaurant waiting for my check back, it's been 30 mins I got here at 7:30 and now it's 9:30... The waitress is very inattentive and rude.

    (2)

  • Bill D.

    I love this place, great food, great service, we have been many times and it is always great..

    (4)

  • Mary N.

    Scariest dining experience of my life. Benihana is the McDonald's of hibachi and we enjoy our visits in different cities around the US. This was our worst experience by far. The chef came out and was unhappy to be there. To begin he refused to give us sauce, put raw meat on my plate (to be funny), and grumbled at our request. He felt bad and gave us more food. We were so scared we continued to look down and avoided eye contact even when my food was not cooked to my preference. Perhaps this was his twist, grumpy sarcastic chef. I want a pleasant experience.

    (1)

  • Natalie P.

    I've been a long time Benihana fan; I've frequented the one in Beaverton since childhood. I was really excited to take my boyfriend here for our anniversary as he had never been, but I honestly wish we would've dealt with the long drive and gone down to Oregon. The people at the front desk were great - very friendly. The layout is kind of weird, it's sectioned off in an "L" shape. The waitress was the worst I've had at Benihana. As we were going in order of the table to order drinks, my boyfriend fell first and wanted just water; I actually BEGAN stating my order and she talked over me asking for the next party's drink order. Not an overly big deal, but pretty disrespectful.. Especially since I was about to order a $9 drink. She seemed rushed throughout our entire meal, and it wasn't even busy that evening. I do have to say, though, that our chef and the front staff earned the stars in this review. I am just very unhappy with the waitress. My boyfriend doesn't speak for me (like it seemed like she was assuming) and I really dislike that she disregarded anything I said that evening (I even had to ask for steamed rice after everyone had already received theirs and the fried rice was served!) Overall, the food was delicious as always but I've received consistently far better service in Oregon. Kind of a let down for our anniversary.

    (3)

  • Arry Y.

    Pretty damn fun place to get together for birthday dinner if I may say so myself. I'd do it again, too. Pros: -- steak (fillet) hibachi is really really delicious (very tender!) -- any seafood hibachi, particularly lobster, is really delicious -- the ginormous punch bowl cocktail is 60 oz of fun -- all the cocktails with umbrellas in'em = it's like being on vacation! -- the hibachi guy that cooks your food in front of you, awesome -- hibachi = insta-tasty-entertainment -- pretty quick seating if you RSVP, plus a bar where you can wait too -- the salad/salad dressing is delicious Cons: -- the kids and teens that go there for date night (tho can be slightly entertaining) -- hibachi makes your cloths/hair smell - but that's ok. Just be prepared -- hibachi rice is delicious... but it also lacks salt. Not sure I'd go to a funtastic hibachi place and order anything else... so haven't tried the sushi or anything. For your birthday, they even take/print a photo for you to take too - it's literally like being on vacation. :)

    (3)

  • Ninette C.

    This was such a fun lunch hour! My friend (Matt N.) and I went today for lunch- not only was it fun, this is a crazy good deal with a passport card! The passport card covered any two hibachi lunch entrees for $18. My friend had the beef and scallops while I had the shrimp and scallops. Apparently everyone gets a bit of shrimp so I would order something else, but there are no other seafood entrees for lunch. I liked the proteins and the vegetable rice was very good. I liked the amount of mushrooms received. The chef didn't put on a big show but my friend and I were busy talking so he probably took the hint. No one at our table seemed like they were there for the show. haha. The forgot my friend's scallops at first so I gave him some of mine, but we noticed that I got 8 scallops and they later only gave him 5. He was kind of sad about that. haha. I couldn't help but compare this to my experience at Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse in Woodinville. I know that Benihana is "fancier," but I liked Tokyo a little better. I went to Tokyo for dinner, so take that as a bias if you must. I noticed Benihana also has lobster and salmon for dinner. They even have tuna which I will definitely order if I'm ever here for dinner. However, Tokyo's fried rice has egg in it which I like, the prices are better and I liked the vegetables a little better. Tokyo also has that volcano cocktail. Either way, both places are great. I'd go to either again. It took just under one hour which was perfect for a lunch break. Once we split the bill, we payed just over $10 for our meal. Awesome! Passport card users- check this out!

    (4)

  • Joanne W.

    It's good for a large party, or if you're celebrating your child's birthday or something. They put on a good show, no doubt. I was a little disappointed because I used to remember great fires and what not. However, they're not allowed to do that anymore. My friend and I had ordered the Hibachi Supreme (the surf n' turf). We were thinking "Go big or go home." However, it was also because my friend has the Prime card -- so we went full out. Food was delicious -- can't go wrong with that. However, if I was just going without the Prime card, I'm quite sure it would've been quite hefty. Otherwise, service was great, people were really nice, and you get to meet some really nice people from Seattle here.

    (4)

  • Michel A.

    Benihana it's a good restaurants and very friendly customer service the food it's always good so would love your Benihana please don't list us wait long time when we do have a reservation I highly recommend it to friend will be back

    (4)

  • Victoria C.

    Once again I must be spoiled by Hawaii because the Benihana in Seattle doesn't compare to the one in Hawaii. Then again they are their own separate company so it is going to be a little different. Anyway, we came here on our last night in Seattle to celebrate one of our friend's birthday. It seemed pretty busy but thankfully we made reservations. The staff were pretty nice and friendly.. some a little odd but overall good customer service. One of the managers came to our table and took a group picture. A minute later he came back with the photo developed and framed. It was almost like he was a magician cause I don't know how he did that so fast lol. It was free which was pretty nice cause I think the Benihana in Hawaii make you pay for your photo. Then again it could be that it was our friend's birthday? Nonetheless the pic came out nice.. but nothing professional. So we got our typical onion soup and salad which comes with the meal. Both tasted different from what I'm used to. The onion soup was bland and the salad dressing seemed a little more watered down or something. Usually I love the Benihana salad dressing. Anyways for my meal I decided to order my favorite Seafood Diablo which is basically fried udon noodles with seafood and spicy mayo sauce. Our chef (forget his name) was an Asian guy who had the weirdest sense of humor and talked extremely weird. Yeah his jokes were funny time to time but he was just plain odd to me. He didn't do very many fancy tricks and he didn't even butterfly the shrimp! My Diablo was pretty good but I had to request for more of the spicy mayo sauce on the side. One thing I noticed is that they use a TON of butter in everything. But I guess the saying goes butter makes everything taste better? I don't know though...in this case, I don't think it did. Food wise... it was good. But not great... Sorry it's hard not to compare it to the Benihana in HI! Quality in HI is so much better :/ The seafood and meat portion was smaller too. Like the scallops were tiny! I will say though that I did like the fried rice at this one (my fiancé disagrees). They add chicken in their fried rice which I liked! And it was more wet where as Hawaii's one is more dried but that's cause they don't add as much butter! Although it was our friend's birthday, they didn't do the traditional singing "Happy Birthday" in Japanese. Supposedly they charge you for that??? That's ridic. Oh well the birthday boy had a good time and got a good buzz from all the drinks!

    (3)

  • Yekta A.

    This place is awesome on so many aspects. First dates? No, group parties, yes! You basically share a table with a bunch of people you dont know, unless you have a party of 8 then you can get your own section. So let's be frank + honest, this place is LOUD (and everyone sits pretty close so you can't escape it). We used our Prime Card and if you have one, USE IT HERE, we basicaly got lobster, shrimp + steak for 2 for $40. It was awesome, and delicious! You've got to order the spiked fruit punch drink that comes in a cool cup for $1 extra, so worth it + so tastey.

    (5)

  • Nina H.

    We went here for my roommate's birthday last Friday and it was such an amazing/fun experience!!! I was really skeptical because my friends had said that Benihana was just OK... and overpriced. Well, it IS pretty pricey but we had a really awesome cook, his name's Miguel, so it was worth it. There were 20 of us and we had to split up into back to back tables with two different cooks. We definitely got the better one because when I talked to my friend at the other table afterward, he said the cook was kind of mean and they couldn't really understand him. I loved how there was so much food because I was really full in the end and I really loved the shrimp, it was SO tasty! Oh so was the mushroom onion soup too... and oh my gosh the sweet onions from Walla Walla, they were quite memorable too. And last but not least, the GREEN TEA ICE CREAM. It was probably the BEST green tea ice cream I've had in a LONG time. They gave us two scoops each too which was AWESOME. I wanted MOAR!!! No but really, everything about Benihana that night was great! The manager, I believe, the guy with the awesome mustache was SO nice and cute. He took a group photo for us outside when we requested and even suggested we take one on the steps outside too. He was adorable and the service was great! I can't wait to go back again but I have to say, it's probably only fun when your whole party takes up the whole table and if your cook is amazingly entertaining and funny. We definitely lucked out!

    (5)

  • Jason L.

    Extremely slow service We had a reservation for 6:30 Timetable: Arrived 6:28 Seated 6:50 Got water 7:06 Took order 7:09 Soup7:15 Salad 7:23 Chef showed up 7:38 Dinner finished 8:22 Ice cream 8:54 Food is a 3 star. I usually rate for food only and don't bring service into the equation but this is an extreme circumstance. I say 3 star food 1 hour after you're supposed to get it is not really 3 star food. If you don't have this kind of time to spend on dinner you might do better at Tokyo Japanese steakhouse in Bellevue. Even if you have to drive there from Seattle you will probably spend less time eating. PS. I don't mind spending this kind of time (or more) for a 3-5 course meal at a nice French restaurant but in North America, fast service = good service.

    (1)

  • Mary A.

    LOVE their weekly happy hour! My husband and I get super stuffed on sushi and we never pay over $50 all together. The waitresses are always friendly and efficient. This is our favorite little date spot.

    (5)

  • Angela B.

    Highly entertaining! Large (make that gigantic) portions. And the chef cooks at your commmunal table. He can even juggle raw eggs with his spatula. The show is quite impressive!

    (4)

  • Rachel G.

    Okay, my friend loves this place and wanted to go for her birthday and I was more than happy to go, take on for the team and pay up the wazoo in honor of said friend. But shall I be honest? My experience might whole-heartedly reflect the fact that I'm a vegetarian, so take this as you will. The parking garage fish stench prepped me for what I was about to embark on...Even if you have a reservation they won't seat you until your entire party is there. I don't get that. Why can't we sit down and at least order drinks while we wait for the late comers? You don't want us to spend more money? Okay, fine. Being a vegetarian my options were limited and I was expecting that. I ordered the Garden Delight, which was literally a few steamed vegetables with no seasoning and brown rice for $18.95. Last time I checked I was not a contestant on the Biggest Loser but now I have a grasp on the Jillian Michaels food plan. I was also disappointed that our chef, Miguel, was not Japanese! What a rip off! He said the same "jokes" at every table and put veggies on my plate that were cooked in the shrimp grease, which made me totally uneasy. On the bright side, the cocktails were decent. I had two of the exotic mojitos and was pleased with those. I think I left smelling like god-knows-what...

    (1)

  • Jennie C.

    first time at benihana! but i didn't eat on the teppan side. The clear and obvious choice is the $14.50 AYCE sushi buffet. Not bad; not the best, but not bad either. In terms of nigiri, they had salmon, tuna, albacore, mackerel, ebi, unagi, yellowtail, squid, octopus, and maybe one more but can't recall. Several rolls as well. They also had salad (dressing was a little salty- i think it was miso ginger) and some chopped up fruit. Also lots of refillable edamame. it was sort of a random splurge on a random weekday but no regrets (:

    (3)

  • Kittiya P.

    This review is intended for the sushi buffet only. All you can eat sushi for $15? YES PLEASE! Today was my fourth time, I believe, at the buffet. The first time I went there, I was hungover from the night before. Since I had made plans to go to try this place out, I decided to stick with the plan. I ate, ate, ate, ate, and ate and got sick after I got home. Not sushi's fault. I can assure you that. Although there is not a lot of option of sushi to choose from, I still recommend it. Unlike other sushi buffets like Blue Fin Sushi, the quality is great. Everything is fresh and tasty. Salmon, my favorite, is definitely up to my standard. YUM!!! They also have salad and fruit bowl on the side, so that you can eat to help with the digestion. Trust me, you need it.

    (5)

  • NW Explorer R.

    Bad Customer Service We were a party of two. We ordered hibachi spicy chicken, and hibachi scallops. The good: The person who made the food, was very funny. The scallops tasted awesome with the sauces they provided us. The bad: My co-worker got his rice bowl, and noticed that the bowl was chipped. He didn't think much of it, until one of the chips ended up in his mouth. He informed the person who came in to refill our water (and brought our bill). The Benihana did not offer to bring him more vegetable rice, nor did they knock off anything from his bill ! He escalated to speak to a manager. The manager did not even apologize, he mentioned his concern. The manager was very cool and distant and ended up giving him only 50% off. I would have expected a heartfelt apology, more food and comped meal.

    (1)

  • Emmy R.

    If you can get past the kitsch and the over-inflated prices, Benihana can be fun times for a small group. BUT I wouldn't recommend coming here for a date. Higher risk of getting sat with obnoxious people that like to crack dumb "jokes" or get squeezed into the last two seats at the table with a fun party crew that you are not a part of. The food is decent. I had the filet and lobster and secretly loved that it was cut up into bite-sized pieces that were chopstick friendly. The filet was very tender, despite being overcooked. He did ask our temp preferences, which were different for the three of us having filet, but I guess he forgot and just cooked it all in one batch to one temp. For this style of cooking, I think you can get by just fine with the regular hibachi steak and save a few bucks. The lobster was good, but I wish I had been able to add my own lemon instead of having it tossed in for me. It ended up overpowering the flavor of the lobster itself. All the entrees come with a bunch of extras: soup, salad, shrimp, grilled veggies. Don't get the fish. They just heat it on the hibachi in a pre-packaged steam bag. Boring and flavorless. The punch bowl is very delicious, but once I saw the multiple umbrellas bobbing up and down and it was majestically placed in front of me, I knew it was overpriced. It wasn't listed on the menu, but once the bill came, $25. Sit to the left of the chef, on the end, if possible, for two reasons. One, a little extra elbow room and counter space. Two, the chefs tend to serve from left to right and I got hooked up on everything. I love the "Oh shit" look of panic on the chef's face when they get to the last three people and realize they have to ration out smaller portions. All in all, the food was just ok for the price, but what you're paying for is the entertainment factor and different dining experience. I'd recommend for a casual group outing.

    (3)

  • M G.

    Love their food. The best mustard sauce of any teppan place in seattle. Good service, not great. They will validate some parking if you use the garage under the restaurant, but you need to ask. Happy hour in the bar is awesome with discounted drinks and sushi. One of my all time favorite restaurants.

    (5)

  • Julia W.

    Benihana has one of the best Birthday Clubs out there. You get a $30 voucher for a meal Monday-Thursday. I came and ate alone after work one night. The chef was great and better than most I've had. The food is always delish and the portions are huge. I ate the whole thing and felt entirely stuffed after but in a good way. The wait staff is always friendly. I just wish the traffic/parking was better in the surrounding area. The garage across the street is a bit steep and tight spaces.

    (4)

  • Lena K.

    i came back a few weeks after my last 5 star review. This time the fish was not being cut fresh, and they were pulling out pieces of fish from the refrigerator that were not eaten the night before. None of the fish was fresh, and the albacore even tasted quite bad. It was a different sushi chef this time "Kaz", I even told him that the albacore was bad, and he said "what do you expect from a buffet?". Well last time I was here the fish was fresh, and cut right in front of me. The salmon wasn't too bad, but really turned me off from this place. I will be sure to try dinner though sometime, and hopefully it's better.

    (2)

  • Bryan B.

    Oh Benihana, what a birthday joy you are. My girlfriend had a coupon for her birthday, buy one meal get one free, so we decided to stop in. The food was pretty dang good, especially the chicken fried rice! And the show can be highly amusing if you're ready to be entertained. We definitely wouldn't come here tho without a coupon, as I don't think the meal is worth north of $75. I could find a bigger portion of steak or lobster elsewhere.

    (4)

  • Dae Y.

    this place is awesome. great times with great friends we had. we shared the punch bowl with 6 of us. it is off the charts fun!! (not too sickeningly sweet either) all of us had their special fried rice. i am never sure if we're supposed to eat as they put stuff on the plates or not. it seems like in an american fashion, you would wait until all your food was on your plate, then you would start eating. but if you're hungry, or hangry, then you're going to eat what is put in front of you. the filet mignon was excellent. it was so tender and juicy. it's been a long time since i had beef like that. our group had the following: hibachi chicken rice - all of had it filet/chiken for 2 seafood diablo for 2 deluxe treat for 1 filet mignon a bunch of coconut mojitos and soda water - which they charged us $2 apiece. i need to go there more often for lunch. and our chef had to try at least a half-dozen times to get the 3rd shrimp flipped into his hat. he was determined. would. not. give. up. good on him for that.

    (4)

  • Janet N.

    I came here on a Tuesday night for a birthday celebration. My boyfriend and I were seated with another couple and it took awhile for a family of four to be seated with us. The chef, I believe his name was Sergio was very funny and charismatic which made dinner very entertaining. It took him awhile to get through all the cooking for me to finally get my entree, the hibachi steak and chicken. Skip out on the chicken and if you're looking for medium well steak it's gonna come out as medium rare. I found that everything was basically just seasoned with salt, pepper, sesame seeds, and lemon juice which wasn't anything fancy. It's just your standard seasoning. So for $27 I honestly just paid to watch a guy flip things into his hat and play with knives. What also came along with my entree was soup, salad, shrimp, veggies, a side of rice, and ice cream. Most was mediocre. Would I come here again? Maybe. But I don't think it's really worth it. Plus it didn't really fill me up at all! Aside from that customer service was great and since it was my birthday they sang and took and printed out pictures of me and my boyfriend. The hostess, waitress, and especially the chef were great.

    (3)

  • Mae D.

    Excellent service!!!! Even more excellent food... Benihana is obviously the more main stream teppanyaki places in America. I came in during lunch time and ordered the steak, lobster combo. Everything was cooked perfectly, even the veggies. My sangria was delicious and satisfying. The icing on the cake was the serving of Haagen Das Green Tea ice cream. Really rounded out the meal for me. I would come here again if I had more money. I am a Benihana email subscriber and they send me a $30 certificate for my birthday. Worth signing up for I must say. I'm coming back for sure, but perhaps on my next birthday. Thanks for the wonderful experience!!!

    (5)

  • Fareed H.

    i love Benihana saw it on the office a few years ago and after about 30 seconds of hunting i found out we have one in Seattle i went for my bday we ordered sushi as an app and i didn't realize that you already get shrimp and fried rice! so dont order apps xD The food is good the service is great and the atmosphere is perfect. reason for not getting 5 stars is some of the food on the menu isnt as great as others! its all good but some of the food could be better quality

    (4)

  • Diana C.

    I used to really love this place, but now it's just okay. They have started getting a bit stingy with the fried rice and while the food is still relatively plentiful, the showmanship of the chefs (at least the one's I've gotten) are pretty minimal now. I remember when they used to do the coolest stuff. It's never anything really new, but still... at least try! It always takes awhile to get everyone seated and orders taken, then the food to be cooked and then served, so come before you're hungry or risk starving while smelling everyone else's dinner! I haven't tried the sushi so I can't comment on that, but the salad dressing is still good, the soup is just okay now, the lobster was pretty good, and the steak was great! I'll probably be back but not for awhile. It's still a fun date night idea.

    (3)

  • Victoria K.

    You know it is funny because this place has high quality fish and yet I can't justify giving it 5 stars for some reason. As I had mentioned before they have great lunch specials the lunch boat is $14 or something like that, and what I didn't know last time was that they have a all you can eat sushi lunch for about the same price. Includes quite a bit of variety, there are a few rolls, a lot of differnet types of fish, a fruit selection, and it also includes miso soup. The only suggestion I will make is stick with water. I ordered a Dr. Pepper and it was $3. Seriously tho, this is amazing for an all you can eat lunch buffet price wise and the quality of it.

    (4)

  • Jackson L.

    Benihana is always fun just for the ambiance, being in a table full of strangers sometimes from all over the world, and just enjoying the chef put on a performance. They're not exactly cheap for what you're eating but this is an occasional place to go to and great for taking kids or out of towners.

    (4)

  • Trish K.

    Delicious food and wonderful service. Only con is it's packed and crowded all the time. Not great for those with social anxieties.

    (4)

  • Heather J.

    I still love Benihana. I must say it continues to be great and in fact may have even gotten bettter. It really is a great place to celebrate a special occasion. I enjoy taking people who have never experience the fun of teppenyaki. On this last visit I got a bday sundae with my meal (even though we were just celebrating today, they had even checked my id) and a photo to take home which even came with instructions on how to download an additional copy. Everyone was super friendly and upbeat. The waiter even offered to cook my vegetarian food in the back if I preferred, and offered to give me tofu in place of the shrimp appetizer. Plus they easily let me sub tofu in the chicken yakisoba. He also was quick to let me know the soup was not vegetarian friendly. While a meal here can get pricey it really is a treat.

    (5)

  • valarie f.

    This place is just ok. food was ok and service was ok. nothing outstanding here. Eh-

    (3)

  • Zack H.

    I came here with a friend during a business trip on a Sunday night. The wait was about 20 minutes, which was blah. The restaurant was surprisingly packed for a Sunday night, which mildly surprised me. During the wait, we looked at the wall, which was covered with celebrities and first-class douche bags (read: Alex Rodriguez). They seated us in a back room with a family visiting the area from Japan and a group on a business trip from Cancun. Then the waitress came out, and she was nice and helpful. She was knowledgeable about the menu, and my friend and I decided to take her recommendations. This place is a hibachi grill (obviously). However, the food here was superb. The onion soup I got was a little bitter, but was edible. Next came the salad. It seemed very Americanized, which is my only complaint. After that, white rice was given to us. While I was eating that, the cook made us a variety of veggies, including mushrooms, onion volcanoes (or whatever they're called), and cucumbers. I don't eat mushrooms - even on pizzas. These mushrooms were good enough for me to eat, which says something. Finally, they cooked my steak and chicken - again, very Americanized choices, if you ask me. They cooked both of those better than nearly every restaurant I've ever been to that specializes in both of those. Oh, the chefs who risked their fingers in front of us were skilled and entertaining. All in all, this was worth my $35.

    (4)

  • Kevin E.

    I appreciate their all-you-can-eat quality sushi for the weekday lunch special. Great price, delish sushi, miso, green tea, fruit, etc. Get there when they open and enjoy!

    (4)

  • Alisa B.

    "Bring me a fruity drink with an umbrella in it!" Yes those were the first words out of my mouth when I walked into the Benihana bar waiting for me party to join me. I'm not sure what it is about benihana but you are pretty obligated to get a drink with an umbrella in it... if you don't your being sacreligious or something. Anyways, I met up with my family there to celebrate a belated father's day and my dad's birthday all in one. We waited at the bar until the youngin in the group arrived and then at a table. We sipped on our super sweet mai thai's and enjoyed the generall cocophony that is Benihana. Our table was a good one, we only shared with one other couple (they looked about 16 lol) and enjoyed teh show. My niece (4 years old) especially enjoyed the host who called her "princess" and the chef who was very sweet to her and kept a constant entertainment going for her and made sure to give her a little of everything to try. As usual its overpriced to no end and the food is just descent but you know what its fun and good entertainment so no real complaints. They cooked my steak perfectly at "Cold in the middle please" without complaint but i'll say my sisters medium was a bit more on the rare side then I think she expected. A great place to take kids if you can afford it and for a sappy date night for prom queens and homecoming princesses alike.

    (3)

  • S G.

    Awesome experience. Good food and ambiance. Chef had some skills to entertain us. Food was cooked to our liking. Had couple servers to serve us but one of them was pretty unfriendly and seemed like did not want to be there. Also be prepared to drop quite a bit of dough as its a little higher on prices. A good place to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries etc.

    (4)

  • Cameron L.

    Came here for lunch and there are two areas apparently one for the $16 all you can eat sushi. My co workers told me you had to eat everything on your plate though. But who can seriously eat all that rice?! Anyways we went to the grill area where a chef would come grill your order in front of you. First it was lunch time and there were a few groups of people. I didnt really like the way they would seat you next to those who arrived with you but you dont know which really isnt very intimate. So you are sitting around a grill table with people you might not know which is kind of awkward and weird. My advice would be to bring a group of friends and come grab lunch together. Or come at a time most people dont go. The lunch prices are quite affordable around $13-$20 not bad for a quick lunch. We had the new york steak which was delicious! The food really is americanized though because they actually fried the rice with BUTTER... it was really weird fried rice, I'm use to mine being dry but it was all soggy due to the butter and steam. The staff was quite entertaining! They would try to flip shrimp tails into peoples drinks and plates. What a great use of everything in your meal haha! I would recommend this place to anyone who works around the area and wants a quick and entertaining lunch at an affordable price!

    (4)

  • Ashley I.

    I went to Benihana's after a Sounders game the other day and it was a great experience! The staff was very kind! Since it had just been my birthday they honored the $30 off your meal certificate that I didn't print out prior to my visit since the visit was a spur of the moment decision. The staff was able to print the certificate for me. For your birthday's they also take a picture of your group - then print it out for you to take home as well as give you a free ice-cream dessert. It was wonderful! I would love to come here more often yet it is a bit on the spendy side! Nice for special occasions though.

    (4)

  • Maylee L.

    3.79999 *. your paying mostly for the show itself. I think this place is only good after three bites of the meat. the chicken is soft, but i can get this from costco instead. the shrimp taste like frozen bag from costco tooo. the zuccinis, mushrooms, and fried rice was the champ of them all. I enjoyed most of the atmosphere, the people who work here, and the show. i was not really paying attention to my food. the sushi tastes like upgraded sushi from Blue C Sushi. random peeps sitting near you kind of gets awkward, especially when it is reserved for my friend's bday party and two did not show up... the peeps are so snooopy about what we do in uw and where, and what we are doing next... creeps.

    (3)

  • James C.

    $15.95 with tax lunch sushi buffet. Best in town!!

    (5)

  • Fred R.

    Was here for a friends birthday and it hasn't changed since I went here 20 yrs ago when I went for my high school prom! Food is casual, not to mention fun and talented, yet entertaining chefts, at the robata bar.

    (3)

  • Hingdi B.

    Those 2 stars are for Miguel - the great chef. Parking: They have parking at the IBM lot in the same building - we paid $12 for 1-2 hours for lunch because they only do validation for dinner (and even then it's only a partial validation - I think I heard $4) Ambiance: Fun looking place - huge teppanyaki grills with stools lined around them. You're seated with other parties and the waitress takes orders from everyone and the chef comes and cooks it. Service: Okay, so I confess I was there for the free birthday meal, but I was also there with my paying husband so I don't think that should justify bad service. I don't think it would have really mattered because everyone we were seated with got the same non-existent service from our waitress who literally took our order and took off. I asked to substitute something and our waitress with said with a plastered smile "Sorry, we don't do substitutions." Later she asked if we wanted to substituted for fried rice for additional cost. Everyone at our table was just waiting for the waitress to come back with the checks but had to wait 5-10 min - when she finally came I wanted to just leave but I still had my dessert so I asked to have that to go but she said with a plastered smile "Sorry, we don't do take out". Curious that I noticed a sign outside that they now do lunch take out. Maybe she didn't get the memo... The "show" spinning spatulas, fast chopping, tossing of food - fun to watch. I glanced over at other tables and they were roughly getting the same show but I think our chef was a little better and had a better sense of humor. Food - bleh - expected more for the price tag. Husband had the lunch boat - your typical lunch bento box - nothing notable. I had the "Benihana Excellence" - nothing excellent about the julianned beef - it was pretty tender, but not much flavor, the shrimp lacked flavor as well. Recommendation: Go once for the experience - to say "been there, done that" but then don't go again.

    (2)

  • Flora C.

    Lunch time - AYCE sushi at Benihana is a great value in price and quality. Edamame Green tea Miso soup Salad Fresh cut fruits Rolls and Sushi Downtown Lunch Heaven Notes: Go there at opening time 1130am to avoid lunch rush Punch Card!

    (4)

  • Nobbi L.

    As a Benihana fan, I take every chance I get to check anew one out. After all I started going to this chain in the mid-80's in Atlanta escaping from Grady hospital for lunch. Then while doing an externship in Hartford, CT the local Benihana was one of the few "ethnic" places around. I still go in SFO or Concord, CA. What a disappointment at the SEA location. First, the cooking quality was far inferior. The appetizer shrimp were burned and tasted bitter. The fried rice had no flavor. In addition they sat us at a round table. The table was full with the usual 8 persons, but the actual surface to eat on was miniscule. Jack had to hold his salad bowl in his hand. At first there was no room for the sauces. And the chef had to start out with Jack's and my plates stacked so he had enough room to cook. Also, the service was rushed. Appetizer, salad, and soup all came out at the same time whilst the chef arrived. I find Benihana in general really overpriced, but I know that. For me it is usually worthwhile. In thin case, a huge disappointment

    (1)

  • Marcie C.

    I LOVE this place! We came for the second time on Monday night. I love that it's kitschy and totally touristy and fun. The food is really good, like unexpectedly good! I love that they put garlic butter on just about everything! That's why the food is so dang yummy! Their fried rice is super delish. Their portions are huge! The steak is amazing! My hubby is Chinese and we eat at a lot of authentic Chinese places. This is not authentic Chinese food, but they aren't pretending to be. They also aren't pretending to be full-on Japanese, either. I think if you go in with the mindset that you are eating "Asian" food, you'd be mistaken. However, they have a style all their own and it works! The only drawback is that if you don't have 8 people, you will be sitting with strangers. Not necessarily bad, but this time it was pretty painful. One of the guests talked loudly about her work problems to her date the entire time. She also slowed down our service several times because she hadn't looked at her menu. There was a complete disregard for her table-mates. Very annoying, but we couldn't really do anything about it.

    (4)

  • Sarah S.

    Consistently delish, this is one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle. There's always interesting people at the table and the chef that we usually get is not only great at his job, but super funny. Highly recommend!!

    (5)

  • Matt V.

    Service was ATROCIOUS. Kylie was our server and she simply took our order...didn't see her again. Glasses empty, dirty plates piling up. Water glass cracked. I ended up getting up and removing all of the dishes and broken glass just so our chef could have room to put food on our plates. Later on in our meal, two other servers came around and started helping us. They were much friendlier and much more attentive. I hope our 20% tip went to them and Tony, our chef...they deserved it. I've been coming to various Benihanas my entire life and have never experienced such amateur service. I hope this isn't an indication of a direction that Benihana is turning...

    (2)

  • Cami M.

    I've been to this Benihana many times and thought I must post my experience for others. We had a very nice chef, but he had only been on the job for 4 months and it showed. When you go to Benihana, you are paying a premium for the food along with the entertainment of the chef's skills. We spent most of our time watching the chef at the table next to us. My food was overdone. It was boring. How could that be at Benihana? We waited 47 minutes for our check. They were having a computer malfunction. It was so ridiculous. We asked to speak to the manager and he offered nothing but an awkward smile. There are much better steak/seafood places in Seattle to enjoy to waste visiting Benihana. If it's merely a guy cooking your food in front of you, it's really not worth the cost.

    (1)

  • Papa C.

    This is a chain of teppanyaki style restaurant. I am not sure how authentic it is true to the Japanese teppanyaki tradition but that's not really the point of Benihana. I came in around 9pm without a reservation. I was seated really quickly and ordered a steak and lobster. Food was solid and the chef was cooking only for me at the table was very friendly. The servers were very attentive. Refilling water, tea, rice and even ice cream! When dessert came it was this huge 2 scoops of ice cream and after I was done she asked me if I wanted more to which I had to politely decline. Solid experience.

    (4)

  • Winnie T.

    Best lunch buffet spot, ever. I can't stop thinking about it!! Came on a weekday during the holidays and got there right when it opened...lovely, lovely setup of sushi was waiting for our partay of three. There are at least 20 kinds of sushi at the buffet table, with three chefs carefully attending that area and ensuring that super fresh sushi pieces were being refilled constantly. The buffet consists of unlimited sushi (the small rice on the bottom with HUGE slice of fish on top), sushi rolls (the ones with rice wrapped around), tea, miso soup, salad with yummy sauce, and fruit. You can't go wrong for $14.50/pp. The only catch is you have to eat all the rice or they charge you for leftovers. Fair enough. I ate 24 pieces instead of the 30+ I could have stuffed if I didn't have to eat that belleh-space-raiding rice. Bummer. Great service, convenient lunch hours (11:30-2:00 I think). They discount your parking for dinner but not lunch.

    (5)

  • Tracy I.

    The food here is pretty par and the price is meh, however the ambiance is fantastic. I mean isn't that the only reason why people go to these type of restaurants. For the show and to spend a great time with friends and/or family. The only times that I've been to Benihana's is for group dinner's and I think its a great place to go for birthdays and group outings.

    (3)

  • Nam N.

    i'll start off by saying this place deserves 3.5 stars but i never round up. first and foremost... don't come here hungry. come here BEFORE you're hungry as it takes quite a bit of time for orders to be placed and food to be served. now for my review... Benihana is more of an experience spot. once you experience it - that's kind of it. a great place to come entertain friends or family that's never been and/or young kids. the food is always consistent which is nice. the fried onion soup is tasty but the ginger dressing salad never fancy's my tastebuds. its disappointing that they don't have another style of dressing. i understand they're going with the japanese theme - but is it too much trouble to stock some ranch or 1000 island? the steaks are a pretty good price for choice grade beef - the filet mignon is very tender and juicy. the chicken can sometimes be on the drier side and the shrimp and scallops are well seasoned and flavored with butter garlic and lemon. the lobster tail however is okay - a bit over rated and priced in my opinion. ur experience here will all depend on ur chef. Pai is hands down my favorite there. always full of life and energy and jokes. other chefs have the physical skills to make dinner entertaining but lack personality and life to make things fun. they have jokes and what not but not delivered with pazzaz and energy. so you gotta listen real careful to hear it. other items on the dish are okay. nothing of spectacular tastes. but overall a fun experience to try every so often.

    (3)

  • Matt S.

    I have been to this location on many occasions and have never once been disappointed!! Very fun atmosphere with a pretty awesome culinary and front of house team! Definitely recommend coming here to get the Benihana experience!! Food is delicious and you get to see it made right in front of you! Ask for Chef Jason - he's a real pro and a great entertainer! As a bonus, you might even see a celebrity (we saw Derek Jeter last time)!!!

    (5)

  • Lana N.

    Not a good experience.... We eat at Benihana's quite often in Portland and thought we would go to a place we love while visiting Seattle. First it was quite a wait, but we were in the city so ok... then they seated us way back in the back room, getting back there was a maze so many people sooooo crowded... then seated against the back wall we watched as our table filled up. and the tables next to us filled up. Now we were trapped.. literally! My 7 year old had to use the rest room of course during dinner (not the best timing) but we literally had no way out, people had to get up out of there seats to let us by both on the way to the rest room and the way back... I mean this can not be legal.. if there had been an emergency we would be stuck no way out with all those people. they really need to eliminate some tables for safety reasons. Also the smoke from grill was blowing right on us the whole time... it made for a very unpleasent dinner. I would say if you go, sit only in the front room near the doors or in the sushi bar. the back rooms are terribly crowded.

    (1)

  • Chris F.

    Always a great time! We had the pleasure of sharing our close friends post-wedding celebration here on the day gay marriage was legalized! Woo HOO! The manager is super cool and our chef was fun. He wasn't the most skilled, but he attitude and humor more than made up for it. I'd recommend it!

    (4)

  • Bruce E.

    Something has change - and I LOVE IT. After living here several months and coming to Benihana many times, I was use to the slow service and the way staff seemed to just be putting in their time. Tonight was so much different than all the other nights. Our server was one the spot for everything we needed. Refills showed up as soon as the glass was nearing the bottom. When our server was unavailable, a stand-in was there taking over without a hitch. Then came our chef, Jason. We hadn't seen him before. He was AWESOME! He was quick-handed and very talented. The food preparation was excellent. And the jokes were fresh. Tonight the Seattle Benihana earned every one of the five stars. My challenge to management is to show me they've changed and to maintain them. Honestly, I was about ready to try the "other guys" across the lake; but, I'm glad I didn't. OUTSTANDING! Keep it up! (PS: Don't forget - if you park in the IBM garage you get $4 off parking.)

    (5)

  • Jenn P.

    I went to Benihana last weekend for my birthday dinner. There were 9 of us so we had a table to ourselves. Simply put, it was a blast. I split the steak and lobster with my fella...yummy and plenty for the both of us. Wish I could make steak like that at home. Highlight #1: Our chef, Ave. He was spectacular... charming and entertaining. I hope you get him when you go. Hightlight #2: ichi...ni...san...Sake Bomb! Any place that lets you pound on the table while drinking gets an A+ in my book. A great place to celebrate with a group!

    (5)

  • Union P.

    First and foremost: I'm writing this as a vegetarian, I will say my meat-eating friends seemed quite happy with their meal. But my advice to fellow veggies: steer clear. Our server, and also our chef, who although clearly good at cooking a steak, had absolutely no idea what a vegetarian was. I told them both quite clearly my 'situation' and yet it wasn't until I had taken my first sip of the soup they bring out that I realized it was chicken broth. Vegetarians don't eat chicken? This is news to some people apparently. So I ordered the tofu steak, which actually sounded quite delicious. Now when it comes time to actually cook the food though, he starts sliding all the steaks all over the cooking surface, steak juice(blood?) going everywhere, and then he tosses my tofu steak right on top of the bloody remains to cook it. I'm not an absolutist, and did eat it, and it was actually not that bad, but if I was a vegetarian for religious reasons, or just more strict in my standards, I probably would've been horrified. That said, the atmosphere was nice, and the communal sitting turned out to be awesome, we got sat with a charming family from SoCal and had a very entertaining lively conversation throughout the meal, making some friends in the process. Would I do it again? Yeah probably... will I do it again? Nope

    (2)

  • Dante M.

    I think I should give this place a 3.5 out of 5. I have come here several times in the past for dinner time, and I must say that the food is very tasty. It is pricey, but very tasty to say the least. You've gotta love having an outspoken cook who does all of the cool little tricks in front of you. I most recently came for the lunchtime all you can eat sushi. The sushi was very tasty, and there was plenty of it. It got pretty crowded right around noon (expected). A couple of things bugged me. First, there is a sign that says "You will be charged for any uneaten rice on your plate." WTF is that suppose to mean? Needless to say, I left some rice grains on my plate but found myself trying to pick every speck up. (I didn't get charged) Another thing, the waitress/server lady was a little rude. I placed my jacket behind me in the chair and she proceeded to reach over me and prop it on top of the chair. I was a little weirded out by this as it shouldn't matter where my coat is placed. The meal came out to around 15 dollars which is pretty good for all you can eat, but I won't be coming here often.

    (3)

  • Joy H.

    Wow . . . what a difference 10 years make, huh? Last time I was at Benihana's, I was all dolled up in my prom dress! It was packed and the atmosphere was lively and fun! Upon my return 10 years later, there's only 3 other couples in the entire restaurant . . . everything is pretty quiet. Even the typical flamboyent chefs were subdued in their duties to entertain. We got the rainbow roll (yeah, I know, don't get their sushi there) and the hibachi steak. It was okay - but watching them cook with that much butter makes you not want to eat it. *sigh* youth and ignorance is such bliss! The only reason I came back was because if you signed up for their Birthday Club, you get $30 to spend! Sweet, I though! However, they're so stingy over there that they only took off the value of the hibachi steak off my bill ($22) and not the full $30 off my bill! Sure, I shared my dinner with my husband, but I seriously can't eat that much anyways! AND there's no mention whatsoever on the fine print about not sharing either. Whatevs . . . that'll teach me to go back and re-live old memories. Now it's tainted for life!

    (2)

  • Jeff H.

    When visitors enter the restaurant they can go right towards the main seating area of the restaurant or left to the sushi buffet eating area. I've had the surf and turf in the main dining area, and it was some of the best turf (steak) I've had and I'm not a fan of steak. What does that mean for a steak fan? I couldn't tell ya...but it's good stuff. And of course, watching the chef do his/her thing in front of guests makes for an interesting meal. My three stars is primarily focused on the sushi lunch buffet. Surprisingly, Benihana's sushi buffet lacks the quality and options I would expect from a high quality restaurant that provides a buffet option. The buffet consisted of Strawberries, Pineapple, Canteloupe, salad, 4 different kinds of sushi rolls, and 6 kinds of nigiri zushi: Unagi (fresh water Eel), Salmon, Saba (Mackerel), Amaebi (sweet Shrimp), Maguro (Tuna) and one other...Hamachi (Yellowtail) maybe? The buffet is $14.50...you decide.

    (3)

  • Jerry L.

    This is for the Sushi buffet lunch. I have been here two times and I don't think you can expect more from a buffet. The first time I went there, I was quite impressed with the Nigiri as it was fresh and they had a wide variety of it. The tuna had some stringy sort of material that was quite annoying while chewing on it. The other sushi was not very good and they were very cold and soggy, I still ate some of it though. For my second trip, I came at the last hour of the sushi buffet, not a good idea. I suggest you go whenever the buffet starts so the food is stocked, otherwise, they give you the leftovers and they will not make any more unless you ask them too. The chef was very nice and kept asking us whether we wanted anything. There was something very wrong with the Nigiri that day - half cooked rice. Some parts of the rice were cooked when some grains were a little crunchy... quite disgusting for a Japanese restaurant. My Dad approached the chef and told him about the rice and he made more which apparently had a change in the rice. The chef waived one of the meals that we had which should have been done since we did not enjoy the sushi that day. Good service, but for the price of the buffet, you cannot expect more. I will be back.

    (3)

  • Chuck I.

    Went here and had the sushi.. not very impressive :( Our order was screwed up, even after re-emphasizing what we wanted. The tea was very bland, as was the sushi. Nothing really stood out here, won't be back..

    (2)

  • Griffin Z.

    My co-workers and I frequently go to Benihana for the sushi buffet during lunch, so this review is only for the sushi buffet. I have yet to find a better sushi deal anywhere downtown. All you can eat sushi for around 15 dollars. For a person who like myself who stuff my face with 25+ pieces of sushi on every visit, it a really good deal. The selection and quality of the sushi is pretty good. Of all the times I been there, the consistent selections of sushi include ones made with tempura (fried shrimp), salmon, fish eggs, and eel. The buffet also includes around 5-7 kinds of sashimi, pieces of seafood raw/cooked on rice. My favorites are the raw salmon and eel. Salad and fruits are also avaliable. I just wish they have other salad dressing except that bitter ginger asian dressing. Miso soup is free also if you ask for it. Overall, one of the better sushi places downtown. My current record is 38 pieces. Beat that... haha

    (4)

  • Ben C.

    Smoking Volcano, Shrimp Tails that wave at you, Talented Chefs...If you want to have some entertainment with your dinner and you have a big group this is the place to be. Let's start off...this review is for the grill side of the restaurant not the sushi side. SOOOO with that said...Make a reservation. Make a reservation, make a reservation. Did you get that? Also make sure your WHOLE PARTY is there or they will not seat you. I still think it's funny that people think that you can generally just walk into a busy restaurant and get a seat easily. I mean maybe you can if you go to the sushi side of the house but if you are going to Benihana you are sitting at the grill. That's that. Location: Benihana is located in the heart of downtown. It's good to know your way around to find this restaurant. There is a parking garage downstairs that I believe Benihana validates for a few hrs but you still pay like 3$. To find the parking lot is a little tricky but it is on Seneca. The restaurant itself is very large. This is a great location for large groups. My buddy has been doing his birthday here since he was born for all i know. Every year he has a large group about 20 + people we get two grills next to each other. Food: Food here is good, it's not like AMAZING, but it's pretty good. You are paying a little bit of a premium for the atmosphere so don't come here thinking everything is cheap. You can easily drop between $75-$100 between 2 people depending on what you order. I highly recommend getting the fried rice! Don't go with the white rice go with the chicken fried rice you won't be disappointed. Service: Service is great, we've never had an issue with the service at Benihana. The chefs are awesome very entertaining. The waiters/waitresses are very attentive, drinks are always full, dirty dishes are always taken away. They have a good system down. Atmosphere: Benihana get's loud. It gets very loud, especially when you have a good group there and a few birthdays. It is a place to have fun and enjoy your food. After 5+ Sake Bombs it starts get a bit rowdy.

    (4)

  • Paul C.

    This place was much better than I remember. Came here for my nephew's bday last night and it was a great experience. We had a prime card so it was a little cheaper which is always nice. The chef was funny and everyone at the table had a great time. If you've never been there before, prepare to be entertained. The portions were much larger than I remember, as well. Everyone was completely stuffed after dinner and utterly satisfied. The service was great and they took care of our large group with ease. The parking during peak hours is kind of annoying, but expected of the area. I will definately be coming back.

    (4)

  • Felix H.

    Just dropped by for a drink while I was visiting downtown Seattle. Trendy place. Good mixed crowd and the servers/bartenders aim to please.

    (4)

  • Jack T.

    This place is always fun. I mean, steaming onion "birthday cake", ship tails caught in the chefs hat and the guy can crack an egg with the side of his spatula without getting any shells in the yoke. My tip is don't pass on the fried rice and get an order to go. It's worth it and you'll thank me later.

    (4)

  • Jeff H.

    I have been coming to Benihana Seattle since before I can remember, and I've always had a great time, and a good meal. I think it gets a bad reputation as being expensive, and that just isn't the case. Entrees range in price from $17-$50 and the wine list is one of the most reasonable in town, 1998 Dom for $149 a bottle? Really? I'll take two :) Not a huge fan of the sushi here, Umi for example in Belltown is much better. Drinks are reasonable, and they have a decent selection. My favorite reason for coming here is first dates. With the other people at the table, you avoid those uncomfortable silences that always occur no matter how smooth you think you are. I would highly endorse Benihana for a first date. This is especially true if she had never been here before, its a decent show, a fun environment and takes some of the pressure off. Plus, going to the Outback or Olive Garden is only acceptable if you are still in Junior High... The only draw back to this theory as anyone who has ever eaten there will tell you, once you leave, you smell like you just got done eating there. Not the best aroma to carry into a nightclub or martini lounge (read 6/7 club @ Edgewater) If you think it's too expensive for a first date, check out the menu prices and get back to me...I have friends who have spent less then $50 on dinner here, and friends who have spent more then $400, it all depends on your price range. One last thing, park in the IBM garage below the restaurant, so you don't have to fight street parking, and be sure to have them validate!!

    (4)

  • Grace B.

    My first and last time here. This was a very disappointing experience especially when I've been looking forward to dinning here. where to start..let's start with the good. Parking was easy, there's a parking garage below for the cost of $8, expected. First impression: Hopeful, restaurant side seemed full-a good sign, we were greeted by the hostess as we entered. We decided to sit in the bar to avoid waiting and that's where we went wrong. We sat at the only table available at the time, which wasn't cleaned, no big deal. Our server Celest came after awhile asked us if we were dining here or waiting, we said dinning. She picked up the left over glasses and a few miscellaneous items and left. After 10 mins, we flagged her down to order. After what seemed a long time (sorry i didn't time it, probably should have) we got our first roll, the Las Vegas roll and 2 sake cups. No plates, no chop sticks, no sake, no clean table. I asked if she could wipe our table down and bring us some plates, no response and left but we did get our plates. That was pretty much the end of our interaction and food service for a long while. Long story short, when we finally got our food, it was the wrong order, she never brought our miso soup, never once apologized or cared or even smiled at us. At one point i started asking myself if I did anything wrong to offend her. Our food was made sloppy and took a long time to come, not sure if this was because of our server or the chef. On top of that... A slap in the face: When her friends(?) sat next to us, got FREE miso soups right away, FREE rolls right away, from what I heard they were mistakes made by the chef. Not sure how to feel about that but I would of much rather gone to a cheap sushi conveyerbelt place and have instant meal and had a better experience. Needless to say, I will never go back to the place nor recommend it to any of my friends.

    (1)

  • Silvia A.

    My best advice is to sign up for their monthly emails and come in for the monthly specials. That way you get all the entertainment and food for a better price.

    (4)

  • Daren D.

    Thought I'd poke in here for lunch a bit earlier than I planned. For a sushi buffet, it's rather satisfying, good, and even felt fresh to me. Some of the tuna cuts looked weird to me, but everything else looked appetizingly enough. I don't think places create buffets with profit in mind, because they attractive so many people who seek to compete with themselves as to how much one can stuff themselves. I'm guessing exposure for everything else? I do not know. The sushi is presented nicely by the sushi bar and the chefs behind ask if you'd like anything special (i noticed a gentleman across from me get trayfulls of special ordered nigiri). The waitress (Kyong?) was pleasant and smiled. Refilled my iced tea when I was about done. Just overall nice. The walls are covered with celeb photos (From what appears to be a recent Angelina shot to an old school Van Damme shot back when he donned a mullet). Must be from multiple locations. Clean, modern, simple bathroom. I'd go back. One issue may be it doesn't appear to be wheelchair accessible (just stairs?). Although, that should be no problem if 2-4 arms can help out.

    (4)

  • Kate D.

    You go to this place for the show and table said habachi. That pretty much sums up this place. Hopefully you get a chef that has a sense of humor and will make you laugh while you are waiting for your food. Make a reservation in advance and if you come with a larger party you don't have to wait as long to get your food prepared. It costs enough money but you go here for something special or if you don't mind throwing down 50$ for dinner and drinks possibly more, depends on what kind of high roller you think you are.

    (4)

  • Rrr V.

    Host: 3.0 Waiter/Cook: 4.0 Food-taste, presentation: 3.4 Property-style, decor, ambiance: 3.0 Teppanyaki food preparation with artful/masterful cook and entertaining style. Delightful!!!

    (3)

  • Marianne L.

    Had a fun night here with some friends from work after a conference. Was a great way to end out trip to Seattle. Amazingly we walked in at 8pm on a Thursday with 6 people and were seated right away. Just about everyone in my group ordered something different. I had: - pina colada (smooth and yummy; just the right amount of rum) - japanese onion soup - Benihana salad (small and very refreshing starter) - Sake (salmon) nigiri (very fresh) - sushi appetizer sampler (enough for 2 of us to share - and though I can't remember exactly what was on the sampler by name it was all wonderful) - Seafood Combination (this was my teppanyaki entree, an enormous serving of lobster tail, shrimp and ocean scallops - all done to perfection and absolutely nothing even remotely over cooked) - teppanyaki vegetables & shrimps - fried rice - sherbert Everything was excellent save for the fried rice. Clearly I got the portion the salt hit and it just didn't get mixed in to the entire fried rice mound that was later portioned up. Everything else was so good I almost didn't say anything - but I just couldn't eat any of it so I did and the host was very apologetic that had happened. Our teppanyaki chef was very entertaining even giving special attention to the 6 year-old daughter of my colleague. One of us got the sake sampler and we all took sips of the various varieties. Very interesting experience. Again - great experience here and highly recommended.

    (4)

  • Charisma Y.

    Dinner and a show? That's fine with me! A little bit on the pricey side though. What I couldn't understand was how I was so full off of a small portion of soup, salad, fried rice, and bits of seafood. I felt that for the quality, things were quite a bit expensive. The service is great though! And the cook who chops and cooks everything in front of you is quite entertaining. Note that it's one of those things that you must not try at home. Although I am very tempted to balance an egg on a spatula and crack it in half using the spatula's edge. Regardless, the food is good. The restaurant space itself is pretty small. When the restaurant gets busy, it's difficult to make your way around. It's a great place for groups of 10 or so.

    (3)

  • Curtis C.

    NOTE: This is for the lunch buffet The lunch all-you-can-eat sushi is off the hook! Its cheap ($15) for sushi plus itsall you can eat. The sushi is fresh and decent. I wouldnt say that it blows your socks off but pretty good. The section that does the all-you-can-eat is smaller but definitly worth the wait in downtown.

    (4)

  • Nina W.

    I see that there are many poo-poo reviews for Benihana, but I went to a birthday party here and it was super fun to me. We came with a group of 8 adults, one child and one infant, and they did an incredible job of accommodating our seating needs, sitting us towards the back where the stroller would not be a hindrance for the waitstaff and chefs. Tony was our chef, and he was a funny guy. I guess you had to get past that dry sense of humor, but he seemed to warm up to my nephew quite a bit. The food wasn't the best I've had, and granted, this is the Applebee's of Japanese teppenyaki, the steak was really tender, high quality and tasty. The colossal shrimps were huge and juicy, and was even better than the little bite of freshwater lobster that I tried. The cocktail I tried, the Bene-Tini, was a little small, and a little too bitter from the lemon garnish. The Philadelphia Roll I had was really good. I really do not like squid, but I tried some fried calamari that my friend ordered. It was tender, moist, and not rubbery or salty like other calamari I have tried. I actually liked it! And I would eat it again! The dinner ended up being not so lousy price wise, my sister got her birthday meal for free, and my other sister and mom did a special fillet mignon for two for 39 dollars. So it was actually a little less pricey than it could have been thanks to the great coupon and promotional deals. My picky brother in law liked it, so we will probably be back for a celebration in the future.

    (4)

  • Phoenix mi m.

    the other day, we came here to eat and we all enjoyed our time at this place. The chef was very entertaining and made a volcano of onions for us that steamed!! He's really good at what he does. He popped those inedible shrimp tails right into his chef hat - I'm sure he cleaned it out later. His precision tossing skills got the main meal onto our plates with lots of ooing and aahing from the customers. The food was yummy too =) BTW: The entire month of October 2010... Hibachi Shrimp & Chicken for Two people served with onion soup, salad, hot green tea and ice cream... all for just $35!!!

    (5)

  • Thigh C.

    3.5 stars. I just had a lunch here awhile ago. I invited my friend who is visiting from Europe and I decided to give him a treat at this place. I just found out that they have eat all you can sushi/sashimi for 15.95. I guess it's a good price. It comes with miso soup, green tea, salad, good sushi/sashimi, fruits etc. I hate eat all you can restaurants but I thought, due to our conversation, we forgot to eat a lot - which is good in a way. The only downside is that we were here at 1:15 PM and the buffet is until 2 PM. There are not much selection of sushi and sashimi left. Some trays are even empty. My favorite is unagi and the sushi maker is asking me how many unagi that I like so that he can make it. My friend like salmon sashimi and same thing, he was asked how many salmon sashimi he likes. Everytime we go to the counter, we were asked what we like but we are not familiar on the choices. But I kind a understand the situation. I think they don't want to make a lot and may put it into waste. But the guy who makes the sushi is very nice and the lady who bus our table is always smiling. I just wish next time, there should be still a complete selection of sushi or sashimi until 2PM. Not 1:15PM.

    (4)

  • Ninja R.

    Dear Griffin Z., My co-workers and I frequently read your post regarding Benihana and their sushi lunch buffet. After you gave it such high remarks we knew we had to try it! This really is a great sushi buffet, for an all you can eat sushi experience you can't beat. Benihana is full of win and you will be too. I left pleasantly plumper than I was when I walked in. By the way, I took your 38 piece challenge and upped it 3, first time in I was able to finish off 41 pieces of the delicious sushi (57 is current high). ---- EDIT ---- 87 pieces of nigiri, wish I could have hit 100! Working harder on getting my appetite and stomach size up. All you can eat sushi places, be weary.

    (4)

  • Trent N.

    Love this place....Have been going here for years...The fried rice is the best.... Great atmosphere and vibe!!

    (5)

  • Keith B.

    As far as the Benihana franchise goes, this one's inferior to the other ones I have been to. I was early for my reservation but was told that they were behind. Went to the bar and my wife was served a beer in a filthy glass. She sent it back, and they wiped off the glass with a towel and gave the same beer back....uh, ok. We were finally seated about 30-40 minutes after our reservation was (cue Jerry Seinfeld - "you can take a reservation, you just can't hold a reservation"). We waited to get to our table and we sent the beer back, and finally got a clean glass. Food was about standard. The cook we got wasn't as cheery and enthusiastic as others I've seen. I'll wait to go back to Concord, CA. The Benihana there seemed a lot better.

    (2)

  • Neda G.

    The food is good, but nowhere near worth the price that you pay. You're paying for the show, and the show is the same every time. The only thing that changes is the enthusiasm of the chef...which can be hit or miss. The first time we went we had a great chef, the second time it seemed he was new as he was quiet and missed a few of the "tricks". Also you will be grouped with other people at a table...better hope that they are respectful because this wasn't the case when we went for our second time. A few young guys took far too many shots, asking for 6-10 at a time, and the wait staff just kept serving them. They got belligerent with another lady at the table and despite cussing and yelling going back and forth over the table not once did the chef or other staff step in when clearly it was not okay with the others at the table. After they finally left the waitress informed us that they frequent the place often and got too drunk often and caused problems. Not sure why they would allow someone like that to first of all return, and second of all sit at a table with other guests. Those three young men completely ruined our experience and $100 meal and despite us speaking to two different staff about it no one seemed to care. Knowing that the management stood by doing nothing is just unacceptable.

    (2)

  • Sarah M.

    EH is the word i would stick to for describing this joint. you get a hint of how awesome people may have thought it was during the early 90's when the schtick was much more of a novelty. maybe it's just me and my affinity to watch the mongolian grilling men at work...but benhihana's didn't show me something i haven't seen many times over now...and with the sticker price attached to a meal at benihana's i'd much prefer a good meal elsewhere (say at dahlia lounge or dan's broiler??) thereis something though about how benihana just made me think of beverly hills ninja...and chris farley doing the whole chef cooking move...hilarious. okay...tangent aside-fromt he other reviews, benihana's sounds like a great place ot go for the happy hour specials, but for a regular dinner...i think you will find better options from other boutique restaurants tht will give you a better meal for the same price...and you can part with your money without the smell of stir fry stuck to your nice silk blouse.

    (2)

  • Darren C.

    This review is for the the sushi lunch buffet only. Might be the best sushi deal in the USA. Usually, when you hear "sushi buffet" you cringe at thought of mass-produced, bland sushi. Not here. The chef here is constantly making everything fresh and the variety is outstanding. The fish here is not small, either. If you love tuna, you'll be stunned at the size of the filets they offer. White fish, yellowtail, eel, shrimp. It goes on... There is also a nice salad and fruit bar to add. OK, so how much do you think this costs? $30? Try $15. Best deal in town. Best kept secret in Seattle up until my review here. Are you downtown? Do you like sushi? Is it lunchtime? If you've answered "yes" to all that, you're wasting valuable time. Go now!

    (5)

  • Nancy C.

    Downgrading this year. We went for our annual January dinner (2 for $20.10) and the place was an absolute zoo! We were seated immediately and expected to order within 10 seconds..... My husband started yelling at me - she wants you to order and I'm like can I at least have a minute to look at the drinks and appetizers. Guess not - so I ordered for the whole group. 2 minutes later we got soup, followed by salad less than 2 minutes after that. Our chef was all set up a minute after that. He was ok but he does get bonus points for engaging and entertaining the 3 yr old! I noticed that there was alot less food than in the past. We finally got our drinks just before we got our dinner and then 1/2 way thru dinner - our appetizers were thrown on top of my husbands plate..........(if she wouldn't have dropped and dashed, I would have sent them back). A few minutes later, they finally cleared away our soup and salad plates. Then they started bringing our plates and utensils for the next group (tacky!!). We finally saw our waitress again when she brough our check and was all nicey nice. Yes, it is a deal but I do add apps and drinks plus I tip well. Felt like we were getting the bums rush treatment (but all the other tables were, also). So much for a nice relaxing dinner! We were in and out of there in 35 minutes! Will we back be next year, of course............

    (3)

  • Jolorene G.

    I dropped in today for lunch to try out the buffet. It was decent for the most part. The sushi was laid out on platters along the sushi bar with varieties of nigiri and a few rolls to choose from. Included with the buffet you can help yourself to edamame, miso soup, and salad w/ ginger dressing. The total bill came out to around $16.. but the buffet didn't meet my standards in comparison to the many AYCE sushi restos in Richmond, B.C. that I've been to.

    (3)

  • Paul L.

    Microsoft prime 2007 Ambience: 3 Food: 3 Value: 3 Honestly, it looked a little run down. It wasn't super clean or nicely decorated. I expected better. But for a Benihana, it was adequate. The food was good and the show was well scripted. We order the most expensive things on the menu, lobster and steak, house special steak and fillet mignon. It was okay.

    (3)

  • Kat C.

    Excellent service ~~ WAY better than the one in Japantown in San Francisco. Our chef made a perfect onion volcano, unlike Angel in SF, who screwed up twice and then gave up... Next time, I'm getting the filet minion with the lobster...don't be confused when it says Cold-tailed Lobster...I just assumed it was served cold bc of the name (heh...) ...it's fully cooked and the meat is served in the shell like a mini bowl. I asked one of the waiters for soy sauce...and he couldn't understand me...so I pointed and did some scharades until he nodded and left to fulfill my request. He came back with soy sauce and this really spicy pepper paste .... which I ended up really liking/needing. (I'm a sucker for spicy stuff) How did he know? :) It's expensive but worth the experience and good food if you can afford it . (I had a little help from the good ol' gift certifcate :D)

    (4)

  • Gavin N.

    Benihana is NOT real Teppanyaki, but it's really hard to find real Teppanyaki...unless you're willing to pay $40 pp (which i'm not used to because it was dirt cheap at home). Anyway that aside, the steak at Benihana is good, the seafood (no matter what you have) is always lacking...pre-cooked before it hits the grill is a bad sign. Service has always been fast and friendly the 2-3 times i've been here though. and each time I have to remind my chef..."dude..don't cut the fat off my steak..that's flavor buddy". The show was cool the first time i've been to a Benihana...after that..I just want them to cook my food..and I think they appreciate it when they don't need to do anything extra as well. Anyway they do have coupons in the entertainment book which is why I return once a year, other than that...I'd say try and find real Teppan somewhere else. Oh and paying for parking sucks. ~G

    (3)

  • Laura L.

    Hmmm - I have been here several times before and had the standard Benihana experience. It's fun, though you leave smelling like a grill! That is part of the experience. A little reminder of your dinner later, when you brush your hair and grilled prawn smell drifts out. Our sushi dinner on February 13th started out a little strange. We were in the bar, for the first time at this location, just sitting. Waiting, and waiting. Finally we got our menus. Then, no one came by to take our oder! We stopped someone and asked for help. She was hesitant to take our order. Not sure why, I think our zone was technically served by a different waitress. When she did take our order, she tried to memorize it, but realized she needed help. She went to get a pad and paper and came back. We had to repeat our order for her. It took a long time for the sushi to come, and when it did, it was just ok. Same with the drinks. Just ok, nothing special, no cool garnishes or fun glasses, nothing like - wow, which is kind of what you expect from Benihana. It was cafeteria style sushi. Next time, we'll stick to the full experience in the main grill area of the restaurant.

    (3)

  • Cameron B.

    Benihana has still got it! I went here with my gf on a Sunday night because we saw them featured on a Food Network program (I know we're suckers) :) We got there and had no reservations, but we were able to get a seat within 15 minutes. While we waited, we went to the bar and enjoyed a beer and a wine and before we knew it, our table was ready. Immediately after sitting down we were greeted with a hot towel to wash our faces with. The server then promptly took our drink order and explained the specials. After our order was taken, our chef appeared within 10 minutes. He started with the fried rice made right on the table grill. Afterwords, a few shrimp. For the main course, I ordered the special which was a fillet mignon, shrimp, and scallops. We both order our beef medium rare, which take note, meant we also got our food first since the other people ordered theirs medium. All the meat was excellent, i just wish there were a few more dipping sauces to choose from. We were thoroughly stuffed afterwords and could not even circumvent the thought of dessert. Since I am also lucky enough to work downtown, Benihana also has all you can eat sushi for around 16 bucks now. They mostly have rolls, but there is also some basic sushi as well. It is all good and about on par with what you would expect from an all you can eat sushi lunch. We will come back the next time we want to re-live "prom night" again! The price is high, but you leave full and it usually is pretty entertaining to watch too.

    (4)

  • TA S.

    Just went there again - one of my favorite places to eat. Always fun - food is always amazing, and the service is always perfect. I have been eating her for over 20 years and they never disappoint me

    (5)

  • Lisa H.

    My husband and I went tonight for my b'day, first time and it was amazing,like a dinner and a show in one. Service was top notch, chef was funny talented and great at what he does. Food was amazing, steak so tender, everything seasoned well, lobster, melt in your mouth good. Even was brought a decorative ice cream with banana whip cream cherry and chocolate stick in top! Couldn't ask for a better experience!

    (5)

  • Henry T.

    Ate here last night before watching White Christmas at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Arrived at about 6:40pm for an 8pm show. The lobby looked packed, so we sat at the Sushi Bar Service was rather slow from the waitstaff - hardly was checked on and they seemed very rushed. The sushi chef last night was incredible though. Very friendly, good recommendations, and when the wait staff didn't bring our food over, he left the sushi station and went and got it for us, knowing it was waiting. Really glad to have such a good experience from him to offset the poor experience from the waitstaff. I understand it was busy, but we are customers, too.

    (4)

  • Valerie L.

    I'm not even sure I need to write a review for Benihana because like any chain, the service and food is very consistent, and according to my friend they have your meal down to a science. You will be in and out within an hour where everything is timed to the point you get cut off from water after you finished your meal, so there's no wanting to linger around and chit-chat. The Seattle Benihana has been the best one I've frequented though. Our chef was Asian and joked not to call immigration on him which his delivery was hilarious. Even though I've seen the tiered onion volcano and the shrimp in the hat trick a zillion times, it was still funny. This place brings back good memories of being entertained while eating with family and friends. Always fun and worth the $70ish meal.Also, I read they have a killer lunch special with all you can eat sushi for $30. The quality of seafood is worth it.

    (4)

  • Stacie K.

    We went for my birthday as it was my favorite place back East. It is still delish. Meat cooked properly, seafood was awesome. Only complaint is they don't have shrimp sauce. It is another kind of mustard based sauce. it is good. Just a touch too salty for me. I still love it.

    (4)

  • Rhys E.

    Great quality food, fresh and fun for kids. Chefs tend to mumble both times I have gone, but they can cook!

    (5)

  • Anca S.

    Twice now I've come here with a group of 20 for someone's birthday. If there happens to be a 3rd time (and I really hope it doesn't) I plan to eat beforehand and only order an appetizer. I think that they think they're doing a good job catering to the few vegetarians that are brought here by their omnivore friends, but it's not true. Previously, you had to be "in the know" about them having a veggie entree and they made it separately in the back kitchen. It was a big plate of fairly tasty grilled veggies, though as overpriced as the rest if their items. Two months later they've officially put it on the menu, but changed the whole "recipe". They steam veggies in some contraption on the main griddle till it's as bland as your would expect. And it wasn't even a selection of good vegetables, but cauliflower, potatoes, etc, not the same as what the meat-eaters get. Anyway, by the time those were done cooking I had already eaten half of my now-cold rice from hunger. Other minor annoyances: the menu says the entrees come with green tea, but no one ever got any. Also, you won't be seated without your entire party present and even then it takes 10 minutes to get the tables ready.

    (2)

  • Iggy S.

    The sushi bar I never heard of, until now. Great service, great food, what more can I say, if your into Japanese food try it.

    (4)

  • Brian C.

    This Benihana is not one of the better ones I have been to. The restaurant is over crowded and the seating style is cramped and crowded. The food quality is better than some of the other teppan resturants in the area but I have been to better Benihana joints. This one the staff is not that great and I felt like I was in a herd of cattle.

    (3)

  • Diane T.

    My review is based solely on the sushi lunch as I have not been here for dinner or hibachi lunch...Benihanna is one of my favorite workweek lunches! Granted we nicknamed it "payday sushi" due to the $14 price tag, it's definitely worth it. Unlike other buffets, this one focuses on what is important--a variety of rolls and sushi. Go early for the best and freshest selection. They also have some good salad and fruits, but the main focus is definitely the fish. There is also complimentary tea and miso, but you have to ask for it.

    (4)

  • JacnDan P.

    I'm not sure if I NEED to eat all you can eat sushi, but I'm certainly glad the option is available when I am craving loads and loads of the stuff. Benihana has a great lunch sushi buffett for $15 and some change after tax. Not the BEST sushi in town, but for that price it is more than worth it. I would rate the food at a 3 and the value at a 5.

    (4)

  • Nori V.

    For lunch, this is a place to go for ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI and the price is RIGHT! They only have selected sashimi - maguro, hamachi, saba, ebi and tai - and they are fresh! They have varieties of maki, too many to name, salad and fruit. It also comes with miso soup. In about 45 minutes, I had gorged about 30+ sushi, few maki and downed it with miso soup. Yes I can do that! I filled up and left happy. Hint: If you want to beat the crowd, you gotta be there when it opens or you will have to wait. They do not take reservations for all you can eat sushi, it's only first come first serve. A MUST GO! =)

    (5)

  • Leonardo R.

    uhm i went there for a friends B-day ... let me tell you once you enter you know for sure you are getting out of there smelling like all sorts of food... everything smelled yummy i ordered the special of the day ... shrimp scallops steamed rice and steak i was waiting for a big plate that got me full but the surprise was that the cheff was going to cook my food in front of me more stinky odors for my clothes :( the whole time i was there it was kinda suffocating to crowded and hard to walk,tables to close together and just no room for more people anyways so the cheff cooked my food while everybody got their own plate ready to go and i had to wait till the cheff was done with my dish it just didnt feel like a food because of me waiting for my food the whole time the food wasn't that bad,kind of dry,and more onions than actually food the overall experience was disappointing for me maybe it was the smell of food on my clothes and the pricey dish that i has better for better price we headed to a bar after and i could smell the food on me an some friends we met there actually said you stink like food :( maybe if you trying to impress a date and she doesn't care for food smell on her hair go for it and expect to drop some $$ good luck

    (2)

  • Jack M.

    About average for this type of place. This is one of those Japanese restaurants where they cook in front of you on a grill - put on a little show, etc. Cute - but schmaltzy in my opinion. Food was.... OK. I had the filet. The steak itself was the best part. They do other stuff as well - give you soup and rice and fry up some shrimp and mushrooms and things. It's ok. I don't feel the food is anything to write home about. Good prices. But, you don't get a whole heck of a lot here. Nice enough for this kind of place but I wouldn't recommend it.

    (3)

  • Tiffany I.

    I went to Benihana in Downtown Seattle with my boyfriend last Thursday for Teppanyaki. Benihana is located in a plaza with a small Japanese-style garden outside. The garden was an attraction of itself, and as we were waiting to order, I noticed that customers and passerbys would stop by to take pictures in the courtyard. The interior of the restaurant was very tidy and clean. The walls near the entrance were covered with pictures of Benihana chefs with celebrities that have dined at the restaurant before; the Denver Nuggets, Eva Longoria, and Tony Parker are among a few of the celebrities we saw. We were greeted by a hostess and brought promptly to our seats. Although we arrived 15 minutes early, we had to wait for the rest of our table to fill up before we could order our food. Around 10 minutes later, we were joined by an outgoing grandmother and her two grandchildren; they have all been to this restaurant before. My boyfriend and I didn't order drinks, but the three of them did (red wine for the grandmother, a strawberry daquiri for the granddaughter, and a banana berry (?) smoothie for the grandson). Their drinks all looked quite fancy, and I'm sure it tasted delicious as they all got seconds. Their sushi menu looked good, but my boyfriend and I were not able to agree on a roll we both wanted and we were afraid we would over-order, so we decided to pass on sushi that night. We were served a miso soup and a small salad while we waited for our meal. I am normally not a fan of miso soup, but I actually found theirs enjoyable, and I really liked the dressing (which tasted like vinaigrette) on the salad. Halfway into our starters, our chef fired up the grill and started cooking. Our appetizers consisted of onions, mushrooms, and shrimp, which was not very tasty, but the tricks (esp. the onion volcano) were quite entertaining. Our chef was Taiwanese and his name was Tony. Tony was a tall fellow with a distinct laugh and kind of reminds me of Santa Clause. My boyfriend and I couldn't tell if he was just tired or trying to put up a show because he kept messing up on his tricks. At one point, the grandmother at our table even blurted out, "we've had you as our chef before Tony and you were a lot better than this!" The entree, which I considered the highlight of the meal, was your choice of chicken, steak, or seafood or a combination of the two. My boyfriend ordered the Rocky's Choice, which was a combination of Hibachi steak and moist chicken breast, while I ordered the Filet Mignon. Everyone at the table ordered their steaks medium-rare. My Filet Mignon turned out to be a lot more tender compared to my boyfriend's Hibachi steak and we both enjoyed it a lot. However, I personally didn't like the sauce they provided. All of their foods looked really fresh. Someone at the next table ordered scallops and it looked good. I plan on trying it the next time I go back. I substituted my steamed rice with fried rice (at a few extra dollars) and I definitely recommend it. The fried rice was simply delicious and quite tasty. Probably the best I've had in a while. It consisted of garlic, green onions, strips of chicken, and I believe it was seasoned with garlic butter, pepper, sesame seeds and soy sauce. My boyfriend's combination meal came with dessert which was two scoops of ice cream. We both thoroughly enjoyed our green tea ice cream. What a sweet way to top off the meal : ) Overall, the dining experience was very pleasant, and I would definitely come back again. I think Benihana is a good place for gathering for friends and family. In fact, there were two birthday parties during our dinner. However, it was a little bit pricey. Our bill added up to a grand total of about 60 dollars if I remember correctly. I recommend coming here for lunch, as their lunch menu (which consist of mostly the same stuff) is a lot cheaper. The restaurant provided validation for parking, but we still ended up paying $4, which was not too bad. I want to try their sushi next time.

    (4)

  • Stacy T.

    I always have a great experience whenever I go to Benihana. The quality of the food is very good and it's a fun time. We took two of our friends who'd never been before, and they really loved it! One of our friends with us doesn't like seafood, but even she really enjoyed the shrimp appetizer. As always, I ordered the filet mignon & shrimp. The steak was cooked perfectly and the shrimp were sweet and cooked well. My boyfriend ordered the filet mignon & scallops. The scallops were very good as well. Our other friend ordered the filet mignon and lobster tail. I had a bite of the lobster tail and it was so succulent and creamy, quite good. Of course, we each ordered the chicken fried rice. It is always a must have. It tastes so good especially with all that garlic! What can I say? From the salad and shrimp appetizer all the way to the green tea ice cream at the end, it's always an all around great dining experience!

    (5)

  • Chris C.

    I've been to may hibachi places and I feel that across the country Benihana's is the most consistent. This particular venue was also very nice with a great staff. Our chef was courteous and quite entertaining without being over the top.

    (4)

  • Dena R.

    Fun time, good food and great happy hour in bar while waiting. Kids loved it!

    (5)

  • Jason H.

    Note: I get a discount here from work so I took that into account. Been here for about 10 times since I move up to Seattle. It is right downtown and park at the garage as they validate parking. Now for the Food and Service/Show. Food: I usually get the Filet Mignon. It is actually quite good and the fried rice is yummy as well. Service/Show: This really depends on who you get. I have been there where the chef are tired after a long day and they were non-energetic and not really tiring to make it a fun experience. There are others where they are much better. The show is pretty much the same, the volcano, the fliping of the egg in shell and shrimp tail into the hat and pocket. Overall, I give it a four stars becasue for the price and food it is quite worthwile.

    (4)

  • Tianhong F.

    Especially good if you have Microsoft Prime Card ($40 for 2 entrees)

    (5)

  • Rick L.

    I love Japanese Steakhouse food...but...this location is staffed with the most rude folks ive encountered in a long time. The hostess was nasty to my wife on the phone, then lectured her in person on why we should have made a reservation. We didnt mind having to wait for a table but were turned off by the attitude so we headed up the street to Tulio (which was awesome).

    (2)

  • Shawn J.

    What an amazing lunchtime value. $16.00 for all the sushi you can eat. I was loading up my plate and the chef asked if I wanted some eel. I said yes. He made them fresh and put 3 on my plate. Eat here now. One of my favorite meals in Seattle.

    (5)

  • Kyla C.

    I've been here numberous times and it's definitely kitsch at it's best! It's pretty much the same routine every time but whatever, it's fun. The food is good too which makes it worth the trip. I enjoy their soup and salad (really good dressing) and I usually upgrade the rice to fried rice because it's delish! Then comes the veggies and shrimp appetizer which are good with the 2 dipping sauces they give you. This time I got the shrimp and teriyaki steak combo as my entree and it was tasty. You also get ice cream for dessert so for $28, not a bad deal at all! Expect to hear a few birthday songs during your meal since this is the place to come with a large group and if you're celebrating some sort of occasion. The only real drawback is that you smell like a kitchen when you get home but really, a small price to pay for some great food and good entertainment! I'm a fan.

    (4)

  • Robert C.

    Love their weekday lunch sushi buffet

    (4)

  • Brad F.

    As Andy Bernard put it on The Office, Benihana is WAY classier than Hooters. Not much to add to the multitude of reviews below... I love taking visitors here when they come to Seattle. You are very likely to see some celebrities here. I've seen the Seattle Storm (WNBA team) twice, and some players on the visiting Oakland A's sat right next to us once! Also, the sushi happy hour is fantastic. $1 hand rolls! How can you beat that? It should be noted that for you Microsofties out there, this place takes the Prime card! Makes the experience very affordable! So go check out Asian Hooters if you're in the area! It's a fun time and a tasty dinner!

    (4)

  • Mary B.

    I come here before we go to the 5th Ave Theater where we have season tickets. Love this place. Service always good, really easy to get a seat and the wait staff are great. Parking - there is parking below the restaurant in hte building. You have to pay, you get a discount with Benihana. Service- very good, no issues, love the staff Food - honeestly you get consistent quality and the options are so large I never have any issues.

    (4)

  • Desiree V.

    I've been here for lunch and dinner for the tepenyaki style food and it is very average and overpriced. But I went here for sushi for the first time yesterday. They have an all you can eat buffet for around $15. The catch is it is probably some of the worst sushi I've ever experienced. Plus, they charge you $.50 for every rice ball you don't eat! I ended up eating a ton of pineapple because the sushi just grossed me out. If you are a hefty person and just want to eat a lot of sushi and don't mind if it's bad, then this place might not be so bad, but if you appreciate good sushi, don't come here!

    (2)

  • Jubal S.

    This place is way fun if you can fill a table - especially if your friends haven't ever seen the chef's fancy knife work, etc. If you don't have enough people in your party, you get to sit with strangers which may or may not be great. I had a few "bushido"s that were tasty, and also the dinner with lobster. On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd rate the food at a 7 - especially after I got the bill, but the entertainment value easily makes up for it.

    (3)

  • Jimmy W.

    I'm a fan because every year for my birthday, they send me a $30 certificate I can use during the month of my birthday (as long as it's on Mon-Thurs) - just join the Chef's Club. Otherwise, the teppanyaki act is getting old. The cooks are getting worse and worse, and they're really not very talented with their knives. I remember being really amazed when I went to a teppanyaki restaurant for the first time in LA almost 20 years ago. Here they're just making noise with their cooking utensils, and when they're actually cooking, there's nothing impressive about what they're doing. Service was good though...my ice tea was refilled a bunch of times. I've been for the sushi lunch buffet before, and I agree with everyone else that it's a pretty good deal. So I'll be back for the sushi lunch buffet if I'm in the neighborhood, and back for teppanyaki when I get my next birthday certificate.

    (4)

  • Carly L.

    You know where you go if you want a good show both during and after eating? Benihana! Here's how it goes... go to Benihana. Gorge yourself on food while being entertained by the table side chefs (which I actually really like). You don't realize how much you eat. Wait an hour or so. Another show, but this one not so fun. I have been to Benihana a half dozen times for bdays or what have you, and it happened EVERY SINGLE time. I don't go there willingly!

    (2)

  • Bunneh L.

    When I'm in the mood to pig out, I like going to Benihana's all you can eat sushi bar for $13.95 (plus tax and tip). This includes sushi, rolls, miso soup, salad, and fruit and is only available during lunch. They have a great variety of nigiri sushi that is fresh and delicious. I especially love their salmon and albacore tuna sushi. Their rolls are just so-so, with not much variety. I can eat like a horse, so I definitely ate my $13.95 worth (thank you, Asian metabolism!). I must have gone back 3 or 4 times to retrieve more sushi. What a little piggy I am! Oink oink oink.

    (4)

  • Marshall B.

    4.8 rounded up. -0.1 because if you have a group of less than 8 you essentially end up sharing a table with strangers. The food was amazing. The service was incredible. They cook it at your table and boy is it a spectacle. The chef's are great! They do tricks and entertain throughout the entire cooking process. Definitely worth it just for the show they put on! One of my new favorite places in Seattle. Only other problem (-0.1) is it is a little on the spendy side for my tastes which will keep me at bay from going every day (poetry?). Awesome!

    (5)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:30 am - 9:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Lunch, Dinner
    Parking : Garage
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Touristy
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Benihana Seattle

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