I went here last night with one of my girlfriends as she had never been and with the "friends with benefits" rewards they gave me $50 credit to use during my birthday month. We had a 7:30 reservation and they sat us right away. I ordered the ocean treasure which had lobster, scallops and colossal shrimp which was excellent. My friend ordered Land N Sea. What I love about Benihana is that they cook right in front of you and the entrees include 6 courses with 2 yummy sauces that are a gingery sauce and a "yum yum" sauce which tasted like a mustardy mayo. The first course was onion soup that had mushrooms in it, then the house salad with a really tasty gingery dressing, grilled zucchini and onion, rice which I upgraded to the chicken friend rice because that is the best. After that you got a bit of shrimp and for dessert ice cream or sherbet and also a green tea if you wish. The hibachi chef was nice and cooked well but what made our experience 5 stars great was our server Brian. He let us know he was in training but he did wonderful! He was attentive and very friendly. The ambience was lively but you could still have a conversation. I recommend checking out this Benihana it was a great experience and I will definitely be back! read more

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I called ahead to make sure the location did the power lunch. I sat on the grill side and they told me the rice would be brought out from the back because it takes too long to cook. The manager was extremely rude to me and the chef, Aiden, also said something along the lines of "you're not happy because it's not the way you wanted it," as if my expectations at a hibachi restaurant are "bratty." If I was okay with my food coming from the back I could've sat somewhere else in the restaurant or even door dashed. The food does not taste the same when it is not cooked on the grill. I was also the only one at the table which made it even more frustrating that they did not cook the rice. I get keeping lunch to under 45 minutes but the service was piss poor at best. My server was Joselyn and when it came time for me to pay she left the machine at the table with the receipt on top. There were 4 people in the restaurant, and that is not how you treat a customer who is already having a bad experience. I can see why this place only has 3.7 stars on open table. The soup wasn't hot and the rice was not good at all. I had to use a lot of soy sauce to make it taste edible. read more

Benihana - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Oh man, it's crazy to see so many bummer reviews for this place. A dinner at Benihana will almost never be quick or economical, but we still have folks in our family that dig the whole preparation spectacle, so we still find ourselves visiting once or twice a year. We seem to have never arrived when they are super busy or understaffed, so never endured an insane wait for a reserved spot. Maybe I've just been lucky in that regard. Food is pricey for what it is, but it's nice that it's fresh off the grill, a step above standard asian carryout. Drinks tend to be quite sugary. They have added some "upscale" choices to their menu like american wagyu beef. I paid an extra $6 for truffle butter to go with my steak, it was pretty good. They will sing to your table if you let them know that someone is celebrating something. Go ahead and visit a few times a year just to make the kids happy. Just don't set expectations too high, and you'll be perfectly content at the end of your meal. read more

I chose Benihana for our anniversary because my boyfriend loves it. It's a place he knows he can get something he will enjoy, and we've had a good time the last few times we have been here. Unfortunately, we won't be back - to this location, at least. To start, we were absolutely late for our reservation. It was only 15 minutes, but that's completely on us. When we arrived, they said it was no problem, and it took about 15 minutes to get us seated. After we were seated, the server got our drink orders, and eventually our dinner orders. It took about 45 more minutes before the chef showed up at our table. Everyone was antsy, but we were still good to go. The chef and the server were both very friendly, and did a good job. Sadly, the food did not live up to the inflated price Benihana charges. The rice had been sitting for FAR too long before it made its way to the table, and was crunchy and dry - even the fried rice made at the table since it used the same rice as my steamed rice. The portion sizes have continued to get smaller and smaller at Benihana, but the prices have just increased. Even that, sort of expected. My main issue is the new Bounty of the Sea meal that came out to the table as a foil and plastic-wrapped bubble that sat on the grill - and sat, and sat, and sat, and sat. Beyond the very small portions of various seafood that were supposed to be in the dish (this was no bounty), it was turned into little rubber chunks for sitting so long on the grill. Then, the whole thing - foil, plastic and all - was put on my plate on top of the other food that was already on my plate - completely inedible. I got up to let my boyfriend finish his meal and talk to someone that could help me. It was clear from the moment I walked up to her that she had no interest in hearing what I had to say. She rolled her eyes as I explained the problems, and half-heartedly apologized in the most condescending tone I think she could muster. When asked what she could do, or if she could get me something else, I said no - I just wanted that meal removed from the bill since it was inedible. She followed me to my table and took my plate. When we got up to get out check and leave, she hovered while the server (who was incredibly sweet and apologetic) tried to get us taken care of. When I saw that my meal was still on the bill, I pointed it out to the server, but the manager(?) was very quick to point out that the meal was removed at the bottom of the bill - my mistake. All in all, this was a terrible experience for our anniversary, and I will not be returning to Benihana. There are plenty of other hibachi restaurants in Chicago, and I'll be giving them my business. read more

My colleague and I came here after a long week of work, on the last night of our business trip. It was close to where we were staying and we were too tired to look up anything else. Everyone likes hibachi, what could go wrong? We entered and were told there'd be a short wait for the hibachi so we assumed the place was packed, but once we were taken to the back, we learned this wasn't the case. They were just waiting for more hibachi customers to fill up our table, which makes sense, but I wish they were more transparent with this from the beginning. Getting the grill set up and the cook also took a long time even though our table was seated and ready. The servers took our orders and took awhile to come back with salad and miso soup. We watched the other tables from across the room get their hibachi show. Finally our starters and drinks came and the chef began the performance. He was quite low energy which also affected the energy of our group to an extent (compared to the other two tables next to us). Overall it was OK. We weren't there for the hibachi show as much as other groups maybe were (tourists, kids, those celebrating something). We just wanted to fill our stomachs and be on our way. In the middle of our meal, we saw another group of two get led to a hibachi station and their show started right away without the same wait we had. We also witnessed an accident where a server dropped a bunch of glasses and glass shattered all over the floor. The server and other workers didn't seem concerned or in a rush to clean it up. They just walked away, which seemed concerning to us. read more

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I've been to this establishment a few times. I stopped in to have a quick bite.... chicken fried rice and an afternoon cocktail. Food was very tasty. Customer service was great and accommodating. I would've gave this a four star, but seeing that the drink cost more than the food was completely ridiculous. I would've expected it to be reversed the food to be more than the cocktail. I simply had one shot of Tito's vodka with a couple of limes in it for $17 I could've brought a bottle almost for that price never again will I go and support any of their alcoholic beverages?....Smh read more

Benihana - A ridiculous receipt - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I rarely leave negative reviews, but this experience was honestly disappointing. We arrived very hungry and ended up spending nearly two hours (9-11 PM) in the restaurant, largely due to extremely slow service. Water refills were an ongoing issue -- we had to ask repeatedly -- and despite asking, I never received the lemon I wanted for my water. The portion sizes were very small, especially considering how expensive the meals were ($40). The salad was sad and tasted way too much of ginger, following this Both my brother and I ordered the chicken teriyaki, and unfortunately it was extremely dry. To make things worse, the rice came out well after the rest of the food, which made the meal even more frustrating. I'd also like to add that the ambiance was okay but we ended up reeking of smoke due to the long wait and cook time. To their credit, the owner did acknowledge the issue and offered a small discount, but it wasn't nearly enough to make up for the overall experience or the amount of time we spent there. Only reason it's gettin one stay if the chef did like 2 cool tricks I've never seen. If you're considering teppanyaki, I'd strongly recommend going somewhere else. read more

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They clearly overbooked Bf and I had a reservation for 2 for 03/07 8PM. We didn't get seated til well after 9PM We got the 5 course choice. I never got soup or salad Had to walk to the front desk to ask to get comped for that 1 star for the front desk check in crew 1 star for the chef. They seemed understaffed The staff are all nice More of a corporate problem Won't go out my way to come here read more

I recently visited a friend in Chicago. I was born & raised in Chicago but now live elsewhere. Surprisingly this was my first time dining at Benihana on Michigan Ave. My friend recommended it. We had a wonderful experience. The atmosphere was lively. The restaurant was busy but not chaotic. Everyone around us was enjoying themselves. Lots of groups celebrating birthdays. FUN Times! We were seated with a family celebrating their young son's birthday. He was mesmerized by the chef. The staff was attentive. The food was very tasty and cooked to perfection. Our chef was entertaining and engaging. We enjoyed our meal without feeling rushed. I highly recommend Benihana and look forward to returning in the future. read more

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This place is terrible - good location but the food quality just isn't there - we had reordered shrimp tempura to start before the table started up and they were soggy and mushy, and then the food at the grill started and the best part of the meal was the fried rice. The meats were chewy and overcooked and there was honestly nothing redeeming about the experience. I would never go again. read more

Brian the server really made everything wonderful. He was attentive, adaptive, and was constantly doing "little things" that added up. Food and experience as always was fun and delicious. Great family atmosphere! read more

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience at this Benihana location. Sailor, Erick, and Abby were all instrumental in making our visit exceptional. Their attentiveness, friendliness, and genuine hospitality elevated our evening. The food was absolutely amazing, and the service made us feel welcomed and cared for from start to finish. We frequent the Benihana locations back home and are huge fans of the restaurant, and this visit only reinforced why we keep coming back. Thank you to the team for creating such a memorable experience--we can't wait to return! read more

I had a very difficult interaction earlier this month with a staff member and with the call center. Unfortunately, the manager, Lance, was blamed in the situation. He very kindly rectified the entire situation by email and when I went in to the restaurant, we had a very nice conversation. I appreciate Lance for taking the time to speak with me and look forward to coming back to Benihana - Michigan Ave. read more

Terrible service, food and experience. Not worth the money at all. I cannot recommend this place and will never be back

Family had an early dinner here last night at 5pm. It was already getting extremely busy when we arrived, but we were seated close to our reservation time. The hostesses were efficient and cordial. Our waitress same = efficient and cordial. Our chef Jean Pierre was wonderful, funny, entertaining, friendly, and did a great job preparing our meals. By the time we left the place was jam packed and the hostesses had not lost their pep! We got cheery thanks for coming and happy holidays called to us as we left. All in all a very very nice start to the evening!!!! read more

Okay so I knew going into this the wait could likely be hours even with a reservation. These reviews were not wrong. We had a 7pm reservation and we finally got seated at 8:30 Luckily we were about to cram into the crowded bar and get too many drinks on an empty stomach. By the time we ordered and got our food I think it was about 9:30? Did I have fun? Yes. Would I go back? Maybe if I wasn't hungry and wanted to smell like hibachi for 24 hours. read more

Oh 0 my God the last time I came here was for my son's birthday and the food was OK. Fast forward to tonight. We went there and everything was like trash. They have a promotion going on right now for a burritos if you buy one burrito you get one burrito free and although this is a Japanese place, they're serving steak burritos, chicken burritos, and shrimp burritos with the signature Benihana's rice so I ordered me and my son one of each and got home and they put no meat in there just plain white rice with soy sauce. It was so disgusting and cold and hard that I am in disbelief that they even packaged up something like this to sell to anyone. I'll take some pictures for y'all to review, but please take my word for it. Don't go in Benihana's and buy no burritos. None of the new things that they're advertising because it's made with trash. See pictures below. read more

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Went here for lunch with a friend visiting from south America who had never had teppanyaki before. Our server Leila was fast and friendly and even made custom "kids" chopsticks for my son. Our chef Juan put on a great show that even captivated my 3 year old. My scallops were cooked perfectly and were very tender. My only complaint is the front entrance seemed to be roped off we had to walk around several barriers to get to the door despite them being open. read more

Over priced... they take small amounts of food and try to make it look like a lot. The drinks are water down

Service was rather mundane, as we only sat at a table instead of getting the Hibachi experience and had to wait although many tables were open. Our server wasn't rude, however just did the bare minimum; I imagine only 15-20 words were exchanged the entire time. Water had to be asked for twice and was never refilled. The Overall food was also rather simple, as a first time customer and with a premium price like that I expected much better and my expectations were not met. Everything just tasted coated in pepper and getting noodles over white rice was a lot more of an up charge than it should've been. Just disappointing. read more

This place is slow as shit. Been waiting an hour no cook has came out as of yet. This place only wants to up sale you. I've never been ignored like this. 7 other people waiting and the cook decided to come out at 10:40. Place closes at 11:00. Damn working there people like mad here. Hire some more help to serve your customers. If you can't afford the overhead at this location then move. Sucks here read more

The food was terrible the meat was old and dry I will not shop here again . The customer service was great . The restaurant was clean it had a few people standing in front begging for money read more

The food was excellent, but the service was terrible. Our server Clara only visited the table once after taking orders, and got multiple orders at the table wrong. Someone in our party with a dietary restriction was not treated seriously, and they did not adhere to it at all. She was served foods she said she could not eat, after being given attitude by the server over the request. Multiple incorrect additional charges on the check, orders were given incorrectly to the chef (not the chefs fault) and the experience was overall terrible. The manager Gary gave us a free drink thinking it would shut us up, then refused to remove the 22% auto gratuity he previously told us we would not have to pay. I support large part auto gratuity, but that was a completely undeserved tip for terrible service. Overall unacceptable experience for how much was paid. read more

Went to dinner at Benihana with friends on a weekend evening and had an Awesome Experience! Parking: since restaurant is downtown, suggested parking is street parking OR parking garage. I used a parking App and pre paid parking at a nearby garage (Water Tower Place Parking Facility). Upon arrival, the hostess takes a picture of your dining party. If you in a small party, you may be seated at same table with other small parties. We ordered: Appetizer: Edemame Drinks: Lemonade Entree: Trio of Beef, Chicken and Shrimp Dessert: Green Tea Ice Cream Chef Sergio and Hostess Valentina were excellent! Valentina anticipated the needs of the customer, was friendly and welcoming. Chef Sergio was charming, skilled with presentation and funny. I look forward to returing for my upcoming birthday. Cheers!~ read more

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Came to this location Tuesday Oct 9th for happy hr, I had several other options but was so excited to come here. I was the only customer seated literally at the bar and a young man " can't remember his name helped me order my first cocktail , he was friendly & knowledgeable about the menu however, after that I ordered chicken wings got another cocktail. An hour has passed & the bartender made me aware that he checked on my food and was told that my food wasn't made it yet " puzzled " I hadn't realize that my chicken wings hadn't came out so I proceed to ask, would he be accommodating me for the long wait HE SAID NO I'll go check on your food and it should be out shortly . 30 mins later Still no food at this point Im annoyed I then pulled the manager to the side and explain to her what happened . She apologized and took the food & (1) drink off my tab. I thanked her and boom here comes the bartender, with my food . The manager told him don't bother She doesn't want it anymore can you please cash her out. Mind you all drinks or $10. I get my check and I see $14.96 at first I was gonna pay but something didn't sit well with me because taxes aren't that high . Now I'm extremely angry saw another team member and had them check my tab out and they confirmed that the bartender added a tip to my tab wow . The nerve of him to attempt to steal from me .. who are you to make someone give you a tip for a service that was never given . I than spoke with the regional manager about the situation he was fake concerned, however, at that point I shouldn't have had to pay for anything. I am lost for words and I feel like that Bartender should be held accountable for trying to steal from a paying customer might I add the restaurant was completely empty there is no way I waited almost an hour for chicken wings. I am completely disgusted. read more

Benihana - Sake sangria - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Our sever was incredible and our chef was even better thanks to the whole staff for a great celebration!

The food is good but seems so over priced? Charging $7.50 for fried rice and then another $7.50 for noodles is a crime I am sure of it. Service was good!! We had a little incident at our table and the managers handled it perfectly to the point where I would want to come back but the price seems absolutely insane to me. It is very loud and was hard to hear our server but we did end up having fun!! read more

Missing items, noodles not completely cooked. Must have cooked mu but en chicken without cleaning from cooking steak got a couple pieces I DONT EAT STEAK. I call them for refund and I was directed to call Uber. Not a great experience ! read more

Serdar Chef Great job Foo was Excelente Servicio excelente Buen ambiente La Comida muy buena 10 de 10.... read more

Warning do not go here it will take forever The waiting to get in is Crazy. I've been here multiple times and every time I'm delay well over over an hour late for my reservation Do not go here. read more

Our server Thomas was very attentive and friendly and right on top of our needs. The food was tasty and the chef put on a great show. Recommend the lobster roll read more

Benihana - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If i could put a 0, i would. the food was horrible. I specifically told the staff multiple times that I didn't want my food to be salty or spicy, but they completely ignored my request. When the food was being made, it turned out both overly salty and way too spicy, making it hard to even enjoy the meal. It felt like my preferences weren't taken seriously at all. For the price you pay, I expected much better attention to detail and customer service. Definitely not coming back. Overpriced ! Customer service was a 0. My blood pressure spiked and I had to drink medications to lower it. Soup and salad was gross! tasted very old read more

I have been going to Benihana on my birthday for more than 30 years. I've seen a ton of amazing chefs but Ardis is the man - handled a ton of different requests, made us all laugh and had the best moves. Highly recommended. Nothing better than Benihana on your birthday! read more

Benihana - The best birthday party anywhere - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The experience was awesome which is why i think most people go there for. Staff were very friendly and inviting. Bathrooms clean and establishment kept tidy. Food is AWESOME and they have a kids meal as well. read more

Benihana - The start of the experience and the cooking of our food - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Hemam was great! Food was great, bartender was great! Drink Was great! Merry Christmas! read more

Benihana - Prickly Pear Margarita - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

DONT WASTE YOUR TIME Reservation doesn't count for anything and staff is rude!!! I called the number on Google to make a reservation at 7:30. We arrived at 7:20 after receiving a text message saying our table was ready. After asking about it for the first time they said 10-15min and gave us a vibrating disc, the second time they said we were 3rd, and the third time they said that they do not do reservations but we were next and still made us wait 10min longer until we decided to leave (after a total wait of 1 1/2 hour WITH RESERVATION!!) The guy "Gary" was very rude and told us that we could keep waiting or leave and they said that we were in the list for the reservation but then they said that they don't do reservations AND THEN he denied saying that they don't do reservations. They did not apologize for the inconvenience or offer anything while we waited for over an hour. They instead gave us an attitude and told us to wait or leave after giving us three different answers and with an attitude. This was a reservation I made for my mother birthday and they ruined the night and we had to pay cancellation fees on the rest of our plans to not even eat there. I have to mention that we asked calmly many times until they started giving us an attitude and raising their voice at us. During this night we saw at least three more bad reviews appear after we posted ours on Google and all of them said the same thing about the wait and the rudeness. This is unacceptable, unprofessional, and inconsiderate. DO NOT GO HERE If I could put zero starts I would read more

Visit the location and I would say it was good. Wasn't too busy so was able to sit at a hibachi table quickly. Nice portion size and chef did a great job. Waiter was cool. Definitely worth considering Great location to shop! read more

Benihana - Front Entrance - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We had a disappointing hibachi experience this afternoon. The initial service was slow and inattentive like a beer was brought and we had to find our own glass to pour it in. We weren't asked about refills until an hour later. It took 20 minutes after soup to have the chef arrive. Our chef was friendly but not very skilled - he dropped his spatula on the floor and had to flag down the server to get him a clean one. Later he got egg shell in the egg and had to fish it out. His tricks failed multiple times. Just a rough experience. On top of that, my chicken was extremely tough and inedible - just poor quality. I've been to hibachi before and usually love it but I would avoid a repeat of this experience read more

Our waitress, busboy, chef, and the food were all phenomenal tonight! This review is solely reflecting the host person who called me 30 mins before our reservation time. I made the reservation 3 weeks prior to my birthday when we were planing to celebrate in this Benihana location again. And I had 14 people RSVPed. OpenTable only gave me 10 people maximum option when making reservation online, so I picked 10 and left comment saying that "I actually had 14 coming, please contact me if needed." Fast forward. There came to 30 mins before my party's arrival. The host person called me blaming me for putting in a "wrong" party size, as if it were my fault that they didn't notice my comment regarding the actual party size, as if they were so busy and my "wrongdoing" was creating big burden to their smooth business flow. I simply replied "but you are the one calling me to confirm the reservation only 30 mins before with the fact that I made the reservation three weeks ago." 5 seconds silence. Then the host person continued, "since you have 14 people, we will have to seat whoever can't fit in one table to another one!" With a super annoyed, unpleasant tone. I was like, wow. Just. Wow. And guess what. It's Thursday night plus dinner rush time at 6:45pm. When we were seated as they requested "all of the party to present for a table," there were only five tables (four teppanyaki+1 regular table) with customers, which contributed less than half of the capacity! More than half of the establishment was clean and empty like Nara's streets during pandemic! If I was still wondering why the business sucked like that on a Thursday dinner rush at such a popular location. I am not anymore. Celebrating my birthday in Benihana started back in 2012 and I have managed to stick to it every year. This downtown location is convenient to most of my party. But among three times dining here, I've had two negative experience. I probably need to start considering other locations next year, unfortunately. read more

Benihana - Super adorn little Geisha shaped cocktail cup! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We went to Benihana Chicago for a birthday dinner with a group of 6 and had one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. We had a 7:30 reservation but didn't get seated until 8:15. Once we were finally seated, our server told us our chef wouldn't arrive for another 45 minutes. Two people at our shared table actually got up and left because of it. We asked again after waiting, and they said 20-30 more minutes. Another 30 minutes went by--still no chef, no update, nothing. After nearly two hours in the restaurant with only eating soup and salad, we had to ask the server and manager for the check and leave. Completely ruined what was supposed to be a fun birthday celebration. Unacceptable service and organization. read more