I have loved going to Benihana for at least 30 years if not longer. This location, however, is the worst one I have ever been to. I was disappointed in 2022, so I gave it another chance in 2023 and unfortunately the experience was even worse the second time around. They are clearly short-staffed: the host is doubling as a receptionist and an actual host, which leaves the front desk open/empty for periods of time while the lobby backs up with loads of guests. The "waiting area" is really just an extension of a dining room between the Host and the bar, and it is filled with hungry guests waiting far past their reservation times just to be seated. There are not enough chefs to handle the Hibachi tables and even guests who are ALREADY SEATED are waiting up to 30 minutes for someone to start cooking for them. This location's design is newer and not in line with the original look of Benihana with the beautiful shiny blue tiled roof, Japanese garden in front and subdued lighting inside. It's a loud party atmosphere instead, and just talking to your neighbor involves yelling for 2 hours. I used the restroom and had to laugh at the choice of music being blasted throughout the place: It didn't scream "upscale Teppanyaki dining experience"; put it that way. The upsides are that the food is still good and our chef was excellent (Austin - whom I see is garnering other good reviews on this page). The server was entertaining in her own way, with her pink princess leah hair buns, 1" long eyelashes and 3" long nails. Progress is a funny thing : I remember seeing an all-Japanese staff both in the servers and the chefs, and all of that has been gone for many years now. Prices have ticked up quite a bit, as is somewhat expected with inflation, but it's getting harder to justify. I see young couples on their first date coming for the first time, ordering everything that sounds good, and being floored when they have a $150 bill for a party of two. The fried rice "upgrade" is now up to $6.20 - and when asking our server how much the charge is, she replied, "Oh, somewhere around 4 or 5 dollars." Housekeeping was dismal - the patterned wall behind the reception desk is CAKED in dust - a very unappealing first impression - which was only repeated later at the Hibachi table, where upon looking up, we found spider webs connecting the light fixtures a la Haunted Mansion. I'll return, but definitely not to this location. I will stick with the locations that still offer the original "look" and feel. read more

Came in on a Monday to avoid the crowds. A good place to celebrate a birthday. Great food and service. Thanks!

Had an amazing customer experience with our server Stephany. She came in bright with a smile and was super helpful. I wish all servers were like her. I'd come back again. read more

Keloninie was the best chef and made the experience awesome out family loved it thanks so much! He cared about our allergies and everything great energy read more

Vanessa was the best server. She accommodated all of our needs. We came for compa Chris bday. Had a good time. Chef Nathaniel cooked our food to perfection. Recommend coming here . read more

Best waitress and services definitely would be back food was good and they were very attentive say us down right away

Raquel was an amazing server, she was very attentive to what we wanted and was able to explain the different options we had. The food was delicious and the show is always nice to watch. read more

I do NOT recommend this place. My reservation was for 9:30 and we didn't get serviced or eat until about 10:40. Our server kept "forgetting" items that we asked for and she gave a large amount of attitude. When we asked again. Our food was lazily made and not seasoned. On top of that there is no ventilation so after cooking everything the smoke just kept traveling into our eyes. After everything our server was so rude, they charged a "service fee" and on the actual receipt it was seen as a tip. They add charges for no valid reason and get mad when you don't want to tip extra. When we asked for the receipt at the end of our meal our server gave us attitude and said "hold on i'm busy". This was a bad experience of such unprofessionalism. I would not eat here again and I wouldn't recommend for you to either. read more

Stephany is absolutely amazing! Great attitude, extremely friendly and great with recommendations.

Everything was great Stephany was a great server she made sure we had everything we needed

Had reservations at 4:30pm and didn't get seated until about 5:10. Took a minute for a server to come and get our drinks order and when she finally did get drinks, she walked away and we had to wait another while for her to take our order for food. Finally we place our order and after about 15 minutes, the chef walks right past our table to another table. When the server realized she made a mistake, she called her back and they apologized for her miscommunication and the chef came back to our table. I didn't get the chefs name but after reading reviews and seeing pictures , I noticed her name is SARA. I had my 1 year old daughter and my 2 year son and although at first, they seemed unimpressed, she managed to get a smile and laughs from both of them. Her show was cool and entertaining but her cooking and seasoning skill were on point!!!! A lot of the times the chefs are afraid to season and the food seems a bit bland but she knew what she was doing!! Her show had us all laughing and even had surrounding tables looking over our table because of how fun she was. She even got me with a fake hot sauce bottle that squirted out a string of "hot sauce". I've never ever in 28 years had anyone mess with me like that because I have a "serious" look and it was honestly so hilarious, my family keeps talking about it because I'm always so serious and she had me laughing so hard. The wait time was long but the chef and the food made the experience worth while! We had a full table full of first timer's besides my boyfriend and I and they were all so impressed! Wish I could upload a video because I caught a few cool tricks! Definitely will be back and will be asking for Sara! One last thing, when we paid we tried to leave a tip specifically for Sara but the server said that they don't receive the tip. I wish we would've known that before she walked off so we could've tipped her directly. now we know for next time. Thank you Sara!! read more

Benihana - Sara putting on a great show! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Downey, California

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Service was great. Miriam went out of her way to help us Enjoy our lunch. Food was so good. I will be back with my sisters. There were five of us and we all had a wonderful time. read more

I'm a frequent Benihana consumer, and I LOVE Raquel, the server! She's the best! She remembers return customers and is on top of all your dining needs. read more

Where do I start? Benihana has been the location for our anniversary the past 3 years with my husband and I. We have never had any issues and the people who work here are phenomenal. We came in today October 6th, after making a last minute reservation. Came in to get a couple drinks at the bar on happy hour and they were sooo good! We got seated and got everything we needed right away. Our chef, Austen, was an absolute delight. We all were throwing jokes back and forth and lots of laughs! He remembered how we wanted our food prepared and made a fun as always! Our server Ileana was so sweet. She sang to folks for a birthday and gave me some sherbet for our anniversary! They requested us to make a review but I honestly made this review before they said anything. I am so happy with the entire services. We will be back next year! Be expecting us, Benihana! Connie and Christian Ramirez Celebrating our 5Year wedding anniversary read more

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Made reservations for 7:45pm and just sat us down now and it's 9pm, never waited this long. Also the restrooms really dirty and no paper towels read more

The food was delicious but the service was horrible! We had a reservation at 7:30pm and we did not get to sit until 8:30ish. The chef was very lost and confused and kept on running back and forth with items he forgot or didn't have. Our waitress was super busy taking care of other tables instead of ours. To the point that other tables got fed and paid way before us (and they sat way after us) and we were still sitting waiting for our fried rice. We did not leave the restaurant until 11:45ish given the employees were all clocked out waiting at the door for us to leave! It's a shame given the flavor of this location is delicious but not enough to bring me back again read more

I came to this location for my birthday with my friend. The food was also amazing. And our server Vanessa was the cherry on top.

FOOOD was amazing. I just definitely don't recommend coming we had a reservation set for 2pm. We got there exactly @1:45pm for check in we were escorted to the bar lounge until our table was ready. when we got to the table there was only 4 chairs in a crammed up table. When we were a seating of 5 so they gave us another table instead. But we waited exactly 2 HOURS for the chef to come sit at our table was absolutely ridiculous. Food was AMAZING just the waiting period was crazy long. We didn't leave till about 4:56 read more

Our server Ninel was phenomenal!! And she knew the menu very well and offered great suggestions on food

Ninel was amazing. Great experience. Celebrating family time. Drive from north Hollywood for a great time.

Came here to Benihana for my very first time ever to celebrate my 24th birthday and Chef Christian was nothing short of amazing! From the moment I was sat, everyone was friendly and the environment was super enjoyable with dimmed lights to set the scene. The show was so much fun and the chef's skills were amazing. I truly loved the performance as well as his delicious cooking. I ordered the spicy chicken and the sauce was perfect. When I return I'm asking for chef Christian! read more

Benihana - Fried rice - Sushi Bars Near Me - Downey, California

The server was very friendly, food taste great, and the chef was also pleasant and it was a great experience. Our servers name was Ricardo from the Downey location. read more

Food great as always ninel was friendly and helpful. Daughter was happy to have ramune soda.

Shout out to Ninel for the great service!! The food is always on point. We will definitely be back.

Service has been amazing. Out waiter made sure interact with everyone! Limited wait time and food was delicious!

Aaron is friendly and a fun hostess!! He is down to earth and has awesome customer service we will comeback again!

The service was great and the food amazing. Our server Raquel was great and made the experience amazing.

This is the worst Benihana there is. I am a big Benihana fan and have been to several. Our reservation was for 8:45pm on Friday, February 16th. We got sat at 9:25 pm. It took a while for our server to come out and take our order but it was a reasonable wait considering it was very packed. But then the trouble started. Our drinks came out late but again I thought because it was packed. Our first item of soup came out at 10:22 pm. That was an hour after we were sat! Then the salad came out soon after that. Then there was nothing, just sitting and waiting. Our drinks got refilled maybe once or twice. Our chef did not come to our table until 10:54 pm. And while we sat there waiting - new parties were arriving and getting all there items in a timely order! Chefs arrived for parties that arrived after us!!! At the end when we finally got our check at 11:48pm after again waiting a long time a new server said "your server had a mental issue". What bothers me most is that not once did a manager come over and try to apologize or help. In my opinion he should not be a manager if he can't step in and take over in a situation like that. I'm not blaming the server, I hope he's okay. But I will never go to this Benihana again. This is unacceptable for the price of this dinner. And hope others read my review and stay away. There are several in LA, take the time to drive a bit further and hopefully enjoy your dinner. read more

Our server Heidi was really great! She was attentive and helped me with my questions. Everything was great with my order : ) Thank you

-1 stars Very trashy experience had me waiting for 1 hour at my table and never brought the food . read more

Today I came to Benihana to have lunch with my son. Our server was Harold. His service was amazing! He was attentive, great energy, always smiled, and quick with our drinks. Our Chef was Christian. He was very entertaining, he engaged with everyone at the table, and the kids that were at the table were really enjoying the games he was playing with them as he cooked. His cooking skills are amazing! The food was deeelicious!!! I came to this Benihana about 6 months ago with my family to celebrate my dad's birthday. At that time Harold was also our waiter and Christian was also our Chef. On that visit they were both great as well! read more

I received a phone call today after I booked through open table last week that they are canceling my booking the day before valentines due to not being able to sit my family. Why would you wait to tell me less than 24 hours and the girl said no other options for tomorrow? That is not my fault and I will post on every single social media feed that this is poor and horrible services especially since I booked a week in advance and will be submitting a complaint to the bbb read more

We had a good experience at Benihanas. The service was good and attentive. Ninel was awesome!!

Food was very good and the service was excellent, Isabella was a great server. Our chef was very good and knew how to take care of his customers We will be back. read more

Chef Precious kept it putting on a show and cooking up the best meal. Laughing the entire time and enjoying the entertainment. My kids loved the Volcano. I loved that Ribeye. What a great experience. Ask for Chef Precious !!! read more

Benihana - Ribeye with chicken and veggies or what's left of it !!! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Downey, California

This review is based on the overall experience of this location. Reservations were made at 6:15 pm on a Monday, it took 45 minutes to seat us. Took another 45 minutes to get the chef cooking. The waiters were busy, this place just gives the vibe that they are understaffed and over booked. When we walked in there were a few stations un cleaned. The waiter was meh, again he looked busy but was not attentive. Hard to get a hold of him for napkins or some hot sauce. The cook was good, it was our daughter first time and they seemed entertained. The food was good. I agree, don't come here hungry because you will wait. We didn't leave until 8:45 pm. We didn't expect to be here over 2 hours. Would we come here again, not likely. read more

Stephany was amazing! Great service and great food !! She was super attentive and made sure everyone was taken care of

I love Benihana and this was by far my best meal and experience! Picture it, New Year's Eve 2022, and we had a senior citizen reservation at 5PM. It was busy, as you can imagine for a holiday crowd and night of celebration. I absolutely loved my Benihana punch, tasted like fruit punch that eventually made me giggle. The bartenders were busy too but I still got really tasty drinks. Our server Justin was excellent and took our orders correctly and always kept our water or soft drinks refilled. Fast forward to the meal, we had Sara as our chef. She was funny, entertaining, with such a great personality. I ordered the filet mignon with lobster tail (Deluxe Treat). Besides Sara's award winning personality and hibachi tool skills, my lobster and steak were DELICIOUS! I ate all of my food! Steak was so tender and cooked perfectly medium and the lobster, most delicious part of the meal. My husband ordered his steak medium rare and he said it was spot on. Great job Sara!! Benihana is always busy, which is a good thing for business, but that means don't go there thinking it's going to be a fast meal (I read other reviews). If you're going out for a good time to share with loved ones, accompanied with delicious food and drinks, come to this Downey Benihana. Thanks again to the whole staff! read more

Benihana - Baby Blue Ocean and Benihana Punch in souvenir cup. Both delicious!! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Downey, California

Huge thank you to Manager Oscar, Chef Chico and Lexi for accommodating my large party last minute on an already busy night! You guys helped this mom save the day and i couldn't thank you enough! read more

Love coming here especially the welcoming of the manager always makes the expiernce good and worth coming thank you Oscar