Slowest service. We were practically the first customers and the service was poor and slow and the food came at a turtles pace even though we asked for 2 of the dishes to come sooner bc the child was hungry and my husband had to go to work - never happened. I also asked for double veggies instead of rice - never happened. Someone else ordered white rice - never happened. They also don't have any typical Asian/Japanese desserts such as fried ice cream or even green tea ice cream. I haven't written a review here in so long but this definitely deserved one. It's also probably my first 1 star rating. Never again Benihana. read more

This Benihana is nowhere near as good as the one at short hills. For starters, there's no curbside p/u. So even when you do curbside p/u, you still have to put your mask on and walk in (which I'm ok with doing, but don't advertise curbside p/u when it's just p/u). Secondly, they take very long and don't accept payment over the phone. While I was waiting I noticed the sauce I paid for was missing along with utensils and napkins. The worker noticed there was a hole in my bag and changed that, luckily. Their packaging (compared to short hills) was horrible the soup's vegetables were already floating around so they had gotten cold and soggy, they use like half the size of the shrimp that short hills uses and it changes the whole meal...and to top it off, the prices are different. They charge 9 dollars for rice that short hills charges $5 for. They also forgot it and and had to refund me part of my payment. Now that I know they have different owners, I'm definitely not going to purposely eat from here again. Good luck if you do. read more

The restaurant is very very very very very slow I could have ran to the food store 9 times and cooked and cleaned up by the time they came out with the food NEVER EVER coming back and then we get the food and it looked and tasted like food. Food the people in the NJ JAIL GET BETTER LOOKING FOOD read more

Situation: Just wanted a classy dinner with the family. Am extremely disappointed with the experience. PROS -Decor is nice? But wayyy too loud. Bathroom was subpar as well. CONS -Slow service: it took ages to get us seated. We were walk-ins with no reservation and were told that the wait for non-hibachi was about 15 minutes. Over half an hour later we were seated (and all the seats around us happened to be deserted, hm...). Our waiter got one thing we ordered totally wrong and didn't understand us when we tried to sort it out so we just gave up and ordered something else. -Mediocre food: we ended up getting the Yashisoba, tempura sushi, and signature Benihana hibachi rice. All were tasteless and blah blah bland. The shrimp tempura was not crispy but soggy and doughy instead, and served without sauce. In a nutshell... Never coming back again. Dreadful. read more

I would actually have put 0 stars if possible. When we first arrived I told the hostesses my name and they did not have our reservation, I made a reservation a day prior for my family of 8, it was my birthday. They told us they do not have our reservation and there was nothing to do since we did not have a reservation number. I go to too many restaurants where I make reservations and just say my name, no need for a reservation number so why would I think that this place would be any different. Their hostess staff showed how disgustingly incompetent they were by their lack of handling the situation. It seems as if they hire the cheapest most incompetent employees to work at their hostess stand, I requested a manager at the time and never received one. My family had to wait an hour for someone not writing down our reservation which left me extremely unhappy. Next let's go onto the service, we had a friendly girl and I am guessing the gentleman with her was training but who knows since there was not a formal introduction. My table ordered drinks and 15 minutes later there they were. We waiting entirely too long. We received our soups shortly after and about less than two minutes into our soups, they brought salads and try to take the soup. I did not even touch my soup since I was allowing it to cool off. I never tasted the soup! I had to ask for a water twice and never received my water but I received another alcoholic beverage in no time. Our waitress and waiter were friendly kids. The busboy was in the corner picking his nose which made me almost want to throw up and of course he went to touch food and pack away at other tables. I did not mind the prices but for the lack of excitement from the show and lack of great food, I felt like it was not worth it. I have had much better fried rice at other places. The rest of the food was just okay. The drink did not even taste like it contained alcohol. The only good thing about this place is the management and it is not enough to come here again. One manager in particular took a picture of our entire family because it was my birthday and gave it to me as a keepsake, which was very nice. read more

Went to grab a bite with my husband and had the most AMAZING server named Jason over in the bar area! He was extremely attentive, extremely pleasant, made my husband a drink that was not on the menu and really made our night out worth it, My husband refused to leave without letting the manager know how great Jason was, THANK YOU! read more

Gave this location a try the other night despite the mediocre ratings. I've never been to Benihana before, and was hoping to have a satisfying hibachi meal. The experience was both frustrating and disheartening- opposite of what I needed on a Friday night. Food- Charging an extra $3.50 for fried rice along with the hibachi meal. It comes with steamed rice.. but this extra cost for what should logically be included given the meal was agitating. We sat at a table in the dining room- and after a long wait our hibachi meals came out cold. Service- When politely bringing this to the manager's attention upon receipt he stood there without response or apology, and then after an awkward stand-off he asked if we want it thrown back on the grill or done over. He then took the plates away and had an obvious chip on his shoulder for the inconvenience that this caused him. As he stood and talked with his staff the continously looked at us. So uncomfortable. We waited a long time before getting our new meals. Food was ok at best by that point. Ambiance- Just okay. Music was upbeat, but details in restaurant, such as lighting was overlooked. Overall, I would never go back and wished I hadn't wasted the possibilities of a great meal and fun Friday date night on this place. Managers should pick up the customer service when it is needed the most and this particular person was The Worst. So incredibly frustrating. read more

This place has a serious problem with time management. I'm basically done going here, which is unfortunate because my kid loves it. From now on we'll be going to their competitor on Route 9. Why: More than once I've made reservations only to get to the restaurant and have to wait some 20-30 minutes! Then, last night, while there were plenty of empty tables, at almost 9:00PM, I get told that there would be a 55 minutes wait, without a reservation on a Wednesday night. The place closes at 10:00, which means we would no doubt be the last ones there and have the staff waiting only for us, which I didn't think would be fair. Besides their complete lack of respect for their customer's time, the last time I ate there was a couple of weeks ago, their menus were just absolutely nasty, it was dirty, full of stains and all wrinkled up, which made me seriously wonder what kind of hygiene they have behind the walls. It's simple, the place is a chain in Edison, not some highly rated, top notch restaurant in NYC. I've never had these sort of time management issues at any other place, ever. BTW, their competitor had many empty tables as well and sat us down right away, not to mention that their portions are much more abundant. read more

I love to hate on chains and Benihana is not an exception. Over priced products without justification. It's Japanese hibachi and sushi with some Asian decor. They have a good bar drink menu but you'll pay a premium just as you do for food. I've eaten here twice both times due to gifts and coupons and it's ok but if I had to pay full price there are better bangs for your buck in this area of heavy Asian influence. read more

My boyfriend wanted to go to Benihana for his birthday since he received a $30 gift certificate for it. Neither of us had been there before so we'd thought we give it a try and we never say no to free food. We got there around 4pm but they didn't open until 4:30pm so we didn't mind waiting for a little bit. My boyfriend also happened to bump into his old high school teacher so we passed the time catching up with them as well. While we were waiting I sneaked a cake I had picked up earlier to the hostess for them to bring out later. To my disappointment, she informed me that customers are not allowed to bring in any outside foods but she would keep it in the fridge until then. After persuading her further with no luck, I reluctantly agreed to give it to her since I'd been carrying it with me for more than an hour in my purse (don't worry I put ice packs in it to keep it cool). Our server was very friendly and helpful. We ordered a side of Hibachi Chicken Rice which was really good. It was really flavorful and rich so that's something I would recommend if you decide to go. For entrees, my boyfriend ordered the Splash 'N Meadow and I had the Sashimi Deluxe. They both came with a side salad, side soup and dessert. The serving size for Splash 'N Meadow (Steak with grilled shrimp and zucchini) was relatively small for the price. The dish was average. My Sashimi Deluxe was just ok. It came with about 6 different types of fish. I would say that the white tuna was probably the best out of all them but not anything special. And the side salad had the typical ginger dressing which was okay as well. My boyfriend thought it was a little bitter and I just thought the quality was eh. The miso soup was average as well. For dessert, my boyfriend ordered the rainbow sorbet which I didn't like but he enjoyed. It was a bit too artificial for me. Towards the end of the meal, I asked the waiter to bring out the cake since we were leaving. When I told him that the hostess said I couldn't bring in any outside foods, he was genuinely surprised by that since he had no idea. I could tell from his expression that he would have brought it out if I had asked him for dessert. Overall, I would not go back there again. It's a relatively expensive place for average quality food. Although the atmosphere and decor is nice, it's def. not worth the price. read more

Benihana - Edison - Japanese Near Me - Edison, New Jersey

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Benihana was OK in my book. It wasn't phenomenal, but everything was solid. They cooked the meat properly to temperature (which actually isn't something that many hibachi places do well). They also used a good amount of egg in their fried rice, which is essential. The one thing that keeps me from rating Benihana any higher is the one thing that everyone else seems to love so much about it. Garlic butter? ...in fried rice? That's just unnatural. Fried rice is supposed to have the taste of salty soy sauce, not... garlic butter. Since they seemed to use the garlic butter on everything, I feel like it has to affect the overall rating. Our service was excellent, especially the chef; but I feel like we had the only Asian chef in the place. So, I don't know if everyone has the same experience that we did. read more

My Husband and I came to Benihana's for date night! Matt was our server and he was a amazing! Excellent convo and punctual service. It was my husband first time there but not his last. read more

I never write yelp reviews but I had to write this one. The one star I gave this place is only because the Sumo Roll I ordered was actually really good. Other than that, the food my family ordered (hibachi steak and chicken for two, samurai treat, and mango salmon) was completely overpriced for its quality. I ordered the calamari sauté from the appetizer menu and it was literally a few pieces of calamari on a side plate. The service was slow and we had no idea who our waiter/waitress was. About 3 people were serving us but was no where to be seen when we were ready to order but they were quick as hell to collect our money for the bill. Over all a horrible experience and I will never return. read more

Benihana - Edison - This is their calamari sauté off their appetizer menu as they told me. Wtf is this. - Japanese Near Me - Edison, New Jersey

Seated immediately for hibachi...its very loud but nice inside the hibachi room...I'm surprised by these bad reviews but I was there for a Saturday lunch with my boyfriend our waiter was nice and the hibachi cook was nice as well. The show wasn't all that fantastic but I don't care. I got the spicy chicken hibachi and well my butt is still on fire...feel bad for my boyfriend. Everything was cooked well and tasted good. Other people had delicious looking drinks...I don't know if id return mainly because there are better non-chain local japanese restaurants. read more

Hostess jackie had a little attitude but the dinner was great. Alturo was great and the manager Mike came by to make sure we were ok with everything. The food was great. Can't wait to go back. read more

The wait wasn't so so bad. The host and hibachi cook were nice but our server was outstanding keeping up tabs with drinks and assuring we were set before, during, and after eating! 10/10 recommend and if you're lucky you should ask for Kaylanna to serve! read more

The only reason why i go to Benihana is because they send me and my friends a $30 gift certificate for our birthdays. It's overpriced, food isn't that great, and service is terrible. CONS 1) Their yakisoba (the one time I've had it) was way too salty for me to properly enjoy. 2) The most recent time I went, I sat at the bar so I expected quicker service. Wrong. I was basically staring at my waiter the entire time hoping he would see that I was trying to get his attention. 3) The waiter gave me sushi and I had NOTHING to eat it with. I had to wave my hands like a lunatic to tell him I needed chopsticks. This service was absolutely unacceptable. 4) I asked for spicy mayo with my sushi. Waiter said he would get it but didn't. 5) The sushi was not bad. But bad for the price. The spider roll (soft shell crab) was literally 4 rolls for $11 and the other roll was more decently priced but nothing spectacular. 6) I wanted to get out of there ASAP cause I hated this place but the waiter wouldn't come pick up check omg. PROS 1) However, their portions are definitely huge, especially for their lunch special price. But that doesn't make this place worth going without a coupon. Even with a coupon, I'm reluctant to enter this place. I feel bad because the manager of the restaurant seems nice but everyone else is so not up to par. The prices they charge for the entrees are way too expensive for the food and the service. Don't go unless you have a reason to. read more

I use to love coming here. But lately in the last year for some reason 90% of the time I order soda and the glass is dirty. Also at times the waiters forget to come back to the table to ask if I need more water or soda. I find my self too often looking for my waiter. The reason I gave this place more than one star is cause the food is really good here. And the chef are the best part of this place. But for a place that charges so much for one plate they need to hire better employees and give better customer service . read more

Been here twice. Classy interior, nice bar set up, lots of hibachi tables. Food has been good, but seems overpriced. We usually get the chicken and steak for two which is nice because you get so much food. For what you pay for drinks, they are pretty small. I just wish the prices would go down a bit but you're also paying for a show. Our chef, "Rong" was his name, was funny and pleasant. He made a beating heart out of rice and a train out of onions. It's a good place to take a date or family for sure and expect to bring home a doggy bag. No complaints about service, I got refills on my drinks right away and enjoyed the experience. read more

I've been here so many times & tonight was by far the best! If you're lucky enough to get Hernan I'm sure this will be your best time here too! Awesome guy, awesome food! Can't wait to come back! read more

Benihana - Edison - Amazed by the FIRE - Japanese Near Me - Edison, New Jersey

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Service: bad Food: fair Ambience: good Price: way too much -- not worth it! I went here with my boyfriend for dinner one night and we decided to do hibachi. We had to ask our waiter for the drinks and never came back to ask if we want anymore. You might as well serve yourself since they never came to check on us. Their show was terrible, rice was blah,...you're better off going to U-yee sushi for hibachi because it's more entertaining and the rolls are half priced. Will never go back again.... read more

Good food, good service, good ambiance!! Will definitely return very soon!!! Food was not greasy. Servers were very attentive. Quick service... read more

Benihana - Edison - Japanese Near Me - Edison, New Jersey

Going to Benihana for your Birthday is a family tradition with us. They have never let us down. They do a great job providing a good dinner and a great experience. read more

Will not accommodate large parties over the weekend. Despite needing a reservation for 20 people. They would rather give up a 20 person dinner party than give a reservation. So crazy read more

We went here for a birthday celebration. The chef was great and the food was good. The waiter was non existent and basically ignored us the entire meal. Unfortunately the lack of service ruined our experience. read more

I was at the bar waiting for a group of friends and asked The bartender Ives for a drink. He is hands down the reason why I am going to come again. His drinks are so good that I might just be an alcoholic now. Kidding. read more

Every time I come here I pay more and get less food. I must admit I was taken back by the large number of people waiting to get seated on a Saturday night. So many large families and the only thing I was thinking is how are these people affording this! This restaurant is priced much higher than other Hibachi restaurants and most other chain restaurants in general. I had reservations for 6 and waited 30 minutes to get seated which wasn't bad for the huge number of people waiting. The place was packed and I must say the service was good. Our server was very nice and was very accommodating. The soup and salad came out after a short while and both items were delicious. The chef came out in a timely fashion and started his exhibition of twirling knives, flipping stuff into his hat and of course cutting the onions to form a volcano which he lit on fire! I always enjoy the showmanship of the chefs and he gravitated towards my 6 year granddaughter with his wit and banter! The chef gave everyone zucchini and then made the fried rice which was delicious. The shrimp appetizer was next. He cut up the shrimp in a way to seem you got more than you thought. If I got a total of 2 shrimp I was lucky! I ordered the Ocean Treasure which is shrimp, scallops and lobster tail. It was amazing but the serving amount was again less than desirable. For $43 you would expect a more satisfying serving amount! I was still hungry craving for more. Last but not least the chef started cutting up the onions from the volcano and served them. This was very odd. I would have thought to mix in some mushrooms or even noodles or bean sprouts. Just onions! I must admit after I finished my entire meal I was craving for more! I am usually stuffed after leaving Hibachi restaurants but not this one. The flavor of the food is outstanding but you are definitely not getting enough bang for your buck! This is why I am only giving 3 stars. read more

Their happy hour is so on point!! We got yellowtail shashimi with jalapeños on top $4.5 crispy spicy tuna roll (only 4 pieces) $6 and the rainbow roll $6 the sakes at $3 each (the small bottles) over all I would go here again for happy hour I really enjoyed it! The drinks weren't bad either $5 the regular! Also just recently tried the fish tacos for $6 they were really good!! read more

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God. Why do I torture myself by going to places I already know I don't like? Not sure the answer to that but another visit here many years later and there's still nothing to rave about. The plus: they give you so much food your belly might just explode. The negative: it doesn't taste great and it isn't cheap. Just go get Chinese food and force your boyfriend/girlfriend/sister to arrange the white rice in the shape of a heart and make it "pump" like the Hibachi chef does. Only they will probably have more personality than those chefs. read more

The food is really good but a couple things make it not worth it. I've been here enough times (~10 times) to know that this is a definitely the norm. 1) The wait time to be seated 2) The wait time for your food to actually come to your table (seriously, I've waited 25 minutes for a salad here before and 45 minutes for an entre) 3) The amount of mix-ups and errors they make (like bringing the wrong dish, not remembering the allergy that you warned them about, or forgetting to bring utensils to your table) I just can't justify coming here anymore. I do not recommend this specific location. I hope the other ones are better. read more

Hands down the best Benihana I've been to. Great staff (with the exception of one chef), managers are so nice and helpful. My husband and I come at least once a month! Love love love. read more

Kind of mixed feelings about Benihana. I used to big a huge fan, but now I'm sort of in the middle of the road with it... First of all, I gotta say, I'm a huge fan of Japanese food, and an even bigger fan of hibachi! I've come to Benihana several times over the years since it opened, but I'll just review my most recent experience. The fiance and I came for a date night and had 8:30 reservations. We arrived at 8:00, so we hung out at the bar and each got a drink while waiting. I ordered a Kirin Ichiban, not a light, but I guess that's what the bartender heard cause thats what I got. My fiance got a frozen cocktail, which seemed to be a difficult choice for them. First, the bartender had to go back to get a glass. Then, he realized one of the syrups for the drink had run out, so he had left again to get more...all in all the drink turned out fine, but it seemed like the bartenders were all chickens with their heads cut off and the bar was a bit of mayhem (it was a Saturday night, so I guess things were pretty busy). Anyhow, we got seated at about 8:20, which was nice since it was earlier than our reservation. I got the spicy chicken hibachi, while my fiance got the vegetable delight hibachi. We got the standard soup and salad starters (the salad was off, not as good as I remember it being). The chef was great though (when aren't they) and everything following came out tasting really good! He even knew to cook my fiances vegetarian meal before the meat entrees...meanwhile, before adding the hot sauce to my chicken, he looked at me to see how much I would want. I signaled for him to go for it, so he put A LOT (which I appreciate since I love spicy food)! We thought our meals came with ice cream at the end, which you would figure they would do considering the meals cost $20 each, but alas this was not the case...so, the food cooked by the hibachi chef was great, nothing to fault there. The rest of the experience was a little off, which you wouldn't expect when spending $20/person. read more

Noting to say about the food. The food is always good. The majority of the issues with this location is always the wait time. Usually we get seated on time. This time they tend to over book our reservations. We had a reservation bw 730 and 8pm. We tend to come around 15 mins early as the wait time can exceed the your reservation time. This time was ridiculous. The place was packed on a tues granted and you can sense the tension in the air as they were behind by 4 reservations. We over heard the receptionist to his colleague that there was a party of 21 that came in without a reservation. This infuriated the customers that had reservations. I have two kids and they were hungry and crying. Also it was my daughters birthday! We then finally got in. The other problem is the wait for a Chef. It can take almost a half hr to 45 mins to get to cooking. Overall I will not be coming back to this location as the service is not the best and can be frustrating when you have little ones. read more

This is my UPDATE!! Steve the manager reached out and apologized! Within a week!!! He apologize and if you read my review he was the manager who initially helped me.. He was very sincere with his apology and he wanted to make it right!!! So I took him up on his offer today, by the way it's Easter.. He greeted me when I arrived and treated me and my daughter great!! The food was great, even my daughter said that this was a great time! Kevin our waiter was very ATTENTIVE and polite!! This is what I'm use to for all the years that I've been coming to Benihana this is the normal treatment! My regular Chef Hernan came over and welcomed me back!!! Today was awesome! We enjoyed our Easter!! Thanks to Steve for his compassion and thoughtfulness for the customer!!! read more

Family of ten. Three highchairs needed for three toddlers please. When we arrived at the table at 5:10pm, two highchairs (not three) were randomly placed around the table. We had to request a third highchair and then reorganize the seating. Not having a chance to glance at the menu, I asked the server for tempura I've had in the past. With salmon and cream cheese, I said. -blank stare- I quickly glanced down and (incorrectly) ordered a Philadelphia roll. Because I'm unable to eat raw fish at the moment, I was unable to eat the Philadelphia roll. I told the server I had mistakenly ordered the Philadelphia roll instead of the tempura Las Vegas roll (similar ingredients, just tempora style). She returned about five minutes later and asked, "Did you want to order a Las Vegas Roll?" Ummm...YES. the Las Vegas roll arrived after I had rice on my plate and I was charged for both rolls. The chicken fried rice barely had any chicken in it yet the least expensive ingredient, onion, was plentiful. The timing of the meal was totally off. Lastly, since when did Benihana start charging extra for fried rice? The biggest disappointment was drink refills (6 waters and one coke) that came literally 20 minutes after our first of three requests. Two different managers radioed staff to no avail but neither actually went to get the refills themselves. They just stood around watching us dehydrate. Managers need to lead from the front! read more

I heard a lot of great reviews about this place and always wanted to try it . Finally had the chance and I have to be honest it didn't measure up to my expectations. The decor felt traditional and I was very excited. I dined solo for lunch during the week . A sign at the front said reservations required, I didn't have a reservation but they said it wasn't an issue. There were only 2 tables seated , one party at the grill and one person at the bar so they were pretty empty . I was told to please wait to be seated . I waited 15 minutes to be brought to a table . I ordered the scallops off the lunch menu and a sushi roll . The sushi came out in a timely manner , but my meal took well over a half an hour. As a sushi lover I was immediately disappointed with the temperature , texture and taste of the sushi . Nothing about it was enjoyable . The sushi had extra tempura flakes on top which weren't edible. The amount of salt in the sushi or the tempura was so overwhelming I literally had to take the flakes off and couldn't add soy sauce. I requested that my veggies and scallops be served separately from the rice. I've been to hibachi places before and am aware that I ordered off the lunch menu but considering the price I was disappointed with the portion size . The actual vegetables and scallops were enjoyable just not enough . The vegetables only consisted of zucchini and onions. I had asked to substitute two portions of vegetables instead of rice , I was told no. I offered to pay extra - again I was told no . Overall I wasn't impressed . There are far better sushi/hibachi restaurants that have better quality, service, portion, and prices. read more

Benihana - Edison - Shrimp Crunchy Roll - Japanese Near Me - Edison, New Jersey

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This review is based on service which was horrific, from the moment we stepped in this establishment. The "hostess" have negative ZERO customer service. It's actually disgusting. There is no "hi how can I help you" greeting or "welcome". It's, how many... they take your name and that's it. I said thank you because I'm a polite person who has manners and was in turn ignored and not even looked at or given a smile in return. We were eventually called to only wait an additional 10 minutes on a busy walk way until the table was ready. Once arriving at the table we waited over 20 minutes until someone came to take drink orders. This was only because we questioned the time frame we were sitting without assistance. Had we not said anything I believe we would have sat longer. Unacceptable and disappointing. The food and chef were good , we could not complain about that. The wait staff for our table was a little ghetto, "you want anotha drink" again unacceptable. I asked what looked to be a manager if they sing happy birthday , he advised me that they indeed do. I asked if he could have happy birthday sung to my sister he said absolutely. Well that did not happen. Unacceptable. The check was brought out and I had to flag down another wait staff to pay since the waiter for my table was nowhere to be found. Yet there seemed to be many employee standing around talking to one another. The only people who seem to value their job here are the chefs/cooks. read more

Visited the restaurant on a work lunch with the entire team - maybe around 40 people. Typical habachi food which was good. The show was normal. They are really good with groups as they are prepared to take your picture for you. Would go again for the right occasion. read more

The performance by chef is fancy. But the food is so-so. I even feel discomfort after eating here... but I'm not 100% sure if it's caused by the food here because at least by watching the cooking process I don't see anything wrong... (the culprit might be the sauce though). read more

It's more about the experience than the food. Food is hot, chef puts on a cute show and its fun with a group. As for the food, I like it once in awhile and is very filling. CLEANLINESS - very clean SERVICE - good PRICE - expensive for what you get - you are probably paying for a chef to cook in front of you. read more