Easy 5 star review! T was a server while she tended the bar. She is top notch! Great customer service and great overall personality! Very nice and accommodating! Food: made to perfection! Chicken fried rice was excellent! Hibachi chicken was full of flavor and so was the sushi. An overall great experience and a great meal. Also who in the food industry gives you 50.00 for your bday! Great marketing in their part. read more

Benihana - Sushi Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

1 star -- Benihana Downtown Houston -- Avoid the Rice Scam Took my 2 kids to Benihana Downtown Houston for dinner. I got Splash 'N Meadow, they got kids meals. Should've been a simple family night. It wasn't. What went wrong: 1. Overcooked steak. Paid $55+ for Splash 'N Meadow and the steak was tough and dry. Had it re-done. If you can't cook it right when it's made in front of me, what are we doing? 2. $6 fried rice upcharge per person, not disclosed. Chef started making hibachi fried rice without saying it's extra. Steamed rice is included free, but they don't tell you. 3. Charged the $6 upgrade on BOTH kids meals. $18 total just for rice my kids didn't ask for. The chef assumes everyone wants it and bills you later. 4. The upcharged rice was overcooked too. Paying premium for them to mess up rice is wild. 5. Auto-grat stacked on top of all the surprise charges. Final bill for 1 adult + 2 kids was outrageous for the quality and experience. Parents: If you see the chef cracking eggs into rice, stop him and say "steamed rice only" or you're getting charged $6 per kid. They bank on you not knowing. The show isn't worth the hidden fees and bad food. Plenty of other hibachi spots in Houston won't pull this. We're done with Benihana. read more

Benihana - Total Bill - Sushi Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

I am writing to formally complain about the treatment my family and I experienced during our Mother's Day dinner at your Houston Downtown location. The section where we were seated had little to no air conditioning. At first, we assumed it was temporary because there was absolutely no airflow at all. We were sweating heavily before our server even arrived. When we asked to move, we were told it would be "the same all over." We repeatedly asked staff what was going on and eventually learned the air conditioning was out. The only source of relief was a large industrial portable unit that we had to maneuver ourselves just to feel a small amount of air. The situation became even worse once cooking began nearby. By the time I stood up to leave, my clothes were literally soaked and sticking to the seat from perspiration. What made this experience truly upsetting was the response from management. I spoke to a male manager who laughed while acknowledging that "yeah, it's hot, I'm sweating too," and stated they hoped the air would be fixed. When I requested the corporate number, he laughed again and told me to "just go on the website" because it would "come right back to him anyway." He then joked that next time we should "ask to sit in the cool spot," despite customers having no way of knowing there were seating areas without working air conditioning. When we asked why guests were not being informed beforehand, he laughed again and stated that corporate would not allow them to do that. I have never experienced a manager openly laugh at customers during such an uncomfortable dining situation. We were made to feel dismissed and unimportant rather than valued guests. What was supposed to be a special Mother's Day celebration was completely ruined. I would appreciate a response regarding how this situation will be addressed, both concerning the facility conditions and the unprofessional conduct of management. read more

Truthfully i'd give this review a 1 star but I've come here often as a kid and it can be a fun experience for first timers, but the food just doesn't taste the same as it used to. On this visit I ordered the Lunch portion of Shrimp Yakisoba and I liked that it came with soup, dipping sauces, fried rice and hibachi vegetables. It was a definitely a great portion. As for the taste, everything was so bland, even the sauces! The only thing that had some amount of flavor was the yakisoba. It had a sweet soy flavor and the noodles were tender. The shrimp also tasted pretty fresh. The hibachi fried rice was not so tasty. It was mushy, had absolutely no seasoning and just tasted like overcooked white rice with a subtle garlic flavor. As for the vegetables they were salted right but again it had no flavor, not even from the onions!!! The food just wasn't enjoyable and while my server was great, the host wasn't and the ambiance inside is very ran down. I do not recommend! :/ read more

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This has to be one of the best locations I've been to. We went for the lunch hour special and it was convenient and great. The service was great! I was immediately greeted upon entrance and sat shortly after. Our waitress and chef were both nice! One of the managers came and talked to us and he was really nice as well. The spicy hibachi chicken was great! Very flavorful and cooked to perfection. The fried rice was very well seasoned and the extra garlic butter sent it over the top. I did have an issue with paper being found in my soup! Luckily, I did not eat it, and it's no one's fault! I'm thankful I didn't eat it, but if I had to think of one thing I didn't like from an otherwise perfect experience, that would be it. The vibes are just like any other location. Tables everywhere, entrance at the front and a bar area in the back. This was the perfect lunch date! read more

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Food is always solid at a Benihana. The rice is always so good and the meat is cooked perfectly. Our chef Ben was lovely. Sadly our table mates sort of called the shots and we were overlooked on service. It was super rushed because the others wanted to have a rushed meal. I wish our waitress would have noticed or at least asked. read more

Benihana - Sushi Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

I think the food was very good, but I wasn't blown away. The chef was very talented and offered a great show. The scallops were fresh and tasted great, but maybe slightly overcooked. The fried rice was tasty but the wagyu beef fried rice had a LOT of fat and it wasn't the choicest cuts. However, the clear soup was excellent - for some reason more balanced because it didn't have a lot of fat in it. I also enjoyed my cold sake glass but wish they offered higher quality sakes from Japan, there were not so many on the menu. I tried the margaritas - good. read more

This was a good night. I love hibachi and usually enjoy my time at Benihana and this was no different. I enjoyed the live cooking experience and the food was really good too. Especially the teriyaki chicken. It was so tender and almost had a buttery like consistency. I also enjoyed my drinks and the ambience was great too! Our waiter was also really sweet. I would love to come back here sometime soon. read more

Benihana - Sushi Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

interior looked under renovation or had some issue with ac bc they had portable fans in the back dining area. waitress spilled drinks at start of dining experience but never got an apology from manager. asked to be moved - got seated at another shared table and we were stuck with very chatty guest. the chef did her best to deal with guest. the food was good. read more

Benihana - Sushi Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Went to grab dinner for my birthday and I would never go back. Our cook, Kendy,he must of been a bus boy earlier in the day,horrible! There was no show- at all. He could barely cook. I could have done a better job and I'm disabled. I ordered the filet and chicken and didn't receive any chicken. How do you read my order to me and then not give me what I ordered. I was hoping for an enjoyable experience but I left highly disappointed. I will never go back. Do yourself a favor, find another restaurant. read more

Review I've come to this Benihana since I was 6 years old. I'm 46 now. This location used to be the reason my parents would pass 10 other hibachi restaurants driving from Clear Lake to eat in Louisiana at Benihana. I've since taken my own family regularly for over a decade. Never again. Last night I should have trusted my gut and just walked out. This restaurant used to be managed, and run by REAL SERVICE PROFESSIONALS. Now it's a bunch of young people that don't care about what this place used to be. Numerous times we heard these little groups of people congregating and talking, swearing, laughing. At one point as we were standing at the front, a waiter came over and grabbed another waiter and made a comment about how some dumb@$$ paid him in like a $1000 in ones. I brought my girlfriend here for the first time. I talked it up like it was going to be the best hibachi experience she'd ever had. Told her the stories of how my parent used to bring us... I felt embarrassed walking her in. The place looks terrible. TERRIBLE. When I brought this up to the manager who was TRYING to fix the bill that was messed up... he just made excuses. Like he did when I showed him my bill wasn't fixed. No apologies, just excuses. The waiter was NOT a professional. Like most of the waiters I saw... he looked like he would have been less out of place at a Chili's. Again, having been a regular patron of Benihana for the better part of the last 40 years... this was a big change that just made this place suck. Terrible waiters. They used to take pride, be real Service Professionals. NOT ANYMORE. I ordered a cocktail when the drink order was taken. When the food was being served... after everyone had received their drinks, I asked the waiter if I could get my cocktail (I only waited this long b/c I never saw him again). He returns 10 mins later with the wrong cocktail. Something terrible with cucumber in it. Truly terrible, especially if you'd rather choke on your own vomit instead of taste cucumber like me. So gross. Another 10 mins goes by... we're almost done with our food and I get up to go find someone to make my drink. The waiter finally comes back and asks what's wrong. I tell him it's the wrong drink. He asks AGAIN what my drink was. My drink order was as BASIC as bartending gets. I just wanted a Vodka Collins in a tall glass. He comes back after a few minutes to ask what is in it!!!!! WHAT?!? My whole damn meal is about done and you and your bartender STILL can't make my simple drink? Another 10 mins goes by and he finally delivers what looks like a Vodka Collins. I take a drink... it's not good. ...but whatever. I was in the Service Industry for YEARS... I'm EXTREMELY gracious and forgiving in bad service situations. I didn't throw a fit. I just felt terrible that this was my date's experience here. Then the bill comes. At the top sits a $32 charge for my cocktail. At this point, we're DONE with the meal. I'd taken one drink. ...I ask the waiter to take the drink off. I wasn't going to pay $32 for a drink I ordered and didn't get for an hour... AFTER the meal. First attempt... still a charge (smaller) for the drink. I asked the manager this time to take the drink off. He asks how everything else was and I attempt to explain who disappointed we were... i mention just how BAD the place looks and how it's hard to justify coming to a restaurant that looks like this and spend $200+. ...just excuses. I realized at this point that Benihana was gone. Lost to people and processes that don't care anymore. Very very sad ending to what once was an institution. Don't go here. Let it die. ...it's in the process. read more

I haven't been back here in almost 2 decades, ever since they tried to cover up a missed order by telling me they were hand-making my udon noodles in back (yah, no, not buying it). That said, a colleague wanted to have a quick bite and this was our best option. The good news is the service we had was very nice this time, and the bento boat was edible. The not so good news is I've never seen a grilled salmon sliced SO thin. The sashimi that came with the meal was cut with the grain, so it was very sinewy and chewy. Salad was nice, as was the California rolls and edamame. Tempura was ok. Wouldn't be my first choice but could do in a pinch. read more

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Had a reservation at 7:30 FOR A BIRTHDAY waited 40 minutes. Still didn't get sat only a party of three and the manager with dreads just shrugged it off. Hostess with curly light hair acted clueless. What's the point of having a reservation. read more

Japanese food when you're stuck downtown or you want to have a semi entertaining dinner with coworkers. It's a safe place for the uninitiated or uninspired. The sushi is mediocre a bit pricey for the quality even with a birthday discount. The service was nice and friendly. The vibe is dated. There's some street parking nearby. If you come for dinner, street parking is free after 6pm. read more

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I have gone to Benihana throughout the years and they try to think I won't notice the difference between baby corn and corn in a dish...and the difference between the mushrooms and different ingredient ins...they have cut back to prison servings and any sauce is a charge. I paid 5.50 for 2 shiitake mushrooms ... now they are using pancake batter for eggs. I was so appalled I spent $80 on my meal with a hot sake. 2x chicken fried rice. I asked for extra egg and they had the NEarVE to charge me for it without informing me there was no "EGG ROLL" on the habatchi anymore. No More sushi: limited menu. It's giving Benihana drive thru. Keep the garlic butter flowing we may not notice .... read more

Benihana - First photo of the seafood Diablo...last time it was like that was years ago... 2nd photo is pancake eggs :( - Sushi Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This host was very rude and I left. He followed me into the parking lot and confronted me after I left the restaurant, pushed me, ripped my shirt. I filed a police report. Absolutely crazy. Scratched my neck. I would just stay away from this place. Very dangerous. read more

Benihana - The host that assaulted me. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I took my 8 year old grandson out for his birthday. There were 4 adults and 2 kids. No one had a cocktail just water. The bill came to $462 including tip. A bit outrageous don't ya think! read more

Made a reservation at this location and were seated about 15 minutes after we got there. Our service was slow. Slow to come take our order and slow for the food to come out. The manager was nice though and comped our drinks to apologize for the wait. The food in general was decent, very large portion size! Lots of rice and protein. Our chef used a lot of butter to cook everything. I left feeling like I was going to have a food coma. The ice cream I got was green tea which had good flavor but was very icy. Overall, good dinner! Lots of birthday celebrations here. read more

OMG. Been to many Benihanas all most are great. Downtown Houston has no appropriate dress code. So many young ladies dressed extremely inappropriate for a family meal. Smoky as heck, not sure any of the vent hoods function properly. Wait time 30 min, longer than estimated and entire meal took over 2 hours. Will go to Sugarland location next time. read more

I usually come to this location and sugar land. It's always good. But tonight the cook/chef BETTY was amazing. The BEST and most captivating experience I've EVER had and I've come to Benihana for YEARS. THANK YOU BETTY! read more

Was there recently on business trip and decided to give it a try since there isn't much in downtown area at night. I should have listened to a friend who advised against it I ordered the Emperor's Feast and it was a disappointment It was very salty and the vegetables were cold It is supposed to include steak, chicken and shrimp It had steak which was ok but salty and plenty of chicken but only two tiny shrimp. I also ordered cold sake and I guess they don't sell much of it because it was room temperature at best Overall it was a bad experience read more

We came on a busy Sunday before NATTY. Had a reservation but had to wait a good 45' after the reservation time. The hostess was rude and unhelpful. What's the purpose of reservations or a hostess when you are treated and plan like this? That was the beginning of a terrible experience, or chef was a dud, no showmanship and poor cooking skills, poor conversation too! All around disappointing! I've been to a handful of chains and this shouldn't even be allowed to be part of the chain. Food was terrible. The rice and fried rice were hard, the chicken and steak were terrible texture only covered up by their sauce. STAY AWAY, this place needs new help! read more

Benihana - Sushi Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Omg the service is slow. The food is horrible and the floor was sticky. Tables weren't cleaned off. We were waiting at every level from the door to our server our food. This place needs to be shut down read more

This place has really gone downhill from upkeep to service. I visited the restaurant today and was charged twice for my bill. Went back to the restaurant to get it corrected and they refused to do so. They stated they only charged me once but I showed them it was clearly taken twice. I will never visit this location again. read more

Very yummy Edgar is the best. A little pricey but made up in service a flavor. ‍ I recommend .

You got to come and visit ChanRika and Betty They are amazing. Worth everything to come out and visit this great hidden space. read more

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The fellowship of the hibachi was convened to celebrate two birthdays this year. If you are out of the loop, you should know that the chain offers a $30 credit with $30 spent on one's birthday. Not quite a BOGO, because nothing is ever a flat $30, but still a good enough deal to get folks out and about. We chose the downtown location thinking it was centralized and the experience would be better than trekking out to a suburb. That assumption proved inaccurate. We were late, it happens. Our table-mates (randoms we shared the table with, good folks) were also late. So we began a bit after our reservation time. Understandable because they have a schedule of tables, and only so many chefs that can manage it. When our chef did come, there was no showmanship, no speaking, no nothing. It was very impersonal. We have all been before, which is why we chose to come here. The price tag isn't for quality or quantity. Neither of those are anywhere close to a value. We come for the show. And that's what we didn't get. We basically watched a short-order cook hustle. Our feeling were confirmed by our table-mates who apparently come every birthday. They were also disappointed. Add to that, there is a ceiling leak next to our table. The birthday boy had to towel off a little bit after our pictures were taken. Did we eat? Yes. Was our experience worth the price tag, absolutely not. Next time will be a different location. read more

Amazing service for lunch. Hostess Tran, Server Bryant provided a wonderful and exceptional experience and service! Food was prepared by Phou!! Delicious Will definitely return!! read more

Loved our Food! Our Chef was entertaining and gave us a delicious Hibachi NYE Dinner.

First time there. Very disappointed in Jacobo's service. Did not put on a good show. We ordered 6 course meal. We did NOT get our salad, soup or green tea. I was not impressed with the service at all. I know it was Valentine's Day and it was busy,but that's NO excuse. I probably would try the place one more time. We also ordered Stawberry Margarita & was NOT tasty. read more

I ordered for takeout, shrimp hibachi, and I is a 10 of a 10, delicious. I definitely recommend it for f you are looking for good food plus they offer delivery to hotels near by. read more

I came on a Thurs early evening around 5pm for hibachi with some family friends in town. We were one of the first people in and got seated immediately. Since we had a party of 5 and it was early we did get the whole table to ourselves. I had the passion fruit lemonade which I loved! And ordered Chicken and Shrimp Hibachi meal. It comes with Miso soup (which I forgot to get a picture of), small salad, shrimp appetizer (3 shrimp), grilled veggies (onions mushrooms, and zucchini), and your choice of ice cream or sherbet). I really enjoy watching the chef cook the food. The little tricks are fun to watch. I would say he cooked the veggies a little charred. I added the spicy sauce to my dish and loved the flavor of that sauce! The food was cooked well. The chef gave my shrimp to another person in my party but the quick fix was the switch plates. She doesn't like spicy foods so I had to take her plate and he gave her a new one. The waitress was good in the beginning. She took our drink orders then came back for our meal order. However during the meal once we got our food we didn't see her much. I was appreciative that she brought me a refill for my drink without asking. I had told her as soon as I received my food that I was going to need a to go box and the check because I needed to go soon. She took a while to bring those things. I had to flag her down to come back to run the card as I was cutting it close on time. I needed to get to somewhere before it closes and traffic got really bad. No dessert for me . She never asked me if she should go ahead a bring it to me. read more

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Food and service were delicious! Tran and Ramon were awesome. Loved the fried rice and chicken teriyaki

I've been there many times, and it used to be a really nice place. Unfortunately, things have changed. The food quality has gone DOWN, and the taste is NOT the same as before. The music inside was also extremely loud and no one did anything to fix it, even after noticing the issue. Most importantly, the grill pan was dirty. No cleaning? So disappointed. read more

I wish I could give it 0 stars! I took my daughter here for her friend's birthday. The waitress would leave for 30 mins at a time and not come back. When we mentioned it to the manager, his attitude was so nasty. She wouldn't even refill our drinks. On top of that, a few hours after we got home, we had the worse food poisoning! We were running back and forth to the bathroom and had to Go to the urgent care. I called the restaurant and the manager was extremely condescending and passive aggressive. He claimed he would fill out a form And someone from corporate would call me. You think that happened ... no! I've tried calling the number listed online for corporate but can't talk to anyone. This has to be the worse experience! read more

Justin Tran Masami we're so sweet and welcoming. the food was delicious and we didn't have to wait long to get seated. The restaurant was nice n clean good low music . read more

This place is super expensive, we had the four course meal, the sushi rolls is not fresh, the meat and rice come with our main course is not great. The worst part is there are lots of flies in the dinner table while we are eating, I ask the lady who appears to be the owner or manager in charge, she just said it is a "Houston" thing. I said I understand that because I am from Texas, but for people not from Texas, that might be a shock that people in Texas are accustomed to eat with bugs. read more

I was excited to take my kids to Benihana to celebrate my birthday this evening. They have never been and the idea of them seeing the theatrics seemed fun and exciting, all while letting them try something a little different and new. What was once the epitome of fun and excitement is now long in the rear view mirror. Honestly, the best way to describe my experience is sad. The service was fine, the staff are fine, the place is run down and full of cooks going through the motions. The only way to get ours to do anything exciting was to really push and lean in, and by far we had the only cook who seemed to be at least trying. This was all followed by a manager who is desperate to get a good review coming over with business cards and coupons - but even that wouldn't change the overall experience. I long for what was, but what is, and likely will be is nothing of its former self. Thanks for having me and my family, don't think we will be back, if you're thinking of going - lower your expectations to just mediocre food and leaving with the unmistakable trade mark Benihana smell attached to everything you entered the place with. read more

Benihana - A chef doing a single trick that at least made my kids smile. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

Charika was so nice!! Such a fun host. Alexis thinks it was amazing! We had the best time?? So fortunate to have a good time ! Yay beniihana I love you! read more

My wife and I went to the Benihana Houston Downtown. We had a great time some, many veterans were there. Benihana staff everyone was great. I highly recommend this Benihana and all of them. We were all treated so great, the cooks prepared the food exactly how we wanted. Our waitress was very attentive, I even spoke with the manager, great employees, a wonderful place environment. You must visit here, I have gone here many times and I was so proud to here that Benihana was honoring veterans. This review was long overdue, just from the multiple times I have gone to Benihanas. The downtown location is our favorite, and yesterday was a day to remember there. Go Go Go its a must. read more