Dinner and a show! Absolutely! Love me some Benihana! Benihana was one of my kids' favorite places to visit for birthday's. The chefs put on a fun show. Some have been more interactive than others, which can make or break the experience. The menu offers a great variety of options. From seafood to beef or chicken, and even vegetarian, they've got you covered. Don't forget to sign up for their birthday reward club. They offer close to the equivalent of a free meal! Keep on Yelp'n! read more

Benihana - Temecula - Bday dessert - Sushi Bars Near Me - Temecula, California

I took my husband to Benihana yesterday for his birthday, and unfortunately the experience was very disappointing. While our waitress was kind and attentive, the overall service and atmosphere were far below what we've experienced here in the past. The chef seemed like he did not want to be there. It was just my husband and I seated with another family with two young girls who were excited to watch the cooking. He told them multiple times to calm down, which felt unnecessary and unkind given the setting. At one point, he was shouting across the restaurant to another chef. When that chef walked by our table, he held up his middle finger, which was completely inappropriate and shocking to witness during a family dining experience. There were also multiple issues with the food and service. My husband ordered a side of shrimp, but it was not initially prepared. When he mentioned it, the chef said he saw the order but was not given enough, which made us wonder if it would have been ignored entirely had we not said something. We both ordered teriyaki and had to ask for it, only to receive it in a cup rather than cooked with our meals. Throughout the dinner, we had to repeatedly ask for items that were forgotten or overlooked. The rice was also very dry, adding to the overall disappointment. To make matters worse, it felt like the chef was distracted after his family arrived and sat at another table. The entire experience felt rushed, sloppy, and lacking the quality and professionalism we previously enjoyed at other locations. After spending $200, this did not feel worth it at all. It seems the standard has significantly declined. It is no longer the special experience it once was. The Temecula location really needs to focus on improvements. The last two times were not great and we chucked it up to being new. This now just feels like their standard. read more

Called to go order, since we had our grandson and he wasn't feeling great. Order was to be ready at 9:09, arrived at 9:00 was told it shouldn't be much longer. Food was ready approx 930 ish. Headed back to Lake Elsinore. Open the bag and none of the steak I ordered is there! Dammit! I mean I do dbl check fast food orders but for only 2 orders over 120 bucks, figured QC has to be on point! Hell it's Benihana for Christ sake....Absolutely not. But the kicker is how nice we were greeted, but when I called to discuss the screwup, I felt like I was being interrogated! I asked to speak to a manager, was told there was none! And since I can't come all the way back out to Temecula (mind you it's 10pm!)I would have to wait until a manager got back to me. I expect much better service and quality control than this. Now to the food we did get... The chicken on top of the rice was ridiculously dry. Do better! Chicken that was supposed to be the beef (i guess) was just as dry, only difference it was sitting in juice. The exact reason I didn't order the chicken! Noodles were good, no complaints there. Anyway save yourself some headache, for the price there are plenty of other restaurants around that are taking pride in their work and would love your patronage. read more

Three strikes you're out! I mentioned to the server that I actually had never seen a lobster so small. SHe said, yeah we get a lot of complaints about the portions being so small! but certainly didn't offer anything to make up for it and I swear the scallops were half the size of any I've ever had. the service was very good but paying almost $500 for dinner for five people! over the top considering the $72 seafood dinner was really worth about half of what we paid, this was my third visit since the opening and the first two were really disappointing. There's other Teppan options in the area. GO THERE! read more

Had diner there for Mother's Day. Grill was broken before we sat down. The cook knew it and the staff. It would keep cutting off and get cold. Rice wasn't able to cook properly. Had to slow cook the chicken so was tough. Salmon never got cooked. Didn't even bring out my daughters food (forgot to bring it out) So for Mother's Day we got bad food and was at the table for way to long waiting on the cook top to work and then waiting for food that never showed up and couldn't eat the salmon that wasn't cooked. The staff was nice enough not to charge for the chicken plate and the salmon out of our bill for a party of 7, but the whole experience was not good at all. Been to this location a few times but will never go back. read more

Love the wide open space, it's very clean and well lit. Food is great!! Very flavorful and they are. Rey careful with customers with food allergies. service is top notch our Chef Kevin did such a great job cooking our food and entertaining us giving us a great experience overall. Kevin had a difficult table with a Gluten allergy, a seafood allergy and fried rice with no meat and he did such an amazing job ensuring that everyone was safe and enjoyed their lunch. read more

GABRIEL WAS AMAZING!! He put on a full on show was hilarious and cooked everything to perfection . He definitely saved the experience . When we walked in the lady who greeted us looked extremely bothered , but our waitress and Gabriel our Hibachi Chef made us quickly forget that .. the food again was delicious . The location had tons of parking was spotless and for not having a reservation we were sat pretty fast. Cute dim lit, perfect date night ambiance .. will be back read more

Terrible ultra processed flavorless $71 "filet mignon"! I got awful mystery beef instead of fillet mignon more like stew style chunks not your classic fillet pieces. Looks and tastes like boiled stew. Probably not filet mignon. Waste of money. Service was great. Not coming back until they go back to their original quality steak. read more

I've been to Benihanas so many times and in most cities. I was starting to lose hope with the overcooked hard rice. Levi was our cook and let me say he's sooooo cute, super friendly and my food was cooked perfectly. Thank you Levi, our table agreed and he should be a model! read more

Sadly enough. I'm going to have to update my review of this place. It was literally a nightmare. We made reservations for two at 7:30 in a regular table we show up at 7:15. We wait a while to be seated. They try to save us at a community table. We make it clear that we don't want to sit at a community table. They have us go back and wait again. Then they tried to seat us at a community table for a second time. We ask that they please seed us at a private table so they had to just go stand in the front again. Then came and seated us. Once we were seated, our server came to take our order and didn't write a single thing down We waited literally 20 minutes just to get Waters When we asked for soy sauce, it wasn't a bottle of soy sauce. It was a dish of soy sauce And they forgot to bring out the sushi we ordered The green tea and the ice cream that came with our six course meal didn't ever come out and they told us that they don't serve green tea with the meals even though it's advertised that they do Literally won't be wasting my time or money to eat here ever again We used to really enjoy benihana and the atmosphere and the whole ambiance of the restaurant the way you were treated the way they served you the way your food came out the way the meat just melted in your mouth and tonight totally was off-putting and has discouraged us from ever spending our money here ever again I don't know of anybody that goes to a restaurant to pay. Pretty good money for a meal and then have the food come out. Overcooked and the service be completely horrible And we sat there for 2 hours. One of those hours was us just sitting there looking at walls So fu so fun Also removed my previous review and all previous photos because that's how horrible this place has repped me read more

Benihana is a hibachi steakhouse, located adjacent to the Temecula Promenade Mall. The interior is stylish with modern wood accents. The restaurant is expansive and includes numerous grill stations and a separate lounge area with menu service. The menu includes many options, including a tofu steak for vegetarians. Portion sizes are not commiserate with value. Unfortunately, the time to receive plates was lengthy, exceeding 45 minutes and I left feeling hungry and unsatisfied. Perhaps, the grill experience would be different, but I don't foresee a repeat visit. read more

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Do not order Togo. This is wild $24 for about an ounce of meat... the other portions are fat. This was insane. Everything was such small portions for high prices! What a joke. read more

Benihana - Temecula - Wagyu fried rice - Sushi Bars Near Me - Temecula, California

Poor service, weird ambiance, didn't get to try the food. Scheduled a reservation for four people at 8:30pm, so we could make our movie planned at 10:20. Arrived promptly at 8:30 and checked in with our reservation and were seated soon after. (Walking in the restaurant smelled a little funny also.) We then went through the normal routine of getting our orders taken and were given miso soup and salad. From then on we went on to wait for more than an hour to get our food service. Our server was really nice and sincere, we asked her to see if she could check on the chef but I could tell things were out of her control, she checked up on us when she could. Once the time got closer to 9:20ish, I walked over to a manager to ask to give us the check so we can leave. I walk back to my group and the chef then arrived. The disappointing part was that despite the good service by our server, from the moment we walked in, we were not told how long it would take to actually eat. Going to Benihana's, I expected more prompt, professional and seamless service especially since we arrived on time to a reservation and communicated to the staff our needs. Overall the experience was disappointing. We were looking forward to eating the food and spending our evening there but what we received was nowhere near what we expected. read more

Benihana - Temecula - Sushi Bars Near Me - Temecula, California

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So disappointed. Haven't been to a benihana in a while. Decided to take family, it was not worth $60-$50 plate. I noticed the grill was dirty before they started cooking. The fried rice was bland no flavor at all. We got no grilled veggies. You supposedly pay extra for the "show" but there was no show at all. We never saw the waitress. 2 stars because the steak was actually good. read more

Gian was amazing! He made our food so tasty and has a great sense of humor! Will come back for sure. Jesse was our waiter who was super attentive to our needs and caring. Both of them were wonderful! read more

Benihana - Temecula - The food was tasty and delicious. Gian kept us entertained and has a great sense of humor! Will be coming back for sure! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Temecula, California

I came here to celebrate my birthday with my family, and it was a bit of a mixed bag. The food was delicious, but our chef was completely out of it. He wasn't very engaging and forgot to serve the sauces that go with the dinner. Needless to say there wasn't much of a show. I knew it was bad when my kids started asking what was wrong with the chef. On the bright side, the server was great and very attentive. I'm blanking on her name, though. read more

Benihana - Temecula - Sushi Bars Near Me - Temecula, California

Wagyu was delicious! Love the crispy rice appetizer. Salad, soup, stir fry veggies and fried rice were meh. Had to repeatedly ask for items we were supposed to get. Came for happy hour, but Service in the lounge was mediocre and overall overpriced if you are not doing the teppanyaki. read more

Celebrated a birthday here. The host sat us at an empty cooking table in the dark with the lights off so we sat in the dark for a bit. After that everything was good. Our server was great. The food was a bit overpriced for the quality. Appetizer came out cold but by then the main course had started so we just ate it. read more

Benihana - Temecula - SHRIMP TEMPURA - Sushi Bars Near Me - Temecula, California

Went there on my birthday with a party of 10. Ian provided the cooking skill, and just the right amount of jokes to keep us entertained. Everyone had fun. read more

We had a 7 pm reservation for my husbands birthday and arrived around 645pm. The waiting area was already crowded. Around 7pm, I checked in with the hostess to ask when we might be seated and was told we were third in line. About 5 minutes later, the hostess called 3 separate parties of 2, then another 3 person party, without any update or explanation to us. There was no communication afterwards about our status or expected wait time. The waiting area itself was very uncomfortable, it was crowded, and the front door opened frequently, creating a wind tunnel effect where cold air rushed in every time someone entered or exited. After waiting a total of 45 minutes past our reservation time with no updates or acknowledgment, we decided to leave and go elsewhere. Disappointing experience, when having a reservation and expecting basic communication. Hire friendlier hostess that knows customer service. read more

We came to celebrate my niece's birthday and Benihana made it unforgettable! They treated her like an absolute queen, and the whole experience was a blast from start to finish. The food was fantastic, probably gained 10 pounds from all the butter and soy sauce, but it was 100% worth it. Megan was an awesome server who kept everything running smoothly, and Chef Eli kept us laughing while cooking up some amazing dishes right at our table. What did the mushroom say to the other mushroom? I'm a fungi!! I highly recommend the Chateaubriand (center cut filet). melt in your mouth delicious, worth the extra money IMO. . Truly a perfect night. Thank you read more

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I don't understand why this location has such a low rating. The food was terrific. The service was stellar and the chef did a great job not only cooking but entertaining us. This is our second time here, only because it's a bit of a drive. Ignore the ratings and go. You'll have a great time! The only thing I want to add is we don't go during the very busiest time such as late dinner. The other day we went at noon. Go! Enjoy! read more

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This Benihana truly knows what Benihana stands for. I've been a customer since I was a kid and my dad LOVED Benihana it was our weekly outing with our family. He passed away in 2012 and I keep supporting Benihana but every other location is not up to par. Temecula knows what quality, customer service and entertainment is. Thank you for bringing back great memories while I start the same tradition with my son. read more

While I was in Temecula for my birthday weekend stopped in here for dinner and the service was great the hibachi chef was very personable and entertaining. He cracked a few jokes and kept the mood lite. The food came out pretty good and was more than enough. read more

went in as a party of 2 and were taken to table with other parties, served by nathan (amazing service) , other people at our table had a terrible attitude. VERY rude to the staff. And to the person cooking our food. Had a great time besides the other people at our table just being RUDE ASF to the staff. The poor cook rlly tried his best to be nice and stay in good spirits but the people where rlly beating up this mans energy, told the manager everything was terrible when they didn't even acknowledge the server taking orders and messed up their own food orders, and i even stood up for the staff and said something to let them know they should lower their tone. I have no patience for stupid ass rude people like the people at our table. Some people in this world deserve nothing but shit like them. Thank you nathan and gian, those people were rlly terrible to yall and I AM SORRY . read more

Benihana - Temecula - the people to the left were RUDE ASF !!! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Temecula, California

Our first experience here was absolutely horrible. We walked in, gave the hostess our name, and told her we had a party of four with one person on the way. Even though the restaurant was completely empty and extremely slow, she refused to seat us until every single person in our party arrived. It made no sense given how dead the place was. I asked if we could at least look at a menu while we waited, and she said she would only give us menus once we were seated. That was the first red flag. The food itself was just mediocre at best. Portions were very small for the price. If you choose the chef's table option, be prepared to pay almost $39 just for chicken yakisoba -- which is totally ridiculous. For a group of four (including one kids meal), our total bill was over $250. Definitely not worth it. I also spoke to the manager hoping to address the situation, but she was no help and came across just as rude. Honestly, it's no surprise the restaurant was empty. Never again. Our first experience was beyond disappointing. read more

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Wow! Visited today, Sunday 12/21. We arrived around 6:30pm and walked out at 10:30pm. Yes, 4 hrs! The 1st hour we waited to be seated. We were told reservations had priority which - fine no problem. Got drinks at the bar in the meantime. Our 1st hint should have been the overwhelmed bartender. He was the only person behind the bar making drinks for people at the bar and the restaurant. Then we were seated by the grill, a nice woman took our drink order and asked if we'd like appetizers. 30 mins later we have drinks and our appetizer. Some time later we place our order. Another 20 mins later we get our onion soup. By this time we are about 2 hrs into our dinner journey with 3 kids in tow- they're doing incredible considering children's short attention/patience span. Finally, chef comes to cook only to find the grill hadn't been turned on and once he tried to turn it on it turned off. We were then asked to sit at another table. At this point we really considered heading elsewhere. Finally, chef is able to begin cooking after getting the grill hot enough. Well, not enough with the staffing issues - they also missed our order of shrimp fried rice so we had to wait for the chef to go get the shrimp. All in all, the customer service and understaffed restaurant issues were very apparent. Our chef was nice, food was overall good, but I'd find it highly unlikely that we'd return. read more

The food was good as always I got chicken and filet mignon. Might I also add that the yum yum sauce is a blessing from up above that's all I thought about that day I think I cried a little bit as the yum yum sauce covered steak touch my taste buds. The service was normal as usual a guy came and cooked in front of us while making jokes about how I'm chronically on fornite if I use the term emote sadly I laughed so hard I cried at that but other than that amazing. The atmosphere was nice and was dimly lit just how I like it. read more

Sorry for this review without any food pictures of the great food. We had the seafood diablo and wagyu. Trust me when I say that this is the first time in a while the food is perfectly seasoned (thanks Giancarlo). Also the service by RJ was top level. Staff had great personalities and professionalism. read more

Went for a Power Lunch with my husband and daughter last Friday. I'll keep it brief...got sat in a dirty table (rice and food on the floor and in the chairs - had to ask to have it cleaned before sitting down. Chef was nice. Wait staff was mid and all three of us left with diarrhea. I was personally sick for two days. read more

Started at the bar and got a drink. The wait for the chef took about 45 mins. They were behind and service was slow. Ana was our server and our chef was Levi. The chef started out great but it fizzled out when he insulted me. Joking or not, nowadays you don't know who you are dealing with. I'm more mindful to keep my cool. To add insult to injury my steak was overcooked, tasteless, & overcooked. Thanks Benihana! read more

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Our server McKenzie was amazing and so attentive. Leo our chef was so funny and the food tastes great!! read more

Great time as usual. Kevin was a great chef - very engaging and great with the kids. Food was great as always, as was the service. In the past the service has been a bit slow at times, but having come back over the months, it has really gotten dialed in now. We will definitely be back! read more

This is the 2nd time we've been to this location and it just sucks. There's a reason why they have horrible ratings. 1. I ordered filet and the server put in the wrong item, instead they gave me chicken. The cook didn't verify anyone's order, so I got stuck with an item I didn't eat and wasn't going to wait 30 more minutes for a steak. Our service was slow and complacent and just an overall horrible server, she should not be working there. 2. The ambiance is ok, but grill filters are visibly filthy, stuffed with grease and seating is torn. 3. Our cook was annoying to say the least, he got aggravated that no one at the table acknowledged his cooking "skills". So when one lady asked for salt, he said "oh you do speak English, I thought I was speaking another languag. Just unacceptable! We will never come back here, especially after giving it a second chance. Not to mention, 2 waters, 2 chicken dinners & 2 chicken fried rice, ran us $103. read more

We reserved an 8:30pm online and didn't get seated until after 9. After which we sat at the table until 10:15 and a chef hadn't arrived yet. We left at 10:20pm to go to Jack in the box as all the restaurants had closed. The manager apologized and gave us (2) $25 dollar vouchers to come back. (Prices here are super high so it would have barely covered an appetizer). I just gave them to a couple who had waited as long as we had so they could use it. I'm never coming back here to waste time. Do yourself a favor... go to Shogun. Better experience all around. read more

The quality of the food here is good however the price is kind of steep when you can get the same thing at Shogun down the street for a lot less. read more

I walked in and the girl was very cold and rude . She said there was a 40 min wait I said okay that's fine . I have a baby with me I need a high chair . She then said she could only give me a high top seating cus the low top was only for handicap people so she couldn't accomadate me with the baby, I then just decided to leave . read more

Ian was a blast!! We loved his voice impersonations, dad jokes, chill demeanor and btw, he can cook (we all know not all chef's food comes out the same). I'd recommend asking for Ian any day of the week and hope you're lucky enough that he is here. read more

I don't believe I'm going back. I e been there twice and the meat ( beef) is so unflavored.

1/31/2026: To date, though I filed a complaint and requested contact via the website provided in the reply by the restaurant , I have not yet received a response from Benihana. Beyond disappointing. --- 12/10/2025: We gave this location a try, but the teppanyaki experience was awful. The chef obviously did not know how to prepare the food. On top of that, there was no show. He only performed an "egg roll". I brought in two new guests that were expecting what they saw advertized on TV. The upgraded steaks (filet mignon and Châteaubriand) were all severely overcooked to beyond well-done, even those ordered medium rare. The filet mignon was brought out in three small medallions, all became overcooked within minutes, but he ignored prompts to remove it and continued to let it dry up on the grill. The lobster tails were served blackened to a crisp and rubbery. The fried rice was not fried at all. It was left in a heap to steam. The chef almost forgot to add the garlic butter, if it wasn't pointed out. The chef did not heed the cooking preferences at all. We paid over 600$ for dinner that night, for overcooked food, false advertising, and steamed "fried" rice. The cheaper vegetables (onions, zucchini, and mushrooms) were cooked fine and the drinks were good. Emma was very attentive to our table, but the chef ruined our food and experience. I did not want to raise hell in front of our guests and further ruin the evening. I called customer service the next day and left a message. I have yet to get a return call, as requested. Unless this is corrected by Benihana somehow, we won't return again. We gave them another chance by patronizing another location beside San Diego. Costly mistake on our part. The restaurant was slow. Emma was a great hostess. Poor experience. Lee C. Business Employee Thank you for your feedback, Mary Allison. We're sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate your detailed comments. Please contact us dire... Read more read more