Wanted to try this branch since there are mixed reviews. Food of course is great as usual Benihana. No sushi but only the hibachi menu. We were celebrating a special occasion so we were all excited. However, as what others have mentioned, our chef seemed to be tired or not in the mood to make any conversation! It's not even 10pm or late dinner so why, right? Thankfully our group / family is used to the the "show" they do but still with the kids we had on our table, we were expecting a highly enjoyable show. Otherwise, our server was attentive and what makes this experience nice is that if you're celebrating an occasion, they give you a free photo and downloadable option too. My suggestion is that they hire chefs who would be happy to do what they do ;-) read more

Everything was great especially the drinks. The long island was awesome. The food was cooked just the way I like it. Can't wait to come back. read more

Generally I LOVE Benihana's (like you don't understand kinda love), but this particular location is the weakest. Their sauce game is off, they ain't got no mustard sauce, but like some weird af horseradish mayo (like seriously wtf). Overall though I can't hate too much. I still love you Beni. read more

This place gets lamer everytime I go here. The first time I went here it was like a "Where have you been all my life..." moment. It was FUN, taste GOOD. However time after time of seeing the chefs do the same tricks, the same banging the utensils on the cooking mat, the same nasty horseradish salad, I ask myself why do I come here and spend $70 bucks for my girlfriend and I... If it's your first time coming here by all means check it out, it's awesome. Or if you are taking somebody for their first time....it's fun. Not so fun if you go there often. read more

This will be a short review. We went there to celebrate my 2 y.o. birthday with the family and close friends. Ordered sushi and hibachi style meat, chicken, fish.. everything was served and cooked on time, tasted - not to my personal taste, but I guess OK. Chef was fun to watch - especially shrimp tail jumps amazed kids.. Quality and taste of the food prepared - something to be greatly improved!! I'm not much of a soy or corn food ( for GMO concerns), so I had to skip pretty much all of the side dishes, and hibachi sesame tuna steak that I got came with the some weird sauce that was nothing but a warm vinegar... not sure why you'd want to call vinegar a sauce. Therefore 3 stars that I give are all for service and 1 for food! Staff there is very nice.. We brought in our own cake and they were just fine with that. Picture taken was also a nice bonus. All in all - Benihana gets: Service and staff: A+ Food : C I would probably stop by for another visit, but my meal choice will be sushi only. read more

Love there food sushi is the best here for a great price and so fresh. There ginger dressing is so yummy I always buy some to go you must try lobster yummy yum read more

So this review is only for the Wheeling location. Last time I was here the chef was entertaining and friendly. However, the food was not flavorful like I'm used to from this chain. Today, our chef (Rio) was in a hurry and it was obviously to the other 6 people at my table. He was dropping his utensils, he didn't entertain and on top of that he gave most of us undercooked chicken and me specifically raw shrimp. Spoke to the manager and was able to remove my meal from the tab (thank God). This location I feel as a whole is just lacking. read more

Took my son and his wife for a "going away" dinner, they are moving and the state they are going to does not have a Benihana. Our server Laura was very efficient and pleasant. The chef Omar was great, cooked my son and my steak just the way we like it!! Everything was very pleasant, the food, chef, and the server. Thank you for making this visit a memorable, memory for my family. read more

Our dinner experience was terrible. Steaks were under cooked and had to be given back twice to be brought up to the correct temperature. Staff is also rude and does not seem to care. The icing on the cake was when it came time to pay the check. I am very upset that the restaurant manager would not honor the electronic printed out Benihana gift cards I brought with to pay for our check. All she could tell me is that they don't accept printed out gift cards (only plastic cards). I myself am a restaurant manager and I would never let the customer leave without a positive resolution. I contacted corporate and explained the situation to them and they also did not care. Why is the burden here on the customer to know this information? The cards all had a valid balance on it and the restaurant could have easily just typed them in manually just like i do at my restaurant but instead the manager ended up embarrassing me in front of my family and the other party of 4 strangers that sat with us. What would have happened if I didn't bring another form of payment with me? We will not be returning! Benihana's is over priced and just want you in and out and does not care about your dining experience. Go to Ron of Japan instead where the food is way better and you will feel special. read more

Good entertainment lol, food is decent, but if you are looking to get excellent sushi I wouldn't recommend. But the chefs are talented and the soups are delicious!! And the vibe is very nice for a family/coworker/friends outing, variety of menu options makes it ideal! read more

We have been celebrating family birthdays at Benihana's for years, in different states and in different cities. This was, by far, the most DISAPPOINTING experience we have ever had!!! ( Wheeling, IL). They never sent an email or gave me a call to confirm our reservation, I called them. They don't build in time for your party to arrive, so tell everyone your time is 15 mins earlier then booked, because you don't get seated until all have arrived, even though they know which table is yours from the get go! The hostess was short with us. The chef didn't say one word to us, literally, he didn't even introduce himself. This is NOT a cheap dinner, the chef is always the star of the show/evening, the chef is the one who makes or breaks the entertainment factor. Some are so fun and humorous, some try really hard to make the evening special. The chef will usually speak to each person,verify what you ordered and how you want it cooked. They put on a show with their culinary skills and the food they are preparing, they usually joke with the table as they preform tricks and make the experience worth coming back for again and again. NOT THIS PLACE!! The chef we had overcooked our meals, I wanted my filet rare to med rare and it was well done. The chicken was dry and overcooked as well. The chef didn't do most of the fun tricks & stuff they usually do, and like I said... he NEVER opened his mouth, even when I spoke to him. He didn't smile or acknowledge even the birthday girl!! The wait staff didn't ask anyone about dessert, or hot tea, they forgot to give us our photo keepsake and the chef left in a hurry without even acknowledging he was leaving, he didn't ask anyone if they wanted more sauce, or anything else. Not one word!!! So frustrating. This was the worse experience we have ever had at a Benihana's and we have been to many. We had a party of 18 and half were first timers. We were looking for a great experience and excellent food based on past experiences. We had never been to this location; can't say we will ever be back!!! :( The hostess and wait staff weren't friendly either... big fail!!! Going back to the Schaumburg location next time!!! This place needs to remember that the customers are the reason they get a paycheck, that without paying customers they wouldn't exist!! That this type of Resturant is all about the whole experience, entertainment factor and ambience, along with great food. This was an EPIC FAIL!! read more

I would expect that when I spend ~$120 for dinner for two people, I shouldn't have to keep my winter jacket on. It was freezing in the place from the moment we walked in. Instead of being told that it will be "Drafty" for a little while, I would have appreciated the front desk clerk to tell me that the heating system in this restaurant is flawed and doesn't work when the chefs are cooking. I would have went somewhere else. read more

Went there on Friday, 12/6/2019, with my wife and son. Ordered our food and chef finally came after a period of wait. Right after the chef came, he tried to do some some tricks but ended up the fork flying out of his hand and straight toward my wife. Luckily my wife did not get hurt. Then for the rest of the time it was just him cooking, literally, no other tricks and didn't say one damn word. After chef left, I looked over to the table to my right and the chef was doing all kinds of tricks. WTF?! I must say this experience was terrible and i definitely will not recommend anyone to come here because you are just taking chances on how you will spend your money. I will definitely NEVER come back here. read more

I've always wanted a dining experience in which my food was cooked in front of me. My boyfriend and I went last night and it was AMAZING!! The food was great. The service was great. We also got lucky and had great company at our table. I wish I could give 10 stars. I will definitely be bringing my daughter back for her birthday. read more

The waitress Laura was the only thing keeping this from being a 1 or 2 star review. The chef was so miserable, you can tell he hates his job so much! The tuna I asked for rare was medium well. I did get a replacement but I had to complain to the manager which I hate doing. He didn't put much soy sauce on the rice. He didn't even have any, he just took what was left from our sushi. The food was pretty standard. And they definitely definitely rush you through everything. Could barely get sat down and they're asking you what you want to eat. Overall I'd go to a different location or different tempanyaki restaurant. read more

Customer service is terrible not to mention the guy ask us for more money!!!! because we did not tip the amount he wanted us too, after we did not get treated good. We took our mom for her birthday and we were not satisfied at all. I will never recommend this to anyone because they need to learn to treat customers better. ALSO We wanted our steak medium and We got it well done. I went to the Benihana in California and it was amazing I will never come back to this location. I'll recommend to retrained everyone from your staff. I also made reservations for 630 and had us waiting letting other people go first, when we were already waiting . we did not eat until 730z In all I did not like this location I'll never come back. read more

DO NOT GO HERE! This place is so disrespectful when it comes to customer service. Not only did our chef rush the meal, but the food was awful! And i am not the kind of person who is okay with complaining, i feel horrible complaining. BUT, i am not going to pay 30$ for a meal that i didn't even eat. The manager tonight (March 28th, 2013, at closing time) was extremely rude and arguing with me about how the food could not possibly taste bad and the waiter made me feel so uncomfortable and was also extremely rude when I apologized and told him that my food wasn't good. When the other waiters were standing there staring me down about it, our waiter went over to them and complained about me! And not only did i have to send my check back twice because the manager didn't take off my meal, but he only ended up taking 12$ off instead of offering to take the meal off. I have only complained once before at a different restaurant and the waiter was so nice about it but not here! Im sorry but this place is awful, rude, and horrible. Their manager was rude and disrespectful, our waiter was rude and made me feel so uncomfortable, and the food was so rushed and prepared horribly. Hopefully the restaurant will contact me about this through yelp and try to keep my business because me and my boyfriend would go here somewhat often, but if they don't, I will not update this post and keep the 1 star. If you want to go somewhere with amazing Japanese Steakhouse food and lovely service, go to RokBonki down the street (off of arlington heights rd and dundee). I have been going there since I was a child and it's still ceases to amaze me. read more

This was my first time at the Benihana in Wheeling & it'll be my last. I made reservations and got there for 2pm. The service was horrible our server was mia we had to keep stopping other people passing by to ask them for drinks and to pick up bowls plates etc. Our chef was friendly & even acknowledged the fact that our server wasn't around for refills etc he walked off to find her because he was short on rice. So after we ate she approached our table and told us how much we needed to tip her because she had to pay the chef. She even wrote the tip on our check. I found that very and even asked her about it she then took the check back and brought a new 1 without it. Upon picking up the check books she stated you guys need to tip me enough I worked very hard loud and in front of everyone! At this point I'm furious I hate to pull the race card but that was the vibe I got because we were African Americans in the restaurant she assumed we wouldn't tip...but we were and always do I'm a Navy veteran whose proudly served this country I've been many places but never have I had the service we received!! I hope this is not the message Benihana wants to convey to its customers!!! read more

At the Wheeling location they have $2 sushi rolls from 12-2pm on Saturdays and Sundays - so good and the price is right!

I do not want to go here again. I was very excited because I've never been here before and a lot of my friends like the hibachi style. When my friend asked me if I wanted to go with him, I immediately was excited. My friend picked me up and drove me here for the lunch special, where the sushi was half price. We were the only one in the restaurant, so service was fast. I ordered two rolls and afterwards, I had the runs. It was pretty bad because I felt really sweaty and my stomach was hurting. I think the sushi was way pass their expiration date. read more

The only good thing is the rice and everything else is garbage. Do not get the salmon sashimi and salmon hand rolls, they are disgusting and if you ask to take something out of a dish they say that's not possible but in every other restaurant it is. read more

I've been going to Benihana for a while now and I have to say that I think they're the best hibachi place around. The teppanyaki never fails to impress me no matter what selection I make. I'll admit that the show gets a bit old after the first time (it's always the volcano, train, and tossing of the shrimp tails among a few other tricks) but the chef is always very accommodating and friendly. The shrimp sauce is fantastic and goes well on pretty much anything. It's a great place to go with family and friends and it's a very kid-friendly place. read more

Benihana - Wheeling - Volcano :) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wheeling, Illinois

We as a family went this place second time to give them second chance to provide good if not great service. It was same huge disappointment when it comes to their service. Server like before was not able to effectively engaged us with food choices. What upset me the most is that it was my son's birthday. I secretly without my family knowing talked to the reservation that its my son's birthday. She acknowledged that. I waited and waited no one came to wish my son. I again sneak out and told at the kitchen area its my son's birthday. They said we got it. Later on we finished our food and no one showed up. My family looked at me that why I am sitting and forgot about my son's birthday . So I spoiled the surprise and this time talked to the bartender that this is 3rd time I am asking and I said I am done with you guys and not coming anymore. I went back to my seat and within a minute our server comes back to wish happy birthday. What a turn off. Horrible service. Never ever going back !! read more

We were visiting from out of town and came here for dinner. The hostess was not very friendly. When you told her I had a mushroom allergy she asked if it was an allergy or just a preference. That was kind of rude of her to say. I have been to the Schaumburg location many times and never had an issue before. read more

Benihana has really tasty food. It's my kids favorite restaurant. Everything is delish! My daughter says you should go there today. :)

Yesterday must have been a very off day. My family loves Benihana especially in September when we're celebrating our birthdays. We come to this location every couple of months but last night it was absolutely terrible!!!!! From the lukewarm greeting when we arrived to the I "hate my job" waiter (Adrian...if that's his name) who just really didn't give a crap about our table, needs or wants. Anything he did for our table was because we asked him about it after chasing him down because not once did he ever ask if we needed anything. We had to ask him for refills, take out containers, our ice cream and tea, the birthday pictures (which came out blurry but no...did he apologize for this or offer to re-take them...no he didn't), my daughter's birthday mug and finally the check. No thank you for coming...No communication at all. The only redeeming part was our chef. Even though his skills and showmanship wasn't up to par (only doing the volcano and shrimp trick)...his personality made up for the terrible experience. My mom was in from out of town and I was so excited to bring her for my birthday dinner. I'm sure that she will not want to come back again after this experience. Please bring back the old customer service and showmanship. read more

Classic Benihana. Great atmosphere, good food, and entertaining. Food is a little pricey but it is worth it. Who doesn't have fun at one of these places? read more

I used to go to Benihana a lot, not so much recently. My wife and I had family in from out of town and we went to lunch in Lombard on July 6th with our niece and in Wheeling with our nephew on July 7th. I have to say that the Behihana experience is not what it used to be. The main reason for going is the chef's show. The chefs that we had were lame to say the least. And they did not do half the things they used to. They don't light the oil anymore, they barely flip anything around. This would be ok if the food was good, it would make up for it. The food was so bland. It was tasteless food and they really skimp. The fried rice barely filled the bowl, the amount of vegetables was less than it used to be. I am disappointed and I was disappointed for the kids that had never been there before. It did not live up to how much I hyped it before we got there. We switched locations after the first day hoping maybe a different location would be better. It wasn't. I'll look for other local places that provide a better show and better food in the future. Probably Kampai or Tsukasa. read more

We had many different kinds of sushi. Portions are big, sushi tastes bad. I don't know how and why but after their sushi I couldn't eat them for a long time , and now I'm not a fan of them that's how bad it was for me. Won't go again.( I had a stomachache right after) read more

The food was okay. Definitely not worth the price at all. They need to be clear on what is included in the 5 course meal and not charge extra for the things that are supposed to be included. I shouldn't have to pay $100 for two people. That is ridiculous. The amount of food you get for that price is nothing what it should be. Our waiter only helped us twice. He was never at our table. I also think we got charged for things we weren't supposed to be charged for. read more

Food and drink were great and cooked perfectly. Service was above average, except for the chef cooking the meal who was just robotic and looked tired and did not say much. If you have kids at the table it would have been nice if there is a little engagement with them by the chef. read more

Well, i've been to many Benihana locations before & this location was so so compared to other ones. I made a reservation but we had to wait 25 minutes!!!! What's the point of making reservation then? I paid for my group so i spent around $500+ dollars & i was not satisfied with the quality of food, entertainment, chef skills, servers & waiting time!!!! read more

Never having eaten at this restaurant before I was extremely happy with the service, hot, fresh food, and the presentation by Victor - our Chef. Just fun! Victor was witty, very adept with the cookware and the flashy moves and in general, entertaining the table. Looking forward to a return trip soon!!! read more

Pros - the steak was tasty. The Benihana punch drink was good as well. Cons - the service was terrible, unfriendly and slow. The chef must hate his job but since folks go here for the chef show he needs to find another line of work. Said not one word past confirming our order. No smile, no nothing. It was like a robot preparing a meal. The vegetables and fried rice were completely bland. Won't be back. read more

The *BIG* secret.... You have to check out their lunchtime menu guys and gals. The sushi is top notch fresh and cut right. The quality and amount of food offered on the Lunch Boat special is enough to last two meals. Most lunchtime specials are $8-$10 and include really good green tea. The food is authentic and the place does not smell like teppenyaki (during lunchtime) and neither will you when you walk out. I go for the Golden Bell lunch set or the nabeyaki udon (really, really top quality in taste, noodle texture, presentation, amount and price) lunch set. It also comes with fresh sashimi, an ice cream/red bean dessert and a side dish. You really can't go wrong. Lunch dates and client dates are always impressed and surprised they get this authentic meal during lunchtime. Not every Benihana offers what the Schaumburg location offers. Might be because a lot of Japanese nationals and executives dine here during lunch. Trust me, this is not your average sushi joint on the corner. I might regret posting this if the place gets way too crowded for lunch, but really, it is a gem of a find if you need a quiet place to get away for some really good grub for a great price. 5 stars service 5 stars food 5 stars price 4 stars ambiance read more

This food is average but the service is spectacular. Thats why they get 3 stars. I ordered the hibachi seafood. They cooked it in front of me. It was quite an experience for my nephews graduation. The prices are quite high but really what you pay for is the experience. I would probably go back. read more

The food and service was great, this was our first time and it waiter was patient and explained everything thoroughly. I highly recommend the land and sea entree! read more

First off, the food is decent. I got the Hibachi Scallops. This meals comes with a shrimp appetizer (it's really not an appetizer, it's just butchered half piece of shrimp splattered on your plate), Benihana Onion soup, salad, steamed rice (I opted for the fried rice) and then green tea which comes at the end of your meal. When we first came into the restaurant we let them know our party was here all except one, but we knew what the person wanted so we could order for them. Instead of seating us they insisted that they were to busy to seat us, even though we had reservations. I would understand of we didn't know what our other member of our group wanted to order, but we did. We waited around a little until we asked again if we could be seated. They kind of just shrugged us off and gave us a snippy "fine". A woman guided us to our seats, the place was EMPTY. There was absolutely no reason they couldn't seat us. We sat down and waited for someone to take our drink orders. The other person in our party came WAY before they came to take our order. There was four of us, three of us ordered alcoholic beverages. Two of which were the same order; pina colada. The waiter didnt seem to understand English very well at all. He couldn't communicate the menu very well. We had ordered our foods and were asking for fried rice instead of white rice. We expected an extra charge (but when we got the bill we were shocked by the fact that it was $3.50 EXTRA for veggie fried rice, considering an average meal there is over $24 it seemed like way to much) we asks if they make the friend rice of the grill in front of us and our server had NO clue what we were talking about what so ever. All he seemed to know how to say was "yes, yes". Our orders were taken and everyone got their drinks except for myself, a piña colada. I had to ask twice for my drink and I didn't receive my drink until waiting at the table for 20 minutes. Our chef was very nice, but seemed really nervous and uncoordinated. He was trying to do this trick with some shrimp tails and he was just flinging them on the floor, he commented to a waiter that he needed to stop watching him because it made him nervous; that's strange. What also was strange was that one of his fellow chefs kept coming to the table to have just person conversations which took away the flair of his cooking. He didnt do any tricks that see were seeing at the other tables. We were pretty let down. Lastly, our waters were never replenished. We were at the table for almost two hours and we only had ONE glass of water. Our waiter was absolutely oblivious, we were having to stack our dishes next to us because no one was clearing them. By the end of my whole meal I still had my EMPTY salad bowl, soup bowl, and bone dry water cup. Let's just say my experience here was not the greatest. And I would NOT recommend Benihana to anyone I'm afraid. For the money I paid here, it was not worth the bad experience. If I wanted a better place with MUCH friendlier service i would go to Kegon. I'm sorry to say that I will not be visiting Benihana again. read more

what?! hibachi chain? me thinks not. there are much better hibachi and sushi spots than this. though i was thankful and appreciative to be taken here for my birthday, et al, it wouldn't be my first, nor second choice, or even top 5 places for japanese food. though they are extremely friendly and it's nice to look at inside, i don't think it warrants the extra star rating knowing food is not on the same level as other japanese establishments. read more

I don't really like teppanyaki... I think it's so overrated. I've seen the "show" many times before and it's all the same. So, when I dined here the other night, my friend and I just sat at the sushi bar.. it was called the bar but we were seated at a table and we were the only ones in that part of the restaurant. No wait what-so-ever. Everything was average and I have nothing great to say about the rolls. We ordered a few special maki rolls: the dragon, salmon, and the crispy shrimp. Everything on the menu had crab meat in it so I found that boring. Service was fast and wasn't too expensive... $20 each and that included tax and tip. read more