Benihana Japanese Steakhouse

Great experience /​tricks.
There are better tapnyaki places. Can spend money better other places.

Good tepanyaki experience but not great. I would rate 3.5÷5. Food is good but dinner, drinks, tax and tip is $ 200 lots of options when your at that price point. I would happily go again if I’m not picking up bill.

I came to Benihana for a birthday dinner. We were seated quickly and a server came right away to take our drink order. I felt the pace of the service all night was okay, came by and served our soup and salad in a timely manner, filled up our water and gave us tea etc. I thought the food was good. It was entertaining. They cooked the steak very well. The fried rice for $ 6 is mediocre though, thought I was getting a bit more for $ 6 worth. The shrimp was good. I wish we got more zucchini instead of onions though. Other than that I wish the bill came a little faster at the end but I guess they weren’t really rushing us out. Overall I would have given it a ³⁄₅ if it was just based on food and standard service. But I gave it a ⁴⁄₅ because the service was good and the chef was nice. Would I come back? Maybe not since I find the meals quite expensive but you do get quite a bit of food.

We went there today with a Groupon for a full meal and had quite the pleasant experience. Our waitress (Connie) was very nice and efficient so no complaints with the service as some other recent reviews have mentioned. Our chef was Jerry and he put on a good show with the usual juggling, volcano onion, etc. Our food was cooked well and was very tasty and good quality. The meal came with edamame, vegetable tempura, soup, salad, teppanyaki veggies, steamed rice (we paid extra for the fried rice), ice cream, and your choice of chicken teriyaki, steak, ahi tuna, or veggies. I got the steak and asked for rare which is what I got. It was a nice quality strip loin and tasted quite good. My husband got the tuna and it was a nice size portion and seared properly on the outside but pink inside, he like it. We were very pleased with what we got and would go back again, although it would probably be with a Groupon again since the place is a bit pricey otherwise.

We went there for dinner tonight. The service is horrible and the steaks are tasteless. Further the dinner show is one of the worst I have seen, below standards overall.

Got the groupon for two for 99 $. With tax and tip came out to be around $ 130. The food was mediocre and for that price, it was really not that impressive. There’s a lot of «non tepenyaki» food as part of the group on tepenyaki meal such as edamame, salad, soup, rice, sushi, desert which I though was a waste. In terms of tepenyaki, u get to choose between steak fish chicken or veggie. We got the steak and fish (tuna) which was average.
Definitely not worth the high price. Can get a Lot more high quality food for that price.

went here for my boyfriends birthday expecting it to be amazing like the one in NY. oh man were our expectations wrong.
1) the service was HORRIBLE — if you are expecting your guest to fork up that much money for dinner do a decent job serving them. our waitress had nothing but attitude like she hated her job.
2) DONT advertise something if you are NOT going to honour it. I opened the menu to find a «group on» dinner menu WITH prices attached and NO mention of having to purchase a voucher. so I decided to show the waitress what I wanted to order and she starting yelling at me saying «no available, no no no» so then we called the manager over to ask why it doesn’t say in the menu that a prepurchase was required — he said it was common sense. SORRY, if it’s not written under the advertised menu than one can only assume is a free for all, such as summerlicious menus.
after we were ready to walk out he choose to honour the deal BUT we had to buy the vouchers from group on, off our phones and we couldn’t place an order until the voucher was generated. 8:30 reservations turned into a 10pm dinner.
not to mention the food wasn’t that great. I had a better experience in Mexico at an all inclusive a-​la-​carte.

I visited here 2 weeks ago after deciding to cancel a booking at the CN Tower. Hey, you’re paying partly for the view and if the fog’s rolled in…
… so my friend with whom I was visiting booked us in here for an early dinner looking to eat around 6. Thankfully we did because soon after we arrived we could see it beginning to fill up. We were greeted straightaway and seated at one of the furthest tables, a nice quietly efficient server greeted us promptly and provided menus and iced water. At no point did we feel rushed and all the staff were pleasant.
We had a table to ourselves, nice considering we were only a group of two. Our chef, from noting other reviews, was one of a newer intake, attentive and funny with his various little knife drills and tricks. The décor and ambience was pleasant and I’d certainly visit again.
We decided to have souo and to share scallops and steak, both cooked competently. Not the cheapest items on the menu but with hibachi vegetables, rice, sauces, salad and thd entertainment you know you’re paying for all that too! Our cocktails were delicious. As a treat and to take out a friend it was great.

I came to Benihana for Winterlicious this year. Like the previous Unilocalers have said, it’s all about the show. Our chef Jerry was fantastic, the show was awesome while our food gets cooked. We were definitely entertained.
Food
Since we came for Winterlicious, we had limited choices as to what to order. I ordered a White Tuna Seaweed Salad, Scallops (extra) with Sirloin Steak and Mango Mosse Dome for dessert.
White Tuna Seaweed Salad:
I must say I am really really disappointed. It was merely 3 pieces of white tuna sashimi with a handful of pre-​packaged seaweed salad. Nothing is made fresh. I have a picky taste for my sashimi, and I can easily tell the fish is no where near fresh. It’s AYCE sushi quality at best. The wasabi they have used is not freshly grind either, it feels like a watered down paste. The fish is soggy and watery. I did not like it at all.
Scallops & Steak:
One word: Overcooked.
My scallops were cooked first. They were decent sized but it was way too overcooked for my liking. It is not tender and the only thing that made them tasty is the slab of butter they add at the end.
I ordered my steak to be medium rare because I wanted to see the show. It is over cooked for my taste because I like my steak rare, but that might be a personal thing, so I am should not judge on that… But the taste of the actual steak is quite bland, and they strongly encourage you to use the sauce they have provided to eat along with the food. Why? Because it’s just… so bland. The portion size is quite good, but the steak itself? Meh. I’ve had better teppanyaki had AYCE sushi places (*gasp* I know)
Mango Mosse Dome:
By far my favourite part of dinner. The Mosse is nice and light, and it is super pretty! No complaints there. My absolute favourite part.
Complementary food:
Forgot to mention, the dinner came with a complementary soup, salad and rice. Oh and a green tea with dinner. The soup was way too salty, the salad dressing had a really strong taste (almost bitter) and the rice was nicely cooked. It actually gave me an AYCE sushi feel.
Service:
Fast. Streamlined. Everyone had a segregation of duty. They know exactly what they need to do. Almost too well… so well that no one realized my water was empty until half way through the dinner. They refilled it once and never again. Even though there are quite a few servers running around, none of them pay attention to the tables that are already seated. We had to track them down if we wanted anything. And, I didn’t like the fact that couple minutes after we finished our dinner, our bill came. We were planning to stay maybe a few minutes more and maybe get a second dessert, but guess not.
Overall Impression:
If it wasn’t for the dessert, they probably will score a ⁰⁄₅ in the food category. If it wasn’t for the awesome chef, they will score a ²⁄₅ on the service at most. The food was no where near the price it’s worth, the service was rather pushy, with a mandatory 15% tip was added as well… even though it’s not a lot, and as terrible as it sounds, it discouraged me from tipping more for the chef for the show.
If you have never seen live Teppanyaki, go see it for the experience. Our chef was quite the entertainer and made our table’s night. But if you expect nicely cooked quality food, please go somewhere else ’cause you ain’t finding any here.

Quality is decreasing. I used to love this place and their unique approach to dining. However, my recent experience was not so great. We reserved a spot at the tapanyaki table on a Friday evening and the restaurant was clearly low in staff. It took 40 minutes for our beverages to arrive and another 20 for the appetizers. When our chef finally arrived, he did not allow photos or videos to be taken!!! Our table was extremely disappointed and he explained to us he likes his privacy. He was rushing everything and served the stir fry vegetables close towards raw. Imagine a plate full of raw onions! The whole table ordered steak, and I found mine very chewy I didn’t bother to finish it. My friend asked for medium-​well and he received it closer to rare. Over all, I do NOT recommend this place anymore as there are other great places for tapanyaki elsewhere.

Went here for my wife’s birthday dinner. Like it is at any other Benihana, it’s all about the show. The kids love it, but as the credit card holder, I think this place is too pricey for the average food. Good for tourists and for people who’s never had teppanyaki before.

I’ve been to other Benihanas before but this was the first time I went to the one in Toronto. Location was in the heart of the financial district which was convenient and there was valet parking which automatically put me in a good mood because I hate looking for parking in Toronto. I made a reservation for two the same day and the earliest I could get was 8pm so I guess reservations are recommended here.
Some of the things we ordered were:
Steak teriyaki was pretty good. I’ve been to several teppanyaki places and I would agree this is one of the better ones but not the best. The chef made a fun show but again, I’ve seen more elaborate teppanyaki shows at other places. The food was good though so no huge complaints.
We ordered oysters which were delicious and probably my favourite part of the meal.
We also ordered an assortment of sushi which was all fresh and well made. I was impressed with the quality of the sushi despite it not being a sushi restaurant.
For dessert, we had the mango mousse cake which was really good! It was light and you could tell they used fresh mangoes and I was fairly impressed.
Overall the food was pretty good and the ambience was laid back and fun. I would definitely come again but probably not for the teppanyaki — I thought their seafood was better than the actual grill. It’s definitely a fun place for dinner if you haven’t tried it before though.

The meat was decent other than that the food was terrible. Most definitely not worth the money. Expect to wait a very long time for the chef to come to the table. The chef show was terrible! There was no show! So come prepared to not see anything. Unenthusiastic and a complete waste of time. All in all, not a place I’d come again.

We went here tonight for a causal dinner I have been numerous times in America, but my sister and brother in law haven’t. Problem number one how are you gonna have Benihana and not gave garlic butter! I mean that’s what I go for. Next you give dry disgusting white rice no chicken fried rice. The best drink at beni’s is a haiku kualata they have a very limited drink menu there was no option. The cook was slow and sone people were done eating before other ppl got there food. The food was good and cooked well Plus the price was double. I think the owners and manager need to go abroad and see what a real Benihana is like!

Let me start off by saying, I love teppanyaki. I love the tricks, I love seeing the random things put into your food, you can try it at home (minus knife juggling) and I love the fun vibe! Benihana didn’t really deliver or maybe my expectations were too high going in.
And so follows the tale of my experience…(dramatic music)…
I came here for a friend’s birthday (about 12 of us), so it was a fun vibe already. We got the drinks menu right on time: the prices are ludicrous. I understand that a portion of the price you pay is for the entertainment (juggling, etc.) …but if I’m going to pay $ 70+ for a steak, I’m going to Ruth Chris’ (awesome steak btw). I opted for the sushi tray, which was mediocre-​to-​above average sushi, except it cost almost $ 30 for 6 pieces of sushi: no juggling required here. Of the 12 of us maybe 5 ordered the non-​juggling food options, and the servers spend the entire evening eyeing us down … /​sarcasm fun times /​end sarcasm.
I will probably not be coming back. It would have been a fun little place to show out-​of-​town friends, but given the rude behavior. I’m going to pass.
TL;DR: Slightly above-​average food + entertainment. You’re paying for the entertainment. Servers co-​relate what you spend on how well they will treat your group. Not returning.

Tacky, touristy, mediocre food and we were all squeezed into a tiny table. I had no room to be able to handle my cutlery properly. The worst Teppanayaki experience ever.

Interesting name to say the least. I liked how the menu was clearly displayed upon entering. We arrived kind of late before closing time, but accommodation wasn’t a problem, as we ordered take out. Ordered a bento box (chose chicken terriyaki over beef) and some miso soup.
The miso soup was delicious, and probably one of the best I’ve tried to date.
The bento box featured an array of sushi, battered veggies, some fruit, battered shrimp, and of course the chicken teriyaki. Such an array of different flavour was enough to make my mouth water. Everything was so fresh. It’s enough to make me want to visit again.

We have been to Benihana’s in the Fairmont Royal York twice now and both times the food was outstanding! We ordered chicken and filet, because we didn’t think the filet could be as excellent as it was on our last trip here. However, we were pleasantly surprised — it was even better. Melted in our mouth good! This is by far the BEST Benihana ever — Michael, our chef, has been there 19 years (most have been there longer) and he was a joy! Very entertaining and informative. We were the only two at our table (early dinner) so it was very quiet and romantic also. Loved that they serve bean sprouts (most Japanese restaurants don’t anymore). The tempura vegetables we ordered for an appetizer were excellent also. We will be back again!

I’ve always loved Benihana, so it’s cheesy dinner theatre, but I am a fan of anyplace that cooks right in front of me, so I can see exactly what’s going into my food. The Toronto version varies from the US, but is still delightfully delicious. My husband and I both had the filet mignon and lobster, cooked perfectly. The sauces are my favorite, a ginger sauce and a light cream mustard one. Fresh veg, the traditionally light and tasty soup, and the ginger-dressing’d salad complimented the meal.
Great service, as well, I might add.

I went here for my boyfriend’s birthday as he’d always wanted to go to a benihana restaurant. First, the good: I had the filet mignon dinner, which came with soup, salad, a shrimp appetizer, vegetables and rice. The steak was beautifully cooked and melted in my mouth. The soup and salad were nothing special. You could tell that they had all been pre-​portioned and were just sitting in their bowls until someone ordered a meal that came with salad. The shrimp appetizer was tasty.
Now, the bad: While the show was fairly entertaining, I was disappointed that there was little to no interaction with the chef. He did his shrimp in the hat, the onion volcano and all of the standard tricks. I was expecting him to interact with everyone around the table a bit more rather than just going through the motions.
For what we got, the price was way too expensive. I know you’re paying for a bit of a show as well, but it was certainly not worth the price we paid. Further, if I’m paying that much for a show I would expect a little bit more entertainment than what was provided.
Last, the place was virtually dead when we arrived and we had a reservation. Despite this, it still took them awhile to seat us at our table, so they suggested we wait in the bar area and have a drink. To me it just seemed like a ploy to get us to spend more money. Needless to say, after the experience I had there, I will not be going back to this restaurant. It’s not worth the money.