Benihana New York West

Ambience isn’t what I expected and chefs service was mediocre. Needs major upgrading inside and out. After years of being around you would think your experience would have been a lot better.

Where do I begin? Benihana is not a dining experience but an immersion into what religions folks might call “heaven”. Benihana is consistent in a world full of inconsistency and uncertainty. Upon entering the 56th st Benihana, you’ll walk up the stairway to be greeted by friendly hostesses, happy chatter coming from the islands of communal tables- a melting pot a la hibachi grill. Most notable is the faint but relaxing buzzing of the grills, such as soothing sound. As I mentioned before, the food is consistent. If you’re into that sort of thing the portions are quite liberal, I’m an overeater and I’ve been known to scoop some leftover rice into a biodegradable tub to shove into a take out bag (many, if not most, diners here do this). There is truly something special about a Benihana that feels like home, but maybe more like a vacation home. Only drawback is that your clothes do end up smelling like a hibachi restaurant afterwards, this might be offensive to some but not me; I’d actually love it if Le Labo would collab with Benihana for a fragrance. 5/5, will be back in a jiffy.

Always a fun time. Brought out of town guests. They enjoyed. Our server was attentive.

Food was mediocre, but the theater of preparation was fun and well-done!

Romeo is the best chef make sure if you get lucky enough to have him cook for you to tip.