Benihana - Santa MonicaPleasantly Surprising and FunIt had been years since I'd eaten at a Benihana--I'm not impressed by basic culinary skills. But I was pleasantly surprised by the good humor of the chefs and servers, quality of the food, and size of the portions. Our chef did a great job of timing different foods to keep steaks very close to the doneness requested, tuna seared and perfectly done, and mushrooms slow-cooked to reabsorb juices and fats to make them buttery and not burnt. Lobster tail was slightly overcooked, but I'm picky. Kudos to making it a fun dining experience. Remember to sign up for their e-mail list and get a $30 birthday coupon. Free birthday photo a nice touch. Noisy with clanging utensils and singing; don't expect to have an intimate conversation during your meal.5/13/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Mother's Day Meal!Came here with a reservation using the OpenTable service and my family and I got served 30 minutes earlier, great service from the server as well as a great show from the cook! He was very friendly, serving the mom's first and then being very caring about the food that was being served right in front of us. He did a great job at balancing who was receiving which food and it tasted great! My mom's first time in Benihana was a charm! Thanks so much!5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat for large groupThis is a great place for large groups. Our grand kids enjoyed watching the chef cook. This was the first time for two members of our party and they enjoyed themselves5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMThis place is AWESOME! weThis place is AWESOME! we will be back very soon! Thank you for a great experience! this was our 1st time there5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMWhile I have visited a numberWhile I have visited a number of Benihana restaruant's this had to have been the noisiest of all. The food and the staff were great but it was difficult to hear those in our party. Probably not much can be done so I wouldn't recommend this particular one for a first date.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMNever Fails to SatisfyThis is one of my family's favorite restaurants and venues for midweek lunches and special occasions. The servers and table chefs are always personable and proficient. Food preferences and restrictions are handled properly. The restaurant accommodates members of our family from 2 - 80 years of age - with ease.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMBenihaha Santa MonicaThe online reservation is very convenient. The fried rice is excellent. Calamari Tempura is very tender. Love the ginger dipping sauce. The udon noodle with Hibachi Salmon is very tasty. Great dinning experience.5/9/2013 12:00:00 AMAmbianceLoved this location much better than others. Very calm and friendly.5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had a lot of funTook my family there for my wife's birthday. The kids were occupied by the great show that the chef puts on, and everything tasted great. Prices were very reasonable and overall this particular Benihana was a lot of fun. Will def come back5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food and excellent happyGreat food and excellent happy hour. The table was a little squished with people4/25/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Food and service. loveGreat Food and service. love our Chef he was very nice and entertaining. Great for groups or Bdays.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMWe were celebrating four birtndays.We were celebrating four birtndays. It was a perfect group dinner! Thank you!4/8/2013 12:00:00 AMWe've been here many timesWe've been here many times over the years and always for my fiance's birthday. This year was no exception and we were very happy with the experience. Our chef was really entertaining and did a few tricks we hadn't seen yet. We also really appreciated our server going out of the way to dig up a digital camera that worked (she had said that they were broken at the moment but would try anyway) and got us a group photo at the end. We have one from each birthday we've been to there so that meant a lot. It's that kind of little extra attention to detail that keeps us coming back. Thanks!3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMWent for our anicersary withWent for our anicersary with kids and friends. We all had fun, very good food, nice waiters and funny cooks3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMReally friendly and attentiveReally friendly and attentive service. Kids had a blast as usual, and the chef and server were the best. Great for kids!3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMOverall this was a wonderfulOverall this was a wonderful experience. We came for my husband's birthday with the Chef's Table certificate - what an amazing deal! Our server was outstanding, making his birthday really special. The food was good and reasonably priced. And the cooking at the table was really fun...thanks for a great time!3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMIT was my birthday and weIT was my birthday and we had a great time and the food was delicious.
thank you,3/20/2013 12:00:00 AMLove the freshness of theLove the freshness of the food! And as always, the chef is fun to watch!3/19/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was super yummy....The food was super yummy.... and AGAIN we got seated with good people!3/13/2013 12:00:00 AM