Benihana - Downey

Food was delicious. Service was good. The overall atmosphere of the restaurant was bad. The host asked us to wait outside instead of inside until our party arrived. The food being cooked had more personality than the person cooking it. All of the vents and lights hanging from the ceiling are covered in thick layers of grime and dust. One side of the table couldn't hear the other speak. Thankfully, everyone in our party liked their meal. Our drinks were always refilled, except for the green tea that was supposed to come with our orders didn't appear until we asked for it at the end. The serving staff was very courteous.

Oscar and chef Leo were absolutely amazing. The service was exceptional and the food was superb. They didn’t complain about my boyfriend not wanting onions in his rice while other locations give us a hard time about it. With that said,Benihanas is my favorite restaurant ever and it is always a treat to come here. We love it so much! Thank you!

The star Hibachi Chef Carlos gave a fun show! During dinner, he performed magic with eggs, created a Pacman, Butterfly, and Volcano among other stunts! Very friendly and he made sure everyone on the table was included. Thanks Chef Carlos!I I informed the gracious Manager Kevin that the female Manager (wore black suit) along with Bartender Cameron and Server Sergio were so attentive and welcoming. This Benihana is the BEST of all in LA and OC! :D

Beyond disappointed with the turnout on this meal. I am a sucker for Japanese food and teppanyaki. Came out for a light meal with my wife, so we decided to share a combination plate and get some sushi. The size of the combination steak and shrimp was egregious. The steak was thin and overcooked, no more than 6ozs of chewy steak, and there were barely any vegetables. Service was terrible. The combination dish was listed as a “5/6 course meal”. We had to ask for multiple items that were listed as “included” with the combination plate. Server asked if we wanted fried rice instead of white rice with the combination plate, I asked for fried rice. He asked if we wanted to add any meat and I said why not, let’s try the wagyu steak to add. They charged us for a whole order of wagyu rice instead of an up charge that would make sense. I regularly order to-go meals from Henami in Norwalk. ALWAYS steak and shrimp combos. I will pay $60 just for a meal for myself every time I go there and I officially will never regret it again because the portions and food quality speak for themselves. My only regret is not getting photos so I could give a better side by side comparison.

The food was absolutely delicious, and the service was outstanding! Our server, Vanessa, was wonderful—always attentive, keeping our drinks full, and making sure we had everything we needed for a great experience. Our chef, Carlos, was fantastic as well. Not only was the food cooked perfectly, but he also entertained both the kids and adults, making it such a fun and memorable visit. I cannot remember the third person that helped us but that individual was great! We’ll definitely be coming back!

Christopher was very attentive and made sure to check with us about the amount of spice and “done-ness” with our meats and seafood. I really appreciate the extra effort and the entertainment. It was our first time at this Benihanas and we really enjoyed the service and food.

RENE was SUCH A GREAT CHEF! He really did a SHOW ABOVE AND BEYOND. Kept us constantly entertained with jokes and even had some props. very enthusiastic and you can tell he is a hard worker who enjoys his work. SELY was also AMAZING. She was attentive kind and helpful. She offered great recommendations. Would definitely come again just to see them.

Birthday Feast Mode: Activated at Benihana Downey! I celebrated my 48th birthday at Benihana in Downey, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. From the moment we sat down around the hibachi table, the night was filled with laughter, incredible food, and non-stop fun. A huge thank you to my husband Richard for planning such a wonderful evening, and to my cousin Christine, her husband Steven, and my bestie Allie for being there to celebrate—it truly made the night unforgettable. Special shoutouts to the amazing Benihana team: • Chef Carlos – the king of the hibachi show! 🔥 He kept us entertained while serving up some of the best food I’ve had in a long time. The knife tricks, the sizzle, the volcano onion… all done with such energy and skill. • Heidi, our waitress – attentive, warm, and made sure we had everything we needed. Her timing was perfect and she kept the good vibes flowing. • Cameron, the bartender – a true cocktail wizard. 🍹 He kept the drinks fun, strong, and celebratory. I don’t know how I managed to eat that much food (plus dessert and drinks), but every bite was worth it. The atmosphere was lively, the service was top-notch, and the love I felt around the table made this birthday one to remember. Thank you, Benihana Downey, for making 48 feel special, delicious, and full of joy. I’ll definitely be back!

This review is mainly for our server Heidi and our chef Rene. Wow. These two were the best duo we've ever had at Benihana. Heidi was so kind and enjoyed her job. Her service was absolutely top notch. Always made sure we had what we needed even without asking her. (Brought me another soft drink without asking). Heidi was so cheerful and fun to interact with. She even recommended a dessert. She is the best server we have ever had at Benihana. She deserves to be paid very well! Rene was such a fantastic chef. He mentioned that he was rather new to Benihana, but if he wouldn't have told us we would have guessed he'd been there for 10+ years! His food was hands down (and up) THE BEST that we have EVER had during all our Benihana visits throughout the past decade. It was the MOST TASTEFUL. It was EXPERTLY SEASONED and PERFECTLY COOKED. There was so much LOVE in his cooking. He also managed all the special requests, allergy accommodations, and different dishes so well. Nothing was delayed. It was also a great bonus that his jokes and playful cooking style were very entertaining. Please make sure Heidi and Rene get paid top dollar for their invaluable contributions to the Benihana team. We hope to always be seated with them. - J + D

This place used to be good not anymore. Check out this table we sat on, the grill had never been clean. What an upset. The filters in this place need a clean and upgrade. The restaurant is covered in smoke that penetrates your clothes, shoes and bags, due to the filters not working to clean up the air from the cooking. Highly recommend you not to come. Overall, the food is overpriced and mediocre portion. Taste isn't there because garlic butter can only do so much. If anyone needs to visit this place, it's should be the department of sanitation.

Had such a great time at Benihana! Nate did an awesome job on the grill. the food was delicious and the show was fun to watch. What really made the night stand out though was our server, Austin. He was attentive from start to finish, making sure drinks were always full and everything came out right on time. Austin was friendly, professional, and made us feel really taken care of the whole evening. Service like that makes a huge difference he turned a good dinner into a great experience.

BIRTHDAY MONTH=BIRTHDAY COUPONS=HAPPY RODNEY $20 Birthday Month Food Credit for RA Sushi Rewards members RA Sushi is the sushi bar portion of the Downey Benihana Not being a standalone RA Sushi, I called the day prior to ascertain if the Ra Sushi Birthday Month Food Credit was honored here. I was told the affirmative. Arriving the next day, after being seated, it took a good 10-15 minutes before an attendant asked if I've been helped. I showed her the email promo, and she said he had to ask her manager. The manager was across from the sushi bar, and he said they don't accept the promo. I informed him I called yesterday, and told the promo was accepted at the restaurant, and he didn't budge on his position. Wasting time, not to mention my patience with the wait to be helped, the Downey Benihana left me with an unpleasant experience. I do not recommend patronizing this restaurant.

Let me start by saying I'm a frequent visitor of the Downey location since I reside in Bellflower. This visit unfortunately the food did not taste good like normally, portion size reduced tremendously, no production and definitely no creativity. The chef was throwing egg shells into his hat. On my online reservation I requested for Chef Sara but received Chef Carlos who was very mediocre and this was probably his first day. I asked a manager what happened to my request she replied just because you request for a chef doesn't mean you will receive your request. I also had to request for a manager because after being at our table for 45 minutes, we still had not received drinks, soup or salad. We had two birthdays we were celebrating so this was supposed to be a special occasion. My chicken fried rice was hard and my Yakisoba noodles weren't prepared correctly. I asked for extra onions in my rice which were placed on top but not cooked into the rice. Out of 8 guests no one was pleased with their food. I visit the Downey location and have provided positive reviews in the past. I don't mind paying if the food is good however for the cost of $537 my party was left empty and taste buds not fulfilled.

It's great to have a favorite restaurant will always deliver everytime you visit and that is Benihana at the Downey location. Our reservation last night was for 7:45pm and waited about 5 minutes before being seated. I noticed they went up in price with their food items. I ordered the Splash N Meadow which is my favorite and it was great, tasted good and prepared well. Our chef did an excellent job with our food and the performance. Our server was Monique and she was awesome! She was really nice, very professional and just provided excellent service for us for the entire evening. Monique made it a great dining experience. You definitely want to request to sit in her section. The atmosphere is typical loud, people having a good time and enjoying the food and show. Cannot wait to return soon!

Fire- come check it out! Good vibes, good food, good people. Overall had a good evening with the family. Nathaniel is your guy.

Went there for lunch today. Food was fine albeit kinda sparse on the plate. It was barely enough to make it a descent value for what we paid. However, Daisy, our server was helpful, efficient, knowledgeable and checked on us each time she walked by. We appreciate service this attentive. Ambiance was okay but the music was loud and sort of obnoxious. If it were not for Daisy, the server, I would have given this restaurant a 2 star rating.

This is our local Benihana and although we have had some issues in the past these last two times were great. When they first opened it was 50/50 on how the service was and the food but as time went on they did get better especially this last time it was our favorite. Jamie was an amazing waitress and she made sure the refills were quick and always checked on us to see if we were good. They need more workers like her. My go to is always the Benihana Trio which comes with the filet mignon, colossal shrimp and chicken breast. It's the best value for me. One advice I would say is to ask for your medium rare if you liked it cooked more medium rare/medium. I noticed if you ask for it medium rare they cook it a little to long. People come here for the show and they seem to have very happy workers and work with the table. If it is lively they feed of it so if you want a really good and funny show make sure to give that good interaction. Overall if they continue to give the great customer service that we received this last time from Jamie we will continue to come and choose this location.

I'm not sure if it's because we didn't have a reservation but when we checked in, they said an hour tops... cool. We got to the grill, we sat there for 2 hours waiting for a cook. okay?! The food was mediocre. Lightly seasoned and there really wasn't any flavor. We had the scallops, steak and lobster. The drinks were amazing. I got the mango lemonade (or was it tea) but it was delicious. The lobster was the only great part about the food. It was soooooo tasty. Everything else, I could've made it better at home.

It's great when you have a group of 8. It's perfect to take up an entire table to yourselves without another party joining. I took my executive bosses here for our holiday dinner and it was interesting. SERVICE - Kinda the star off for this location. When getting there early enough to check-in for my reservation, there was no one manning the front and took a while for them to acknowledge me trying to get someone's attention. And as great as our chef was, it seemed like it was his first or second time doing this out of training because he seemed nervous. That's not docking points off their service, just wanted to let people know it can happen. FOOD - Food was good, despite watching the chef douse EVERYTHING in the same garlic better (from all the proteins, to vegetables, to fried rice). So it may seem they all have the same flavor. AMBIANCE - it really depends on your table and your chef. Ours was okay and we had a long day at work so it took a lot for my bosses to get going. But the table next to us had a super enthusiastic chef that was very engaging, so not sure if that would've livened up our table. I think chefs feed off the energy of their table. I'd come back though!

This was a pretty cool place and experience. The service was really good. We got Nathaniel as our chef and he was pretty amazing. He really knew how to engage with everyone on the table. I also liked the way he was playful with the employee working behind him. Made us all feel comfortable. The food was pretty good too but the prices were low key a little high. My bf and I shared the Benihana trio and loved it. Definitely feel like we paid more for the experience which makes sense considering that's what it's known for. We also ordered some shrimp sushi that was actually soooo good. Not sure if I'd come back but it's definitely an experience to try at least once

This was our first experience at Benihanas. The front desk was friendly but I honestly could've done without the rude chef who thought his humor was funny, but asking people if they want to eat the food that has fallen off the floor is not funny, but RUDE!! The food was okay but overpriced in my opinion. I understand it was more for the experience but our experience wasnt worth the price. I do however have to say that our waitress was very kind and if it wasn't for her, we probably would've left.

I came here with my friend for my 24th birthday on 10/8. Staff was friendly, attentive, and very kind. Monse was an amazing server, very attentive and sweet. Our chef, Chris G., was hilarious and very personable. Lots of good jokes and insight on his life too! The steak and chicken are delicious, and my friend and I had an amazing time. These service jobs are the livelihood of many people. In this day and age, we need to be kind to everyone that serves us, even if they are paid to be there.

Not sure why this place has such low ratings but my dinner here with my family was exceptional. We had a reservation and were seated right away. Our server Austin was super nice and attentive. Our chef Rob was great. Food was amazing. Would definitely come back and recommend!

My first time ever experiencing the Benihana cooking show. The food was cooked well and the chef was amazing. He took the time to ask my party if anyone was new to this experience or if we were celebrating anything. The "special" sauce was a must for the food. If you ever are in town and want to have the Benihana experience , try at this location.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but this experience was too frustrating to ignore. We waited 45 minutes for a table despite having a reservation. Once seated, it took another an hour and a half before anyone acknowledged us. The server seemed rushed and uninterested, not once made eye contact. We were celebrating my daughter's bday as she wore a sash and not once the cook wished her HBD. Did a very shitty volcano show. The ambiance was chaotic--I get it, it's late the cooks are tired but if that's the case don't take late reservations or walks in. Save your money and your evening. There are far better options in town.

First time here and will never return. We had 2:00pm reservations and the chef didn't come until 3:22pm. Unbelievable!!! By this time, our party of 12 was beyond ready to go. We told the manager to cancel all orders. Service was terrible.

Update*** I gave this place another chance on my last visit to Los Angeles from Florida. I came for my birthday with my family and they definitely redeemed itself! I had a wonderful experience with my family and the food was incredible as usual! I noticed it was not just our experience but the wait time was a lot less than my last time. The ambiance was incredibly pleasant and Paul the manager came to ensure everything was going great. Thank you for taking in my feedback and showing signs of immediate improvement in the experience here. My brother and my nephew absolutely love hibachi and they will continue coming to this restaurant!

They have a very nice happy hour. The bar is very loud, and very cold. It seemed like there was something off because there was a very loud noise like an alarm. Other guests actually complaint and didn't eat their dinner because of this. I really liked the food the service was ok.

I've never been out to dinner with my family and been so disgusted! This so called cook arguing with customers. Sarah, I believe her name was . Foul language, so unprofessional. Children at the table and this ruined my birthday dinner.. nobody seems to know what anybody's doing over there. NEVER AGAIN! DO BETTER Benihana. I will be following up tomorrow with a formal complaint .

Thank you Benihana for such an incredible experience. Always love coming here to celebrate birthdays. Had the most amazing time with our server Vanessa. We had reservations for 11am (seriously the best time to come is when they first open). It's not as busy and you get seated right away. The other great part about coming when they open is they have lunch specials making the experience affordable. The ambiance here is always warm, friendly, and inviting. Food is always fresh, on point, and I look forward to my next visit!

i didn't hate it but i didn't love it ?? this was my first time really having a hibachi experience and i was really underwhelmed. the customer service was great, especially considering i was one of the last reservations for the day. idk... i don't have anything bad to say but nothing good either

If I could give this place a zero I would. We had a reservation at 7pm. We did not get seated until almost 9pm. We kept asking the host how long it would take but they kept saying "There's one table ahead of you." Never did they mentioned that it would take this long. We never got an apology for the wait.

Went for lunch on Sunday. It was not too crowded . Staff was friendly and welcoming. Our chef was great and food was delicious.

Food was 10/10 Service was phenomenal And the ambiance is always there Shout out to Kevin and Diamond they took such good care of me on a busy Saturday night! I will definitely be back again and again

Chef Precious, What can I say, nothing short of amazing. Thank you for going above and beyond you are truly one of kind! keep being yourself! 10/10 onto the more depressing review, never got my salad, , our ice cream was never brought out, we had to ask for it as we were closing out. and at the beginning of the meal we were asked if we celebrated anything, it was my mothers birthday, why ask if y'all weren't even gonna sing happy birthday. CHEF PRECIOUS is the only reason this post is getting 5 stars

Had some time to burn before a movie so my fiancée and I stopped by! The greeter was kind and told us it would be a 20 minute wait, but it was only 5! Hibachi was GREAT! Our chef was amazing and I regret not remembering his name because he was very patient with everybody's needs at the table! Portions were perfect and filled us up right before the movie nearby! Thank you Benihana!

I've been to Benihana for over 30 years. Different states. Many locations. Carlos Z exemplifies what a Benihana chef should be. Super kind, funny, thoughtful and he made delicious food! One person can make such a difference. Working in leadership myself, I value people that go above and beyond and this chef....should be acknowledged. Thank you!

CHEF QUAIL ALL DAY Give the man a raise asap! First time at Benihana and we are happy to have had an amazing cook and dining experience

it's a lengthy process but the food is so good. Absolutely love that fried rice and our server Miriam was amazing!!!! Highly recommend

Went on May 9,2025 for a birthday dinner! 10/10 experience from the great service from our waiter who I believe was named nick to our delicious food cooked and served by chef precious!! Had a great time and would come again. Lots of food even took leftovers home!!! Shout out to chef precious she was the bestttttt

Nathaniel and Ricky tan are the best chefs Nathaniel does good on the show and Ricky does good cooking Service was amazing I was able to throw egg shells at my chef and the other I was entertaining by his technique Cool. Vibes

Made reservation at 915 arrived and checked in before the reserved time. Went to Bar area before being seated and got a drink only to find out the table had already sat down and the host never got us and told us table was ready. Had to wait for next available at 945. Ordered our dinner and was told rice had been thrown out for the night!!! Literally one of the reasons we went . Substituted for chicken yakisoba which was way too salty to eat and was still charged. Refilled non alcoholic drink at table which was purchased at the bar and was charged again! Told the guy the bartender said we had refills just to tell the waiter. Still was charged. Never received our promotional item pumpkin pie and also never got the desert (ice cream) claimed they had closed the kitchen but was never told that before we sat down. Very disappointed after this visit. Will never recommend dining here again.

First, I want to start off by saying that me and my family came to this establishment to celebrate my sister in laws graduation from nursing school and her birthday. This was our first time at hibachi and I can surely tell you that I will not be coming back. We waited like two hours and a half to be told that there was no more steamed rice for my sister in law that is also pregnant. Her food was cold waiting for Jaimmie to never bring her the rice to the table. Management only took $20 off our $400 tab which doesn't even cover a whole meal that was lost because it was cold and had no rice. We left a tip for our chef but not for our server because she was incapable of bringing our refills and having my sister in laws rice ready for the chef. As we walked out the establishment Jaimmie proceeded to make an unnecessary comment saying "thank you for taking care of my table". I don't understand how such a fine establishment could have such a negative way of taking care of its customers and hire such rude servers. I am appalled by the management not caring that a pregnant women ate or not because you didn't have any rice left.

Went back tonight and had a really good time with chef Roland(o). His tricks were the best we've seen and we come to Benihanas a lot. Also, Thanks to manager Nick who is always so nice and helpful, he made sure we had a good dinner, and were taken care of by him and the waiter Danny. The chef cooked the food so good and was clean on the grill! Our table had a great time!

One of the worst dining experiences. We were sat in the lobby area. People consistently walked behind our table since this was the only walkway from the bar to the main dining area. The chef even had to warn people as they walked behind the hot grill. The other people that sat with us were also upset as our rolling teppanyaki table is sitting in the area that is usually the lobby. Meanwhile, the main dining room had so many empty tables. The waitress was so rude and didn't understand how to explain how the coupons worked. She was inattentive. The chef was a little creepy and kept calling me "momma." So weird. I was talking to my husband when he first arrived and then he made a comment about me ignoring him. If I said something to my husband during the cooking portion, the chef would ask what's wrong? But in a strange tone. The manager was helpful but he became very busy at the end. Once the chef left, the waitress did not return and the manager was trying to juggle several tables. We had a lengthy wait for boxes, check and for someone to get the payment method. This used to be my favorite location and now I likely won't return. The service just keeps getting worse.

The food was good, I'm not sure what happened to the vents, the chef had to cook on one side and I was engulfed in smoke... I have asthma! I tried to fan it away, he apologized and said thats side always gets the smoke. I wish I knew! I asked 3xs for my tea, when it arrived it was not warm or hot. I spent over $200 and it was a smokey one. :(

The crispy part of the fried rice is my favorite!! The chef was graciously giving me all those golden delicious crisps! Our server, Heidi was the sweetest. She was attentive, helpful, and offered suggestions. She didn't mind my 1,000 questions either! I love a server who loves to serve This location is very high quality in my opinion. I will definitely be returning for the service & yummy crispy rice!

Got the response from Benihana and I was told to reach out. I did what was asked and big surprise, got no response. We really used to loke Brnihana, but I don't think we will ever return. Horrible service, no interest by their manager and no response from corporate is a pretty crappie mix. Don't be fooled, they don't care and won't change. LATERS!

This was my first visit since my gluten sensitivity began. We took our son for his 29th birthday. Gluten free was NO PROBLEM. I was relieved. They had Kikomann gluten free soy sauce. She served me first then made everything regular for the rest of the guests. Steak was tender. Food was on par. Service was great. They sang to my son and made him a fruit bowl from the bar garnishes. He's lactose intolerant. It was cute! Place looked really clean. I have no complaints and we will be back! If Benihana is too pricey for you, go for lunch! They offer the lunch menu 7 days a week.

Benihana's delivery orders are impressive -- the portions are generous and they definitely don't skimp out! The food arrived hot and fresh, and everything was absolutely delicious. Highly recommend!

very slow service and too many unnecessary flash , one time i told host we are leaving bec the wsit at my seat was ridiculously long mych like waiting wt s doctors clinic..we never came back , and this was 8.months ago..

Carlos was amazing! He made our Benihana experience so fun and memorable. His cooking skills and tricks kept us entertained the whole time, and the food was delicious! cooked perfectly just how we liked it. If you get Carlos as your chef, you're in for a great time!

Ok maybe me being hardheaded and keep coming back finally did the job but by far this was my best and when I say my best experience here I mean its the first time I had great service here " Oscar " was about to sit us and I had asked for inside seats so he took care of us and sat us in the good tables. Not the movable ones at the entrance . The waitress also made sure she kept checking up on us for drinks finally for once we got good service at this location let's see how it goes next time .

This is the worst location ever! The staff is terrible. The hostess staff is not welcoming, or inviting. They're rude and too busy looking in mirrors and on their phones to host guests. The servers seemed extremely over worked, overwhelmed, exhausted, and flat out annoyed. I made a reservation for a party of 2 @8pm. My son and I drove 45 minutes to this location. Upon arrival, 30 minutes early, I checked in, and waited on the patio. Around 8:15 I approached the hostess stand asking for my reservation status. Waiting until almost 9pm, my son was tired AND HUNGRY! So I decided to order our food "to go" instead. I was instructed to order in the back at the "sushi bar". I ordered, paid. And waited. And waited. And waited. It was now almost 10:15 (I had been there since 7:30). After waiting soooooooo long, my kid was in the car sleep. I was LIVID! Finally, I canceled my order. Crazy I waited that long I know. After notifying the cashier I wanted a refund, the young man stated I would receive the refund to my card in a few days. I said okay, and asked for a receipt. The manager on duty gave me a printed copy of a receipt that noted "comp". The following week I hadn't received my refund. I spoke with someone who said they would pass my info along and someone would get back to me. After 2 weeks I called back, spoke with a representative from the call center, who assured me someone would get back to me. The same day , I went back to the restaurant, I spoke with the previously mentioned manager, who remembered me, yet, claimed he had no record in his system that reflected me paying for my food at all. He gave me a print out of the same original "comp" receipt I already had. Today , 2 days later, I'm back on hold with the call center, and I'm being told someone will get back to me again. After refusing to disconnect the call, the representative tells me that I was refunded and I need to speak to my bank. Absolutely unacceptable!!!!!!! Where is my money Benihana ?!

I really must applaud Raquel on a job well done! She immediately greated us as we came in the door and got us seated right away. Her help with the menu was wonderful and our meal we very enjoyable. We are looking forward to returning again very soon!

Not sure what they'd expect on a Mother's Day weekend, maybe don't take walk ins? Maybe don't over book? 2 hour wait time WITH reservations? What are you guys planning on staying open 2 maybe 3 hours past closing time, probably not right? Great way to have both my Mom and mother in law with back problems just casually wait 2 hours even though we had reserved seating...along with the other 80 people waiting ahead of us. Great job Benihana. Didn't get a chance to get the ambiance setting but from the looks of it and the way this operationally runs, it's probably not great? Food? Didn't get to try it..they've been backed up since 1pm..Benihana gonna do anything to make up for this?

I had a reservation for 4pm. Came in at 3:30 to check in, however , many people were leaving the restaurant because they had been waiting past their reservation time. I asked the host if they were running behind, and the host said they were running behind about 2 hours. Why bother with reservations? Some major changes need to be made with booking system, unfortunately, on Mother's Day, it will be hard to find another place without prior reservation. Had I know, I wouldn't have wasted my time coming here. Unfortunate for so many people thinking they will be dining here on Mother's Day only to be met with disappointment.