Benihana

08/06/2008 Posted by psegonet6

It is with great disappointment that I write this. The restuarant is no longer Japanense but some sort of hybrid Tex-Mex. The resturant management need to refocus on re-creating a good Japense experience not the mess they have. There is not one Japense face in the establishment. All staff are hispanic. There should at least be Japanese cooks??? The HIbachi cookers whack the spatulas and knives and make a lot of noise. The original Japense Cookers were much more skilled and their food throws were much more accurate. The accoustics are awful in the place as it is just banging and laughing. The laughing is great but when everyone in the place laughs at one time it reminds me a of a gaggle of geese. Wait staff do not look neat or clean, their clothing looked unkept and worn out. There just does not seem to be any of the authenticity that was once their. Good eatery atmosphere should come with good food and although the food tastes very good the ambiance is gone, the decor is boring and outdated, overpriced for the experience. A very poor use of space as well as ugly decor and ignorant wait staff.

03/27/2008 Posted by ROADHOSS

I GO TO THIS PLACE EVERY YEAR , FOR MY BIRTHDAY AND IT JUST GETS BETTER AND BETTER. I RECCOMEND THIS PLACE FOR EVERY ONE.

Pros: SHOW

03/27/2008 Posted by TXJenA

I LOVE Benihana in general- but the one in Ausin is TERRIBLE. I eat at locations in other cities quite frequently, as well as order takeout. I have tried the Benihana here in Austin, not once, but at least 3 times over the past year- always hoping it was just a bad night; It has never failed to dissappoint. The thing that makes this Benihana really awful is the service / management. The hostesses and manager are at best negligent even ranging to rude. I really don't understand how this location can be consistently sub-par. I complained once to the corporate Benihana, and was informed that unfortunately, this location is one of a few that are franchised out, not owned by the actual Benihana, and therefore they cannot assure it's quality; and they mentioned that unfortunately they get a number of complaints about this location. The Hibachi grill is a wonderful experience if you've never tried it, and the food can be quite good, but if you actually enjoy Benihana in other cities, I would NOT reccomend choosing this location for your dinner. Also, I would reccomend against the Austin Benihana if you care at all about customer service. Additionally, this Benihana location does not provide all the takeout either, for point of reference.

Pros: Hibachi style cooking can be fun

Cons: terrible service, bad management, occasionally excessively long wait times when busy

01/13/2008 Posted by 10blond

Well Austinites........another review. As you know I tell it like it is "the good" the bad and the ugly." This is one of those greatest ever Japanese fun eateries. The chefs are so cool and entertaining. We had the best time and enjoying our company . The sushi is out of this world good. If you need parking they have an attendant to help you park in the area moving cones to park your car. I love the cosmopoliton drinks .Yes guys to die for! I did not care or pay attention to other people around me becuase I was busy eating the food was so darn GOOD!! INDULGE YOURSELF WITH THE BEST! Not your typical eatery! Come relax and enjoy.' I will return many times and you will too.HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

07/24/2007 Posted by marcsolis

LAST NIGHT MY WIFE AND I WENT TO BENIHANA AND HAD THE BEST TIME. AS SOON AS WE DROVE TO THE PARKING LOT THEY HAD SPACES RESERVED FOR US WITH A CONE. ONE OF THIER STAFF ASKED IF THAT IS WHERE WE WOULD LIKE EAT AND WE SAID YES. THEN HE OPENED THE SPACE FOR US. WHEN WE WALKED IN IT WAS CLEAN AND THE HOSTS WERE VERY FRIENDLY AND SAT PROMPTLY. THEY HAD GREAT SERVICE AND GREAT FOOD. AND WHAT A SHOW WE HAVE BEEN TO MANY BENIHANA AND NEVER HAD THIS MUCH FUN.

07/17/2007 Posted by epgill

What a weird experience! I am not sure who is running this show but they need new management...stat! We tried to eat here on a Sunday night at 6:30 pm..upon driving up to the parking lot, there were orange cones set up in all of the parking places in front of the restaurant. Two men were standing there talking and it was not clear what the heck was going on. When we walked by the window, we noticed it was painted like a Wendy's restaurant--advertising 2 for 1 Chicken Cordon Bleu with Champagne! Isn't this a Japanese restaurant? Anyway we walked inside to a nearly empty restaurant where we were asked whether we had a reservation We did not and we were told that it would be "15 OR 25 minutes"--well at this point we left. We did not even get past this as the stoic hostess had no explanation or welcome for us. How hard is it to realize that you are in the service industry and act appropriately---or to train people to GREET a customer who has CHOSEN to eat at your restaurant. Looks like they are trying possibly to class this joint up--and failing miserably! Take it over to Mikado or Musachino--i know they don't do a show, but they also treat you like they are glad to see you and happy you have decided to spend your hard earned cash with them!

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06/15/2007 Posted by natalieeats

I was at benihanas on Wednesday 13th of June. We have been to benihanas in other cities but this one wasn't nearly as nice. We were told it was going to be an hour and a half. We decided to have some drinks while we waited.The bartender was helpfuIl and the drinks were refreshing. We were seated after 30 minutes so I am assuming that other people in front of us left or something. It was really hot and the service was bad. It looked like each server had 5 tables(of 6 or 8 people) and were literally running through the restaurant. The only manager was running around the building taking tables too. We had to wait about 10 minutes for a waitress and another 10 for our drinks. the chef put on a really good show but with the table on it was even hotter. We ended up waiting another 10 minutes at the end of the night for them to bring us our check. By that point we were hot and full and just wanted to get out. The food was really good but for those prices the service sucked. I am used to really good service at those prices. Six of us went and our tab was almost 300 dollars. At those prices I really expect a nicer looking establishment, better service, and to sit in airconditioner.

Pros: good food

Cons: service, management, everything looked old, hot

06/03/2007 Posted by wimberleydlc

My husband, daughter and myself visited the Austin Benihana on Sat., May 19, 2007 for the first time (we have been to locations in San Antonio and Las Vegas previously). We we told the wait would be about an hour and a half. It seemed a bit long, but we decided to have a drink and an appetizer in the bar. We sat at one the tables in the bar and couldn't get anyone to take our order, so we had to move to the bar. We still had to flag a bar tender down - they weren't voluntarily taking orders. When we were finally seated in the dining area it was apparent how dirty and run down this place was. The food and the chef were okay, although I wouldn't recommend the salmon. It was cooked in a parchment pouch on the grill and didn't have much seasoning or flavor. By the time we left we have spent $200 (bar bill, dinner and tip included). For $200 you can find much better food and service and a classier establishment in Austin. These owners need to visit Benihana in Las Vegas to learn how it should be done! I understand the San Antonio location has the same owner as the Austin location. At least the San Antonio location is newer and cleaner, but is lacking in atmosphere and the food and chefs have been inconsistent.

Cons: Dirty, run down, expensive

04/19/2007 Posted by parker_595

When we sat down it took quite some time before we got our drinks. The waitress never came around to check on us. And the entire time it felt like they were just trying to get to the next table as quick as possible. It was early on a weekday and there was no one waiting. We had a question about the bill. The manager was not very experienced and was nervous and shaking the entire time. We asked for the corporate number and he gave us the restauant number. We again asked for a number, when we called it was an apartment complex! We asked if this where they take customer complaints for Benihana's and they said yes. Finally we left a complaint on the answering machine and apparently the manager we had a problem with is the owner's brother. Do NOT go to the Austin Benihana!

Pros: Food, Ambience

Cons: Service, management

02/17/2007 Posted by wrightlonghorn

I've been to multiple Benihanas, in Dallas and in London, and I've loved the restaurant. My family likes to eat there all the time- for birthdays, midday lunches, anything. But this Austin location, is by far, the worst. The price is the same anywhere you go, and I'll gladly pay for the food in Dallas and London. But the food at this location is not worth it. The service is alright- I recently tried to make a reservation during the day on a Friday, was told there was a two hour wait and reservations were booked up. And that's fine. But later in the evening, I tried to call back to see how busy they were, and was put on hold for 6 minutes. May not seem like a long time, but when you just want to ask a question-it is. After hanging up and calling back, I got only a busy signal for another 5 minutes. My friend really really wanted to go -against my warnings- and when finally reaching through, I was put on hold again. My friend finally agreed to go elsewhere- smart girl.

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