Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been a huge Benihana fan. I’ve celebrated my life’s milestones, birthdays and even a friend’s engagement in front of their delicious teppanyaki grill. I even had the opportunity to be the chef last year and it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.
Benihana is just one of those places that has a really special place in my heart.
This year, Benihana turns 55 years old and I think that’s a pretty incredible feat! To make it that long in the restaurant industry, they must be doing something right! To help them celebrate, I wanted to share the 5 Reasons I’m obsessed with them and constantly crave the food all the time!
The Sauces
If you’ve never been to Benihana, the sauces alone are a reason you need to check them out. Their ginger sauce is SO tangy. They bring in fresh ginger every single morning and hand peel/grate it. You can always finding me dipping all my vegetables in there.
They also have the most addictive shrimp sauce (that actually doesn’t have shrimp in it at all). While it’s known for pairing well with the shrimp, I put this addictive creamy sauce on EVERYTHING. Just sitting here thinking about it makes my mouth water. It’s prepared daily from scratch and has the most perfect balance of garlic and smoky spice.
The Teppanyaki Show
If there is ever a reason to go to Benihana, it’s for the show you get while you’re waiting/eating your meal. The experience is truly unlike any other. The chefs have such incredible energy and make it such a special experience each and every time you go. While all the Teppanyaki chefs go through the weeks of the same training, each of course has their own personality so each and every time you go it feels unique and special.
Some of my favorite parts of the show is the onion “Choo Choo” train.
…and the beating rice heart!
High Quality Meats
I’m absolutely addicted to the meats at Benihana. All of their steaks are USDA Choice and they let it rest so that it’s perfectly tender and juicy every single time. They also hand-cut all the chicken and steak on the premises and age the steak 28 days to preserve flavor.
In fact, the steaks are so high quality, they actually don’t add much to them. The ingredients are simple and they really let the meat shine through.
The chefs even present you the meat before it hits the grill so you can look at it in all its glory!
The OTHER Menu Items: SUSHI
As much as I love the Teppanyaki menu at Benihana, don’t sleep on their sushi! Whether you like your rolls raw or cooked, there is literally something for anyone! The staff is really well-versed in the sushi menu and are always open to guiding you to make your experience even better!
They even offer sushi classes if you’re feeling adventurous! I’ve always wanted to try one.
It’s REALLY Kid Friendly
As I mentioned before, I’ve been going to Benihana since I was a little girl and it’s SO fun for me to take my daughter now. They have an incredible Kabuki Kids program designed to make it fun and easy to bring them along with you. It’s honestly like having a babysitter at dinner because the kids are so quiet the whole time watching the Teppanyaki show! They even get a little chef’s hat to wear.
We didn’t bring our daughter Elia to our most recent visit and Dan STILL asked for the kid’s chef hat.
If you haven’t tried Benihana yet, you MUST go. And if you have, go again and help them celebrate 55 years of AMAZING food, service and showmanship!
Love always,
Erica
