Benihana

On this occassion I was celebrating my birthday. If you join their email club you get a $30 voucher as well as ice cream on your birth month. We were also celebrating my son's birthday so he got a nice ceramic buddha mug and ice cream. The only issue was that I did not make reservations and we waited a very long time and with 2 little ones that was a bad thing. We were one of the last 3 groups to be sat and the whole place was really hot for some reason. I kept my cool and enjoyed margaritas while entertaining the birthday boy. Every dish I order I enjoy but I love the noodles with chicken. My bf always orders steak or shrimp. Dinner was amazing and at the end they sang happy birthday to my son and I which made the whole evening special. I will definitely be back except next time I will make a reservation.

Really enjoy Benihana, but the chef I got the time I went was sloppy and was tight with his portions. What made it worse I sat next to some annoying people. I personally like the Encino location more.

I received the infamous $30 birthday coupon. After trying to go on my actual birthday and not getting a reservation (word of the wise: make sure you make a reservation well in advance!) my boyfriend and I decided to go to PF Changs.

Since it was coming to the end of the month, I still wanted to use my coupon. I did it right this time, made a reservation, came on time, and expected to be somewhat blown away.

Even with the reservation, our wait was over a half hour. We sincerely thought about ditching the entire experience and going to PF Changs again (omg free cake on your birthday!) but when we asked if we had to wait much longer, the host said that we could be seated. Finally!

As we sat down, we over heard the other people at our table having to wait an hour or more to be seated, we had it easy! But then again, it's a popular restaurant and a somewhat unique dining experience, if you don't eat at Japanese steak houses every day.

The food was really great and our chef was friendly and put on a fun show. I had the shrimp and chicken combination but immediately regretted not ordering the lobster. It looked absolutely fantastic. If I could rate based on the food, I would give the place 4 stars. The food is great, albiet pricey, but great!

The problem we had was with the service. After we had just received our food, the server came by with boxes and began to box everyone's meals up. It was incredibly rushed. Also, when it came to paying, they provided me with the bill and I had tried to return it with my coupon. I had never received such an icy death stare in my life! This was followed with a "oh.. I have to run your bill again." I had mentioned the coupon in my reservation, and was so surprised at the reaction.

To sum up: Great food! Make a reservation but expect to wait a half hour or more. Tell your server about your coupon or otherwise face the wrath!