Benihana
850 N Plankinton Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53203
Benihana Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Milwaukee for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Milwaukee for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Milwaukee for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
850 N Plankinton Ave
Milwaukee, WI, 53203 - Phone (414) 270-0890
- Website https://www.benihana.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:30 am - 2:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Valet, Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Dogs Allowed : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Marco T.
So me and my sweets FINALLY get someone to watch the kids :), that means we FINALLY get to have our 2nd date without the kids. We decided to go and enjoy a beautiful Sunday evening in downtown Milwaukee. We first head to the Milwaukee Public Museum to checkout the Dead Sea Scrolls and then from there to BENIHANAS. Never been so this was something new for the both of us. We got there and the atmosphere was beautiful. The waitress was very friendly and very cool, she was Japanese (confirmed through chit-chat) and was very helpful. Now comparing this place to Fujiyamas was not a difficult thing to do because the similarities were high but there were 2 things that made BENIHANAS stand out over Fujiyamas. One was before they took my order for the Hibachi they asked if any of us had any food related allergies and that ultimately made me favor BENIHANAS over Fujiyamas because I am allergic to shellfish and when the chef came he fixed my meal first and then the rest of the customers so there is no cross-contamination from the different meats (beef and shrimp). The second thing was the wait staff. In my previous review about Fujiyamas I stated how big of an ASSHOLE the waiter was but at BENIHANAS a Japanese woman waited on us and she was great. We even asked her about the Japanese soda and where we could buy it outside of the restaurant but she didn't know but if she did she definitely would have helped us out. At Fujiyamas we asked about the waiter about the green tea ice cream and where we could get some outside of the restaurant and he gave us this sarcastic/snoody look and said "we can give it." Overall the big thing that makes BENIHANA better than Fujiyama is the fact that I felt BENIHANA really cares about the customer and when they asked of any food related allergies before serving us won me over. Although expensive I highly recommend going.
(4)Stephen S.
Good for a group. Not if you're just out as a couple. Certainly not if you're by yourself! Everyone will look at you like you're a loser if you go by yourself. The food is pretty good. I mean, for a gimmicky place, it really is delicious. And most of the fun comes in watching your food be prepared. Drinks are good...keep them coming and you'll have a good time here!
(3)Jacqueline H.
So my husband and I were just there this weekend to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. We couldn't wait to try out this restaurant because we had heard great things. Our experience was HORRIBLE. I am a waitress myself, so I am not one to complain, but it was bad. We called at 4pm when they opened to make a reservation at 7:30pm for 5 people. When my husband and I showed up at 7:30 -on the dot- the hostess informed us that if the rest of our party wasn't present, we couldn't be sat and we would be put on an hour wait. I tried calling and texting my friends who were closing a tab down the street but no answer. The hostess decided to remind us about the wait and that that was looking like our only option. It seemed ridiculous to me considering the place was dead, and we had had the reservation since 4. Luckily our friends showed up two minutes later and we were told to walk up to our table. The second we sat down, a woman complained about how close we were sitting to her. She made a small scene about having elbow room, which added to our already irritating situation. To diffuse her anger my friend told her that he would only be drinking so she could have all the space. At this point another friend decided to pull a manager aside to let him know what was going on, and that we felt very uncomfortable. Instead of helping us, he made his way over to our table and asked the lady out loud if "there was going to be a problem here." SO unprofessional. That made me very upset. Not only did it make it obvious to every other person at the table that we were uncomfortable, but it made us seem immature for telling a manager about the issue. A few minutes passed and everyone calmed down. We then ordered a few diet cokes that didn't show up. Our cook started the "show" which, for a hibachi pace, was sad. Barely interacted with us- threw a few things in his hat- and left. Nothing great. Nothing worth an hour wait had we been on the wait! One person in our group ordered a second round of sushi which came late. And by late I mean everyone else had eaten and boxed up our food already! Needless to say our diet cokes from the beginning of the meal showed up at this point too. We waited for her to finish up, and were walking out when my husband pulled me aside and apologized. I asked him why he was saying sorry and he told me he had told an employee about our anniversary and he wanted a special dessert. It never came. We got our picture taken on the way out but that was it. Very sad visit. Didn't feel like the awesome 1st anniversary dinner I was hoping for...
(1)Beyauna B.
Awfully overpriced, salty food. I went with a birthday coupon for 30 dollars, and ordered an entree for $38 plus a $3 drink. I walked out of the restaurant paying $26 dollars. YOU EXPLAIN THAT! Talked to the manager, and received a shifty response, as usual. Will not be returning, especially since they added loads of salt to my lobster. Someone forgot that lobster comes from the ocean. It's pre salted, just add heat.
(1)Darron G.
We were rudely told to wait at the bar, which had no bar tender, to later be seated 20 minutes later than our reservation. The food was good, but the service was terrible. The waitress had no clue what the menu was and argued with me about steamed versus fried rice. I have been at many Benihana's in the US, but this one was by far the worst. I will never return and recommend the same.
(1)May B.
So this was my first time at this Benihana - and it left a lot to be desired. I was at first pleasantly surprised that they have a private parking lot, and that is a real plus for the downtown location. But that was probably the highlight of the night. We walked in and the host seemed extremely busy although there were only a few people sitting in the sushi area. I thought it was somewhat odd to walk up a flight of stairs to get to the Teppanyaki area, but I did appreciate the windows that wrap around the two walls of the building - a nice surprise. But the restaurant seemed a bit chilly and pretty loud - for some reason it was a family night and children everywhere - I won't hold that against Benihana, it just took me by surprise. Our server seemed less than excited to be working and our chef talked at a whisper. I mean our service was good, but they seemed more like they were going through the motions more than anything. The show is the same as always and the food was okay. I don't know when they went from miso soup to onion soup - I was not a fan, kinda tastes like leftover fried onion strings in a flavored broth. The salad dressing tasted slightly bitter to me as well. Our entree items were okay, nothing spectacular. We also ordered a couple of sushi rolls - again okay, nothing special. We were stuffed by the time we left, but really I would have rather gone somewhere else. I'll give the sushi bar another try, but I'll pass on the Teppanyaki.
(2)Lory C.
My husband and I don't always get to go on dates and I was really excited to come here. We didn't have a reservation but saw that the place was empty. We went in and we're rudely told it was going to be a 45 minute wait.... for a completely empty restaurant. This isn't real a review on the food itself but the establishment and staff. I understand that maybe a chef went on a break or for some obscure reason they had to do cleaning at dinner time. But come on, 45 minutes? After that I wouldn't go back. Lakefront brewery is right next door and has some pretty good food.
(1)Tracy B.
This was my last stop during Downtown Dining week. I went for the mushroom appetizer, which is pretty much just mushrooms...but they were delicious :) Then the teriyaki beef. It was cooked perfectly, and served also with mushrooms. But the only vegetable they gave us was zucchini. I'm guessing that was the cheapest veggie of the week they could get. I noticed all the other tables were served zucchini as well. The last item he served us was a huge pile of onions. By the time he was ready to dish them out, half of us were finished eating. Most of the people refused, and I ended up with half my plate covered in onions. It was a little weird. I chose the sherbert for dessert, and it was very refreshing after my serious onion breath. They also offered us tea, which I thought was very nice. Our waitress was very odd. It felt like she hadn't been there long, or just wasn't very good at her job. She made uncomfortable jokes, and just seemed awkward the whole time. Our chef was very nice, but he was having a hard time getting any of his fancy tricks to work. All in all it was an ok meal. I will probably go back again during DD, but not for a full price dinner.
(3)Julie E.
It is an experience that our grand kids love....but there is nothing welcoming about the place...hostess is indifferent...vaguely offers for you to go to the bar while they get ready for you...if you choose not to go to bar you sort of stand around....no one comes over to offer help with coats or a drink....servers ok...grill guys are entertaining...and the highlight of the experience...food just ok....this time our car was broken into in the restaurants lot...nice touch...when we told the valet who presumably was watching the cars...he said, oh it was some kids...like he knows who it is and that this has happened before...no sympathy, offer to report to police, refund the parking charge....sort of the same attitude experienced at the hostess desk.....not hospitable at all...aren't we customers and shouldn't we be treated as valued guests?
(1)Chris A.
A complimentary $30 birthday Dinner certificate will be emailed to you for use during the month of your birthday!!! profile.benihana.com/reg… Reasonable prices for lunch. Not sure for dinner. I had a $30 birthday coupon that said it would only cover the birthday person, so I figured I'd get the most bang for ...well their buck and ordered the filet dinner entrée ($25) at 1130am and spicy tuna maki ($7). My husband ordered the scallop lunch ($11.50) and he also had the maki. Of course I had some of his scallops and he had some of my steak. Both of which were cooked well. Especially the filet. Maki was little mushy but sizable. The server was very nice and restaurant clean. The only odd thing was when my entree came to the table, the "hostess?" followed to tell me that the cook had made a mistake in giving me fried rice instead of white and that normally they would charge me an additional $3.50. Ummmm...maybe I wanted white rice? Anyway they honored my $30 birthday coupon no questions asked and didn't try any sneaky stuff like putting an automatic 18% gratuity on the bill, so I tipped better. Bonus, portion was large and I have another meal worth of leftovers!
(3)Nicole H.
Last night was my second experience at Benihana, and it will probably be my last.(The first time was back in March for my birthday.) This time around, a friend of mine invited us to for her birthday---seemingly the only reason people go to this restaurant. I heard the birthday song being sang every 5 minutes. We arrived early and were instructed to head to the bar for a drink. Well, that would be possible if someone was working behind the bar? As a large group of people sat around the bar staring at each other, wondering if they just don't like to make money--we were told our table was ready. The ambiance in this restaurant is like the people from World Market were given a very little budget and instructed to dress up a diner. It's definitely not fancy. Our server (Erin), was training a new employee. She must have been so enthused to have to do this as we were given an attitude as though we were inconveniencing her by sitting at her table. If looks could kill--we would all be dead. Yah, I know you automatically get 17% of a pretty guaranteed, large check---that doesn't give you a license to give bad service. Our hibachi chef packed a smile, but lacked the luster needed to excite us all. All around us we were hearing groups of people cheering for the show they were given--all we did was feel bad for the guy who couldn't make a volcano out of onion rings, or for being given death glares by our amazing server. The food was Ok. Could use a little more seasoning and a little less drowning in soy sauce. The dinner & a show effect is the reason people go there. It isn't because they have the best lemon chicken or sushi in town. For the price we paid for dinner and drinks--I would expect: Much better service. Erin, I don't care how bad of a mood you were in--you are never to let that show through. Also, when you are training an employee, you don't yell at her in front of your table. It embarrasses everyone involved. Management--when we are walking out the door, and you can't even look me in the eye to tell me goodnight--I know you could care less about me or how horrible your establishment is.
(2)Lisa K.
I love Benihana and have been going since I was a kid but this last week I had the WORST service ever at this Milwaukee location. The food was fine, but the chef was unfriendly, rude and messed up a few of our meals. Rather than creating a fun environment, he actually made it incredibly awkward. Shortly after he left with no eye contact or even the traditional bow and thank you, another employee began mopping with a strong chemical smell (right where our chef was standing). It's not like we had finished and were just lingering while the staff wanted to go home, we were still eating....and fast at that because it was getting more and more awkward and the manager was no help at all. No dessert (which was included in the meal) and we basically ran out. I have written to the corporate office. I will continue to eat at the Burlingame Benihana as it has always been good but this Milwaukee one should CLOSE....yuck! I would give negative stars if I could.
(1)Dave S.
You know the drill. You sit down around a big piping hot metal cooking surface and are then enticed and delighted by the mind-bending stunts by the hibachi chef-extraordinaire. He tosses knives in the air, cuts onions and other vegetables so fast you can barely see the incisions being made. He flips a piece of shrimp up in the air and it lands in his pocket. He delights young and old alike with his onion volcano. This is all well and good, and like any other hibachi place, you never leave Benihana totally unsatisfied. The food is solid but never quite lives up to the show. The service is good but not excellent. You get what you pay for. At Benihana, you're paying for the food and the entertainment. You won't be overly dazzled by either, but you will be amused.
(3)M D.
Don't go to this restaurant unless you want to be in the scene of a D rated movie. The ambience is so depressing...seriously they need an update on decor. After waiting at the bar for more people to fill the table we were finally led upstairs to our table. When the chef finally arrived, he did not seem confident at all, so much so during his intro and fancy utensil theatrics....he dropped them on the grill!! Yikes. Guess this was an indication of the meal ahead. The lime for my water was brown, yuck! The soup was luke warm and the salad was horrible...there have to be better parts of the iceberg lettuce available. The chef was not entertaining at all. So lackluster, my cat could provide more entertainment. The food was not good at all. The chicken was dry as ever (almost choked swallowing it) and we were offered onions at the very end when all of our food was gone! Who wants to eat a plate of onions???? The "show" was non existent (except the "egg slide") and slower than molasses on a cold day. Not to mention that our bill was incorrect. Don't let the 1 star rating fool you, if zero stars were available I'd be clicking that option.
(1)Mark S.
It could have been worse, but was rather disappointing. The place is old, and it shows with it's worn carpet and creaky stairs. The food is sub par, especially for how much they charge, and our chef simply wasn't very good. On the bright side, they do have 21 oz Ichibans and Sapporos, always nice to see that. You could do worse if you have a group of more than 8, and I imagine some chefs are better than others, but don't get your hopes up.
(2)Sam H.
As a newly employed college graduate, I'm on a semi-limited budget, especially when it comes to food. So when I received a free $30 voucher, me and my friend went there for dinner. I've never had teppanyaki in my life and was expecting something entertaining. There are lots of issues when it comes to this Benihanas. Tackiness - The Fake Samurai costume, the entire staff not even having one Asian employee, a grungy elevator to transport you to your car (I guess its suppose to make you feel at a "special" place). This whole place felt like a "tourist trap" / "Faux ethnic food" much like Panda Express. The Show- Very boring. I was expecting much more based off what I've seen on TV throughout my life. I know your chef is not going to chop your food and shoot it your mouth, but this guy couldn't do the most basic moves. At one point I felt sorry for him. They must have put in the B-lister for our group since it was a slow night. He also was very quiet, not interacting at all with group. Benihana's is about the show and food, and this show was uneventful and boring. The Food- The Steak was nothing special, in fact I could probably go to Walmart (yes Walmart) and cook a better steak. It tasted real bland, and I had to use their dipping sauce to add some flavor. The chicken rice was good, but if I had to really pay $3.50 for it, I would have been outraged. I could personally whip out something like that within 30 minutes. Its really nothing special. Service- The waitresses had a slight frown on their face, or trying their best to hide it. It all seemed very unnatural. The manager was very aggressive, and although was polite enough to all the guests, I could imagine her yelling at the waitresses from behind. My friend seemed satisfied by the sushi, but it was "nothing great". Overall, with the birthday coupon the bill for both of us was $20 before tip. So I guess for $10 a piece, the dinner was alright. I would give them 4 stars, since it even included a free birthday dessert. However, I am rating this as a one star since if I paid full price, I'd be outright angry. Avoid this place and go somewhere else to spend your money. Or come here once a year by yourself or bring one friend and amuse yourself at the "attempt" to Americanize teppanyaki at a ridiculous price.
(1)Ann Marie S.
This restaurant has the worst hostess/manager you have ever come across. My co-workers and I call her the dragon lady because she is such a rude woman. Firstly, the food is acceptable. Not delicious or amazing. And frankly, it's quite overpriced, especially the lunch portions which run about $11. We eat there often enough that we have experienced a multitude of issues that are bothersome but namely: I once ordered "extra mushrooms" with my lunch special (which was teriyaki chicken and steak with rice and veggies) and the charge was $3.50. I kid you not. For the equivalent of 3 medium mushrooms, sliced and sautéed. But whatever. Last time we were there, dragon lady encouraged us to sign up for the website because we would get special emailed to us. My friend received such an email on her birthday and it was a nice one! $30 gift certificate! We thought, wow, what a nice incentive! Well, when we arrived, we were, as usual, seated at "our" table (we eat there so often that she leads us to the same table every time as if it is "ours") and we show her the gift certificate. She then makes a HUGE 10 minute deal of comparing the certificate birth date to my friend's driver's license and at one point argues that the dates do not match. They of course did match and we went from there. She next makes a loud point of showing us that the certificate will not cover MY lunch, only HER lunch and I will "have to pay separate!" Seriously? It's $30 and we always buy each other's lunches every time we eat out. Oh no! You cannot use this to cover friend's lunch! So then, long story short, not only do I pay for my own (which is fine) but I also am paying the tax for the entire meal because that is also NOT INCLUDED! In the certificate. When I asked her about my lunch costing $9.75 and hers being charged $14.95 (for the EXACT same lunch menu item) she again loudly argued that it was covered by the certificate and was a different "weight" of food. Just ridiculous. The straw was, after informing her that I was finished arguing with her and listening to her nonsensical justifications for this thing or another, she continued to bark at us about the 'rules' and at one point went so far as to say "certificate does not cover alcohol!" Incidentally, my friend had an ice tea and I drank a glass of water. Ugh. In any event, it's overpriced, the food is merely okay and this woman is unbelievably rude, obnoxious and we will not only not ever be going back (they just lost our repeat business) but we also made a point of passing this information around to the firm we work in where our motto is "CUSTOMER SERVICE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY." Perhaps this explains the sypatetic grins and nods we were getting from the chef standing behind her. I can hardly imagine what she's like t work for.
(1)Rosanne S.
An embarrassment to the downtown Milwaukee dining scene... Manager encouraging over serving of the patrons at our table, who were already wasted. Yelling at the waiter of our table for not offering a woman more wine when she still had a half glass left. Obnoxious, rude manager ruined what would have other been a fun and romantic dinner.
(2)Carolyn F.
Horrible service - took a long time for anyone to stop by to order drinks, then drinks went empty. Was not clear who our waiter was. Only two tables occupied and they still had bad service. Only helpful person was the sushi chef who ended up getting us drinks. Sushi was warm and mushy. We left to eat elsewhere after two rolls. Soup and salad were bland.
(1)Leslie G.
Let me start by saying that I have eaten at "Benihana" in other cities and I have LOVED the food and service. However, in Milwaukee, I was very disappointed to say this was not the case. The service was non existent for starters. Then, because the restaurant was basically empty on a Thursday night, there was nobody sitting at the hibachi tables, so being cooked for wasn't a choice. So I sat alone at a table with harsh lighting and wondered who was going to cook, let alone wait on me. I ordered sushi for starters which was spicy tuna and it was mushy. I ordered steak and scallops and I was very disappointed at the quality of the ingredients. The scallops were so teeny and appeared to have been cut in half, making them even teenier. The steak was not cooked as I ordered, so that was disappointing. And the ginger sauce they served apparently had been watered down to stretch it further..it was like water. I hated that I had spent so much (overpriced) for the quality I got and was wishing I had gone somewhere else. I saw no one after I was served so I honestly just ate quickly and got the heck out of there. Try Benihana in other cities like Atlanta, but not Milwaukee.
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