Benihana Japanese Steakhouse

Benihana Japanese Steakhouse is located everywhere in the world, including one located right in the heart of downtown Toronto just beside the Royal York Fairmount hotel.  My wife was able to get a two for one dining experience which was why we were down there for the experience.  Otherwise the regular price for one person to go through this teppanyaki style restaurant experience would have been $59.99 per person.  We made reservations on a Tuesday night as it was my daughter's birthday and were able to get in at 7:30pm.  The place was surprisingly packed, even on a Tuesday night. We were led to our tables and offered alcoholic drinks as it was part of our package.

Teppanyaki Preparations

We went with a couple of combinations that they had in the menu.  I went with the Ahi Tuna and Scallops while my wife went with the Hibachi Filet Mignon 8 oz and Lobster Tail.  All the combinations had a mixture of cucumbers, onions and bean sprouts added into their dishes.  The ahi tuna was nicely seared on the outside and scallops were nice and bouncy still when it was served.  The only thing I didn't like about my dish was that the ahi tuna was still ice cold on the inside.  It was kind of odd considering everything else around it was nice and hot.  I wasn't too sure if that was the effect that the chef wanted or it was just the fact that the tuna might have been  too thick as they were all cube like but I just didn't get a good taste from it. The sauce he used also wasn't one that had packed a whole lot of punch to it.  It almost tasted like eating a cold jello with hot vegetables surrounding it.

The Hibachi Filet Mignon and Lobster Tail were a little better.  The chef made it so that the meat was medium rare and the lobster tail was carved up into smaller bite sizes.  The sauce was more or less the same as the one for the ahi tuna and scallops and the same onions, cucumbers and bean sprouts were used to mix the meat and lobster meat together.  The meat juices helped to enhance the overall taste of the dish while the lobster was fresh and tender.

Ahu Tuna and Scallops

Overall, it was okay but truthfully there wasn't really any overwhelming factor that would make the dishes more special or tastier than some of the other teppanyaki places that I have had at other restaurants in the past.  Even the whole presentation was a little boring.  There was no fire, no pizazz, no wow factor that would make it memorable.  Just a steamy volcano and that was it.  My biggest pet peave of the evening was the amount of wait time one had to wait from the time one was seated till the chef showed up to cook.  Almost 40 minutes had elapsed and believe me the people around the table were hungry.  I don't know if the place was worth the price of a full price.  At half price, it was just decent.  Overall I give it a 3 out of 5.

 Benihana Japanese Steakhouse
100 Front St W,
 Toronto, ON

416 860 5002