Benihana

BENIHANA, located in the heart of downtown, provides diners with a complete dining experience that combines wonderful food with tableside entertainment.

For 40 years, Benihana’s founders have been entertaining Americans with “teppanyaki” meals prepared tableside by a performing chef. In 1964, Hiroaki “Rocky” Aoki pioneered the concept of communal dining at Japanese-style hibachi grills, where chefs prepare American favorites including steak, seafood, chicken and vegetables before their guests. That’s what you’ll find at Benihana Milwaukee.

For sushi lovers, there is a full-service sushi bar where skilled chefs offer the freshest, highest quality fish available. Diners can order favorites such as nigiri sushi, maki sushi rolls, hand rolls and sashimi and more.

Benihana also is one of the few restaurants downtown that is truly family friendly. A kid’s menu offers junior-size portions of the hibachi-style specialties. At Benihana, talking, laughing and enjoying the meal as a group is not only perfectly acceptable, but expected.
Those traveling solo often welcome the opportunity to sit at a hibachi table and join in the fun. If customers prefer a regular dining table, the crew at Benihana can prepare any menu item in the kitchen.

The menu here offers a number of side orders for customizing a meal, from sushi to calamari tempura. At lunch, there are several Yakisoba (Japanese sautéed noodles) specials and teriyaki and hibachi offerings. All are served with Benihana salad, hibachi vegetables, steamed rice and Japanese green tea for a healthful but filling lunch.

The preconception that Japanese cooking is “dainty food, beautifully presented…but leaving you hungry,” is certainly put to rest at Benihana. While the presentation at Benihana is impressive, there also is a wonderful variety and abundance of food served with each entrée.

Entrees are served with Japanese Onion soup, Benihana salad, shrimp appetizer, hibachi vegetables, steamed rice and Japanese hot green tea. If you order from the “Specialties” side of the menu, add ice cream or sherbet for dessert. For those with a sweet tooth, the banana tempura and tempura ice cream, which must be ordered in advance, are must-tries.

“Traditional” entrees serve up a choice of chicken, steak, shrimp or scallops. “Specialties” showcase more exotic meat cuts or intriguing combinations of steak, chicken and seafood. For vegetarians, there is a teriyaki tofu appetizer with a Japanese noodle side, served with vegetables that are seasoned, wrapped in paper and cooked on the grill.

Benihana is located at 850 N. Plankinton, at the corner of Plankinton and Kilbourn Aves. It’s open for lunch from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Wed. through Fri. and for dinner from 5-9:30 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 5-10 p.m. Fri., 4-10 p.m. Sat. and 4-9 p.m. Sun. Reservations recommended, but not required, 270-0890.