Restaurants

This is the oldest of three branches in London (opened in 1984), and part of a global chain founded in the 1960s in New York by former Olympic wrestler Rocky Aoki. Benihana offers an international interpretation of Japanese teppanyaki dining infused with a heavy dose of showmanship: great for parties and even better for kids. Customers sit at large tables while red-toqued chefs cook, tell jokes, show off their skills with razor-sharp knives and set things alight for the fun of it (Benihanas 1970s catchphrase). At its worst, the showmanship can seem hackneyed; we heard the same jokes in a different branch a few years ago. The quality of ingredients, such as beef and prawns, is decent, but the food can seem beside the point and not terribly Japanese. Our teriyaki beef and hibachi prawns were fine if unexciting; a side salad of iceberg lettuce and under-ripe tomato fell firmly into the could do better category. This is a fun, Japanese-lite place to come with young ones (Benihana won the Best Family Restaurant category in the 2006 Time Out Eating & Drinking Awards), but beware the prices, which arent so likely to put a smile on your face.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008