Benihana's | Cupertino

This place has been clsed for a few months while they remodeled. Now that they are done, the place looks great! They made some of the changes I always thought should have been made, like moving the sushi bar over to the side with the alcohol bar, so you can wait, have a couple drinks, and get some sushi, if there is a long line. It's also just a better sushi bar than before. Where I used to kinda feel it was a waste to get sushi here, it now seems more reasonable as you can skip the whole Benihana's food experience and just enjoy some sushi and cocktails here for lunch. That wasn't really an option before for me, as it just didn't feel right, but it is isolated enough in the restaurant that I wouldn't feel weird now.

Summary: They took a great restaurant (one of my favorites) and made it even better!

This is definitely a great place for a nice diner. Come here to celebrate something. The food is made right in front of you on a large flat grill.

The tables seat 8, and you will be seated with strangers if you are a small party, but I have never had this be anything but pleasant. This is probably because everyone is happy to be there so you don't have anyone grousing on the other side of the table about something. The chefs are known for doing little tricks while preparing your food and telling jokes. The experience really depends alot on what chef you get, as they all have their own skill levels and personalities, but that makes the draw stronger for me, because I know I wont always get the same show. Some of the best meals I've had there, the chef screwed up a trick and kept going (he was spinning an egg on his knife and accidentally dropped the egg, he was also constantly throwing stuff on the floor behind him by accident. It was hilarious!)

The meals do start over $20.00 per person though, and the experience would be diminished through repeat visits.