Benihana have a chain of restaurants in London, offering a chef for each table who cooks all your food in front of you, providing entertainment in itself.The menus are generally set. Particularly good for people new to this type of cuisine, as western condiments can be supplied with your food. This branch can cater for private parties of up to 8 guests upon request. They also have a bar area.
Benihana Piccadilly
Japanese Restaurant in St James's
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7 / 10 from 4 reviews
Address
37 Sackville Street
St James's
London
W1S 3EH
37 Sackville Street
St James's
London
W1S 3EH
Telephone
020 7494 2525
020 7494 2525
Region
St James's
St James's
Opening Summary
Opening hours for lunch:
12.00-3.00PM Mon - Fri
Opening hours for dinner:
5.30-10.30PM Mon - Fri
5.00-10.00 Bank Holidays
Opening hours (weekend):
12:00-10:30PM Saturday
12:00-10:00PM Sunday
Opening hours for lunch:
12.00-3.00PM Mon - Fri
Opening hours for dinner:
5.30-10.30PM Mon - Fri
5.00-10.00 Bank Holidays
Opening hours (weekend):
12:00-10:30PM Saturday
12:00-10:00PM Sunday
All In London Review
Great value lobster and wagyu lunch
There are over a hundred Benihanas all over the world, two in London. The Piccadilly branch is huge, with most tables centred around the teppanyaki grills where chefs show off their knife acrobatics. For extra theatricality they fling bits of food into their hats, prompting the boyfriend to ask whether they start to smell after a few hours. Do they need to keep changing hats? Do they use the leftovers for a thrifty stew at the end of the day?
However we divert our attention onto their new lunchtime set menu. It offers the usually costly choices of lobster or wagyu beef for just £17.90, along with plenty of side dishes. These include a standard miso soup with tofu and seaweed, and a salad with ginger dressing. Large, tender prawns and chunks of carrot are fried in tempura batter, and there's salmon nigiri served alongside a tasty fried mushroom roll wrapped in seaweed. There are potato croquettes covered in fine panko breadcrumbs, and a pleasing salmon ceviche.
The highlights of course are the lobster, a generous portion smothered in spicy katsu curry sauce with peppers, and the wagyu, the most expensive cut of beef available, here slithered with fried onions. Both are layered over heaps of rice and are very filling dishes.
Naturally there are sakes on the drinks list, but as a crowd-pleasing chain there are lots of cocktails of the mojito and daiquiri variety - we sip refreshing, sweet piña coladas with coconut cream. Desserts include black sesame ice cream and cheese cake dumplings, we get the ice cream tempura although the batter is a little too doughy.
The Lobster vs Wagyu set lunch for £17.90 is available for a limited time, drinks and desserts not included.
Reviewed by Leila
anonymously
Published on Jun 10, 2016
User Reviews
Anonymous
Dec 31, 2009
well we went there for new years evening got there at 530. Service was great! Food was great aswell. Nice and fresh meat, we had the set menu £45 per head. Will be going back for sure
British_Racing_Green
Dec 4, 2006
The food isn't bad, but look out for online deals as ordering from the menu can be pretty dear. The idea of having food cooked infront of you is pretty entertaining, but I would prefer eating elsewhere. However, you should try at least once.
dukes
Nov 2, 2006
Service is ABYSMAL! WAITED 45 MINS FOR OUR PRE-BOOKED TABLE AND WERE TOLD TO BE QUICK AS THE CHEFS CLOCKED OFF AT 10.30PM- WHAT TIME WERE WE SEATED? 9.55PM! Our orders were taken down at 10.15PM. The chef who cooked out food in front of us was new so he didn't do that many tricks, although he was still quite entertaining. Food was "OK" and not great: I think you pay for the experience.
TO end: if you're gona spend money on food do it at a place where the food and service is better- don't do it for the name!
TO end: if you're gona spend money on food do it at a place where the food and service is better- don't do it for the name!
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