Benihana's, Pennsauken, NJ

In a not-so-terrific area, and not much to look at, Benihana's has been around for forever. Upon entry into the cramped lobby, tepenyaki "show" is to the right, and the bar area to the left. HH is in the smallish bar area only.









Wonderful extension on the typical 4-6 or 5-7 HH, this baby goes from 5 PM - 8 PM M-Th. As you can see, the extension on four days means there is none on Friday. But if you can get there on the days they do have it, it seems to be worth the effort.

Drinks were very reasonable at $4.75 and $5.75

the Beni-Tini

Sauxa Agave Tequila with OJ and lime

While the sushi seemed to be made by some not-so-authentic chefs, nonetheless it wasn't too bad.

We started with Bar Bites.
The Beef Gyoza, while pedestrian, were flavorful and tender, not rubbery and dried out.
The Crispy Spicy Tuna was a nice spin on tuna tartare. The rice ball base was nice and crispy, with a black sesame seed crust. The tuna was mounted high with an accent of thinly sliced jalapeno.
The Tuna Sashimi with Spicy Sauce was delectable, the sauce adding a wonderful kick.

Beef negamaki gyoza

crispy tuna spicy

Tuna sashimi

The specialty rolls were not too bad, and reasonable at HH prices of about $5
The Shrimp Crunchy roll was just OK. Nothing extraordinary.
The Las Vegas roll was very tasty, smooth and lushious from the cream cheese.
The Chili Shrimp roll was excellent. A single "chilied" shrimp atop each piece of sushi. Nice combination and different from anything else I've seen. While very tasty, I think the shrimp were too overcooked, and therefore too hard. A softer shrimp would have made this one a homerun.
The Gotham Roll was not only delicious to eat, but appealing to look at. Cradled in a wonderfully rich sauce, each section was topped of with a wafer thin, lotus root crisp--an exotic potato chip. Very good.

Top to bottom - shrimp crunchy roll, Las Vegas roll, chili shrimp roll, Gotham roll

And what better way to cap it all off than with a Mai Tai.
A classic summer tropic cocktail at a reasonable HH price of only $5.75