Banzai Japanese Restaurant

So gross, we couldn’t even order. I arrived at about 5 p.m. on a Thursday evening. The place was empty. The décor was dingy, and I could smell musty mildew coming from the rug. We were escorted to an empty room with the grills. There were several grill tables, all empty. Each table had bits of chopped vegetables and possibly chicken and shrimp around the edges. Since no one was being served before we got there, and there was someone to cook for us when we arrived, that person should have been clearing off the grills. Clearly the mess was the residue from either lunch, or the evening before. It was so disgusting, that we just noped our way out of there without ordering. If that is the condition of the areas in which patrons are seated, I can only imagine the state of the kitchen behind closed doors. I hope the health inspectors pay them a visit soon. And also… the hostess was pretty rude to us when we arrived.

Went with a group of friends, had a great time, ok service and descent food but waiters did not care for the customers. The chef did not speak much English and just did his thing. Once we received the bill, we added a tip and walked out. The waiter called me back and told me the tip was not enough. First of all, it’s my option if I want to tip or not and how much I tip. Place needs a major up-​bring.

I was reading a review and someone wrote «This place is the best hibachi in the area hands down». I totally disagreed. The place looks dim and dirty. The food is so-​so. The service is so-​so. Had a reservation and had to wait almost a hour and then had to wait for the chef. Poor atmosphere plus so-​so food and service equals find another hibachi place. Why did I come here? I was on business trip .My friend invited me and he was paying.

went with family for a bday party /​dinner and had a n Awesome time. Great food, drinks and the best Banzai Chef Jason !!!

Really good food. Great place to go with a group. The décor is a bit antiquated but it adds to the experience in an odd way. It was my first time here tonight and it definitely won’t be my last. Keep it up!

We had a terrible experience here. We arrived at 5:20 on a Saturday and gave the hostess our name and number of people in our party. When the rest of our party arrived at 5:30, she told us we would have to wait 5 more minutes. After 10 minutes, when we asked how much longer she anticipated the wait would be, we were seated. Our waiter came over and took our order. After 30 minutes, we asked when we could anticipate our chef coming over (we had three 2 year olds with us). Our waiter informed us that we were not the only people waiting. He later returned and told us there were at least three tables in front of us. At this point, we decided that it would be better for us to leave. The waiter brought us a bill for $ 4.00 for the sodas that we had while we were waiting. As we were leaving, I asked to speak to the manager. Another employee found her for me, she saw me waiting and walked away from me. The other employee even told her, again, that I was waiting to speak to her, and she did not come over. I have been coming to this restaurant for over 20 years. I am so disappointed in the service, that my family will not be returning.

The people reviewing this place clearly haven’t been to many hibachi restaurants in the country. The food is outstanding for the price, most hibachi is expensive. The chefs actually care and are personable, unlike most current hibachi restaurants. This place is the best hibachi in the area hands down. The person wanting a side salad below legit doesn’t understand the concept of these restaurants.
This place never fails us!!! So good!

I was truely disapointed last night! My son turned 18 yesterday and asked us to take him out for Hibachi. I made a reservation for 7:30, Saturday night for 6 people. We showed up at 7:30, waited an hour to be seated so now it’s 8:30, then proceeded to wait another hour and a half for the chef to start our dinner so now it’s 10:00!!! I don’t know about most people but I find it tough to eat at 10:00 at night. The food was good but waiting for the service has turned me off to ever going there again!

I wish I had better things to say about this place because I remember coming here as a child for class trips and having a great time. However, as an adult, I can honestly say this place has gone downhill fast.
1. The salad bar is horrendous!
2. Aggressive hibachi chef made a very inappropriate joke about one of my friends opening her shirt.
3. Food quality is not that great.
4. Time for a major renovation. I kept staring at the carpet waiting to break out in hives.
The end.

Want a great happy hour come HERE. I recommend the zombie drinks and the wings. Sushi is always a plus here but the atmosphere and the servers definitely makes this place a great place to come, eat and chill. After happy hour I usually switch over to the hibachi which is also another plus. The cooks are great and extremely funny. The manager came around and checked on all the tables. Long story short this is my new favorite place especially since I moved definitely like coming here.

Went here for my sons birthday and while we sat they informed us we had little time. We were rushed to not use the rest room or have drinks, eat go. While we ate ice cream and after dinner drinks we were handed a bill. I have been here and seen the roof like but appreciated the food. I will never go back, I can not support a business that doesn’t care. I complained out loud but they smiled and said thanks.

Took my mom here for her birthday Friday night although she had a good time it was not up to standards. First off the staff is so rude and will pressure u into anything to make a buck. They knew nothing about there own drinks or food also walking in smells musty like they haven’t cleaned there grills in a while. I am a healthy eater and there are not many options for that. I asked for a side salad and the rude waitress wanted to charge me 14 $! They even looked at me crazy when I asked for no butter since they glob it on. I was also surprised to see they have yet to add brown rice to the menu. At the end of our meal we had two cards to charge. Even wrote the amount down with the card numbers and they charged a whole amount to one card. Once you finish your meal they really want nothing to do with u… This isn’t a place I choose to go to. I only go if it is chosen by who I’m with.
Only positive thing I can say is the cooks were up beat and helped the experience.

Banzai in Hamilton has been a staple in the area for apprx 30 years. I remember going there as a child and I am in my 40’s. I hadn’t been to the place in about 4 – 5 years and I read the 1 star reviews of this place so i was worried things had gone downhill. So this weekend I went back and the place is still very good, nothing has changed from my recollections of the food. The place is not «dingy» as some people describe, its just old. The ambiance is the same and the cooking entertainment is still excellent. Also, the service is excellent, drinks always refreshed without asking and very efficient cleanup. If you have been to Banzai in the past don’t be dismayed by the ridiculous 1 star reviews. I deduct 1 star because they use too much garlic and you pay for it the morning after with an odorous bowl movement but well worth it!

I went on a Thursday for lunch cause I thought my son would enjoy Hibatchi and it was right near where our appointment was. The place is a bit run down but seemed to be pretty clean. We were seated within 15 minutes even though the place was dead. I ordered the chicken with steak and my son the kid’s chicken. There was not much to it other than watching him cook as if he was in a kitchen. When I go to Shogun they really put on a fun show. But my son still enjoyed watching. The kid’s portion was pretty nice and he did not even finish what he was given. However they forgot about my chicken so I only had the steak, which was fine cause I had enough with just that. The food was okay, nothing to write home about but edible. When we got the check I was charged for the steak and chicken but they took it off when I explained I did not get the chicken that I had ordered, only the steak. She was not nasty but was not over the top friendly either. It was okay, not my favorite but if I was in the area and my son wanted to go I would go, but not my first go to place.

Food is delicious! Chefs are entertaining and personable! You get a lot of food for your $!
Other than that this place needs major help. I can’t tell the last time anyone actually cleaned this place. The menus are sticky and I have to sanitize my hands if I touch anything. They place the menus on your plate so now you have whatever aging disgusting film on your plate. EVERYTHING looks like it has been there since this place opened. If this place had just a little $ put into updating it, I would go back.
Also the rest of the staff is so rude. They are rushing you everywhere. They don’t listen to your orders. They don’t want to answer your questions. And forget about a reservation. If you call ahead I don’t think they write anything down.
I’m not returning to this place and that is a shame because it could be a nice place if anyone cared about it and it’s customers.

i have such a love-​hate relationship with banzai.
i love:
— the entertaining hibachi chefs. these guys are funny, borderline inappropriate, and sure to coax some laughs out of everyone at the table
— you get both rice and noodles with your order. no more having to choose a starch. i like a little of both… because carbs, duh!
— garlic sauce. seriously, ask your hibachi chef to make you a side of garlic sauce… it’s simply minced garlic with butter and soy sauce– SO GOOD.
— the food is yummy. i’ve visited banzai multiple times in the last 15 years for hibachi, and have never had a complaint about the food itself.
i hate:
— it’s so dated and dingy. the place has been screaming for an update for at least the last decade. it’s dimly lit and overall not too welcoming. such a shame.
— aside from the awesome chefs, the staff members here are less-​than-​friendly. the bartenders can’t make even the most basic of beverages (a bay breeze is not the same as a vodka with pineapple juice), and the servers are not helpful in the least. we had an especially rude lady this last visit, who didn’t want to honor the coupon on their website unless we paid our tab in cash. oddly, she also omitted red bean and green tea as ice cream options, but somehow produced them once specifically asked. i hate to think that this is because we’re not of an asian descent, but this was a first for me here.
— the salad bar. the dressings almost always taste «off» and the vegetable offerings don’t make much sense (since when are chickpeas part of a japanese salad?)
the prices at banzai are pretty high, but they do have coupons on their site frequently, i.e. ‘hibachi for two’ special for $ 43.95– filet, chicken, and shrimp hibachi with soup, salad, and ice cream. this is $ 55 on the menu. however, you may have to argue with them to accept the coupon, and they may tell you they’ll only honor it if you pay cash (though it’s not noted on the coupon). our server tried to tell us it would be $ 50 if we paid credit. now, i don’t care what the cost would be, but the feeling of haggling for dinner was uncomfortable and did not start the experience off well.
overall, banzai is a decent option in the area. the good food and entertaining chefs keep me coming here on occasion, rather than mahzu or others in the area. i would avoid this place for a first date or if you need to make a good impression on a visiting business client, etc. the ambiance just doesn’t make a good first impression.

Great food and entertainment. If you don’t like VERY salty meals, i would recommend telling the chef to use low sodium soy sauce. They run a lot of promotions to bring in business which seems to be working pretty well. If you decide to use one of the coupons, follow the directions PRECISELY.

Best service, best food, best show. All around. If you are near by you must stop by!

I absolutely LOVE coming to banzai for a hibachi dinner and look for every and any excuse possible to do so (birthdays, anniversary’s, bank holidays, etc). We’ve been frequenting Banzai for about 5 years now, and our experiences have always been consistent — the food is always delicious (we usually use one of their many available coupons and order the hibachi dinner special for two which includes chicken, shrimp and filet mignon for about $ 45).
Also consistent is the terrible service by the servers… but we go to banzai for the delicious and entertaining hibachi show, not to be treated with graciousness and hospitality (LOL).
All of the hibachi chefs are fabulous entertainers, and feed off the energy from the table they’re cooking for (meaning at our table they usually are highly inappropriate as liberal with the sake, which is just the way we like it).
Long story short:
Pros: delicious food, entertaining hibachi chefs, lots of coupons available
Cons: servers are a bit abrasive

Reading other reviews on Unilocal shows a complete mixed bag of experiences. Some rave about Banzai, while others rant about it. After my sub-​par time there in January 2014, I am definitely going to do more of the latter.
First lets start with quality of the décor and furnishings, or the lack there of. The interior of this place is tired, really tired. More tired than the Benihana in Short hills was before they remodeled it. Worn bar, wood panels, teppan, seats, etc. They look like they are straight out of the 70’s or 80s, and I don’t doubt it for a second. Now there is nothing wrong with well-​worn, but you can tell that the bare minimum has been done to maintain the appearance, and that’s just a turn off.
As for the food, it was mediocre, at BEST. The noodles were greasy and overly salty, and there was NO subtlety in the seasoning at all. Lots of soy, lots of salt, and if there was anything else I couldn’t really taste it. They did have a salad bar, which was nice, though the choices were somewhat lacking.
I ordered the Chicken and Shrimp Hibachi combo, and the shrimp was probably the best part of the meal. It was done but not over done, with some nice searing on the sides. The chicken was overdone, though that’s not hard considering they use pieces that are usually ½ inch thick at most. Also, without the ginger and mustard sauces, the chicken was pretty much devoid of flavor, though that might be an improvement over death by soy sauce.
Of course, good service can make up a lot for a mediocre meal, which is why this gets one star. It would have been two, if not for the horrible service. Banzai is a place that seems to be either bursting with people or so empty you can hear the crickets. As we had came on a night where the weather was kinda bad, it was close to deserted when we arrived. There were 10 other people, but this restaurant can easily accommodate 100 with all the teppan tables they have. From the beginning, it seemed like our presence was simply a bother to them. I had arrived at 9pm to avoid the dinner rush, and they close at 10:30, but it appears that if there are not many people, they start closing up at 9.
We eventually managed to get seated at a table, but only after being told repeatedly that it was very late. It seemed almost like they wanted us to leave (which we nearly did). In retrospect leaving may have been a better option as opposed to being treated poorly. The server rushed us to order our drinks and food, and then the chef himself was in a hurry to finish his choreographed meal, and he was the nicest of all the staff there. Still, he managed to produce «rare» steak that was cooked all the way through, and ignored other requests for cooking. I know that in a style as choreographed as hibachi that can be a problem, but these were not major requests, just things regarding the level of cooking the meat received. He did at least remember to keep the onions out of one of my friends meals, though she did have to remind him.
The real fun started after the meal, when they pulled the old «we’re gonna do everything we can to not honor our own coupon» bit that everyone is already tired of. Honestly, if you don’t want to honor your own coupons, don’t even issue them. It’s a tiring game where you have to sit there and go through the argument over whether you meet the unclear requirements stipulated on the coupon. Many of these requirements are also completely unclear and arbitrary, mainly to give the restaurant leeway. Eventually after wrangling, talking to «the boss» who was somehow there though the manager as always can never be found, we got our coupons honored, but by then it was over. I gave this place the benefit of the doubt, but I will not be returning to Banzai anytime soon, unless they have a renovation or change in management, both of which are equally unlikely.