Benemon

We had a really nice dinner here. The atmosphere is lovely, the waitstaff is warm and helpful, the food was delicious, and the prices were reasonable. We really enjoyed it. Will definitely go back.

Great food. Great space. Great price.
The happy hour special of beer of choice (mine was Sapporo) and Japanese fried chicken for $ 7 was fantastic! We ordered another plate of the chicken it was so good! The tempura was excellent, as was the park Katsura donburi bowl.

No gluten free options available and not willing to modify any dishes to accommodate. Had to pay full price for our drinks and pack up to find other restaurant to eat

Food: Generally tasty and reasonably priced. For 2 people, we ordered 2 small plates and 2 donburi’s, which got us full, and then 1 dessert, just because. The check came out to be $ 62 before tax/​tip. Specifics below:
— Tuna Tataki (small plate) — seared ahi tuna w/​scallion bits and some sort of savory paste. The tuna was well-​seared and nicely textured. The scallion bits added refreshing crunch. I thought that the savory paste was a bit too salty but I admit that I have been overly sensitive to sodium recently, plus the waiter mentioned that some people love it, so I think that might just be a personal preference.
— Edamame (small plate) — served hot with pepper bits. Quite spicy and flavorful. I would recommend this, but again, just a touch too salty for my own taste.
–Tsukimi Tori Don (donburi/​rice bowl) — fried chicken, mushrooms, noodles, and a raw egg served over rice. This was lightly flavored and creamy. Note that the fried chicken is only very lightly fried so if you’re looking for crunch, I think that the kara-​age chicken (small plate) would be a better bet
–Una Tama Don (donburi/​rice bowl) — definitely the standout dish of the night. Generous cuts of eel and egg in a sweet soy sauce, over rice. So sweet, so meaty, SO GOOD.
— Black sesame mousse — delicious. A thick mousse, black sesame flavor, some sweet glaze on top. Very light.
Service: Polite and attentive. Our waiter checked in pretty often and after hearing that it was our first time, offered excellent recommendations. In addition, although we were only a party of 2, they seated us at a place for 4. It got crowded, and when they needed to seat another party of 2 at the empty seats, they were so unnecessarily apologetic and sweet about it. We were like it’s no prob, that’s what those seats are for, but they really seemed bent up about that.
Ambience: Nice, typical of what you would for the neighborhood. Some exposed brick, cute lightbulbs, that sort of thing. The only thing I will say is that we were seated right by the door and there is some wind that comes in when the door opens. I’ve seen other places install heavy curtains to address this issue and kind of wish that Benemon would do this as well.

This is such a hidden neighborhood gem! I think they just recently opened but I was shocked at how empty they were when I came by on a Saturday night.
I believe they specialize in rice bowls here. I got the eel over rice and beef curry over rice last time and both were delicious. The portions were hefty and the proportion of topping to rice was perfect (and I normally find that I leave half the rice untouched by the time I finish the topping).
They were also running a promotion when I came — $ 7 for a draft beer and karaage. The fried chicken was probably some of the best I’ve had. Juicy, tender white (or maybe thigh) meat with a light coating of breading and literally fresh out of the fryer. I may or may not have been thinking about it since I came…
While this isn’t the hottest Friday night spot to go — I hope they stick around for a while as the solid, unpretentious go-​to Sunday night spot.

Food is absolutely amazing. Everything we ordered came out fresh and hot. Fire tofu was delicious and the garlic steak small plate was definitely my favorite. If you go during happy hour, you get a side of fried chicken bites with your beer! Even the chicken was moist and flavorful. The best part was the service, such genuine people greeting and making your experience that much better. The owner is a really sweet lady who really is so lovely. Def coming back!

Came here for a birthday dinner and the place was a 10.
–Dimmed lights
–Food was incredible; everything was cooked to perfection.
–Good beers on tap
–Solid sake
–Service was great.
I hate to write a Unilocal review because this place is a hidden gem, but they deserve it. Well done.

I was born in Japan, grew up in Japan.
I tell you they have REAL Japanese food here.
Some of them even go beyond Japanese taste.
If you wanna experience real Japanese taste, this is the place to go.
日本の味が恋しい日本人の方におすすめです。
特に唐揚げが素晴らしいです！

Service is really good. I ordered Una-​tama don and the portion of the food and ratio of rice and sauce, eel is nicely matched. Also, their Sesame mousse is great.

I don’t think I can sit idly while this place accumulates 5-​star reviews at such a rapid clip, especially when the food here is mediocre at best. I feel slightly guilty saying this because the owner is so incredibly nice and was essentially waiting on us personally throughout the evening. Despite this, the server (not the owner) still forgot to refill our waters despite our being the only other group in the space one weekday evening. We arrived as a group of three and split the Tofu Fire and Tuna Tataki, and my gf and other friend both ordered a curry pork katsu while I had the eel bowl. Tofu Fire was decent– it certainly was soft, but almost overly so as it essentially melted at the slightest touch. Tuna Tataki was salty and not worth it. Perhaps the biggest gripe is related to price as the «apps» range from $ 8 – 12 while the mains hover around $ 15. that’s a bit much imo. esp when the portions are NOT plentiful at all. The pork katsu that rolled out was certainly filling, but I’d say that you can get this katsu anywhere else in the city, and didn’t come close to differentiating itself. My eel was a huge disappointment as it was an oversalted mess, and I had stomach problems later that evening. Health Dept– please don’t bother contact me as I don’t want to be called again and again about one dang Unilocal review. I don’t even know if it was caused by this place alone and it wasn’t devastating enough to warrant further investigation. I’m just saying that the bowl was a mess and a complete disappointment. Not happy with this place and… as typical of many «new» and fancy places that have opened up recently, not a fan of this new spot.
I still stand by my statement that Unilocal reviewers should be on an initial 10 review probation period before any reviews show up. Half of these reviewers have fewer than 3 reviews. Comeon.

Beautiful place, delicious food, legit beers and sake, kind staff.
Just do it.

Yummy eats. The small plates were crazy good. soft shell crab (crispy crabby perfection), tuna tataki (beautifully seared), and my favorite of the small plates — the garlic beef steak (OMG sooo good. cooked rare, juicy and so tender. like butter). For entrees we had the shrimp ten don and the una-​tama don. The shrimp ten don was ok, I am not a fan of tempora in general so it was probably not a good dish to select, I will say though that the tempora coating was light and crisp. The una-​tama don was absolutely delicious! I wish I had a Japanese grandma who could make such a yummy comforting bowl of una-​tama don for me. seriously. The staff was friendly, though the place was crazy busy and some things took a while to be served (ie. our drink order and I asked for a glass of water multiple times before I actually got it). I’ll be back for that garlic steak and una-​tama don for sure! :-)

I loved this place! The staff were extremely attentive and the food was tasty. I especially liked the vegetables and the creamy dill salmon. The miso cod was okay, though it didn’t compare to Nobu’s. Best of all, the owner chatted with us at the end of our meal and gave us a free custard dessert, which was absolutely heavenly — very light and sweet.

When I was a toothless, happy baby, my grandfather would send care packages from Japan to my mother. Wrapped inside would be the things we missed the most, like eel, which she would carefully broil before handing me little pieces to suck on.
There’s something to be said for a restaurant that can bring you back to your childhood with such sharp clarity. I’m glad I found this place, which is brand new.
I had the kara-​age, the una tama don, and the black sesame mousse.
The kara-​age was hot and crispy. I was worried it would be too greasy, but it wasn’t – it was cooked perfectly, the chicken still moist with a light fried layer. I closed my eyes the second the unagi hit my tongue – that flavor of umami can’t be faked – and I savored the eel, onions, and rice that finally had the density that Japanese rice is supposed to have.
The black sesame mousse is light and bitter, a nice ending if you don’t have a sweet tooth but still want something to round the meal out.
The ambiance is very Japanese-​in-​New-​York-​esque: dark wood paneling, a mix of jazz, cowboy bebop, and rap echoing out of the speakers, and hints of ancient Japan in the form of masks and sake bottles. If you’re dating a Japanese woman who was born in the US but craves a connection to her homeland, this would be a good place to take her.
A little pricey, maybe, but my fear is more that with such a young staff, they’ll get overwhelmed and start compromising on the food. Please don’t. This city needs a Japanese restaurant that hasn’t jumped on the ramen or sushi wagon but instead has decided to create an izakaya-​style restaurant that could stand up to its peers in Japan.
I’ll be back to try the tempura and the curry.

I went here for dinner with a friend recently and had an amazing dinner! The Edamame Peperoncino small plate was an incredibly interesting and delicious take on edamame! I couldn’t stop eating them! We also split the Kara-​age as well — incredibly tasty!
I also had the Tsukimi Tori Don and my friend had the Vegetable Ten Don — both were very good — hearty and delicious. I couldn’t stop eating — the food was so tasty. All of this was paired with a great tasting sake that was recommended by our waiter. It was a wonderful experience! I will definitely be going back!

5 stars — I really enjoyed my experience at Benemon. Great food, atmosphere, and service! I went with a bunch of people and got the Katsu Don and it did not disappoint, probably one of the best Japanese meals I’ve had in the city. Highly recommend!

My Unilocal reviews have always tended to take the shape of stories, and I could try to refine this one in the same way. I could spend a few paragraphs on how eel-​on-​rice reminds me of countless sushi takeout meals from my suburban upbringing, how I loved the eel nigiri so much that my family would just give me all of them, including the extras they’d ordered just for me. How that sweet sauce, somewhat Americanized though it may be, reminds me of home. (And an aside about how I was mildly surprised in Kyoto at a centuries-​old eel specialist there, that essentially the same dish could taste so different.)
I could go on and on: all my best stories are fundamentally nostalgic. But tonight I have been yanked into the now. I wasn’t expecting it. I was just wandering into an almost-​random new eatery at the edge of my consciousness, only vaguely remembering it to serve donburi, i.e., rice bowls.
Donburi! So unsexy and unseen compared to the Japanese soups that have swept the city — most obviously ramen but also the rarefied world of soba and the new import on the hipster block, udon. Compared to the mysterious depths of those noodles, those broths, how can some stuff piled on rice hope to compete??? Can an una-​tamadon really be so good to inspire paeans?
«Una», as in unagi, as in that sweetened freshwater eel I have so much affection for, done at Benemon to quivering perfection. «Tama», as in egg, as in the barely-​cooked specimens coddling the long chunks of eel. «Don», as in donburi, as in the bowl giving its steaming contents support and form.
And in between those elements, the rice. If you read that earlier paragraph and thought, «Hmm, how CAN rice measure up to noodles?», then I can only assume you’re not Asian, and sushi has taught you nothing. Indeed, even the word sushi refers not to the fish but to the rice; any serious critique of a sushi place should start there.
Analogously, I say this: this una-​tamadon had the best rice I have had in anything like it in the city.
And I’ve had plenty: it’s a dish I always eventually end up trying at sufficiently casual Japanese restaurants I go to enough times, since it is difficult to make terribly… but even more difficult to make really well. My favorite version in the city was actually at a Chinese place.
Was.
Because its short-​grained rice, however competent, could not hold a candle to the impeccably cooked specimens at Benemon, pearlescent even in the dim lighting. Cliched as it is to say, this is one thing the Japanese get right: hyperspecialization can breed, well, something special. The rice was phenomenal enough to be scarfed down on its own. But, just as in sushi, it was how it complemented what was on top that it showed its true power. It tempered the strong flavors of the proteins above, provided that necessary drumbeat foundation while yielding the stage just when it needed to.
I say all of this in retrospect, since at the time of consumption, there was no time to think. Only to eat. Comfort food at its best defies real-​time analysis. The una-​tamadon was sweet, and soft, and gooey, and I know that sounds disgusting, but I tell you this, that bowl was gone so fast that I think it could only be fully explained with special relativity. This was what I’d been looking for. This was an immediate entry on that short list of foodstuffs that I know I can turn to when I don’t know what else to eat, since I could have it a hundred times and never tire of it.
There are a bunch of other bowls on the menu, of course. I don’t care.
Probability of return within 1 year: 100%

Food: Everything I had was absolutely delicious! For appetizers, you can’t go wrong. The edamame were spiced just right – not over salted as is often the case. Best shrimp tempura I have ever had. It was incredibly airy and satisfying, with a delicious tempura sauce. As good as the appetizers were, the donburi stole the show! I had the Nanban Don and once again the spicing stood out. The tempura chicken was perfectly spiced with a very savory sauce. I usually don’t order much fried food because I always feel like I want to curl up in a ball and die afterwards. However, here, I was really impressed with how the chef was able to impart the delicious texture and flavor that frying gives, without over-​doing it and leaving me feeling bad afterwards.
Atmosphere: The atmosphere was great. I was with a large group, but this would be a perfect spot for a date! The music was a great eclectic mix of R&B, jazz, and smooth hip hop. I really liked the lighting as it was a soft yellow. Nice exposed brick wall and beautiful woodwork throughout the restaurant. I actually had a chance to talk to the manager and found out that he made all of the wooden benches in the restaurant. Everything seemed very well thought out and cohesive and was trendy, but not over the top as is far too often the case. Very intimate, but not too loud, which is a difficult balance to strike.
Service: The service was also very good. Since I hadn’t been to Benemon before I asked the server what dishes was his favorite and he offered great recommendations and clearly was well versed in the menu.
Overall: I can’t recommend Benemon enough, especially for the price. I will definitely be going back, and am excited to try the rest of the menu.

Think I just found my new go-​to! I was impressed when I first walked in by the chic and warm atmosphere– check out the lighting, exposed brick, and fancy woodwork! The waiters were immediately inviting and the music was also pretty chill– caught some smooth hip-​hop.
I tried the Beef Kakuni and salty pork belly small plates. They were beyond mouth watering! The beef was so tender it fell apart easily, and that sauce! I usually don’t go crazy about tomato sauces but this was very different. The salty pork belly was slammin– with a crisp salty skin and tender center.
For entrees I tried the Una-​Tama Don and my friend got the pork katsu curry. The Una-​tama don was really savory, and the egg was a nice touch (also super generous portion). The pork katsu curry was also really good! The pork cutlet was breaded lightly and the curry really hits that stew-​spot. By the way, the bowls were all really pretty.
I had some of their unfiltered sake, which was a first for me. Nice taste, smooth, and the texture of the rice was nice!

Forget your ramen and sushi places of yesteryear, because Benemon makes you wonder why we in New York have been ignoring the donburi (rice bowl dishes) in Japanese cuisine.
I had the shrimp and vegetable tempura bowl. I’ve definitely been to restaurants were the tempura was fried to point of being nauseating, but both the shrimp and veggies were done perfectly here. The sauce was more delicious than I’d imagined it would be, which brought the whole entrée together nicely. I’ll definitely be going again, and it’ll be hard not to get this one again since it was so good. That said, the gratins look really good…
Also, lots of bonus points for ambiance. The exposed brick, incandescent lighting, and wooden benches produce a warmth that’s perfect for chowing down on such comforting foods. Good for friends, dates, and friend dates.