Benihana

Rocky Aoki brought his Japanese steakhouse concept to the US in 1964, and diners came to be dazzled by the theatrical presentation of chefs slicing, dicing and cracking wise while preparing meals tableside. But while the chefs may serve up plenty of daring, the food is overall pretty safe. Expect decent teppanyaki standards like chicken, beef and seafood with various dipping sauces; considering all the sides, it can turn out to be a good value. No purist would ever claim this is real Japanese fare (for that maybe try Kado), but most people are coming for the show anyway. Indeed, Benihana speaks to large groups and birthday parties, so don’t be surprised to hear multiple renditions of the birthday song while you’re there. Some rave about the banana tempura for dessert, and interestingly, Aoki, a master of self-promotion, claims to have invented green tea ice cream (as well as the saketini).

TIPS: There are large communal tables and you’ll likely end up sitting with people you don’t know – and often the strangers you sit with could make or break the experience. You will also reek of smoke when you leave, so keep that in mind.