Specialties Entrees at Benihana: Prices, Pairings and What to Expect
When one protein is not enough, the specialties section of the Benihana menu answers. These are the chef’s premium combinations: steak paired with shrimp, chicken with lobster, and other surf and turf builds made for guests who want the fullest version of the teppanyaki experience. If you are reviewing benihana specialties entrees prices before a birthday, an anniversary, or a big family night, this guide from The Menu Vault lays out what these dinners include and what they typically cost.
Every specialty dinner follows the same beloved progression as a standard teppanyaki meal. You start with Japanese onion soup, then a salad with ginger dressing, a shrimp appetizer, hibachi vegetables, and steamed rice, with the option to upgrade to chicken fried rice. The difference is on the main plate, where two premium proteins share the spotlight and the chef’s knife work takes center stage. Because the courses around the main plate are included, benihana specialties entrees prices cover far more than the meat alone, and that matters when you judge the value.
Specialties Entrees at Benihana: Typical Prices
In most markets, benihana specialties entrees prices run from about $38 to $65. Steak and shrimp combinations, the signature specialty, typically land between $38 and $52. Chicken and lobster builds usually run $42 to $58, and steak with lobster sits close behind. Triple protein specialties, which add a third item such as chicken or scallops, typically run $48 to $65. Seasonal chef specials vary but usually fall inside the same $40 to $60 band.
Set against the rest of the menu, benihana specialties entrees prices make sense. A single steak dinner on the standard menu can run into the mid thirties on its own. The specialty adds a second premium protein, often shrimp or lobster, for a step up that is smaller than ordering a separate seafood entree. Guests who would otherwise order two dinners to taste both proteins often find the combination kinder to the check, and the full course structure means nobody leaves hungry.
What Affects Benihana Specialties Entrees Prices
The proteins you choose drive benihana specialties entrees prices more than anything else. Shrimp is the most affordable partner for steak, lobster is the most premium, and scallops sit between the two. The cut of steak matters as well, since filet mignon pairings cost more than standard hibachi steak pairings. Location plays its part, with restaurants in major cities and tourist areas often pricing a few dollars higher. Finally, the time of day matters. Specialties are a dinner feature at most locations, while the lunch menu offers smaller grill plates at gentler prices.
Do Specialties Include the Full Dinner Courses?
Yes. Soup, salad, the shrimp appetizer, vegetables, and rice are part of the specialty dinner, just as they are with standard entrees. Upgrades such as chicken fried rice, extra vegetables, or added garlic butter cost a little more. When you compare benihana specialties entrees prices with a steakhouse across town, remember that a steakhouse charges for nearly every one of those sides apart, while Benihana folds them into one price.
One more factor is the occasion. Benihana is a celebration restaurant, and many tables add appetizers, sushi, or desserts around the main event. Those extras sit outside benihana specialties entrees prices, so a table that adds a round of specialty sushi rolls to start should expect the final check to climb. Planning the extras ahead keeps the evening relaxed.
The Specialty Experience, Course by Course
To judge benihana specialties entrees prices fairly, it helps to walk through the meal as it actually unfolds, because you are paying for a sequence, not a single plate. The evening begins with Japanese onion soup, a light broth with mushrooms and fried onions that wakes up your appetite. A salad with the famous ginger dressing follows, crisp and sharp. These two courses arrive for every guest at the grill table, and they are baked into the price of every specialty.
Next comes the shrimp appetizer, a small taste of the grill cooked while the chef sets up the main event. Then the vegetables take the heat: zucchini, onions, and mushrooms cooked in front of you, often with the small theater Benihana chefs are known for. Rice is served alongside, steamed and simple, or upgraded to chicken fried rice for a few dollars more. By the time the main proteins hit the grill, you have already eaten three courses, which is a large part of why benihana specialties entrees prices cover more ground than a typical entree price elsewhere.
The main plate is the peak. Your chef cooks the two specialty proteins to order, slices and plates them with care, and adds the sauces: a ginger sauce for the meats and a mustard based sauce many guests love with chicken and steak. Garlic butter ties the whole plate together. After the mains, many tables finish with something sweet from the desserts list or a drink from the alcoholic beverages selection, both priced apart from the dinner. Counting every course, benihana specialties entrees prices buy a full evening of food and entertainment, usually across ninety minutes at the grill.
The shared table is part of the experience as well. Grill tables seat around eight guests, so smaller parties often share the show with new faces. For celebrations, that energy is a plus. For a quiet date, lunch or an early seating may suit better. None of this changes the menu price, but it shapes how benihana specialties entrees prices feel once you are in the seat, and most guests leave feeling the evening delivered more than the check suggested.
Specialties Prices at a Glance
Here is the quick scan of the section, with typical ranges gathered across many markets. Your location may sit a few dollars to either side:
- Steak and shrimp: typically $38 to $52, the entry point of benihana specialties entrees prices.
- Chicken and lobster tail: typically $42 to $58, the lighter surf and turf.
- Seafood specialty with scallops and shrimp: typically $42 to $56.
- Filet mignon and shrimp: typically $46 to $60 for the most tender steak cut.
- Steak and lobster tail: typically $48 to $62, the classic celebration plate.
- Triple protein combinations: typically $48 to $65, the top of benihana specialties entrees prices and the most shareable plates on the section.
Every range above includes the soup, salad, shrimp appetizer, vegetables, and rice that come with the dinner. Drinks, sushi starters, fried rice upgrades, tax, and tip sit on top of benihana specialties entrees prices, so plan the full evening with those in mind.
Most Popular Specialties Entree Items
The specialties list is short compared with the full menu, and every plate earns its place. These are the combinations guests order most, along with the typical place each one holds within benihana specialties entrees prices.
Steak and Shrimp Combination
The flagship specialty pairs hibachi steak, cooked to your temperature on the grill, with plump shrimp seared in garlic butter. It is the combination the chefs recommend to first time guests because it shows off both sides of the Benihana grill. The steak brings the savory depth and the shrimp brings a sweet snap. This pairing usually anchors the low end of benihana specialties entrees prices, typically $38 to $52, and it is the safest order at any table.
There is a reason this plate leads the section. Steak and shrimp are the two items the grill does best, and together they cover land and sea in one sitting. If your table orders different specialties to share tastes around the grill, this is the plate everyone reaches for first. It is also the specialty most likely to appear in seasonal promotions, which can pull its place within benihana specialties entrees prices down a little further during deal weeks.
Chicken and Lobster Tail
For a lighter take on surf and turf, chicken and lobster is the elegant choice. The chicken is grilled with mushrooms and a gentle lemon note, while the lobster tail is the celebration piece, rich and tender. Guests who find steak heavy often prefer this build. It typically runs $42 to $58, placing it in the middle of benihana specialties entrees prices, and it is a favorite at birthday tables across the country.
Filet Mignon and Shrimp
Upgrading the steak to filet mignon changes the whole plate. The filet is the most tender cut on the grill, and paired with garlic butter shrimp it becomes the specialty many regulars save for anniversaries. Expect this pairing near the upper middle of benihana specialties entrees prices, most often $46 to $60 depending on the market. If tenderness is your top priority, this is the order.
Steak and Lobster Tail
This is the classic surf and turf statement: a full hibachi steak beside a whole lobster tail, both finished on the grill in front of you. It is the specialty that turns a dinner into an event. Because both proteins are premium, it sits high within benihana specialties entrees prices, usually $48 to $62. Couples often share this plate with an extra order of fried rice and call it a perfect night.
Triple Protein Combination
Some specialties add a third protein, most often chicken alongside steak and shrimp, for guests who truly cannot choose. The plate arrives loaded, and the chef sequences each protein so everything lands hot. Triple builds top out benihana specialties entrees prices at roughly $48 to $65. They are also the most shareable plates on the section, and two guests with moderate appetites can split one happily.
Seafood Specialty with Scallops and Shrimp
Seafood lovers get their own specialty built around scallops and shrimp, sometimes with a fish selection when the market is kind. The scallops are seared hard for a golden crust and finished with lemon and butter. This plate usually sits in the middle band of benihana specialties entrees prices, around $42 to $56. It is a fine choice for guests skipping red meat who still want the full specialty experience.
How Specialties Compare With Standard Entrees
Guests often ask whether a specialty is worth the step up from a standard entree, so it helps to set the two side by side. A standard hibachi steak or chicken dinner includes the same soup, salad, shrimp appetizer, vegetables, and rice. The difference is only the main plate: one protein instead of two. Standard entrees on the steak and chicken entrees page typically run in the twenties and low thirties, while benihana specialties entrees prices start in the high thirties. The gap between them is roughly the cost of adding shrimp or lobster as a second main, and it is smaller than ordering any second entree on the menu.
The seafood side of the menu tells a similar story. A plate from the seafood entrees section gives you one ocean protein with the full courses. A specialty gives you that protein plus a land partner, cooked in the same show. Guests who plan to taste both sides of the grill anyway usually find the specialty the cleaner deal, because the courses are not doubled, only the main plate grows. That is the honest frame for benihana specialties entrees prices: you pay for a bigger centerpiece, not for two dinners.
There is one case where the standard entree wins. If you know you only want one protein and you want the lightest possible check, a standard dinner is the right call and still includes every course. Specialties are for the nights when the second protein is the point of the evening. Knowing which night you are having keeps benihana specialties entrees prices feeling fair either way.
Best Value in This Category
The best value in the specialties section is the steak and shrimp combination. It pairs the two most popular grill proteins, it carries the lowest specialty price, and it includes the same full run of courses as every other plate. Judged bite for bite, nothing else on the section gives you as much of the Benihana experience per dollar. When friends ask The Menu Vault where benihana specialties entrees prices feel fairest, this is the plate we name first.
There is a second value play worth knowing: sharing. Specialty portions are generous, and many couples split one specialty plus an extra side of chicken fried rice or an order from the sides list. Some locations add a small plate charge for sharing, so ask your server. Even with that charge, two guests eating one specialty often spend less than two standard entrees, which bends benihana specialties entrees prices in your favor.
Lunch deserves an honorable mention too. If the specialty experience matters more than the specialty proteins, the midday grill plates give you the chef show and the courses at a friendlier cost. But for a true celebration plate, the steak and shrimp specialty remains the value champion of benihana specialties entrees prices.
Families can use the same logic at a shared table. One specialty in the middle, standard entrees around it, and a taste of lobster or filet for everyone turns a single premium plate into a table wide upgrade. It is a relaxed way to enjoy the top of the menu while keeping the check close to what a round of standard dinners would have cost anyway.
How to Save on Specialties Entrees
Start with timing. Benihana runs seasonal promotions and birthday offers through its email club, and a birthday entree offer with the purchase of another can transform the check for a celebration table. Signing up before your visit is the easiest way to soften benihana specialties entrees prices without changing your order.
Next, look at Benihana happy hour. Happy hour covers drinks and selected appetizers in the lounge at many locations, and starting the evening there can replace pricier starters at the grill table. The wider happy hours guide on The Menu Vault shows how other chains handle their deals if you are comparing celebration spots.
At the table, small choices add up. Steamed rice is included, while chicken fried rice is an upgrade. Water or a simple drink keeps the bar side of the bill calm compared with specialty cocktails from the drinks list. And if your table wants sushi, ordering one roll to share from the sashimi and sushi section satisfies the craving without doubling the starters. Each small choice trims the total around the edges of benihana specialties entrees prices.
Gift cards deserve a line here too. Benihana gift cards surface in warehouse clubs and seasonal promotions at a discount from time to time, and paying with a discounted card lowers your real cost below the printed prices. Group planners can also ask about celebration packages for large tables, since some locations bundle courses for parties. None of these change the menu itself, but each one softens what benihana specialties entrees prices mean for your own wallet on the night.
FAQs
Are specialty entrees good for sharing?
Yes, the portions are generous, and many couples split a specialty platter plus an extra side of rice. Ask your server about sharing policies, since some locations add a small plate charge. Sharing is one of the simplest ways to enjoy benihana specialties entrees prices as a pair without ordering two full dinners.
Which specialty is the best value?
Steak and shrimp usually delivers the most crowd pleasing pair at the lowest specialty price. It combines the two most popular grill proteins, includes every course, and anchors the friendly end of benihana specialties entrees prices in most markets.
What is included with a specialty entree?
Your dinner includes Japanese onion soup, a salad with ginger dressing, a shrimp appetizer, hibachi vegetables, and steamed rice, along with the two main proteins. Upgrades like chicken fried rice cost a little extra. All of that is folded into benihana specialties entrees prices, which is why the plates compare well with steakhouse checks.
Are specialties available at lunch?
Specialties are mainly a dinner feature. At lunch, the grill offers smaller plates and bowls at lower prices, and some locations will prepare a specialty on request. If lunch is your plan, expect the midday menu rather than benihana specialties entrees prices to guide your budget.
Can the chef cook my steak to a specific temperature?
Yes. Your chef cooks each steak to order, from rare to well done, and seasons the proteins at the grill. Tell the chef your preferences when the main course begins. The care at the grill is part of what benihana specialties entrees prices buy you, beyond the food itself.
Do specialties cost more on weekends?
The menu prices themselves usually stay the same all week. The difference is demand: weekend tables fill fast, and celebrations add extras. Booking ahead protects your plans, and the plate you order will sit in the same place within benihana specialties entrees prices as it would on a Tuesday.
Can children order from the specialties section?
Children can share a specialty with the table, and many families do exactly that, adding an extra side of rice for young eaters. Benihana also keeps a children’s menu with smaller grill plates at much lower prices for kids who want their own dinner. For a family celebration, mixing one or two specialties for the adults with children’s plates for the kids keeps benihana specialties entrees prices from stretching the whole table’s budget.
Keep Exploring
The Benihana menu prices guide covers the whole menu, from steak and chicken entrees to desserts and the take home options. Visit the Benihana hub for the big picture, browse the menu prices index to compare celebration restaurants, or look through the secret menus collection for off menu ideas elsewhere. It all starts from The Menu Vault home page, where typical prices stay in plain view.