Benihana at Grand Mercure Bangkok Atrium
1880 Phetchaburi Rd, Bang Kapi, Huai Khwang, Bangkok 10310
Sit at the teppanyaki counter, not at a side table. The whole point of Benihana is watching the chef cook two feet from your plate, and a table seat gets you the food without the show. Two people minimum. Lead with the Wagyu beef set if budget allows. The fried rice is the order you regret not getting.
The Grand Mercure Atrium sits on New Phetchaburi Road in Huai Khwang, and Benihana operates inside the hotel as one of the property's restaurants. You ride the elevator up, the host walks you past the sushi bar, and you settle in at a teppanyaki counter wrapped around a flat iron grill.
A Japanese chef works the griddle in front of six to eight diners at a time. Knives flip, the onion volcano gets built, the fried rice goes on last with eggs cracked one-handed. This is the eatertainment format Benihana built its name on, and the Bangkok kitchen runs it the same way the New York and Tokyo branches do.
The protein list runs Australian Wagyu, Australian Angus, Norwegian salmon, Kurobuta pork, tiger prawns, and tofu steak for the non-meat eaters. Seven menus rotate through the room: a la carte, set dinner, lunch, brunch, dessert, sushi, and a full beverage list of cocktails, sake, wine, beer, and whiskey. Chef's recommendations lean toward grilled scallops, A4 Japanese Wagyu, and foie gras.
Kids love it. Anniversary couples book it. Solo diners will feel slightly out of place since the counter format is built for groups of two and up. Reservations go through TableCheck and they fill on weekend evenings.
The practical note: lunch and brunch menus are the value entry points. Dinner ticks higher fast once you order Wagyu. Open 12 PM to 10 PM daily, with the hotel address at 1880 New Phetchaburi Road. Allow 90 minutes minimum, two hours if you order the full set.