Eating out / Japanese & Sushi / Benihana

What I'd Order at Benihana to Lose Weight

I pick the hibachi protein with the vegetables, go easy on the fried rice and the yum yum sauce, since that sauce is 170 calories per ounce.

John Schaefer, fat loss coach for 27 years · Updated October 2026

What do I order?

Tell me where you're eating and your goal weight. I'll tell you exactly what to get, with the calories and protein.

Want me to email you your numbers? Your calories, protein, carbs and fats for your goal weight, plus this page so you have it at the table.

Answers are estimates from published nutrition data, not medical advice.

My Benihana orders

Hibachi Chateaubriand with salad and vegetables

Lunch style

Chateaubriand (360) plus Benihana salad (90) plus onions and zucchini (50), no rice

500calories51gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 28% of your calories and 49% of your protein for the day.

Hibachi Chicken with steamed rice and vegetables

Carb meal

Chicken (280) plus steamed rice (300) plus onions and zucchini (50), chicken first, rice last

630calories51gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 35% of your calories and 49% of your protein for the day.

Hibachi Tuna Steak with vegetables

Lunch style

How I order it, the calories and the protein are in the Eating Out Playbook, along with 59 other chains and 25 kinds of restaurants.

See the Playbook ($7) →

The rule at Benihana: the lunch style order is built on protein, fat and fiber. The carb meal is the one you have when this is your dinner, or the one meal of the day you're spending your carbs on.

How I fit any restaurant into the day

Protein firstEat the protein, then the vegetables and fats, then the carbs. You're satisfied before the bread matters.

One carb meal a dayBread, rice, pasta, potatoes, fries. Keep the big carb hit to one meal. On a night out, that's dinner.

Zoom out to the weekFat loss runs on your weekly average. One dinner out is easy to absorb when the rest of the week is steady.

The Eating Out Playbook

Every restaurant you go to, already figured out.

60 chains and 25 kinds of restaurants, including Benihana. Search the place you're going, pick an order, and see how it fits your goal weight before you sit down. Works on your phone, $7 one time.

Get the Playbook Free: my numbers

Quick answers

What is the best high protein order at Benihana?

Hibachi Chateaubriand with salad and vegetables: Chateaubriand (360) plus Benihana salad (90) plus onions and zucchini (50), no rice. It comes to about 500 calories and 51g of protein.

How many calories should I eat at Benihana to lose weight?

It depends on your goal weight. I use goal weight x 12 for daily calories, so a 150 lb goal is 1,800 calories a day and a lunch around 500 to 800 of them. The hibachi chateaubriand with salad and vegetables is 28% of that day with 49% of the protein. Type your own goal weight on this page to see your numbers.

What should I avoid at Benihana if I'm trying to lose weight?

The ones that stack calories with little protein: Tokyo Wings, Sesame Garlic (770 calories), Spicy Hibachi Steak Fried Rice (640 calories).

Can I eat Benihana and still lose fat?

Yes. I've never told a client to stop eating out. Build the order around protein, keep the carbs for one meal a day, and Benihana fits fine. I pick the hibachi protein with the vegetables, go easy on the fried rice and the yum yum sauce, since that sauce is 170 calories per ounce.