What's the difference between hibachi and teppanyaki?
Technically, hibachi is a traditional Japanese charcoal grill, while teppanyaki is cooking on a flat iron griddle. In American restaurants, including Jinbeh, the word 'hibachi' is commonly used for what is technically teppanyaki: tableside cooking on a large flat griddle with a chef performing knife tricks and the onion volcano. Both terms refer to the same experience at Jinbeh's Frisco and Lewisville locations. Our chefs cook your proteins, vegetables, and fried rice on a heated iron surface right at your table. In Japan, the distinction matters more; in the US, the terms have effectively merged. When you book a 'hibachi' table at Jinbeh, you are getting teppanyaki-style cooking.
The terminology confusion dates back to the 1960s when Benihana introduced teppanyaki to America under the name 'hibachi.' The name stuck. Today most Americans use 'hibachi' to mean any tableside Japanese griddle cooking, regardless of fuel source or equipment. Jinbeh's chefs are trained in classic teppanyaki technique: precise temperature control, choreographed knife work, and the timing required to bring rice, vegetables, and three or four proteins to a single hot plate simultaneously. Frisco's gas grills and Lewisville's electric grills both produce the high, even heat the technique requires. Whether you call it hibachi or teppanyaki, the show and the food are the same.
Continue exploring
Related questions
Ready to experience Jinbeh?