Benihana - Carlsbad, CA

Review summary

1. a

   ashley

   San Diego

   10 reviews

   1.0

   10 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   I can’t begin to explain my disappointment and the direction this restaurant has gone. This has been a longtime favorite of our families. We celebrate many birthdays, anniversaries here. Since being purchased by the new restaurant group, the service by the managerial staff has been subpar the poor employees and chefs are bearing the weight of incredibly long weights with no communication from the managers and the long hours that you can see on their faces. We waited over an hour to be seated, and then another hour and a half to even have our service begin with the chef. Our overall experience was only amazing because of our chef and our server otherwise, I would only give this restaurant one star due to their new takeover. So disappointing…  be aware even if you make a reservation, which we had, you will wait in the lobby before waiting again at the table. The general manager even walked out on NYE due to the conditions of the new owner. I would also like to add that the bathroom was a disaster. Handle for the door falling off, no toilet paper, toilet seat broken. Honestly take some pride in your restaurant.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
2. L

   Lisa

   VIP

   San Diego

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   We got seated at 5pm for our Sunday reservations and didn’t leave the place till 745, our dinner chef to cook our food didn’t come over and start till 6:30. Waiting at a table from 5-630 was way too long. Drinks took over 25 mins and we had to hunt for server for any refills. I would go elsewhere, do Korean BBQ instead or plan to drive farther for a faster place.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
3. W

   Whitney

   San Diego

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   It took over an hour before the chef came to cook for our table. After all that time of waiting, my meal was wrong. It was an overall bad experience. No management came by to apologize or anything.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
4. S

   Sanjay

   Orange County

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   David was fantastic with his acumen, creativity and perfection
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
5. J

   Jessica

   VIP

   San Diego

   6 reviews

   2.0

   6 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   Food was amazing and our chef was great, but we were extremely disappointed that our reservation was at 7:30pm and we had to wait 30min to be seated then another hour before our chef arrived to prepare our food. They did bring out the salad and drinks, but I couldn’t believe how long it took for a chef to come over. Luckily Marco was so fun and everything he prepared was to perfection. We ended up being there for three hours. Management needs to reevaluate how many reservations they book because it was insane that some people mentioned they waited an hour after their reserved time. Maybe it’s a business strategy so that everyone buys drinks at the bar while they wait for their table.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
6. S

   Steve

   San Diego

   5 reviews

   4.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 2

   Needless to say: VERY EXPENSIVE. Server was good, but had too many tables. Chef was great; kids enjoyed the show. Saturday night, crowded with lots of kids at nearly bl every table. As a result, hard to hear people in our group. A good suggestion was that they should consider sound-dampening dividers in that large room.
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for the review, Steve. We're glad to hear that you found our chef great and the kids enjoyed the show at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA. We understand your concerns about the noise in the restaurant and we appreciate your suggestion about sound-dampening dividers. We're always looking for ways to improve the dining experience for our guests and your feedback is valuable to us. We hope to welcome you back soon for a more relaxed atmosphere. Best regards, Benihana - Carlsbad, CA Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
7. S

   Scott

   Hawaii

   2 reviews

   2.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 1

   Never again. We initially had a table of eight for a birthday dinner, and one of our guests could not make it. The main host decided that he wanted to put a couple with our party and overload the table. The hostess looked twice at him asking if he was sure that he wanted to cram the table. And he nodded yes. I asked her if it was typical to put nine people at an eight person table, and she replied that they were backed up and he’s trying to fit in as much as possible. We then arrive at the table, and everybody is sitting with their knees touching on the corners, one guest almost sitting in the pit area and elbows touching when trying to eat. None of us were large people either. We then waiting close to 90 minutes for our chef to come to the table to prepare our food. Then the chef hurriedly prepared our meals and said he had to get to the next table quickly. For a place that charges $75-100 per person for dinner and a drink, you would think that they would try to make you comfortable while sitting and not keep you at a table for 2.5 hours. Very poor experience and not worth it.
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for the review, Scott. We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at our restaurant, Benihana - Carlsbad, CA. We understand how important it is to feel comfortable while dining, and we apologize for any discomfort caused. We understand how important time is to our guests, and we're sorry for any delay in your service. We value your feedback and will certainly take it into account as we strive to improve our services. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide you with the experience you deserve. Best regards, Benihana - Carlsbad, CA Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
8. N

   Nancy

   San Diego

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   Had 730 reservation was seated almost 9 o clock then another 45 minutes before chef came out just terrible if running behind like that they need to contact people
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Hi Nancy, We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA. We understand how frustrating it can be to have a reservation and still wait for service, especially when you're running behind schedule. We assure you that this is not the norm for us and we're currently looking into this matter. We appreciate your feedback and hope to have the opportunity to serve you again in the future. Best regards, The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
9. E

   Elizabeth

   San Francisco

   16 reviews

   3.0

   16 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   Had a reservation, but weren’t seated for an hour. Once seated, we didn’t get our food for another 2 hours. Our waiter did an awesome job of checking on the table, and keeping us fed and hydrated. We had 2 small kids with us and to wait 3 hours for food was just unacceptable. The chef tried to do his best, but really just rushed the “show”. We were super disappointed with the lack of experience I wanted for my grandkids. By the time the food came, we really just had them box it up and we left. The hostess told us the reservation system wasn’t working and they had been overbooking for 2 weeks.
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Hello Elizabeth, We're really sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA. It's clear that we didn't meet your expectations for timely service and the quality of our food. We understand how frustrating that can be and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. We appreciate your patience and understanding, and we're grateful that your waiter provided excellent service. We're also sorry for any disappointment you felt with the food and the overall experience. Your feedback is invaluable to us and we'll definitely look into this matter. We hope you'll give us another chance to make it right. Best Regards, The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
10. M

    Margaret

    VIP

    Austin

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3

    It is hard to rate this restaurant because we had a 6:15 reservation but didn’t get seated until 8:30! The rest of the experience was great but I don’t think I will go back because a reservation means nothing there.
    

    Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 1 day ago

    Thanks for the review, Margaret! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the food and service at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA. We apologize for the delay in seating you despite having a reservation. We understand how frustrating that can be and we'll make sure to review our reservation process to avoid such situations in the future. We appreciate your patience and hope to see you again soon.
    

    Is this helpful?

    Report