Benihana - Newport Beach, CA

Review summary

1. Y

   Yasi VIP

   Orange County14 reviews

   3.0

   Dined today

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

   I had made a reservation in advance yet it was still very busy. It seems like they are short staffed in the chefs department because we didn’t get served for over an hour. So many families with kids that are sitting hungry. You could tell they were all on electronics just to keep distracted. The chef we had was ok. Could barely understand him the entire time. Barely did any of the tricks and the food was very bland- maybe a step up panda express. Definitely not worth $300 (w/o alcohol). We came mostly for my 2.5 year old daughter to experience tepenayaki however we left disappointed.
   

   Is this helpful?

2. T

   Tiffany VIP

   Orange County13 reviews

   4.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Wait was incredibly long. We had a 6:30pm reservation but didn’t get seated for over an hour and then didn’t get a chef for another half hour or so. Luckily we got the best chef we’ve had in a while. I don’t remember his name…I think Mike? He looks Asian with a arm tattoo. I’ve been to Benihana so many times, and it can say this chef was amazing in terms of both tricks and cooking skills. I think his amazing attention to detail and the great taste of his food overcame the negative caused by the wait.
   

   Benihana - Newport Beach, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Tiffany. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed your chef's performance and the overall taste of our food. We understand how frustrating the wait can be and we apologize for it. We're continuously working on improving our service and we're glad to know that you've had the best experience with us. We hope to see you again soon for another amazing dining experience!
   

   Is this helpful?

3. L

   Lindsay VIP

   Denver5 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Our waiter was great and so was our chef. He was funny and did a great show. However, we were seated 45 minutes after our reservation time and then waited another hour for the cooking start. We were there over 2.5 hrs. We had gone to celebrate a birthday but it was so late by the time the food was done we just left. No manager ever came to check on us or apologize for the long wait times. Edit to add - this isn’t the first time we had an excessive wait with a reservation and looking at past reviews the wait seems to be standard practice with promises by the restaurant to “address internally” but given our experience matched so many others over the past months and the problem persists we will not be going back any time soon.
   

   Benihana - Newport Beach, CAResponded 4 days ago

   Hey Lindsay, We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Newport Beach, CA. We aim to provide a seamless dining experience for our guests and it seems we fell short during your visit. We understand the importance of waiting in a timely manner and we're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. We appreciate your feedback and will certainly address this with our team to ensure it doesn't happen again. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide you with the exceptional experience we're known for. Best, The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

4. SC

   SoCalGuy

   Orange County9 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   Upon arrival, the lobby was packed and people were also standing outside. The restaurant does not have enough parking, so we parked on the street. It took a couple minutes to get checked in for our 7:15pm reservation and we’re advised they were running 15-20 minutes behind schedule. Here’s how the service times went. 7:15 arrival 8:07 Called to be seated 8:45 Beverages served 8:50 soup served 9:03 Chef started the dinner preparation. The restaurant overbooked itself or was short staffed, but every table was full. This created negative impression on everyone at our communal table. It is questionable if there will be a return visit. For two, the dinner came to just under $200.
   

   Benihana - Newport Beach, CAResponded 5 days ago

   Dear Guest! We're really sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Newport Beach, CA. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait for your reservation, especially when you're excited to eat with us. We apologize for the delay and any inconvenience it may have caused. We also acknowledge your feedback about the crowded table. We're disappointed to hear that you found our service lacking, and we assure you that it's not the standard we strive for. We hope you'll give us another chance to make it up to you. Best, The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

5. T

   Tony

   Las Vegas1 review

   1.0

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   Terrible experience with reservation had a set time and were 45min after. Upon we had to wait another 30 min for food or drink service to come. When food was delivered some of our guests food was missing or forgotten.
   

   Benihana - Newport Beach, CAResponded 4 days ago

   Hi Tony, We're truly sorry for the experience you had at Benihana - Newport Beach, CA. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait, especially when you have a reservation. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and the oversight with your food. We appreciate your feedback and assure you that we're taking steps to ensure this doesn't happen again. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide a better dining experience. Best regards, The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

6. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Orange County2 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   Awful experience. Seated an hour after our reservation. One of the couples we came with had to leave because their babysitter couldn't watch the kids any longer.
   

   Benihana - Newport Beach, CAResponded 5 days ago

   Dear Guest! We're really sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Newport Beach, CA. It's quite disheartening to hear that you had to wait for a while despite having a reservation. We understand how frustrating that can be and we apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused you. We're taking your feedback seriously and will be discussing this with our team to ensure it doesn't happen again. We hope you'll give us another chance to make it up to you. Thank you for your feedback.
   

   Is this helpful?

7. CM

   CiaraM

   Orange County1 review

   3.0

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   When you eat in the lounge, you end up feeling a bit forgotten - it also doubles as a waiting room so there are people standing, walking around, and talking loudly. I think the service and food quality are a lot better when you sit in the main dining room. We just don’t always want to see the full show, so were hoping this could be a good option. Not sure I would do it again.
   

   Benihana - Newport Beach, CAResponded 5 days ago

   Hello Ciara, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're glad to hear that you found our food quality and service to be better when dining in the main dining room. We understand your concerns about the noise level and the feeling of being forgotten. We always aim to create a comfortable and enjoyable atmosphere for our guests, and we're sorry if you felt that it didn't quite hit the mark this time. We appreciate your feedback and will certainly take it into consideration as we continually strive to improve our guests' experiences. We hope you'll reconsider dining with us again. Best regards, Benihana - Newport Beach, CA The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

8. K

   K

   Orange County1 review

   1.0

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   Overpriced , terrible service and absolutely no point in making a reservation. We arrived at our 4:45pm reservation and waited until 5:30-5:45 pm to ask what was going on. We couldn’t wait any longer and headed to the lounge area where we it was empty but waited an additional hour to be served . An absolute nightmare of a dinner.
   

   Benihana - Newport Beach, CAResponded 5 days ago

   Thanks for the feedback, K. We're truly sorry to hear about your disappointing experience at Benihana - Newport Beach, CA. It's disappointing to hear that we didn't meet your expectations, especially regarding our service and waiting times. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait, especially when you have a reservation. We're taking your comments seriously and will use them to improve our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to make it right. Best regards, The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

9. D

   Dennie

   Orange County5 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   Our waiter was amazing! Attentive, quick, great attitude!
   

   Benihana - Newport Beach, CAResponded 5 days ago

   Hi Dennie, Thank you so much for your kind words and perfect ratings! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your experience at Benihana - Newport Beach, CA. It's wonderful to know that our team's service met your expectations. We always strive to provide the best for our guests and your feedback is a testament to that. We look forward to welcoming you back soon. Best regards, The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

10. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Orange County1 review

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

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

    The smoke to thick from the table in front of us. Food was so great and the service was awesome.
    

    Benihana - Newport Beach, CAResponded 5 days ago

    Dear Guest! Thank you so much for your kind words and perfect ratings! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed our food and service. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the smoke in your vicinity. We appreciate your understanding and patience, and we're glad we could provide a great dining experience for you. We look forward to serving you again soon. Best regards, The Management Team at Benihana - Newport Beach, CA
    

    Is this helpful?