Benihana - Santa Monica, CA

Review summary

1. K

   Katie

   Central Coast

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   This restaurant has great food going for it and that’s about it. Our cook was lively and funny but every other employee behaved like they’d want to be anywhere else. Our waitress was incredibly slow and again, wanted to be anywhere but there. And fair enough, but maybe don’t show it?? The facility itself was dirty and ambience was poor.
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Hi, Katie! Thank you for sharing your experience at Benihana - Santa Monica. We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed our food and found it to be a good representation of our brand. We're sorry to hear, however, that the other aspects of your visit didn't meet your expectations. We strive to create a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere for our guests, and we apologize if our staff was not able to do so. We also take pride in our cleanliness, and your feedback will be shared with our team for review. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide a better experience. Best, The Management Team
   

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2. A

   Alison

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Food was mid and when it came to paying for our food we got double charged for items we didn’t get I don’t think this pay is worth spending 200 dollars for 4 people
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Thanks for visiting us at Benihana - Santa Monica, Alison! We're truly sorry to hear about your experience. We pride ourselves on providing excellent food and service, and it's clear we didn't meet those standards during your visit. We understand your concerns about the payment and will ensure we take the necessary steps to avoid any mistakes like this in the future. We appreciate your feedback and hope to have the chance to serve you again in the future.
   

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3. g

   gary

   Los Angeles

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Food and service were very good. Restaurant had no heat; too cold.
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Hello Gary! We're glad to hear that you enjoyed our food and service at Benihana - Santa Monica. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the temperature. We understand how this can be a concern especially during the winter. We will take this into consideration and do our best to provide a more comfortable environment. Thank you for your feedback and we hope to serve you again soon. Best, The Management Team
   

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4. C

   Cherise

   Los Angeles

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   Honestly, we will never frequent a Benihana again. From the overwhelming propane smell at our table throughout the meal, to the numerous times the booking was checked before arrival and then when we got there it took forever to get us seated and served. The place looked filthy, carpets need cleaning, staff weren’t particularly friendly, and the biggest shock was the bill at the end of the night. $500 for 4 adults and 3 children’s meals. Not worth it at all. None of it.
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Cherise! We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Santa Monica. We take your feedback seriously and it's disappointing to know that we did not meet your expectations. We strive to provide a clean and welcoming environment for our guests, and we apologize for falling short in this aspect during your visit. We also understand your concerns regarding the delay in seating and the overall cost. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our services.
   

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5. D

   Denise

   Los Angeles

   15 reviews

   4.0

   15 reviews

   Dined on 10 December 2024

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

   Server was awesome..cook was very good with the flavors for sure, entertainment a little weak but was a very sweet guy..overall, always a great birthday gathering time..
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded 7 days ago

   Hello Denise! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great birthday gathering at Benihana - Santa Monica. It's wonderful to know that our server and food met your expectations with their flavors. We always strive to provide a memorable experience for our guests, and it's great to hear that our team was able to make your day even more enjoyable. We appreciate your feedback on the entertainment and value, and we're always looking for ways to improve. Thank you for choosing us for your birthday gatherings and we look forward to serving you again soon. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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6. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined on 8 December 2024

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

   The service was great, and our chef My only complaint is that the bathrooms should not be like an Arco bathroom. Toilet paper on the floor and 2 bathrooms no toilet paper. I would just expect a higher end restaurant to have cleaner restrooms.
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on 9 December 2024

   Thanks for visiting us at Benihana - Santa Monica. We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed our service and the food. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the cleanliness of our restrooms. We understand how important cleanliness is to our guests and we'll definitely look into this matter. We appreciate your feedback and hope to serve you again soon.
   

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7. J

   James

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on 8 December 2024

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

   They never adhere to your reservation had a 7pm time and didn’t get seated till about 740 and wanted to continue to wait for another party of 2. Food was great , but they really need to work on the time wasted waiting to get seated .
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on 9 December 2024

   Hi, James! We're really sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Santa Monica. We understand how frustrating it can be to not be able to enjoy your meal when you have a reservation, and we apologize for the delay you experienced. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed our food, but we understand that it's not the only thing that matters. We appreciate your feedback and will certainly use it to improve our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide a better dining experience. Best, The Management Team
   

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8. N

   Nan

   Los Angeles

   7 reviews

   5.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on 2 December 2024

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

   A very fun dining experience for the family- grandkids ages 6 and 9, perfect. Food pretty good too- feel that service was tip top.
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on 4 December 2024

   Dear Nan, we are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your experience at our restaurant! We are thrilled that our service and food made your visit special. Thank you for your kind words and for choosing to dine with us.
   

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9. L

   Liora

   VIP

   Los Angeles

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 2 December 2024

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

   We had reservations at 4:15 and we didn’t get called to get seated till closer to 5p. It was dead, a lot of people waiting and only 2 chefs working.
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on 4 December 2024

   Dear Liora! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We're very sorry you experienced a long wait and we appreciate your patience. We understand how valuable your time is. We would appreciate another chance to earn your trust, please provide your contact information so we can follow up regarding this experience by visiting our "Contact Us" page on our website.
   

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10. J

    Jennifer

    VIP

    Los Angeles

    12 reviews

    1.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on 21 November 2024

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

    Let me start this off by saying we love Benihana and specifically this location but today was by far the worst service we’ve had. Our server was Zachary whom was either new or is just horrible. He took our drink orders and brought that back. This is perhaps the only thing he did right. Mid service of food, I asked for hot tea and that never came. When we were done with our food, it took him 20 minutes to reappear to give boxes then another to take our ice cream orders. I ordered a chocolate and so did my husband and 20 minutes later he came and with completely wrong ice cream orders. Not just for us but also for the other parties in our table. Then it took another 20 minutes to come out with our check. We spent more time waiting for him than actually with our chef and eating. This was ridiculous. Manager was involved in the paying of bill and didn’t even apologize. This was a very frustrating experience. Just for context, there were other servers that were constantly attentive to their tables. The table next to us was sat down when our chef was almost done cooking our food and they still ordered, ate, paid their bill and left before we could.
    

    Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on 22 November 2024

    Hi Jennifer! We're truly sorry for your experience at Benihana - Santa Monica. We strive for excellent service and it's clear we fell short. We apologize for the delay in service and the mix-up with your orders. We're also sorry for the impact on your dining experience. If you wish to contact us with further details regarding this experience, you may reach us by visiting our "Contact Us" page on our website. We value your feedback and will address these issues with our team. Best, The Management Team
    

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