Benihana - Santa Monica, CA

Review summary

1. J

   Jennifer

   Los Angeles

   12 reviews

   vip
   1.0

   12 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   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 2 days ago

   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
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
2. D

   Daniel

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   Tyler served us at the Santa Monica location he was an outstanding server, will def be back to this location and ask for him!
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded 5 days ago

   Hey Tyler! Thanks for visiting us at Benihana - Santa Monica! We're thrilled to hear that you had an outstanding experience with us. We always strive to provide excellent service, and we're glad that you appreciated it. It's wonderful to know that you're planning to visit us again. We can't wait to serve you again. Best, The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
3. E

   Evan

   Los Angeles

   3 reviews

   vip
   3.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   Our Chef Frankie was wonderful but restaurant management is terrible. We waited 1 hour for our reservation and it would have taken much longer if we hadn’t been assertive. Too many managers standing around with iPads instead of lending a hand to the rest of the staff so things run more smoothly for customers. Again, our chef and server were great but they were suffering because of poor management.
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded 6 days ago

   Hello Evan! Thanks for the feedback. We're thrilled to hear that you had a wonderful experience with our chef and service. We're sorry to hear about the wait time you experienced, it's not the norm for us and we're working on improving our reservation system. We appreciate your patience and your comments about our management staff. 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 hope to have the opportunity to serve you again soon. Best, Benihana - Santa Monica Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
4. L

   Linette

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   Wait time could be better. Service meets expectations. Good food, a bit salty. Overall great experience!
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded 5 days ago

   Hey, Linette! Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed our service and food here at Benihana - Santa Monica. We appreciate your feedback about the food being a bit salty and we're always looking for ways to improve. We're happy to know that overall, you had a great experience with us. 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 hope to see you again soon!
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
5. N

   Nick

   Los Angeles

   3 reviews

   3.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on 10 November 2024

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

   In my experience, Benihana has been on a steady decline. I love hibachi and the dining concept. But each time I go here, the food is a little worse, the organization worse, the service a little worse. We had a 6.30pm reservation, arrived on time but only sat at table at 7.30. It took until 8pm before any food activity started. They got the order wrong, the chef was disorganized and his skill in preparing the food was average. he had a few tricks, but they weren't focused on cooking skills. Overall, a disappointing experience.
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on 11 November 2024

   Hi Nick! We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Santa Monica. We strive to provide our guests with exceptional service and delicious food, and it's clear we fell short during your visit. We appreciate your feedback and will take it into consideration as we continually work to improve our restaurant. 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 hope you'll give us another chance to impress you in the future. Best, The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
6. N

   Nargis

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined on 8 November 2024

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

   Don't want to post public comment
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on 9 November 2024

   Dear Nargis! Thanks for the review. We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed our food and service at Benihana - Santa Monica. We understand that posting comments on our public profile may have been a bit of a hassle. We're always striving to provide the best experience for our guests, and your feedback helps us do that. We hope to see you again soon.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
7. D

   Dana

   Los Angeles

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 7 November 2024

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

   Going Early has its perks, of no waiting and good service! Now you need to do that at any time!
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on 9 November 2024

   Dear Dana! Thanks for the review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your early visit to Benihana - Santa Monica. We understand that waiting can sometimes be frustrating and we're glad you appreciated our good service. We're always striving to provide the best value and your feedback helps us in that regard. We hope to see you again soon!
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
8. T

   Terrence J

   Los Angeles

   7 reviews

   5.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on 7 November 2024

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

   Great Server/Entertainer Food is excellent and cooking experience is always fun.
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on 8 November 2024

   Thanks for the feedback, Terrence! We're thrilled to hear that you had a fun cooking experience at Benihana - Santa Monica. It's wonderful to know that our food and service met your expectations. We strive to provide an excellent dining experience for all our guests. We appreciate your kind words and look forward to serving you again soon. Best, The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
9. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Los Angeles

   2 reviews

   2.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 5 November 2024

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

   The restaurant had max 10 customers and we have been waited for at least 40 minutes for rolls. I was about to go when they bring our lunch. Food was good . But because of the wait I rushed my lunch to be on time at my appointment. I did not enjoy the moment.
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on 7 November 2024

   Dear Guest! We're really sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Santa Monica. It's always our goal to provide excellent service and we're disappointed to hear that we fell short during your visit. We understand that waiting can be frustrating and we apologize for the delay in your lunch. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food, but we're sorry that the wait time negatively impacted your overall experience. We appreciate your feedback and will definitely use it to improve our service. 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 hope you'll give us another chance to serve you better in the future. Best regards, The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
10. t

    tamara

    Los Angeles

    149 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    149 reviews

    Dined on 5 November 2024

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

    always consistent. great food and very entertaining!
    

    Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on 6 November 2024

    Hi Tamara! Thank you so much for your kind words and the perfect ratings! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the food and found our service entertaining. We always strive to provide a great dining experience for our guests at Benihana - Santa Monica. We appreciate your feedback and look forward to serving you again soon! Best wishes, The Management Team
    

    Is this helpful?

    Report