Benihana - Chicago, IL

Review summary

1. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Diego1 review

   1.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   DONT GO! We went for my son’s 16th birthday and it was the most disappointing dining experience I’ve ever had. We waited 15 minutes for anyone to acknowledge us when we walked with with a reservation, the manager stood a ways off and saw us, even walked by a couple times and said nothing. After 1 hour we finally had drinks, mind you the restaurant was less than 50% full with staff standing around looking board. After 1.5 hours with no food I went to the manager who wouldn’t even let me speak and said I should “just put a smile on and enjoy myself”. After 2 hours of no food, no updates, no attempt to make it right the rest of the people at our table gave up and left. I went to the manager one more time and he couldn’t have cared less and said there was nothing he could do (all I asked for was a rough eta). After 2.5 hours of no food we finally left. When we left the manager saw us and said nothing. Things happen, delays, but I’ve never experienced a not busy restaurant where we waited 2.5 hours after a reservation to get food, no updates, no attempt to make it right (maybe bring out an appetizer to help make it right). So disappointing on any night but especially for that to be my son’s birthday (which they knew) and they didn’t care at all. That manager needs to go!!
   

   Benihana - Chicago, ILResponded 3 days ago

   Dear Guest! We're truly sorry for your experience at Benihana - Chicago, IL. We understand the frustration and disappointment of long wait times and understand your concerns about the lack of attention. We regret that your son's birthday was not special and we sincerely apologize for the lack of updates and attempts to make things right. Your feedback is invaluable to us and we assure you that we will address these issues. We hope you will give us another chance to make it right. Best, The Management Team
   

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2. K

   Kassandra VIP

   Los Angeles6 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Cook was amazing- unfortunately we had to switch tables due to our original grill not warming/ heating up properly. Our cook was Josue, although the table had difficulties he still managed to cook up our food perfectly. Service was mid - food was amazing.
   

   Benihana - Chicago, ILResponded 3 days ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Kassandra. We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the food and found our team to be amazing. We apologize for the inconvenience caused due to the grill issue. We're glad that our team was able to make up for it and provide you with a perfect dining experience. We'll work on improving our service to ensure a better experience in the future. We hope to serve you again soon.
   

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3. M

   Melinda

   Chicago3 reviews

   4.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   I love Benihana but try to go during the weekday the service is smoother. We had to wait a long time for our check and then the credit card machine wouldn’t work.
   

   Benihana - Chicago, ILResponded 5 days ago

   Hi Melinda, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We're thrilled to hear that you love Benihana and appreciate our service during the week. We're sorry to hear about the wait time for your check and the malfunctioning credit card machine. We will definitely look into these issues to ensure a smoother experience for all our guests in the future. We hope to welcome you back during our usual peak business hours for a better experience. Best, The Management Team
   

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4. B

   Becker

   New York City7 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   Amazing experience! Delicious food and highly skilled chef!
   

   Benihana - Chicago, ILResponded 5 days ago

   Hi Becker, We're thrilled to hear about your amazing experience at Benihana - Chicago, IL! It's wonderful to know that you enjoyed our food and found our chef skilled. We always aim to provide top-notch service and value, and your feedback lets us know we're doing our job well. Thank you for your kind words and we look forward to serving you again soon! Best, The Management Team
   

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5. MB

   MarcusB VIP

   Grand Rapids2 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   The waiter was told we had allergies to sesame seeds and he did not tell the cook and cook out sesame seeds all over the food, we had a extra 45 minutes and he had to clean the grill
   

   Benihana - Chicago, ILResponded 1 day ago

   Dear Marcus, We are truly sorry for the mistake regarding your allergy request. The safety and well-being of our guests are our top priorities, and it is unacceptable that your dietary needs were not properly communicated to the kitchen. We deeply regret the inconvenience and frustration this caused you. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we sincerely hope to have the chance to serve you better in the future. Best regards The Management Team
   

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6. L

   Lottiese

   Chicago1 review

   5.0

   Dined on 6 March 2025

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

   Our cook was great I didn't get his name... our server Joseph was great 😃 I was celebrating my birthday i truly enjoyed myself thank u
   

   Benihana - Chicago, ILResponded 7 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Lottiese! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great time celebrating your birthday at Benihana - Chicago, IL. It's always our pleasure to provide a memorable dining experience for our guests. We're glad our team made your birthday celebration even better. We look forward to serving you again soon.
   

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7. S

   Steven

   Chicago1 review

   4.0

   Dined on 3 March 2025

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

   Chef was great, server was not diligent about following up about drinks or even water. All of the food was spot on and entertaining in its presentation.
   

   Benihana - Chicago, ILResponded on 4 March 2025

   Thanks for the review, Steven! We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food and found our chef entertaining in its presentation. However, we're sorry to hear about the service you received. We always aim to provide top-notch service to all our guests, and it seems we fell short this time. We appreciate your feedback and will certainly use it to improve our service. We hope to see you again soon!
   

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8. C

   Cameron

   Chicago3 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on 2 March 2025

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

   2.5 hour meal. Table packed like sardines. Crap service, horrid experience.
   

   Benihana - Chicago, ILResponded on 4 March 2025

   Hi Cameron, We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Chicago, IL. It's disappointing to know that you felt crowded and had a less than satisfactory service experience. We strive to provide our guests with a comfortable dining experience and it's clear we fell short during your visit. Your feedback is valuable to us and we'll certainly use it to improve our service and food quality. We hope you'll give us another chance to make it right. Sincerely, The Management Team
   

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9. T

   Terry

   Phoenix4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 2 March 2025

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

   Always a fun time. Chefs are great at engaging with diners. Food is great. Great experience overall.
   

   Benihana - Chicago, ILResponded on 4 March 2025

   Thanks for visiting us, Terry! We're thrilled to hear that you had a fun time at Benihana - Chicago, IL. It's wonderful to know that our chefs are able to engage with our diners and that you enjoy our food. We always strive to provide a great experience for our guests, and we're glad we could meet your expectations. We appreciate your feedback and look forward to serving you again soon!
   

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10. A

    Alfredo VIP

    Chicago19 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 1 March 2025

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

    Excellent food, drinks, service, ambient, music, and cooking experience! It was really memorable to dine at Benihana with family and friends. Server was diligent, our Chef cooking abilities were really impressive and entertaining. One of the Managers took a group picture, framed it, and gave it to us, which was an unexpected nice gesture. All the experience was phenomenal!! Highly recommendable...
    

    Benihana - Chicago, ILResponded on 3 March 2025

    Thanks for the feedback, Alfredo! We're thrilled to hear that you had an excellent dining experience at Benihana - Chicago, IL. It's great to know that our food, drinks, service, ambient, and music made a positive impression on you. We're glad that our team's efforts to provide excellent service and cooking were memorable for you and your family. Your kind words are greatly appreciated and we're glad you recommend us to others. We look forward to welcoming you and your friends back for another phenomenal experience! Best wishes, Benihana - Chicago, IL Management Team
    

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