Benihana - Columbus, OH

Review summary

1. L

   Lindsay

   Columbus

   9 reviews

   1.0

   9 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Spend your money elsewhere! We went to a birthday just six months ago and it was GREAT. Big downturn since then. The server and chef nailed all the orders but the service was slow and zero energy. You choose a steakhouse for the atmosphere! You pay a MUCH higher meal prices for the show! No show, no fun. Not a single employee smiled…except the bartender who was great. We made note of two birthdays twice in Open Table and three times to staff at the restaurant. They promised singing and desserts but didn’t deliver. The manager left halfway through our meal. There was no server, bartender, hostess or manager to ask about the singing and dessert. While the flavors were decent, the vegetable portion sizes were drastically reduced from six months ago. We won’t be back. Not the birthday experience we wanted at all.
   

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2. B

   Brandon

   Columbus

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   My wife and I decided to make Benihana the last stop on our annual Christmas shopping date night. We have never been and thought it would be a special way to close out the night, and made reservations for that evening. When we arrived at the restaurant, they told us that they would seat us after ‘just a little wait’ - which was disconcerting since the restaurant seemed to be only at about half capacity. Although our server took our orders immediately, it was about 15 minutes before we got our drinks - then a half hour before we got soup, and a solid hour just for salads. At this point, our server mentioned that there were only two chefs and the we were ‘in line’ to have one cone to the table, and that there was a 17 top that required both of them at the same time. This meant that the 4 other tables (on our side of the restaurant) would have to wait until they had their service before the food would even be started. The evening devolved from there: - Why were we not called and told ahead of time that there was an issue? - Why did they continue seating people an hour from closing when the people that had been there for almost two hours hadn’t even been served yet? - Why did they not tell us when we were being seated that there was an issue? - Why was the waitress upset that she was the one that had to tell us there was a problem? - Why did I have to sit and listen to the manager whine about it only being his third day and that Benihana set him up for failure? - Why did my wife and I finally walk out of our service and have to end our night with fast food instead of the nice meal we had planned? Incredibly weak leadership - also the reason that they were short staffed. Outside of all of that, the restaurant was filthy. I do not remember the last time I had such a terrible time, but there isn’t enough love or money on earth to convince me to return.
   

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3. J

   Janet

   Columbus

   127 reviews

   vip
   2.0

   127 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Started dining at Benihana over thirty years agoa—-the original one and several others. This one is so not good—tried it for the fourth time. The last three times, including this one—were not great. Pretty much any other Japanese steakhouse in Columbus is better.
   

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4. S

   Sean

   Columbus

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Food was fantastic but the service was terrible. We waited for a chef for over 90 minutes past our reservation time.
   

   Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded 3 days ago

   Hi, Sean! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed our food but we're sorry to hear about the service you received. It's certainly not the standard we aim to provide at Benihana - Columbus. We appreciate your patience and understand the frustration it can cause, especially when you're looking forward to a meal. We're always working on improving our service and your feedback is invaluable in this process. 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 and provide a better experience. Best Regards, The Management Team
   

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5. DJ

   DebraJ

   Columbus

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   The restaurant was short staffed the night we were there. That made our wait longer than normal. Food was was wonderful.
   

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   Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded 4 days ago

   Hello Debra! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience at Benihana - Columbus. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed our food! However, we're sorry to hear about the longer wait time you experienced due to staffing issues. We appreciate your patience and understanding. We're committed to providing the best service and we're always working to improve. 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 regards, The Management Team
   

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6. L

   Lona

   Cincinnati

   5 reviews

   2.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   Food needed more seasoning and our vegetables was burnt.
   

   Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded 4 days ago

   Hello Lona! We're truly sorry to hear that your dining experience at Benihana - Columbus didn't meet your expectations. We always aim to deliver a great experience, and we regret that we missed the mark on your visit. Your feedback regarding the seasoning and vegetables is appreciated and will be taken into serious consideration. 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 with our culinary skills. Best, The Management Team
   

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7. A

   Anthony

   Columbus

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 17, 2024

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

   Absolutely horrendous experience. An hour to get seated with a reservation. Service was terrible. Over three hours in total
   

   Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded 7 days ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Anthony! We're truly sorry to hear about your disappointing experience at Benihana - Columbus. It's clear that we didn't meet your expectations, and for that, we sincerely apologize. We pride ourselves on our service and it's clear we fell short during your visit. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve. 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 make it right in the future. Best regards, Benihana - Columbus Management Team
   

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8. B

   Brandi

   Columbus

   2 reviews

   vip
   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on November 10, 2024

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

   The chef almost took my 3 year olds eye out with a knife when he was doing his cooking tricks and didn’t even apologize. It was horrific.
   

   Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded 4 days ago

   Dear Brandi! Thanks for the review. We're truly sorry to hear about your experience with the chef at Benihana - Columbus. We always strive to provide a safe and enjoyable dining environment for all of our guests, and we're disappointed to hear that this wasn't the case during your visit. We take your feedback seriously and will address this with our team to ensure it doesn't happen again. 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 make it right.
   

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9. M

   MonToya

   Columbus

   4 reviews

   1.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on November 10, 2024

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

   We had reservations and had to wait over an hour past our reservation time to be seated then we had to wait over 30 minutes to get our drink order and our water order. It took over an hour for a chef to come to our table to prepare our food and the food was bland and the portions were smaller than any other Japanese restaurant we’ve ever been and double the price. The only good part about it was our server. Her name was Zoey and she was very nice and accommodating.
   

   Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded on November 12, 2024

   Hi MonToya! We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Columbus. We understand that waiting can be frustrating and we apologize for the delay in seating and the lack of food service. We also regret that our portions and pricing did not meet your expectations. We're glad to hear that you found our server to be accommodating. We take your feedback seriously and will 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 to have the opportunity to serve you again in the future. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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10. M

    Melissa

    Columbus

    4 reviews

    3.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on November 9, 2024

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

    We came in for our son's 15th birthday. We were a family of 4. We were put at a booth with a group of 4. Our booth was the small one by the bathroom. It was much too small for our party size. I had to literally touch arms and legs with a stranger. It wasnt an appropriate pairing for us. We made a reservation in advance as well.
    

    Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded on November 9, 2024

    Thanks for the feedback, Melissa! We're sorry to hear that your experience at Benihana - Columbus didn't meet your expectations. We understand the importance of making reservations in advance and we apologize if the booth seating was not comfortable. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our seating arrangements. 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 and your family again in the future.
    

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