Benihana - Mall of America, MN

Review summary

1. R

   Richard

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   I've had a similar experience previously, so I knew what I was getting myself into. The only reason I came back was because my 14yo daughter wanted to have her bday dinner here. The Manager was very rude, staff does a lackluster job since the 20% gratuity is already mandated on the tab. And we had to ask for the side salad because they forgot, a folk because one was never offered and had to ask several times for refills on our drinks. PLEASE do yourself a favor and go to CRAVE across the hallway, you won't have to pay an arm and leg for good food and great service.
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded 3 days ago

   Dear Richard, thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We apologize for the issues you experienced during your visit. We will address these concerns with our team to ensure a better experience for our guests in the future. Please allow us a chance to make things right by reaching out to our team directly. You may reach us by visiting our "Contact Us" page on our website.
   

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2. M

   Michelle

   Minneapolis

   4 reviews

   3.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on November 14, 2024

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

   Waitress so-so. Didn’t bring our rice until after we got all food. We had to ask for it. She was late with drinks & missing when we wanted soy sauce, more drinks, etc. Chef didn’t smile much. Had to ask his name. Had to remind him of shrimp appetizer (I think he forgot). Been here many times & the food is great. Just our service this time sub-par.
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded 6 days ago

   Hello Michelle! Thank you for your feedback and for being a regular at Benihana - Mall of America. We're glad to hear that you've enjoyed our food in the past. However, we're truly sorry that your service didn't meet your expectations this time. We appreciate your patience and are working on improving 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 provide you with a better experience in the future. Best regards, Benihana - Mall of America, MN Management Team
   

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3. A

   Abby

   Minneapolis

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on November 13, 2024

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

   We had a wonderful lunch and everyone enjoyed the kindness of the server (in training) and cook. We definitely will be back soon!
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on November 15, 2024

   Hey Abby, we're thrilled to hear that you and your friends had a wonderful lunch at Benihana - Mall of America! It's great to know that our team's kindness and the quality of our food and service were appreciated. We're looking forward to welcoming you back soon for another great dining experience. Thanks for your kind words and high ratings! ❤️
   

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4. A

   Abigail

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 12, 2024

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

   Food was great, but waited 30 minutes to get any drinks to the table.
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on November 14, 2024

   Dear Abigail! Thanks for the review. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food at Benihana - Mall of America. However, we're sorry to hear about the delay in serving drinks. We understand how frustrating that can be and we apologize for the inconvenience. We're committed to providing excellent service and your feedback will help us 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 serve you better next time.
   

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5. A

   Andrew

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 11, 2024

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

   So we made an online reservation to sit in the lounge/ bar area, we didn’t want communal seating… we got there told them we had reservations specifically for that, they say wait 3 minutes, then they call our name and 3 others and bring us to a communal seating. I say immediately that I had a reservation for the lounge area, and I was told very rudely that we don’t do that here, just go the front and check in. So we go the front… re check in and tell the manager now that we want to sit in the lounge/ bar area. With plenty of open tables too… but the manager just points at the bar with only 2 seats left on the very end (that already looks occupied) and said you just go sit at the bar then…. No I don’t want to sit at the bar, I just want to sit down at a table alone with my significant other with no one else around me. Is it really that hard. So we just got up and left and the manger said very rudely “so the bar isn’t good enough for you either?” Amazed and in shock my significant other and I walked out and took our business else where. Never again
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on November 14, 2024

   Hello, Andrew! We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Mall of America. We strive to provide a comfortable and enjoyable dining experience for all our guests, and it's clear we fell short in your case. We apologize for the confusion and the lack of respect shown to you and your significant other. We appreciate your feedback 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 you'll give us another chance to make things right in the future. Best, The Management Team
   

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6. N

   Nate

   Minneapolis

   14 reviews

   vip
   2.0

   14 reviews

   Dined on November 11, 2024

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

   Yikes! Benihana has gone downhill over the years. I recommend watching from the window and spending your money elsewhere. We’ve been to this location at least annually, often times more, since 2018 for birthday celebrations. Yesterday was the last time we’ll dine. For two adults eating a hibachi meal and a kids’ meal, it was $200, including the service charge. There’s an automatic 20% service charge on sit down meals, which seemed like a good excuse for staff to perform poorly and still receive an outstanding tip. Our waitress was struggling - we asked twice for a kids’ menu and she started to take our orders before we received a kids’ menu (how would we know what to order?), I asked twice for a club soda and still never received the refill, and the worst part - she knowingly delivered cold soup. She said as she was handing out the soups, “These don’t feel very warm, let me know if I need to get different ones,” but then she proceeded to walk away without checking back in on the soups. I had two soups, one was lukewarm, one was very cold. The soups also had what appeared to be coagulated bouillon, like someone put in 20 extra cubes into my one bowl. The salad was swimming in dressing (it looked like soup in the bowl after eating the lettuce), the chicken was tough and chewy, and the fried rice was so salty we couldn’t even enjoy it (too much soy sauce maybe?). The best part was the two shrimps that came with the hibachi meal. All in all, Benihana is not fine dining but at a fine dining cost. The show is always great while the chef is prepping the meal, but the meal is not worth it. Save your money, watch from the window, and spend $200 on a fine dining meal elsewhere.
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on November 14, 2024

   Thanks for the review, Nate! We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Mall of America. It's disappointing to know that we fell short of your expectations on this special occasion. We pride ourselves on our food quality and service, and it's clear we missed the mark this time. We take your feedback seriously and will use it to improve our services. 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 we can have another chance to serve you better in the future.
   

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7. L

   Lisa

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 11, 2024

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

   Chef Maria was outstanding! Food was tremendous; one of the best meals at Benihana that we’ve had in years.
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on November 14, 2024

   Hey, Lisa! We're thrilled to hear that you had such a fantastic experience at Benihana - Mall of America! It's wonderful to know that our food met your expectations and that you found it to be one of the best meals you've had in years. We always aim to provide top-notch service and it's heartening to hear that we hit the mark during your visit. Thank you for your kind words and for giving us a perfect rating. We look forward to serving you again soon! Best wishes, The Management Team
   

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8. E

   Ericka

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 11, 2024

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

   Waiter was great. Went the extra mile to keep kid entertained
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on November 12, 2024

   Hey, Ericka! Thanks for your 5-star review! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great time at Benihana - Mall of America. It's wonderful to know that our waiter was able to keep your kid entertained during your wait. We always aim to go the extra mile for our guests. We appreciate your feedback on our food and value. We hope to see you again soon!
   

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9. T

   Tiara

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 10, 2024

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

   Very bad food, no flavor, could not customize my order even though I am paying 200$ or more. Bad chef, waiter, sang happy birthday for other people and made it fun / energetic. Couldn’t do the same for my family but trust me the color of our skins told us why. Just bad. Do better.
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on November 11, 2024

   Dear Tiara! Thanks for visiting us at Benihana - Mall of America. We're sorry to hear about your disappointing experience. It's disappointing to know that our food did not meet your expectations and that you felt our chef and service did not live up to our usual standards. We pride ourselves on delivering a great experience, and we regret that we fell short this time. We will take your feedback on board and work on improving our food and 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 impress you in the future.
   

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10. S

    Shaquita

    Richmond

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 1, 2024

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

    Nice experience, over priced for hibachi. Food was cold because of the “entertainment”
    

    Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on November 4, 2024

    Hello, Shaquita! Thank you for taking the time to review your experience at Benihana - Mall of America. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed our service and the entertainment. However, we're sorry to hear that you found our hibachi pricing to be higher than expected. We strive to provide a dining experience that matches the quality of our food and service, and we're sorry if you felt otherwise. The food si really bad, all this positiveWe appreciate your feedback and will certainly take it into consideration as we continuously work to improve our guest experience. Best, The Management Team
    

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