Benihana - Santa Monica, CA

Review summary

1. Y

   Yuliya

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined today

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

   This was our second time at this location with unbelievably long wait time. We had a reservation for 5:15pm, we were seated 30 minutes later, and didn’t get to eat the food until about 6:45pm. The kids were starving! Not a great experience! It was so exhausting! I will definitely not come back here again especially with hungry kids…
   

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2. B

   Blair

   Los Angeles

   4 reviews

   2.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Our chef was great ! The food was good. The only down fall was our server. I order a drink and asked for a straw. She return then tossed the paper straw on the table with no napkin… just bare. I thought that was so rude and unprofessional. My date had to go upstairs to the bar to get me another straw. I also overheard two employees arguing when our soup and salad was being served. Other than that my experience was okay.
   

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   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded today

   Hello Blair, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience at Benihana - Santa Monica. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food and found our chef to be great. We apologize for the oversight with the straw and any other service issues you may have experienced. We strive to provide a comfortable and enjoyable dining experience for all our guests, and it's clear we fell short in this instance. We appreciate your feedback and will address these issues with our team to ensure better service in the future. We hope to welcome you back soon for a better experience. Best regards, Benihana - Santa Monica Management Team
   

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3. K

   Kim

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Food and entertainment value was great. Restaurant was cold and buying gift cards took way too long.
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded today

   Thanks for visiting us, Kim. We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the food and entertainment value at Benihana - Santa Monica. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the temperature and the gift card transaction. We value your feedback and will ensure to improve in these areas. We hope to serve you again soon.
   

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4. C

   COLECO

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   The chef was amazing, the service was great and for a busy night the wait was short
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Coleco. We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience at Benihana - Santa Monica! It's wonderful to know that our chef and service lived up to your expectations. We always aim to provide short wait times even on busy nights, so we're glad you appreciated that. Your kind words are a big motivation for our team. We look forward to serving you again soon.
   

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5. K

   Kyalah

   Indiana

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   The waiter and chef were amazing!!! Food was also good. My only issue is that I could not enjoy my meal because it was freezing cold in there. Everyone at our table felt the same way. Other than that, it was a great experience
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Hello Kyalah, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We're thrilled to hear that you and your party had an amazing experience at Benihana - Santa Monica. It's great to know that you enjoyed the food and found our service to be top-notch. We're sorry to hear that you found the temperature inside the restaurant uncomfortable. We'll certainly take your feedback into account as we continually strive to improve our guest's experiences. We hope to see you again soon. Best, The Management Team
   

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6. K

   Katie

   Central Coast

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on December 15, 2024

   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 7 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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7. A

   Alison

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on December 14, 2024

   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 on December 15, 2024

   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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8. g

   gary

   Los Angeles

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on December 13, 2024

   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 on December 15, 2024

   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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9. C

   Cherise

   Los Angeles

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on December 12, 2024

   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 on December 15, 2024

   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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10. D

    Denise

    Los Angeles

    15 reviews

    4.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on December 10, 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 on December 11, 2024

    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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