Benihana - Santa Monica, CA

Review summary

1. C

   Carl Ray

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined today

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

   Amazing experience! Hard working crew on Christmas 🎄
   

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2. S

   Spencer

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined today

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

   It was Christmas and it was extremely busy. You could definitely tell that they were trying to push people through as quickly as possible. Quality of food was fair, but not to the cost of the meals. I was not impressed and I don’t think I’ll go back again.
   

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3. I

   Iris

   Los Angeles

   6 reviews

   5.0

   6 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   We were there around 3 pm on Christmas day and the young lady at the front desk was warm, welcoming, and efficient. After checking in early, we only waited a short time for our table. Our server was Joseph and he was also very welcoming and efficient. He made us feel like our business was valuable. He asked numerous times if we needed anything and was prompt to bring whatever was requested. Our chef was Nmemon (spelling??) and he did an excellent job in preparing our food. We come to Benihana's frequently and will continue to do so with employees like Joseph and the front desk hostess. Thanks for an outstanding Christmas dinner.
   

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4. C

   Cathy

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Good fresh food. Fun to watch and listen to chef theatrics.
   

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5. F

   Francis

   VIP

   Los Angeles

   3 reviews

   1.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   We love Benihana, unfortunately we had an 8pm reservation and were not seated until 9pm. not great reservation management on the part of the restaurant. management and staff seemed overwhelmed. If they would have told us they were running behind, we would have left for another restaurant instead of waiting for an hour to be seated.
   

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6. J

   Jessie

   VIP

   Los Angeles

   22 reviews

   5.0

   22 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Super busy but great service nonetheless. Food was on point!
   

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7. J

   Jason

   VIP

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   It had the feel of a private engagement for just our family. Franky should be considered the top choice for entertaining groups or private parties.
   

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8. J

   Johnnie

   Los Angeles

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   This location in recent weeks has been overbooking their reservations. I had a reservation for just myself for 7:15pm and did not get seating until 8:42pm. I saw other parties that had reservations around the same that were seated well before me. I went to address it with the manager and he precedes to make an excuse that they have been running behind all week and gave a simple sorry while going to speak to someone else. I went back to my table and asked the gentleman next to me when their reservation was and he stated 8:15pm. This made me even more upset as the guy was also upset for me. I was extremely disappointed in the entire experience. Due to the time spent waiting, I had to pay double for parking in the garage due to the 1.5 hour wait time before eating! I used to frequent this location all the time, but the service isn’t the same!
   

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9. Y

   Yuliya

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

   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…
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Dear Yuliya! Thank you for taking the time to review us. We regret that your visit didn't meet your expectations. Rest assured, your comments are noted and will be used to enhance our services. We hope for the opportunity to exceed your expectations in the future.
   

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10. B

    Blair

    Los Angeles

    4 reviews

    2.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 4 days 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 3 days ago

    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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