Benihana - Carlsbad, CA

Benihana - Carlsbad, CA reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. S

   Susan

   San Diego5 reviews

   2.0

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   The wait was quite long. We had a reservation, and were fortunate enough to be sat within about 15 minutes, but it was an hour before one of the others at our table went to talk with the manager. The manager did get a chef to come to our table, but he apparently had been told that we had been waiting, so cut short the "show". I was quite disappointed, as I had brought someone who had never been to a Teppanyaki restaurant, and we didn't get the showmanship Benihana is known for. The staff were quite nice, and it could have simply been that they were understaffed, but again, the chef we did get rushed through and my steak was not fully cut, it was more like "fringe"... it looked cut, until the end of the pieces - VERY HARD TO EAT WITH CHOPSTICKS... we thought Sunday night would be a good night to go, but it was quite noisy with a high school sports team celebrating (which they have EVERY RIGHT to do!)
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Hey Susan, we're really sorry to hear about your experience. We understand that waiting can be frustrating, especially when you've made a reservation. We apologize for the rushed service and the steak not being fully cut. We're glad you found our staff nice and that you enjoyed the food. We'll take your feedback into account as we strive to improve our service and food quality. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide the show and dining experience you've come to expect from Benihana. Sincerely, The Management Team
   

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2. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Denver1 review

   1.0

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   I travel for a living and am no stranger to eating out. Had a 6:15pm. reservation for 6 to celebrate both my son’s birthdays. Waited an hour and Finally sat down at 7:15pm. Didn’t start to eat until close to 9pm. This was atrocious. Will never recommend or eat here again. $555 later and an evening wasted.
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Dear Guest! We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA. We understand the importance of special occasions and we apologize for the delay and the frustration it caused you. We always strive to provide our guests with an enjoyable dining experience and it's clear we fell short during your visit. We appreciate your feedback and will definitely take it into consideration as we work on improving our service. We hope you'll reconsider and give us another chance to make it right in the future. Best Regards, The Management Team
   

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3. OT

   OpenTable Diner VIP

   San Diego6 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   The reservation was for 5:30 PM, but the chef didn’t show up until 7 PM. That’s not acceptable.
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Dear Guest! Thanks for the feedback. We're sorry to hear about the delay in your reservation and the lack of service you experienced. It's never our intention to keep our guests waiting, and we apologize for the inconvenience. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food, but we understand that service is equally as important. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to serve you better in the future.
   

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4. J

   Joddi

   San Diego1 review

   2.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Terrible customer service, front desk hostesses were rude and sassy, no people skills at all while the male hosts were friendly and accommodating. The restaurant was an hour late in seating people with reservations, absolutely terrible!!!! They should limit number of reservations they allow per hour. We won’t be coming back to Carlsbad location.
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Hey Joddi, We're really sorry to hear about your recent experience at our Carlsbad location. We always strive to provide our guests with a great dining experience and it seems like we missed the mark during your visit. We take your feedback seriously and we're disappointed to hear about the delay in seating and the rude behavior of our hostesses. We're taking your comments to heart and we'll certainly use this as an opportunity to improve. We hope you'll reconsider and give us another chance to serve you better in the future. Best, The Management Team at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA
   

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5. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Diego1 review

   2.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Benihana is not the same anymore. It felt like a cheap eatery. The service was horrible. Even with reservation we had to wait for 30 minutes. Drink tasted like motor oil. Cook was not as experienced. Didn’t do any show and cooked really bad food. We have decided we are never going to Benihana again. No body else should either $250 for 4 people with horrible food and service not worth it.
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Dear Guest! We're really sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA. We strive to provide our guests with a memorable dining experience and it's clear we fell short during your visit. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait for your table, especially when you have a reservation, and we apologize for the inconvenience. We also regret to hear that the food and service did not meet your expectations. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we assure you that we will take this into consideration as we continuously work to improve. We understand that we failed to provide you with the quality experience you should expect, and we regret that we let you down. We hope you will give us another chance to make it right in the future. Regards, The Management Team
   

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6. OT

   OpenTable Diner VIP

   San Francisco1 review

   1.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   They were running an hour late for reservations. That does not work for people with little kids, and it’s not acceptable ever.
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Dear Guest! Thanks for the review. We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA. It's disappointing to know that we didn't meet your expectations, especially with regards to our reservation timing. We understand how important it is to accommodate all guests and make their experience enjoyable. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide a better dining experience in the future.
   

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7. L

   Lina

   San Diego1 review

   5.0

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   We celebrated my 50th birthday ! Our server was amazing and enjoyed the experience!! thanks Eduardo
   

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8. J

   Jo VIP

   San Diego31 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   We had a great experience here. Came in for a friend's birthday, we had Tarow as our chef and he kept us laughing with corny jokes the entire time! He was very friendly and did a great job cooking our food. The service was excellent as well, our server Lizzie (sp?) was attentive and friendly. This is a great special occasion place to go!
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 6 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Jo! We're thrilled to hear that you and your friend had a great experience celebrating a special occasion at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA. It's wonderful to know that our chefs' corny jokes kept you entertained and that our service met your expectations. We strive to make every occasion special and we're glad we could contribute to your friend's birthday. We look forward to welcoming you back for more memorable experiences.
   

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9. V

   Victor

   San Diego2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   Had a GREAT BIRTHDAY!!Santos was incredible. An Oscar performance with cuisine to match! GRACIAS por la experience!
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 6 days ago

   Hey Victor, we're over the moon to hear that you had a great birthday celebration at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA! It's fantastic to know that our team made your special day even more memorable. We take pride in our Oscar-winning cuisine and are thrilled that you enjoyed it. Your kind words mean the world to us and we look forward to welcoming you back for more memorable experiences. Thanks for choosing us for your birthday celebration! - The Management Team
   

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10. GS

    GoSeeAaron

    Orange County7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 18, 2025

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

    Irvin made the 90 min drive in the rain worth while. Amazing food great stories everyone at our table had a great time.
    

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    Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded on March 19, 2025

    Dear Guest! That's fantastic to hear! 😊 We're so glad Irvin helped make your 90-minute drive in the rain totally worth it! Amazing food and great stories are what we strive for, and it sounds like your table had an awesome time. Thank you for sharing your experience—we can't wait to welcome you back for more great moments! 🍽️✨🚗
    

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