Benihana - Mall of America, MN

Review summary

1. M

   Michelle

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   For a restaurant that adds a 20% service fee this was very disappointing, the server did his best but they were understaffed and did not have enough servers to have so many guests. No refills got starters late. Overall disappointing for $440
   

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2. J

   Jen

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   We had a reservation at 7pm and weren't seated until 7:30pm. The man at the front desk kept telling people they were understaffed and that he couldn't force people to leave. When we were seated, the servers and cooks were all very nice and doing their best. We didn't get water or drinks until after the salads came. We didn't have forks to eat with and had to flag someone down. When the chef came he pulled out ramikens for Yum Yum sauce and about 1/2 were dirty. He had to get more from another table. The food was good and the servers and chef didn't show how stressed they all must have been, so I give them credit. There were a lot of kids at this location with Ipads out. Took away from the ambiance a bit but it's at the mall so I get it. The food was good but if you needed water or another drink it was near impossible to get someone's attention. Our bill for 2 adults and 1 child was $180 with the $30 coupon. It's the most expensive dinner I've had in a while and I think they have improvements to make if they charge that much.
   

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3. J

   Joey

   Fort Lauderdale

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Ridiculously expensive with the new “service charge”. Food was good, but 240$ for two adults and a child. The chef was good, but server was non-existent. Much better experiences in the mall for a better value.
   

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4. H

   Heidi

   VIP

   Minneapolis

   36 reviews

   4.0

   36 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   We had an excellent chef at our table who was quite experienced. The food was very well prepared. The tables in the back room don’t have the best air circulation, and so it is better to sit in one of the larger rooms. Good air circulation/venting is probably compromised by the fact that it is in the MOA.
   

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5. JJ

   JimJ

   VIP

   Kansas City

   4 reviews

   3.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Benihana is always a special treat for our family. This last experience something has changed. It felt very rushed. Zucchini and onions used to be cooked and chopped in front of us. This time they were already chopped and were mixed together. Some of us only like 1 of the veggies and we had no choice to say no to one of them. Shrimp appetizer was cooked last. Everything just seemed out of order with minimal fun cooking experience. Part of coming to Benihana is the experience and entertainment which has always been consistent. Hence the disappointment this time. The feeling of being rushed came even at the end when the server explained the 20% service charge. He said it so fast we had to ask him to repeat it. The holidays always feel so rushed and we had hopes to have an enjoyable experience. Hoping this was a one off issue and not a long term change.
   

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6. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Chicago

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   The old fashioned drink was watered down and the server refused to have the bartender remake it
   

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7. N

   Nicole

   Minneapolis

   3 reviews

   4.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   The service took too long. We were waiting for over an hour after being seated to even have our order taken, after the meal the server barely came to check on us. Where we waited another 30 minutes before getting our bill.
   

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8. A

   Anna

   San Francisco

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on December 24, 2024

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

   First time ever at Benihana and I'm not sure if our experience was unusual or not. We had a reservation for 5:45 pm and the chef didn't arrive to our table until 7 pm. We had a tired and hungry 3 year old with us that was starting to meltdown by the time we final were served. For the cost of the meals it wasn't worth it at all, in my opinion. The food was better than I expected it to be but overall the experience was pretty bad. The bathrooms were also disgusting and not attended to at all; toilet paper everywhere, flooded toilets, and just dirty. I don't think we'll be back. I was really hoping to make this a place that we could go as a family since I've heard how much kids enjoy it.
   

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9. M

   MARIA

   VIP

   Minneapolis

   6 reviews

   3.0

   6 reviews

   Dined on December 24, 2024

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

   We go once a year and are more disappointed every year. They automatically charge 20% service charge on top of extremely high prices. The staff is not motivated to serve us so they don’t! We waited 45 minutes after being seated to get drinks! Very sad as food is great!
   

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10. C

    Craig

    Minneapolis

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on December 24, 2024

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

    I wish they would take less time from order to cooking. It was a 30 minute wait between the server taking out order to the chef coming into cook the food.
    

    Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded 6 days ago

    Hello Craig, Thank you for taking the time to review your experience at Benihana - Mall of America, MN. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food and we sincerely apologize for the delay in service you experienced. We understand how frustrating this can be and we're working on improving our service times. We appreciate your feedback and hope to serve you again soon. Best, The Management Team
    

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