Benihana - Santa Monica, CA

Review summary

1. F

   Francis

   VIP

   Los Angeles

   3 reviews

   1.0

   3 reviews

   Dined today

   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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2. J

   Jessie

   VIP

   Los Angeles

   22 reviews

   5.0

   22 reviews

   Dined today

   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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3. J

   Jason

   VIP

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day 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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4. J

   Johnnie

   Los Angeles

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 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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5. Y

   Yuliya

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 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 1 day 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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6. B

   Blair

   Los Angeles

   4 reviews

   2.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 3 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 2 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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7. K

   Kim

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 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 2 days ago

   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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8. C

   COLECO

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 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 3 days 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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9. K

   Kyalah

   Indiana

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 5 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 3 days 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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10. 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 on December 16, 2024

    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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