Benihana - Cleveland, OH

Review summary

1. I

   Iris

   Las Vegas

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   This was our first time at Benihana, we went for Valentine’s Day. Being that it was a major holiday for restaurants, we expected it to be busy and were prepared. We arrived at 9pm for our RESERVATION. We didn’t get sat until 10pm. It was extremely busy and over crowded, even though there were tables & stations not being used. While we were waiting, someone went up to the host and asked why tables were just open, she responded saying “that chef is new and don’t want to overwhelm them”, which is understandable. Now, after being sat, this is where everything went downhill. And ima save a long detailed story. It was going on 11:15pm when we just got our soups and salad. At this point, everyone was getting a little frustrated at the lack of service. We went to the host and asked what was going on she responded saying the same thing she told another earlier “a new chef with no experience” HOWEVER when we first sat down, he was already servicing a party of the SAME SIZE. We watched him go to serve a party of 2 who arrived about 30mins AFTER us. At this point. We asked for a manager. The most nonchalant man came to our table with the worst attitude saying “it’s busy, your chef is coming she’s getting her tools” completely ignoring the fact that our original chef went to serve another table who came in after us and we have been there since 9 and it’s now 11pm. We sat another 20mins before deciding to just leave. There was no apology, the had a good amount of chefs to accommodate, there is really no excuse. This was the worst dining experience of my life and wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. We arrived at 9pm and left at 11:20pm HUNGRY.
   

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2. l

   luis

   Cleveland

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   It was ok place food great stuff steak was great.
   

   Benihana - Cleveland, OHResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Luis! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed our steak and found our service great. We're always striving to provide the best dining experience for our guests. We noticed that you rated our value a bit lower, and we appreciate your honesty. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again soon. Best regards, Benihana - Cleveland, OH Management Team
   

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3. A

   Anthony

   Unspecified

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Reservation was at 8:15 waited until 10:45 for us to even be seated and our orders taken, ended up being there until 12:30, they close at 11.
   

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4. R

   Randy

   Cleveland

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Granted it was Valentine’s Day so I understand that the restaurant was overbooked. But we made it almost an hour for a table and then another hour once you got seated for the chef to come by and start. Period food was overpriced. Otherwise, I appreciate the chef and humor also appreciate the waitress we had.
   

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5. A

   Andrew

   New York City

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   They overbooked the restaurant for valentines day and so we had to wait for an hour before being seated and another 2 hrs before getting served our food.
   

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6. B

   Brian

   Columbus

   6 reviews

   5.0

   6 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Amanda the front of house hostess was fantastic. Because this was valentine day and every couple in Cleveland wanted to have a nice dinner it was super busy. Amanda handle things with a smile and a great attitude even having to turn late people away.
   

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7. E

   Erika

   Cleveland

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   It took 30 minutes for our server to even come to the table. 15 more minutes to get waters and drinks from the fountains. Then another 20 minutes to get our soup which the manager got after we called him over to our table. We never got our bar drinks and had to ask for them after we got our soup. We got our salads at a decent time after our soups however we never received our appetizer and had to ask for that about 45 minutes after our soups arrived to the table which we then asked where our sushi was. We finally relieved our sushi appetizer as we were eating our hibachi meal. Our hibachi chef Stephi was the only saving grace of the whole evening. I can’t believe I spent $300 on the worst service I have ever reviewed especially when the manager knew how terrible the evening was they did NOTHING to compensate for it. We had to ask for our green tea and then he didn’t even bring enough for the whole table. Had to ask for our ice cream which was supposed to be included. Had to ask for boxes multiple times. Then when we got the bill, we were charged for 3 extra bar drinks at $18 each and an extra side of fried rice which we never received. We got there at 615 and didn’t leave until 915 if that says anything about how terribly slow the service was.
   

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8. S

   Sean

   Cleveland

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Food was cooked terribly. The chef was very nice and pleasant but he just needed to be trained better. I’ve ate at Benihana hundreds of times and never once had a bad experience until this one. This is the first time here in a few years because my son is scared of the table top grill but he’s a little older now and we gave it a go, food was terrible , I had the chef recook the steak although he didn’t overcook it completely the second time the seasoning was completely wrong. 250 dollars a few days wages and none of us ate even half our food major disappointment.
   

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9. N

   Nicole

   Cleveland

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   Service was good, food was delicious, and we all had a GREAT TIME!
   

   Benihana - Cleveland, OHResponded 6 days ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Nicole! We're thrilled to hear that you and your friends had a great time at Benihana - Cleveland, OH. It's wonderful to know that you enjoyed our delicious food and found our service to be good. We strive to provide our guests with a memorable dining experience and your positive feedback is a testament to our efforts. We hope to see you again soon!
   

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10. o

    olivia

    Cleveland

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 7, 2025

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

    Great service, great food, great atmosphere 🔥🔥 I would absolutely come back again
    

    Benihana - Cleveland, OHResponded 7 days ago

    Thanks for visiting us, Olivia! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience at Benihana - Cleveland, OH. It's wonderful to know that our service, food, and atmosphere met your expectations. We strive to provide our guests with memorable experiences and your kind words are a testament to our efforts. We look forward to welcoming you back again soon. Best wishes, The Management Team
    

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