Benihana - Santa Monica, CA

Review summary

1. K

   Keith

   Los Angeles

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined today

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

   Family fun, or a date night, not gourmet but entertaining.
   

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2. K

   Kareem

   Los Angeles

   5 reviews

   4.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   I would not get any sushi just stick with the entrees
   

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3. N

   Nyisha

   Miami

   3 reviews

   4.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Experience was great. Food was delicious. Chef was amazing. Only complaint was it was freezing cold inside.
   

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4. J

   Julia

   VIP

   Los Angeles

   21 reviews

   5.0

   21 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Had chef Frankie, super awesome magic cooking tricks
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Julia! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with our chef Frankie and enjoyed the magic tricks. It's always our goal to provide an amazing dining experience and we're glad we hit the mark for you. We appreciate your high ratings and look forward to serving you again soon!
   

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5. a

   alisha

   San Francisco

   25 reviews

   1.0

   25 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   I booked a reservation for 7:30. We arrived at 7:15; upon checking in we were informed they were behind. We would have to wait at least an hour. The restaurant was packed with a lot of angry patrons. I expressed my frustration with the Manager. Someone should have called all the reservations and informed anyone with an RSVP that there was a long wait. I witnessed a drink man clinching his drink get in the young hosts face blaming him for the wait. The 2 guys who were the hosts were taking the brunt of everyone’s frustration. They were super nice and tried to be transparent about the situation. Once seated, we had a great time, service was great, and food was excellent. We did not leave until 10. The Manager gave us 2 free appetizer cards. This was our second trip in 4 weeks due to celebrating my son’s birthday spending over $1000 combined. It’s sad unfortunately that this was the second time we had to wait so long. We love Benihana in Santa Monica but, may need to go to another location in the future. Chef Ivan was so good!!
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded 4 days ago

   Hello Alisha, We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Santa Monica, CA. We understand how frustrating waiting can be, especially when you've made a reservation. We apologize for the inconvenience caused and for any misunderstanding about the wait time. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food and service, and we appreciate your understanding and patience. We're committed to ensuring a great dining experience for all our guests. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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6. Y

   Yuliia

   VIP

   Miami

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on February 4, 2025

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

   Amazing service, super tasty food! Had a great experience taking wagyu menu. Highly recommend.
   

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   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on February 6, 2025

   Hello Yuliia, Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience at Benihana - Santa Monica, CA. It's wonderful to know that you enjoyed our wagyu menu and found our service to be amazing. We always strive to provide our guests with the best dining experience possible. Your high recommendation means the world to us. We look forward to serving you again soon! Best, The Management Team
   

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7. M

   Miya

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on February 2, 2025

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

   3 hr wait with reservations, the restaurant was packed and understaffed on a Saturday night …
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded 4 days ago

   Hi Miya, We're really sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Santa Monica, CA. We understand that waiting for such a long time can be frustrating, especially when you have a reservation. We also apologize if the restaurant was busy and the service was not up to par. We will take your feedback into account and work on improving our service to provide a better experience for our guests. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again in the future. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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8. J

   Jennifer

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on February 2, 2025

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

   What’s the point of having a reservation? I received a call at 1:30 from the restaurant stating that they were running 40-45 minutes behind for my 7:30 reservation, but that we still needed to be at the restaurant on time otherwise the wait would be even longer. We were seated almost 90 minutes after our reservation time. Apparently this happened to multiple parties. They blamed it on a new reservation system. Still no apologies from the management. I felt bad for the hosts who were taking the brunt of the aggravation from many. Food was great, but will question whether or not we return given their inability to manage the timing of their reservations.
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on February 3, 2025

   Thanks for the review, Jennifer. We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Santa Monica, CA. It's clear that we fell short in managing your reservation, and we sincerely apologize for this. We understand how frustrating it must have been for you and your party, especially given the unexpected wait. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our reservation system. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide a better dining experience. Best Regards, Benihana - Santa Monica, CA Management Team
   

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9. A

   Amy

   Los Angeles

   7 reviews

   1.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on February 2, 2025

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

   Had a reservation for 7 pm. Made the reservation nearly two weeks before dinner. Restaurant called day of and said they were overbooked and it would be 30-minute wait from reservation time. Ended up waiting one hour until seated. Here is a tip: DON’T OVERBOOK!!!!
   

   Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on February 5, 2025

   Thanks for visiting us, Amy. We're sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Santa Monica, CA. Overbooking is indeed a concern and we understand how frustrating it can be. We apologize for the delay and the inconvenience you faced. We appreciate your understanding and patience. Your feedback is invaluable and will help us improve our service. We hope for another chance to provide you with the excellent dining experience we're known for.
   

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10. S

    Sylvia

    Los Angeles

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on January 30, 2025

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

    Reservations for 1145 I got there at 11:37 we sat down by 11:55. There was no one there we got right to order our drink. We ordered our food. Cook came out did the shiw tood was good rive a bit hard but i can say again 3rd time still great 
    

    Benihana - Santa Monica, CAResponded on February 1, 2025

    Thanks for visiting us, Sylvia! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your reservation at Benihana - Santa Monica, CA and that our service met your expectations. We're sorry to hear about the delay in your order, but we're glad that it didn't affect your overall experience. We strive to provide the best food and service to our guests and your feedback is a great motivator for us. We look forward to serving you again soon!
    

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