Benihana - Carlsbad, CA

Review summary

1. J

   Joe

   San Diego

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Our group has been dining at Benihana at least twice a year for a long time. It was obvious that the quality of the food was not as before. And the cost for the meal was very high.
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Joe. We're sorry to hear that your recent experience with us didn't meet your expectations. We pride ourselves on the quality of our food and service, and we're disappointed to hear that we fell short this time. We understand your concerns about the cost and will certainly take them into consideration as we continually strive to improve. We hope you'll give us another chance to impress you in the future.
   

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2. E

   E

   VIP

   Palm Springs

   8 reviews

   1.0

   8 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   We had a 6:30 reservation at 7:29 they texted to inform us our table was ready. Spoke w the manager at 7pm…says the next table we would be seated…needless to say they seated others before us. We have a 20 month old & the situation was not acceptable. This establishment should be more prepared & accommodating to the reservations they accept. If you don’t have the staff to accommodate your reservations you should limit the reservations!!!Be more considerate & respectful to your customers!!! We left at 7:25 very disappointed!!!
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Hello E, We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA. It's disappointing to hear that your reservation was not honored as promptly as we strive to do. We understand how important it is to have a smooth and timely dining experience, especially when making reservations with young children. We appreciate your feedback and will certainly use it to improve our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to make your next visit a better one. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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3. P

   Phompak

   Sacramento

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   This reservation was booked in mid December. When we arrived for our reservation we were informed they were running behind and our table wouldn’t be ready for 30-40mins. What is the point of a reservation? Looking around it appeared everyone’s reservation was delayed. We didn’t get seated until 50mins later. The meal, servers, and chef were all great. The worst part and most memorable from our dining experience was the front host who appeared to not care nor apologize for the delay. I would have expected a discount or some compensation. Not sure how a this restaurant functions when the front/host area is the first impression and was the worst experience and already to lack any customer service. Be warned if you make a reservation and expect to dine at the time requested.
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Phompak. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed your meal and found our team to be great. We apologize for the delay you experienced during your reservation. We understand how frustrating that can be and we're sorry for any discomfort it caused. We'll definitely take your feedback into account to improve our customer service. We hope to welcome you back soon for a more positive experience.
   

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4. D

   Dante

   Palm Springs

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Took over an hour to get seated after our reservation time.
   

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5. K

   KARMA

   San Diego

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   We went on a Friday night and it was VERY busy. Julie, our hostess was awesome. She kept us informed of what the delays were and when our server would be there and was very nice. Our chef was Irwin. He was amazing and kept us all very entertained. We had two young children at our table and he was able to keep the engaged and giggling for the entire time we were there. The only thing I could complain about is there was music playing and it only contributed to high noise level. It seemed a bit pointless because all you could hear was the bass. But that is a personal preference to not have had the music. It did not take away from our experience while we were there.
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Thanks for visiting us, KARMA! We're thrilled to hear that you and your family had a great time at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA. It's wonderful to know that our team was able to keep you engaged and entertained despite the busy evening. We appreciate your feedback about the music and will take it into consideration. We're glad that you found the food and service to be excellent and that you felt the value was good. We look forward to welcoming you and your family back soon!
   

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6. Y

   Yash

   VIP

   San Diego

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Service was excellent. Food quality was good value. No real complaints except for noise level. But that’s also because it was packed on a Friday night.
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 5 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Yash! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed our service and found our food to be good value. We apologize if the noise level was higher than you'd prefer on a busy night like Friday. We appreciate your feedback and will certainly take it into consideration as we continually strive to improve our guests' experience. We hope to see you again soon at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA!
   

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7. N

   Nikki

   Las Vegas

   8 reviews

   4.0

   8 reviews

   Dined on 19 February 2025

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

   Chef was great and entertaining. The only thing was we waited quite long at the table for our dinner. We were seated at 7pm and the chef didn’t arrive until almost an hour or so later.
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded 7 days ago

   Hey Nikki, thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed our chef and service. We apologize for the wait time you experienced. We understand how frustrating that can be and we're working on improving our seating and service times. We hope to see you again soon!
   

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8. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Diego

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 16 February 2025

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

   The wait was too long. 7:30 reservation, seated at 8:45. Was going to leave but GF made me stay. Must be rectified by Benihana
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded on 17 February 2025

   Dear Guest! Thank you for choosing to dine with us at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your meal and service. We apologize for the wait you experienced, and we understand your concern about the reservation timing. We assure you that we are working on improving our reservation system. We value your patronage and look forward to serving you again soon. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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9. W

   Winston

   San Diego

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on 16 February 2025

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

   Overbooking or understaffing problem. Arrived at 7:25 for a 7:30 Reservation for 6. Birthday Celebration. Didn't get seated until 8:50 or so, almost 1.5 hours after our Reservation. Manager didn't tell us they were that far behind until waiting about 45 mins when I overheard another person complaining they've waited over an hour for a 2 person reservation. It was disappointing to say the least. They knew they were running 1.5 hours behind when we checked in, they should have told us so we could decide to stay or not. Once seated it still took longer than normal for a cook to come to the table. He forgot the mushroom portion of the 6 course meal which most people ordered. Salad had too much dressing on it. Lobster was overcook & seasoned. Overall the food was good. Steak was best part. But we didn't get out of there until almost 11pm.
   

   Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded on 18 February 2025

   Thanks for the review, Winston. We're sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA. We apologize for the delay and the mix-up with your birthday celebration, as well as the issue with the missing mushroom dish. We also regret the lack of communication about the delay. We understand how frustrating this can be and we're working on improving our communication and organization. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food and found the steak to be the highlight. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future.
   

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10. B

    Bryanna

    San Diego

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on 16 February 2025

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

    The food and service was good, but we made a reservation at 7:30 only to be told we would have to wait almost 2 hours to be seated. It was around 9 when we got seated then it took another hour and a half to actually start eating. We didn’t leave until 12. With how pricey everything is, we will never be coming here again.
    

    Benihana - Carlsbad, CAResponded on 18 February 2025

    Hello Bryanna, We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Carlsbad, CA. We aim to provide excellent service and it's clear we missed the mark during your visit. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait, especially when you have a reservation. We apologize for the inconvenience and assure you that we take your feedback seriously. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide you with the excellent service we're known for. Best regards, The Management Team
    

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