Benihana - Newport Beach, CA

Review summary

1. A

   Andy

   Orange County

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined today

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

   Benihana in Newport Beach was chaotic and severely lacking on Christmas Day. They did not honor our Open Table reservation. We were informed that our reservation would be cancelled due to overcrowding and the wait times would exceed over two hours. The crowd management was non-existent and the staff were overwhelmed and unprepared. We will not return to this restaurant again.
   

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2. D

   Debbie

   Orange County

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined today

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

   We had 5:45pm reservations. We checked in a few minutes early and they told us they were running 1.5 hrs behind! Needless to say we left and did not have our Christmas dinner there. Horribly managed by the front of the house and completely unacceptable! The hostess was matter of fact and showed zero remorse.
   

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3. S

   Sarah

   VIP

   Orange County

   282 reviews

   1.0

   282 reviews

   Dined today

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

   We arrived for our 5:30 reservation on time and were told we had an hour and half wait! Totally unacceptable!!! This is the fault of their messed up dining policy. They book tables for every hour!!! I will not be back.
   

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4. E

   Erin

   Greater Boston

   3 reviews

   1.0

   3 reviews

   Dined today

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

   It was Christmas. We arrived at our reservation time to be informed that they were currently 1.5 hours behind on reservations, with no explanation. Both the bar area and parking lot were so full from others in the same situation that there was no where to park or to sit inside to wait. It was so crowded it felt unsafe. We left disappointed. I understand that sometimes things happen and reservations fall behind. At the very least we would have appreciated a courtesy automated text or call so that we could have made alternate plans, especially because of the holiday. Last year we dined here and I was disgusted by the condition of the restrooms. It is clear that management does not prioritize customer experience. We will not return to this business because it is unreliable.
   

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5. S

   Stacey

   Orange County

   4 reviews

   2.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   We made a reservation for 2:15pm on Christmas. We were told the wait would be 45 minutes even though we arrived prior to our reservation time. We ended up waiting a full hour + to be seated. The chef was rushed and delayed. Despite the wait, the food was excellent and the value was worth it.
   

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6. s

   sandy

   Orange County

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Everything was super good. The food was great and the servers were so sweet
   

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7. L

   Lan

   VIP

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Great service. Good food. Quite pricey. With tax & tip, it turns out to be $86 pp for lunch on CMas day. Didn’t know they charged $7.50 for each bowl of fried rice in addition to the entree.
   

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8. O

   Opal

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Wait time was waaaaay too long even with reservation. More than and hour after that. By the time the chef arrived was 2.5 hrs!
   

   Benihana - Newport Beach, CAResponded today

   Thanks for the feedback, Opal. We're sorry to hear about the wait time you experienced during your visit. It's certainly not the standard we aim for at Benihana - Newport Beach, CA. We understand how frustrating this can be and we're truly sorry for the inconvenience. We're working on improving our service to ensure that this doesn't happen again. We appreciate your patience and hope to have the opportunity to serve you again soon.
   

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9. B

   Brad

   Orange County

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Place is always great. I understand it was Xmas eve but had a reservation and was told it would an hour or more before we sat. After we sat it wasn’t until another hour when or chef came to table. The waitress was visibly tired and 3 of the 5 orders were messed up. I’ll chalk it up to being Xmas eve but wasn’t expecting a 3 hour experience.
   

   Benihana - Newport Beach, CAResponded today

   Thanks for the review, Brad. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed your experience at Benihana - Newport Beach, CA during the Christmas holiday. We apologize for the long wait time and the mix-up with your orders. We're continuously working on improving our service during busy periods. We appreciate your patience and understanding. We hope to serve you better on your next visit.
   

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10. J

    Jeff

    VIP

    Los Angeles

    2 reviews

    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

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

    Even though had a reservation, had to wait over 30min to sit down then another 45 min bc they're short chefs. They need to pay the chefs more instead of overworking them and passing the inconvenience to the customer.
    

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