Benihana - Columbus, OH

Review summary

1. J

   Jim

   Columbus

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   At 6:15pm on Fri 2/21/25, we made a reservation for 4 at 7:30. Someone from the restaurant called me a few minutes later and said they were full for that time and the system shouldn’t have let me book. They asked if we could move the reservation to 8:30, which I agreed to. When we arrived at 8:30, we were told they were running an hour late, and asked us to come back at 9:30. We were finally seated at 9:40. It was around 10:15 before a waiter came to our table and 10:45 before drinks from the bar arrived. A chef did not come to our table until 11:10, by which point we were the last table still with patrons in the hibachi area. Despite this, we never received a single drink refill, despite most of the guests at our table being out of water for the duration of our meal. The quality of the food was good, though the portions are quite small for the price. This was exacerbated by the waiter confusing the order of some of the guests who wanted chicken fried rice with their meals. The chef asked the waiter to bring 2 additional chicken servings to correct this, but when they never arrived, he ended up dividing the chicken from everyone else’s entrees into smaller portions. We never received some of the courses included with our meals. Green tea and ice cream were never offered to us. We paid for 2 kids meals, but our kids never got vegetables or shrimp appetizer as specified on the menu. We only got their ice cream after asking for a 3rd time on our way out the door. $29 is a lot for a kids meal with a couple chicken tenders and side of noodles and no drink included. The manager took 20% of our bill after my wife complained about the wait, but that was before we were missing food we paid for. The manager said the whole thing is corporate’s fault for making them accept too many reservations despite how far behind they get. She said nothing will be done about this, and it’s the same every weekend. This, more than anything, ensured we will never be going back.
   

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2. S

   Stacy

   Fort Lauderdale

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Beware!!! They will seat you over an hour after your reservation time! They apparently are always overbooked!!!! Horrible!!!
   

   Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for the review, Stacy! We're sorry to hear about your experience. It's disappointing to know that you were waited over an hour after your reservation, and that we were overbooked. We strive to provide excellent service and it's clear we fell short in your case. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food. We hope to serve you again and provide a better experience.
   

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3. T

   Todd

   Pittsburgh

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Restaurant was overbooked. Took over an hour to be seated even though we had a reservation. Food was over seasoned. Due to overbooking atmosphere was subpar
   

   Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded 1 day ago

   Hey Todd, We're really sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Columbus, OH. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait longer than expected, especially when you've made a reservation. We also take great pride in our food and it's disheartening to hear that it didn't meet your expectations. We appreciate your feedback and will definitely use it to improve our service and food quality. We hope you'll give us another chance to make it right and provide a better dining experience. Best, The Management Team
   

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4. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Columbus

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   We were seated 2 hours after our reservation and it was another hour before we had food. Our reservation was at 6:30 and we didn’t eat until 9:30.
   

   Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded 1 day ago

   Dear Guest, We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Columbus, OH. It's clear that we fell short of our service commitments, especially given the extended wait times you experienced. We understand how frustrating this can be and we're truly sorry for any inconvenience. We appreciate your patience and understanding, and we're committed to making improvements. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide you with the quality of service you expect and deserve. Best Regards, The Management Team
   

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5. s

   sarah

   VIP

   Columbus

   8 reviews

   1.0

   8 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   This was the worst experience we have ever had there, and needless to say we won’t be back. It is very expensive to have the issues that they were having. They were running an hour behind reservations, and the hostess was so rude. The way that she spoke to some of the customers was appalling. I understand that it wasn’t her fault but unfortunately that was the job that you had and needed to take it on. She also mentioned that it happens every weekend…so obviously management needs to do something. Our chef was very impersonal and that was very disappointing for the children that waited so long. The waitress was so overwhelmed and couldn’t keep up with helping the tables.
   

   Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for the review, Sarah. We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Columbus, OH. We apologize for the delay in your reservation and the service you received. We understand how this could have affected your overall dining experience. We also regret the perceived lack of professionalism from our chef. Your feedback is valuable to us and we assure you that we will use this as an opportunity to improve. We hope you'll reconsider and give us another chance to provide a better dining experience.
   

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6. B

   Brittany

   Columbus

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Service was incredibly slow. Our reservation was at 6:30pm and our griller didn’t start making our food until almost 8. It was not my best hibachi experience.
   

   Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded 3 days ago

   Dear Brittany! Thank you for your feedback. We sincerely apologize for the delay in service during your visit. We strive to provide an excellent hibachi experience, and it’s disappointing to hear that we fell short. Your comments will be shared with our team to ensure we improve efficiency while maintaining the quality of our food and service. We truly appreciate your patience and would love the opportunity to make it up to you. Please feel free to reach out to us directly so we can address your concerns. Thank you for dining with us, and we hope to welcome you back for a better experience!
   

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7. Z

   Zaniayh

   Columbus

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   The manager that was there on February 19th 2025 around 9 pm female brown hair. Was very rude very racist very aggressive and disrespectful
   

   Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded 4 days ago

   Dear Zaniayh! We're very sorry to hear about your experience. We take all feedback seriously and do not tolerate discrimination or poor customer service in any form. Please reach out to us directly so we can better understand what happened and address this issue appropriately. Your experience matters to us, and we want to ensure every guest feels welcome and respected.
   

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8. D

   Diane

   Cincinnati

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 17 February 2025

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

   Darren was great and very entertaining! All the food he made was great!
   

   Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded 6 days ago

   Hello Diane, We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience at Benihana - Columbus, OH! It's wonderful to know that our team's efforts to provide entertaining food and service were appreciated. We're always working on improving and your feedback helps us do just that. Thank you for choosing us and we look forward to serving you again soon! Best, The Management Team
   

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9. A

   Alexandra

   New York City

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on 17 February 2025

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

   It was my boyfriend’s birthday. The food was seasoned well, however our drinks were watered down from waiting for them to be bought over from the bar and it was somewhat rude of the chef to ask several times for a tip when he was done. According to the family we sat with who frequent this establishment, this particular chef does this everytime he finishes which can be offputting. Overall 2 meals and 2 drinks was not worth $132. My boyfriend is allergic to onions which we were not aware was in the fried rice so for his birthday dinner he only ended up having a spatula size amount of the grilled chicken prepared. Thankfully the manager understood and took off about $30. That was the best customer service we received from the whole dining experience.
   

   Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded 7 days ago

   Dear Alexandra, Thank you for sharing your experience. We’re glad you enjoyed the seasoning of the food and appreciate your kind words about our manager’s service. However, we sincerely apologize for the issues you encountered. Your feedback regarding the drinks, chef’s behavior, and ingredient transparency is important to us, and we will address these concerns with our team to ensure a better experience for all guests. We strive to provide exceptional service and truly regret that we fell short. We appreciate your visit and hope to improve your next dining experience. Best regards,
   

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10. A

    Autumn

    Columbus

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 16 February 2025

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

    Other than being seating with some very loud people, we loved it!! Our chef Olivia was amazing!
    

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    Benihana - Columbus, OHResponded 7 days ago

    Hello Autumn, Thank you for taking the time to leave us this wonderful review. We are thrilled to hear that you had a wonderful dining experience at Benihana - Columbus, OH. We are glad that you found our seating arrangements comfortable and enjoyed the food and service provided by our chef. Your kind words mean a lot to us. We look forward to welcoming you back soon! Best, The Management Team
    

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