Benihana - Mall of America, MN

Review summary

1. N

   Nicole

   Minneapolis

   3 reviews

   4.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   The service took too long. We were waiting for over an hour after being seated to even have our order taken, after the meal the server barely came to check on us. Where we waited another 30 minutes before getting our bill.
   

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2. A

   Anna

   San Francisco

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   First time ever at Benihana and I'm not sure if our experience was unusual or not. We had a reservation for 5:45 pm and the chef didn't arrive to our table until 7 pm. We had a tired and hungry 3 year old with us that was starting to meltdown by the time we final were served. For the cost of the meals it wasn't worth it at all, in my opinion. The food was better than I expected it to be but overall the experience was pretty bad. The bathrooms were also disgusting and not attended to at all; toilet paper everywhere, flooded toilets, and just dirty. I don't think we'll be back. I was really hoping to make this a place that we could go as a family since I've heard how much kids enjoy it.
   

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3. M

   MARIA

   VIP

   Minneapolis

   6 reviews

   3.0

   6 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   We go once a year and are more disappointed every year. They automatically charge 20% service charge on top of extremely high prices. The staff is not motivated to serve us so they don’t! We waited 45 minutes after being seated to get drinks! Very sad as food is great!
   

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4. C

   Craig

   Minneapolis

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   I wish they would take less time from order to cooking. It was a 30 minute wait between the server taking out order to the chef coming into cook the food.
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded 1 day ago

   Hello Craig, Thank you for taking the time to review your experience at Benihana - Mall of America, MN. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food and we sincerely apologize for the delay in service you experienced. We understand how frustrating this can be and we're working on improving our service times. We appreciate your feedback and hope to serve you again soon. Best, The Management Team
   

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5. A

   Alysia

   Minneapolis

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   Service was excellent from the staff. The food was mediocre at best for the $200 is cost 2 people. We each had one entree and a one beverage. Lobster was dry, “colossal” shrimp were everything but. Scallops were done perfectly & the Australian waygu was cooked perfectly. We sat in the bar area (our choice), and for the price, definitely not worth the cost.
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded 4 days ago

   Hello Alysia, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed our service and the Australian waygu. However, we're sorry to hear that our food did not meet your expectations. We pride ourselves on our culinary skills and it's disappointing to hear that we fell short this time. Your comments are important to us and we will certainly take them into consideration as we continually strive to improve our food and service. We hope you'll give us another chance to impress you in the future. Best regards, Benihana - Mall of America, MN Management Team
   

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6. M

   Megan

   Hawaii

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   Terrible service and surprise 20% service charge at the end. They will say there are signs out describing the fee, but they are not clear to see or in areas that guests can see
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded 5 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Megan. We're sorry to hear that your experience at Benihana - Mall of America didn't meet your expectations. We strive to provide excellent service and clear signage regarding our service fee. We understand that it was not clear to you and for that, we apologize. Your feedback is valuable and will be used to improve our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to make it right. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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7. S

   Sandi

   Minneapolis

   18 reviews

   5.0

   18 reviews

   Dined on 17 December 2024

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

   Great experience with friendly staff who were upbeat, friendly and accommodating. Interacted well with the young family at our table as well as me and my spouse.
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on 19 December 2024

   Thanks for visiting us, Sandi! We're thrilled to hear that you and your spouse had a great experience at Benihana - Mall of America. It's wonderful to know that our team was able to provide a friendly and welcoming environment for all our guests. We appreciate your feedback and look forward to serving you and your family again soon!
   

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8. K

   Kat

   Minneapolis

   8 reviews

   4.0

   8 reviews

   Dined on 15 December 2024

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

   Went to a comedy show and decided to have dinner here it was good as usual but pricey.
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on 16 December 2024

   Hi, Kat! Thank you for choosing to dine with us at Benihana - Mall of America. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed your comedic show experience and found it to be a good dining experience. We understand your concern about the pricing. We strive to provide value in all aspects of our service and pricing is intended to reflect that. We appreciate your feedback and hope to serve you again soon. Best, The Management Team
   

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9. B

   Brent

   Minneapolis

   3 reviews

   1.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on 14 December 2024

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

   We went to Benihana to celebrate our daughter’s 23rd birthday and got seated. They gave us menus and we discovered that they suspended the lunch menu until January 1st, 2025. There was also an item not on the “holiday” menu that one of me other daughters and I were going to get and the prices were the same as dinner and part of the reason we were going there for lunch was because it’s cheaper. The six of us told the waitress we were leaving so we got up and walked out. I’m pretty sure they figure people are Christmas shopping at the mall so why not charge more for food. Very disappointing!
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on 15 December 2024

   Thanks for the feedback. We're truly sorry to hear about your disappointing experience at Benihana - Mall of America. We understand your concerns about the holiday suspension and pricing. We strive to provide a memorable dining experience for all our guests, and it's clear we fell short during your visit. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our services. We hope you'll give us another chance to make it right in the future.
   

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10. W

    Whitney

    Chicago

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on 14 December 2024

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

    My husband and I came for a celebration for a clear health scan. We came and sat in the bar because my husband has a shrimp allergy we wouldn’t usually pick this spot because of the allergy but because it was my scan and my celebration like a great husband he agreed to come and sit at the bar. We were sat in Jamie’s section. No introduction no name nothing. We expressed our concerns for our shrimp allergy she than said that the kitchen has a hard time separating the shrimp from the steak. It’s hard for me to believe that we are the first people to come in with a food allergy and this seems like a Benihana problem not Jamie’s. So we agreed to cut our losses and get more veggies than meat. We were totally forgotten and the food and drink took forever and we were handed off to another server. Chris was extremely apologetic and over worked he was extremely friendly and a pleasant guy. Also being in the industry and having to work for my tips I feel like there isn’t a whole lot of effort because of the 20% automatic gratuity.
    

    Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on 15 December 2024

    Dear Whitney! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience. We’re genuinely sorry to hear about the challenges you faced during your celebration visit, and we completely understand your frustration regarding the shrimp allergy and the service delays. Your health and safety are our top priority, and it’s concerning to hear that your allergy wasn’t properly addressed from the start. We’ll certainly look into this to ensure our team is more proactive and clear in communicating food safety measures. We also appreciate your feedback on the service and will use it to improve our approach to guest interactions. While we're glad Chris was able to make a positive impact, we’ll work to ensure that no guest feels forgotten or neglected, regardless of who’s serving them. Thank you!
    

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