Benihana - Mall of America, MN

Review summary

1. B

   Brad

   Minneapolis

   10 reviews

   5.0

   10 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Food and chef delivered top notch food and service but prices are outrageous now for what they charge and the little portions of food you get. We went to Benihana because we saw on Facebook a $40 dollar meal deal for a 5 course meal. Well the restaurant said there is no such thing as a 5 course meal for $40.00 dollars.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
2. C

   Chad

   Memphis/West TN

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   First time at the Mall of America Benihana. Nice location. Service was good, and the food was great. Had reservation, and was seated within a few minutes of arrival.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
3. D

   Dan

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   After walking by Benihana in the mall for many years and smelling the aromas, I had very high expectations for this restaurant. Instead, the ambiance was not overly special, food and drinks were very average and overly priced, and the service and presentation were very robotic as the gratuity is automatically added to your bill. Needless to say, I will not return.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
4. R

   Richard

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on 17 November 2024

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

   I've had a similar experience previously, so I knew what I was getting myself into. The only reason I came back was because my 14yo daughter wanted to have her bday dinner here. The Manager was very rude, staff does a lackluster job since the 20% gratuity is already mandated on the tab. And we had to ask for the side salad because they forgot, a folk because one was never offered and had to ask several times for refills on our drinks. PLEASE do yourself a favor and go to CRAVE across the hallway, you won't have to pay an arm and leg for good food and great service.
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded 5 days ago

   Dear Richard, thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We apologize for the issues you experienced during your visit. We will address these concerns with our team to ensure a better experience for our guests in the future. Please allow us a chance to make things right by reaching out to our team directly. You may reach us by visiting our "Contact Us" page on our website.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
5. M

   Michelle

   Minneapolis

   4 reviews

   3.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on 14 November 2024

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

   Waitress so-so. Didn’t bring our rice until after we got all food. We had to ask for it. She was late with drinks & missing when we wanted soy sauce, more drinks, etc. Chef didn’t smile much. Had to ask his name. Had to remind him of shrimp appetizer (I think he forgot). Been here many times & the food is great. Just our service this time sub-par.
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on 17 November 2024

   Hello Michelle! Thank you for your feedback and for being a regular at Benihana - Mall of America. We're glad to hear that you've enjoyed our food in the past. However, we're truly sorry that your service didn't meet your expectations this time. We appreciate your patience and are working on improving our service. If you wish to contact us with further details regarding this experience, you may reach us by visiting our "Contact Us" page on our website. We hope to provide you with a better experience in the future. Best regards, Benihana - Mall of America, MN Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
6. A

   Abby

   Minneapolis

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on 13 November 2024

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

   We had a wonderful lunch and everyone enjoyed the kindness of the server (in training) and cook. We definitely will be back soon!
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on 15 November 2024

   Hey Abby, we're thrilled to hear that you and your friends had a wonderful lunch at Benihana - Mall of America! It's great to know that our team's kindness and the quality of our food and service were appreciated. We're looking forward to welcoming you back soon for another great dining experience. Thanks for your kind words and high ratings! ❤️
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
7. A

   Abigail

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on 12 November 2024

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

   Food was great, but waited 30 minutes to get any drinks to the table.
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on 14 November 2024

   Dear Abigail! Thanks for the review. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food at Benihana - Mall of America. However, we're sorry to hear about the delay in serving drinks. We understand how frustrating that can be and we apologize for the inconvenience. We're committed to providing excellent service and your feedback will help us improve. If you wish to contact us with further details regarding this experience, you may reach us by visiting our "Contact Us" page on our website. We hope to serve you better next time.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
8. A

   Andrew

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on 11 November 2024

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

   So we made an online reservation to sit in the lounge/ bar area, we didn’t want communal seating… we got there told them we had reservations specifically for that, they say wait 3 minutes, then they call our name and 3 others and bring us to a communal seating. I say immediately that I had a reservation for the lounge area, and I was told very rudely that we don’t do that here, just go the front and check in. So we go the front… re check in and tell the manager now that we want to sit in the lounge/ bar area. With plenty of open tables too… but the manager just points at the bar with only 2 seats left on the very end (that already looks occupied) and said you just go sit at the bar then…. No I don’t want to sit at the bar, I just want to sit down at a table alone with my significant other with no one else around me. Is it really that hard. So we just got up and left and the manger said very rudely “so the bar isn’t good enough for you either?” Amazed and in shock my significant other and I walked out and took our business else where. Never again
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on 14 November 2024

   Hello, Andrew! We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Mall of America. We strive to provide a comfortable and enjoyable dining experience for all our guests, and it's clear we fell short in your case. We apologize for the confusion and the lack of respect shown to you and your significant other. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our service. If you wish to contact us with further details regarding this experience, you may reach us by visiting our "Contact Us" page on our website. We hope you'll give us another chance to make things right in the future. Best, The Management Team
   

   1 person found this helpful

   Report
9. N

   Nate

   Minneapolis

   14 reviews

   vip
   2.0

   14 reviews

   Dined on 11 November 2024

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

   Yikes! Benihana has gone downhill over the years. I recommend watching from the window and spending your money elsewhere. We’ve been to this location at least annually, often times more, since 2018 for birthday celebrations. Yesterday was the last time we’ll dine. For two adults eating a hibachi meal and a kids’ meal, it was $200, including the service charge. There’s an automatic 20% service charge on sit down meals, which seemed like a good excuse for staff to perform poorly and still receive an outstanding tip. Our waitress was struggling - we asked twice for a kids’ menu and she started to take our orders before we received a kids’ menu (how would we know what to order?), I asked twice for a club soda and still never received the refill, and the worst part - she knowingly delivered cold soup. She said as she was handing out the soups, “These don’t feel very warm, let me know if I need to get different ones,” but then she proceeded to walk away without checking back in on the soups. I had two soups, one was lukewarm, one was very cold. The soups also had what appeared to be coagulated bouillon, like someone put in 20 extra cubes into my one bowl. The salad was swimming in dressing (it looked like soup in the bowl after eating the lettuce), the chicken was tough and chewy, and the fried rice was so salty we couldn’t even enjoy it (too much soy sauce maybe?). The best part was the two shrimps that came with the hibachi meal. All in all, Benihana is not fine dining but at a fine dining cost. The show is always great while the chef is prepping the meal, but the meal is not worth it. Save your money, watch from the window, and spend $200 on a fine dining meal elsewhere.
   

   Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on 14 November 2024

   Thanks for the review, Nate! We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Mall of America. It's disappointing to know that we fell short of your expectations on this special occasion. We pride ourselves on our food quality and service, and it's clear we missed the mark this time. We take your feedback seriously and will use it to improve our services. If you wish to contact us with further details regarding this experience, you may reach us by visiting our "Contact Us" page on our website. We hope we can have another chance to serve you better in the future.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
10. L

    Lisa

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 11 November 2024

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

    Chef Maria was outstanding! Food was tremendous; one of the best meals at Benihana that we’ve had in years.
    

    Benihana - Mall of America, MNResponded on 14 November 2024

    Hey, Lisa! We're thrilled to hear that you had such a fantastic experience at Benihana - Mall of America! It's wonderful to know that our food met your expectations and that you found it to be one of the best meals you've had in years. We always aim to provide top-notch service and it's heartening to hear that we hit the mark during your visit. Thank you for your kind words and for giving us a perfect rating. We look forward to serving you again soon! Best wishes, The Management Team
    

    Is this helpful?

    Report