Matt Miller

Thank you Brent for serving us, great attitude and very hospitable! Thank you Daniel for making the best steak I’ve ever had in my life!! If you are coming to Benihana I very much recommend requesting Daniel as a chef, he is engaged and happy to make your food! - my plate was wiped clean, not one bite was inedible!! Thank you Daniel!!! Fern miller

Evangeline Puno

I celebrated my birthday at Benihana with family and friends and Eduardo provided us with service. I find him very respectful, the meals are amazing snd scallops were very delectable. Thanks Eduardo for your good service to us!

Dee Dee Andrews

Hafa Adai! We have always loved Benihana but this most recent visit was extra special. It wasn’t just a meal, it was an experience and the best customer service we’ve ever had (and we dine in often!) Chef Jorge, Server Zach and GM Emily were so friendly and attentive. The food was delicious, as always, and the cooking tricks, jokes, and classic birthday song (Oo-ooO!) made it even more memorable.

Michelle Felix

I've heard so many great things about Chef Trevor, and every time I went to the restaurant in Carlsbad, I never got a chance to sit at his table. But today was finally my lucky day! I got to meet him, and he was not only genuine and funny, but his food was also absolutely delicious. He really knows how to bring joy and laughter to the dining experience! Kayla, the server, was very attentive and made sure to check on everyone at the table frequently. When visiting the restaurant be sure to request Chef Trevor and the server Kayla.

Angie Cameron

Came in at around 7:45 and were seated very quickly! Excellent service from start to finish.. Kristen was an amazing server and Chef Marco blew us away with his cooking! 10/10 ( MUST TRY THE HIBACHI SUPREME, to die for )

Cheryl Nasser

Delicious high quality food with fun and entertainment! Gab (Gabriel) was our server and was attentive and friendly. Ray was our Teppan grill chef and was outstanding! He made our night and mom’s birthday a fabulous experience. Well skilled at cooking and making us laugh! Food was fresh, flavorful and delicious. Quality seafood and steaks. Special note: Make reservations and have your party all there at the same time, otherwise they will not seat you. I saw previous reviews with low ratings because of long wait times even if you had reservations. We had no issue like this. I assume because we had an earlier time reserved, 6pm on a Friday night. All tables had filled up and kept full. When we left the table at around 7:45pm the lobby was full of people waiting (assuming some longer than others). Suggest to go earlier in the evening if you can. They have about 20 Teppan grills here so they can accommodate a lot of people. About 8 to 10 at each table. Our table was 6 of us and so there were 2 empty seats.

+2

Made reservations for 6:45pm on a Sat. (MLK weekend). This place was extremely busy when we arrived and was told it will most likely be a 45-60 min wait. We were prepared to wait after reading al…

I recommend this Benihana location for drinks and dining in the lounge area. We were able to be seated immediately there on a Busy December Friday. If you want teppanyaki/hibachi you might want to …

well first off, we didn’t end up eating here since sadly the lunch was not available which was not stated anywhere. but my disappoint was alleviated by the man at the welcome desk. he was beautiful w…

We went to Benihana in Carlsbad CA to celebrate my sister's birthday. We had a great server named Ian-very attentive and he made my sister feel extra special on her birthday by serving her first …

We went to Benihana in Carlsbad CA to celebrate my sister's birthday. We had a great server named Ian-very attentive and he made my sister feel extra special on her birthday by serving her first wh…

At lunch at this Benihana location when my car was being serviced. Even though I was alone I was treated likely royalty. Zach, my server, provided great service without being obstructive. Jorg…

Came with a group of 8; half kids, half adults. We had a great time… Seated 15 minutes after our reservation. But otherwise only positive things to say. service was fast and friendly. Tarek was …

Trevor is the man! I would 100% request him next time I’m in. He had us laughing and smiling the entire time. That said, management should communicate wait times with the host team, especially when chefs are running behind. After we were seated, our server let us know they were short on chefs, which I completely understand, but it meant about an hour wait before our chef came out. We were seated around 7 and the chef didn’t arrive until about 8:30. Trevor was phenomenal, so absolutely no complaints about him. It would just be helpful if guests were told about longer wait times before being seated.

We showed up on time for birthday party reservation, only be told that they are running behind and it will be over an hour wait. They blamed corporate and told me that they have no control and co…

We showed up on time for birthday party reservation, only be told that they are running behind and it will be over an hour wait. They blamed corporate and told me that they have no control and corp…

service was not up to par. Chef was fine. Food was poor quality and bland. It was extremely loud and noisy impossible at to carry on a conversation at cook table all the way to the rear corner.

Service was not up to par. Chef was fine. food was poor quality and bland. It was extremely loud and noisy impossible at to carry on a conversation at cook table all the way to the rear corner.

The reservation system WAY better than the San Diego one. We were seated so fast& service was great! It was a little loud though cause of the fans. I do prefer the chicken tenders from San Diego th…

Our reservation was at 6pm, we didn't eat until 7:45pm. \n\nThe food was mediocre at best. \nSoup: salty water\nSalad: bitter dressing\nChicken: dry & extremely peppery \nShrimp: decently plump and…

Service is great - Eduardo was a fantastic hibachi chef! Food was delicious but a bit out of my typical price range. Highlights were the fried rice and the garlic butter steak. The restaurant itsel…

We really enjoyed our experience at Benihana’s. The location was perfect; it was literally in the parking lot of our hotel. We had a dinner reservation and we waited about 10 minutes to be seated. …

We really enjoyed our experience at Benihana’s. The location was perfect; it was literally in the parking lot of our hotel. We had a dinner reservation and we waited about 10 minutes to be seated. …

8 of us for a birthday celebration on a Sunday night with reservations & it was an overall enjoyable evening. We were slightly delayed in being seated but we understood. Typical teppanyaki show w…

Yasmin

Man oh man. I made reservations for 12/31/25 for 2 to go to Happy Hour because i saw a tiktok of the delicious looking appetizers. I asked to be seated in the bar area. I get there right on time and there are at least 5 people in the lobby area. No problem i think, i made reservations. The blonde lady at the front said, "We have you checked in, it'll be a few minutes." Excitement!! 15 minutes pass by and we're still not being seated. There's a man who looks like he's in management helping people get seated and 4 teen looking people just staving around at the desk. I figured i should ask them, but figured they probably wouldn't know. 30 minutes passes by and now people arrive. The lobby area is full, barely anyone is getting seated. The 45 minute mark is near, i ask the blonde lady when am i next. She tells me I'm literally the next reservation. It is now 5:40pm and we are finally getting seated. We were seated at a table and not in the bar area. I asked the host if it was Happy Hour and he said they have one, but not for today because it was a holiday. That was not communicated on the website nor the reservation with a comment. I still sit down because now I'm hungry and i just waited over an hour to eat. I learned that a group of 3 also made reservations for 4:45pm and didn't get seated until we were seated. The host was okay, the server was cool, and the chef was cool. The cool thing i didn't know existed was that they take pictures of you and give you a hard copy. Lastly, the food was good. I'm so disappointed in this establishment because there was little communication about why things were taking forever. I didn't realize that people came here on NYE, especially on a rainy day. If things are just explained, I'd be less annoyed, but having a reservation to wait for over an hour is unacceptable. I'm not sure if I'll be back because i really wanted to experience Happy Hour, but maybe I'll go to a different location.

We didn’t have a reservation and our wait wasn’t that long we went in a Monday while heading back to Oceanside from San Diego. My rating came from no flavor in the food. Everything was tasteless. T…

Eduardo

Be ready to wait over two and a half hours for a chef to get to your table. After a 45 minutes wait, to get seated, it takes over 2.5 hours to get a chef to your table. It is so bad, that they offer free California rolls so that people don't leave. Tables and floors are sleeping and greasy. Food is okay I guess, but having to spend over 3 hours for someone to start cooking is silly. Two chefs for 17 tables. Overpriced. This place shouldn't

Actually take reservations time insted of making a reservation time and still not getting seated 3 hours later. While they were "so busy" the front of house was all on there phones talking to one ano…

Actually take reservations time insted of making a reservation time and still not getting seated 3 hours later. While they were "so busy" the front of house was all on there phones talking to one…

Horrible, we sat for thirty minutes with no server and no water I think they forgot about us.

Booked a 7:00 pm reservation weeks ago for a birthday only to be told that we wouldn't be seated for another hour and a half. HARD pass. Sad what corporate makes their employees go through dealing wi…

Booked a 7:00 pm reservation weeks ago for a birthday only to be told that we wouldn't be seated for another hour and a half. HARD pass. Sad what corporate makes their employees go through dealing …

Absolute (profanity removed)show. reservation was for 8:30, didn't get seated until 10:30. Would not recommend.

Horrible, we sat for thirty minutes with no server and no water I think they forgot about us.

Horrible, we sat for thirty minutes with no server and no water I think they forgot about us.

Booked a 7:00 pm reservation weeks ago for a birthday only to be told that we wouldn't be seated for another hour and a half. HARD pass. Sad what corporate makes their employees go through dealing …

Horrible experience, We've been to Benihana's probably 40 times over the years for Birthdays, kids, grandkids. This was by far the worst experience ever, not only have the prices gotten outrageous …

Went to celebrate my wife's Bday with our 2 children in attempt to do something special since we rarely go out. Should have read these reviews. Like others-over 3 hrs, blah food, expensive, entranc…

I don't usually write Yelp reviews, but I felt compelled to share this experience out of integrity and concern for other diners.\n\nWe came to Benihana to celebrate my birthday. There were eight of…

Reservation was at 7:30. waited until 8:30 and left because there were still 2 tables before us.

Went on Sunday night after calling at 7:00 pm and was told they had a 7:30 pm seating so we headed over and arrived on time. Waited 90 minutes to finally be seated. Can’t believe they encourage custo…

Went on Sunday night after calling at 7:00 pm and was told they had a 7:30 pm seating so we headed over and arrived on time. waited 90 minutes to finally be seated. Can’t believe they encourage cus…

Horrible wait time - even with a reservation we waited almost 2 hours - along with over 75 other guests. Then when we finally got to the table, another hour wait for the chef. Apparently corporate al…

Horrible wait time - even with a reservation we waited almost 2 hours - along with over 75 other guests. Then when we finally got to the table, another hour wait for the chef. Apparently corp…

Horrible wait time - even with a reservation we waited almost 2 hours - along with over 75 other guests. Then when we finally got to the table, another hour wait for the chef. Apparently corporate …

It took an hour and 15 minutes sitting at the teppanyaki table to even get our drinks, the cook Finally came, Marco, and never spoke or smiled to anyone and finally started talking to me in Spanish…

We had a reservation for 7:45 pm. We were a group of 10 people. When we arrived we were about 10 minutes early. We ended up waiting for over an hour for a table. In front of us a larger group of 14…

We made a reservation for 12 at 8:30 for a birthday celebration. When we got there we were told there would be an hour wait. That a reservation guaranteed a table but not a time. This poli…

Service was about as good as it can be after being seated 45 minutes after my reservation & We waited another hour hour 15 before a chef showed up. We had a 630 reservation and didn’t have a chef in front of us until after 8:30. The staff did everything humanly possible to make the experience as best as possible. Our server Drake was great and once our chef Vlad once he got there, put on an awesome show. I just don’t expect to get a 630 reservation and still be at the restaurant trying to finish dinner, Not even dessert, at 10 o’clock or 1015. If you have kids avoid this place like the plague. If you’re on a date, it shouldn’t even be a consideration as it will embarrass you. If you wanna wait two hours from your reservation time for the hibachi style grill this is your place!!

I ordered from the to go menu to get my food and dinner at the hotel next door. I waited +45 minutes and they told me they don’t have the Ramen because is no longer on the menu 😕 but it’s on the menu, they offered me to substitute for another item but I don’t want to wait another hour to get my food Very disappointed I will give a chance to live the “be the chef experience

** Changing my rating to 1 star as I never got a response from the Customer response team after submitting my feedback as suggested in the comment below. ** Our 8:00 PM reservation at Benihana Carlsbad turned into a frustrating experience. We arrived at 8:05, weren’t seated until around 9:00, and our chef didn’t start until 9:30. Completely unacceptable for a reservation. I had clearly mentioned multiple times (Resy, phone call, and at check-in) that we were celebrating my wife’s birthday, yet neither the server nor the chef knew. We had to bring it up ourselves. For a place charging $50+ per person, that’s disappointing. The food and show felt routine and mechanical. Chef Irwin was decent, but nothing memorable. Service was inattentive — we weren’t checked on properly and had to ask for basics like sauce refills. We wanted a special birthday/Valentine’s dinner. Instead, it felt overpriced and underwhelming. Not worth the money.

Jesse A

Garbage. I’ve been to Benihana exactly 3 times in my life. First time, entertaining, but I thought the food was meh. Second time, everything was great - service a little slow and it is definitely over-priced, but food was delicious and the cook was amazing. Both of those experiences were in the Beaverton/Tigard Oregon location. Tonight we went to the San Diego location, actually just hoping it would be entertaining for our kids. It was the worst of all. Service was slow, it took about an hour for our Cook to show up. Food was bland, steak was over-cooked, cook was not entertaining or engaging. I am a very forgiving individual and have spent over a decade of my life working in the food industry. This epitomizes what it means to be a corporate chain restaurant in America. Save yourself the $$, the time, and your tastebuds. There are so many more great local spots to visit. With tip, $600 for 4 adults and 5 kids. 🤯

Charles Nesbitt

Horrific wait time!! We made a 6pm reservation for a party of 4, days in advance for a Tuesday night to celebrate a birthday. We checked in at 5:55, then proceeded to wait till 7:16 to be seated at a grill. That's a hour and twenty minutes after our reservation. Only explanation given was that they were busy. We finally sit down and wait 20 min to order drinks. The drink server then tells up there will not be a chef available for 1 hour. We were shocked but by this time gap, but we were starving and figured we could order appetizers. Unfortunately the appetizer didn't show up for another 45 min and the chef didn't show up for a hour and half after we were seated. Now we were three hours past our reservation. The Chef was fun and put on a good show but it felt really short and rushed. The food was amazing but that's probably because its just rice, and shrimp and steak and that hard to mess up. By the time the bill finally came it was 10pm. That's 4 hours after our reservation. We were exhausted and our kids were falling asleep in their chairs. I just wish that when we had checked in at 6:00 p.m. somebody would have told us the amount of delay, and we would have gone somewhere else.

Katie C

Summary: This place is too expensive to have this amateur of a staff. I could not be more disappointed in our experience. We had a reservation for 5:30, showed up at 5:20. At 5:45 we had still not been seated, we asked and they said we’d be seated when our table was ready. 10 more minutes go by and we are finally told they are just seating 4:45 and it will be over an hour wait. We didn’t let this ruin the night. Instead we said okay let’s go wait in the bar because it’s happy hour. We ordered from the happy hour menu, even pointed to a few things on the happy hour menu for the bartender because it was so loud. He DID NOT say they weren’t doing happy hour pricing. So we are ordering drinks and apps thinking we are getting a good deal. It wasn’t the case. We told them what happened when we closed our tab and they wouldn’t honor the prices or even take off one drink to cancel anything out. After waiting over an hour we finally get seated. It’s another 45 minutes before a cook comes out. Wait for it… there’s even more. We were upgraded $9 each for chicken in the fried rice. I didn’t ask for this upgrade. When we ask the waitress she says she can’t take it off and that the chef confirmed our order. Again, it’s so loud in there that we probably just missed it but I really don’t think he did. But $9 extra each for 1.5 chicken breasts split between 7 people is INSANE. This entire night was extremely disappointing. We will never go to another Benihanas. The staff was horrible and quite frankly robbed us blind. Also our chef was beyond quiet and a little timid. He was wearing a mask so maybe he was sick and didn’t feel the best. But part of what you’re paying for is the show of the cooking. Which we did not get.

Jason Stilgebouer

2+ hour wait to eat WITH a reservation is insane….. What’s the point of a reservation if the wait is an hour long and another hour until the chef comes out. Overall it was a terrible experience. Arrived at 5:30, didn’t get sat until 6:40 then 7:30 the chef came out and we didn’t finish our meal until 8:45. We went to the bar to get drinks and appetizers during happy hour while we waited but they failed to mention that they weren’t doing happy hour that day. So we ordered two drinks and an appetizer thinking the cost would be different but their failed communication led us to be surprised to the bill. I explained to the manager why this is unreasonable and he should at least honor happy hour pricing for the appetizer. But then when we were at dinner we were asked if we want fried rice not knowing it was a $9 upgrade. so that was annoying. Our chef santo was good and the food was reasonable I just hated the surprise charges and upsells. But it was really hard to hear him and he seemed like he was having a rough day. Without a doubt I think this experience ruined it for me. I won’t ever be back. My total bill for 2 people.

9People 1 World

Got our online reservation at 8:10 went in with my family was told a 45 extra min wait time we were staying at hotel next to it so they said they would call us when our table was ready. Waited walked over 9:10 we didn’t get to be seated ti 10 something even when we clearly see tables open. After we ate we went back to room and my son started to vomit I feel cook was rushed because it was way pssed closing time so my son got food poisoning.

tom cramer

I rated the food 5 because it smells delicious. But we wouldn’t know because we’ve been waiting over an hour for our reservation. 3 year old, 5 year old, 9 year old. Kids were so excited and now getting cranky. No one really seems to care. Being honest with the timelines, but a certain look of “sucks to be you”. I mean, jesus, this wasn’t peak time. This was an incredibly early seating. To accommodate children. Maybe the food will be good. Maybe it won’t. Hope to find out before the day is done. But I can tell you the experience has disappointed a lot people. Merry Christmas.