Benihana - Mall of America, MN

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1. RB

   RachelB

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   overall3food5service1ambience2

   The service was incredibly slow. We waited past our reservation, then another hour in the restaurant before they came to start cooking our food. It would have been nice to have drinks immediately or something to snack on while we waited past 9:30pm for dinner. The experience was good, the service not.

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2. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Fargo

   9 reviews

   vip
   4.0

   9 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   overall4food4service4ambience5

   Not worth the price at approx $50 pp for chicken or steak/rice/veggies

   Report
3. j

   jetmac

   Minneapolis

   12 reviews

   4.0

   12 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   overall4food3service4ambience5

   Chicken was too dry. Price too expensive even with discount.

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4. AW

   AnneW

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   overall1food3service1ambience2

   We had a reservation for 8 people at 6 30-30 7 o'clock came around and I finally went to the front and I said are we almost ready to see us and leave us and the young host said no sorry our employees don't shout for work and the servers we have on tonight are bad servers finally Finally at 7:15 after waiting 45 minutes for 8 of us to sit We finally got seated Sat there for over 20 minutes waiting for somebody to bring us our beverages we had You received our salads we had no soda where I had to walk around and look for someone to wear receive their bill it was over $300 had it been a great experience fine absolutely it was my daughter's 27th birthday Do I feel like the manager should have made me come up to us and the other tables that were experiencing the same kind of service and spoke to us apologized apologized no nobody did anything Obviously this location is not great great I've been to the wine on Golden Valley much much better experience

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5. TC

   TheaterClub5

   Minneapolis

   17 reviews

   5.0

   17 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Great experience

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6. T

   Tall0072

   Minneapolis

   2 reviews

   vip
   2.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   overall2food4service1ambience4

   Our reservation was at 6, seated at 6:10 and our service didn’t start until 6:50. They brought salad but forgot the soup. We asked twice, were told it’s coming twice. Soup was later delivered after our meal was finished. Beware they charge a 20% additional “service fee” on top of everything. Tips on top of that had to be in cash (no where on receipt to add it). The chef did only 2 tricks, which normally there are several. We have been to Benihana several times, this time was a bad experience.

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7. TK

   TerriK

   Orlando

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   overall5food5service5ambience4

   We went for a late lunch with a 20 month old, and it could have been a challenge but the staff was great, and even though they were very busy they were attentive. The show was great and engaged our little one. The other party at the table was pretty demanding and they handled them really well.

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8. PS

   PhilipS

   Minneapolis

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

   overall3food5service1ambience5

   I was disappointed in Benihana this time I eat there every time I am in town, but this time. Service was super slow and inattentive. Then a thirty dollar gratuity was added to the bill. I do not think this is acceptable poor service does not need to automatically be acceptable and get a large gratuity.

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9. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Minneapolis

   5 reviews

   3.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   overall3food5service1ambience2

   This restaurant now applies 20% gratuity regardless of the service you receive. Our waitress was never around and we could not even ask for drink refills. Did not have anything to drink for most of the meal.

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10. d

    daisyr

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    vip
    1.0

    1 review

    Dined 5 days ago

    overall1food2service1ambience2

    Made a 8PM reservation for a birthday dinner. Waited 20 mins to get seated because they were running behind, fine. Once we were seated no on came to take our drink order for 40 mins at 9PM I asked the manager if this is typical wait time she looked shocked but said nothing and walked to get a waiter to take our order. It took another 25 mins to get our drinks which make out after our soup and salad. The manager never once came back to check in on us nor offered any sort of compensation. We didn't get served food or drinks for 1.5 hours past our reservation time and our main course wasn't served until 10pm. We we had plans that needed to be cancelled because of this. Management needs to be replaced. I am one who is typically very understanding but management didn't so much as apologize nor offer any compensation.... Not asking for much an app to share maybe for 2 hours of our time. NOTHING. Ridiculous. 14 year old bday ruined.

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11. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Minneapolis

    4 reviews

    1.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    overall1food1service1ambience1

    The time we schedule the dinner was the same time As a man in the Nile store shot a gun up in the air, so we had to go in the one in golden valley, I hope everyone who was in that mall of America in that day is okay and we pray for you.

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12. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Birmingham

    6 reviews

    3.0

    6 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    overall3food4service2ambience3

    Service was very slow. Hour and half wait for chef. Very expensive for what is was.

    Report
13. K

    Kristen

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 1, 2022

    overall4food5service4ambience4

    The food was delicious! We waited a bit to be seated and for service to begin. Our server was friendly and attentive once she got to us.

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14. N

    Neuman

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 31, 2022

    overall2food5service2ambience2

    I don’t understand how you can automatically charge 20% as a tip when I had to bus my own families dishes so we had room to eat? The chef barely talked and looked like he hated his job and the waiter took a while to bring our drinks the second time. The first time he tripped over an obnoxious wagon that someone left in a walk way.

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15. K

    Kathleen

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 31, 2022

    overall1food1service1ambience1

    Terrible service. Waited over an hour for our reservations we made and ended up leaving to dine elsewhere.

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16. m

    midwestisbest1234

    Portland

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 30, 2022

    overall1food4service1ambience1

    I cannot recommend the Benihana Mall of America—it was legitimately the worst dining experience we’ve ever encountered. We went for a birthday with our family and were so excited-we have had great experiences at Benihana before, but we’ll never go to this location again. It may have just been the night we went, but our table waited 1.5 hours after our reservation for the chef to arrive because the restaurant booked more tables than they could reasonably service. We were unfortunately seated in their back room (an overflow room) and could see into the kitchen doorway, which was a mess. The wait staff was also using one of the tables in the front of the house for storing dirty dishes and garbage and didn’t care that diners could see. It made me wonder how hygienic the rest of the kitchen was. Right away, the manager and server spilled two of our drinks on the hot grill and didn’t bother to clean the spill up, so we sat with burning sugar on the grill for 1.5 hours until the chef arrived to clean it up. We spent our dinner overhearing the staff member drama near the kitchen—arguments, cursing, and learned that 2 service members quit that night. Our waitress was yelled at by a neighboring table for poor service and we could see she had been crying and had to still serve our table until we were swapped with a new server. The chef was underwhelming and didn’t do the table tricks you look forward to when you go to Benihana—we got 2 tricks and that was it. But, the food was very tasty. Our table did not get the ice cream that came with our meals, but at that point we had been at Benihana’s 3 hours and all we wanted were our checks so we could get out of there. When the checks arrived, we were charged for the drinks the manager spilled on us, but the new server quickly removed those charges. Overall, we were pretty shocked that no concessions or adjustments (eg free drinks) were made on the bill for the disastrous evening at Benihana.

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17. EH

    EmilyH

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 30, 2022

    overall4food4service2ambience4

    Please hire more chefs. We waited an hour and a half for our chef to arrive and the place was severely understaffed.

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18. TH

    TimH

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 30, 2022

    overall1food1service1ambience3

    We were seated 45 minutes after our reservation and after another 1/2 hour sitting at our table without meeting our waitress or getting a drink order we left the restaurant.

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19. M

    Mackenzie

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 30, 2022

    overall1food1service1ambience1

    We waited 20 minutes just to be seated then waited over an hour with no chef and eventually had to leave cause of how long it was taking.

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20. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Minneapolis

    3 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on July 30, 2022

    overall1food3service1ambience2

    Short staffed so drink refills didn’t happen on drinks. Must have been a new cook as entrees were plated separately. 20% service fee which isn’t a gratuity is insane. If you tip 20% you’ve now paid 40% or your bill which is really becoming excessive.

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21. S

    Suzen

    Chicago

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 30, 2022

    overall1food4service1ambience3

    Reservation was 8:30, they were running behind. Drink/Food service didn’t begin until 9:30 App plates weren’t cleared and drinks were left empty :(

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22. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on July 30, 2022

    overall1food2service1ambience3

    Very long wait for everything: drink orders, refills, food, the bill, paying, etc. Service was very slow. Food was mediocre at best, orders were mixed up, chef spilled on another guest, most of the food got burnt. We were there almost 2.5 hours for a very disappointing dinner experience.

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23. JV

    JenniferV

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 29, 2022

    overall2food4service1ambience2

    The service was awful. I love how they add on a 20% service fee and terrible service. Lots of ppl not happy. The only person that was good was the cook...name Miguel. He even was getting us refills as the waitress had no clue. Never have we been in there for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Oh and we had 2 birthdays that they didn't even acknowledge. Sad when my kids picks to go there for his bday!

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24. KB

    KatieBug

    Minneapolis

    12 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on July 29, 2022

    overall1food1service1ambience1

    I will never go back that was the worst dinner ever. They even forgot my sons birthday after I put it in the reservation and mentioned it twice We waited over an hour at our table for the chef to come over and start and he had no energy and didn’t make it fun for the kids at all.

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25. A

    Arod

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 28, 2022

    overall3food4service2ambience3

    I do love Benihana but the entertainment seemed kind of bare minimal, and the waiter was barely at the table had to be reminded that he forgot mine and my girlfriends side dishes, and we sat at the table 30 minutes after we had all completed our dinner to try and pay. Just was a bit off this time

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26. VB

    VicB

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 28, 2022

    overall4food4service3ambience4

    Very good food, but kind of got blindsided! We had a party of 4 and I was treating. As the chef was leaving our table I slipped him $10. The bill + tax came out to be $212, about what I was expecting, BUT, then I get completely surprised by an additional so called "service charge" of $39 added to the bill. So, basically the cost of an extra entree added on. The server explained that it wasn't for her, that it gets divided amongst the entire staff and that if I just wanted to give a gratuity strictly for her it would have to be cash. So, kind of caught off guard I gave her $20. In other words I ended up handing out about $69 in tips on a $212 bill. But I had not seen or gotten any advance warning which I thought was very shabby treatment. I can understand a gratuity being added on for large parties, but not a group of 4. IF I ever go again, and that's a big if, I would not give the server an additional tip since I'm already being forcibly hit with a "service charge" to spread amongst everybody that works there. If that's how the restaurant wants to try and even things out between its workers, fine. But again, make sure that people know about this kind of thing and get an explanation BEFORE you're dumping the bill on them. I had never seen this at any place I'd ever been before.

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27. BZ

    BrendaZ

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 28, 2022

    overall3food5service1ambience3

    Not good service at all but the chef was great!!

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28. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Minneapolis

    7 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on July 27, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    The payment system is weird now. You can’t add a tip to your bill. There’s already a service charge added to every ticket so if you want to tip, our server said she could accept cash or Venmo?! What? I’m supposed to Venmo a tip to the server?! We were there on the first day of the payment system transition. I hope they plan to communicate the auto service charge to customers before they eat next time. It adds up on the bill.

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29. RM

    RubyM

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 26, 2022

    overall2food4service4ambience4

    Very little portions for the high cost. Then you get charged a service fee and tax.

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30. SM

    ShannonM

    San Francisco

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 26, 2022

    overall1food1service2ambience2

    Reservation was at 830 and we got seated a few minutes late but then didn’t have a chef at our table til about 10:15 the chef was tired and barely tried the food tasted undercooked and under seasoned terrible experience will never go back. Contacted management and was supposed to get a call back and it never happened

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31. N

    Nick

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 25, 2022

    overall3food4service3ambience5

    Overall a good experience. The service was slow, however the server seemed to be busy. There were 4 of us dining in our group and there were 3 items missed from our order, 2 orders of shrimp and my son’s rice. The quality of food was great. Just as an FYI they have started charging a service fee to all bills.

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32. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Minneapolis

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on July 25, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    The server and chef were very nice. Overall the staff was great. Food was so good. We went very early, at 4pm, so the noise level was much quieter then if we had gone for dinner at 6 or 7.

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33. AE

    AEBMN

    Minneapolis

    10 reviews

    3.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on July 24, 2022

    overall3food5service1ambience2

    We dine at this particular location around 4-6 times a year, and it is clear that they are struggling (like so many other businesses) post-pandemic. We made a reservation, but we were not seated until almost 30 minutes after that reservation time. When we checked in, nothing was said, but when we checked back after 15 minutes had passed, we were told they only had two servers working, and so had to space out seatings. Fine, I get it, but tell me. And, maybe stop taking reservations and only take walk-ins if you can't honor a reservation time. Once we were seated, it was clear that they were very short-staffed. For maybe the first time ever, we actually saw a manager out clearing dishes and cleaning tables, and trying to get tables reset for the next group. It felt very frantic around the restaurant the entire time we were there. It took a while for our server to get to us, but I don't blame her for that. If you don't have enough servers, that's a management issue. The cook who came out to prepare the food at the table was distracted the entire time he was cooking, wandering away from the table several times because he was missing bowls or other items he needed. The only saving grace to the entire visit was that the level of consistency in the chef training is so solid that the food tasted just as good as it always does. Though, just know, they have downsized portions a bit. That's fine with me--they always serve so much. But, if you aren't expecting it, just know that they have made subtle changes in the portion sizes. And, they have either stopped serving the ice cream or it just wasn't offered to us. Overall, I think the management team here needs to determine whether they can really staff this location for as many hours as they are open. I know it's always a delicate balancing act of income versus expense, but if you can't offer the service, you may lose customers permanently, or for a long time. I doubt we will be back in the near future based on this visit.

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34. OM

    OMESHT

    Los Angeles

    4 reviews

    1.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on July 24, 2022

    overall1food1service1ambience3

    We had a reservation at 7:30 pm was seated at 8:10 pm. No chef came to the Hibachi table till 9:30 pm!!! I will NEVER be back at this place

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35. CM

    CynthiaM

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 23, 2022

    overall4food5service5ambience5

    Once we were seated, the experience was outstanding and the food was incredible. The only real downside was that our reservation was for 5:00PM - I received an email and a phone call confirming that reservation - but we were not seated until about 5:50PM. I could tell that the staff were doing everything they could under what was obviously not a situation they had planned and had placed them under a huge amount of pressure. Given that level of pressure (since we were not the only party with reservations that was seated very late), I noticed the entire staff retained a level of professionalism that, having worked in customer service myself, is not an easy thing to achieve. I hope the rest of the night got better for them. My group really enjoyed the dining experience.

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36. D

    Diner12

    Denver

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 23, 2022

    overall1food1service1ambience1

    Horrible service and this place gets dirtier and dirtier each time we go. We went for my 13 year olds birthday because it used to be his favorite place, but even he said he wouldn’t care if we never go back again. Took us over two hours as we watched all the people getting sat after us start their experience- just awful! Then our check was wrong and I think I ended up getting charged twice as they attempted to fix it.

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37. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 23, 2022

    overall3food5service2ambience4

    It was a birthday meal. We had reservations and were told they were running 15 minutes behind. We waited for an hour and had to tell them we had not yet been seated. They had lost our place in line even though we had checked in at the desk.

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38. GC

    GustavoC

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 23, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Excelente servicio definitivamente lo recomiendo la comida excelente.

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39. MH

    MattH

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 22, 2022

    overall3food5service2ambience5

    We had reservations and it was 1 hour till we even had a chef and over 2 hours until food served. People in our group were late to a show because of the length of time it tokk

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40. ZC

    ZakC

    Omaha

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 22, 2022

    overall3food4service4ambience3

    Our chef was very low-energy. We came for the show. He basically just cooked the food. Previous experiences were better. Our server however was excellent. Very accommodating, fast, and friendly.

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