Last time coming here, came for new years wrote off the negative experience do to overbooking the holiday so kept it moving. But again here we go on a regular Saturday night, booked 7:30 waited 20 mins to sit no worries, then an hour-15 at the table with no chef. Could care less but have kids so if you have kids you get it. On top of that didn't get what ordered meal was way overpriced for the value and lack of attention to detail. For price charged simply put you expect more.
Paul
Never again!! CBAD Benihana just set a new record — for being the worst experience I've ever had at any Benihana! Everything that once made this place special — the service, food quality, prep, and entertainment — has completely fallen apart. 1.Service: Slooooow. I could've watched paint dry faster. 2.Food Quality: What quality? They skimp on vegetables, and the meat looked like it came from the bargain bin — frozen, thawed, and tossed on the grill. 3.Food Prep: Used to be a decent, semi-healthy option, but now it's a cholesterol bomb. A gallon of butter and a barrel of salt on everything. My arteries are still recovering! 4.Entertainment: Nonexistent. Why pay extra for someone to cook subpar ingredients without even pretending to entertain the table? Close this location! It's an embarrassment to what used to be a fun, memorable dining experience
Paula
We did the lunch special (45 min guarantee) and it was great - if you want the usual Benihana presentation then you have to order off the regular menu but if you want an abbreviated version ( they still cook in front of you) then this is perfect
Ericka
Our reservation was for 7 pm. We arrived at 7 pm. We weren't seated until 7:40. It wasn't until 9pm that our chef came to the table. I understand they got busy and maybe they don't have enough chefs but they should modify the ability to make a reservation if a table won't actually be ready to be seated or serviced.
Marietta
For a birthday party I expected more excitement and entertainment from the chef. He did maybe one boring skit on the grill...pac-man . Had to beg him to do the Volcano at the very end when everything was already cooked. The restaurant lacked the energy I expected and the prices were expensive for good food, yet sub par service.
Rick
Was very smokey and made us cough! Chef was entertaining, but under cooked some food and over cooked some food. So, lots of fun, but some problems.
Abigail
They must have had a staffing issue because we went an hour without food nor drink refills. After mentioning to the hostess, they brought out that kids' meals 20 mins later. Everyone was working hard, but not enough help to cover our reservation
Carol
We celebrated a birthday last night at the restaurant and were very disappointed as all of our request were ignored. I had asked to leave out pepper and onions, and all of the food was prepared with both. No one ever said anything about it. They just cooked the food with those ingredients, totally ignoring my request. Also, no green tea was served, even though it was included with our meal.  we've always had a good experience at this restaurant. Last night was not good. In addition, the filet mignon was fatty and parts of it in edible. That too has never happened before. Just disappointing because it was a birthday dinner.
Robert
Took over 20mins to be seated despite having an OpenTable reservation. Our chef was nice but not very entertaining. Food was as expected. Overall it's a lot of $$ for the experience. Still, we had a good time.
olga
Amazing dinner I had for my birthday. The waitress actually put a birthday candle in my green tea ice cream.
Service was excellent. Our waiter was attentive and accommodating to our very large group.
Cathy
Overhead exhaust vent not working, food grease and heat made for a discomfort! Don't wear nice clothing!
Charles
My wife and I have lived in the area (Carlsbad, CA.) for 42 years and this was to be our first time at this location! We went because it was Restaurant Week and decided to take our Grandson to his 26th Birthday dinner! We ordered off the Restaurant Week menu as did others at the table, which indicated that several would be getting "Colossal shrimp" on the Benihana Delight item. Instead we were served extra appetizer shrimp! We had ordered adult beverages(two), name-brand liquors, off the menu at $18.50 ea., as I recall. The drinks were VERY weak and the waiter indicated they came from a mix-no control! The entrees were wonderfully cooked and served but only "cocktail sized" shrimp! ! Very dissatisfying. The meal was slow but OK to be able to watch the chef's performance which was really good. CD
LaVonne
We had a reservation for 6:30 for 7 people. We were on time but didn't get seated until 7:30. The staff were nice, but it was so noisy we could barely hear our server. The chef tried to be funny, but my kids didn't get any of his jokes, and he overcooked the overpriced food. The waiter took a very long time to refill drinks and take the check. I will not be going back to any Benihana again.
Sophie
Kristen was our server, she was very attentive and made sure we were having a good time and our drinks were never empty! Marco was also an amazing chef and very entertaining for us!
Last time coming here, came for new years wrote off the negative experience do to overbooking the holiday so kept it moving. But again here we go on a regular Saturday night, booked 7:30 waited 20 mins to sit no worries, then an hour-15 at the table with no chef. Could care less but have kids so if you have kids you get it. On top of that didn't get what ordered meal was way overpriced for the value and lack of attention to detail. For price charged simply put you expect more.
Never again!! CBAD Benihana just set a new record — for being the worst experience I've ever had at any Benihana! Everything that once made this place special — the service, food quality, prep, and entertainment — has completely fallen apart. 1.Service: Slooooow. I could've watched paint dry faster. 2.Food Quality: What quality? They skimp on vegetables, and the meat looked like it came from the bargain bin — frozen, thawed, and tossed on the grill. 3.Food Prep: Used to be a decent, semi-healthy option, but now it's a cholesterol bomb. A gallon of butter and a barrel of salt on everything. My arteries are still recovering! 4.Entertainment: Nonexistent. Why pay extra for someone to cook subpar ingredients without even pretending to entertain the table? Close this location! It's an embarrassment to what used to be a fun, memorable dining experience
We did the lunch special (45 min guarantee) and it was great - if you want the usual Benihana presentation then you have to order off the regular menu but if you want an abbreviated version ( they still cook in front of you) then this is perfect
Our reservation was for 7 pm. We arrived at 7 pm. We weren't seated until 7:40. It wasn't until 9pm that our chef came to the table. I understand they got busy and maybe they don't have enough chefs but they should modify the ability to make a reservation if a table won't actually be ready to be seated or serviced.
For a birthday party I expected more excitement and entertainment from the chef. He did maybe one boring skit on the grill...pac-man . Had to beg him to do the Volcano at the very end when everything was already cooked. The restaurant lacked the energy I expected and the prices were expensive for good food, yet sub par service.
Was very smokey and made us cough! Chef was entertaining, but under cooked some food and over cooked some food. So, lots of fun, but some problems.
They must have had a staffing issue because we went an hour without food nor drink refills. After mentioning to the hostess, they brought out that kids' meals 20 mins later. Everyone was working hard, but not enough help to cover our reservation
We celebrated a birthday last night at the restaurant and were very disappointed as all of our request were ignored. I had asked to leave out pepper and onions, and all of the food was prepared with both. No one ever said anything about it. They just cooked the food with those ingredients, totally ignoring my request. Also, no green tea was served, even though it was included with our meal.  we've always had a good experience at this restaurant. Last night was not good. In addition, the filet mignon was fatty and parts of it in edible. That too has never happened before. Just disappointing because it was a birthday dinner.
Took over 20mins to be seated despite having an OpenTable reservation. Our chef was nice but not very entertaining. Food was as expected. Overall it's a lot of $$ for the experience. Still, we had a good time.
Amazing dinner I had for my birthday. The waitress actually put a birthday candle in my green tea ice cream.
Restaurantji Recommends
Service was excellent. Our waiter was attentive and accommodating to our very large group.
Overhead exhaust vent not working, food grease and heat made for a discomfort! Don't wear nice clothing!
My wife and I have lived in the area (Carlsbad, CA.) for 42 years and this was to be our first time at this location! We went because it was Restaurant Week and decided to take our Grandson to his 26th Birthday dinner! We ordered off the Restaurant Week menu as did others at the table, which indicated that several would be getting "Colossal shrimp" on the Benihana Delight item. Instead we were served extra appetizer shrimp! We had ordered adult beverages(two), name-brand liquors, off the menu at $18.50 ea., as I recall. The drinks were VERY weak and the waiter indicated they came from a mix-no control! The entrees were wonderfully cooked and served but only "cocktail sized" shrimp! ! Very dissatisfying. The meal was slow but OK to be able to watch the chef's performance which was really good. CD
We had a reservation for 6:30 for 7 people. We were on time but didn't get seated until 7:30. The staff were nice, but it was so noisy we could barely hear our server. The chef tried to be funny, but my kids didn't get any of his jokes, and he overcooked the overpriced food. The waiter took a very long time to refill drinks and take the check. I will not be going back to any Benihana again.
Kristen was our server, she was very attentive and made sure we were having a good time and our drinks were never empty! Marco was also an amazing chef and very entertaining for us!
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