We have been coming to Benihana in Miami Beach for decades. Yesterday was not a pleasant experience. The only thing good was the view & the food. We had 6pm reservations. We were sat down at 6:30 & didn't get a chef at our table until 8pm. It took 45 minutes to get water on our table. Our waiter did the best he could. The chef cooked the meals to perfection. They were clearly understaffed but we were never told of any delays. The manager was avoiding the guests.
Worst service I've seen in a long time! Took them 45 minutes to send someone to take out order (of drinks). The food come wrong (chicken teriyaki without the sauce), steak ordered rare came well done, and it was my daughter's birthday and we asked for an ice cream, that never came. When I related all that to the manager (Joseph Hayles) he was rude and confrontational. Avoid this Benihana at all cost! Go to the one on Coral Gables.
Angie
Bad experience all the way , My reservation was for 8:15 I arrive at 7:50 but there was long wait for parking I didn't make it in till 8:30 then we were seated next to a table next with all kids who were constantly getting up and bumping my chair , very noisy. As we sat down we put in our order for our food I also order a piña colada and I asked it to be served with alcohol as I received my drink it was very tasteful at first but I didn't taste any alcohol at all so I kind of drunk some down to see if I can get a taste of it and nothing so I called my waiter to let her know and she took my drink to the back then came back out with the same drink and told me to wait for a manager , so the manager comes and ask me the same question the waiter did and I told him I did not taste any alcohol in the drink so he simply went to the bartender and ask them if they put liquor in the drink and of course they said Yes and came back to my table and explain that there was the recommended alcohol in the drink . So they basically didn't DO NOTHING ABOUT MY DRINK. Mind you the drink was $14.50 . And also messed up my son drink as well . Then our chef starts to cook for us and no sort of personality just basically cook and serve our food which was Amazing I can not complain .  After the experience, the lady that cleans the table came soon after and started cleaning our table and she very rude YELLED at me MAAAM while I was talking to my kids just SO I can pass her my plates then had a whole attitude while cleaning . Then waited 15 mins for my check after they cleaned our table . Over all my experience with my children was horrible and I'm very upset because we haven't been out in a long time and I really wanted this to be a great experience . I will definitely not be returning to this Benihana ever again.
LaurentP
The service so so, a lot of employees not really attending, a lot of waiting time between with each sequence. Had to change my wine choice 3 times, wait to have cool?? The manager was a bit rude , not friendly and efficient. For all the money we spent , I was expecting a way better.Been many times to Kobe , they are a lot more professionals.
Le cuisinier n a pas fait de spectacle pour nos enfants. Le cuisinier etait mêlé dans la façon de servir les plats. Le serveur ne venait pas souvent nous voir. On voulait commander du vin c etait difficile.
JesusS
Our cook was horrible. The fried rice was white(hardly any soy sauce) with one(1) breast of chicken and 6 eggs for 8 people. Hardly any seasoning on the food. I even told him to not spare using the garlic butter, yet he didn't add any additional. No heart shaped rice, no entertainment. The food took forever to be cooked since he was doing everything separately. Thus, by the time he finished everything was cold. When I go back to the Miami Beach restaurant, I will ask for an experienced cook.
RenatoS
Had a reservation for 8pm, showed up at 7:45pm, got my table at 8:45pm It was my daughters birthday and we had a guest It took so long to start and having our drinks ordered. A group next to us showed up later had their table and food way before us. The manager was around them all the time, seaming that they knew each other as friends. Anyways, a desaster! I left the restaurant super late and found not enjoy the night as I expected. No one came to our table lê to apologize for the delay.
Taniaofc
Our server took our order and missed a lot of things that we ordered and then tried to charge us for it after he brought the check he said “I can't remove it from the check but you can take it to go, the head manager was cooking for you guys” like I cared or asked him who cooked for us. The point was to have it there and seafood it's good while it's fresh not to “take it to go” and to top it off he didn't bring us our drinks, the chef had to go get them for us after a whole 30 mins of waiting, he didn't check on us not one time to see if we needed anything. He was the server to the table right next to us and they sure did get a better and faster service than we did. Won't recommend coming here, me and my siblings also won't be coming back because it's not only pricey but also our server was very rude. Last but not least when he came back with the fixed check he asked me “are we good now?” Instead of apologizing for his mistakes or just a simple sorry would've made it better. His attitude was very unprofessional.
LauraC
Had a reservation at 2:30pm and I even called ahead to make sure it was at one of the hibachi grills which was the main reason we were going to Benihana on the first place to celebrate my brother's birthday. I get there at 2:15pm and was greeted by the hostess, Catherine, who rudely and with no customer service experience, did not bother to look at the notes on the reservation and informed me that they did not have availability for the hibachi grills and had to wait 30 mins. She said she would give me a call when the table was ready but did not even ask me for my phone number until I told her so. We waited at the bar for said 30 mins and asked for a status of the table and she said she had jumped me from the waiting list since she had called me and I had not answered. All this was a lie as she could not tell me what phone number she had called me at. After another 20 mins, we were finally seated. The hibachi cook will not come out until the table is fully seated (8 seats) but service from the waitress who takes the drinks and food order also took another 20 mins. Long story short, we ended up having the first bit of food at 4:20pm. Good food, good service from the hibachi chef John Aime, good value but worst wait and customer service from anyone else at the restaurant. WILL NEVER BE BACK AND DO NOT RECOMMEND.
We had a 1:30pm reservation. We arrived 15 minutes early and were told that there was a wait time. However, the wait time was not specified. We were told that we would be notified via text when our table would be ready. We waited over an hour to be seated (2:30pm) and we waited another hour for our chef to start preparing our food (3:30pm). The highlight of the meal was the chef and the food was delicious. However, it seems that there were only 3 chefs working yesterday to service the very busy lunch hour. Management was nowhere to be found and our concerns were not addressed. The wait time and service has to be addressed otherwise you will lose customers.
We had reservation for 7:30 pm and they sat us 40 min later. It was our daughter bday party. Only 3 ppl. Additionally, it took 30 min to get us water and beverages. And they forgot the noodles she ordered. Bad experience
HowardB
Our chef was Yordan. He was outstanding and one of the best i have had the opportunity to have. We are frequent visitors to this establishment and for the first time in a long time it was enjoyable.
sheilaa
Was going to Benihana since it opened in NY in the early 60s on 56th street. Near Bergdorf Goodman. after the new owners who now serve YUM YUM disgusting mayo filled sauce took over...they are no longer serving like they did when they became so popular and delicious! TIME TO GO BACK TO HOW IT WAS ORIGINAL SERVICE! NY Benihana in Manhasset is still very good.
I understand yesterday was Valentine's Day, and that there was going to be some delay but I never expected that if my reservation was for 845 that I didn't sit till 1015 and and get water until 1055. The cook arrived at 11 I was with my two-year-old son that hadn't eaten and was starving. Thankfully the chef was kind enough to do his food first and was actually excellent to him and to us, but overall, what a horrible experience, the actual staff is not friendly they don't take care of you as clients they walk right past you.
EnriqueG
I had a reservation for 730 pm. We got seated 15 minutes after, and decided to leave after 20 minutes of non service. We decided to put a claim, then we were immediately attended by the Manager. We were served very little rolls, and not very good in taste. two beers were served, and we were forgotten again. We will not come back again. Very dissapointing.
We have been coming to Benihana in Miami Beach for decades. Yesterday was not a pleasant experience. The only thing good was the view & the food. We had 6pm reservations. We were sat down at 6:30 & didn't get a chef at our table until 8pm. It took 45 minutes to get water on our table. Our waiter did the best he could. The chef cooked the meals to perfection. They were clearly understaffed but we were never told of any delays. The manager was avoiding the guests.
Worst service I've seen in a long time! Took them 45 minutes to send someone to take out order (of drinks). The food come wrong (chicken teriyaki without the sauce), steak ordered rare came well done, and it was my daughter's birthday and we asked for an ice cream, that never came. When I related all that to the manager (Joseph Hayles) he was rude and confrontational. Avoid this Benihana at all cost! Go to the one on Coral Gables.
Bad experience all the way , My reservation was for 8:15 I arrive at 7:50 but there was long wait for parking I didn't make it in till 8:30 then we were seated next to a table next with all kids who were constantly getting up and bumping my chair , very noisy. As we sat down we put in our order for our food I also order a piña colada and I asked it to be served with alcohol as I received my drink it was very tasteful at first but I didn't taste any alcohol at all so I kind of drunk some down to see if I can get a taste of it and nothing so I called my waiter to let her know and she took my drink to the back then came back out with the same drink and told me to wait for a manager , so the manager comes and ask me the same question the waiter did and I told him I did not taste any alcohol in the drink so he simply went to the bartender and ask them if they put liquor in the drink and of course they said Yes and came back to my table and explain that there was the recommended alcohol in the drink . So they basically didn't DO NOTHING ABOUT MY DRINK. Mind you the drink was $14.50 . And also messed up my son drink as well . Then our chef starts to cook for us and no sort of personality just basically cook and serve our food which was Amazing I can not complain .  After the experience, the lady that cleans the table came soon after and started cleaning our table and she very rude YELLED at me MAAAM while I was talking to my kids just SO I can pass her my plates then had a whole attitude while cleaning . Then waited 15 mins for my check after they cleaned our table . Over all my experience with my children was horrible and I'm very upset because we haven't been out in a long time and I really wanted this to be a great experience . I will definitely not be returning to this Benihana ever again.
The service so so, a lot of employees not really attending, a lot of waiting time between with each sequence. Had to change my wine choice 3 times, wait to have cool?? The manager was a bit rude , not friendly and efficient. For all the money we spent , I was expecting a way better.Been many times to Kobe , they are a lot more professionals.
Le cuisinier n a pas fait de spectacle pour nos enfants. Le cuisinier etait mêlé dans la façon de servir les plats. Le serveur ne venait pas souvent nous voir. On voulait commander du vin c etait difficile.
Our cook was horrible. The fried rice was white(hardly any soy sauce) with one(1) breast of chicken and 6 eggs for 8 people. Hardly any seasoning on the food. I even told him to not spare using the garlic butter, yet he didn't add any additional. No heart shaped rice, no entertainment. The food took forever to be cooked since he was doing everything separately. Thus, by the time he finished everything was cold. When I go back to the Miami Beach restaurant, I will ask for an experienced cook.
Had a reservation for 8pm, showed up at 7:45pm, got my table at 8:45pm It was my daughters birthday and we had a guest It took so long to start and having our drinks ordered. A group next to us showed up later had their table and food way before us. The manager was around them all the time, seaming that they knew each other as friends. Anyways, a desaster! I left the restaurant super late and found not enjoy the night as I expected. No one came to our table lê to apologize for the delay.
Our server took our order and missed a lot of things that we ordered and then tried to charge us for it after he brought the check he said “I can't remove it from the check but you can take it to go, the head manager was cooking for you guys” like I cared or asked him who cooked for us. The point was to have it there and seafood it's good while it's fresh not to “take it to go” and to top it off he didn't bring us our drinks, the chef had to go get them for us after a whole 30 mins of waiting, he didn't check on us not one time to see if we needed anything. He was the server to the table right next to us and they sure did get a better and faster service than we did. Won't recommend coming here, me and my siblings also won't be coming back because it's not only pricey but also our server was very rude. Last but not least when he came back with the fixed check he asked me “are we good now?” Instead of apologizing for his mistakes or just a simple sorry would've made it better. His attitude was very unprofessional.
Had a reservation at 2:30pm and I even called ahead to make sure it was at one of the hibachi grills which was the main reason we were going to Benihana on the first place to celebrate my brother's birthday. I get there at 2:15pm and was greeted by the hostess, Catherine, who rudely and with no customer service experience, did not bother to look at the notes on the reservation and informed me that they did not have availability for the hibachi grills and had to wait 30 mins. She said she would give me a call when the table was ready but did not even ask me for my phone number until I told her so. We waited at the bar for said 30 mins and asked for a status of the table and she said she had jumped me from the waiting list since she had called me and I had not answered. All this was a lie as she could not tell me what phone number she had called me at. After another 20 mins, we were finally seated. The hibachi cook will not come out until the table is fully seated (8 seats) but service from the waitress who takes the drinks and food order also took another 20 mins. Long story short, we ended up having the first bit of food at 4:20pm. Good food, good service from the hibachi chef John Aime, good value but worst wait and customer service from anyone else at the restaurant. WILL NEVER BE BACK AND DO NOT RECOMMEND.
We had a 1:30pm reservation. We arrived 15 minutes early and were told that there was a wait time. However, the wait time was not specified. We were told that we would be notified via text when our table would be ready. We waited over an hour to be seated (2:30pm) and we waited another hour for our chef to start preparing our food (3:30pm). The highlight of the meal was the chef and the food was delicious. However, it seems that there were only 3 chefs working yesterday to service the very busy lunch hour. Management was nowhere to be found and our concerns were not addressed. The wait time and service has to be addressed otherwise you will lose customers.
Restaurantji Recommends
We had reservation for 7:30 pm and they sat us 40 min later. It was our daughter bday party. Only 3 ppl. Additionally, it took 30 min to get us water and beverages. And they forgot the noodles she ordered. Bad experience
Our chef was Yordan. He was outstanding and one of the best i have had the opportunity to have. We are frequent visitors to this establishment and for the first time in a long time it was enjoyable.
Was going to Benihana since it opened in NY in the early 60s on 56th street. Near Bergdorf Goodman. after the new owners who now serve YUM YUM disgusting mayo filled sauce took over...they are no longer serving like they did when they became so popular and delicious! TIME TO GO BACK TO HOW IT WAS ORIGINAL SERVICE! NY Benihana in Manhasset is still very good.
I understand yesterday was Valentine's Day, and that there was going to be some delay but I never expected that if my reservation was for 845 that I didn't sit till 1015 and and get water until 1055. The cook arrived at 11 I was with my two-year-old son that hadn't eaten and was starving. Thankfully the chef was kind enough to do his food first and was actually excellent to him and to us, but overall, what a horrible experience, the actual staff is not friendly they don't take care of you as clients they walk right past you.
I had a reservation for 730 pm. We got seated 15 minutes after, and decided to leave after 20 minutes of non service. We decided to put a claim, then we were immediately attended by the Manager. We were served very little rolls, and not very good in taste. two beers were served, and we were forgotten again. We will not come back again. Very dissapointing.