Wait times are horrific. Reservation made at one time and still waiting almost an hour later. Many others in same situation. The worst part was they were still taking reservations even though they were an hour behind. read more

Went for my boyfriends 30th birthday! Made reservations for 11 at 6:30 and ended up having 20 people show up!! Was a little anxious to talk to the manager after reading the reviews about wait time, but they were extremely understanding and we were seated by 7:10 once all of our party had arrived! The food was phenomenal!! I brought my appetite and still had so much leftover. Probably my favorite in Cincinnati! Will absolutely be back read more

I was so excited to come here to celebrate my moms birthday. After this visit I will never come back to dine in. Our reservations were at 6:30, we ended up having to wait 30 minutes to be seated then another 20 minutes for drinks and another 30+ for the chef to come to our table. I understand everyone is understaffed but no one came to our table to acknowledge the wait and they didn't offer to take anything off the bill. They also didn't even apologize at checkout. We were however, told the Manager had a lot going on and it seems like she was annoyed that we voiced our long wait. We ended up having to wait for another 20+ minutes just to check out. The other party who were at the table with us got a full refund but they didn't offer us the same to us. I am extremely disappointed and will definitely be reaching out to the GM Ken. We were there 2 hours and 46 minutes total and most of the time we were waiting. The apps were all cold and seemed to be old. The hibachi was pretty good but the chicken and steak portions were not evenly distributed, the people on both ends of the table always got less food than the others. We definitely wanted to leave after waiting an hour before the chef came to our table but we wanted to stick it out to celebrate my mom. Hopefully I'll be able to submit another review after speaking with the general manager if I'm able to get in contact with him since The manager Amanda was only willing to give us his 1st name. To be continued..... read more

I'm only leaving a one because yelp wont let me rate them any lower. I ordered Uber eats from there store, and the order was completely wrong. I ordered steak fried rice got chicken and rice. I ordered a spicy, tuna, roll and spicy edamame and got neither one of them. I called to inquire about these items and was told there's nothing that they could do that. That's an Uber problem I will never order from them again and I recommend you do the same. read more

I'm in the service industry this is not ok pay extra to get it delivered and this is what comes after you have to tip pay for Uber eats come on guys ??? read more

Benihana - Cincinnati - I have been here and this is not the Benihana Onion Soup its crap for over $5 and not a lot or good at all - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Oh my gosh, if I could get this play zero stars I would. I made a 730 reservation for me, my husband, and my one year old. We arrived five minutes before our set reservation time and we're told that we would be seated in five minutes. We ended up waiting over an hour to be seated. Once we were seated nobody came to take our order until we stood up to talk to the manager. Once we talk to the manager, he said that it would be about 30 seconds until our chef came out. When the chef came out, he went to a different table. They had also been waiting an hour and a half. We ended up leaving because we were there for almost 2 hours with our one year-old, and it was way past his bedtime. What a poor representation of this restaurant. This place doesn't deserve any business. Go down the road to BJ's, at least they can get you in quickly. Seriously so disappointed. And the bald manager guy was completely oblivious Brown heartless, inexperienced, and not sensitive to the fact that at least 10 people have been waiting over two hours. Unbelievable. read more

Made reservation at 2:00, after 20 minutes of waiting we asked for an estimate how much longer wait- they said they took our name down incorrectly- and that they didn't have enough cooks/servers and that one server could not take a party of more than 4 (we had 6 with two children)..... we waited another 20 minutes and asked for another time frame- they said 10 minutes. 20 minutes later we asked again and they said they were just waiting for a free server. Waited a total of an hour and 45 minutes even with making reservations before we left to go somewhere else. Multiple parties that came in after us were seated while we waited. Another large party with reservations at 2 also left after waiting 45 minutes. Hostess was rude- would not look at you when speaking. Bar tender was great- brought us drinks and kept checking on us. Would give him 5 stars. The rest would give 0. read more

Food was cold due to the order not being remembered or followed. The bill had stuff included that shouldn't have been. They included the tip in the bill, then asked for a tip. It was a mess. Never again! read more

It's been awhile since I went to a Benihana. Last time I went was several years ago downtown (now it's closed) and one in Las Vegas. It was my friend's birthday and we went on a Thursday night. She made reservations for 6 at 7:00 p.m. When we got there we had to wait in the bar area. We waited at least 15 minutes. She had to walk up and ask if we were going to be seated. Everyone else was getting a table but us. When we got to our station we still had to wait for the chef - another 30 minutes. Yes, they took drink orders, dinner orders, brought us our soup and salad but the chef was not there. He did get to our table eventually after my friend asked if they were going to get started. I got the Hibachi Scallops ($25.25 extra $3.50 for the Hibachi fried chicken rice). The chef left for a couples of minutes while he was cooking and came back. He didn't seemed like he wanted to be there. I noticed my scallops were on the grill for awhile and my mushrooms were overcooked. I even noticed that there was a birthday party behind us and the restaurant catered to them. I felt bad for my friend because it was her Birthday and they didn't do anything. The server was attentive on refilling our waters but at the end she started slacking off on our drink orders. I spent alittle over $50.00 and felt like it wasn't worth the money. I had great company and had a blast with my girlfriends but the food was not good and the experience was horrible. I don't think I will be returning. read more

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My son passed away so on his date of death which was marked 15yrs the day of my reservation where do I start off first my reservation was at 6:30 got there late around till seven found out that I can just go eat at the bar because I was by myself party a while then got to the bar I was overcharged for apple martini sake place my order of the Benihana trio when I say everything was nasty everything was nasty the rice was old and cold the chicken look like it was boiled that was on top of the rice my chicken was cold my steak with Code I didn't get no vegetables that I ordered with my food the rice was horrible for a bill my bill to be 90$ oh my God I refuse to go here ever again ever again they don't put a seasoning on the food when you asked for extra seasoning they put pepper and salt on it I don't want that seasoning I want the seasoning that you're cooking with to be extra extra everything but as you can see from the picture the food looks nasty in my bill is high for no fucking reason still had to live there and get something else to eat that night I'll never I mean never will I return to this establishment for such horrible service read more

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I would give it less than 1 star if that was an option. A little jump scare when we walked in. Trash all over the floor. Tables shuffled out of order, like half the restraint was missing. Had a reservation and we were told that we had to wait 45 minutes. From the looks of how the restaurant was taken care of we were weary to eat there and left. Not the pleasant and welcoming Benihanas we remember. read more

Second time visiting this location. My first visit wasn't the greatest, but figured things would be better the 2nd time around. Negative. Service was not great. Had to repeatedly remind waiter to refill our drinks. Waiter messed up our order, luckily the chef came to the table and verified. Dishes were never cleared from our table. The soup was horrible. Assuming they changed the recipe. Returned the soup and asked for 2 salads instead. First salad came and then it took 10-15 mins for the second one to surface. Not enough portions for the price that you pay. Rice comes out right before the meats now. That sucks. Could've sworn the order was different on my first visit. Side note: scallops were great. The chef did not add all of the "sauces" to muddy up the taste. Will try some of the others in Cincy. read more

When I say... this was the most RATCHET dining experience I've ever had. Like.. ever. From the waitresses talking about each other in front of guests, to hair in my food, to having to wait 30 minutes (in a "wait area" that looked like an abandoned after hours club) and then another 35 minutes for our cook to come out and start cooking when there was barely anyone in the restaurant to begin with, the bathrooms were a mess and smelled horrible, the whole experience was horrible. It was a real live mess. read more

We had a reservation with a large group of 40+ people. The staff couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating and the chefs made the evening so much fun! Good food, great drinks, and even better company! We all can't wait to go back!!! read more

Benihana - Cincinnati - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Food expensive, service sucks, no ambiance. Gone down hill fast. A pipe had burst the day before we were there. It was freezing in there all through the wait and the meal. It was miserable. There are such a thing as portable heaters but they were too cheap. Let their customers eat cake and freeze. read more

My party waited for over 30 minutes for our chef to arrive and he immediately had everyone's order wrong. The food was SO greasy, he was not entertaining at all, and again he messed up everyone's order. The sushi had no flavor and the place looked old and worn down. The food is OVERPRICED. Would never go here again. It's best to spend your money at a different hibachi place. If I could give this place zero stars I would. Would not recommend. read more

Benihana - Cincinnati - Terrible cook! Hope you don't get this guy. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

There is NO way i will ever return to this Benihana location. So I decided to go here for my birthday dinner. Had a reservation for 8:15 pm. Walk in front door you can smell the restrooms. Once got seated we sat for 15 minutes before someone showed up to take drink order. Then forgot things from drink order. Then we sat therefor another 45 mins and no one ever showed back up. So my party decided to leave. Complained to manager only said sorry. Nothing else said never going there ! read more

Beni-yawn-a...not the same place, save your money! Landscaping looked like it hadn't been touched all year, then walked in to urine smell (carpet I assume), peeling paint in main room, disgusting bathroom, rude hostess, security guard at hostess station was odd and scary. Had a reservation, sat in bar waiting for the table. Husband ordered Captain and Coke. They literally had 1oz of Cap'n Morgan left and only 1 out of 3 Japanese beers available. I ordered the $8 Stella. Finally got seated. Waitress seemed lost. I ordered a beer and ice water with dinner, took awhile to get. Then the grill "show" started and was not the fun and entertaining show it used to be and the shrimp ap was forgotten, then served at the end. All employees seemed put out. Our waitress disappeared for a good half hour. No water, no drinks and you sorta need a drink with spicey food. I politely asked another waitress to find our waitress, totally ignored. 10 minutes later, I politely asked the busser to find our waitress. Then the owner came over to explain they are short staffed and he "told them to stop taking walkins" (I made a reservation days ahead). I get current issues restaurants are facing but with these prices why is the place falling apart? Why not leave a pitcher of water at the table for self serve? The service was horrifying. Food was fair at best. I never got the 2nd beer that I ordered at dinner. The $12.50 Japanese beer that my husband ordered came after the meal, when plates were being carried away. Waitress didnt offer dessert, brought checks that were all mixed up with another couple at our grill. We couldn't get out fast enough and will never return. Sayonara forever Benihana. read more

This place is dying and over due to close. The place is RUN DOWN. Carpets are nasty, there are chunks missing from the walls and it's overall poorly cared for. I should have read the reviews before we went-there were plenty of warnings about the staffing. We received multiple excuses about it being a bad night, but look through the previous reviews. There's a pattern here and it is mismanagement. We arrived at 650 for a 7 o'clock reservation and we were shuffled off to the "sad lounge", where we had to stay for nearly an hour before we were seated. Repeated requests about the status of our table were met with bogus "15 minute" promises. We should have left-and we would have if the greeter had been honest and told us about the wait. Our server was clueless. She was obviously brand new and not trained. I ordered a drink THREE times and only received it after a stranger at our table felt the need to go to the bar and get her drink refilled on her own and grabbed mine. We finally got a chef at 9 OCLOCK. Kids were upset and hungry, we were tired and grumpy. Just an awful evening thanks to this place. Our chef was clearly tired and uninspired, and I'm sure he has been overworked. He did a great job with the food, and we were happy with the quality of the food, but not for the $40 a plate price. For that, you should receive an "A" experience with service and this was an F-. Get some people, train them, pay them, and for god's sake, clean your carpets and scrub the walls!! read more

We decided to order and pick up dinner on Monday 11/2 at it was the last time I will from this restaurant. We had a large order for our family $130. We placed our order online through their website and drove the 25 minutes to get there. Ordered at 5:45, order said it would be ready at 6:30. We did not actually receive our order until 8:00! We sat in our car with 3 little kids for 1.5 hours waiting on my birthday. Horrible evening, and to top it off the food was already cold when it was handed to us and nothing tasted as good as the last time we were there. read more

This is my last time visiting this location. I'm so disappointed. Why was this my second time having an inexperienced chef. Clearly fresh burn marks on his arm. Burned most of our food. It was Awful! My reservation was at 1:45, be didn't eat until an hour later. I could go on but -- don't visit this location. read more

Staff was BEYOND RUDE!!! I had a group of 5 and we walked in at 9:40 aware that they close at 11 not many people were there and when we went in the only thing the lady said was "do you have a reservation" an older black woman! Then said they weren't sitting anymore people. An hr plus before they close. I need to know if this is the policy. read more

My recent Benihana experience was certainly A O K. We reserved for a party of seven. One of the group bailed at the last minute but the hosts did not express any problem when we told them there would just be six. We were asked to inform them when everyone had arrived. We did so (it was just a couple minutes before our reservation time), and we were told we'd be seated in about five minutes. We were in fact called in just about five minutes, and put at a table where a party of two were also seated. Our chef was Felipe and he did a nice job, his 'show' was just enough, enjoyable but not over the top. His onion volcano was spectacular. Our waitress was pretty prompt with drink orders as well as refills. We were disappointed that the one sake that sounded most interesting was not available. The pace of the meal was good, and every one of us enjoyed our food very much. I was glad I opted for the chicken fried rice instead of the steamed ($3.50 up charge) because that preparation was another part of the show and I think one of the two folks who went with steamed rice was a little jealous. The decor is nothing to write home about, but I was much more focused on the food to pay that any mind. There were two giant maneke nekos (lucky cats) which I really liked! They do need to improve housekeeping, and my meaning is NOT that I felt the place was dirty, but just messy in ways that it should not be. I think the people working as hosts need better training, too. I was under the impression they automatically added a tip to the bill but this was not the case. Our group of six required five separate checks, and this was done cheerfully and accurately. I would return. To me this experience is one I would enjoy much more with a large group of my own friends or family, not just going as a couple and who knows what kind of group you'd be seated with. read more

I had a 7:15PM reservation it is now 8:13PM and I JUST got water. Is it busy???? Nope... There are 2 empty tables in our room... Tried going to the bar to get a glass of water (three times) and there isn't anyone there either... smh... please do better read more

I honestly wish I could give this place 0 stars. Doesn't even deserve one star! Where do I start this place is a joke and I don't know why it's even still opened. Between the staff and the wait on everything this was the worst experience ever. I haven't been to Benihana in about 5 years and I will not come back after this. I would so much rather go to a hibachi restaurant rather than come to this over priced crack house (when you see the employees you will understand). DO NOT COME HERE!! 1. We came in for dinner with a reservation and still waited 30mins. 2. We waited for our server to get our drink orders for another 30mins. 3. Our server was no where to be found for 26mins (yes we counted because she never checked on us) 4. We were waiting so long for our soup and salad that our chef started cooking the rice before the soup and salad came. Just to sum it all up.. we waited for everything for at least 25mins. We just stopped asking for refills and things we needed to enjoy our meal because we knew it was going to take so long. This was one of the worst Benihana experiences ever.. actually the worst dining experience I have ever had in Cincinnati. I really wish I was making this all up but I'm not. True experience. I REPEAT DO NOT COME HERE!!! read more

It is hard to mess up a hibachi experience...but let me tell you - This place went above and beyond making the experience horrible. I'd like to start with a shining light though, at no point was my drink not filled. The wait here is through the roof, up front we were told we had to wait 30 minutes to be seated (not a big deal), but then the time between ordering and when the first item hit the grill top was over an hour. The sushi wasn't even delivered to those who ordered for 40 minutes. While we were waiting in the lobby we were with an armed guard for some reason, it really made this place feel shady. One of the members of our party has an allergy to raw carrots which the waitress was sure to note on the ticket, but when the salads came out all of them were piled high with the carrots. We reminded her of the allergy and all she said was "oh" and took the salad away, she later asked if he wanted a double soup but there was no effort really to try to make it right by serving a salad WITHOUT the carrots. Our hibachi chef did not interact with us much and the only "trick" was the smoking onion volcano, the rest of the grill session was just filled with silence and over cooked everything (burnt and crispy chicken and salmon to start.) The thing that REALLY got to me though was when ordering the waitress asked if we would like to pay an extra $2 to upgrade to chicken fried rice we all immediately said yes - but what she didn't tell us was that there was already an upcharge to get fried rice instead of plain white rice. ISN'T THE POINT OF HIBACHI MOUNDS OF FRIED RICE!? Being charged over $5 for some fried rice when I'm already paying $28 for my meal enraged me. On our way out there were numerous people complaining about these items as well and the manager was nowhere in sight. ***Avoid this place at all costs!!*** read more

The server Michael was not on top of what his job duties consisted of. We had to ask for silverware and were not given soy sauce with sushi, rice with meals and made excuses for everything that was forgotten. The food was fine but the service left us feeling a little disappointed based on the price of the food. read more

Was excited to have dinner here tonight. I had not been to a Benihana in years. I was soooo disappointed!!!! For starters, we had a long wait for what appeared to be an empty restaurant. Once seated the wait was excruciating long. Then my dinner, hibachi shrimp and fried rice was inedible. The rice tasted almost like it was instant... not sure what kind of rice it was but it was definitely not your normal rice, and the shrimp I literally had to spit the first bite in my napkin and ask the cook to cook longer thinking it's was grossly undercooked... which he gruffly replied that if I wanted it cooked more for me to just throw it back on...OKAY... once cooked longer I still couldn't eat it. It was bad shrimp and the whole table did not eat theirs either. Then when I tell the manager he was rude... did not apologize, and walked back to the kitchen. I paid an outrageous price for a meal I could not eat. Then I was forced to give a minimum tip of 18%. All said and done we were there almost 3 hours. If I could give a negative I would. I understand the economy is bad but don't cut corners that make people want to dine there. I hate I wasted so much of my time and money. read more

We had a reservation for 6:15 didn't get sat till 7:15 and didn't get our drinks and food order till 8. The food was bland our steak was raw and we ordered medium. We had to ask him to put sauce on our steak because of how bland and gross it was. Had to pay extra for fried rice which is ridiculous. Drinks are $40 for sugar water and a single baby shot in a huge fish bowl. Only vegetables are onions and zucchini.... What is that? Food sucks, service sucks, this place sucks. read more

This was a very disappointing experience. Slow service. Sodas were flat. Meat portions were small and steak was thin and cheap. Veggies are only onions and zucchini. They are super sneaky with their pricing. Over charged for drinks, up charged for "chicken rice" that we never asked for. Our kids wanted noodles instead of rice with their kids meals, which they up charged for instead of simply substituting. This location is very run down. Will never return. read more

I go to Benihana all the time. This is my first time at this location and I'm very disappointed in my experience. It's very subpar to other Benihana locations in which I've dined. We had lunch reservations for 9 people at 12:30. We were not seated until 1:10. We didn't see a chef until after 2:00. When our chef did come, he didn't have any vegetables on his cart. We had to wait a while to track down a server to get those for him. We were seated in the private room with only two hibachi tables. We asked repeatedly if the fan was on but it got very smoky (especially once our chef started cooking). Again, I frequent Benihana and I've never had a problem with a smoky area. Steven, our chef, was great! Super fun and friendly. Food was good. FYI if you go for lunch, the vegetables are pre-mixes. So if you don't want/like onions, carrots, AND zucchini, order your vegetable separately. Steven is the only reason this review is getting 2 stars rather than 1 star. Our server and the manager kept apologizing repeatedly about our wait (to be seated, to get a chef, to get refills, etc) but I was surprised that the manager never offered any sort of discount or anything. Just an apology. Maybe we went at a bad time? It was lunchtime right after the holidays, so maybe they weren't prepared with enough staff to handle the crowds. One bad experience isn't going to stop me from returning to Benihana but I doubt I'll return to this location for lunch again. read more

Benihana - Cincinnati - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Sorry ass customer service. After arriving for a reservation only to find out that it was let go 3 minutes after arrival.

The prices are outrageous, for both the food and drinks, the service is extremely poor, the location may potentially be dangerous, I only say this because they have hired armed security guard present for dinner service, but when the bill comes you'd think youve been eating at a fine dining restaurant. read more

I made a reservation for 8:30pm and our chef didn't start cooking for us until 9:52pm the manager was really rude. People were coming in after us and being cooked for right away. Do not come here they are very unfriendly and understaffed as well as unprofessionally. also their WIFI does not work. read more

I had been to Benihana when I was a senior in high school. It was very nice then, entertaining, classy.. Now, getting ready to turn 40..just went again for the first time since. Holy smokes, it was dirty, out dated, just kinda dumpy. Also, it was winter when we went (January), but it was so cold in there that several in my party including me that wore their coat. I wore my Columbia coat and was still cold!Now, when I opened the menu, the prices were like a high priced steak house. Not the prices of a dumpy, dirty place. Then find a limited pop menu. They had $34 steak but yet we were served mountain dew in a can. Having said that, the food was good, but I'll never be back with that atmosphere and pricing.. However, our chef was super nice and entertaining. Also, our initial server was nice as well. But, the host girl at the entrance was clearly not happy to be there. I'm not sure how long this location has been this bad, but I was just kinda shocked. And shocked it is still open, operating in that state. read more

Never, never, never eat in the bar area. No refills, are bar server/ waitress was always too busy to check on us and if she came by she would never remember to bring it to us. Our food took 25 minutes to be brought to us and the brought out the meet first and then the rice ten minutes later, the meat was not hot. We both didn't want mushrooms so there onions and zucchini. My wifes plate had 5 small piecesof zucchini. We complained to the waitress and she said she would get the manager. I had to track him down to bring him to our table. He took our plates and heated our meal up. When he brought it back it was better but he forgot my wifes fook. He said he would come back with it but never did. I had to go to the bar and ask for one, we waited five minutes before getting one on my own. My wife had a birthday coupon and the meal was still 58.00 and we had water to drink. I had to hunt down the waitress to get my credit card back and sign the check. The portions were small and it made for a lousy birthday dinner for my wife. We will never go back. read more

DO Not GO!! Save yourself the extreme disappointment. For many years we loved this place but it is now run down, dirty and very poorly managed. We gave it one last chance tonight and waited 2 hours after being seated to have a chef come to our table. Strangely there was a security officer planted in the main lobby....very odd thing to see at a relatively expensive restaurant It's time to gut the place (it was built 40 years ago) and start fresh! read more

I am not sure why so many bad reviews. This is the second time we have been to this location. Service has been excellent each time. Food tastes great like all the other Benihanas I have had around the country. Don't expect to get out in less than 2 hours. That's part of the experience. It certainly is not a dine and dash. We were very impressed with the service. Our waitress was fantastic. read more

Benihana - Cincinnati - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

We have been going here about 30 years. Food has always been excellent. I have had nearly everything on the menu. My wife and I go 4-5 times a year in early evenings during week days. The staff has always been friendly, especially the chefs and waitresses. We have gotten to know several of them over the years. Despite some of the negative reviews, we will continue to go there. If anyone has a problem, they should ask for the manager while they are there. I seen situations like this at our table and they had always took care of the guests. read more

We came in at 245pm on a friday and were told they aren't accepting walk-ins. This Should have been the 1st sign to not eat here again. But considering we were hungry and specifically came out for the food here we went ahead and made reservations for 330. So after waiting for a bit outside we came back in and we're not addressed for 5 mins before being told to go sit down. As we were waiting I witnessed an encounter between a manager and customers which wasnt very appealing to hear how it was handled. Once we got sat, my menu was dirty that was handed to me. Once i recieved a new one things started getting better. Our server was attentive and polite. Our drinks came fast and we were told that the rest of the table wasn't coming in, so our food would be out quicker! Well a hour later with just us 2 at the table we still were waiting.... When the chef finally did come, he told us that the table wasn't turned on.. so now we had to wait longer. Our waiter was still very nice and apologized for the wait and told us he would have a Manger come by....we ended up getting a small discount and the managered seemed genuine but jeesh has that whole restaurant gone down hill.... The soup was luke warm, the salad dressing was 'off' and the bathroom was atrocious. I will not be going to the Cincinnati location again. read more