Precious, precious, precious.... that is all! My daughter and I visit Benihana quite often, and to be honest, the service is usually just okay. But this time was completely different, our server, Precious, was like no other. She was friendly, energetic, and genuinely funny. She kept us laughing the entire time and made the whole experience feel special. On top of that, the food was amazing, perfectly cooked, well-seasoned, and you could truly tell she put care into it. It felt like she added her own special touch. Precious was incredibly personable and had a smile on her face the entire time. She went above and beyond, and it did not go unnoticed. She absolutely deserves recognition, whether that's a promotion, lead position, or a raise. Honestly, I would drive an extra hour out of my way just to come back to this location if I knew she would be our server again. She made that much of an impact. read more

I hate writing negative reviews because every time we've actually eaten at Benihana in person, the experience has been great. This review is strictly about their takeout service on Mother's Day. I placed an online order because I didn't have the luxury of sitting down for a full dinner this time. I had my two kids with me and honestly trusted that the order would be correct. When I arrived, the front desk told me to head toward the back where they were handling takeout orders. I gave my name, they confirmed the order was ready, and handed me one heavy bag. Unfortunately, I didn't think I needed to open the bag and double-check everything right there. I drove all the way back home to Lynwood only to open the bag and realize almost the entire meal was missing. The bag literally only had two fried rice containers and utensils inside. That was it. My wife is pregnant, it was Mother's Day, and this was the meal she really wanted. Everyone's face just dropped when we opened the bag. What made the situation worse was how difficult it was to even get someone on the phone afterward. Once I finally did, the person I spoke to was extremely nonchalant about it, basically saying "it happens" and offering to refund only the missing items. No real apology, no urgency, no effort to make the situation right considering the circumstances. I explained that I wasn't about to sit through another 30-45 minutes of traffic with two tired kids on Mother's Day just to go back and pick up food that should've been there in the first place. I also asked to speak with someone higher up and never really got that opportunity. Again, I'm not someone who enjoys leaving bad reviews. But this experience honestly left a bad taste in my mouth because of how careless the situation felt and how poorly it was handled afterward. Customer service matters, especially when something goes wrong. Instead of enjoying Mother's Day dinner, I ended up scrambling to figure out an entirely different meal at the last minute. Really disappointing experience from a place we normally enjoy. read more

We arrived around 8:10 pm on Tuesday night and were seated quickly, along with two other parties, at our table. Service started great, and everything seemed to be moving smoothly at first. However, it took about an hour for the chef to come to our table. When he finally arrived, he was quick, efficient, and apologized for the delay, which we appreciated. What stood out more, though, was the lack of communication beforehand. During the wait, there were no updates, and we weren't sure what was going on. The parties next to us were becoming impatient. At one point, we flagged down the host (the only employee nearby at the time) just to ask if the restaurant was short-handed, and we were told no, but the hour-long wait said otherwise, which we brought to her attention. She responded that she doesn't handle tables, which felt dismissive. Her overall energy also felt low. As someone who has worked as a host, I understand how demanding the role can be. We weren't expecting her to fix the issue, just to acknowledge it or point us to someone who could help. Overall, the food and chef experience were good, but the lack of communication and response from staff made the experience frustrating. read more

Mother's Day reservations at 12:30 PM. Checked in on time. Was told Corporate overbooked and reservations were running an hour late! Sat down eventually, waited 30 more minutes for water, then learned food prep alone would take another 30 minutes before cooking even began. It was 2 PM, the restaurant was extremely hot, and we had a 3 PM commitment. We left without eating. Such a disappointment for all the moms in our group who deserved better. We walked over to Five Guys instead, had delicious burgers and fries, and enjoyed each other's company without the stress. The staff was clearly overwhelmed and doing their best -- this was a Corporate failure, plain and simple. Benihana needs to do better by both their employees and their guests. read more

We came for happy hour and sat in the self seating lounge area. It took about 15 minutes for someone to come by to greet us and drop off menus. While sitting near the sushi bar, I noticed multiple rolls sitting on the counter for a long period of time before being served, which stood out to me. For food, we ordered the Taste of Benihana which includes a starter, appetizer, and entree for $39. The deal is available every day for bar/lounge seating only. I also ordered a burger from the happy hour menu and I was told it would take about 30 minutes. After an hour went by, it never came. When we asked for the check, the server realized the burger had been missed. At that point, I didn't want it anymore but we were still charged for it. The server said they put a patty on the grill so it would be fresh. We had to wait another 5/10 mins even though we were ready to leave. The overall cleanliness of the restaurant could be better, the lounge area didn't feel maintained and the bathrooms were also out of toilet paper. read more

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I recently visited Benihana for a birthday celebration and wanted to share my experience to help others plan ahead. The service was truly a highlight--everyone was warm, attentive, and made the experience feel special, which I really appreciated. I did visit using the birthday offer, and while I was excited about it, I wish there had been a bit more clarity around what was included. Some items I thought were standard ended up being considered add-ons, which changed the overall expectation of the "birthday treat." It wasn't a bad experience at all, just a little different from what I anticipated. I also think it would be helpful if guests were given a bit more space when it comes to selecting gratuity, as it can feel a little pressured in the moment. Overall, I still enjoyed the atmosphere and the kindness of the staff. I would definitely recommend coming here for the experience--just be mindful of the details of any promotions so you can fully enjoy your visit without surprises. read more

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Went back to the place, and it will probably be my last time. The staff was great, but the food had too many flaws. First, the fried rice had a little vegetables, and they got cheap on the portions, but the prices should reflect the price increase. However, they remove more than what you paid. The place is always understaffed, and the bookings exceed what they can handle to maintain a balanced staff, but this place only wants your money and ignores the experience. Save your money, ignore the Downey location, and look for a great value because the place has gone from a 10 to -1 in a short time. read more

Food as always was delicious, chef was amazing, but let me tell you about our waiter When I ordered a prickly pear margarita, he kept asking what flavor I wanted, even though I specified the prickly pear more than once, my SIL wanted to order the trio noodles but asked him if she could just do chicken and steak no shrimp and he said yes no problem. But it was a problem, they ended up giving her the steak noodles and added chicken al a carte which ended up being an extra $18 that he could have explained ahead of time. They had a special on margaritas he didn't even mention and when we found the specials menu he took it away from us and said nothing, but left the rest on the table. When the check came he pointed out that tip wasn't included, which I figured, so I tipped 18% which felt right due to everything. We had asked for some sauce to go, he brought us a the empty containers but no extra, it's fine if they don't give out to go, but tell me. He never came back and when we left he gave us the dirtiest look that me and my SIL couldn't help it but laugh. This wouldn't have been this review if it hadn't been for that cherry on top. But come on, if you're having a bad day, I am sorry, but that's not our fault. He was nice, just a little maybe distracted up until the end when he maybe felt we gave him too small of a tip? I don't know, don't think I'll be back. read more

Benihana - Downey - Sushi Bars Near Me - Downey, California

Just celebrated a belated Mother's Day here! It was my first time and this experience exceeded my expectations. Robert, is a deeply skilled and amazing chef and entertainer. He engaged our entire table, double and triple checked our order for accuracy, and then made sure our entire lunch was exceedingly delicious! He is a star! Thank you for a lovely experience and kudos to our dining companions for being so kind and generous with their amazing energy. read more

It's been a while since I have been inside of Benihana's me and my wife decided to go cause we had a gift card. We were greeted at the door kindly. She was craving lobster so she got the colossal lobster and I got the salmon to be honest the Yard House has a lot better tasting salmon, This was really dry. and we both got the lobster fried rice that was good. The ambience was this at onetime was a cool restaurant. Our waiter was a nice person, but he seemed new or clueless about the menu. I don't think it's too much to ask if you order lobster that the waiter should know what it comes with. Also he asked for our IDs if we wanted to order alcohol and then he brought us a pretty dirty wine. glass. My wife had to steal napkins and chopsticks off a neighboring table. We had to ask for plates for our appetizer. The food didn't come out at same time. My wife did not like the lobster it was incredibly salty. She just ate a few pieces that's it , put the rest in a box. To throw away when we get home. Maybe this just isn't our place to eat, other people seem to enjoy their food. read more

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Good was good but service rates a 4 out of 10. Took 20 minutes to food, forever to get food started, overall, I've been to better Benihanas with great service For this location read more

Oh gosh where do I even start. The checking in was quick and our estimated wait time was 20 to 30 minutes. We waited at the bar and enjoyed a drink. Our table was combined with different parties, all who appeared frustrated, hungry, and displeased! Our server was nice and accommodating however our cook was allegedly washing the utensils in the back. We were a party of 2, we were seated and waited for 45 min when we decided to leave. Regarding the ambiance, the exhaust system was extremely loud, there was no music, and it felt awkward. read more

Terrible service and poor management at this location man I keep telling myself about this place. Made appointment over a month ago for 6 pm I got here at 5:45 and still waiting for a table they told me 2 hr wait this is so crazy they said call corporate they did this not them they just work here I told them that I called it in not online they are so full of crap and they still taking walk ins that's so terrible service who ever subs this location needs to get fired ASAP !!!!!!!!!!!! read more

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We came here on Thanksgiving and were greeted by a warm and welcome host that elevated our dinning experience. The waitstaff were attentive, polite, abd friendly. Our chef was entertaining, engaging, and cooked our food to perfection. The food was full of flavors, delicious, and well seasoned. We had a great dinning experience and will be back! read more

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Great chef deal is good get it while it last server was nice had added a little salt to the fish which helped with the tanginess of the sauce 10/10 recommend read more

Benihana - Downey - $19 New York Strip special - Sushi Bars Near Me - Downey, California

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Went for Mothers Day my reservation was at 1:15 once seated it was so hot at our table it was almost unbearable even the cook was struggling. The ventilation was horrible our eyes burned from the smoke! The cook was great and the food was good but I would not go back due yo how uncomfortable we were read more

Always coming to this benihana since its relative closer distance to DTLA, and it is far more an dining experience than just food, so always enjoy chef's demo and interactions and of course the fire exhibition! :) Service is good but really really slow, it took us over an hour to get our first real food items, so can definitely use some improvement. Our chef was very friendly and directly to the point, my rice was really delayed for some reason as well But overall, the ambiance is more live food performance with a round table set up. Been to many benihana over the years, definitely always a good experience and good to stop by here for special occasions! Also sign up for friends with benefits, they are actually a great loyalty program that worth the value read more

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We chose Benihana for an anniversary lunch and made a Resy reservation in advance, specifically noting that we wanted to be seated in the bar/lounge rather than at a teppan table. We arrived a few minutes early, checked in, and were asked whether we wanted the express lunch, which we declined. Even so, after waiting about 15 minutes, we were brought to a teppan table anyway. When I reminded the hostess of our seating request, she appeared irritated. After another short wait, she took us to the correct table, but the welcome felt cold and rushed, and we were not even given lunch menus. What saved the experience was our server. He was warm, polite, attentive, and genuinely helpful throughout most of the meal. He was the strongest part of our visit and made an otherwise frustrating experience much better. The food itself was tasty and the quality seemed good, but the portions and presentation felt disappointing for the price. The plating made the portions look especially small, and overall the meal did not feel like a strong value. We had also noted in our reservation that we were celebrating our anniversary, but it was never acknowledged, which made that detail seem pointless to ask for in the first place. Near the end of the meal, our server also disappeared, and another server had to step in to help us close out the check. Overall, this was a mixed experience. The food was decent and our server did an excellent job, but the poor handling of our reservation, the unfriendly hostess interaction, the lack of acknowledgment for our anniversary, and the underwhelming value for the price kept this visit from feeling special. read more

My bestie treated me for My Birthday we went on a Tuesday. She had never been. We had no idea they offer lunch Specials. We opted for the $15.95 specials. She got Chicken and I got shrimp. It's a faster experience but worth it. She loved it and as usual I did too. I told her she needs to see the whole experience with the longer version of the "show". We will definitely be back for that! Service was great and it wasn't crowded. We got there at 11:30 and lunch starts at 11. By the time we were leaving it was starting to fill up with people. We also didn't know they have take out. I didn't see the menu or prices though. If you've never been to a Benihana. Find one near you. read more

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BIRTHDAY MONTH=BIRTHDAY COUPONS=HAPPY RODNEY $20 Birthday Month Food Credit for RA Sushi Rewards members RA Sushi is the sushi bar portion of the Downey Benihana Not being a standalone RA Sushi, I called the day prior to ascertain if the Ra Sushi Birthday Month Food Credit was honored here. I was told the affirmative. Arriving the next day, after being seated, it took a good 10-15 minutes before an attendant asked if I've been helped. I showed her the email promo, and she said he had to ask her manager. The manager was across from the sushi bar, and he said they don't accept the promo. I informed him I called yesterday, and told the promo was accepted at the restaurant, and he didn't budge on his position. Wasting time, not to mention my patience with the wait to be helped, the Downey Benihana left me with an unpleasant experience. I do not recommend patronizing this restaurant. read more

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Came here to celebrate my birthday and we didn't have any reservations. Waited about 20-30 min to be seated. We then order some drinks, I got the Lychee martini which tasted more sour than anything, I think it tasted like grapefruit. We then proceeded with ordering and for the most part the salad was good the food and show was good too. We ordered rice which never came until the end of our meal. The portions are super small and unfortunately we were still hungry after. Ambiance inside was good, we enjoyed our chef that cooked our meal and very family friendly. read more

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Today 7/28/2021 Unfortunately today I had a bad experience at Benihana's in Downey Ca. First of all I end up with a chef from last week that when i asked him to put extra garlic in the chicken fried rice he gave me melted garlic butter so i can put it in myself. To me that's gross and if I'm paying for expensive food it should be made as asked ! Then the food had no flavor because it doesn't have enough seasonings . To be honest with you I never saw him put salt or pepper on the food. I brought my two granddaughters with me today and they ordered from the kids menu and the asked me gramma can you order our ice cream and it's not their first time they know their order comes with ice cream. I asked the server for their ice cream and he says it doesn't come with ice cream. I said yes it does he says no it doesn't only at dinner. I show him the kids menu that says it comes with ice cream and he says no again OMG at this time I'm furious. Because my grandkids are looking all puzzled. I ask for the manager and he says ok but keeps working so I had to go to the front desk to complain which by now I've spent a lot of time wasted. One of the managers comes and says oh yes it does come with ice cream you can take it to go. I had no choice because now the table has been cleaned. Again SMH I feel so disappointed as I was brushed off with my grandkids having to take their ice cream home and wasted time and to top it off I get a message in my email saying I didn't show up and I felt like a kid being scolded. Telling me the following: Hi Josephine, We understand that plans can change unexpectedly. We learned from Benihana - Downey, CA that you weren't seated for your reservation on Wednesday for 3. If you did indeed make your reservation, we're sorry about the mix up. Please let us know and we'll clarify with Benihana - Downey, CA directly. When you miss a reservation, it can adversely affect the restaurant. So we kindly ask that the next time you need a rain check, please do what you can to cancel the reservation. By canceling, you can help out the restaurant and also open up the table for another diner to have an amazing dining experience. You can easily cancel a reservation online, with our apps, or by calling the restaurant directly. Kind Regards, The OpenTable Team I'm like ???? I even called them to tell them I was going to be 5 mu So you tell me how would you feel ! read more

It's been years since I've been to a Benihana and if I remember correctly, this might have only been my second visit ever. We came for a work lunch and although we had made reservations beforehand, we still had to wait for them to set up. Regardless of that, I wasn't expecting much since I haven't gone back ever since my first visit and I don't rmetbeing a big fan. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed the food this time around. I got their filet mignon, which was supposed to be medium rare, but half was medium well. Although it wasn't exactly how I wanted it, it was shockingly softer that I expected it to be. If anything, it was softer that other places I've been to, including a steakhouse. It could have used more salt, but they do offer sauce and I just ate it with the vegetables as that had more flavor. The fried rice was also better that I imagined and had a well balanced flavor. Since we didn't opt for the show since we were eating on a time limit, our chef still made an effort to talk to us and crack jokes. read more

My husband and I chose to come here in Veterans Day. We absolutely love hibachi food and were happy to see they offered a deal for Veterans Day. The only flaw I would say is that, although we had a reservation and arrived on time, we waited 30+ min to get to our table. Once seated, the servers and cook took a while to get our table going with meals and drinks. Other than that, food and servings were on par with a hibachi style meal. We would come again, just not on a holiday. read more

The food was amazing. It was a lunch special actually $19.99 for filet mignon vegetables and rice and onion soup. We had a great experience for a good price. I took my niece there. She loved it and our chef Clark was awesome. The manager Nicholas was great. The ambience was very good. All in all great experience definitely will come back read more

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Food was ok. But it's way over price. It's not worth it. Service was good. And the ambience was ok.

Why make people make reservations on a major holiday only to tell people its a 2 hour wait? When asked why not text or notify people ahead of time so they're not wasting time coming over, the staff said that they did it yesterday but the manager told them to stop doing it. It was so sad to see so many people dressed up and forced to leave on Valentine's Day and even worse to have plans ruined. Staff seemed lost and everyone had different messages about what was going on. Chaos- would avoid. read more

I went to the Benihana in Downey this last Friday around 6:00. They sat us pretty quick which was good. I think they wait until the table is full of customers which is understandable and expected. After ordering our dinner it took a while to get our first course. All the food was alright but the portions could have been larger. Me and others who ordered the steamed rice didn't get it when the others got their fried rice so I had to eat my chicken without the rice. We got dessert but the ice cream was already half- melted and was sad looking. To make it worse I showed a coupon I was emailed to get $30 off and the server said that it's only good Mon-Thurs but that she'll ask the manager about it. She came back and said that it couldn't be honored. It did say in the fine print which I didn't see but I felt like the manager should have come to explain that to me. That didn't make it at all better. So I'm not going back ever to that location or maybe to any location. Over priced for mediocre food. read more

Benihana - Downey - Sad looking half-melted ice cream smh. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Downey, California

OK, I have to start by saying that I've been to Benihana's almost every year since I was a little kid and tonight was the best show I've ever had!! Benihana you need to give chef Renee and Sergio a raise because not only were they busy with other tables but they made us feel so welcomed and cared for. (Also laughed so hard) I will continue to come back to this establishment as long as I'm being served by both of these guys. Thank you so much. Looking forward to returning soon. read more

Everything about Benihana has become to commercial, including showing us slabs of steak options and trying to upsell every option on the menu. This location is SO incredibly smokey. My eyes were burning so much I had to step outside. Our reservation was for 745, we didn't eat till 9 pm because our server didn't turn on our table. Our cook, Maria, was kind, friendly, and professional. Our server took forever, unfortunately. This place is too loud, too smokey. We were offered appetizers due to the grille taking so long and they were added to our bill at the end. The vents probably need to be deep cleaned to work efficiently. I feel so bad for the workers. They are probably inhaling so much smoke and have so much environmental exposure. The manager did comp the appetizers and make it right but it took forever to figure it out. Wouldn't recommend coming to this location. read more

The two stars were earned solely by the chef, who did a fantastic job with cooking our meals and entertaining us while doing so. Otherwise, the service was abysmal. Our waiter appeared promising at first, but then slowly faded away from our table. He forgot to bring me water despite asking 3 different times. He never came around to ask for refills. He did not hand out utensils. He was not attentive to the chef when the sauce plates and mushrooms were missing. He actually disappeared after the mishap with the chef. We saw the tables around us arrive after us, get served attentively, sang happy birthday to, provided dessert, and were given their checks before we got our glasses of water. We had to escalate to the young manager, and even then it felt like we were annoying the manager. How dare we have a poor experience and escalate it smh. Not sure if I'll be back, which is a shame because the food was delicious. But I don't want to spend another 2.5 hours waiting around wondering my glass of water is. read more

This place used to be good not anymore. Check out this table we sat on, the grill had never been clean. What an upset. The filters in this place need a clean and upgrade. The restaurant is covered in smoke that penetrates your clothes, shoes and bags, due to the filters not working to clean up the air from the cooking. Highly recommend you not to come. Overall, the food is overpriced and mediocre portion. Taste isn't there because garlic butter can only do so much. If anyone needs to visit this place, it's should be the department of sanitation. read more

Benihana - Downey - Dirty grill after being seated. The tables were sticky. Just don't come! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Downey, California

Honestly one of the worst dining experiences I've had. Benihana was disappointing since it was our first time visiting. We had a reservation at 8:30, didn't get seated until 8:45. Our waitress was nice, but the main issue was that the chef never came out to start the table. After over an hour of waiting, we weren't the only ones frustrated, three other parties ended up walking out too. We finally left at 9:50. Really disappointing experience and not a great first impression. read more

If i could give it a 0 stars i would!! This Benihana is RIDICULOUS. We had our reservation @ 8:30pm and we didn't get seated until 8:50. They took our order. We waited and waited... till about 9:50pm still no chef. Literally an hour waiting for the chef. We checked in with the waitress and she kept apologizing (which it wasn't her fault) saying the chef would be out in 10 minutes and that she would give us a discount for waiting. Us as well as the others seated with us were so frustrated, we all got up and left. So frustrating, because they had us waiting and waiting. Don't waste your time and please go to a different location. read more

Went to have an early dinner on. A Sunday afternoon we got reservations early and we were seated promptly....chef Rob was great Tastey food cooked to perfection the kids really loved him and his tricks read more

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Came here for lunch with my mom and want her to try this location. The green tea has no taste and the soup and the sauces to dip the foods are extremely salty. The serving spoon for the ice cream is unclean. Still have food stuck on the spoon. Don't think I will come to this location again. read more

Came here for dinner tonight with a reservation and was told the wait was going to be 2 hours on top of my scheduled reservation. Do better Benihana. Don't take more reservations than what your restaurant can handle. read more

I brought my family to Benihanas to eat for there first time we are a family of 5 and we order 2 of the emperor feast that brings filet mignon and chicken. We also ordered chicken fried rice, fried calamari, tempura shrimp and pork dumplings. The portions were very small when the chef stated to give us the food. There was a couple sitting next to us and he served them a lot more food. He served us very little portions. I have never experienced this before I've gone to Benihana's many times. And to bring my kids and their mother so they can have an experience at Benihana I am very upset and disappointed. We asked for a table just for us so they can experience the joy of being at Benihana's, but today was not that day. And for the price we payed is if I payed for the couples meal I'm so very upset and when I spoke with the manager she just gave me the run around and she left to speak with the chef and never came back so we just got tired of waiting. The staff at this location are not friendly at all whenever ill go to Benihana's, I will always get greeted with a smile and a friendly face but not at this place it seems like the staff at this location doesn't feel like working there. read more

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I recently made a reservation and received a call informing me that, due to Valentine's Day week, the lunch menu will not be available and only the dinner menu will be offered. I understand that special holidays sometimes require adjustments; however, I was a bit disappointed to hear this, especially since Valentine's Day itself is not today. One of the main reasons I chose to dine with you was for the lunch duet option, which allows for two protein selections with the chicken fried rice. While it is not inexpensive, it has always felt like a great value and part of what makes your lunch service appealing. I completely understand if menu changes are necessary on Valentine's Day itself, but extending the dinner-only pricing throughout the week feels a bit discouraging as a regular guest. read more

It's great to have a favorite restaurant will always deliver everytime you visit and that is Benihana at the Downey location. Our reservation last night was for 7:45pm and waited about 5 minutes before being seated. I noticed they went up in price with their food items. I ordered the Splash N Meadow which is my favorite and it was great, tasted good and prepared well. Our chef did an excellent job with our food and the performance. Our server was Monique and she was awesome! She was really nice, very professional and just provided excellent service for us for the entire evening. Monique made it a great dining experience. You definitely want to request to sit in her section. The atmosphere is typical loud, people having a good time and enjoying the food and show. Cannot wait to return soon! read more

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