Hello G.
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Extremely Disappointing Experience at Benihana Orlando
This was by far the worst Benihana experience I’ve ever had. Our chef, Steven, completely ruined what was supposed to be a special dinner for my son’s fifth birthday.
We arrived on time for our 9:15 PM reservation at Benihana Orlando (12690 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32821) but had to wait nearly 10 minutes while a manager and hostess finished their personal conversation before acknowledging us. When I confirmed our reservation, the hostess simply said “okay” and walked away. After another 12-minute wait, we were finally seated.
Our server, Patrick, was wonderful and attentive — the only positive part of the evening. Unfortunately, that’s where the good service ended. About 20 minutes into dinner, our chef Steven arrived. He started off friendly but quickly went off track with long, irrelevant stories about his jobs, ex-wife, and children. Meanwhile, the food was poorly cooked, bland, and served cold because of all the unnecessary talking in between.
Despite clearly explaining our allergies and ingredient preferences, Steven ignored them multiple times. He also served extremely small portions — even my five-year-old commented on the tiny serving of rice.
To make matters worse, he made inappropriate and sexual comments toward another male chef nearby, which was both unprofessional and uncomfortable, especially in front of my child. His behavior throughout dinner was sloppy, distracted, and careless. We had to constantly remind him of items he forgot, and he repeatedly responded, “Oh, I forgot.”
For a $200 dinner meant to celebrate my son’s birthday, no one sang to him, my meal was missing ingredients I paid for (like mushrooms), and the entire experience felt rushed and unprofessional.
This was an incredibly disappointing experience from start to finish. Between the poor food quality, lack of professionalism, and completely inappropriate behavior from the chef, I honestly wish we had gone anywhere else. I would not recommend Benihana Orlando (12690 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32821) to anyone — especially if your chef happens to be Steven.