Bentoya Reviews Summary

Atmosphere & Decor

Pros:

• "Great calm atmosphere too."
• "The kitchen is right in the heart of the restaurant which isn't to everyone's taste but gives it a real luxury street stall feel."
• "A great place with a great atmosphere."
• "Inside is warm, comfy."
• "Good ambience with Japanese pop music in the background."
• "Lovely staff, relaxing atmosphere and excellent service."
• "Nice atmosphere, prompt staff."

Cons:

• "The only bummer was that the tables were a bit too close together for my liking."
• "Its not wheelchair accessible (stairs at the entrance, very small space between tables)."
• "The surroundings outside aren't the most appealing."
• "The place was a bit chilly also."
• "Aside from the unsatisfactory food, also did not like how we were situated at a table right outside the kitchen despite making a reservation in advance."
• "The place is not very big and can feel a bit crammed at times."
• "The toilets were also quite dirty and there was a guy sleeping in the downstairs restaurant."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The food was fantastic for a reasonable price."
• "The food and standard of service is always exceptional."
• "The quality of the food was second to none. Beautifully presented, full of flavour and a joy to eat in a relaxed atmosphere with pleasant staff."
• "The food is some of the best sushi I’ve had in London or Edinburgh."
• "Very reasonably priced for what you get. The best thing about bento is all the little dishes you get to try."
• "Salmon nigiri, soft shell crab roll and eel maki were amazing! Fresh, perfectly balanced and nicely presented."
• "Absolutely delicious fresh sushi and seafood."

Cons:

• "We ordered a chicken donburi last time, the chicken had a very thick batter, tasted more batter than the meat itself."
• "Rice, chicken was cooked well enough but no flavour to the sauce."
• "The Chicken Yakitori which was fatty & overwhelmed by the sauce."
• "The food was visibly not fresh and even the salmon and tuna had gone bad off."
• "Food is average, but small portion. I'm still hungry after finishing my meal."
• "The food was greesy and very sweet."
• "The ramen is just unacceptable at every level from noodles that overcooked and horrible to tasteless broth."

Service

Pros:

• "The staff were very apologetic and offered to get me a brand new bowl without egg so I could have an entirely vegan meal."
• "Amazing service from Jessi who was so welcoming and kind."
• "Serving staff are wonderful, cheery and warm."
• "The staff were quick, attentive and friendly."
• "Service was good and prompt."
• "Staff were friendly and helpful and clearly passionate about this homely restaurant in the heart of Edinburgh."
• "Fantastic service from the staff who were extremely knowledgeable and went above and beyond."

Cons:

• "The only minus point is the overly eager service."
• "Service was absolutely terrible, we had a table of roughly 7/8 people and like any other restaurant you’d expect everyone’s food would be brought out at the same time or roughly the same time and that you’d get your starter before your main but OHH NO half the table got there food first them over 15/20 minutes later the rest of us got our orders but not even in the right order all of us was getting our main first before our starter!"
• "Terrible customer service, not worth it."
• "The service was really really bad."
• "Service staff was quick and friendly."
• "Service was slow, bento box came out about 5 minutes after the ramen."
• "The table service was insanely bad."

Accessibility & Convenience

Pros:

• "Toilets were super clean."
• "This is a great place close by to Edinburgh's city center."
• "The toilet was clean."
• "Very large portions of maki etc compared to other establishments."

Cons:

• "They should put brighter lights in the women's toilets as they are so dim it's almost impossible to touch-up your makeup after the meal."
• "Make sure you bring cash as they don't accept card, which is the reason for 4/5 as I find it quite frustrating."
• "They only accept cash which suggest not all profits are declared."
• "Another note there is no WiFi provide !!"
• "They just support payment by cash, I don't know why, very not convenient for me."
• "One downside, it's a cash only place which we learnt when we asked for the bill."
• "Most expensive waste of money ever. Defo will not recommend this place and if you have allergies take care!"