Benihana - Burlingame, CA

Review summary

1. K

   Krista

   San Francisco

   9 reviews

   5.0

   9 reviews

   Dined today

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Our chef Ruben was fantastic! His attention to detail and the enthusiasm were so appreciated!
   

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2. M

   Mahdy

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We always choose to Dine in at this restaurant…..JUST DAMM GREAT!!!
   

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3. S

   Shaunte

   Sacramento

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Absolutely terrible experience at Benihana last night for Valentine’s Day. Had an 8PM reservation but weren’t seated until 9:30. Staff, hosts, and manager Rose showed zero empathy. Informed them of my partner’s mushroom allergy, yet it was completely ignored, forcing us to run out mid-meal to handle her reaction. By the time we actually ate, it was past 10PM, and we didn’t leave until nearly midnight. Unacceptable service—never coming back.
   

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4. R

   Robin

   San Francisco

   5 reviews

   4.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   You can always depend on Benihana to be consistent in food and atmosphere. I believe the night we were there was especially busy as we had to wait over 30 after our reservations to be seated. It is always entertaining to go there and they have a great menu for everyone. The servers and cook were attentive and we got what we expected there as a fun time and good food. I must note that it seems at other restaurants the portions have shrunk and quality has gone down but not at Benihana!
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded today

   Thanks for the review, Robin! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We always strive to provide an entertaining and enjoyable atmosphere for our guests, and we're glad you appreciated that. We understand that waiting may have been longer than expected, especially during busy times. We're sorry for any inconvenience caused, and we'll certainly take your feedback into account as we continually work to improve our service. We're glad you had a good time and enjoyed our menu, especially the sushi and ramen. We look forward to welcoming you back soon!
   

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5. R

   Rosa

   VIP

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Reservations at 6:15. Took an hour to get a call back. We left.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded today

   Hey Rosa, we're really sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. It's clear that we didn't meet your expectations, and for that, we sincerely apologize. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait, especially when you're looking forward to a meal. We'll definitely take your feedback into account as we work on improving our reservation system. We hope you'll give us another chance to make it right. Thanks for your feedback, The Management Team at Benihana - Burlingame, CA
   

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6. J

   Jeff

   San Francisco

   5 reviews

   4.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   I wrote notes prior to arriving that i did not want to be seated with children and when the host went to seat me and my wife sure enough it was a young family with three kids that were screaming and crying and the oldest must have only been 4 years old . What is the purpose of asking if there are any special requests if they do not read prior to seating you .
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded today

   Thanks for the review, Jeff. We're sorry to hear about the seating situation you experienced. We understand the importance of accommodating all our guests' needs and requests, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We assure you that we will take your feedback into consideration and improve our seating arrangements to avoid such issues in the future. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you and your family again.
   

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7. B

   Brendan

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Went on Valentine’s Day!!! had reservations at 8, showed up at 7:45 and didn’t get seated until after 9. You would think for a business that’s been open for so long they would have a system for seating during busy holidays. Our Chef James made the wait worthwhile though , he made great jokes and interacted with my son who gets shy in these types of situations. By far the best chef I’ve had here. thank you James
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Hi Brendan, We're thrilled to hear that you had a wonderful Valentine's Day with us at Benihana - Burlingame, CA! It's great to know that our team made your wait worthwhile. We strive to provide the best service possible, and it's always rewarding to hear when we've succeeded. We're also glad you enjoyed our Chef James' humor and interaction. Your kind words mean a lot to us. We hope to have the pleasure of serving you again soon. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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8. B

   Bedilia

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Going on Valentine’s Day’s is challenging to wait even if you make a reservation. But it was so worth the wait. My chef was 5 star. I had the best food ever thanks to James.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Bedilia! We're thrilled to hear that you had a memorable Valentine's Day at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. It's wonderful to know that our chef made your experience memorable, and that you enjoyed the food. We're glad that you found the overall value and service to be worth the wait. We look forward to serving you again soon!
   

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9. F

   Felicia

   San Francisco

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   This was my second time visiting a Benihana location. The first was in Vegas and that location really set the bar high!! We enjoyed our chef, his many interactions with the table, and our food. My husband has raved about it for months. I decided for Valentine’s to make reservations at our local location and while I understand it was Valentine’s Day, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t their first one. So having reservations and still having to wait an hour and twenty minutes for our table seemed a little bit much. There was no very little standing room yet at least 60-75 people crammed next to each other while waiting to be seated. You could barely hear the host call your name. But I will say that all the hosts were great and although they were probably flustered they didn’t really show it and were full of smiles. Once we did get seated we were ready to be entertained, smile, laugh, enjoy good food. Our chef made one joke that no one got and then he was silent the rest of our session. The fried rice was good, but the shrimp and steak was flavorless. The ice cream was flat and looked like it was the remnants of freezer burned ice cream. Needless to say, if we ever go back it will only be when we visit Vegas because not only was our chef great but you could look around and see all the chefs giving their tables an awesome experience. This location none of the chefs did anything besides cook, had I come here first then maybe I wouldn’t have felt inclined to leave this review.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for the review, Felicia. We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed your chef and the atmosphere at our Benihana - Burlingame, CA location. However, we're truly sorry to hear about your experience with the food. We take pride in our dishes and it's disappointing to hear that you found it lacking in flavor. We also apologize for the wait time you experienced. We strive to provide a memorable experience for all our guests, and it seems we fell short this time. We appreciate your feedback and will certainly take it into consideration as we continually strive to improve. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again soon.
   

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10. L

    Laura

    San Francisco

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1

    Awful in every way imaginable, ruined a special holiday celebration.
    

    Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded today

    Thanks for visiting us, Laura. We're truly sorry to hear about your disappointing experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We strive to provide the best service and food to our guests, and it's clear we fell short during your visit. We truly appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our services. We hope you'll give us another chance to make it right in the future. Best, The Management Team
    

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