Benihana - San Diego, CA

Benihana - San Diego, CA reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Los Angeles2 reviews

   4.0

   Dined today

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

   Food was great but we weren’t seated until 8pm for a 7pm reservation.
   

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2. AT

   AndrinaT

   San Diego1 review

   4.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   It was very nice, the food was excellent and the service was 👍
   

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3. L

   Lissa

   San Diego5 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   We had such a good time, Sergio was our chef and he loves children as he spoke to them and they giggled at his “show” as my grand babies shared. What a terrific experience. Our server was also Sergio, and he was lovel,y as well. Thank you for making this celebration a joy.
   

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4. OT

   OpenTable Diner VIP

   Los Angeles3 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   they sat us 2 hours past our reservation time like it was just a normal thing to do and how to run a business. will never return.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded today

   Dear Guest, We’re truly sorry for the unacceptable delay and frustration you experienced. Waiting two hours past your reservation is far from the standard we strive to provide, and we completely understand your disappointment. This isn’t the experience we want for our guests, and we deeply regret that we let you down. Your feedback is crucial, and we’ll be addressing this issue with our team to prevent it from happening again. We appreciate you sharing your experience, and we’re truly sorry to lose your trust.
   

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5. D

   David

   San Diego2 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Was okay, reservations were at 7:00pm, didn't get seated until 8:00pm. Very loud in restaurant, cook wasn't that entertaining, was wearing a mask, hard to hear him.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded today

   Dear David, We appreciate you sharing your feedback and are sorry your experience didn’t meet expectations. Waiting an hour past your 7:00 pm reservation is frustrating, and we regret the delay. We understand how the noise level and difficulty hearing the chef, especially with a mask, impacted your experience. While we strive to create an enjoyable and entertaining atmosphere, we clearly missed the mark during your visit. Your feedback is valuable, and we’ll work on improving these aspects. Thank you for sharing, and we hope you’ll give us another chance to provide a better experience.
   

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6. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Diego1 review

   1.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   We had to wait an hour after our reservation to get seated, and another 30 minutes before we got service. The table across from us waited an entire hour for their chef to arrive. The punch bowls we ordered had absolutely no alcohol and were extremely overpriced at $60 each. Benihana used to be a gem, and now it is an understaffed, overpriced, and overall disappointing establishment.
   

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7. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Francisco1 review

   5.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Had a great experience at Benihana. Terry the manager was great and got us in at our reservation time even though they were extremely busy and backed up. They were so attentive to detail. Our server Leticia took great care of us and the Chef Pino was excellent. Had a great time.
   

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8. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   New York City5 reviews

   4.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Benihana always serves consistently excellent quality food. Our servers, Edwin our chef was amazing and Mia very attentive even with a very busy night. Only disappointment was even with a reservation, we had to wait an hour once there. Their waiting area could not accommodate everyone waiting! Definitely try them
   

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9. J

   Jenna

   Washington DC2 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   The food and service was good. However I made reservations for 6pm and we did not get sat until after 7pm. The staff told us the reservation services “open table” over books the restaurant.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded today

   Dear Jenna, Thank you for your feedback! We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the food and service, but we sincerely apologize for the long wait despite your 6 pm reservation. We strive to honor all reservations, and it’s frustrating when the experience doesn’t meet expectations. While third-party reservation systems like OpenTable help manage bookings, we understand that overbooking isn’t acceptable, and we’ll work to improve this process. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and hope you'll give us another chance to provide a more seamless experience.
   

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10. BR

    BillR

    San Diego3 reviews

    1.0

    Dined 1 day ago

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

    No parking, an hour behind reserved time, sat in small hot noisy room right outside kitchen, chef was awful, and of course overpriced food
    

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