Benihana - San Francisco, CA

Review summary

1. A

   Angel

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   We celebrated my girlfriends birthday , the whole experience was great. We enjoyed the appetizers, the soup , the drinks , the food and the customer service. Overall, the experience was amazing. We look forward to visiting soon.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded today

   Hey Angel, we're thrilled to hear that you had a great birthday celebration at Benihana - San Francisco, CA! It's wonderful to know that you enjoyed our appetizers, soup, drinks, food, and the service. We always strive to make special occasions even more memorable. We're looking forward to welcoming you back soon for another amazing experience. Thank you for choosing us for your celebration!
   

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2. K

   Kathleen

   VIP

   San Francisco

   3 reviews

   3.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   What was the point of a 7:30 reservation when we were seated at 9:30?
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Kathleen. We're truly sorry to hear that you didn't have a smooth dining experience with us. We understand that your reservation time was not as anticipated and for that, we apologize. We strive to provide excellent service to all our guests and it's clear we missed the mark this time. Your feedback is valuable to us and we'll ensure to address this issue. We hope you'll give us another chance to make your next visit a better one. Best regards, The Management Team at Benihana - San Francisco, CA
   

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3. D

   David

   Tahoe

   2 reviews

   2.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   We made reservations for 7:30pm and checked in at 7 pm. We still ended up waiting 45 minutes after our reservation before being seated. What's the point of making reservations and being early if they are still going to make you wait for a long time? The noise in the restaurant was so loud we had to yell to each other to be heard. The cook at our table did not serve one of the other patrons. He put her food away after cooking, thinking he was done. When the patron commented about not getting her food, he pulled the food of the plater and put it back on the grill and then served her.
   

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4. C

   Charlotte

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   We had to wait over an hour and they didn’t even apologize but instead gave us attitude. The waiter encouraged everyone to get an appetizer on top of the 5 course meal so it was way too much food.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Charlotte. We're sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. It's disappointing to know that you had to wait longer than expected despite having a reservation. We understand how frustrating that can be and we apologize for any attitude from our staff. We're also sorry for the overportion of the appetizer, we strive to provide value to our customers. Your feedback is important to us and we will certainly use it to improve our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide a better dining experience. Best, The Management Team
   

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5. D

   Donna

   San Francisco

   4 reviews

   2.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   We go to Benihana for most birthday celebrations and usually love it. Last night however it wasn’t good. It was packed and the restaurant didn’t seem to handle this well at all. They definitely overbooked! It was chaotic! Our reservation was for 7 pm and we were on time. We didn’t get seated till almost 8:30! They didn’t start cooking our entries till 9 pm! This is unacceptable. We were very crowded at our table because they seated 9 people at it instead of 8. I couldn’t even get close enough to the table to eat my food comfortably! We were all uncomfortable and could barely move our arms! The service was not good. They never brought me a drink I ordered. We had to ask for more water several times and it took forever to get. I had to ask for my steamed rice three times. It didn’t come until most of my food was on my plate. They never even offered the ice cream to anyone at our table and it comes with the meals we ordered. We think everyone was just too unhappy and tired to ask. We had brought a birthday pie and they did accommodate us with it but didn’t ask if we wanted ice cream. We didn’t leave the restaurant till 10:30 and had to go out the back door, which has steps, because they blocked the door to the mall and elevator. My husband uses a cane and it was difficult for both him and myself to navigate the steps. So disappointing. Benihana, you need to do better!
   

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6. G

   Gean

   San Francisco

   9 reviews

   4.0

   9 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   I made a reservation for 6:00 pm and was not seated until 6:43 pm. It was frustrating because we made a reservation and had to wait so long. It was a Saturday night and very busy but the restaurant should have been more accommodating. Then when we were seated we were seated for a table of 9! So my husband had to sit at the corner of the table. We were a party of 4. I thought tables were for 8 guests. When seated we finally got our drink order in and that took about 20 minutes to receive our cocktails. Service was slow. We did have an excellent chef and our food was delicious however my husband asked for a side order of scallops and they missed it and he never received them. We weren’t charged so the waiter probably didn’t hear him when we ordered. When we finished dinner we were rushed off our table. We did not receive any dessert or was offered. I rated experience and overall 4 stars because the food was delicious . Restaurant needs to work on accommodating reservations.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Hey Gean, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food and found it delicious! We apologize for the delays you experienced during your visit and for the issues you experienced with your reservation and service. We understand your frustration and we're taking your feedback seriously. We will work on improving our reservation and service times to ensure a smoother experience for our guests. We appreciate your patience and understanding, and we hope to welcome you back soon for a more enjoyable experience. Best, The Management Team
   

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7. C

   Covahne

   San Francisco

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Had a 7:30PM reservation, was there early, but didn't get a table until 8:30PM. Apparently they do this often - overfill their reservations. The whole lobby was packed with customers waiting to be seated. Don't book if you need to eat at a specific time.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Covahne. We're sorry to hear about your recent experience with us. It's disappointing to know that you had to wait longer than expected, especially when you had a reservation. We understand how frustrating that can be and we apologize for any inconvenience it caused. We're working on improving our reservation system to avoid such situations in the future. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again and make your dining experience more enjoyable. Best, Benihana - San Francisco, CA The Management Team
   

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8. F

   Feli

   San Francisco

   34 reviews

   5.0

   34 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   We love celebrating birthdays at BH. It always brings cheers and fun!
   

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9. V

   Victoria

   Orange County

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   We had a great time celebrating our birthdays. They even gave each of us a picture to remember this special time. I would recommend this Benihana’s for a great evening that is reasonable priced.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 5 days ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Victoria! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great time celebrating your birthday at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. It's wonderful that our team could make your special day memorable. We're glad you appreciated the special moment we gave each of you. Your recommendation means a lot to us. We look forward to serving you again for another great evening and reasonable priced meal. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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10. D

    David

    San Francisco

    54 reviews

    4.0

    54 reviews

    Dined on February 16, 2025

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

    Hadn’t been to Benihana in decades. Happy to say that the experience overall did not disappoint, they are still delivering a fun and delicious experience even after 60 years in business. However, our reservation was at 7:45 and we were not seated until after 8:45 and it was nearly 11 pm when we finished. Lots of people were unhappy about that, and I do think they take on more reservations than they can handle. My advice, at least on weekends, is to make your reservation for an hour before you actually want to eat, and plan on getting there at the reserved time and waiting for an hour. That just seems to be how it works there. They’d have happier customers if they could actually meet their reservation commitments. But we had a great time regardless. It’s not an inexpensive place but I think the food quality and the experience justifies the cost and I do not think it was overpriced. Kudos to our server, at one point during the meal I asked her to bring me a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, not knowing what I would get… I still don’t know what it was, but it was delicious, and at $15 it was priced fairly too.
    

    Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded on February 17, 2025

    Hey David, Thank you for your feedback on your recent visit to Benihana - San Francisco, CA. We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the food quality and the fun and delicious experience despite the long wait time. We understand your concern about the reservation system and appreciate your suggestion on planning your reservation in advance. We strive to meet our customers' expectations and we're glad to hear that you found our pricing fair. We hope to serve you again soon. Best regards, The Management Team
    

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