Benihana - San Diego, CA

Review summary

1. R

   Roman

   San Diego

   4 reviews

   3.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   The server just took our order and never came back to refill our glass of water or ask if we needed anything else until it was time to pay. The server asked if we were celebrating any birthdays, we informed her there were two members of our party, and at the end, there was no mention of it or anything. We overheard the table next to us that had to remind her, she blamed the people for not telling her when she asked but everybody told her they did. In general is a good restaurant, except for the server that took care of us this time.
   

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2. S

   Sumner

   Palm Springs

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   We showed up 10 minutes early for our 615p reservation and did not get sat until 638, yet later reservations were sat before us and had a much quicker service experience. Sadly, We were ignored until 650p when our waitress showed up and water did not get delivered until 707p. We ordered a bottle of red wine and they brought dirty glasses (grease marks, debris and chipped) as well as the cork breaking in half and still serving us that bottle with cork debris in it. The soup and salad did not arrive until 732 and the meal starting at around 745. Was a terrible experience and will make me think twice about coming here again if this is your new service delivery.
   

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3. S

   Sheila

   VIP

   Las Vegas

   4 reviews

   4.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   I would have given it a 5 star but we were seated over an hour after our reservation. Once we were seated, everything was great.
   

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4. M

   Mike

   San Diego

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Very good atmosphere, be prepared to wait after your reservation time by at least 30 to 40 minutes before you will be seated. The food and the experience has always been good for us! The chefs are always nice and funny, the servers are always very kind with nice attitude. This has been our experience. Thank you everyone at Benihana. Keep up the Great job! chefs
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for the review, Mike! We're thrilled to hear that you've enjoyed the atmosphere, food, and service at Benihana - San Diego, CA. We always aim to provide a great dining experience, and we're glad to hear that we've met your expectations. We appreciate your patience and understanding regarding the wait time. We're always working on improving our service and we'll certainly take your feedback into account. Thanks again for your support and we look forward to serving you again soon!
   

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5. J

   Jessica

   VIP

   San Diego

   48 reviews

   4.0

   48 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   The food is always good here. But on this visit, we sat with two other groups celebrating birthdays. Our chef proceeded to flirt with and direct all of his attention toward one of the guests. We thought this was not very nice, especially since there were other birthdays at the table, including a child with special needs. You could tell that everyone was a little uncomfortable watching the flirtation happen right in front of us, in Spanish, which I think he thought we didn't speak since we are not Hispanic. We will go back eventually, but I was a bit disappointed..
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Dear Jessica! Thank you for your feedback. We're glad you enjoy our food but are truly sorry your experience wasn’t as inclusive and welcoming as it should have been. Our goal is to make every guest feel valued, especially during special celebrations. We’ll address this with our team to ensure all guests receive equal attention and respect. We appreciate your honesty and hope to provide a better experience on your next visit. Please reach out if you’d like to discuss this further—we’d love the opportunity to make things right.
   

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6. T

   Tara

   San Diego

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Reservations are a joke to this place. They were an hour behind on reservation and after an hour we still had 12 people ahead of us
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Tara. We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. It's always our aim to honor our reservation systems and we're sorry for the delay you experienced. We understand how frustrating it must have been to wait after your reservation time. We appreciate your patience and understanding, and we hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future.
   

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7. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   VIP

   San Diego

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Our reservation was at 6:30 pm. We were not seated until 8:42 pm. They definitely overbook! Nothing was comped for the wait either.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Thanks for the review. We're truly sorry to hear about the delay you experienced during your visit to Benihana - San Diego, CA. It's disappointing to know that you had to wait despite having a reservation. We understand how frustrating that can be and we apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused. We're continually working on improving our service and we appreciate your patience in this matter. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide you with a better dining experience in the future. Best regards, Benihana - San Diego, CA Management Team
   

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8. D

   Don

   San Diego

   35 reviews

   2.0

   35 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   This Benihana location does not respect your OT reservation time booked. When you arrive they tell you it will be 30 minutes longer before your table is ready and push you to go spend money in their bar lounge. Our table was not ready for 50 min. This location is not managed well. They over book reservations and people waiting are out the door or in the lounge. There is not enough free parking. They charge $8 for valet in the same parking lot. One of the worst restaurant experiences in San Diego. We won't be back.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Hey Don, We're really sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait, especially when you've made a reservation. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and we're sorry that you felt rushed. We also understand your concern about the parking situation and valet fee. We'll certainly take your feedback into account as we strive to improve our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to make it right. Best, The Management Team
   

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9. M

   Mark

   VIP

   San Diego

   10 reviews

   1.0

   10 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Made a reservation a week ahead ! I was taking young grandchildren for a treat ! Arrived and was told the wait is 45 minutes.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Hi Mark, We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. It's disappointing to know that our reservation system didn't meet your expectations. We strive to provide the best service and it's clear we fell short during your visit. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our service. We hope you and your family enjoyed your treat and that the rest of your visit was a positive one. Best, The Management Team
   

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10. F

    Fredrick

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

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

    In a party of six, it is hard for persons 1-2 to hear persons 5-6. But the service and food is outstanding!
    

    Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

    Hi Fredrick, We're thrilled to hear that you and your party had an outstanding experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA! It's wonderful to know that our service and food met your expectations. We appreciate your feedback and understand the importance of being able to hear everyone comfortably. We're always striving to make our guests' experiences even better. Thank you for your kind words and we look forward to serving you again soon! Best, The Management Team
    

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