Benihana - San Francisco, CA

Review summary

1. G

   Gil VIP

   San Francisco4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined today

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

   Our server, Anton, was great! He was super attentive and timely. It was the best service ever received at any Benihana location. We were seated at our reservation time. The food portion was generous. The chef was entertaining and cooked the food well yet efficiently.
   

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2. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Francisco2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   We had a wonderful time the food was very delicious and everyone was so nice
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 6 days ago

   Dear Guest! Thanks for the feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a wonderful time at Benihana - San Francisco, CA and enjoyed our delicious food. We always aim to provide friendly, attentive service and it's great to know we hit the mark during your visit. We appreciate your kind words and look forward to serving you again soon.
   

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3. V

   Vikas VIP

   Las Vegas1 review

   1.0

   Dined on 2 March 2025

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

   Wait time 1 hr even though we had reservation No good
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded on 3 March 2025

   Hey Vikas, We're really sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. It's disappointing to know that you had to wait for such a long time, despite having a reservation. We strive to provide efficient service to all our guests, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Your feedback is important to us, and we will definitely take your comments into consideration as we continually work to improve our service. We hope you will give us another chance to serve you better in the future. Best Regards, The Management Team
   

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4. F

   Frank

   San Francisco1 review

   4.0

   Dined on 2 March 2025

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

   we waited an hour and a half past our reservation time. The lobby was packed with people and the people working there had no idea how long we would wait. It was ridiculous how long we had to wait after our reservation time. Other people just left because the wait was so long.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 7 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Frank. We're sorry to hear about the long wait you experienced. It's not typical of our guests' experience and we apologize for the inconvenience. We also regret any misunderstanding about your reservation time. We value your feedback and will use it to improve our service. We hope to serve you better in the future. Best, Benihana - San Francisco, CA Management Team
   

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5. S

   Sandra

   San Francisco8 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on 2 March 2025

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

   We made reservation on Open Table, arrived on time to a CROWDED wait area, then waited- standing for AN HOUR AND A HALF. Had 3 teenagers with us for my daughter’s birthday and I had a broken foot (otherwise we would have left). Host area is a joke. No one is brave enough to face all the frustrated people so they keep disappearing, and when they did appear, gave everyone the same line: “you have one table ahead of you.” They are completely overbooked, corporate restaurant not caring about a quality experience. I think I saw just four hibachi chefs for the whole room (20 tables?) There is a lot of time spent trying to sell you drinks (which we were not there for) by very nice servers, constantly apologizing. Frazzled Manager also politely apologized saying Open Table system overbooks them. Not sure if they take direct reservations? Chef was understated but funny and slow-pace focused - but steak and chicken were sadly overcooked this visit. Shrimp and scallops were great. Very difficult for a chef to balance all that timing, I get it, but was not successful this visit. Salad was way overdressed, soup fine, chicken fried rice was good - not as good as last visit. Seating extremely cramped. My teenagers have liked coming here, so it gets requested for birthdays, but there are too many great, unique (and not chain) restaurants in S.F. at same price, better quality, less crowded, more personalized service, better ambiance, more comfortable…for me to consider coming back here again. Time to put my foot down. Ouch.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 6 days ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Sandra. We're sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. We apologize for the long wait and crowded seating. We're glad you enjoyed our food, especially the shrimp and scallops. Your feedback about the service and the quality of food is noted and will be shared with our team. We understand your concerns about finding a quality experience at a unique and comfortable restaurant. We value your input and hope to have the chance to serve you better in the future.
   

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6. L

   Lauren VIP

   Richmond7 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on 1 March 2025

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

   We waited well over 30 minutes - we had a reservation - and couldn’t wait anymore given a concert we had that night. It was a terrible experience
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded on 2 March 2025

   Thanks for the review, Lauren. We're really sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. It's always our goal to provide excellent service and it's clear we missed the mark during your visit. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait, especially when you have a reservation. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future. The Management Team
   

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7. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Francisco2 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on 1 March 2025

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

   Seated an hour late. No clear communication on timing to be seated upon check in and follow up. Not served any food until 1.5 hours from reservation. Chefs were not warm nor entertaining.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded on 2 March 2025

   Dear Guest! Thanks for visiting us at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. We're sorry to hear about your experience. We understand the frustration of waiting and not being greeted promptly. We apologize for any confusion about the timing of your seating and the delay in serving you. We also regret that our food didn't meet your expectations. Your feedback is important to us and we will work on improving these areas. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide a better dining experience. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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8. A

   Angel

   San Francisco1 review

   5.0

   Dined on 24 February 2025

   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.
   

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   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded on 25 February 2025

   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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9. H

   Hunter

   San Francisco2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 24 February 2025

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

   Great service, great atmosphere. However a member of our table with his daughter was really rude to the staff and made the dinner really uncomfortable by constantly staring at my family and trying to talk to my very young children. Otherwise the dinner was great!
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded on 27 February 2025

   Hi Hunter, Thank you for your wonderful review. We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed our service and atmosphere at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. However, we're truly sorry to hear about your experience with a member of your party. We strive to create a welcoming environment for all our guests, and we apologize if we fell short in this instance. We will address this with our team to ensure it doesn't happen again. Your feedback is invaluable and we appreciate you taking the time to share it. We hope to welcome you and your family back soon! Best, The Management Team
   

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10. D

    David

    Tahoe2 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    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.
    

    Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded on 27 February 2025

    Hello David, We're really sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. We understand how frustrating waiting can be and we apologize for the long wait you experienced. We assure you that we value your feedback and will address this issue with our team to ensure a better experience for our guests in the future. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future. Best, The Management Team
    

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