Benihana - San Diego, CA

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

Review summary

1. J

   Jim VIP

   Chicago18 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   made a reservation for eight people arrived on time was told to wait for 20 minutes once seated the chef came to our table and told us it would be an hour before we could be served because they had a staff shortage. They apologize and told us we should go back to downtown San Diego and find someplace to eat there. I guess we were very disappointed and we didn't wind up eating dinner until after 10:30 at night.
   

   Is this helpful?

2. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Diego2 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   This location seems to have gone downhill a little bit. The food tasted great, of course! But the service was lackluster- had to wait for a table 30 minutes after our reservation time, forgot to put my kids drinks in the cool mugs, forgot to have bowls for the rice at our table, forgot refills, and had an incredibly long wait at our table between courses. This was challenging because we had our three kiddos and celebrating one of their birthdays. Everyone was so hungry- our reservation was for 7 o’clock and we didn’t even have our chef until 9 o’clock. I expect this on a Friday or Saturday, but we went there on a weeknight! The saving grace was our chef, who we had a great time with! But we all left very tired and a bit distraught. We don’t plan on coming back to this location anytime soon.
   

   Is this helpful?

3. K

   Kylie VIP

   San Diego9 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   We went to dinner here for my partners birthday. If you’re sensitive to loud noises do NOT come here. The chef puts on a little show which is very well executed but he bangs the utensils a lot and that was jarring for me. The food was cooked well but nothing memorable, after all the entertainment is what people come here for. If you want A+ surf and turn you should consider a different restaurant this is more like a B+. It’s very kid friendly as far as the food and entertainment goes. The kids are always engaged and have a good time. Our server however was no where to be found and we didn’t get any drink refuses until we were ready to leave. For a table of five I believe the bill was about $250+. I wouldn’t say this is cheap for the quality of food but again you are going here for the entertainment. This is a good place for parties off all sizes and ages. Over all it was a good experience but nothing wonderful.
   

   Is this helpful?

4. ST

   STEPHENO

   San Diego1 review

   2.0

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Our reservation was for 6:15 but we weren’t even seated until 645
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Hi Stepheno, We're really sorry to hear about the delay you experienced during your visit to Benihana - San Diego, CA. We understand how frustrating that can be and we apologize for the inconvenience. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed our food and service. We appreciate your feedback and will certainly use it to improve our service. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again soon. Best Regards, Benihana - San Diego, CA Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

5. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Diego1 review

   3.0

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   We had a reservation for 6:15 and waited 50 minutes to be seated. I would expect this on a Friday or Saturday night, but a Tuesday? I was surprised. Another party we sat with asked to speak to a manager and they never showed up at the table. Benihanas is a great restaurant for special occasions, but I would not dine here otherwise.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Dear Guest! We sincerely apologize for the long wait and the poor experience you had on your recent visit, especially on a Tuesday. This delay and lack of managerial follow-up are unacceptable and not reflective of the high standards we strive to maintain. We truly appreciate your feedback and will address these issues with our team to prevent this from happening again. We hope you'll consider giving us another chance to provide the special experience Benihana is known for. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Best regards,
   

   Is this helpful?

6. OT

   OpenTable Diner VIP

   Houston8 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Excellent food and experience. The staff was very professional and the food was delicious.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Dear Guest! Thanks for the feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your dining experience with us and found our food to be delicious. It's always our goal to provide a professional service and top-notch food to our guests. We appreciate your kind words and look forward to serving you again soon! Best, The Management Team at Benihana - San Diego, CA
   

   Is this helpful?

7. e

   erikav

   San Diego1 review

   1.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   If I could give 0 stars I would . Went in for my daughter bday which we go every year . We were seated with another couple and that couple left . Manager carol comes up to us saying be carful what we say in Spanish because the people that were sitting with us spoke Spanish and the guy works here. We asked what is she talking about or where is she going with this and she states the guy told her we were talking about him in Spanish . She came up to us aggressively like she believed what he said and keep in mind we were with our 4 kids . My kids were confused and scared . She could of gone about it in a different way maybe in private asking not assuming ! We were all uncomfortable and decided to leave . A employee begged us to stay and said there is always issues with her . It's sad because we always go and with her as the manager I don't feel comfortable going back!
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Erika. We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. We strive to create a welcoming environment for all our guests and it's clear we fell short in your case. We value your feedback and will certainly use it to improve our service. We hope you'll consider giving us another chance to provide a better dining experience. Best, The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

8. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Diego7 reviews

   2.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Everything was great once we got seated. We waited for an hour past our reservation time. The hosts informed us they were running behind which was nice but it was still frustrating because we had our kids with us and they were hungry and getting tired.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 4 days ago

   Dear Guest! We're really sorry to hear about your experience. It's clear that we fell short on meeting your reservation time and we sincerely apologize for that. We always strive to provide our guests with efficient service and it's clear we missed the mark on this occasion. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food and found it to be good value. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again and make it up to you. Thank you for your feedback. - The Management Team at Benihana - San Diego, CA
   

   Is this helpful?

9. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Greater Boston2 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Made a reservation for 7:00 a week in advance. Didn’t get seated until 8:00 and didn’t get served any food until 8:45. Awful
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 4 days ago

   Dear Guest! Thanks for the review. We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. It's quite disappointing to know that you had to wait for an extended period of time and were not served any food. This is not the level of service we strive to provide our guests. We appreciate your feedback and will use it as an opportunity to improve. We hope you'll give us another chance to serve you better in the future.
   

   Is this helpful?

10. EA

    EsmeraldaA

    San Diego1 review

    1.0

    Dined 6 days ago

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

    Horrible experience, don’t come. We are currently here, our reservation was for 7:45, we finally sat down at 9:30. It’s 10, still no cheff, no comment from management, no comps for the wait, nothing. If it wasn’t because we’re beyond the point of leaving, we would’ve walked out. We’re hear to celebrate and the poor management experience has ruined our night. Overly booked, under staffed, horrible management, a perfect storm. Don’t come, especially if you have children.
    

    Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 5 days ago

    Thanks for the review, Esmeralda. We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. It's disappointing to know that we didn't meet your expectations on your special night. We understand how frustrating it must have been to wait for so long and not receive the service you expected. We are taking your feedback seriously and will work on improving our service. We hope you'll reconsider and give us another chance to make it right. Best regards, The Management Team
    

    Is this helpful?