Benihana - San Francisco, CA

Review summary

1. D

   David

   VIP

   San Francisco

   54 reviews

   4.0

   54 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   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.
   

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2. R

   Ronyell

   Los Angeles

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Starting the food was a lil wait but everything else was great.
   

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3. V

   Veronica

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Everything went great!!! Except waitress was slow to get to our table but when she finally did everything was smooth Antonio was great and made everyone feel welcomed. It was my fiancée first time their and he loved the place.
   

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4. M

   Marco

   Chicago

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Not very well planned out Valentine’s Day service, too many reservations handed out. Took an hour after reservation to get to table and 45 minutes after to get cook to table. Took a total of 3 hours to have dinner.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Marco. We're truly sorry to hear about your disappointing Valentine's Day experience at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. We understand that waiting can be frustrating, especially when you have a reservation. We also regret the extended time it took for you to enjoy your meal. We assure you that this was not our intention and we'll work on improving these aspects. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future.
   

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5. S

   Seanny

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Went with the Seafood Diablo and the Wagyu Fried Rice… OMG probably the best teppanyaki I’ve ever had!
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for the review, Seanny! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the Seafood Diablo and Wagyu Fried Rice at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. It's wonderful to know that we've achieved our goal of being one of the best teppanyaki restaurants in your experience. We strive to provide our guests with an unforgettable dining experience and your kind words are a testament to our efforts. We look forward to serving you again soon!
   

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6. R

   Rick

   Kansas City

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   high quality ingredients cooked perfectly. expensive for hibachi but good for occasions
   

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7. R

   Ross

   VIP

   San Francisco

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   I love Benihanas. I got a call to confirm my reservation, called back and waited five minutes. No one picked up. So I tried again and waited three minutes and finally someone picked up. They answered and asked if I could be placed on hold, I said no I just want to confirm my reservation. She immediately put me on hold and two minute later a very nice gentleman answered and confirmed. We arrived on time and waited thirty minutes to be seated. They tried to sit ten adults at an eight person table. The chef interjected and said that it wouldn’t work. The drinks took forever to arrive. Despite this, I love the food, the people, the experience. Just some operational improvements are needed. Why should I spend over 10 minutes on a phone to confirm my reservation when you called me and the opentable app has that feature? Why is there 30 people gathered around the hostess station all with the same reservation time waiting for 30 minutes? Why is there such a slow turnaround on getting drinks? I love this restaurant and only solicit feedback to improve the diner experience. Meal was awesome.
   

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8. J

   Jeremy

   San Francisco

   4 reviews

   1.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Food was really good. Check in counter and wait staff were very poor. No kind of customer service at all.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Jeremy. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. However, we're sorry to hear that you were not satisfied with our service. We take your feedback seriously and will work on improving our staff training to provide better customer service. We hope to serve you better in the future.
   

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9. A

   Alex

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Food was tasty and the chef was great. Great valentine lunch with friends.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Hi Alex, We're thrilled to hear that you had a great Valentine's lunch with your friends! It's wonderful to know that you enjoyed our tasty food and the chef's creativity. We always strive to make special occasions like yours memorable. Thank you for taking the time to leave us such a glowing review. We look forward to welcoming you back to Benihana - San Francisco, CA for more memorable experiences. Best Regards, The Management Team
   

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10. A

    Ashley

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 8 February 2025

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

    Jorge was awesome! Very interactive and skilled! My parents are healthy eaters and they LOVED the food, the protein and all!
    

    Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded on 9 February 2025

    Thanks for visiting us, Ashley! We're thrilled to hear that your family-friendly dining experience at Benihana - San Francisco, CA was enjoyable. It's great to know that our healthy eating recommendations were supported and your parents enjoyed their meals. We're also glad that you found our staff to be awesome and interactive. We strive to make every visit memorable and we look forward to serving you and your parents again soon!
    

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