Benihana - San Francisco, CA

Review summary

1. A

   Ani

   VIP

   San Francisco

   3 reviews

   1.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Had a 7:30 reservation, didn’t get seated until 9. Ordered drinks, didn’t receive them until 9:45. Food didn’t start until then either. When we asked server for an explanation we were told “this is always how the weekends are at Benihana.” It’s entertaining and the food is fun and yummy, and the people do their best…but genuinely insane how poorly run it is. I’ve never waited this long without apology or acknowledgement.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded today

   Thanks for the feedback, Ani. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food and found our team's efforts entertaining at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. However, we're truly sorry for the wait times you experienced during your visit. We understand how frustrating that can be and we apologize for any inconvenience caused. We're committed to improving our service and your experience. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future. Best regards, Benihana - San Francisco, CA Management Team
   

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2. E

   Erin

   VIP

   San Francisco

   6 reviews

   1.0

   6 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Waited for over an hour to be seated even with a reservation.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for the review, Erin. We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait for a table, especially when you have a reservation. We're taking your feedback seriously and will address this issue with our team to ensure it doesn't happen again. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide you with the service and dining experience that we're known for. Thank you for your understanding.
   

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3. R

   Rahul

   San Francisco

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   The hosts up front were rude and not helpful. After a 30 min wait for my 7pm reservation I inquired about the status of the table. The obnoxious host says “could be 5 mins or 500, we don’t know”. I was out to have a nice dinner with the family and really not in the mood for snarky attitude. The chef looked like a beginner. The serves messed up our order. Have had much better experience at other Benihanas.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Rahul. We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. It's disappointing to know that you felt neglected and didn't receive the level of service we strive to provide. We take your feedback seriously and will address these issues internally to ensure they don't happen again. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again and provide a better experience. Sincerely, The Management Team
   

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4. R

   Rufina

   San Francisco

   48 reviews

   5.0

   48 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Chef was very entertaining and great cook! He prepared my husband’s Land and Sea and my Samurai Treat to perfection! The server was attentive and friendly! Great steak and seafood!
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Hello Rufina, We're overjoyed to hear that you had a fantastic experience at Benihana - San Francisco, CA! It's wonderful to know that you and your husband enjoyed our Land and Sea and Samurai Treat, as we strive to cater to all kinds of culinary preferences. We're glad that our chef's efforts met your expectations and that our server was able to provide you with attentive service. Your kind words are greatly appreciated and we look forward to serving you again soon! Best, The Management Team
   

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5. C

   Clarissa

   VIP

   San Francisco

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   Waited an hour at the table for the main course.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 5 days ago

   Hi Clarissa, We're really sorry to hear about the wait time you experienced at the table. We always aim to provide our guests with a smooth dining experience and we're sorry we fell short this time. We appreciate your patience and understanding. On a positive note, we're glad to hear that you rated our service highly. We're committed to ensuring our guests have a memorable dining experience and we're sorry we fell short this time. We hope to serve you again soon and provide you with a more pleasant experience. Best regards, The Management Team at Benihana - San Francisco, CA
   

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6. c

   courtney

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on 12 January 2025

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

   They weren’t seating people until 2 hours after their reservation
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Courtney. We're sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. It's disappointing to know that you had to wait for longer than expected despite having a reservation. We always aim to provide our guests with a smooth and enjoyable dining experience, and it's clear we missed the mark this time. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and we'll definitely look into this matter to ensure it doesn't happen again. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again and provide a better experience. Best, The Management Team
   

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7. S

   Stephanie

   San Francisco

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on 12 January 2025

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

   Reservations are a JOKE, we waited over an hour for our party of 9 to be seated. It’s a poorly run restaurant, over booked & unable to accommodate the guests who make reservations. DO NOT GO HERE, especially for a birthday or special occasion (& definitely do NOT arrive hungry). In the end, our teenaged boys were seated & enjoyed themselves & the birthday celebration. So, I’m grateful for that. But, we won’t be returning EVER.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded on 13 January 2025

   Hello Stephanie, We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - San Francisco, CA. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait for a table, especially when you have a reservation. We also apologize if you felt rushed during your visit. We're taking your feedback into account as we work on improving our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to make your next visit a better one. Best, The Management Team
   

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8. M

   Molly

   San Francisco

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on 12 January 2025

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

   My group of 3 showed up for our 7pm reservation at Benihana, and the lobby was packed shoulder to shoulder with 50+ guests. We checked in with the host and they told us to wait in the bar for our names to be called. After 40 minutes and spending $60 on 3 drinks at the bar, we decided to leave because we realized we wouldn’t be sitting down anytime soon. Our friends birthday dinner that we had planned there was unfortunately ruined. Thanks Benihana!
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 7 days ago

   Hi Molly, We're really sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait for a reservation, especially when you're excited for a special occasion. We apologize for the inconvenience and we're sorry that your birthday dinner was ruined. We're taking your feedback seriously and we'll work on improving our reservation system and the waiting time. We hope you'll give us another chance to make your experience better. Best, The Management Team
   

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9. J

   Joe

   VIP

   San Francisco

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on 12 January 2025

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

   If you choose to make a reservation here, know that the reservation time is just a suggestion. You’ll end up waiting at least 30-60 min after you check into the reservation. If you accept that, it’ll be an ok evening.
   

   Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded on 13 January 2025

   Hi Joe, Thank you for choosing to dine with us at Benihana - San Francisco, CA and for sharing your feedback. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed our food, but we're sorry to hear that the waiting time you experienced wasn't up to our usual standards. We strive to provide a seamless dining experience for our guests and we're sorry for any inconvenience caused. We appreciate your understanding and patience and we'll work on improving our reservation process. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again soon. Best, The Management Team
   

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10. C

    Caroline

    VIP

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 12 January 2025

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

    Our chef seemed like he suffered from severe depression and did not want to be there. It was my birthday, and he ruined it. I had to wait until 7 o’clock to get my soup and my dinner reservation was at 5:30. Also the family seated at our table after us, got their dinner 30 min before us. I asked the manager to get our wine and he wouldn’t even help the poor bus boy was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. It would’ve been nice to have a glass of wine while we waited an hour and a half to get our soup!! We will not be coming back to your restaurant. If someone is having a bad day, they should not come in and be a chef at Benihana‘s.
    

    Benihana - San Francisco, CAResponded 7 days ago

    Dear Caroline! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, and we’re truly sorry to hear about your disappointing experience, especially on such a special occasion. Please accept our sincere apologies for the delays in your meal. We understand how frustrating it must have been, and we truly regret that your birthday celebration was impacted. Regarding your comments about the chef and the service, this is certainly not the level of care or hospitality we strive to provide. We will address these concerns with our team to ensure such issues are handled appropriately in the future. We appreciate your feedback, and we are sorry that your visit did not meet your expectations. We would love the chance to make it right should you ever reconsider visiting us again.
    

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