Benihana - Burlingame, CA

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

Review summary

1. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Francisco2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   David was the chef and he did a great job, Henry was our host and he was incredible I will be back just because of his service.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for the review! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. It's wonderful to know that our team's service made your visit memorable. We're also glad that you enjoyed our food. We strive to provide the best value to our customers and we'll take your feedback into account. We look forward to welcoming you back soon!
   

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2. S

   Sandra

   San Francisco3 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   The service from the waiter was the worst I’ve ever had at this Benihana and I’ve been coming here for years
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Sandra. We're truly sorry to hear that your recent experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA didn't meet your expectations. We always aim to provide excellent service and it's disappointing to hear that we fell short this time. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve. We hope you'll give us another chance to make it right in the future. Best Regards, The Management Team
   

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3. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Francisco1 review

   2.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Our reservation was at 6:45 but we were not seated till 7:30pm. It was very delayed
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Thanks for visiting us at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We're truly sorry to hear about the delay you experienced during your visit. It's certainly not the experience we aim to provide, and we understand your frustration. We're taking your feedback seriously and will address this issue to improve our service. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future. Best, The Management Team
   

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4. OT

   OpenTable Diner VIP

   Miami1 review

   1.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   No parking, we had to park on the street, and we waited over 2 hours for our table. We got there at 6:30 and left at 10 pm.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Thanks for visiting us at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We're sorry to hear about your experience with us. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait for a table, especially when you're looking forward to a meal. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the parking situation. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed our food, but we understand that service is crucial as well. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our service. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again in the future.
   

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5. N

   Nichole

   San Francisco4 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   It was a great experience, but overall things are quite pricey. Our reservation at 5:30 turned to us eating at 6:15. Keep this in mind as you make your reservation, you will still need to wait to be seated aside from this. They had great service apart from the lateness. The only other thing to note is the restaurant is fairly old, so there’s a lot of wear and tear. The bathroom wasn’t the cleanest, the floor was not very clean, even the grill as we sat down at our table was not completely clean and had old onion, rice on the floor, chopstick on the floor, etc. The seating in the main dining room is extremely intimate and in close proximity with all the other tables around you it does not accommodate very well to larger people. Even my fiancé, and I had to continuously push in our chairs for others to get by, not a huge inconvenience, but just a note to be mindful of.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Nichole! We're delighted to hear that you had a great experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We understand your concerns about the lateness and cleanliness of our restaurant. We're sorry for any inconvenience caused. Your feedback about the intimacy of our seating and cleanliness of our restaurant is noted. We aim to improve our services and your overall experience with us. We appreciate your understanding and patience. We look forward to serving you again soon. The Management Team
   

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6. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Francisco1 review

   1.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   One of the worst restaurant experiences I’ve had. I get that the service is typically slow and hopefully people know that going in. However, an hour just to order is a bit ridiculous. The meat was overcooked even though we specified RARE for our steaks. Even confirmed with the chef. Hard to effectively communicate because the noise level was high despite them not being that busy for lunch. When we got the check, we were charged for extra items on the bill as well! They even had the way to prepare the steak itemized and guess what? It said MEDIUM on all of our orders! When I brought this to the attention of our server, she said that to save time they always put MEDIUM. REALLY??? Wtf??? But wait there’s more! The manager comes over and literally asks, “so what’s your issue?” But instead of even letting me explain what the issues are, he wants to argue! Maybe it’s a cultural thing but here you to at least need to pretend to listen and care. long story short, I paid full price for overcooked and overcharged items on the bill. I tipped $0.01 to make sure they understand it’s not a mistake. Sorry Benihana:..you’ve been going down hill for a while but this makes it clear that you no longer want to be an elite establishment anymore.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Dear Guest! We're truly sorry for your disappointing experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We apologize for the long wait and the issues with your order. We're also disappointed to hear about the misunderstanding with the charges. We value your feedback and will use it to improve our service. We hope for another chance to serve you better. Best, The Management Team
   

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7. M

   Mama2seis

   San Francisco7 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Had a reservation at 8pm and was not seated until 9pm and finally ate around 9:45pm. when we would ask front desk how much longer they had no idea. One of the front staff even sat a bunch of his friends before us and they got there way after us. Not very fair considering we had 2 younger children with us. Our waiter was great and so was the chef once we were seated. The seats we sat in though were wobbly and falling apart.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 4 days ago

   Hey Mama, We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We understand that waiting can be frustrating and we apologize for the delay and the seating conditions. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed our service and the food once you were seated. We appreciate your feedback and will definitely work on improving these aspects. We hope to welcome you back for a better experience. Best, The Management Team
   

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8. M

   Marisol VIP

   San Francisco5 reviews

   2.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   While I understand that some wait time is expected at Benihana, even with a reservation, the lack of transparency is frustrating. If the restaurant clearly stated that a reservation only adds your name to a list without guaranteeing seating within the hour, guests could make more informed decisions. This approach often leads to disappointment and frustration, especially during special celebrations. As a well-established American staple, Benihana knows it will attract large crowds. Rather than taking advantage of this, the restaurant should respect guests’ time by setting realistic expectations. I witnessed multiple birthdays and celebrations dampened by this lack of clarity, which could have been avoided with better communication.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 4 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Marisol. We're sorry to hear that your experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA didn't meet your expectations. We understand that waiting for a table can be frustrating and we're sorry for any confusion about the reservation process. We appreciate your feedback and will certainly consider it as we strive to improve our guest experience. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again and provide a more positive and transparent experience.
   

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9. B

   Brad

   Seattle1 review

   1.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Booked a 6:30pm date night reservation for 2 well in advance & arrived promptly. We proceeded to wait for upwards of 1.5 hours before being seated at a table. We talked to the hosts on numerous occasions inquiring about when we would be seated & were given the run around every time. They were very adamant about how it was first come first serve, however, we witnessed multiple parties arrive after us & be seated before us. Unfortunately we weren’t the only couple who experienced the same lack of interest, it was clear that the larger the party the higher the priority. After 3 or 4 trips to the front desk, I eventually explained to them that reservations were available at the time I booked them, otherwise we wouldn’t have been there to begin with. They resulted to showing us the seating chart was full & saying they were running behind and grossly overbooked. At no point did they seem to care nor offer any consultation/discount for the inconvenience. It’s blatantly clear that management has dropped the ball & doesn’t value the customer. Sadly our experience was that exponential wait times are normal & that if you decide to leave due time becoming impatient they don’t care because someone else is in line behind you willing to take your spot. Our experience was ridiculous, it was 3 hours from the moment we walked in to the moment we walked out. We received our food & no later than the chef leaving the grill they began bussing the table expecting us to hurry & leave. I’ve been to Benihana’s on multiple occasions & multiple locations. Reservations have always been notoriously behind schedule but this was by far the worst experience of them all. Zero effort & no hospitality. The experience is truly underrated for the treatment you receive. We will not be going back. I would leave 0 starts for management & the front desk if I could. Don’t waste your time or your money.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 4 days ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Brad. We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We pride ourselves on our service and it's clear we fell short during your visit. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait for a table and we're sorry for any inconvenience caused. We also regret that other parties were given the runaround. We value your feedback and will use it to improve our service. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future. Best, The Management Team
   

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10. C

    Cynthia

    San Francisco2 reviews

    2.0

    Dined 5 days ago

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

    We had reservations, waited 15 minutes for valet before we turned around and parked ourselves. Waited 45 minutes from reservation time until we were seated. Food was great as usual, but wait time was excessive.
    

    Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 4 days ago

    Hello Cynthia, We're really sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. It's disappointing to know that we didn't meet your expectations in terms of service time and we apologize for the inconvenience caused. We strive to provide a timely and efficient service to our guests and it's clear we missed the mark during your visit. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our service. Thank you for your understanding. Best, The Management Team
    

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