Benihana - Burlingame, CA

Review summary

1. J

   Julius

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   James made our table feel welcomed and like a family. Great experience.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded today

   Hello Julius, We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA! It's wonderful to know that our team made you feel welcomed and like a family. Your kind words mean a lot to us. We strive to create a memorable experience for all our guests and it's always rewarding to hear when we've succeeded. Thank you for your high ratings and for choosing us for your dining experience. We look forward to welcoming you back soon! Best regards, The Management Team
   

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2. M

   Maggie

   VIP

   San Francisco

   6 reviews

   2.0

   6 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   What a horrible Benihana experience. They overbooked reservations on Saturday night. The only parking option is valet. The restaurant is filled with strollers and families with kids. We had a 7:30pm reservation and it was an hour wait still to get out our table. The bar has fruit flies which tells me they don’t clean this place well. We were seated at a table with three kids and a baby and the stroller was parked behind my husband where the servers had to go in and out and it was super poorly planned that they didn’t move the stroller. The food was only ok, they overcooked my friends steak. The cook didn’t do any fun interaction, he saved the volcano for the end when everyone was done. it took forever to get our beers Just overall horrible. Benihana needs to figure it out and not overbook. everyone working there looked miserable.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded today

   Hello Maggie, We're sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We apologize for the overbooking and inconvenience caused. We understand how important time is, especially for families with young children. We also acknowledge the issues you mentioned with the cleanliness and the seating arrangement. We'll take your feedback into account as we strive to improve our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide a better dining experience. Best, The Management Team
   

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3. a

   anonymous

   VIP

   San Francisco

   21 reviews

   1.0

   21 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   We are at Benihana once every month for last 30 years and love the place and all the Chefs we know by name 😅 This visit was a bit underwhelming First the place had heavily overbooked and there was no room to stand and wait for the one hour inspite of confirmed booking Finally when we got seated after 15 minutes were told the grill is broken After further wait we were told grill is now wiring and will take over ten minutes to heat Chef started tuck away but was asked to come back and start cooking With the grill yet to heat the food give to eat was not ready to eat it was raw This went on when chef cleaned the grill into the food that was laying on side kept getting grouse Manager then promises to give starters to make it better We order one and couple of beers After a bit if back and forth manager insists on bringing the beers himself The beers are the largest available we are overwhelmed with efforts to service to make this gruesome experience better Only to ruin it evening even more the manager dings us with the bill for the beer a whopping $40!! when we bring it up that we won’t have ordered the beers and not the biggest bottles if we were told we had to pay We were not asked what we type of beer we would like He said he could lose his job if he comps the beer ! Seriously!! you should keep your job for treating the innocent customers that cannot say anything to anyone and keep treating them only to get worse by the minute It was not good - it would not be as bad had the manager hug dinged us with the $50 on top of tts already excruciating experience rather than making it better he made it worse We bought the gift we’d do we will to come back to use them but hope we will know better this time not fall for the trap
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded today

   Dear Guest! We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We deeply regret the issues with the overbooking, long wait times, and the miscommunication about the grill. We understand how frustrating that can be and we're taking your feedback seriously. It's disappointing to hear that we fell short in meeting your expectations. We're also sorry about the miscommunication about the beer order. We assure you that this is not our standard practice and we'll make sure to train our staff better. We hope to have the chance to serve you better in the future. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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4. D

   Dan

   San Francisco

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   The restaurant was busier than normal, and it took us 30min past our reservation to be seated. Plus, they didn't clear our plates from the soup/salad until well into the meal. Overall wasn't a terrible experience, because the food is always tasty, but definitely wasn't going to be adding more to the included 18% gratuity with the less than quality service we experienced.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded today

   Hello Dan, We're sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We understand that waiting and service can sometimes be slower than expected, and we apologize for the inconvenience caused. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food, but we're disappointed that we didn't meet your expectations in other areas, including service and gratuity. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we will certainly address these issues with our team. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide a better dining experience in the future. Best, The Management Team
   

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5. S

   Shima

   VIP

   San Francisco

   38 reviews

   1.0

   38 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Again, I thought I would give this place a try. Our reservations were at 2 PM. We did not get our cook until 3 PM. I asked it about 2:40 PM with the status was and 20 minutes later our chef came our server never checked in on us once to see if we needed refills or needed to order any other apps. We were there for my son‘s birthday as they were aware when I checked in, but omitted to take a photo of the group ,the four of us which really was annoying towards the end, but at that point after waiting for so long, I just wanted to go home
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Shima. We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait for service, especially on a special occasion like a birthday. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay and the lack of attention. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to make your next visit a more enjoyable one. The Management Team
   

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6. J

   Joseph

   VIP

   San Francisco

   11 reviews

   3.0

   11 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Fried rice was lackluster and portions felt like they shrank.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Hello Joseph, We're sorry to hear that you found our fried rice and portions to be lackluster. We strive to provide delicious and satisfying meals to all of our guests, and we regret that we fell short this time. We appreciate your feedback and will take it into consideration as we continuously work to improve our offerings. Thank you for your review and we hope to have the chance to serve you better in the future. Best, The Management Team at Benihana - Burlingame, CA
   

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7. J

   Joyce

   Central Coast

   13 reviews

   3.0

   13 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   I ordered a special with filet mignon and chicken. I was served a hibachi steak. As the cook started to plate that steak I told him I ordered a filet and he was unsure what to do. He had already put it on my plate cooked to my order. I said it was ok I would just eat it. My problem was I just didn’t want to pay for filet I didn’t eat. I told our server what had happened and he called the mgr.The mgr. was polite but insisted I had a filet. I know the difference between steaks and all I wanted done was an adjustment to our bill to reflect what I was really served. While the mgr. was polite he told me he was going to go look at the tape of our table. He returned and finally after many minutes of telling me I was wrong he adjusted the bill. A simple mistake and and simple correction took way too long and caused me embarrassment. I was not believed and all I was asking for was a correct check for what I actually ate. Total amount of adjustment was $3 and for this he questioned me and had to look at a tape of our table. I am now questioning whether to return to a restaurant that tapes you eating dinner! He did see on the tape that I was correct. All this embarrassment for the cook’s mistake, and a simple correction of my bill.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Hello Joyce, We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We pride ourselves on our food quality and it's unfortunate that we fell short this time. We understand how frustrating it must have been to have your meal served incorrectly and the delay in correcting the issue. We also regret the discomfort caused by the discussion with our team. We take your feedback seriously and will use it to improve our service. We hope you'll consider giving us another chance to make things right. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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8. A

   Andrew

   VIP

   San Francisco

   30 reviews

   5.0

   30 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   We go to Benihana's every year for her birthday, but last night was truly the best of the 18 years we have been going. It wasn't too crowded, as it often times is, and we were lucky enough to be assigned Chef James. I can't say enough about him, and the show he puts on. Food was delicious, but he really wants to give the diners an experience. Great night.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 6 days ago

   Hey Andrew, Thank you so much for choosing Benihana - Burlingame, CA for your special birthday celebration! We're thrilled to hear that we were able to provide the best of our service for your special occasion. It's wonderful to know that you enjoyed our food and the Chef's show. Your continued support over the years means a lot to us. We look forward to continuing to provide you with memorable dining experiences. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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9. B

   Bryan

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on January 13, 2025

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

   Good bang for your buck - Adan is the best chef in there!
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 7 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Bryan! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your dining experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. It's great to know that our chef's expertise was worth the price. We strive to provide excellent food and service, and your feedback lets us know we're on the right track. We look forward to serving you again soon.
   

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10. j

    jacque

    San Francisco

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 12, 2025

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

    Food is ok. Pricey. Once a year maybe but not all the time
    

    Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 7 days ago

    Hello Jacque, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We're sorry to hear that you found our prices to be high and that the food didn't meet your expectations. We strive to provide top-notch service and delicious meals, so we're disappointed to hear that we fell short during your recent visit. We appreciate your feedback and will definitely take it into consideration as we continuously work to improve our services. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again in the future. Best Regards, Benihana - Burlingame, CA Management Team
    

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