Benihana - Cupertino, CA

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

Review summary

1. C

   Chanden

   San Francisco1 review

   2.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Even with a reservation we had to wait 45 minutes to get our table. The crowds are rowdy and you have to shuffle your plate and glasses around in tight spaces to eat
   

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2. S

   Simi

   San Francisco2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   It was amazing! Karina was our chef and she gave us an unforgettable experience! The food was absolutely amazing, too, which was definitely a bonus.
   

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3. C

   Charles

   San Francisco11 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   I recently had an extremely disappointing experience at Benihana in Cupertino. I had an 8:15 PM reservation but wasn’t seated until 9:31 PM—nearly 80 minutes late. What made the situation worse was the unprofessional behavior of the managers that night. Despite being significantly behind on seating tables, they failed to close off reservations. A group of eight with a 9:00 PM reservation, as well as another group of 6 with an 8:40 PM reservation, were seated before me. When I asked the manager about the delay, she simply blamed it on the size of the party, claiming that an eight-person group warranted immediate seating over others waiting—a rationale that made little sense given the circumstances. What’s bad is that my group and another of 4 with 8 PM reservations were both waiting. The issues didn’t stop there. Martha, the manager in an all-black suit, publicly berated a young employee in front of a lobby full of upset diners when someone inquired about the wait time. Another manager in a light gray suit was equally unprofessional—shaking her head, yelling at staff, and speaking in Spanish about the situation without any regard for the guests who were left waiting. After finally being seated, we had to wait an additional 40 minutes before the cook even came to the table. Meanwhile, a family with two young girls next to us eventually left as it was well past 10 PM and the children were too tired. One would expect at least a complimentary gesture—such as a soda or a fried rice upgrade—to acknowledge the poor service, but nothing was offered, not even a sincere apology. When I asked why they were still taking reservations through OpenTable and in person under such circumstances, the response was dismissive, suggesting I shouldn’t worry about their business. Overall, the experience was utterly unacceptable. 8:25 reservation and left at 11;20. We didn’t finish the food as we were now rushed to eat with the staff literally walking past us saying by to other staff
   

   Benihana - Cupertino, CAResponded 5 days ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Charles. We're deeply sorry for your recent experience at Benihana - Cupertino. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait, especially when you have a reservation. We take your comments about the unprofessional behavior of our staff very seriously and will address this with our team. We also understand your concerns about the delay and the unprofessional behavior of our managers. We're working on improving these issues. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide the excellent service we're known for. Best, The Management Team
   

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4. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Francisco16 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   Went with elementary age kids and they had a blast. They are generally picky and wary of unfamiliar food, but they tried several new things. Maybe because it was part of a fun new experience. Like most restaurants of this variety that you find in the US, this is not a gourmet meal or particularly authentic Japanese food. It feels a little akin to having a meal at a theme park restaurant. But the kids loved it and ate well, 5 stars from one and 4.75 from the other, so I would rate it highly as a family restaurant. Our chef Heli and server Roger did a great job.
   

   Benihana - Cupertino, CAResponded 5 days ago

   Thanks for the review! We're thrilled to hear that you and your kids had a great time at Benihana - Cupertino, CA. We appreciate your feedback and know that your family's positive experience with us made your visit that much better. We're glad you found our food enjoyable and the kids enjoyed trying new things. We strive to provide a unique and fun dining experience and your feedback lets us know we're on the right track. We look forward to welcoming you back soon. Thanks again!
   

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5. EZ

   EricaZ

   San Francisco2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   Salvador made amazing food, and Casee provided excellent service.
   

   Benihana - Cupertino, CAResponded 5 days ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Erica! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the food and service at Benihana - Cupertino, CA. It's always our goal to provide our guests with excellent meals and service. Your kind words mean a lot to us. We hope to see you again soon!
   

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6. S

   Sandra

   San Francisco3 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   La comida, el servicio, el personal y el ambiente es muy gratificante. En lo que me gustaría hacer una sugerencia, es que deben mejorar la organización de las reservaciones, especialmente viernes y sábados. Las últimas veces, toda la gente que reserva después de las 6:00 pm, tenemos que esperar más de 1 hora y media. Desconozco a qué se deba, tal vez, es el sistema que manejan. Por lo demás, lo reitero, todo es excelente!!! Es por ello que seguiremos prefiriendo degustar en Benihana 😋😋😋
   

   Benihana - Cupertino, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Estimada Sandra, ¡Muchas gracias por tu reseña y por elegir Benihana! Nos alegra saber que disfrutaste de la comida, el servicio y el ambiente. Apreciamos mucho tu sugerencia sobre la organización de las reservaciones, especialmente en horarios de alta demanda. Lamentamos la espera y entendemos lo importante que es para nuestros clientes recibir su mesa a tiempo. Estamos revisando nuestro sistema de reservaciones para mejorar la experiencia y reducir los tiempos de espera, especialmente los viernes y sábados. Esperamos recibirte nuevamente pronto y brindarte una experiencia aún mejor. ¡Gracias por tu preferencia y por compartir tu opinión con nosotros! 😃🍣🔥
   

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7. SN

   SNelson VIP

   San Francisco66 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   The reservation system is the absolute worst. It doesn’t matter that you have a reservation, you still have to wait an hour to be seated. It would be great otherwise.
   

   Benihana - Cupertino, CAResponded 6 days ago

   Hey Nelson, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed our food and service at Benihana - Cupertino, CA. We understand that waiting for a table can be frustrating and we're sorry for the inconvenience you experienced. We're always looking for ways to improve our guest experience and your feedback is invaluable to us. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again soon. Best, The Management Team
   

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8. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Tahoe1 review

   1.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   Not sure if it’s normal or if it was an off night but people with reservations were waiting an hour to be seated. Our server was MIA. Everything felt chaotic. Sad experience considering most people are going there to celebrate some event only to be met with a sub par experience. If you have low expectations you’ll be fine.
   

   Benihana - Cupertino, CAResponded 6 days ago

   Dear Guest! We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Cupertino, CA. It's our goal to provide an enjoyable dining experience for all our guests, and it's clear we fell short during your visit. We apologize for the long wait you experienced and the inconvenience caused by the service. We also regret that our food did not meet your expectations. We're constantly working on improving our services and your feedback is invaluable in this process. We hope you'll give us another chance to make it right in the future. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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9. N

   Nancy

   San Francisco1 review

   1.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   Can’t rate the food because we didn’t get to eat. Or even seated. Despite a reservation at 5:15, and a conversation with the hostess about why we weren’t being seated, 40 minutes passed and we rushed away in order to get food before we needed to be elsewhere. Although we were called about 10 minutes later and apologized to, the problem solely rests with Benihana, as they require reservations, they check with you the day before, and sometimes the day of, to confirm the reservation, so they have a very good count of the number of customers and the timing.
   

   Benihana - Cupertino, CAResponded 6 days ago

   Hi Nancy, We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - Cupertino, CA. We understand that waiting without being seated can be frustrating, especially when you have a reservation. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by our delay in seating you despite having a reservation. We're taking your feedback seriously and will address this issue with our team to prevent similar issues in the future. We hope you'll give us another chance to serve you better. Best, The Management Team
   

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10. S

    Sonja VIP

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

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

    The chef Christian and the server Sam were super attentive and made a birthday dinner extra fun!
    

    Benihana - Cupertino, CAResponded 2 days ago

    Hey Sonja, Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you and your family had a great birthday dinner at Benihana - Cupertino, CA. It's always our pleasure to make special occasions extra enjoyable. We're especially glad to know that you had a memorable dining experience with our attentive service and delicious food. Your kind words mean a lot to us. We look forward to serving you again soon! Best Regards, The Management Team
    

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