Benihana - San Diego, CA

Review summary

1. J

   Joelle

   VIP

   San Diego

   13 reviews

   3.0

   13 reviews

   Dined today

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

   Things have changed a lot over the years; I was used to a more “nice restaurant” but the ambience has become more of a Chili’s kind of vibe. Tile everywhere, LOUD, and everything was kind of greasy; we kept slipping on the floors. The hostess desk was totally overrun when we arrived with tons of people, absolutely packed, many sitting on the floors, shoes off, like it was the airport. We were told they overbook OpenTable so even though we arrived on time, and all our party was there, we still waited another 30 minutes. The hostesses did their best, given how many people were in that host stand area. The servers were great and very friendly. Our chef was personable and the food was good. But the screaming children and yelling people made it feel like Dave & Busters and less like the moderately upscale restaurant I remember, deserving of $65 a plate.
   

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2. M

   Mabel

   VIP

   San Diego

   6 reviews

   5.0

   6 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Santiago and Eric were q wonderful team! I wish people wouldn’t be allowed to FaceTime or have their phones on speaker as this disrupts others enjoyment but I wouldn’t say it’s your fault. Great experience overall!👍🏼👍🏼
   

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3. J

   Jeff

   San Diego

   19 reviews

   4.0

   19 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   I gave more overall stars because our server and chef were awesome along with the waitress at the bar. Our main issue was our reservation was for 6:15 which we arrived at 6:05 we were told there was a 30 min wait. 30 minutes would have been fine but we were t seated until 7:30. Very disappointing for a restaurant who requires everyone to arrive on time and for everyone in your group to be there but sit you over an hour late.
   

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4. A

   Allison

   San Diego

   7 reviews

   4.0

   7 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   I know this is a very popular spot for birthdays. But we were there for 3 HOURS because we didn’t get our first course (soup) until over 90 minutes after our reservation time.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded today

   Thanks for visiting us, Allison! We're sorry to hear about the delay you experienced, especially on such a special occasion. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait for your meal, especially when you're excited for your birthday. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food and service, and we hope that the wait was worth it in the end. We look forward to serving you again soon.
   

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5. A

   Angi

   VIP

   San Diego

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Benihana used to be one of my favorite places to go. Pricier menu, but the food was (and still is) delicious and the show and service made it worth the price. I can’t say that anymore. The service is HORRIBLE. The show is not as good as it used to be. We’ve been twice in the last six months. The first time was the first time since before COVID. It took 40 minutes to be seated, and we had a reservation. After being seated, things were fine, but the chef we had was not entertaining. He just cooked our food. This time, we waited 30 minutes to be seated, again with a reservation. Once seated, a server (not ours, as ours was on break), took our drink order. Drinks took 15 minutes to arrive and were brought by the same server. That server took our dinner orders. We then waited 45 minutes for the soup and salad. The chef arrived at our table 1 h 45 minutes after we arrived. Food was great, as always, but the chef was not entertaining. Chefs at other tables were better with the show. All together we were there for THREE HOURS from 5-8pm. Much worse than last time, where we gave a pass because we were told two people called out sick. Seems to me this is simply their current standard for doing business. We will never go back.
   

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6. F

   Faisal

   San Diego

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Pretty poor experience. We were sat nearly 30 minutes after our reservation, had to wait about 45 minutes for our food to start being prepared. Chef was distracted with another party and over cooked/overseasoned a plate as well as forgot the scallops. We decided against having them make them later and closed out. Still over 200 dollars for a really sub par experience.
   

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7. C

   Carm

   San Diego

   7 reviews

   1.0

   7 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   They sat us an 1.5 hours late, the service was horrible, it was so loud and noisy, the food was terrible. This was the worst experience ever at a restaurant we will not be back ever!! It was worse than a fast food restaurant for the money we paid, we would have been better off going to a fast food it would have been cheaper. I am going to spread the word about “do not go there” to everyone I know I just can’t believe how bad it was and we wasted all that money. Food portions were small and the price increased. They used to give you a variety of vegetables last night we only got zucchini. The whole place was horrible our group does not have one good thing to say just do not go back!!
   

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8. R

   Rachel

   San Diego

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   My husband and I celebrated are anniversary here and it did not disappoint! It was a great vibe and our chef was amazing! Our whole table was like a party with lots laughter and good times! Benihana is a great place to celebrate special occasions!!
   

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9. J

   Joe

   San Diego

   16 reviews

   3.0

   16 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Way too loud. Server was awesome but wait for drinks and food was very long. Not sure if waiter or other.
   

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10. C

    Carrie

    Boise

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

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

    We had reservations at 6:45. We didn’t get seated for over an hour then it took them 45 minutes to even start bringing us. There were at least 50 other people that experienced the same thing I would never go back.
    

    Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

    Hey Carrie, We're really sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. It's not the kind of service we aim to provide, and we understand your frustration. We apologize for the long wait and the lack of service you experienced. We're taking your feedback seriously and will use it to improve our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide you with the kind of experience you should have had. Best regards, The Management Team
    

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