Benihana - San Diego, CA

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

Review summary

1. E

   Erin

   Denver1 review

   1.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   We had a reservation for 7:30. We didn’t get seated until all most 8:30. Once seated we waited until 9:30 for a chef to finally come to our table. The whole time we waited our server came by maybe 3 times. She apologized for the wait once but didn’t again as time went on. We never saw a manager or anyone higher up to apologize for the inconvience. Never got asked if we wanted any appetizers while we waited or anything. It’s insane to wait 2 hours from your reservation time to have to food begin to be prepared! We finally started eating around 10 pm.
   

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2. J

   John

   San Diego4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   I always love Benihana. I am not a big fan of a lot of noise but that is going to happen at any crowded restaurant. Benihana is always a great experience and meal
   

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3. M

   Michele

   Chicago4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Splurging on Wagyu beef was supposed to be a real treat. Of the two meals we ordered, one steak was literally half a huge chunk of fat with zero meat. Not marbled, totally solid fat. Unacceptable for $69!
   

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4. M

   Mike VIP

   San Diego22 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   This is the second time in 3 months where I had a reservation and had to walk away because they could not seat us. A party of 2. This Benihana’s had a reservation issue where they are over booked. I noticed that Open table allows you to reserve a time slot when in fact this is no seating available due to the over booking. The staff is over worked and you can feel their frustration with the customers and management. Let’s just say I will not be coming here any time soon.
   

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5. C

   Carmen

   San Diego2 reviews

   4.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Nice experience, it’s usually great but this time the food was overcooked. Scallops and other seafood got very hard, chicken fried rice had a tone of black burnt pieces. I enjoyed the company I was with but was not happy with the food this time.
   

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6. M

   Matthew VIP

   San Diego34 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Arrived on-time but had to wait 30 minutes before we were seated. Then had a 1 hour wait for the chef. The restaurant was completely hammered and yet they were still taking reservations for the same night and walk-ins. Didn’t even get an apology, just a “to let you know, it’s going to be an hour” after we had already been seated.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 4 days ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Matthew. We're sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. It's disappointing to know that you had to wait despite arriving on time and being seated promptly. We understand how frustrating that can be and we apologize for any inconvenience caused. We also acknowledge that our service did not meet your expectations and we're sorry for any inconvenience caused. We're taking your comments seriously and will work on improving our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide a better dining experience in the future. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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7. J

   Javier VIP

   San Diego15 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Unfortunately we had a terrible experience. I went to celebrate my birthday but we waited over an hour and our chef still hadn’t come to the table. We ultimately decided to leave and didn’t get to eat dinner.
   

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8. M

   MELISSA VIP

   San Diego19 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   Absolutely terrible! Waited forever to be seated for our 6:30pm reservation. Waited even longer to get a bowl of soup! Disorganized for sure! Will not be returning! $500 tab for way below average food and terrible service! So disappointed! I'd give 0 stars if it were possible!
   

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9. C

   Carolyn

   San Diego1 review

   1.0

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   Took a while to get seated, even with reservations. Took our order and got drinks. Half an hour later got soup and salad. Waited another hour plus to get a chef to cook the meal. Messed up three of the six orders- had them out of order when serving. We didn’t realize until the end. Too late by then. We never got a refill on our drinks in the three hours we were there. We did get one meal taken off for the issues. Just a mess all the way around. Food was good. Chef was entertaining. I guess it was an experience and probably one I will not do again.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 4 days ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Carolyn. We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. It's certainly not the standard we aim to provide. We understand your frustration about the wait times and the mix-ups with your orders. We also regret the inconvenience regarding your drinks. We'll ensure these issues are addressed to avoid such instances in the future. We're glad you enjoyed the food, but we understand you felt otherwise. We hope you'll give us another chance to serve you better.
   

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10. M

    Mia VIP

    San Diego1 review

    1.0

    Dined 6 days ago

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

    I waited 2 hours to be served food even with a reservation being placed. Low staff. Management was rude.
    

    Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 4 days ago

    Hey Mia, We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. It's disappointing to know that the service you received did not meet your expectations, especially with your reservation and the long wait you experienced. We strive to provide our guests with a memorable dining experience and it seems we fell short during your visit. Your feedback is very important to us and we assure you that we will address this issue. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again in the future. Best regards, The Management Team
    

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