Benihana - Burlingame, CA

Review summary

1. B

   Brendan

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Went on Valentine’s Day!!! had reservations at 8, showed up at 7:45 and didn’t get seated until after 9. You would think for a business that’s been open for so long they would have a system for seating during busy holidays. Our Chef James made the wait worthwhile though , he made great jokes and interacted with my son who gets shy in these types of situations. By far the best chef I’ve had here. thank you James
   

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2. B

   Bedilia

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Going on Valentine’s Day’s is challenging to wait even if you make a reservation. But it was so worth the wait. My chef was 5 star. I had the best food ever thanks to James.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Bedilia! We're thrilled to hear that you had a memorable Valentine's Day at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. It's wonderful to know that our chef made your experience memorable, and that you enjoyed the food. We're glad that you found the overall value and service to be worth the wait. We look forward to serving you again soon!
   

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3. F

   Felicia

   San Francisco

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   This was my second time visiting a Benihana location. The first was in Vegas and that location really set the bar high!! We enjoyed our chef, his many interactions with the table, and our food. My husband has raved about it for months. I decided for Valentine’s to make reservations at our local location and while I understand it was Valentine’s Day, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t their first one. So having reservations and still having to wait an hour and twenty minutes for our table seemed a little bit much. There was no very little standing room yet at least 60-75 people crammed next to each other while waiting to be seated. You could barely hear the host call your name. But I will say that all the hosts were great and although they were probably flustered they didn’t really show it and were full of smiles. Once we did get seated we were ready to be entertained, smile, laugh, enjoy good food. Our chef made one joke that no one got and then he was silent the rest of our session. The fried rice was good, but the shrimp and steak was flavorless. The ice cream was flat and looked like it was the remnants of freezer burned ice cream. Needless to say, if we ever go back it will only be when we visit Vegas because not only was our chef great but you could look around and see all the chefs giving their tables an awesome experience. This location none of the chefs did anything besides cook, had I come here first then maybe I wouldn’t have felt inclined to leave this review.
   

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4. L

   Laura

   San Francisco

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Awful in every way imaginable, ruined a special holiday celebration.
   

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5. J

   Julie

   Hawaii

   3 reviews

   3.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   We got a somewhat new chef and he wasn’t very good. He portioned out the fried rice, appetizer shrimp unfairly giving the Mexican a lot more than the Asians in the table. This new chef was Mexican himself. I’ve been to Benihana many times and this was the worst experience ever.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 6 days ago

   Dear Julie! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We sincerely apologize that your visit did not meet your expectations. At Benihana, we strive to provide exceptional service and a welcoming dining experience for all our guests. We take concerns about fairness and portioning very seriously, and we appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Please know that all of our chefs are trained to provide consistent service, and we will address this matter with our team to ensure that every guest receives the same high-quality experience. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and iIf you’d be open to discussing this further, please reach out to us at our website. We hope to have the chance to serve you again and provide the excellent experience you expect from Benihana.
   

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6. k

   kalia

   VIP

   San Francisco

   5 reviews

   1.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on February 7, 2025

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

   It was terrible service. I been going to this Benihanas since I was a baby and had the worst experience tonight and will never go to the Burlingame location again.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded on February 8, 2025

   Hello Kalia, We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at our Burlingame location. We always aim to deliver a great experience, and we're gutted when we don’t meet expectations. We take your feedback seriously and will use it as an opportunity to improve. We hope you'll give us another chance to make it right. Sincerely, The Management Team at Benihana - Burlingame, CA
   

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7. j

   joseph

   San Francisco

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on February 7, 2025

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

   Seated fast, great experience & Chef Azad(Izad).
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded on February 8, 2025

   Hey Joseph, We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA! It's always a pleasure to know that our team's efforts to provide exceptional service and quality food are appreciated by our guests. We're glad that our chef made a positive impression on you. We look forward to serving you again soon. Best, The Management Team
   

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8. A

   Alexis

   Las Vegas

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on February 3, 2025

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

   Horrible service , food was okay . Didn’t like that they don’t clean their shrimp , still tasted like oceanic
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded on February 4, 2025

   Thanks for the review, Alexis. We're sorry to hear that you had a less than perfect experience at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We pride ourselves on our food and service, so it's disappointing to hear that we fell short this time. We will definitely take your feedback on board and work on improving these areas. We hope you'll give us another chance to show you the high-quality service and delicious food we're known for. Best, The Management Team
   

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9. R

   Robert

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on February 3, 2025

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

   Our chef (Chef Erick) was amazing. Lots of energy, a good sense of humor, and above all, very kind and helpful. He recommended the diablo sauce (I believe thats what its called). We will surely be back because of Erick.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded on February 4, 2025

   Hi Robert, Thank you for your kind words and for giving us a perfect rating. We're thrilled to hear that our chef's recommendations hit the mark and that you enjoyed the diablo sauce. We understand that we're not always perfect and your feedback is invaluable. We're looking forward to welcoming you back to Benihana - Burlingame, CA. Thanks again for your review. Best, The Management Team
   

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10. S

    Sandra

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on February 2, 2025

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

    It was great the atmosphere was very energetic the food was delicious and service was good
    

    Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 2 days ago

    Thanks for visiting us, Sandra! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the atmosphere, food, and service at Benihana - Burlingame, CA. We strive to provide an energetic and enjoyable dining experience for all our guests. We noticed your rating on value and we appreciate your feedback. We're always working on improving our services. We hope to see you again soon!
    

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