Benihana - Burlingame, CA

Review summary

1. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Francisco1 review

   1.0

   Dined today

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

   Didn’t even get sat because they claimed a chef called out sick. Had a reservation and everything. Won’t return here. Better options around.
   

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2. KA

   KristinA VIP

   San Francisco5 reviews

   1.0

   Dined today

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

   We waited for two hours despite having a reservation. Our server, Derek, was great but he could not make up for the extreme delay we experienced in our meal. Then the chef we had was subpar. Our order was not made correctly and it was overcooked. Tricks were not done well. No concessions were made for the excessive wait. We almost left without eating. This is a shame because we’ve been coming to this Benihana to celebrate for years and we were celebrating a birthday. We’ll have to rethink this for our next celebratory dinner.
   

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3. JD

   JanetD

   San Francisco2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   My only knock would be that we had to wait a long time even though we had reservations. But, while we waited, they brought around snacks and some delicious punch. So all good!
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Dear Janet, Thank you for your patience and for sharing your experience! We’re glad to hear that, despite the wait, you enjoyed the snacks and punch while waiting. We truly appreciate your understanding and hope to serve you again soon with an even smoother experience. Looking forward to your next visit!
   

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4. M

   Marco

   San Francisco1 review

   3.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   You all should stop having walk ins on busy nights and weekends. I had reservations on Saturday night at 7 pm and had to wait 45 minutes before seated. That’s unacceptable!😡😡
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Dear Marco, We’re truly sorry for the frustrating experience you had, especially with a reservation in place. Waiting 45 minutes is unacceptable, and we appreciate you sharing your feedback. Your suggestion about limiting walk-ins on busy nights is valuable, and we’ll review our policies to improve the reservation experience. We strive to provide timely and exceptional service, and we regret that we fell short during your visit. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we hope to have the opportunity to make it right in the future.
   

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5. E

   Elsie VIP

   San Francisco17 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Do not expect to sit down anytime near your reservation time, 90 minute wait for everyone, e.g. we sat down at 7:30 pm (had 6 pm reservation). Their reservation system is faulty and not valid. Bad location. Unfortunate because the servers and chefs were awesome but too late for our kids so not enjoyable when ate at 8 pm. Not coming back to this location. Bad management.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Dear Elsie, We're truly sorry for the long wait and the frustration it caused, especially with your reservation. We understand how important it is to be seated on time, and we regret that we fell short. While we're glad you enjoyed the service and chefs, we know that timing plays a huge role in the overall experience. Your feedback about our reservation system and management is valuable, and we’ll be addressing these concerns to improve. We appreciate you giving us a try and hope we can regain your trust in the future.
   

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6. OT

   OpenTable Diner VIP

   San Francisco3 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   We arrived early for a 6 pm reservation but were not seated until 7 pm. They said they were overbooked! Huh? Very disappointing. Doubt I’ll return.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Dear Guest, Thank you for sharing your experience. We sincerely apologize for the long wait and the frustration it caused, especially after arriving early for your reservation. Your feedback is important, and we’ll work to improve our reservation system to prevent this from happening again. We’re truly sorry for the disappointment and hope you might consider giving us another chance in the future.
   

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7. SN

   SNelson VIP

   San Francisco65 reviews

   2.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Be aware that a reservation just means you’ll get in. The time is not honored and you still have to wait. We had a 6pm reservation and got seated at 7pm.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Dear Nelson, We're sorry to hear about your frustrating experience. We appreciate you sharing this feedback and will work on improving our reservation process. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
   

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8. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Francisco1 review

   3.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Chef wasn’t very friendly or talkative /fin! He also burnt the shrimp appetizers
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Dear Guest, We’re sorry to hear that your experience didn’t meet expectations. A chef’s friendliness and the quality of food are key parts of the experience, and we apologize that Chef wasn’t as engaging and that your shrimp appetizers were burnt. This isn’t the standard we aim for, and we truly regret the disappointment. Your feedback is important, and we’ll address this with our team to improve. Thank you for sharing your experience, and we hope you’ll consider giving us another chance.
   

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9. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Philadelphia1 review

   3.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   The food was amazing, but our car got broken into and all of our stuff was stolen.
   

   Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 6 days ago

   Dear Guest, We’re deeply sorry to hear about the break-in and theft from your car during your visit. While we’re glad you enjoyed the food, we’re truly sorry that this unfortunate incident overshadowed your experience. Your safety and well-being are incredibly important to us, and we regret any distress this situation caused. Please know that we take security concerns seriously and will review our measures to help prevent such incidents in the future. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we hope to provide you with a safer and more enjoyable experience next time. Best regards,
   

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10. S

    Sal VIP

    Chicago14 reviews

    2.0

    Dined 7 days ago

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

    Feeling so torn about this experience. 5 stars to our attentive server Thomas and to James, our charming and talented chef! We were seated promptly, cocktails flowing, followed by plenty of delicious food!! The end of the night however… Consistent with many OpenTable reviews we walked to our car to discover that the back windshield had been shattered in a burglary attempt. The same exact thing happened to another group in the parking lot at the same time. We were fortunate to have had nothing stolen, but the other group had four roller bags and four work bags with laptops taken from their vehicle. The Burlingame police were fantastic and the manager was apologetic, but they did nothing to compensate us.  When I pointed out that our experience aligned exactly with multiple reviews the manager shrugged his shoulders and walked away. The policeman commented that this was his fifth trip out to this restaurant with the exact same issue and that he had been to the restaurant multiple times already in the month of March. He was on a first basis with the manager! Likely this locals targeted due to the heavy amount of rental cars/proximity to SFO. Hopefully now that STK has acquired Benihana hopefully they will invest in a secure parking lot or mandatory valet parking for this location. The waitstaff and chefs worked their butts off to make us happy and deliver a fantastic experience. It’s a shame to have it all spoiled at the end by a well-known and chronic security issue. Benihana, please solve this so that we may return and enjoy your restaurant again!
    

    Benihana - Burlingame, CAResponded 6 days ago

    Dear Sal, Thank you for sharing your experience and for recognizing Thomas and Chef James for their exceptional service and talent. We’re thrilled you enjoyed the food and overall dining experience. However, we’re deeply sorry to hear about the burglary incident in our parking lot. Your safety and peace of mind are incredibly important to us, and we’re truly sorry this unfortunate event overshadowed your evening. We understand your frustration with the response you received, and your feedback will be shared with our management team to address this serious concern. We appreciate your suggestion and hope to improve security measures soon. We’d love the opportunity to welcome you back for another great experience. Best regards, The Management Team
    

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