Benihana - San Diego, CA

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

Review summary

1. A

   Alyssa

   San Diego1 review

   2.0

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Everything was fabulous minus the wait, our reservation was at 8 pm and the hostess informed us it would be an hour wait which was fine so we waited at the bar and finally got seated at 9 pm. We walked over to our table and immediately received waters, soup and salad. Then we did not see a chef or waiter until 10 pm… Luckily our chef was amazing and had a great attitude and we were finally able to eat. We wrapped up around 10:45. I know that mother’s day is extremely busy on restaurant staff and I do sympathize and believe they were doing their best but a 2 hour wait was not disclosed and we should have just gone somewhere else since our dinner reservation turned into a late night meal.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Hi Alyssa, We're sorry to hear about the delay in service you experienced during your recent visit. We understand the importance of timely service and we apologize for any inconvenience caused. We're glad to know you enjoyed the food and found our chef to be amazing. We'll certainly take your feedback into account and strive to provide a more seamless dining experience for all our guests. We hope to welcome you back to Benihana - San Diego, CA for a better experience. Best regards, Benihana - San Diego, CA Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

2. A

   Alyssa

   San Diego3 reviews

   2.0

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Had mothers day reservations at 6:45pm didn't get seated till 8pm. The hosts were extremely rude and unwelcoming. The restaurant was dirty, the bathroom was worse. I understand it's a busy day but the restaurant was disgusting & for the price we paid it was extremely disappointing. Food was delicious but everything else was horrible and it was my moms first time there.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Hey Alyssa, We're truly sorry for the disappointing experience on Mother's Day. We understand that your visit was special, and we regret that the rest of your experience didn't match that. We strive to provide a welcoming environment and top-notch service, and it's clear we fell short during your visit. We're glad to hear you enjoyed our food, but we understand that the overall experience fell short. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our service and cleanliness. We hope to have the opportunity to make it up to you in the future. Best regards, Benihana - San Diego, CA Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

3. A

   Anna

   San Diego2 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   It was a horrible experience. We had a 6:15pm reservation on Mother’s Day and were seated at 8pm. The host grabbed my arm inapropriately and tossed a booster seat at me and my 2 year old son. I told them I will make a police report and they promised the general manager would contact me. No one has called or emailed me back. The host with the braces needs to be fired and arrested for that type of behavior. This place has changed a lot.
   

   Is this helpful?

4. N

   Nathalie

   San Diego1 review

   3.0

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Overall the experience was good. Unfortunately the wait to get a table was long even with a reservation, and even once seated we waited about 45 minutes to get a chef at our station. However, wait staff was kind and attentive and the chef was friendly, had a great attitude and quickly got our food ready. While we had a rough start to our dinner, food and service was still the highlight.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Nathalie! We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food and service at Benihana - San Diego, CA. We apologize for the long wait you experienced, despite having a reservation. We're pleased to hear that our team was friendly and attentive, and that our chef was quick to get to you. We strive to provide the best dining experience for our guests and your feedback helps us improve. We hope to have another chance to serve you better in the future.
   

   Is this helpful?

5. j

   joyce

   San Diego2 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Had early reservations. Unfortunately the wait for our table was an hour and then another 45minutes until chef came. Make sure to order appetizers so you won’t be hangry.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Hello Joyce, Thank you for taking the time to review your experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. We're sorry to hear about the long wait times you experienced, especially with regards to the food service. We strive to provide prompt service and quality food, and we're sorry we fell short this time. We appreciate your patience and understanding, and we're glad to hear that you enjoyed our food. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again and provide a more timely and enjoyable dining experience. Best regards, The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

6. J

   John

   Central Coast1 review

   2.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Unfortunately, we made a reservation for 3pm, but wasn’t able to be seated until 4pm. I know it was Mothers Day, but that long wait was not pleasant when making a reservation.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Thanks for the review, John. We're sorry to hear about the delay you experienced on Mother's Day. It's certainly not the norm for us to have reservations, especially for such a special occasion. We understand how frustrating that must have been for you. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food and we'll ensure to work on improving our reservation system. We appreciate your feedback and hope to serve you again soon.
   

   Is this helpful?

7. D

   Daniel

   San Diego13 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Unfortunately, my worst experience at Benihana. Reservations were for 2:15 pm and we didn't get seated until 3:20. Waited 30 minutes for our server to take our order for drinks, she forgot mine. I waited another 20 minutes. a few minutes later some other server brought us our soups. Chef came in and did his thing, the guy was good making us laugh. As he was finishing the rice he asked if we had gotten our soup and salads, and of course we did not get our salads. He tells our server to hurry up and get them, about ten minutes she arrives. We had our dinner, but the Chef messed up my steak, but he quickly fixed it kudos to him. We did not see our server until we were pretty much done and asked what ice cream we wanted. I figured if she was going to be our server we were not going to have good service, because the other table she was serving got tired of waiting for her and left. Of course, we and the other family didn't give her a good tip and she was clearly upset about it.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Hey Daniel, We're truly sorry for the experience you had at Benihana - San Diego, CA. We understand the frustration of waiting, especially when you're looking forward to a good meal. We sincerely apologize for the steak mix-up and the service issues you encountered. Your feedback is invaluable for us to improve our service. We hope for a chance to make it right in the future. Best, Benihana - San Diego, CA Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

8. E

   Elisa

   San Diego2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   From the front end staff who seat and greet you, despite some rude guests they kept a smile. Our server was kind and attentive! Then Sergio took it out of the ballpark. Even the manager came by twice to check in us and even say a few jokes. We had a blast and all mothers even got macaroons 💕🌸
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

   Hey Elisa, Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great time at Benihana - San Diego, CA and that our staff's efforts to make your experience a memorable one were appreciated. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the food and service as well. We're also glad to know that you had a good time with your friends and that the macaroon from your mother was a hit! We look forward to serving you again soon. Best wishes, The Management Team
   

   Is this helpful?

9. A

   Ashley

   San Diego30 reviews

   4.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   The food was great and our chef, Luis, was awesome and made the experience. We did wait for 1 hour past our reservation time before being seated. Prices have gone up to a pretty ridiculous cost … but it is good and fun.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Ashley! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the food and had an awesome experience with our chef at Benihana - San Diego, CA. We apologize for the wait you experienced, but we're glad you still found the experience fun and worth the wait. We appreciate your feedback on the pricing and will continue to review it. Looking forward to serving you again soon!
   

   Is this helpful?

10. M

    Marlene

    San Diego36 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

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

    BEING THAT IT WAS MOTHER'S DAY AND WE HAD RESERVATION WE STILL HAD TO WAIT FOR A TABLE IT SEEMS THAT THE TABLES WHERE BEING SEATED FOR TO LONG. EVERYTHING ELSE THE CHEF THE WAITER THEY WHERE ALL WONDERFUL. I DO ALWAYS CONITUE TO GO BACK TO HAVE DINENR
    

    Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 2 days ago

    Hey Marlene, Thank you for choosing Benihana - San Diego, CA for your Mother's Day celebration. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your time with us. We apologize for the wait for your table due to our reservation system and understand your patience. Your kind words about our staff and delicious food have made our day. We appreciate your continued support and look forward to serving you again soon. Best regards, The Management Team
    

    Is this helpful?