Benihana - San Diego, CA

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

Review summary

1. B

   Bryan

   San Diego1 review

   5.0

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   The food here is absolutely delicious! Every dish i tried was bursting with flavor and cooked to perfection. Highly recommend the hibachi shrimp & steak and As well Paul the chef is a great cook and skilled chef thank you for your support.
   

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2. G

   Gabriela

   San Diego11 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Our chef was funny and made us a delicious dinner. He made up for very slow service. This is the first time Benihana dissappoints due to the service. It took over 30mins between soup & salad for our chef to be available. I had to ask Manager several times for the status. Plan on being very patient when going to MV Benihana’s.
   

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3. S

   Shella

   San Diego2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Everyone did a great service and courteous. Thank you so much.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 1 day ago

   Hey Shella, We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA! It's always our goal to provide excellent service and courteousness to our guests. We're glad we could meet your expectations. We appreciate your feedback and will continue to work on improving our food, value, and service. We hope to welcome you back soon! Best, The Management Team
   

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4. N

   Nadia

   San Diego2 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Waited 30 minutes after our reservation time to be seated and waited an additional 30 minutes for the chef to come to our table. Our reservation was at 7:30 > got sat at 8:00pm> chef didn’t start till a bit after 8:30> didn’t leave the restaurant till 9:30pm
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Nadia. We're truly sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. It's always our goal to provide our guests with a seamless dining experience, and we're disappointed to hear that we fell short during your visit. We understand that waiting can be frustrating, especially when you're looking forward to a meal. We take your feedback seriously and will work on improving our service. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future.
   

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5. A

   Antonina

   San Diego4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Tiffany was absolutely amazing. I had accidentally booked the bar for our reservation thinking it was the teppanyaki. She made my birthday dinner. I’ve chosen Benihana for my birthday dinner for the last 4 years and the experience gets better. Food is always delicious.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 3 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Antonina! We're thrilled to hear that you chose Benihana - San Diego, CA for your birthday dinner and had a memorable experience with us. We're glad that our food met your expectations and we're delighted to know that you've had the best experience every time. We look forward to serving you again for many more celebrations in the future!
   

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6. E

   Eduardo

   San Diego48 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Experience is good once the chef arrives.. key words: once the chef arrives. The 1.5 hours prior to that after you showed up on time for your rsvp you are on your own. This restaurant used to run on time, now any visit takes 3-3.5 hours if you are lucky (waiting 50% of the time and enjoying the other 50% of the time). I miss the old version of this Benihana.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 4 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Eduardo. We're sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. We understand your frustration regarding the long wait times and we apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused. We strive to provide efficient service and it's clear we fell short during your visit. Your feedback is invaluable to us and we will certainly look into this matter. We hope to have the chance to welcome you back for an improved experience.
   

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7. N

   Nicholas

   Dallas1 review

   1.0

   Dined 5 days ago

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

   Extremely poor experience. Our reservation was for 6:45 and we weren’t seated until 7:15. We arrived on time- - 6:40. Once seated, they did not start our grill experience until 8:45. Yes, two hours after our reservation time, dinner was just getting started. Some staff were apologetic, the majority were not. It was told to us they had 4 workers who didn’t show up for there shift and they were calling people in. We were on a family vacation and almost decided to leave at the 2 hour point when dinner hadn’t even started. Would highly not recommend.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 4 days ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Nicholas. We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. It's quite disappointing to hear that your visit was longer than expected and that you didn't experience the timely service we strive to provide. We understand how important time is during a special occasion and we apologize for any inconvenience caused. We're grateful for your feedback and will use it to improve our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide you with the dining experience you deserve.
   

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8. A

   Alejandra

   Hawaii2 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   It smells bad inside , and the waitress was. It very nice to us
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 4 days ago

   Hey Alejandra, We're really sorry to hear about your experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. We strive to provide a pleasant and clean environment for our guests, and it's disappointing to hear that we fell short during your visit. We also take your feedback about the food seriously and will do our best to improve. We hope you'll give us another chance to show you the high standard of service we strive to maintain. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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9. M

   Madison

   San Diego1 review

   1.0

   Dined on April 19, 2025

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

   Horrible horrible wait time. Made a reservation for 8pm. We were sat at 9:15pm. We were served close to 10pm. Never going back.
   

   Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 7 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Madison. We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Benihana - San Diego, CA. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait for a table, especially when you've made a reservation. We apologize for the delay and the situation you encountered. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our service. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide you with the excellent dining experience we're known for.
   

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10. A

    Ashlea

    San Diego1 review

    3.0

    Dined on April 19, 2025

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

    VERY expensive. The food was good. Service was average. The cost of meals was just OUTRAGEOUS, though. A kids meal on average is $25?! It was very awkward that the hibachi chef sort of expected a tip after they were done. I’ve never been to a hibachi where this occurred, we always just include it on the bill? Of course, we provided one, because it was VERY awkward if we didn’t. He did good, don’t get me wrong, it was just very awkward. You cannot get out without spending AT MINIMUM $200 for your family and that was with waters and a “discount.” Make sure to bring the cash if you will be dining! Will definitely save this for VERY special occasions and not just a random night.
    

    Benihana - San Diego, CAResponded 7 days ago

    Hi Ashlea, Thank you for your feedback. We're glad you enjoyed the food and service at Benihana - San Diego, CA. We regret that your experience did not match your expectations, especially with regards to the tip. We value your input and will discuss it with our team. We hope to have another chance to provide you with a better dining experience. Best, The Management Team
    

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