Benihana - Cupertino, CA

Review summary

1. K

   Krystal

   Alabama

   7 reviews

   5.0

   7 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Splash and meadow is the way to go with 2 chicken fried rice. Had a great time / date with my love and we enjoyed the live cooking show from our chef.
   

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2. M

   Mark

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Reservation made for 8:45pm and wasn't seated until about an hour later. Once we sat and finally at we were out at around 11:30pm. What's the point of a reservation if I don't get seated when it's my time.
   

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3. J

   John John

   San Francisco

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   having a reservation and waiting an hour + and more to get seated was absurd. they need to not over book, and give the people an opportunity to sit and eat at the reservation time they chose. it was chaos
   

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4. B

   Bhavneet

   San Francisco

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Terrible service, their reservation system is useless because they don’t know how to manage it or even honor it. We had our reservation at 6:15 pm and by 7:30pm we still weren’t seated and we weren’t getting a proper answer as to when we would. We had another commitment at 8:45 and we informed them about it but by 7:30 we still weren’t seated and whenever we’d ask for an update they kept on saying we’d be seated soon and left us hanging and we wouldn’t make it to our other commitment if we stayed any longer so we had to leave early. We got a call at 8 pm saying our table is ready which is ridiculous because no where is acceptable where you’d have to wait 95 minutes for a table while having a reservation it defeats the purpose of a reservation and we made the reservation 3 weeks in advance. I understand valentines is the busiest night of the year but you shouldn’t take in more reservations than you can handle. It ruined our night and plans, I don’t think I’ll be ever coming back here again. Staff will not honor reservations, will not be upfront with you on when you actually will be seated and leave you hanging and hungry.
   

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5. T

   Tadeh

   San Francisco

   12 reviews

   1.0

   12 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Worst experience ever. We had a reservation at 6:15pm. We arrived at 6pm didn’t get seated until 8pm as they marked me as seated at 7:21pm. If I hadn’t checked in with the hostess stand, they would have never called my name. The hostess stand and management don’t even care. They should priority reservations over walk ins. The whole model is a mess especially on their busy nights. Never coming back again. Food is mediocre & not worth the price. The chef & waiter deserve everything out of what we paid. Management/corporate needs to do something about the hostess experience and business model.
   

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6. T

   Tanya

   VIP

   Tahoe

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   I booked a 6:15 PM reservation at Benihana for Valentine’s Day, expecting a fun and memorable dinner. Instead, we were told there was a 30-45 minute delay, which eventually turned into a nearly two-hour wait—we didn’t get seated until 8 PM. The worst part? They kept telling us our table would be ready soon, so we stayed, thinking we’d be seated any minute. Had they been honest about the wait time, we would have left and found another option. Once seated, our server started off attentive but quickly dropped the ball. Orders were forgotten, miscommunicated, and ignored—basic things like drink refills were neglected. Shockingly, someone at our table was served an alcoholic drink when they specifically ordered a non-alcoholic one, which they didn’t realize until the bill came. The chef was great, but I didn’t realize how little time they actually spend at the table—it was over before we knew it. Meanwhile, our server was nowhere to be found. At one point, the chef had to ask a manager to check on our drinks because our server just wasn’t doing their job. And after all of this? No apology, no compensation, nothing. They overbooked the restaurant, left us waiting for two hours with a tired and cranky toddler, and didn’t even bother to make it right. For what they charge, the experience should at least feel special—instead, it felt like we were just another table to rush through. I’ve worked in food service, so I know what good hospitality looks like. This was absolutely not it. If you’re considering dining here, save your time and money—there are plenty of places that actually care about their guests. I won’t be back.
   

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7. L

   Lily

   San Francisco

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Worst experience. Can’t even comment on the food because I didn’t have any! I had a reservation and wasn’t called until 2 hours after my reservation time. It was chaos and was upset that I didn’t get to eat dinner.
   

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8. J

   Jan

   San Francisco

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   I had booked a reservation on Valentine's day for 6pm. I understand that because it's a holiday it would be busy but I waited an hour and a half after my reservation time to be seated. Whoever was managing reservations was doing terrible. I heard multiple complaints from my fellow diners as well. It's ridiculous that I am on time for my reservation, checked in early, yet had to wait AN HOUR AND A HALF to even sit down. Please don't book these reservations back to back like this on a holiday. Just greedy for money. If you're looking to come on a holiday, prepare to wait 1-2hours AFTER you reservation to be seated.
   

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9. A

   Aly

   San Francisco

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   If I could give this place one star I truly would. My reservation was made for 5:45 and I totally understand things can get behind but we weren't seated until 7. That is beyond unacceptable I'm unsure why I even made a reservation when I had to wait that long. And even after being seated it took almost ten minutes to receive water. I don't think I will be coming here ever again. The hostess and managers need to be replaced immediately the four girls that were working there were completely and utterly rude not being apologetic at all for the wait. Very disappointed with my overall experience and like I said if I could give them a 0 I would for a 150$ meal for 2 I expected better.
   

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10. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

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

    Raymond cooked our meal and was awesome, food tasted delicious and was well prepared.
    

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