About Benihana - Burlingame
Welcome to Benihana and a dining experience unlike any other! Our guests are seated at communal tables in groups, where your personal chef will perform the ancient art of Teppanyaki. Watch as we slice and dice, preparing a meal that will dazzle your eyes as well taste buds, whether you choose mouth-watering steak, tender chicken or succulent seafood. You can also enjoy sushi prepared by a talented sushi chef and indulge in a specialty cocktail. There is no better view on the waterfront of South San Francisco Bay than at Benihana in Burlingame. You can watch the tide rolling in or the jumbo jets on arrival at San Francisco International airport, all while dining on a delicious meal at the teppanyaki grill or enjoying a sushi feast in the lounge. Express Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. and Happy Hour is available from Monday to Thursday from 4-7 p.m. An 18% service charge is added to all guest checks for parties of eight or more.
Burlingame, CA 94010
Dining Style:
Casual Dining
Cuisines:
Japanese, Sushi, Steakhouse
Hours of Operation:
Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, Saturday - Sunday: 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Dinner: Monday - Thursday: 3:00 pm - 10:00 pm, Friday - Saturday: 3:00 pm - 11:00 pm, Sunday: 3:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Dress Code:
Casual Dress
Price Range:
$30 and under
Payment Options
AMEX, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, Visa
Phone Number:
(650) 342-5202
Website:
http://www.benihana.com/locations/burlingame-ca-bu
Entertainment:
Our chefs will dazzle you with their culinary cooking magic that will amaze your eye as well as your appetite.
Additional:
Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Takeout, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
Restaurant Photos
Benihana - Burlingame Ratings and Reviews
food
4.2
service
3.8
ambience
3.9
value
3.8
noise
Moderate
The food was delicious as usual. The service was great too. I just wish that they would stop trying to cram more than 8 people at a table, unless they're all in the same group. I was in a party of 6, seated with a party of 3. It was a little crowded. Last time my party of 6 was seated with 2 parties of 2 (10 total). That was kind of uncomfortable. Probably more so for the 2 couples.
Benihana has been one of my favorite restaurants over the years, but I find that the quality has slipped. One of the things that kept me coming back was the onion soup served before the main course. For some reason, they have decided to change it!! I was very disappointed in the new version. It used to have a very nice, mild onion flavor with a garnish of thin strips of French-fried onions on top. That plus the salad and the dips were three of the outstanding features of their food for me. The soup now does not have the same flavor and they use scallions instead of the French-fried onions. Also, the last few times I've been there, the soup looks steaming when they bring it to the table but was actually cool to the taste. It seems like corners are being cut, while prices are still rising.
this place is good for small parties up to 8 people and for children. We didn't go to Benihana for the over priced food but rather the entertainment as requested by the young birthday boy. Since everything is cooked in front of you and the hood above is mostly a decorative item don't wear anything nice because you are going to be covered with grease. Kids enjoyed the show that our chef put on while cooking our food so I guess it was worth it.
Reservation was for 7 did not get seated till 8:15 we got a beginner chef who was making mistakes. He used way too much butter on everything. They also forgot 2 birthdays at my table. We had to ask them if they were going to sing to us. We got home at 11:30 and with a 2 year old that's just too late. I will be going to Cupertino next time. Chef was very friendly though and so were our servers.
I usually like coming here, this time I wasn't impressed at all, it was my son Birthday . We had reservation which they called our name n we didn't here them with all the noise. My daughter had to ask them if they called our name. We sat with a lovely family which was enjoyable. It took really long to bring our drinks. I would recommend you don't go on a special occasion. Just go to enjoy diner and friends more like it. They didn't sing Happy Birthday, they did ask but it was time to go. He was sad about that ,which was my fault because I said no, it was late and the experience wasn't fun this time. The food is good, but never go on a special occasion.
Benihana in Burlingame sits right on the Bay and so has nice views. The experience inside is a typical hibachi scene. Very loud, you'll sit with strangers, the chef prepares your meal at the grill in front of you. There was a heat wave when we were there and it was a little uncomfortable with all the people packed in and the grills all going at once. Good place for a fun dining experience, but nothing special and maybe a little overpriced. Definitely make reservations...we had to wait a few minutes even with ours, but walk ins were being told the wait was an hour.
Pros: good food and good service. Will recommend to go during lunch hour for teppan. Since dinner is double in price for same dishes.
Cons:
Avoid booking reservations around long weekends and public holidays. With overbooked reservations, the services and food are rushed.
I suggest the lobster tails be served whole without the spices. We were disappointed in the taste it as we like dip our lobster in clarified butter. We may as well have ordered chicken.
We like the Benihana experience, next time we will be a group of 8 so that we can have our own table. When sitting with unfriendly table mates the experience is awkward. I think when people share a table they should use courtesy and be friendly in order to have a happy dinner experience.
I've been here many times, but the service this time was terrible. Our server never returned after she brought us our drinks. We finally were able to track down the manager and he said he would be bring the drinks and we still waited 15 min. By the time we got them, dinner was over. Our cook (I think he's name was Surgio) did a good job.
Great for a waterfront view but request preference and when you arrive make sure they have your request, you will probably have to wait longer for a table with view to open. This is a very busy restaurant and the waiting service could be improved upon by adding more staff as it seems to always be over booked resulting in poor service.
My cook must be new because he missed his cues several times. He also stopped his cooking in the middle and watched other cooks at other tables. My chef putted too much soy sauce and salt on our foods. I can't pick my chef ahead of time so I still like the place and recommend it to others.
Had family and friends from out of town. Went to Benihana's for a dinner. We had a great time. The place is always busy but the staff manage to always be courteous and friendly. We were sat at the teppanyaki table within minutes and our server arrived almost instantly. The chief arrived soon after and the fun began. The chef was quite entertaining and was great with the kids. The food was cooked just right. My only criticism is the low ceiling. The teppanyaki table gives off so much heat that everyone (including the chef and the kiddos) is sweating. It makes it a bit difficult to stay relaxed and feel sociable. We've been to Benihana's at other locations and they seem a lot more airy and way less steamy. Nevertheless, a good time was had by all.
Benihana ... when were you last there? For me it's been decades I think. The experience hasn't changed, and the food was a bit hit and miss (nothing special salad), but when you cook filet mignon rare on a teppanyaki hot top and serve it piping hot in bite-size pieces you can do no wrong. My rare filet was about the tastiest steak I have had this year, and was the best value for sure.
Fun place, although when I was younger (35 years ago), Benihana was an adults-only establishment, and it lended an air of maturity. Now there are children running around (dangerous) with parents oblivious and completely ignorant of the inconvenience they are allowing to happen. Food was very tasty and the service was very friendly (at least our waitress, CJ, was). I noticed some other waitstaff completely non-engaging and inattentive.
We had a large party with 3 children. We waited 45min to an hour before our chef came to our table to serve us. Needless to say we had a few meltdowns with the kiddos while waiting for our meal. Fortunately our chef was great and entertaining when he did get to our table - but the wait and servers telling us they were short handed on chefs for the evening was not a good situation.
Had reservations at 7:30pm and sat at 7:45pm. While the waitress was good our cook did not show up until an hour after we sat 8:45pm. After eating and getting our check we weren't out of there until after 10pm. We have had similar experiences the last few times going however this was the worst. It is unfortunate because this was our go to place for family celebrations. Will be a long time before we go back. They need more staffing as the hostess, waitresses and cooks can only do so much. It is not fair to them as well as the customers.
Could do better with reservations and customer service. Upon arrival, at 6:55pm, indicated it would be a 15 minute wait. Had a reservation for 7pm and was not seated until 7:50pm. Then waited another 30 minutes to order. The chef did good once he got started and the food was good.
We arrived at 5:45 for a 6 pm Rez, called right at 6. Perfect! Due to a chef shortage, as we were told, we didn't get our chef until just after 6:45. Luckily, our server Gianne, was super nice, kept us happy with our soup, salad and drink refills as we waited. She was great! She kept apologizing too, which was nice. Our chef Carlos was worth the wait - he took our special requests in stride "no mushrooms here, no zucchini here, no onions there" and "'more sauce" and "fry us up the chicarones (steak fat)" with smiles. He was especially kind to our 12-year old shy guy and the other party's 2-year old shy girl. What a class act! Super yummy and fun, as always. Thank you!