The food was nothing short of perfection! The attention to deal to the plating blew my mind. Every bite had its own story.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rinka Yoshida
Great execution but I was not amazed by the dishes considering the cost 🫣 The service was okay, feels like they lacked a bit of attention to details :(
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Lynne Rolland-Newburne
What a delight 😊 Everything was delicious and so many lovely surprises! The staff was knowledgeable and also fun. The birthday box at the end was awesome and we are hooked on their bitter melon sugar drink. Worth the wait to visit!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dinesh Khadka
Every staff discipline out
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Andy N
Previously my visit in 2019 was treasured as my favorite meal I've ever had until this recent visit, which is now the greatest meal I've ever had. I'm grateful for Chef Corey Lee and his endless pursuit for excellence in elevating and innovating Asian cuisine. I came in Dec 26th the day after Christmas to see Chef Lee standing in the middle of the kitchen during service in admiration of his dedication and the dishes that were presented were exactly what I think fine dining, Michelin starred restaurants, and farm to table restaurants should represent. Taking classic Asian flavors and dishes from many different countries while using the finest produce to make dishes that set a new reference point. Some dishes were so familiar to me, the cod reminded me of my Vietnamese mom's catfish that I grew up eating, and other dishes while not nostalgic had clear intent to paint a picture through immaculate flavors and presentation. The dessert course I had in 2019 left much to be desired but this time it left me in awe at how complete the tasting menu is. Thank you Benu for an unforgettable experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sharmilee Vuyyuru
Not sure how this place got even a 1 star. Lack of texture and flavor in 80% of their courses, service was extremely mediocre and unenthused, sometimes even came off sarcastic. Would not recommend or go back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
calvin yong
Good food and experience thanks
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Theo Schapp
Ignore the price tag. This is art. Just go, tip the staff, drink the sake, live a little.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
H J
My visit was disappointing. The tables were close, enough for me to overhear conversations from the other tables. One of the servers was loudly chatting with the guests at the table next to mine, which was distracting and unpleasant. The tea menu missed the additional prices of the drinks I ordered until I asked my server and he brought a correctly printed version with the add-on prices for items like matcha. Presentation of food was not consistent. I preferred Xialongbao from SF bao restaurants to that of Benu. The quail skin was soggy and the sauce was overpowering the delicate flavor of the bird. I expected more for the price and reputation. This was not a fine dining experience. Had much better experiences at other three Michelin star restaurants and a SF two star restaurant.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
John Chen
Went to Benu in Oct 2018 and had an amazing time! The food was amazing and the service was great!
This dinner was about as perfect as I could have hoped for. I will admit, I was nervous at first. Ive been to Alinea in the past and was very disappointed by the experience. I was worried this may also be over-hyped, but wow! What a dinner. The food was spot on in every instance with a generous amount of food. They had so much creativity and innovation throughout the dinner. The staff was so kind. Not stuffy at all. I loved it. My girlfriend and I came for her birthday and they made her a cake, which was a great final touch to the already flawless dinner. We hope to return again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Doah Kwon
All the dishes were excellent, and the wine pairing complemented them so well! The ingredients felt really fresh and high quality. As a Korean, many dishes felt very authentic, while some were creatively reimagined and I loved the combination of both. Our favorite was the roast quail, and I really enjoyed the namul with the steamed bun. The nurungji was the best I’ve ever had and the jangjorim was fantastic with its rich egg yolk and abalone. I loved the desserts as well as they weren’t too sweet and the yakgwa cheese tart was especially delicious. My least favorite was the guandu, as it didn’t feel particularly special or memorable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Timmy Yan
Benu is truly an East meet West affair fine dining establishment. Chef/ Owner Corey Lee carry an extensive resume on his belt and his fine establishment carry a Michelin 3 Stars status. We were lucky enough that my daughter invited our family to celebrate my birthday at the Benu and this is the sixth times our daughter has taking us out for Michelin status restaurant in San Francisco which where we live. I have worked & owned my Pizza Restaurants my whole life so I truly appreciate when I experienced a restaurant hit all the high notes such as Benu. Chef Lee has the magic combining ordinary Asian ingredients with Western culinary skills and turn it into extraordinary dishes. I feel so proud of his accomplishments since I am Asian and from a restaurant background. The ambience of Benu is an open with high ceilings and a modern architectural design with an Asian flare. Is warm, intimate & very comfortable. The service is very warm and not stuck up liked most other Michelin establishments. Our sever Tyler was very friendly, informative & engaged, he took us to the kitchen after our meal to meet & photograph with Chef Lee & even took our family photo at the garden of the restaurant as we were leaving. Benu is expensive but it’s worth every single pennies especially when my daughter is paying 😊 One last thing, I need to mention their Sommelier was so nice to let me dropped off my 2010 Opus One ( not on their wine list) 4 hours prior of our arrival so the wine can be decanted for 3 hours before our dinner which is required according to Chat GPT 👍
The food was nothing short of perfection! The attention to deal to the plating blew my mind. Every bite had its own story.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great execution but I was not amazed by the dishes considering the cost 🫣 The service was okay, feels like they lacked a bit of attention to details :(
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
What a delight 😊 Everything was delicious and so many lovely surprises! The staff was knowledgeable and also fun. The birthday box at the end was awesome and we are hooked on their bitter melon sugar drink. Worth the wait to visit!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Every staff discipline out
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Previously my visit in 2019 was treasured as my favorite meal I've ever had until this recent visit, which is now the greatest meal I've ever had. I'm grateful for Chef Corey Lee and his endless pursuit for excellence in elevating and innovating Asian cuisine. I came in Dec 26th the day after Christmas to see Chef Lee standing in the middle of the kitchen during service in admiration of his dedication and the dishes that were presented were exactly what I think fine dining, Michelin starred restaurants, and farm to table restaurants should represent. Taking classic Asian flavors and dishes from many different countries while using the finest produce to make dishes that set a new reference point. Some dishes were so familiar to me, the cod reminded me of my Vietnamese mom's catfish that I grew up eating, and other dishes while not nostalgic had clear intent to paint a picture through immaculate flavors and presentation. The dessert course I had in 2019 left much to be desired but this time it left me in awe at how complete the tasting menu is. Thank you Benu for an unforgettable experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Not sure how this place got even a 1 star. Lack of texture and flavor in 80% of their courses, service was extremely mediocre and unenthused, sometimes even came off sarcastic. Would not recommend or go back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
Good food and experience thanks
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ignore the price tag. This is art. Just go, tip the staff, drink the sake, live a little.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My visit was disappointing. The tables were close, enough for me to overhear conversations from the other tables. One of the servers was loudly chatting with the guests at the table next to mine, which was distracting and unpleasant. The tea menu missed the additional prices of the drinks I ordered until I asked my server and he brought a correctly printed version with the add-on prices for items like matcha. Presentation of food was not consistent. I preferred Xialongbao from SF bao restaurants to that of Benu. The quail skin was soggy and the sauce was overpowering the delicate flavor of the bird. I expected more for the price and reputation. This was not a fine dining experience. Had much better experiences at other three Michelin star restaurants and a SF two star restaurant.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
Went to Benu in Oct 2018 and had an amazing time! The food was amazing and the service was great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Had to sell my left kidney to pay the bills
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Very good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This dinner was about as perfect as I could have hoped for. I will admit, I was nervous at first. Ive been to Alinea in the past and was very disappointed by the experience. I was worried this may also be over-hyped, but wow! What a dinner. The food was spot on in every instance with a generous amount of food. They had so much creativity and innovation throughout the dinner. The staff was so kind. Not stuffy at all. I loved it. My girlfriend and I came for her birthday and they made her a cake, which was a great final touch to the already flawless dinner. We hope to return again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
All the dishes were excellent, and the wine pairing complemented them so well! The ingredients felt really fresh and high quality. As a Korean, many dishes felt very authentic, while some were creatively reimagined and I loved the combination of both. Our favorite was the roast quail, and I really enjoyed the namul with the steamed bun. The nurungji was the best I’ve ever had and the jangjorim was fantastic with its rich egg yolk and abalone. I loved the desserts as well as they weren’t too sweet and the yakgwa cheese tart was especially delicious. My least favorite was the guandu, as it didn’t feel particularly special or memorable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Benu is truly an East meet West affair fine dining establishment. Chef/ Owner Corey Lee carry an extensive resume on his belt and his fine establishment carry a Michelin 3 Stars status. We were lucky enough that my daughter invited our family to celebrate my birthday at the Benu and this is the sixth times our daughter has taking us out for Michelin status restaurant in San Francisco which where we live.
I have worked & owned my Pizza Restaurants my whole life so I truly appreciate when I experienced a restaurant hit all the high notes such as Benu.
Chef Lee has the magic combining ordinary Asian ingredients with Western culinary skills and turn it into extraordinary dishes. I feel so proud of his accomplishments since I am Asian and from a restaurant background.
The ambience of Benu is an open with high ceilings and a modern architectural design with an Asian flare. Is warm, intimate & very comfortable.
The service is very warm and not stuck up liked most other Michelin establishments.
Our sever Tyler was very friendly, informative & engaged, he took us to the kitchen after our meal to meet & photograph with Chef Lee & even took our family photo at the garden of the restaurant as we were leaving.
Benu is expensive but it’s worth every single pennies especially when my daughter is paying 😊
One last thing, I need to mention their Sommelier was so nice to let me dropped off my 2010 Opus One ( not on their wine list) 4 hours prior of our arrival so the wine can be decanted for 3 hours before our dinner which is required according to Chat GPT 👍
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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