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!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ata kerim Can
Had to sell my left kidney to pay the bills
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Junqiao Wang
Very good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bryce Podgorsek
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 👍
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rocket Punch
The best Michelin restaurant I’ve tried ever!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Debra Hudson
We were there in mid August. Had the tasting and wine pairing. Both very underwhelming, however interesting, unique dishes. For a three star Michelin restaurant, none of the dishes were tasting great. Usually I want to hug the chef but not in this case. Not worth the money/value. We had been to many top 50 best restaurants in the world the past year. In comparison, disappointed overall.
Love this place! Yea it is expensive but in my view better than French laundry
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rafael Mbeho
The pizza crust is consistently baked to perfection.
Richard Zephania
I enjoyed the outdoor seating area, especially with the nice weather.
Matthew Morrison
Loved the meal—superb!
Jenny Lee
Authentic... not just the cuisine, nor the artistry of the preparation of the food... in the end... all I could say -- they paid homage to the ingredients... and the origins of the cuisine.....
The service was again....authentic.... the folks who attended to us made us felt heard, and seen. Quite unusual for a three michelin starred restaurant, isn't it?
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
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
The best Michelin restaurant I’ve tried ever!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We were there in mid August. Had the tasting and wine pairing. Both very underwhelming, however interesting, unique dishes. For a three star Michelin restaurant, none of the dishes were tasting great. Usually I want to hug the chef but not in this case. Not worth the money/value. We had been to many top 50 best restaurants in the world the past year. In comparison, disappointed overall.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
The steak fries were tasty.
Restaurantji Recommends
Love this place! Yea it is expensive but in my view better than French laundry
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The pizza crust is consistently baked to perfection.
I enjoyed the outdoor seating area, especially with the nice weather.
Loved the meal—superb!
Authentic... not just the cuisine, nor the artistry of the preparation of the food... in the end... all I could say -- they paid homage to the ingredients... and the origins of the cuisine.....
The service was again....authentic.... the folks who attended to us made us felt heard, and seen. Quite unusual for a three michelin starred restaurant, isn't it?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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