Food was delicious and service was good not great but good at times we felt rushed and the wine service was decent but not spectacular maybe I should have gone with the pairings.
But then again if they would have lagged I would have been more upset, I guess I shouldnt have ordered all french wines in California...
Here on holiday from UK visiting family been to many star restaurants but this was fantastic great food great service , attention to detail sublime , worth a visit , many thanks .
I'm glad I went once. For a $500 dinner- I personally wouldn't go twice. Dishes were very good but if you're someone accustomed to Asian food, not as much of it was new or innovative as I'd have hoped. Service is impeccable. I felt that I'd made a better choice at 8 Tables for ~half the price. Full meal pictured.
In the heart of San Francisco, benu melds East Asia ingredients with innovation of Western fine dining. We experienced an amazing night here to celebrate one year of memorable time we spent with each other. 🥂
Other than staples like the thousand-year-old quail Egg, lobster xiaolongbao, and barbecued quail. highlights of the night also include the caviar potato, short grain rice with raw spot prawn, and sauteed river eel.
An immature pro tip is to always pick option one on their menu when you are offered choices. đź«Ł
Price point is undeniably steep and unless you don’t care about it at all, do not go to Benu if you just enjoy eating. Of course Benu offers astonishing flavors, but it’s more for a tasting experience with the ability to appreciate all the nuances that have been put into every dish.
Benu is non-categorizable, it’s self-defined. It’s fineness to the top, and an ode to the beauty and complexity of Asian gastronomy.
Absolutely Divine! Each 'bite' is it's own expression of flavor and talent. They have a lot to be proud of. I tried things I would have never tried on my own. Albeit now, I doubt others will live up to the new expectations!
I will say, having read the other reviews here, they should try a few newer things, as it seems they've been doing the same set for 5+ years, making repeat visits bland in terms of originality.
8/30/2023: Visited Benu for my coworker’s birthday.
Ambience: You’ll walk past a small courtyard that is filled with fermentation urns as you make your way to the entrance. Once inside, I found the decor to be minimalistic with bright earthy tones. There were no aesthetic elements here that stood out - quite simple, almost as if done on purpose to avoid pulling your attention away from the food.
Food: By far, the small dishes were my favorite part of the menu. These come rapidly and are about 6 or 7 in total. All were good but my favorite was the sea urchin. You do have some options on the menu - I chose the soondae (pork blood sausage) and river eel. The presentations were done well and the waiters did a good job of explaining the menu as it came. As it was my coworker’s birthday, they had printed a personalized message on the menu and brought out a small cake at the end.
Service: no complaints here, the service was superb.
I had a great experience at Benu. Everything I tried was delicious. I loved how small the portion sizes were so that I could try more things. Even though they recommended against sharing our mains, my friend and I ordered different ones and found that there was more than enough food for us to both try both. Also, the infusions were free (and tasted amazing).
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Made a trip to San Francisco mainly to visit Benu and I had very high expectations given its distinction. Beautiful entrance through a nice garden and elegant restaurant. Aesthetics on point, decor is simple and modern. Cuisine was contemporary Korean with many Asian influences. You start with surprise small delicacies and then you pick the next three courses from the menu, one raw seafood course, one cooked fish and last, a meat course. I find that unusual for a three Michelin starred restaurant and kinda break the surprise thrill journey. Food and flavors were very good but I can’t say they were truly exceptional or that I was impressed in comparison.
I didn’t feel they pushed the boundaries of gastronomy. Courses weren’t really creative or innovative. Plating and presentation were ok but nothing artistic, eye catching or what you expect from a top 100 world’s best. Service and staff were the best part, welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable. Pairing was delightful and complimented courses very well. Desserts were just ok and simple, nothing outstanding. Overall, we had a good experience but underwhelmed for a destination venue.
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Ben
Overall, we had an excellent meal here to celebrate my birthday. When we arrived ~ 30 min early, we were seated in a little antechamber lounge. Oddly there were no drinks or interaction, which I found a little atypical for a restaurant of this caliber. Taking a look around, we notes a stark minimalist design with exposed beams, white walls, and tasteful art. Seevice was polished and showed a caring touch when the moved is away from an obnoxious lightweight patron. Onto the food. We enjoyed every course of the modern asian menu but there were some highlights. The common theme was good knifework and excellent presentation.
Thousand yr old egg. Rich creamy wasabi.
Mussel stuffed w noodles and veggies. Delicate beautiful.
Prawn wrapped in jellyfish. Crispy.
Sea urchin on beef tartare. Delicious. Rich. Balanced w raw onion and faint spice
Blooming tofu. Beautiful tofu looks like a camomile. Very delicate. When you spoon the little chili oil spheres the burst.
Frog- tender, aromatic
Oak taco- iberico ham, truffle, acorn. Earthy. Salty
Sourdough w ginseng honey butter.
Lobster Xiao long bao. Good not best. Nice thin wrapper. Ginger a little strong.
Deconstructed roll. Prawn, seaweed, rice.
River eel
Steamed sea bass tender
Beef rib. So tender and rich. Delicious. Thick reduced beef soup.
Omija and olive oil. Well balanced flavors. Refrshing.
Milk pudding on caramel. Peaty aftertaste
Burthday cake
Mint merengue
Benu
Overall, we had an excellent meal here to celebrate my birthday. When we arrived ~ 30 min early, we were seated in a little antechamber lounge. Oddly there were no drinks or interaction, which I found a little atypical for a restaurant of this caliber. Taking a look around, we notes a stark minimalist design with exposed beams, white walls, and tasteful art. Seevice was polished and showed a caring touch when the moved is away from an obnoxious lightweight patron. Onto the food. We enjoyed every course of the modern asian menu but there were some highlights. The common theme was good knifework and excellent presentation. We actually enjoyed the off menu starters more than the main courses.
Mussel stuffed w noodles and veggies. Beautifully sliced into one millimeter slices. Delicate and beautiful.
Sea urchin on beef tartare. Delicious. Rich. Balanced w raw onion and faint spice
Blooming tofu. Beautiful tofu looks like a camomile. Very delicate. When you spoon the little chili oil spheres burst.
Oak taco- iberico ham, truffle, acorn. Earthy. Salty
Sourdough w ginseng honey butter.
Lobster Xiao long bao. Good not best. Nice thin wrapper. Ginger a little strong.
Deconstructed roll. Prawn, seaweed, rice.
Steamed sea bass tender
Beef rib. So tender and rich. Delicious. Thick reduced beef soup.
Omija and olive oil. Well balanced flavors and nice way to join together all the flavors. Refreshing.
Milk pudding on caramel. Peaty aftertaste
Surprise delicious birthday treat was a nice touch
Fantastic, the service and food are just perfect. One of the best dining experiences of our life.
Phenomenal fine dining experience. Every dish was so inventive and so delicious - nothing was what we expected, in the best way possible! Chef Corey Lee is so talented and the Korean flavors and ingredients really shine through in all of the dishes. Some of our favorite dishes were the tempura fried veggies/shrimp, the crispy fried frog leg covered in chillis, and the quail that came with the most amazing steamed bun I have ever tasted in my entire life. I was also really impressed by the lamb, which didn’t taste gamey at all, and I usually don’t eat lamb.
Service was lovely without being too overbearing. We celebrated our 5th anniversary here and there was a beautiful music box with a miniature cake inside - a wonderful surprise! Would highly recommend Benu for your next special occasion, they truly make is such a memorable experience.
Asian-California-Korean-flavored fusion that won't disappoint. Enjoyed every bite, with a numbers of wow moments along the way. The flavors are well balanced and more tame than you would expect if you know their 'authentic' versions, but that's not a criticism: very well balanced and enjoyable experience end to end.
The service is impeccable, as one one would expect from a top rated 3-star restaurant.
Tip: San Ho Won is also by Cory Lee, and a must try. Younger, hipper, bold.
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