Benu is Chef Corey Lee’s three-Michelin-star tasting-menu restaurant at 22 Hawthorne Street in San Francisco’s SoMa district. Since opening in 2010, it has become one of the country’s most closely watched kitchens, fusing Korean, Chinese, and broader Asian traditions with exacting modern American technique. Diners come for precision, restraint, and a meal planned down to the last detail (Michelin Guide).
Dinner opens with a long run of highly technical small bites, which Michelin says could rival some of the country’s most ambitious full menus. Signatures include Lee’s faux shark’s fin soup and a refined xiao long bao, while the rest of the menu shifts as the kitchen reworks classic dishes. The setting matches the food: a calm, minimalist dining room behind a quiet courtyard entrance, with polished, unhurried service. Eater named Benu one of the 40 most important restaurants of the decade, and Esquire placed it among the 100 greatest American restaurants of the 21st century (Benu).
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
Benu serves dinner Wednesday through Saturday only. The tasting menu costs $425 per person plus a 22% service charge (En Primeur Club). Book well ahead, especially for Friday and Saturday or for a special occasion. Corkage is $100 per 750 ml bottle, and valet parking costs $30 (Benu). If you prefer transit, Montgomery Street BART is a short walk away. SFMOMA and Yerba Buena Gardens are a few blocks away, which makes it easy to pair dinner with a pre-meal museum visit.
