Benu (restaurant)
Benu is a three-Michelin star New American[2][3] restaurant located in the SoMa district of downtown San Francisco opened in 2010 by chef Corey Lee, the former Chef de cuisine at the French Laundry. Benu made the list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2019.
Benu
2010
Seunghyun Jo
Asian-inspired New American
(Michelin Guide)
AAA Five Diamond Award (2012-2023)[1]
22 Hawthorne Street
94105
Restaurant[edit]
Corey Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to the United States at age five.[4] Prior to opening his restaurant, he was the head chef at The French Laundry, working for Thomas Keller at both The French Laundry and Per Se for a total of nine years.[4]
At Benu, he serves a set tasting menu that features a wide variety of seafood and vegetables, a few meat courses, and some sweets.[5] Lee draws from many different cuisines, including Korean and Cantonese.[6] He states that “Benu is open to the influence of all different kinds of cultures. We have Asian influences, of course. We have Western influences. We have influences that are technique-driven. Some are flavor-driven. Some are ingredient-driven. But it accepts all those things and it defines the kind of food we serve.”[7]
Master Sommelier Yoon Ha is the restaurant's beverage director. In addition to the tasting menu, Benu offers an optional beverage pairing that includes beer, wine, and sake. The restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday.[5]
Benu is housed on the ground floor of a historic building that dates the back to 1922–originally the headquarters of the San Francisco Newspaper Company.[8] Crown Point Press, an art studio, gallery, and bookstore, now owns the building and resides directly above the restaurant.[9]
In 2015, Phaidon published Benu–a collection of recipes and essays that explores the restaurant's food, influences, and collaborators–with forewords by Thomas Keller and David Chang,[10] designed by Julia Hasting.
barbecued quail
mussels stuffed with glass noodles and fine vegetables
hoshigaki
