A hidden gem in West San Jose near Cupertino, in the same plaza as Total Wine. Few people dine in, but the sushi is fresh, the portions are large, and the prices are reasonable too. read more

Kai is located in a smaller strip plaza facing Stevens Creek Blvd, right next to the main plaza, which includes World Market, Safeway, and Pet Express. I honestly have seen Kai a few times driving by, but never thought to try it out. My friend was visiting, and it was such nice and warm weather -- we had sushi for dinner! After looking up a few places in Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, we decided on Kai for positive reviews and higher ratings. We dined in on a Monday afternoon and were the only table inside for the hour we were there. They had quite a few pickup and delivery service orders. The one employee working greeted us, seated us, and took our order. She was very friendly and attentive. I wish it were busier! FOOD We ordered a few items to share. - Yaki Ika: This is under the light and grilled section. The whole squid came out, and it was okay. It was a little tough and not grilled enough for my taste. The garlic butter sauce was interesting -- not bad. Creamy. My only feedback was the lack of citrus. A lemon wedge might have helped. - Spicy Tuna Roll: this was the best roll imo. Delicious. - Una Hamachi Roll: the flavors were there, and it was tasty; however, it lacked a crunch factor. Perhaps cucumber slices would've helped. - Crispy Salmon Skin Roll: I like my salmon skin crispy. The skin here was grilled and charred, which added depth of flavor; however, some of the rolls had pieces that were on the softer side. Other than that, it was flavorful and yummy. Overall, this is a reliable sushi spot offering quick bites. We didn't wait long, but we were the only customers inside. If I were nearby, I'd visit often, but it's not a place I'd travel out of my way to see. read more

See all

The sushi here is fresh & the prices are fair. This place is pretty small though so recommend getting the sushi to go. read more

Kai Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - San Jose, California

Swung by on a Friday night and the place was pretty quiet. It's kind of tucked away in a corner so it's not very obvious there's a sushi restaurant there. I ordered the Spider Rainbow Roll and it was pretty good! read more

Kai Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - San Jose, California

Casual Japanese spot with wonderful combo lunches. My mom and sister had the chicken teriyaki/California Roll combo and the tempura / California Roll combo (these were $20ish each). I had the sashimi combo ($29.99) - the fish was of decent quality. All the above came with miso soup, rice, and salad. The portions were very generous! The lady working there is super nice :) read more

See all

Came here with a friend on a weekday evening. Was not crowded and we were seated instantly. Service was quick. They have a wide selection of rolls, appetizers and entrees. We got 3 rolls - rainbow roll, Kai roll, and dragon roll. The rolls had a generous portion of fish and the fish tasted so fresh & good quality. The restaurant is unassuming but the food quality was amazing. Don't sleep on this place for sure. read more

See all

The sushi here was fantastic. The fish to rice ratio makes it a great bang for the buck. Service was fast and the restaurant is a cozy spot. read more

Kai Japanese Restaurant - Sahara - Japanese Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

I think this place is 3.75 stars with what we ordered. It's a pretty run-of-the-mill neighborhood sushi joint. We came by because we were in the area. The sashimi and rolls were fine. The tempura came hot and crunchy, without doughy batter. I think the teriyaki salmon was the downside of the meal; it was dry. So were the jalapeño poppers with the same dry salmon. Ambiance is as you'd expect for a Bay Area neighborhood sushi and japanese restaurant, black table tops and lots of brown chairs. One TV with sports on. Service was straightforward. I could see this local place being four stars if you only ordered the tempura, rolls, and sashimi for a quick neighborhood weekday meal. Actually had to update this because I've had a lot of tempura recently and I'm reminded of how surprisingly light and crispy the tempura here was. read more

See all

I'm surprised to see that this place has so many good reviews. For one, the store from the outside looks like it's under construction/not open so we couldn't tell where the entrance was. All of the sushi rolls we tried were poorly constructed, dry, and lacked flavor. The salmon also tasted old. They also use crab sticks instead of crab+mayo, which reminded me of gas station sushi.. every piece fell apart when picked up and they were very stingy with the avocado. The sauce was also just sriracha so it's unfortunate because a better variety of sauces would've definitely saved the rolls. Nice rice to fish ratio but that doesn't mean much when the fish isn't fresh. I also had a stomach ache from eating here. I wouldn't recommend anyone to come here honestly. At $18 a roll it should be much better. At least the server was nice. read more

Kai Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - San Jose, California

Quality/Quantity - Kai - This was good and fresh. The two thin layers of salmon on top was a pleasant surprise. Crazy Roll - Sushi was good! Fresh and generous amount of fish. Good color on the fish, hopefully not dyed. The deep fried flakes were good also. But the edamame seemed either old or way over cooked/boiled. I could not eat it. Combo - Salmon & Chicken Teriyaki; this also came with miso soup. The dish was just okay. The miso soup was standard. The chicken seemed boiled too...? It was very tender, but lacked flavor, even with the sauce. The salmon was also standard. Ginger & Wasabi - Plenty of wasabi, but not enough ginger. $1 for each additional side if you wanted more. In summary, come here for the sushi but I would pass on the combos, entrees, etc. Atmosphere - Small mom and pop location. The place has changed and is smaller now since we used to come here in the past, way back in the past. Probably quite a few owners ago. I believe the name of the restaurant started with an "A;" I'm just getting too old to remember. Open 6 days a week from 11:30am to 9pm, closed Tuesdays...? See my picture or Yelp. FYI - Your website says you are open 7 days a week. One unisex bathroom. Small parking lot, but all the other businesses are now closed, so plenty of parking. Plus you can also park in the huge mall parking lot and walk over. Just read on your website that you have private rooms? Service - Good. She was accommodating and gave us everything we requested. Price - $60 + tip; expensive for what we got. I was hungry so I definitely ordered one too many rolls. So for a normal meal as light eaters, we could have gotten out of there for only $45 + tip. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 2018. read more

See all

Been driving by until we stopped for a little date night. Quaint clean and wonderful ambiance! Jun the waitress was amazing, friendly and warm. Knowledgeable about the menu and ready to help with suggestions. The sushi! Let me tell you! The fish here is top tier and so flavorful. Good food good beer and a chef that just gets it! If you need a new place for sushi , this is the place. Don't second guess just try! I came here the day after as well for another roll, it was THAT good. You won't regret it! You're welcome xx read more

See all

It's located in the plaza, north west corner, somehow hard to find from the inside plaza. Based on our experience, all sushi were not fresh and kinda dry. No taste. I just take it as our luck that day! Service and ambience was just OK. read more

See all

The food was fresh and nicely prepared, and overall I was very satisfied. The atmosphere was comfortable, and the owner welcomed us warmly, which made the dining experience pleasant. Both the quality and the price were good. I will visit again. read more

See all

The sushi was very fresh and delicious It's one of the best chicken staff was nice and very friendly. l love this place. read more

We placed our order for dine-in, but the staff brought all our food to-go without asking. When I questioned it, the employee said we were not allowed to eat there, claiming it was their police even though we ordered for dining. I told her we order for dining she said no you ordered to go While my husband went to use the restroom, my blood sugar dropped, so I opened the box to take one bite. The employee physically took the food out of my mouth, removed all of our food, and took it to the back, saying we were not allowed to eat--even one bite.I explained my medical situation, but she refused and told me to eat at another restaurant. She then went to the kitchen to "ask," and the person in the back was yelling angrily in another language, which felt extremely unprofessional and hostile. This was the worst customer service experience I've ever had. The lack of compassion, respect, and basic human decency was shocking. I would never return and do not recommend this place to anyone. read more

This is the old Ariake location but happy to say, the sushi is a big upgrade here! If you like rolls: hand rolls, baked rolls, fried, rainbow, saucy, not saucy, vegetarian, or chock full of fish, this is a great spot. Being new and in all, I walked in on a Sunday and there was plenty of seating left. Service is very friendly and food came in a swift manner. I especially liked that their rice to fish ratio is great. And they let us modify a couple of rolls to the way we liked them. My best friend hates unagi but loves unagi sauce, so we switched up some rolls to her liking and got a side of sauce for everyone to share. They were very pleasant and accommodating. Their menu is quite extensive, and again, modifiable so there's something for everyone here. read more

See all

Kai offers fresh fish and massive rolls! By massive, I mean that they really stuff their rolls with fish/fillings. A lot of places tend to have lots of rice compared to fish, but the ratio here is the complete opposite which I absolutely love. Reasonable prices too. We got an O-philly roll, mexican roll, spicy crazy roll and two miso soups which came to about $44. Our favorite was the Spicy Crazy Roll, which was stuffed with tuna, albacore, salmon, yellowtail, jalapeño, avocado, and tempura! So much stuffing and all of the fish was buttery soft. The slight kick from the jalapeño and the side of tempura crunch really pulled it all together. The O-Philly was a creamy and delicious roll, and the Mexican roll was basically a california roll on steroids. Miso soup was a comforting touch to the meal. Kindest service ever! The server, Joon, was super nice and made our dining experience very pleasant . The inside of the restaurant is tiny but cozy. A great casual sushi spot that I highly recommend checking out! read more

See all

Decided to come for dinner as I was craving sushi, and this cute little establishment was the perfect spot for satisfy those cravings. We got a variety of items: the jalapeno poppers, crazy roll, sahara roll, and miso soup. The portions were really large, and two of us got full on just the two rolls and the appetizer. The rolls also didn't skimp on the fish, and was generously filled with all sorts of fish. I personally loved the salmon on the sahara roll, as it was fresh and tender. Definitely recommend a visit!! read more

Kai Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - San Jose, California

Sushi at this local mom-and-pop shop is a real catch! Each dish I had here was below $30, with a huge variety of basic, special and vegan sushi rolls on the menu. The chirashi bowl was a feast for the eyes and taste buds. It was piled generously with thick cuts of fresh sashimi, like salmon, tuna, yellowtail, and shrimp. Teriyaki beef and tempura bento. I love how filling bentos are and the contrast of the flavorful beef and the crispy tempura. No Japanese meal is complete without sushi. They have a ton of basic and special sushi rolls you can choose from, so there's something for everyone. I got a creamy baked salmon roll, and a salmon handroll that had a generous amount of salmon and avocado. Plenty of parking and service was quick on a weekday dinner time. read more

Kai Japanese Restaurant - Chirash Don - Japanese Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

A low key Japanese restaurant at a shopping plaza. The space is small but modern and clean. They offer a variety of menu items, with a long list of sushi rolls. We ordered the OEC roll and fire dragon roll, which turned out similar. They were tasty, although the fire dragon was not spicy at all. The chirashi was a great value with generous pieces of raw fish and toppings. I would order that again. The grilled squid was a great appetizer. Overall, this is good if you're craving sushi and looking for a quick place to go. read more

See all

I love their sushi, sadimi and rolls. It's so fresh! If you or work or live close by, I will definitely visit this place. Price wise very reasonable. read more

See all

Kai is my favorite sushi spot everrr! The sushi and sashimi are so delicious and fresh, I find myself coming back whenever visiting California! The staff is very nice and attentive! The atmosphere in this restaurant is clean and cool! ​ read more

Delicious food and great service. I definitely recommend coming to this place to eat. read more

Kai Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

Hand roll was too much rice just made half big size roll and service was very unkind

We pass this sushi place all the time, on the way to Kaiser. Finally tried this place a few weeks ago. We put in an online order and picked up later. We got about 6 rolls for $100, plus tax and tip. They came in 3 clear plastic containers, with the names written on sharpies on the container. We got the spider roll, kai roll, crispy roll, vegetable caterpillar roll, crazy roll and the crunchy scallop roll. My personal picks were the spider and the crazy roll. We split the 6 rolls between the three of us. The restaurant also seemed to throw in a couple of extra pieces or small rolls of things. So we were totally stuffed from the six rolls. My personal fav was the crazy roll, which includes tuna, salmon, Hamachi, and albacore with some avocado and tempura crunch. That roll and another one of our rolls had that tempura crunch as a topping and it was super yummy. The tempura was flavored or something so it was extra delicious. I am also a fan of their take on the spider roll. I think we got the rainbow spider. But I do prefer the soft shell crab inside. The namesake roll, Kai was interesting - as it had a small slice of lemon on top. I could do without but that's just personal preference. Never had a true veggie roll so the vegetable caterpillar roll with veggie tempura and caterpillar was also different for me. I don't think I necessarily missed the fish, as it had the texture and was filling but I do really like fish/seafood. It was nice to try. Fish overall was fresh and the roll combinations all worked for me, for the most part. Overall, I would definitely come back to try other options. read more

See all

I went here after seeing the good reviews about the place and was extremely disappointed. I came here for lunch with my family, and the entire place was empty. We ordered 3 rolls, all which the fish were extremely dry, stringy, and old. It was almost soggy, it wasnt fresh at all. The rice was also extremely dry. The rolls itself were flavorless as well. Not to mention, the sushi was also really expensive too. It was not worth the visit at all. Customer service was also not the friendliest even though we were the only ones there. Extremely disappointed. read more

Kai Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - San Jose, California

Came late in the evening on Saturday and didn't have a good initial impression. The store was empty and there were a few uncleaned tables (we didn't see anyone leaving). Could just be bad timing since the hostess showed up soon to seat us and began to bus all the tables -- but used some sort of chlorine cleaning solution with such an overpowering smell that it made us seriously consider whether to stick around or take out instead. They didn't serve any water or tea while we were waiting, and only until we were about to get our food. Among the two of us we ordered a dragon roll and a tonkatsu (donkatsu) entree: - Dragon Roll: I think the restaurant is quite generous with the unagi/avocado/shrimp tempura to rice ratio, but the roll was a bit fragile when I tried to pick it up. The tempura flavor was good but I honestly wasn't too impressed with the unagi -- tasted like typical supermarket unagi. - Donkatsu entree: The only reason I wrote this review was to mention the tonkatsu. I don't know if I was hungry but this was probably some of the best tonkatsu I've had in the entire Bay Area. The fried coating was hot and crispy, maybe not the really flaky panko you'd find at gourmet restaurants in Japan, but it was great. And the pork was juicy and flavorful, not super soft/tender but it was to my liking. Critically, the meat portion was generous given the price -- if anything I felt the meat:rice ratio was unbalanced with too little rice. Nothing to really write home about regarding service or ambience, but pleasantly surprised by the food. read more

Food was delicious and service was great. The sushi was fresh and made well and the meat was perfectly seasoned. Definitely will be coming back. read more

Kai Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

It's sushi time!! Miso Soup 4/10 Spicy Tuna Popper 9/10 Tobiko Nigiri 8/10 Fire Dragon Roll 7.5/10 Spicy Salmon Handroll 9/10 Baked Salmon Roll 9.5/10 Spicy Tuna Popper was juicy. It had the perfect amount of sauce and seasoning on it. I would like it to be spicy. I felt it wasn't spicy enough. The Spicy Tuna Popper batter's coated nicely, with not too much batter that overpowers the Spicy Tuna Popper. Tobokio Nirigi's loaded with Tobokio with a light amount of rice. Fire Dragon Roll had tuna and unagi. The tuna just melted in my mouth. The spicy Salmon handroll was buttery and fresh with a light kick. Baked Salmon Roll was delicious. It is seasoned to perfection. Compared to other places. It had the right amount of sauce and was hot. Miso was a little salty. The sushi-rice ratio was perfect and fresh. Amazing customer service! Friendly and patient! read more

See all

I would give it a 4.5 stars! This place is tucked away in a plaza that you'll probably miss when driving. Interior has a simple yet home-y vibe. They have a good selection of nigiris, hand rolls, sushi rolls, etc. If I see baked sushi rolls on the menu, I'm immediately going to order it! The fish tasted fresh and melts in your mouth! The sashimi was thick and smooth. My fave was the baked salmon, spicy tuna poppers, & spicy tuna hand roll! The spicy tuna popper was something I've never seen before. It was actually pretty good! All the flavors worked well together. I really enjoyed the baked salmon roll, spider rainbow, and spicy tuna hand roll. The inari nigiri was a decent size and I ate it with the salmon sashimi. They have DoorDash system so you can satisfy your sushi cravings without leaving your home! Only thing I would like to see was more sushi rolls that had sauce. I like my sushi with some spicy mayo or something. The owner, Joon, is so kind and welcoming! read more

See all

Sushi were very Fresh and taste was excellent highly recommend and the every server is very kind and offer good services. I will visot again with my family! read more

See all

The sushi was fresh and flavorful, especially the salmon nigiri, which practically melted in my mouth. The atmosphere was cozy but still lively, making it a nice place for a casual night out. Service was friendly. Prices felt fair for the quality, and I'd definitely come back! read more

Only reviewing for to go. The place was empty at 7:30pm on a Friday so that was already the first red flag. I ordered a beef Teriyaki bento and baked salmon roll. To-go bentos don't come with miso soup (even though it's the same price as dining in?) but they don't tell you that. The beef teriyaki was very dry and overcooked, just well done meat through and through. They also don't separate the teriyaki sauce from the protein, and it must be a runnier sauce, because at first I thought they simply forgot to put the sauce. Then I looked at the bottom of the container and saw it had all soaked into the bottom of the rice. I had picked the food up at the time they estimated it be ready, so it was not sitting there long. This place could work on better packaging techniques. Also invest in some to go miso containers like every other sushi restaurant. Spicy tuna roll was good! Flavors were nice and fish was fresh. Baked salmon roll was ok. Not too much flavor in the mayo they used. Server was nice. However for $45~ + tip I would take my money elsewhere for better quality food. read more

We tried this place a few times. It was Ok, but last week it wasn't. I ordered the Sashimi combo (10 pcs., $30 dine-in). Unfortunately, the tuna and the salmon were really poor quality. I can't justify those prices. read more

We came in on a Friday night and the place was completely empty when we arrived shortly before 6PM. That always makes me a bit nervous about the quality of the food- but it wasn't bad for being empty... I'd say 3.5 star overall. Rolls: Rainbow roll was pretty standard. It was average in terms of freshness, and I was fine with it. Una Hamachi roll was much better- it was a larger roll (in terms of circumference), and was very juicy and well-sauced Plates We got the kids a Salmon Terriyaki plate with Gyoza. The salmon was a bit overcooked and was slathered with overly thick sauce that looked a bit unappealing to me. Luckily the kids were fine with it. Potstickers were completely deep fried- generally I prefer it's just fried on the base. Service- it was a little odd- the lady was nice in the beginning, but seemed a bit overwhelmed and stressed once there was another two tables of customers. read more

See all

Sorry, but I can't come back here. this used to be my go to Japanese in my neighborhood, but today was my last time. The sushi I ordered was ok, but the chicken teriyaki was the worst I've ever had. So dry and almost no sauce. They also have stopped giving miso soup with to-go orders. Bummer, but I will find another place read more

Food here taste really good! And they are kind. I will definitely visit here frequently. read more

Kai Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

Food was good, and fresh. I loved their Mexican California roll! This salmon dinner plate was delicious. Small hidden place but clean and good service. We will be eating here again. read more

I came here with my family and we were really impressed. The Fire Dragon roll was packed with flavor, and it was crispy, spicy, and beautifully presented. We also got the Baked Salmon and it was really delicious. It melts in your mouth and it has just the right amount of sauce. Everything tasted super fresh. The staff was friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. This place is definitely a new favorite. Can't wait to come back and try more rolls! read more

Kai Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

The sushi and its flavors are exactly what we've been waiting for! Quality of the food was outstanding and the portions were generous. can't wait to return, highly recommend checking it out~ read more

Kai Japanese Restaurant - Sushi, tempura - Japanese Near Me - San Jose, California

See all