Kampai was my regular place in Redding for a long time. Back when it was only five tables and a bar, everything was made with excellence. The service was personal and inviting. The owner/head chef made you feel apart of the family, but it was the incredible food that sealed the deal. They were one of the best in town. Now, this is absolutely not the case. The rolls are half-hearted at best and the appetizers are awful. In my most recent visit, our Agadashi came in complete mush and the supposed-to-be fried potato basically frozen. They would not return the funds but rather gave us a gift card for our next visit. Which was inconvenient since I live out of town now and only visit Redding maybe twice a year. We settled on leaving my sister's name with the certificate. But this did not come without some pushback from the staff. I've been coming here for a long time and with the huge growth in customer base and seemingly quick staff turnover, the quality has plummeted. The 3 stars is generous based on my past few visits. I love this place and supported it so much when it was a smaller and cozier venue. It seems the high volume of customers made it lose its charm. I definitely want people to know it was once such an amazing place. Maybe it has just been an adjustment for them and things are better. Talk to Sam regardless, he will take good care of you! read more

Maybe the sushi is good but we didn't order that. We ordered tempura and teriyaki beef dinners. Save yourself the trouble and walk next door to Raley's and pick up a frozen Lean Quisine...it will taste better. The teriyaki was tiny little bits of over cooked meat with a bottled sauce and some frozen vegetables. The tempura was greasy, heavy, pale and the food inside the coating was raw. I can honestly say this was the worst Japanese food we have ever had. We couldn't eat any of it. Both dinners went into the trash. I won't waste my money there again. read more

I tasted chlorine a lot in sushi. If you order sushi covered with lots of sauce or soak your sushi in soy sauce or you are not sensitive enough, you might not notice it though. Hygiene level was low as well. Not authentic. read more

This was my first eating here. The service was fast. There were lots of different options. We got the Lugga roll and the Death roll and they were both pretty delicious. The only down side is that it's on the pricier side for sushi but I would probably come here again because we really enjoyed it. read more

Kampai Sushi - Lugga Roll - Japanese Near Me - Redding, California

I'd say all the negative reviews were heard by the owner. Staff was friendly and attentive, no issue for us! Pros: very attentive staff. Good sushi, nice variety of rolls. Decent prices. I always like to interact with the sushi chefs. Cons: like my issue with all Redding sushi restaurants, no fresh wasabi. We'll be back read more

I have to believe some of these Local Yokals who leave 5-stars for this restaurant have not had quality Japanese-style food. This place makes Lean Cuisine taste good. (Incidentally, there is a grocery store right across the street where you can find that great tasting Lean Cuisine and it will be cheaper than the barely edible Kampai Sushi). Seriously people, there is MUCH higher quality Japanese food in Redding. Life is too short... read more

We have been here several times. The food is great but the service extremely lacking. It often takes 10 minutes just to get the waiter to show. Then tonight it took 20 minutes to get three of our dinners, another 10 minutes for the forth, and another 10 minutes for the last meal. Then getting the check is often an issue. Twice we had to get up and insist on getting the bill. Tonight the owners didn't appear to be present, which my daughter says means the service is even worse, which it was. 7/14/2017. read more

It was pretty good. Service was decent. But I hate to say this, but I'm not sure why someone in Redding would come here. Tokyo Garden (which I love) is not too far away, and is all-around better at the American-style Japanese food game. And if you're looking for really authentic sushi, neither one compares to Sakura Sushi. They do have a large menu, so it's possible I just didn't order the best that they had to offer, but everything I got was just so-so. Not as much flavor as I was hoping for. I kind of doubt I'll be back... read more

I treated myself to my birthday dinner. They have a good setup for the pandemic, call and go to a window to pick up. I got home and the lettuce in the salad was brown. The portions were small and the rice was plentiful. I was so disappointed! Almost immediately I didn't feel well and was sick all the next day. I won't be going back. I have been disappointed the past two times I have been there but this was not a good experience. Just seems that with so many small local business struggling it would be a good time to provide great service and great food, I just didn't feel like they put care into it. read more

Best sushi by far in Redding. Ask for the boomerang special it's a hand made sushi roll on steroids it's worth it. read more

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We had a horrible experience when we came in it did not smell good at all and there were 2 other people eating and 1 person cooking we were briefly greeted and then a child brought us our menu's we sat for 15 minutes and left due to no one even trying to take our order super disappointing read more

I've been eating sushi for 30 years. Back when the only rolls on the menu were Futumaki California tuna and cucumber. When you used to get REAL cravings. The sushi tonight at Kampai was the worst ever. Worse than those refrigerated rolls at the grocery store, worse than my first attempt at home, worst ever. In fact, that's what it reminded me of. My first attempt at home where the rice comes out like gum. A gluey gooey mess. $75 bucks down the drain. Oops. Sorry. Not fit for the drain. It went in the garbage. read more

This is one of the most amazing sushi bars in the world the best in Northern California family-owned and operated to top it off the staff is second to none and if you have the priceless to come here try the Kampai roll...MLNR read more

Kampai Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Redding, California

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This has to be a joke. The "hostess" said, "HUH?" when I asked to be seated as I stood by the "wait to be seated" sign. The "waitress" said, "you don't want anything but water, do you?" I guess not, jerk. Then some guy wearing a heavy outdoor coat came by because I'd "been forgotten about." He took my order, but forgot half of it. When I mentioned this to the "waitress," she got the bill and told me I didn't order anything else. I think I know what I ordered, jerk, and you would have known too had you taken my order in the first place. I just wanted a quiet meal. What I got instead was just bizarre. No thank you. read more

The best sushi in Redding, Been coming here for years, simply the freshest tastiest most scrumptious food! What can I say, come and taste it for yourself. Thanks Kampai! read more

Sushi was alright, the service was nonexistent, the cockroaches were roaming. 0/10 wont come again.

Thisrestaurant has terrible service and the waitress did not even pay attention or listen to anything you request. We went here twice after having a bad first experience and now we just went back and had another terrible service and experience. I will let all my thousands of local followers from my social media to stay away from here unless they like slow service and terrible tasting read more

We found this place thanks to Yelp reviews on our way to Portland and decided to try it out. First of all, if you're coming from California (especially Los Angeles) you'll be pleasantly surprised by the bill, especially at lunch! I'm always hesitant trying new sushi restaurants but I have to say we were so impressed by Kampai we decided to have it again on our way back to California! Their main sushi chef is very good at what he does and their help is sometimes overwhelmed but also very on the ball and efficient. We were there during a lunch rush and they had one lady handling all the tables including all the table cleaning, etc. She handled it like a pro and we were impressed to say the least. In fact the first time we were there it seemed like the only person working was the chef himself, he'd prepare the meal then bring it out to us. WTF?! I haven't even mentioned the sushi yet! We've ordered the cucumber rolls for the kids, salmon sushi, yellow tail, and tuna rolls. We also had something called the "Death Row" roll. The fish is very fresh and tastes great. You can tell the chef takes pride in his work. We've loved everything we ordered except for the "Death Row" roll which was a bit too heavy on creamy sauces and cream cheese (which we weren't aware of) so avoid it if you like to stay on the healthy side. The beef teriyaki was great the first time but I don't think it was as good the second time. I'd still recommend beef over chicken though. I think the reason the second time wasn't as good is because they were very busy and understaffed. Overall I would totally recommend Kampai to a friend and anybody reading this. If you like sushi, stick to the basics and you'll probably appreciate this place. IIt's not fancy and doesn't try to be. And the chef is incredibly inventive and knows what he's doing. We're gonna go to Kampai every time we drive up to Oregon from now on :) read more

I'm far from a sushi snob, but I do eat it quite a bit so I've got pretty set ideas about what I like. I'm not a fan of sauces, I like for my fish to be very fresh, and I prefer sashimi to rolls. Kampai does a great job with their rolls, but their fish is always fresh and well prepared enough that it can stand alone. The staff has always been extremely friendly and service is prompt. When I was in high school I'd come in just about once a week and I don't think I ever had a negative thing to say about them. read more

I would consider myself a pretty big sushi fan. In fact, by occupation, I get to travel the entire state of California and try different sushi a couple times a week. Now I understand this is Redding.. but this was so dang bad I had to write a review. Especially since the "chef" didn't seem too interested to ask. First of all, I sat at the sushi bar, and right above where you eat (RIGHT above. A foot or so) there are several ornaments hanging just CAKED in dust. Server is whatever, won't fault them for not being able to find good help. But home boy had his headphones in the whole time, answered a couple phone calls WITH HIS HANDS on his phone while making my food, then when I saw him walk around the corner for the first time, he was wearing flip flops and sweat pants. I first got the salad, basically just peanut butter on mixed greens. Then the miso was pretty typical powder stuff. The fish was awful. I ate two pieces and was over it. Got the bill, and after tipping 20%, I was pretty shocked at how much it was. They charge a "card percentage"? Overall just an awful place. I should have known just by the smell the second I walked in. This guy is not a real chef. read more

This place used to be one of the only places that had an authenticity and sincerity to it (former owners). It showed in the way they presented the food and in the atmosphere. Now it's a pretentious hub. SAVE YOUR MONEY. HORRIBLE service and questionable staff and the food is of poor quality. Zero stars. read more

Lunch for 2 and $75 later left a huge disappointment. The rolls were horrible, excess rice and drenched in that orange sauce on the spicy tuna roll. Seeing we are from the Bay Area we had already lowered our expectations given we were driving through redding. We orders several different Nigiris and while the fish flavor was there it still had excess rice. Service was not much better, even at the bar. The chef forgot to bring out our cucumber salad and when he finally did you could clear tell it had not been marinated previously. Overall this place is way over priced let alone for redding. I will not return, and suggest you pass on it. read more

Well, that was another disappointing trip to Kampai..... I used to go there all the time but the service continued to go down hill so I stopped all together. After a while, I figured I would give it a try again because it truly used to be one of my favorite sushi bars in Redding. Once again, the wife and I were given extremely poor service. They aren't rude, just unwilling to tend to their paying (and tipping) customers. Today as we were eating our food, the waitress tried to take the plate I was eating off of. I have also noticed that their prices have increased by about 2-3 dollars a roll but they have added more rice, less ingredients, and poor flavor..... I guess its fair to say that my patronage (and $60.00 meal tabs) will cease with Kampai. I will never return to this restaurant and I would highly recommend that you don't either. Don't waste your time, appetite, or money on poor service and sub-par food..... read more

I totally love this sushi place. Fresh, delicious, and not over-the-top in prices, decor, or ambiance! Love that it's small, intimate, and eclectic. The poke bowl is AH-mazing, my friend's fave is the EBI BOAT. We always come here and order a large Sapporo and get down to ordering, dish by dish, until we're stuffed. But the beauty of (good and wholesome) sushi is in a matter of one hour, you don't feel stuffed, and don't feel hungry, either. LOVE IT. read more

Order a Dragon Roll and a Rainbow Roll, even if they're not on the menu. Kampai makes the best sushi. Everything's fresh and the chef is excellent. This bar compares to sushi in Japan Town in San Fran. The only downfall, their lame hours. read more

Kampai Sushi - Lunch. Prices may not be up-to-date. - Japanese Near Me - Redding, California

The Krab was advertised as "crab." Big difference. The rolls were smothered in "white sauce" which is - perhaps not shockingly - straight mayonnaise. Roll fell apart. Way too much cream cheese on virtually everything on the menu. Very heavily trendy sushi, three to five kinds of 'sauce' on everything. Service was slow despite the place being totally empty. The menu is confusing and much too large. And the owner features a picture of himself on the cover, which - having now seen the owner - is an interesting move on his part. Is "interesting" the right word? Probably not. read more

I am not sure what the trend is at sushi joints with Mayo and Cream Cheese, but Kampai definitely bought in! After reading the reviews (especially from out of towners), I had high expectations that this place would be better than you'd expect from a Redding sushi joint - as you can see from my stars, unfortunately it did not live up! I am a sushi lover, so this is for those who actually like the fish. First the Food - Spicy Tuna Hand Roll - looked rushed slices of tuna literally DOUSED in MAYO - gross! Spider Roll (Soft Shell Crab) - the goal is not to fry the crab beyond recognition Sashimi - thick cuts that just didn't have that premium taste Story goes on.... Typically I can eat crazy amounts of sushi - here I was happy when the server took the plates away. Speaking of service, the staff is extremely nice and gratious, but there was one female server who clearly doesn't know what is what. Again very nice, but not knowledgeable. I think this was a one and only visit for me. PS - Just for the record, my parents, who live in Redding and are very casual sushi diners (i.e. CA roll is pushing it for them) thought the place was good (so again, I maybe too picky or too snobby of a sushi eater)! read more

Best Japanese restaurant in town! Fresh and delicious 100% of the time. Great lunch specials for $6.95. Make sure you try the Gekkikara spicy crab roll (my favorite). read more

***COMICALLY SMALL PORTIONS*** ***SUPER HEAVY RICE IN SUSHI*** ***TOTAL RIP OFF*** I came here for dinner recently on a weekday night by myself. The reviews on this place I read about were pretty good so I decided to drive all the way from the Win River Casino to come here. I was terribly disappointed in the food here. First, the sushi rolls are HEAVY on the rice, leaving the sushi with very TINY pieces of fish. Half of the sushi pieces had NO fish in them at all, they were just rice and seaweed paper. I thought it was a mistake so I ordered another roll: Rainbow roll. This is a $16 roll, so I expected something substantial. The roll is large but when you start eating it you see that the only fish is the fish on top. The inside filing is just imitation crab (very little) and seaweed. It was literally 80% rice. I couldn't even finish it. After a $40 dinner, I was not even full! I figure that the only way this place got so many good reviews is because there is not much competition in Redding for sushi houses. I would definitely skip this place, especially if you are visiting. read more

We arrived at closing -- 8:30 PM FYI. The service was fast and we got all our food and the bill at once. We got the sashimi plate, shrimp tempura, philidelphia roll, kama, salmon skin handroll, tofu salad and 1/2 udon. Yes, a ton of food and we did come hungry. We ate as fast as we could as the staff wanted to leave and kept checking on the bill ("can I take that?") Oy, what a tummy ache! Can't say the food was bad, it was good and quality for a good price. I might try it again if in town, but unfortunately we did not have a great experience. As recommended - call before you stop by. And if tis closing time try take out. read more

I've been coming here for close to 15 years! Whenever I come home to visit, I make sure to go to Kampai! Best Sushi in a 150 mi radius read more

I love Kampai Sushi. It really is the best sushi Redding has to offer. I eat here regularly with friends, and whenever my family comes to visit. They offer excellent service and a very reasonable priced, extensive menu. I like the combination plate or the sashimi dinner, but literally everything I've had was delicious! I like the rainbow, dragon, and spider rolls, especially. The dining area IS very small, so if you have a large party, it might be better to get it for pick up and eat somewhere else. read more

Terrible sushi I've ever tried. No fresh and poor service. Not worthy the price. Don't go unless you care less about the quality.

This is a Redding gem for sushi. One of the prized chefs of Tokyo Garden took a leap of faith and opened his own business, pouring his heart and soul into his love of Japanese cuisine. Sam and his wife, welcome every customer with a smile. I have never had a bad meal here and enjoy every visit. read more

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I go to Kampai all the time. I usually love it. Recently they were closed for a week or two .When they reopened I went and ordered 5 rolls. My red dragon roll didn't have any Mango sauce which gives it so much flavor. The salmon on top smelled bad and tasted like it was there before their closing. I couldn't even eat it. My grandsons Monkey roll wasn't much better. My grandson who usually wants another roll couldn't finish it either. My other grandson got 2 of the smaller rolls but only ate one. I hope this isn't the new normal read more

Excellent, fresh food as good as most that I have experienced in the Bay Area. However the service is shaky at best. The last time we went as a foursome the one that ordered cooked food received his first then in about 10 minute intervals the rest of us were served. My wife received her meal (sushi) almost 30 minutes after our son was served. The service has always been iffy but this was the worst. Fortunately we now have more of a choice. We will look elsewhere. read more

My favorite sushi in Redding! My wife and I have been trying all the sushi joints we can find in town, and this one easily takes the cake. The service is always friendly and prompt, the rice is sticky and has a wonderful consistency to it, and every sushi roll we've tried has continued to impress. Our newest venture was the salmon chicken special roll, and I can't recommend it enough! The decor inside is also great. Feels like a cozy hole-in-the-wall place you'd find walking in downtown Tokyo. If you're trying to find a new sushi place in Redding, give Kampai a try! read more

Tasty sushi! So im not from around this area, and i normally stay away from random sushi spots in the "country", but i couldnt hold back the hunger anymore. I just needed some damn sushi!. This place and i think one other were the only two spots closest to me so i rolled the dice and picked this one. This place isnt spacious at all, tiny dining area with small tables and chairs right next to eachother. The waitresses were very helpful and courteous. Always coming by asking if we wanted refills on the water and if everything was doing good. The sushi was delicious, of course i got the manliest roll on the menu, the princess roll. I probably devoured all of it in approximately 3.2 seconds, and washed it all down with a large saki :o) If im every in town again, ill definitely hit this sushi place up again! read more

Simply amazing! I have had no bad experiences nor smelled anything funny or bad as someone mentioned in one of their reviews, and I have a very good sense of smell. Every roll I have had tasted fresh and was so delightful. Sam the owner and maker of sushi has always been welcoming, smiling and saying Hello and Goodbye. I now live in Siskiyou county so I don't get to enjoy the food as much as I want too. If I lived in Redding I would be there every day, it's that good! read more

Very yummy, very different. That is the thing I love about sushi the most. Each restaurant offers changed up versions and some of their own. Service was very slow on a Friday, but we had the time........ read more