I went for sushi today. They have a curtain at the door and I stood there for about five minutes without being acknowledged. The waitress was standing no less than three feet from me the entire time. She then barked at me that I needed to be standing behind the tiny curtain in the blazing sun and that she'd be back to get me in a few mins. The restaurant was half empty and there were tons of open tables. The sushi staff also just stared at me doing nothing as I waited. Needless to say we left and won't be going back. How insanely rude! read more

Cool atmosphere. Rolls are yummy although rolled poorly and small. I give them 2 stars as the service was rude and ruined our meal. I asked to speak to a manager and was told she was too busy. read more

We love it here, we usually always get the chefs specials because they are always so unique and delicious. We have never been disappointed with our dishes. Sometimes the service is slow and the food takes a while, but staff is nice and the food makes up for it! read more

Very good Nigiri. I had among other things uni, which is often disappointing at other places, but was very tasty. Rolls are creative. Vegetable tempura was exceptional, my wife usually doesn't like tempura much and really enjoyed this tempura. We would definitely go back. read more

I would give it 5 stars for the food. Unfortunately, the service is absolutely horrible. I've been there twice in the past month, always hoping for a better experience. It never gets better. The rolls come out 15 minutes apart and the waiters are unapologetic and sassy at best. Buyer beware! read more

The sushi is delicious and fresh. We love coming to this place for the different types of rolls and sashimi. The service isn't the best but I don't care. read more

We tried this restaurant while family is visiting and felt embarrassed for bringing them to such a terrible restaurant. The wait staff is rude, and inattentive. Ordered the first 3 rolls and it took over 45 minutes to receive them! When we asked about our order after 30 or more minutes she only said " it's busy here and the orders are made as they are entered into the computer" and walked away. After getting our first 3 rolls, we immediately ordered 2 more, hoping to get faster service, as the restaurant was not full and there were more than 5 chefs behind the counter. But no, after waiting more than 30 more minutes we asked for our check and told her we had to go. Five minutes later we received the 2 additional rolls in a to go box and our check. It has never taken so long to receive 5 rolls and rude service as at Kanpai. We will never be going back here, nor will we ever recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

Fresh, flavorful, fantastic; best sushi spot I've been to in Bend! I enjoyed an Eel & Avocado Roll, Samurai Roll, & Rainbow Roll. I also had my first Oyster (traditional). Friendly customer service, too. read more

Food took ages to arrive...Have been here for over an hour and only received one measly plate of sushi. The restaurant is not crazy busy, it only has 10 tables and a bar for pete's sake. Other customers who appeared to have more "status" received their food earlier. I find that particularly upsetting since I am quite the average joe. The sushi is average and you can find the same or better at other sushi restaurants, with faster service. Prices are high. The only plus to my dining experience was that one of our plates was discounted due to our extreme wait. If I could I would give a half star. I expected better. read more

I need to weigh in on this fine Japanese Restaurant. It was our favorite sushi spot 2 years ago. After reading some of the reviews, we almost bailed on it. We are visiting, and things do change. My husband and I decided to take a chance, based upon memories. The minute we crossed the threshold, we were greeted by the friendly server. They were moderately busy. We sat at one of the high tables. Our server, Josh ( BTW, could this be the Asian that was dissed by a previous reviewer?) approached us with smiles and instant service. From this point on, service was exceptional and sushi was perfection. I rarely write reviews but rely heavily upon Yelp when we travel. You can't go wrong on this darling local spot. Yelp reviews aren't always accurate. read more

Disappointed to say that after spending many special occasions in this spot our last experience was less than stellar. Seems the prices have gone up, yet portions, service, and quality have gone down. With the exception of our waitress the staff seemed grumpy and annoyed. The vibe is just "off" in there. Nigiri consisted of laughingly thin slices of fish, and the roll we ordered was just "blah". We ordered several appetizers and sushi- everything literally came out at the same time, leaving us feeling rushed. Just not the overall experience we were used to there. At 135 dollars for HAPPY HOUR for 3 that should not be the case. read more

Stopped at Kanpai for dinner on our road trip from Seattle. This place was absolutely terrible. Slow service and the sushi is a joke. Can't believe they're actually selling this crap. The chefs need to actually spend some time in Japan or at the very least spend some time experiencing true Asian cuisine (don't think your bandanas authenticate you). In the words of Charlie Murphy , "I wish I had more hands, so I could give this place four thumbs down." Garbage read more

Visited twice. Service superb, food not up to fresh standards for this type of cuisine. Over priced for quality.

Sorry Bend people, but this place serves very small thinly sliced sushi rolls at an expensive price. Quality was pretty good. Where's the Japanese sushi chef? You can tell the rolls were not properly put together. Didn't have service issues like others but the server did seem to have a bit of a nose up attitude. Go to the big city if you want good sushi. read more

Decent sushi - I agree with other Yelpers that it was expensive. I will most likely go back, but I prefer something a little more afforadble. That being said, there was nothing that was bad - I'm just not sure it's worth paying that much. read more

Good, fresh food. Sit at the sushi bar so you don't have to deal with the servers. Green Eggs and Ham is my new favorite with Yellowtail, wasabi tobiko and a fried quail egg. I appreciate that they use wild caught seafood instead of farm raised. read more

Overpriced for such a small portion! Terrible sushi. Not fresh at all! Service is blah :/ I'm really dissapointed :(

when we told our bike tour guides we ate here, they said "oh, at Kan Pay" which was true because our bill was LARGE. but we did have several sake bombers and a god awful amount of sushi. our waitress at 10 barrel recommended this place, a short walk from their brewery. as we waited outside, it go chilly so our very friendly waitress seated us inside (we're from the desert, so 60 degrees was cold to us). the sushi was tasty and fresh and our service was fantastic. we were already trashed when we arrived, and even more-so when we left but i do remember the food was good and there was a very macabre picture in the bathroom. we walked back to our inn and it was still light outside at 10pm. damn! good food, good service. we were on vacation so i didn't mind dropping a few bucks, but will probably search out a little cheaper option next time. read more

Absolutely wonderful meal. Very helpful and knowledgeable staff! Highlights were the orgasm roll and the broiled tomato nigiri! So delicious! read more

Not worth the cost, sushi is just slightly better than the conveyer belt sushi downtown. Service is horrible After already slow service we asked for a menu to order more, 35 minutes later we had not seen our waitress to order. Not only did we leave hungry, my son didn't even want to wait for a desert on his birthday. read more

First, the space: Cramped and uninspired. Minimalist, which is pretty standard for a sushi restaurant, I guess. Quite dark, yet not romantic. Not quite sure how they pull that off. The food: What is good is VERY good. We enjoyed miso and seaweed salad to start, both standard, but done right. We followed with some softshell crabs, which had a wonderful sauce, but tasted burnt. We also assumed they would be an appetizer (because they are on the appetizer menu), but they were delivered AFTER our rolls. No big deal, except it is part of a pattern, which I will address in a moment. We had 3 rolls (Dragon, Spider, and High-Roller), which were quite tasty--they were what they are supposed to be. But the service...my goodness, the service... The service: What can I say? Wow. Even by the low service standards of Bend, this place is mind-blowing. My first time dining here was a first date with my (now) girlfriend. We are both huge sushi fans. We are both also service industry by trade. (Note to service staff: ALWAYS assume your guest is another waiter!). On that first visit, all of our sushi rolls were served except one. Forgotten by the server, or never made by the kitchen, we never got our last roll, and at bill time made sure we were not charged for it. We got a terse apology from our server, with a shrug and barely concealed scowl, and no real explanation. A couple of months later (last night) we decide to try again. Again, we order four rolls (as well as a couple of appetizers, see above). Again, we get 3 of the 4, with the waitress (Kiki) explaining that our last roll (the "Harley Davidson", my girlfriend's favorite) and our softshell crab appetizer, will be right out. The crab arrives, no 4th roll. No checkback from the waitress, no explanation. We eat our crab. We eat our rolls. We stack our dishes. We wait. I should point out, the place was not busy. It was about 6 pm, with about 4 tables occupied. Kiki finally arrives to clear our plates, NOW explaining,"Oh! Your HD roll is just about done, they're just slicing it now." We explain we no longer want it, and she explains they usually serve that roll LAST, like a dessert. Given that it contains eel, avocado, and goat cheese, this might be the worst excuse I have EVER heard. It is also, as I said, my girlfriend's favorite roll, and she has never received it as a "dessert". In my heart of waiter hearts, I KNOW the server forgot to ring in our last roll, and it has happened on two consecutive visits. As a server myself, I can smell a waiter lie from a mile away. I have been at this game longer than she has walked this Earth, and there is nothing more offensive to me than being lied to by service staff. OWN YOUR MISTAKES! In closing, decent enough food, if you don't mind not getting what you ordered and being lied to by the staff. I am not quite sure what their hiring standards are, but I am guessing experience is not among them. read more

Very awful atmosphere, unfriendly staff, and no ambiance. The prices on the website, need to also be updated, very over priced. Not a place to eat sushi, very rude. read more

Please update your menu prices to reflect what you charge customers! This is the third time I have asked to have my check reviewed because I was charged more than what the menu states. Sushi is yummy though. read more

Ate here with 8 people. We loved our rolls and so did the others. Had 3 rolls for $32 so seemed priced average. Would definitely recommend and come again!!! read more

Poor experience. Food was good, atmosphere was awful. Been going for 10 years. Early they were great. Lost there way at the end of the real estate bubble. Found there way back after a few years. Same Ol'. Right back to acting like before. Don't know how to treat regular customers. Always riding the wave. Done with it! read more

Here's a tip for enjoying Kanpai: go early for the happy hour menu. You will skip the only two negatives of this place, the high prices and the crowds. The sushi is exceptionally good. This is a small place and if you don't go in the off-hours it's noisy and uncomfortably packed. read more

The seating was quick, and the service was okay, I was a bit upset that the waitress gave us our menus and left while the restaurant was clearly dead (maybe one or two tables with two other waitresses). She did not explain any of the specials that were happening, but she was still friendly, kind, and helpful with other points on the menu. I got a chefs choice platter, the fish wasn't as fresh as when I had visited first in the winter, but still okay, I've definitely had much better. The pricing was over the top. 60$ on edamame and two sushi platters one of which being california rolls (my girlfriend isn't a huge fan of expanding her palate) and dessert. With drinks that would've been nearing a 100$ meal. This is an overpriced sushi restaurant in bend, but still decent if you're looking for a semi casual date for sushi, however I am more likely to explore other options in the future... read more

Read the review by Phil D. He said it all! (They don't take American Express, but VISA/MasterCard/Discover are okay).

My favorite sushi place EVER. Consistently delicious and unique- plus the chef's know what they are doing. Spendy but SO worth it. I will visit here any chance I get as the quality and freshness is second to none. Yum yum yum! read more

Delicious sushi. The chef's special role was a great way to end to the meal! Each role we had was unique and tasty. A definite return visit in store. read more

Last week, My SO and I took ourselves out to Kanpai... I hadn't mentioned to her that I was unimpressed with the last couple visits... I'm happy to report that our meal was quite nice this time around. I still don't think it comes close to the best sushi I've ever had but it was good... very good. Our servers and the hostess were all very nice and accommodating. We had a couple of questions about the menu and our server was not rude or dismissive... The inside seating was wide open when we arrived and frankly, with all the hot weather we've been experiencing, it was nice to sit in the A/C. We ordered two rounds of sushi and, although I've forgotten exactly what we ordered, the first round was so well made I almost forgot the difference between this trip and our last. Then it hit me... all of the rolls were really good. The next round came and again, all of them were good. I still think the prices are too high (Sushi is too damn high!) but at least this time I was okay with it based on the quality of product. I want to give them 4 stars but I can't quite declare that I'm a fan based on the past mediocre experiences. But now I'm more willing to come back... Yea! read more

Yes, it's not cheap, but the best never is. Innovative, well thought out dishes. Far from just raw sushi. Try the broiled tomatoes. And maybe the best steak in town. read more

Seriously just an awesome sushi restaurant. Sit at the sushi bar in front of Jason and you can't go wrong...

Very small, intimate place. The sushi here is always super fresh! They have great wines and drinks especially for not having a true "bar". My favorite sushi in town by far!! read more

One of the best places for sushi and Japanese fusion cuisine in town. It gets pretty loud, so I tend to go in the shoulder hours, or sit on the patio. read more

I thought the quality of sushi could have been a better. Really thick, if that makes any sense to other sushi eaters.

Always have a great experience at Kanpai. My husband and I are kind of sushi snobs after living in Vegas for a while. Kanpai is one of only two places in Bend we'll get sushi. Check it out. read more

Phil D hit the nail on the head. Good, fresh sushi comes at a price. Great fish, delicious special rolls and a nice selection of sake. Go for happy hour for a better deal, but definitely go! read more

Went last Friday night for Omakase dinner with a friend, and the only reason I am not giving 5 stars is because some of the cooked food was a bit overcooked in my opinion. The sushi was unbelievably good - fresh, beautiful, lots of variety in the Omakase, not your standard salmon-and-tuna. We dropped a chunk of change, but I expected that, and it was totally worth it. Great food, awesome service, fun ambiance, I can't wait to go back! read more

Delicious, amazing sushi and recipes. Not cheap but worth it for a good night out, we ate plenty, and had cocktails. Spent $91 with tip. We tried the special- some sort of sashimi doused in delicious lemon garlic vinaigrette. Fish was firm, fresh delicious, and amazing, sushi rice needs a bit of work. I have never tried such an incredibly tasty spicy tuna! read more