This place is alright, menu is simple...not much variety. The best value is to order a combination meal...either a 2 item or a 3 item combo. I got the 3 item combo: lemon chicken, tempura, and california roll. Served bento box style...you also get a small side salad, bowl of rice, and miso soup. Staff is friendly. Nothing really said WOW to me to make me say "I must come back here again and again"...it was more like "cool, glad i got to try this place out" But anyways, everyone enjoyed their meals tho...especially the kids. Don't expect glitz and glam interior when you walk in. The atmosphere is more like a mom & pop shop, no extravagant decor...furniture looks outdated....and so does the outside of the building. read more

Kanpai - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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I was pretty skeptical about a legit Japanese place in Chulahuana... BUT surprisingly it was pretty good :) I went with the combination bento box where you get to pick 2 main entrees, rice and miso soup for $9 something. I picked Sesame chicken and Chicken Teriyaki. The miso soup came out before the food and to my surprise, it was pretty good! (Because usually the free miso soup they give at other places tend to be flavorless). The food came out and it looked sooo good! (see pictures) The sesame chicken was fried (kind of looked like chicken tempura) and it was BOMB! My chicken teriyaki on the other hand, was just okay, not the greatest. But I tried some beef teriyaki from my friend's plate and that was really good as well. The bento box also had a little scoopful of noodles that were in a white sauce... I don't know what that was or how it tasted because I don't like white sauces. It also came with half a scoop of seaweed (also did not eat it because I don't like seaweed) and a little bit of salad with dressing on top. I tasted a little bit of the salad and it was alright. Even though we showed up about 15 minutes before the place closed, the staff was really friendly when taking our order and when 10 rolled around, they passed by our table to ask if we needed to order any more food and not to feel pressured eating, that we could take our time. The atmosphere was pretty chill, there was TV's and comfy booths to sit in. They have a happy hour I think from 5 to 7 where they have beer for 1.95 and 1/2 off some of their appetizers. Overall a great place :) read more

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Four stars because their food was good, and because the customer service wasn't terrific. I enjoyed their salt ramen with chashu and for dessert black sesame ice cream! It totally made up for the lack of customer service we got (and I'm big on having good customer service where we eat). One downside was that I wanted an egg with my ramen and they "don't have eggs at this restaurant" per the waitress. What kind of restaurant doesn't have eggs? Anyway, I loved my lunch and my ice cream and have been coming here for years. read more

Kanpai - Black sesame ice cream - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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This place is amazing, wonderful hospitality and ambiance, the asahi beer on draft is a must have. They also have some delicious sake. I've never waited more than 15 mins even when the place is packed. The service is always quick and efficient. I come here at least once a week with my parents. The prices are very reasonable for the portions they serve. I tend to get the combination place with the lemon chicken and sashimi. The lemon chicken is superb and so are the assorted dishes that come with the combination plate. The sashimi it comes with is Tuna and Mackerel. If you only like rolls your probably not going to like sashimi, but give it a shot anyways! They also have a variety of authentic Japanese dishes. My favorite being raw octopus that is served in some sauce that is just exquisite. If you're a fan of raw fish then you would love this dish. Their rolls are awesome as well so if you don't consider yourself a hardcore sushi fan then your at the right place as well. read more

Love this place. We order take out . Their ramen is amazing. The chanpon gets 10 stars . We have been there several times. We love the service. read more

I was rather surprised to find a Japanese restaurant similar to what I would expect in the Convoy area here in Chula Vista. Yelp led me here and service was great, food was quick and prices were decent. I got shiitake mushroom tempura, dynamite, and cucumber roll. Nothing too extravagant or fancy here. If you want the basics and got a craving for Japanese food in the Chula Vista area then this is the place. If anything, the friendliness of the staff is what would bring me back here read more

I've been going to Kanpai since they opened many years ago. IMHO, it's the best Japanese food you will get in South Bay. The service is impeccable. They still have some of the same servers and chefs for over 30 years! It's unpretentious, authentic and delicious. Loved when they had the ramen place too but it looks like that's been consolidated into the original spot. Do yourself a favor and try this place if you haven't yet. read more

My wife and I regularly eat at this place and today was the worst we had. The tempura were soggy, not hot and oily, the rainbow sushi wasn't tightly wrapped and fell apart. They have seen the last of me. read more

Excellent food, service , very Clean and Afortable family friendly .. A lot of dishes to Choose from.. read more

Underwhelming based on price. Curry was good, but calamari was fried rubber. Don't get tempura to go (should have known better; lost all crunch in the short trip home). Yakisoba noodles were good texture, a little lacking in flavor. Sushi was grocery store level. Recommend other Japanese places in this are over this. read more

I came here yesterday with my boyfriend. And everytime we pass by here I've been wanting to try it, but sometimes it's closed. I tried the champon and my boyfriend tried a combination plate. The champon is soo big! I would recommend sharing it with another person if you don't eat a lot. The champon has noodles, shrimp, what seems to be cabbage, and other stuff. It was really good! :) totally recommend it. My boyfriend got the combo plate with 3 items. You can also choose 2 items. Each combo comes with miso soup, salad, and white rice. The items my boyfriend chose were tempura, fried shrimp, and sesame chicken. All the items were awesome! The combo plate with the 3 items cost 11 bucks. And my champon cost around 7-8 bucks. I will come back here again. But next time I will probably end up sharing a plate because the portions are big. :) read more

Kanpai - Champon - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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The make all of the Japanese dishes so I can go all of the time. Sushi, tonkatsu, sukiyaki, tempura, ramen, udon, salmon, steak, donburi, and a lot of small dishes that can be a meal. Happy hour beer and sake too! read more

Ok. Ramen is Overpriced. Sushi is good. Wish the ramen was better. Just make the ramen better and you'll be good to go. Don't make people expect something amazing if that's not what they're getting because of your prices. read more

Definitely one of favorite spots to visit when I'm in in the mood for Japanese cuisine in Chula Vista. As usual, I ordered my favorite go to combination plate. I elected for three items: Chicken Cutlet, Chicken Teriyaki, and CA Rolls and an additional plate of Sara Udon. Our ordered arrived promptly hot and didn't disappoint. This restaurant is relatively busy with an average ambient noise level. Overall restaurant is clean and inviting. Staff is friendly and efficient. Great place to visit with family, or friends. Very enjoyable experience, would definitely recommend. read more

Kanpai - Sara Udon $10.99 - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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The food was okay. Definitely missing a whole lot of flavors. I got 2 hakata noodles, edamame and a crunchy roll. The noodles were bland. The edamame was dry and the crunchy roll was just a California. Just make the drive to your usual. read more

Only Japanese food restaurant worth going to in South Bay, imho. Great sushi: fresh cuts and decent portion sizes. There are several types of ramen to choose from; I especially like the spicy ramen but the ramen with salt butter is also delicious. They have a respectable happy hour menu and on Monday's there's a really good deal on pitchers of beer. You definitely want to try this restaurant! read more

Okay.. so I order Tuna sashimi (expecting a plate of nice red tuna) and instead I get a plate of pink fleshed yellowtail.... would have ordered something else if they had offered up that information, especially since they have the nerve to charge $15.95 for 5 pieces of yellowtail!! Add to that the confusing placemats at the sushi bar, that appear to have their menu items on them, but are in fact.. just sushi themed placemats.. so if you try to order something from the placemat, you might not get it, as i found out when I ordered the Giant Clam sushi!! Save you money and get what your looking for somewhere else!! P.S. I ate here years ago and it was actually good.. things apparently DO change.. read more

Kanpai - "Menu"? Placemat.. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Now I've been coming here for years I'm half Japanese so this is like my grandmas spot so I come here a lot at least once or twice a month. I am never disappointed with my bento box I get. I usually order the Kan Pai special which includes teriyaki chicken rice salad tempura and some Cali rolls. The wait staff is always so friendly to us. The only issue we have here is that our food never comes our at the same time. We will get half our food then maybe 10 min later a couple more come out and still waiting so we never really get to eat at the same time which sucks. The kitchen needs to tighten that up. read more

WAY overpriced!!! Got 2 rolls & 2 orders of sashimi and came out to be more than 50 bucks!! Outrageous. Rolls weren't terrible, but not worth the price. Could have gotten two people for unlimited sushi buffet for that price. Service was meh. Overall unimpressed with the price. Don't plan on coming back. read more

Kanpai - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Worst tempura & hand roll I ever had from a restaurant and it was super expensive. $35! The tempura roll was one step up from gas station sushi & the tuna hand roll had more mayo than tuna. The only way I was able to finish was to drown everything in soy sauce. DISGUST. read more

Been coming here since I was little. My family and I come here for the longest and every once in awhile we enjoy a nice lunch or dinner of authentic Japanese food. This place has it all. -Ramen --Spicy ramen is my favorite -Sushi -Robatayaki (cooked on a grill) -Japanese curry -Sake, beer, wine -online menu for more service: never had any issues; fast & friendly. If you're looking for a full authentic Japanese food experience; from the decor to the food and service. Kanpai is your place to dine-in. read more

I ordered the large soup which was amazingly larger than I expected. The broth was excellent however I had to ask to make sure that there was no MSG. You do have to ask them to not put extra MSG in the soup. Also the fish cake they accommodated me and replaced it with more veggies because the fish cake has MSG in it as well. My mom enjoyed it and said it was the best ramen in town so far! read more

Kanpai - Perfect soup with mom after church.. she says it is the best in town so far! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Just horrible service, gave us the wrong food, there was an older waitress and she was very food and they weren't paying attention the food was horrible never coming back read more

This place is ok. It is a typical Japanese restaurant, nothing outstanding but nothing bad. I had the bento box meal with California rolls and chicken, it was just enough. My girlfriend had the ramen which wasn't bad either. read more

Best sushi place in Chula Vista along with sushi house. The prices are reasonable and the staff is super friendly. They do get really busy so be prepared for slower service. The sushi is always fresh and delicious as well read more

We went to KANPAI due to a review a we saw here on Yelp, and the help of the awesome pictures taken for that review. First things first, we went there and it was closed. "FYI" they close from 2:30 to 5:00pm. I should have looked online for business hrs. But we live 2 blocks away, we just went. So a few days later we went back for lunch. I must say, we were skeptical. As you can tell, we gave it 4 stars because the dining area looks rundown (not bad) it just needs a little TLC (no big deal). Other then that, the service was awesome, and the house was full within a few minutes. We ordered cautiously to tryout because we go out often and we are done with spending and not liking. "If you know what we mean". First, we ordered Mix Tempura ( shrimp & veggies) great tasting, nice tempura, crunchy and not greasy. Next, we ordered a Miso Soup and it was good, a little salty (No Soy Sauce needed) but not bad. Then we ordered Sushi and it was fast, fresh and nice tasting. We thought the price was a bit high until we saw the portions, they were decent. Big slices of fish, more fish than rice, and bigger than any other place we have visited. We also tried the Salmon Skin Hand Roll. It was delicious! Nice size, crunchy skin and juicy inside. Great taste. We will definitely go back to eat some more Sushi and try there BENTOS. They had us salivating while the customers at the next table were enjoying. It had Tons of food. Good job KANPAI.!! read more

Kanpai - Salmon Skin Hand Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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We for then 2 stars the food was ok but not for the price I got like pieces of meat in my cury I asked for ice and gave me a 1/3 of a cup ask the 2ed time can I have a full cup of ice got a 1/3 come on its ice. Now for the Daily specials my friend got the bento box and I got the daily plate I payed more and got less wow he even got fish in his roll I got rice a cucumber. Now for the wasobie not hot not even. Little bit the hot musters was hotter then the wasobie. That is said. Now for the taste it was good don't get me and I do not think that I will ever come back ever agin because if they are afraid to give you a full cup of ice even there counting is off. Not coming back read more

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This place has good ramen. I like the Spicy Ramen, because I like it HOT!! Now this review goes out to my new friend Shayne C. Normally I would save this for my Freestyle Friday, but I got a long 12 hr shift to handle tomorrow so I won't have time. To the tune of Black Eye Pea's song I GOT A FEELING enjoy... I gotta craving so tonight gonna eat at KANPAI so tonight gonna eat at KANPAI so tonight gonna eat at KAN-KANPAI Tonight's Ramen Night Let's eat it up I'll get my money Hop in the truck Go out for Japanese shit like Konichi Wa! Like Mr. Miyagi Wax on Wax OFF I know that we'll have a bowl come in and sit down No need for take out I'll just eat it all I feel spaced out Please bring me a Spicy ramen bowl I'll go all out and order a Spicy Salmon roll Fill up my cup with Sapporo I'll keep on drinking I'm off tomorrow! I hold the crown Cuz I put it down Come back in a week or two and then I'll eat it again Lets eat it (x3) you know wassup! I gotta craving so tonight gonna eat at KANPAI so tonight gonna eat at KANPAI so tonight gonna eat at KAN-KANPAI Kanpai is our fix for ramen when we don't want to drive far or cook it ourselves at home! read more

Ok, this is a mindset narration. Imagine watching Anthony Bourdain doing a No Reservations Bit on The South Bay of San Diego County. This is what I would imagine his monologue would sound like, with my thoughts attached to it: You drive into this part of San Diego with the idea it might be a little seedier than other parts, with its urban landscape combination of low rent apartments, Wienerschnitzel and the ubiquitous Mexican taco shops of the South Bay. A lonely, but popular Fred's Burgers sits on a corner across the street from the place that is about to change my perspective on Japanese food culture in the U.S. Kanpai swims in this vast ocean of cultural chaos as an unassuming haven for Japanese expatriates and local San Diegans. The ability to be a no-frills, strictly basics with a couple of popular fusion items (namely Korean and Chinese identify dishes turned into Japanese interpretations) equates to an experience that transcends the notion of sushi anywhere within the boundaries of San Diego County. There are nothing but females on the floor fluttering about with the customary belting out of the " (Irasshaimase!)" when you first walk in. It's hustling and bustling and the energy of the patrons is great. We're led to the booth quickly and requested on what beverages we would like to imbibe in. It didn't even take a nano second for the neurons to connect and blurt out Sapporo Reserve (which they actually had). I stopped her before walking away and asked her for an order of the nigiri amberjack and whatever the omakase sashimi was for the day. She looked delighted that we meant business there. Now, sushi today is a farce. It's widely consumed from places like the local 7-11s, night clubs and as "high up" as trendy high end restaurants. But, more insulting than the 7-11 is the places that are "trendy" and serve up "ambiance" and "night life" within their sushi offerings. The rolls are often covered in a rainbow of sauces that often mask the travesty of frozen bought in fish. That's right, you heard my accusation correct. "Frozen Fresh" fish I think is the term. That's not sushi, that's fast food, dressed up as sushi and marked up for, again, "ambiance" and "night life." Kanpai's main sushi chef was apparently properly itamae'd. I was thinking, I will be the judge of that... Well, I judged and it was pretty darn good. The first most important thing to look for was the cut of the fish. Next was the "springiness" of the meat for freshness. Of course, most important was the taste. I understood that the fish is freshly selected and maintained at sashimi grade temperatures, but properly "warmed" for nigiri or sashimi service. There you have it, the basics of sushi without the nasty fluff that is called sushi today. Now, I can say after the variety of nigiris and the really delightful bowl of ramen at the end, this is no Jiro Ropponggi Hill or Mizutani in Tokyo, but it is the closest I've been to Japan in some time without having to experience the jet lag. Until my next visit to authenticity somewhere here in the U.S. enjoy what you enjoy. read more

Not bad Yo. I didnt know there was a "small Japan-town" in Chula Vista that spans all of 2 blocks and consists of like 3-4 restaurants and a bakery and maybe a couple of other places..... who would've thunk??? On top of that, I'm Nihonjin (Japanese) AND live in Chula Vista, and just discovered this little area! You would've though I knew where every Japanese place was in San Diego! But anyway, on to the review of the restaurant. . . The entrance to the dang place was sure confusing! Yes, there is a front entrance. I'm not that dumb. But there are two building signs, one over the entrance and another over the next part of the building a good 20 feet away. WTF?? Is it two different resturants? Is it one big restaurant? I have no idea. . . We eventually got inside somehow. Right when I got in there, I felt comfortable because I saw the sushi chefs were Japanese & the waitresses and staff screamed out "Irashaimase!!!!" as we walked into the door (which is always great to hear despite it scaring the living daylights out of you if you don't expect it). Also, there were copies of the Japanese periodicals (San Diego's Japanese community version of "The Reader"..... only in ALL Japanese). There was copies of the Yu-yu and the Lighthouse. That also made me more comfortable because that shows that they support the local Japanese community and a bunch of the community go there to eat. On the menu, there were many items there that you would NOT find @ a regular Japanese restaurant. They had things that more traditional Japanese restaurants have. So a good mix of things! The food was decent, tempura on the very good side. The food for the four of us came out in staggered times, rather than all at the same time or at least in close succession. The service was great and usually at these small local Japanese restaurants, the waitresses are some of the Japanese wives in the area and they all work as a team. If our waitress was busy, another waitress would come over and take care of us. All in all, I would go back there again and try other things next time. Gochisosamadeshita!!! read more

I'm not really into ramen noodles because of my high school years. I used to eat like 3 packs of ramen noodles a day. Now as i'm aged I don't even want to look at another bag of noodles especially with that cup of noodle taste. Well a friend forced me to go to Kanpai and she forced me to eat the spicy ramen. I agreed and it really changed my mind about ramen noodles. The broth is made really tasty and I can't recommend it enough. read more

I rushed out this morning for work, so I forgot to bring lunch. Oh well, eating out it is! It was rainy and chilly so I headed to Kanpai for some Tempura Udon. I was greeting right away by a nice girl who took my order. She even gave me some complimentary hot green tea while I waited and watched bizarre foods. My udon was packaged and ready to go just as I finished my tea...perfect timing! The aroma of the udon that filled my car was so good that I couldn't wait to get back to the office. The broth was flavorful with bits of seaweed, chopped green onion, fish cake, and shitake mushroom. The tempura shrimp, zucchini, and sweet potato was nice and crunchy too. Overall, a great big bowl of delicious udon and perfect for a rainy day. They also have 2 item lunch bento specials for $8.50 and 3 items for $10.50 and rice bowls like katsudon and oyakodon. Kanpai is truly a great find in the midst of taco shops for authentic Japanese food in the South Bay. The parking lot is small and shared with other businesses in the small strip mall, so parking can be hard to find at times. The restaurant also seems to take up the space of two former restaurants. The sign next to Kanpai still says Gunco Ramen, but it's still Kanpai. I have to remember to keep this in my regular work week lunch rotation. read more

My poor little South Bay is poorly lacking in good places to eat so I'm hap-hap-happy that Kanpai is here. It's nothing fancy or elegant but the food is consistently good and the prices are reasonable. The sushi has been fresh and delectable on several occasions and the noodles are yummy. My mamasita loves the combo with fried shrimp, delightfully draped in a crunchy sweater, not greasy at all. I love the little pickled goodies that come with the combo and have yet to be disappointed. If you're in the area and you're not in the mood for Mexican, come here and your tummy will thank you. read more

Love the spicy chanpon here! (Recommend it) So good and comes in a good portion. It is authentic japanese food. read more

Kanpai - Spicy chanpon - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

I really like it here. The ramen may not be up to par with that of Santouka, but when I want to sit down and enjoy a meal in a cozy little restaurant, I'm going to come here. I love that it's in some nameless little corner of Chula Vista and is still operated by Japanese waitstaff and cooks. The Champon is great, and it's something that Santouka doesn't offer, so I'm actually free to love both places equally. :) The black sesame ice cream is also a must try. read more

Visited Kanpai last night. My boyfriend recommended eating there, so we did. It was packed and I can see why. I ordered the shrimp tempura roll and it was quite tasty! My boyfriend ordered the ramen bowl with pork and he was very satisfied. We also ordered a bottle of fuji apple sake and that was sooo yummy!! The only thing that was a bit upsetting was my boyfriend had to wait 30mins before receiving his food. We ordered at the same time and I got my sushi roll fairly quick, yet, the people that were coming in after us were getting their food, while my boyfriend was sitting there with nothing in front of him. All in all, I would still come back(: read more

Who knew this place has been around for 20+ years.. It is a diamond in the rough! Not the most appealing place. However never judge a book by it's cover. This place is by far this BEST MOST AUTHENTIC Japanese restaurant I have had so far in San Diego ! The service could be a little bit better but other that I loved everything else! So far I have had the Chanpon, Ginger Beef, Chicken Fried Rice Bowl. LOVED EVERYTHING! Chanpon- Full of life, flavor and food~ Talk about filling. This will fill you to the fullest. Honestly, I can not wait to go back this brings me home to my grandparents cooking! read more

Excellent. A good 30 minutes away, but we'll worth the drive. Soup was flavorful without being overwhelmingly salty. Superb balance between the flavors of the ingredients, the variety in textures, and I can't say enough about that ginger. Definitely gives the hakata ramen a nice fresh overtone that I hadn't ever experienced in ramen before. Noodles arrived perfectly done. Generous serving size. Definitely the only time I've walked away from a ramen place and stayed full till the next meal. Kudos. No complaints. read more

BY far, the best Japanese food in the UNITED STATES. The grilled teriyaki squid, in my opinion, is the best thing on the menu. And you can never go wrong with any of the ramen selections. My personal favorite is the spicy ramen or chanpon. Everything is delicious and authentic...just ask the Japanese business men huddled in the corner. Every employee there is Japanese and I have NEVER had a bad experience there. P.S. To those that always need something to complain about... I know Japanese food in Japan is probably better. I don't know how many military brats or servicemen have tried to shut down my love for Kanpai to tell me nothing compares to Japan. Ummmm, DUH. read more

this is my favorite sushi place. it has a little bit of everything. the owner is behind the sushi bar most nights and if you show a genuine interest in sushi, he WILL make recomendations and entertain you while you sit at the bar. full of japanese expatriots and transplants. to me this is always a good sign. the list of things i love? ramen here is amazing. chanpon is my personal favorite. pork cheek. beef tongue. stir fried bok choy with pork belly and bonito flakes. hamachi kama. grilled squid in ginger sauce...the list goes on and on. a little robata, yakitori etc. it's all good. and then there is the sushi. if memory serves me right, the owner's name is Gaza. he is very engaging and happy to see people have an interest in japanese food. on many occasions, he has sent a couple pieces of nigiri my way, based on what i liked. he also writes the chef's special list every day. there are always new things to try. they have a very decent selection of nigiri and sashimi. i am allergic to shellfish and imitation crab so i generally cant eat rolls. the staff is VERY friendly and will remember you if you come in more than once. the beer is also cheap during happy hour. there is a general feeling of cheer and happiness when it's packed. please give the place a try and remember, maybe it's not as good is it could be in japan, but it's a great restaraunt tucked away in chula vista. enjoy! read more