Been trying to get to this restaurant for awhile because I've heard a lot of good things about it. It is one of those with wonky hours too. I will attachin pic. The atmosphere is very welcoming, very friendly and efficient service. The food was excellent. In fact some of the best in the South Bay. I definitely recommend. read more

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

Ordered the curry with chicken and was pleasantly surprised to find meat in the curry along with the traditional potatoes and carrots! YUM!!! Service was super quick too. Great little spot. read more

Kanpai - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

I love coming here! We haven't been here in a long time! They added new tables to replace the old ones and I noticed that the menus are completely redone. Nice touch Kanpai! I love dining here as everything I have eaten is delicious. My favorite is the bentos. The tempura is excellent and melts in your mouth. The ramen and noodles are my daughter's favorite items here. She's a noodle girl! I definitely love the service we got. The ladies here are very nice and kind! They refilled our drinks right away and made sure we were taken care of. They even catered to my daughter and gave her a smaller bowl for her udon soup and noodles. I will continue to come here over and over. I definitely recommend coming here for Japanese food. read more

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Having been a regular customer for years! Never disappointed. The staff stays the same year after year! 3 generations of my family love this place! read more

The sesame and lemon chicken is fatty and all dark meat with breading that falls off. Worse it didn't look fully cooked and the sushi smelled real fishy and was discolored, most likely having gone bad. This could have poisoned my whole family. The tuna supposed to be red was brown in the edges. I would give negative stars if I could. read more

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An old school Japanese place that we've been eating at for a long time. The ladies are friendly, fast and helpful. It's our go to place when we go home and even though there are other sushi places around, this place is consistent and a great value for your money. The do close for a couple hrs in the afternoon though. read more

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I really love this place...feels like home...very homey feel...love the food...I did not hesitate spending money for the delicious food...ARIGATOU!!!! read more

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I love Kanpai! It's fresh, staff is nice and I love their Ramen. I like the ramen here because the broth taste so fresh it taste homemade and the pork belly is so tender! I love that it's not crazy packed either. Sushi is good too. It's a good place to come when you don't want to deal with all the crowds. There staff is so nice too! read more

Kanpai - Ramen with pork belly so tender - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

It's good Japanese own . Chef is him self so if you order do way ahead of time . Be patient and be nice ! They trying hard . YOU NEED BE "PATIENT " lunch time takes while . Good food . Service by Japanese ladies are nice . So be fuckin patient !!!! Good people works here ! read more

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I had a quick lunch here the other day and as I was pulling up I was surprised at how many Japanese restaurants are in this area of Chula Vista. (See Rossi H's review for a brief history of the Japanese Americans in Chula Vista.) My mom ordered the chanpon and I got the premium black pork ramen. The chanpon is a seafood noodle soup with a milkier broth. My mom loved it. I enjoyed my ramen as well, although my mom thought that my broth was too salty. There was also a small but noticeable layer of oil in my broth, not that I am one to complain about grease or fat, but I know some people can be turned off by it. The pork was great, by the way, and the bowls are pretty large. I finished mine but my mom only had half. One thing that I would have preferred, at least for the other bowls, is to have a "mixed" bowl with a little bit of everything. The ramen menu offers your choice of broth, but then you must opt for either green onion, seaweed, or sprouts, and sometimes you just want a little bit of everything without having to pay extra. If these reviews aren't convincing enough, I will add that the servers and most of the clientele were Japanese. If it's good for them, it's good for me! P.S. Their happy hour offers half price beer and there are two big TVs in this tiny restaurant. read more

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A childhood favorite of mine. The bentos are so fresh and sooo good. 3 item combos are what my family and i love! A must try is the sesame chicken, pork or chicken Katsu and spicy tuna hand rolls. Service is always good and they are attentive and sweet! Walking in gives such an old school japanese restaurant vibe! read more

Amazing customer service & food . I personally like there ramen & chicken fried rice . Everything has a great taste . Definitely a place I would visit again. & due to COVID they only have outdoor seating and no indoor seating . All employees are wearing a mask and they have a sanitizer available at the front desk . Only bad thing I have to say is that they have a shared parking lot . Depending the time you go, it may be packed . read more

When my family moved back here from Japan, I NEEDED to find a ramen place. After some searching, this was the first place I found close to home (I live in Rancho del Rey). Let me tell you, I was NOT disappointed. I got the shoyu ramen and gyoza. Gyoza was pretty good, but the ramen was amazing. The broth was exactly the taste I was looking for and the noodles were cooked just right. The put in the bbq pork, bamboo, and fish cake as well (all of which are also yummy). For the price, it's really not bad. The bowl of ramen is a decent size, my sister and I split a bowl and were satisfied (just ask for extra bowls). The service is quick and they ladies working there are very sweet. Hot green tea is complimentary, just ask for it. This restaurant is a laid back, local mom and pop restaurant, so if you're expecting something over-the-top, this isn't it. Kanpai is always a go-to for a ramen fix, love it! read more

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It had been a few years since my last visit to Kampai, husband and I walk in, and it felt like we had just been there last week. The same ambiance, and best of all, the same staff. I wanted to cry of happiness that the waitresses remembered us and really made us feel at home, just like they use to five years ago! read more

I've been here a handful of times and this is one of my favorites Japanese places to come too. Atmosphere: The establishment has an old school feel of Japanese feel and culture. Food: their sushi is not too bad. and their ramen is decent. when i come here i usually order their ramen (closest ramen to get without having to drive all the way to convoy) Service: good service always had my water and hot tea refilled. Dessert: had the green tea cheesecake which was ok. couldn't really taste the green tea. i'll definitely come back for their friendly service and good food. and i like how there are a few large tv's for sports read more

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This is decent sized restaurant. The food tastes great and are decently priced. I always get the combination combo where you can either choose two or three items from the choices that they give you and it is served with rice, miso soup, and salad. I was super full from it. The two item combo is 10$ for 2$ more you can make it a three item meal. The restaurant serves Japanese dishes and some sushi but they don't have am extensive menu for sushi. But the fish is fresh. The service is great and so are the people there. read more

Kanpai - Combination box - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

I really enjoy this place especially the service and I think the food is also good quality. A pitcher of beer for happy hour is also a very reasonable $12.95. I keep coming back to try a different entrees. read more

Food was good... mussels suck... service was horrible. Took about 45 minutes to get two rolls and some baked horrible tasting mussels.. no way Jose... not with it. read more

Lousy waiting procedure. Cashier was swamped & didn't know how to run a busy Friday night shift. I stopped going here because of waiting staff are not properly trained. Yes I been coming here since 2002. Masako-Chan is the sweetest lady still there. I hope my food makes up for the inconsistency of their service. We were seated after the waitress had bypassed the waiting list & made 3 other people seated before us. Anyways, it's been 10 minutes & no service provided to the 30 minutes my party of 3 waited. read more

I usually prefer other locations up north for Japanese food)... But this place is able to give me my fix if in the area ... The tables are usually pretty filled, but I've never had to wait the few times I've gone here... I ordered some ramen, filled with green onions and bean sprouts... It was pretty tasty, and a large portion too... But I was disappointed that they didn't have soft boiled egg... I also tried a bento combo... Vegetable tempura and chicken teriyaki... Those items seem pretty basic though, standard and comparable to other places, no special touches... Service was friendly.. Food was brought out at an acceptable time frame. UPDATE- went here for dinner the other night.. Kids enjoyed their gyoza (I requested cooked well done)... I had a tofu steak, basically a square of pan fried tofu on a nice mild ginger/japanese sauce. I liked it. Their lemon chicken is yummy! Covered in a light starchy batter that stays crispy. A nice citrus flavor, yummy. Husband had their curry plate with a pork katsu. The pork katsu itself was a little tough.. But the curry had an awesome sweet/mild spice taste that was really good.. Nice short grain rice too. So yes, definitely my choice for japanese if down in the southbay area. read more

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Great place for down home Japanese food. The food tastes authentic and the service is great. I ordered ocha with my meal and the server made sure it was hot, like very hot. When I asked for a bowl of gohan the server happily brought it to me. I ordered edamame, shisyamo, soft shell crab and tempura udon. Everything was delicious, just like mom would make. read more

The food is excellent, the prices are decent, and the service is excellent. Not located in my favorite area but the inside is kinda cute with all the happy ca Knick knacks. read more

I was tying to avoid driving to Clairemont to find ramen... and it lucky day! This was a quick yelp stop and came across this place after craving some ramen with my boyfriend. The staff acknowledges you as soon as you come in. Our waitress was sweet and always checked up on us. She made sure we were taken care of! I ordered the spicy ramen and boy it was spicy! It was just my kind of spicy and the portion was huge. They had so much appetizers and entrees to choose from. I do plan on coming back to try the other foods. The price IS a bit pricey but the food portions will do. There's not many places around Chula Vista that offers ramen places so this will do! read more

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Went on a solo dinner date. You always have to treat yo self, right? I was seated and taken care of by a lovey lady who was supper energetic and on her toes the whole time I was there. I ordered two things so I can have enough for tomorrow's lunch at work. Went with the sushi combo A (came with salad and miso soup) and the Japanese curry with beef. The sushi definitely defeated my expectations. The different types of fish were rich, fresh and amazing in flavor. Possibly some of the best sushi I've had. It melted in my mouth like butter! The only sushi I left behind was the Ikura (salmon roe) just because I am yet to learn how to fall in love with it. My lovey server noticed and said next time I can swap it for any other fish of my choice. The curry was delicious. Silky, smooth and rich in flavor. It had a mixture of carrots, onions, potatoes and beef chunks served on a giant bed of rice. The service was great and my server kept checking up on me once in a while, which in my opinion is best. Not very fond of servers coming to my table every 10 minutes catching me with my mouth full. I will definitely be coming back to this place because that sushi combo was well worth the $20. read more

Kanpai - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Good food, great service, portions are a bit small. But it takes care of my fix for japanese food. :) They make great Ramen!! read more

I am surprised as to why the rating is low. This place is a legit hole in the wall restaurant that serves some great authentic Japanese food. It came highly recommended by my aunt who went with my mom months before and mentioned how she loved the champon dish here.. it is basically a soup noodle dish with some veggies mixed with shrimp and beef in a creamy broth. It was light and not heavy at all. I also ordered fried oysters which is something I always look forward to. The fried oysters here did not disappoint. The oysters were battered lightly in what it seemed to be panko, and that too was not heavy. I know this is a true hidden gem. They opened the doors st 1130 and the main part of the restaurant was packed when the clock hit 12noon. What was amazing too was that majority of the customers were Japanese! So for sure you're in for an authentic Japanese treat! read more

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Chula Vista. This is the OG Japanese spot. Been here for years. Lots of parking in front. Definitely good food here. Lots of choices on the menu. Prices are decent. There are 2 restaurants connected. Both the same owner. My go to is the Pork Katsu Curry. But honestly, all the food here is on point. Highly recommended. Note: They do have Japanese restaurant hours. So call ahead or check online to check if they're open. Enjoy. read more

The food is ok. The servers were attentive but what made my experience terrible was the woman who gives you the check. She has reddish hair. She gave us the check halfway through our meal. She didn't even ask us for dessert. She kept watching us and made us uncomfortable. I will never return because of her. I paid money for that food to enjoy. Not to be watched and hurried out by that employee. Do not come her if you like to enjoy your food. read more

Excellent Japanese cuisine !!! Best place in Chula Vista, best customer service , people are always soooo nice and help you if you don't know what to order . Very patient . read more

Rolls are overpriced for how they are made(Fish does not taste fresh and the roll basically is falling apart every time i picked a piece up). Ver small and skinny rolls. Ordered a rainbow roll and the inside was basically a piece of crab w cucumber all i tasted was the rice. philadelphia roll was basically falling apart. This place has definetly downgraded, very disappointed. read more

Came here for an early dinner (6pm) on a Thursday night. Was immediately seated, given menus, and drink orders taken. The initial waitress that sat us was more than kind! All smiles all around. However, the 2nd lady to come to us to take our order was just... ill mooded. When you ask her a question, she seemingly interrupts you and asks, "WHAT" and it just wasn't appealing as a customer for the entire establishment. Good menu items! Great diverse food selection. Majority of the pricing is fair. Except the Katsu curry which I must note to be a little too pricey... however, considering the fact that you can only find this dish up North, I couldn't resist. Not too busy on a weekday and parking isn't a problem with the lot it shares with neighboring places. read more

Kanpai - Curry rice with pork cutlet - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

I ordered $100 worth of food through Uber eats. It was a mistake no flavor obviously frozen food I could microwaved myself all advertised crispy was soggy and stale. read more

Excellent service delicious food and very affordable Prices.. Very friendly employees .. read more

The only place in San Diego that I've found who's ramen that tastes like how it does in Japan. None of the fusion food people here are obsessed with. Just good old traditional ramen. read more

you don't have many choices for Japanese food in west Chula Vista. The food is decent. The Kearny Mesa area is better but, this is closer to where we live. My wife likes the Kanpai special. it is a bento box with teriyaki chicken and tempura. I will get champon or sukiyaki normally. The sushi is ok. It is presented correctly and is tasty. If I am north, it is Convoy st. If I am in southbay I will come here. Since Kaga sushi closed I have been looking for a good replacement. The food is decent not exceptional but, is worth coming to read more

The food is soooo fresh and delicious. Super friendly staff and authentic Japanese. Happy surprise and I will come back if I'm ever in the area. read more

Not sure why this place has so many good reviews. Sushi roll fell apart. Rice wasn't sticky at all. Place is very small less then 10 tables and they charge you a mandatory 10% surcharge. The fried gyoza wasn't fried at all. More like heated on a pan on one side. And I got it 5 mins after I got my roll Very soggy and fell apart just picking it up. Very disappointed with the reviews and quality of food read more

My family and I were just leaving my sons jujitsu class and wanted something close by. We decided on Kanpai. The Server was friendly and seemed happy to be there which is always great. We also arrived just in time to enjoy their happy hour. Right away I saw something that I wanted. I was SOLD! I ordered four shrimp shumai from the happy hour because in south San Diego it isn't often that any restaurants have this heaven on earth shrimp shumai. I did have to mention they were extremely tiny and not what I'm use to getting. Also I feel as if they weren't made fresh which was a bummer. They were just ok. We also ordered veggie yakisoba that was flavorful and came piping hot like we like it. A couple of sushi rolls later were also just eh because the rice tasted like it wasn't prepared the same day. Overall just ok experience so we'll be back to give it another shot. read more

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Had dinner here last night we where able to order from the Happy Hour Menu . Prices are great! And the food was amazing . This was our first time here and will definitely be coming back here soon. read more

Kanpai - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Best !! I go for dinner last 20years Real Japanese food you can get Ppl are so nice "Champon" noodle is very famous That's from Nagasaki Japan Yes Gan san (chef) is from Nagasaki 20年以上、ディナーを楽しんでおります。 日本の味が楽しめて、迎えてくれる人々も暖かく 長崎出身のガンさんのチャンポンがオススメ！ read more

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