Excellent quality sushi, inventive rolls and delectable hot side dishes in a warm, comfortable and utterly unpretentious atmosphere. The servers are attentive and charming, the prices are reasonable given the top-tier quality of the fish, and this place is great for groups or just a date night out. The clientele is diverse and fun, and there is plenty of parking on the nearby side street. Oh, and the desserts (which I forgot to take photos of) are insane. We got the tempura green tea ice cream and chocolate lava cake. To die for. I've heard there are 4 other locations in LA, and even one in Tokyo - all under the same ownership - so you KNOW this place is legit! read more

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I've been here more than 5 times I think? Such a great place to enjoy some Japanese cuisine. Servers here are friendly! Music is calm and the place is clean. I'll come again! read more

Quality sushi roll and a lot of special dishes. All authentic Japanese food. Also very affordable. Amazing customer service by Hotaru read more

Kanpai has a wide selection when it comes to the menu, from the rolls to the ramen. The miso ramen was tasteful and filling. The pork was fine (not my favorite but good) and the noodles were thin. The rolls were pricey but generous with the amount/count. The rolls were fresh and perfectly rolled! The staff were extremely kind/helpful. They were also attentive and on top of everything. The ambiance is relaxed seating but also on the quieter side, great for a 1:1 dinner. read more

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I am a Kanpai 1 location fan and enjoyed Kanpai 1 food for decades! This visit caused me stop at Kanpai Santa Monica since our earlier appointment was close in proximity to this location! Being from Hawaii, good fresh fish is common and not so fresh fish is easily spotted. OK, off my fresh fish high horse and back to Kanpai. Love the employee spirit and interation from the reservation phone call explaining I will be a tad late to the manager who comes over to chat with us. Little did I know the manager was a business partner to the owner who I've known for decades. Humble group of people ! Located in the heart of SM on a main street with street dividers so use your GPS to guide you for the sake of parking and not having to go around the block because you were opposite side of the street which they are located on One word!!! AZURE... sake. Be sure you try it as it is hard to find in markets etc. Don't say you weren't told! Fun fact- My bff and I have been going to Kanpai for decades and she fell in love with Azure sake. Whenever we are in the LAX area, we need to stop in at Kanpai wherever they are! read more

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Came here for their HH and so glad I did. Great HH specials on food and drinks. Great service! Food was amazing! Will definitely come back. Highly recommend!!! read more

Love their lunch sets! Great prices! Best tasting crispy tempura! Love their Happy Hour 12-6pm daily for food and sake and beer! Love their ramen! I love Kanpai! Woman owned! Japanese chefs! Great friendly staff! Free parking in the back. read more

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Came with a friend to try their 50% off hand rolls and had a great experience! We arrived shortly after 5pm and it was empty. The service staff was great - handed us the 50% off menu (only selected items are 50% off, not their entire menu, but it had enough items and good enough for us) right away. We spent a few minutes and were able to put our entire order in way before 6pm to get everything at 50%. The handrolls were a bit smaller than some of the other places but decent quality. I'd recommend those with raw, instead of cooked fish. The Agedashi tofu was excellent! A great appetizer to go with the handrolls. By 6pm the small place was near full and the 50% off offer stops. So if you want a satisfying and good value treat, come early! read more

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Found this little gem across the street from Whole Foods in Santa Monica and it's quite the find! Sushi, Ramen, and Sake too! Dropped in to have a little snack before heading to our hotel, and the food was great Ordered the eel hand rolled sushi and the tuna hand rolled sushi; hot sake and a ice cold Sapporo beer in a frosted mug Everything was delicious and perfect and I could not believe how reasonable the price. Great customer service and a truly Japanese experience. I will return. read more

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My friend, wife and me had a fantastic meal here! We ordered for a starter Shishito (sauteed shishito peppers with wild mushrooms topped with bonito flakes). It was very well prepared and tasted great! For our mains we ordered the Super Deluxe Sashimi Sampler, which consists of the freshest fish of the day. Phenomenal! The fish was so incredibly fresh, the textures and tastes were really the best that sashimi can be. We also ordered the uni, which was also incredible. All of the food was oishii-desu! A week later I'm still thinking about it --- that's how good it was. Our waitress was so first rate, so friendly she was in a class of her own. The owner was also wonderfully friendly. The ambiance was relaxed, chilled, with diners enjoying their food. Just a truly great place to have great Japanese food! read more

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We fell in love with Kanpai at first bite! Everything we ordered was fresh and so oishiiiii! We were so entertained by the staff and made the dining experience more fun. We shared a dish of edamame, sautéed mushrooms, Sashimi Sampler, and Uni Sampler. The restaurant has a nice soft light and comfortable atmosphere. Price range was on the high end. But definitely it's a must go to for authentic Japanese food. read more

Kanpai - Soft light atmosphere - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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The food and atmosphere were decent, but unfortunately my experience with our server completely overshadowed the meal. I never learned his name because he never introduced himself. He was a waiter with a black bob haircut and a green streak in it. From the moment my friend and I arrived, his demeanor felt cold and unwelcoming. Rather than escorting us to our booth, he simply pointed at it and told us to "sit." Our order was very simple. We both ordered waters, my friend ordered a ramen bowl, and I ordered a tempura roll. Throughout the entire meal, he only interacted with us a handful of times: to take our order, refill our water once, drop off our food, and eventually bring the bill. There were several moments that stood out as poor service. First, he never introduced himself or made any effort to be friendly or welcoming. Second, when I asked for two straws because both my friend and I had waters, he only brought one. My friend then had to ask again for another straw when he returned with our food. It was a small request, but he still failed to fulfill it correctly. The most uncomfortable part of the experience happened when it was time to pay. He brought over the electronic payment device, but it wasn't even set up for our check. When I turned it on, it displayed a generic screen with options and toggles that had nothing to do with our bill. I had to call him back over and explain that our check wasn't accessible. He eventually corrected it and loaded our bill. As I was completing the payment process, he stood nearby watching while I selected the tip amount and signed. I left a $2 tip because the service was minimal and inattentive. We were an extremely low-maintenance table, and aside from waters and two simple entrees, we asked for virtually nothing. Even the one request we did make--two straws--was not handled correctly. What happened next was shocking and incredibly unprofessional. Before I had even finished reviewing the receipt options, he abruptly grabbed the payment device out of my hands and loudly said, "ONLY TWO DOLLARS!?" I was genuinely stunned. Not only is it inappropriate to comment on a customer's tip, but announcing the amount out loud felt confrontational and embarrassing. His reaction gave the impression that he felt entitled to a larger gratuity despite providing poor service throughout the meal. He then sarcastically remarked, "You don't like my service, wow," before aggressively removing our two water glasses from the table and walking away with an obvious attitude. He never thanked us for coming, never said goodbye, and made no attempt to end the interaction professionally. What bothered me most wasn't the food or even the mediocre service--it was the entitlement and hostility. I've never had a server openly confront me about a tip amount, especially after providing such limited and inattentive service. The entire interaction left a very negative impression and ensured that I will not be returning. Ironically, every other employee we encountered seemed kind and welcoming. The server assigned to our table was the only exception. The fact that he never even introduced himself says a lot about his approach to customer service. His behavior was rude, unprofessional, and completely inappropriate, and it turned what should have been a pleasant meal into an uncomfortable experience read more

It's really surprising I've never stepped foot in this place! The food, service and ambiance was amazing. The sushi chefs greet you the moment you come in. Friendly vibe. This is what we ordered; Coke Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura App Edamame Yellowtail Sushi Sampler Creamy Lobster Hand Roll 7.50 20.00 30.00 [7 items] Sub Total Sales Tax 86.50 8.87 Total Due $95.37 By accident they gave us two creamy Crab Handrolls instead of lobster and they were so kind to comp it to us in addition to our creamy Lobster Handroll which was very nice. Will definitely come back here in the future. Excellent fresh sushi and extensive menu! I absolutely loved the Yellowtail sushi it's my favorite! read more

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Another fantastic meal at Kanpai! This remains my absolute favorite sushi spot in Santa Monica. The fish is consistently fresh, the service is always warm and efficient, and the atmosphere is perfect for a high-quality, standalone experience. Whether you're a regular or a first-timer, the quality here never wavers. I'll be back again soon! read more

Nice restaurant with great locations. The food is authentic. We ordered 2 rolls and 1 ramen, all are tasty, fresh ingredients and delicious. Nice service! read more

Kanpai - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Monica, California

What can I say about Kanpai? What a great local gem. My wife and I came for happy hour and shared several hand rolls and a grilled salmon collar! Incredible! Great staff and fun atmosphere. read more

Food Service And the prices are good Ambiance is authentic and feels like a cozy neighborhood spot, which is what it is read more

The happy hour is fantastic especially for the half off hand rolls. I really enjoyed the crispy rice topped with spicy tuna. Overall a great experience. read more

Really good..good service..recommend We came here anytime if we want Japanese food . The place very nice. Alot of parking lots. read more

Kanpai is delicious! They have everything from sushi to ramen to tempura, and it's all done very well. It's an accessible Japanese restaurant that's perfect for a casual, relaxed night out. Everyone can get what they're in the mood for! read more

As soon as we walked in we were greeted by the chef and our server. Ample selection of sushi and variety of liquor. Very clean and service excellent. read more

Absolutely love this place and our go to sushi spot! All kinds of freshest sushi, live sweet shrimp, uni, monk liver you named it. Authentic, great service and if you don't like sushi, get the ramen here read more

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The service was lovely and the ramen was good. I will likely be back again to try some of the rolls but I was in the mood to ramen with tofu and this was the perfect solution read more

Kanpai - Vegan ramen - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Ramen and hand rolls are great happy hour snacks. Service is prompt and courteous while entire dining area is clean and neat! Enjoy a lot read more

Kanpai - Grilled lemon salmon collar - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Monica, California

I don't think I've ever had anything that isn't delicious here. I'm obsessed with their TONKOTSU MISO RAMEN. I get extra noodles and broth because it's good enough to be 2-3 meals easily. The flavor is phenomenal and always hits the spot whether it is cold or hot outside. I've sat in the restaurant in Santa Monica and had lunch and dinner there and the service is great, it's a tight snug location but nice, the parking can be a bit tricky in the front on Wilshire but there are spots in the back. I highly recommend and plan on being a long-time customer for as long as they'll have me. read more

This place was incredible. The service was spectacular and the food did not disappoint. The spicy blue crab hand roll was the highlight, absolutely delicious. I'd come back just for that! read more

Kanpai - Spicy blue crab hand roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Good food, friendly service, and a menu with so many different options - what more can you ask for?! Pretty chill ambiance since im usually the only person there when im on my lunch break. I love that i can enjoy a peaceful meal. With that being said, Kanpai is a go-to for lunch! I have yet to try their sushi, but their ramen is yummy! Good serving size, amazing food quality and great flavor. The spicy miso ramen is my favorite. Cant wait to try their sushi - I've heard great things! read more

Kanpai - Spicy Miso Ramen - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Monica, California

handroll are absolutely delicious and HALF OFF?!? until 5:30pm.... i took my friend here and he's absolutely obsessed! if you go, dine-in and enjoy the half-off menu... read more

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Great local sushi spot! We came here on Sunday evening for dinner and were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food and the excellent service. We started with their cocktail specials - mine had shochu, sparkling water, and ginger and my husband's was the same but with lime instead of ginger. Both cocktails were unpretentious, reasonably priced, and very refreshing! For food, we shared the garlic edamame, shrimp dumplings, fried octopus, spicy yellowtail roll, and calamari tempura roll. All was very good but my least favorite was probably the fried octopus - the octopus was a little tough. Overall, we had a great experience and will definitely be back! read more

Kanpai - Refreshing ginger and lime cocktails - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Very fast and nice servers. Always a good experience, food is amazing too. Brought my Japanese only speaking grandma and severs were very patient and kind with her. read more

The food was amazing the cucumber salad is so good.the sushi was like so good and it tasted like fresh fish. read more

Kanpai - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Happy hour and food was excellent. Had salmon skin salad and hamachi hand roll. Yum! read more

Fantastic service and great food! We had chef's choice and it was a wonderful selection. Very fresh sushi!

We had such good food, "mimi" the waitress was so excellent! The hand roll specials were amazing for their price and their taste. Will definitely come back for more in the future! read more

Preferred restaurant on the westside for Japanese food (yes, even including Sawtelle). Both the tonkatsu and vegan ramen are sleeper hits, much better flavor and quality than some more celebrated places nearby. Their fish is always fresh. All their food is high quality, which is why it is more expensive than some other Japanese restaurants. The staff are always polite and welcoming whether for take-out or eating there. The restaurant decor is standard. What stands out is the quality and tasty food and nice people. read more

great ambience, the food is very good! happy hour has very nicely priced appetizers and the ramen is not too badly priced. servers are great and fast. read more

Fresh, delicious, service is attentive. Grandson from England insists on coming here whenever he's in town.

tasty ramen and tempura and amazing staff, just a real nice date night atmosphere and good ambiance

So good! Amazing. I really loved it wow. Didn't know this place before but so glad I came! Get chef's choice - So good. Arigato read more

I've been coming here for a couple of years, never a bad meal. The lunch specials are reasonably prices for the quality. Do NOT sleep on the chirashi lunch special if you are a hardcore sushi/sashimi fan. You can't beat the value. read more