My favorite Sushi spot in Oak/east bay. Also absolutely love them for being open late. Most sushi spots close too early but not Kansai. Great service and great food. Sushi is and has always been fresh, rolls are always super solid and good. Some of my favorites are the sashimi (always my go to at any sushi spot lol), the Futo Maki, takoyaki, agadashi tofu and the catepillar roll. Also their tea is always hot fresh and tasty, sometimes other places I have gone to it gets watered down and tastes like hot water. Overall, great sushi spot in Oak that has great hours and great service/food. read more

I can say that this place was very underwhelming. I was expecting so much better from the pictures and the reviews. I think the negative reviews are a better evaluation of this place. Pros: large servings, even during happy hour. Drink prices are very good. Cons: quality of fish, rolls weren't great (kind of worse because there's so much of it). Service wise, we had to flag down the waitress if we ever needed her, but I'll give her the benefit that she was the only one working. Also, there were two flies that kept buzzing around. We named the big one Oliver and the small one Oliver Jr. yeah we're not that original. Btw, the spicy crispy fried tuna roll tastes like Korea spicy pork. Even had the same texture. Really odd. read more

Kansai - Crunch Spicy Tuna Roll - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

Good service, staff is friendly good food. music, lighting, temperature cool. Big portions.

I liked that they had their own parking lot. I had the katsu donburi which was a bit soggy. It came with salad and miso soup which were nice. read more

I've been coming here for over tens years and I appreciate the consistency. Not the best, not the worst. Nice layout and good customer service. I like to grab bento box a few times a month for lunch. read more

If you come here, you have to come during happy hour (M-Th at 10 pm, F-Sat at 11 pm, Sun at 11:30 am). During happy hour, many of their rolls and entrees are a couple of dollars off, and these couple of dollars save you a lot of money if you come with a group and order a lot of sushi. Although it's a great deal, you get what you pay for and the sushi quality isn't that good. The sushi rice for the rolls was really compact and a bit soggy. It wasn't fluffy like good sushi restaurants, it was dense and chewy. However, if your goal is to get full on sushi with a low budget, then this is a good option for you. The flavor of the rolls was actually pretty nice and I really liked the rolls with fried stuff because the crunch was a nice texture contrast. I do not recommend the baked rolls. The structural integrity was horrible and I had to eat it with a fork. Although the regular priced sushi here may not be worth it, the happy hour definitely is. If you want to get full on relatively cheap sushi, this is the place to go. read more

Terrible sushi, equally bad service. We came here on a Sunday around 8pm and ordered pork belly skewers, vegetable tempura, and two baked rolls (volcano roll and lion king roll). We got our food quickly but it all went downhill from there. The tasteless pork belly starter was a bad sign for a disastrous meal. Then it came the baked sushi rolls which were a total shitshow. After complaining about the one roll which fell apart immediately after touching it, and the other which tasted like it sat on the counter for 8 hours before being served, the staff acted offended that we sent the rolls back and defended their rotten tasting dishes. Also, we ordered both rolls as baked sushi. Both were room temperature. I'm not sure that they know what "baked" means. The tempura was okay though and was the only edible dish. So I guess poor quality food and subpar service are their standards. We would have been willing to give them a chance to correct the mistake, but they were not apologetic at all. We were so angry with their attitude that we cashed out and left $0 tip for the first time. The sad part is that they open late and is close by. That's why we came in the first place. Now we know this is a place to avoid. Will never return!! read more

I'm not big on sushi but my friends are which is how I ended of at Kansai 2 nights ago. With that being said, I will 1,000% be back again. Since I'm not a fan of raw fish I had caterpillar roll and the teriyaki chicken roll. The caterpillar roll was absolutely divine. The shrimp was perfectly crispy from the tempura and the sauce was delicious. As for the teriyaki chicken roll it was exactly what I imagine but somehow I was still pleasantly surprised. To drink I had a Pretty Princess and it definitely packed an unexpected punch for a cocktail that was so aesthetically pleasing. My only gripe is that our waiter never checked in with us after the food was brought out. Several people were milling about filling up water glasses but no one asked how the food was or if we needed anything. Additionally, when the plates were finally cleared it was at least 20 minutes before we were approached again at all so we were just sitting there waiting for the check. It was pretty strange. But otherwise I enjoyed myself read more

Go across the street to KORYO. This was genuinely the worst experience I have ever had when having sushi. It was so incredibly bland and flavorless, disappointing and lacking in all regards. I would even say the packaged sushi is better than this. Such a waste of money, and I'm not even picky. Please don't go here, save your wallet and your love for sushi. It's genuinely really bad flavor wise. We got 4 rolls and 2 hand rolls- they were all bad. read more

This is probably one of the only sushi bars open late in Oakland. It seems to be busy at all hours of the day. My friend, a local, brought me here as I was visiting from out of town. We arrived around 10 pm on a Sunday night. We split the nigiri mix (chef's choice), and she got the 007 roll and I the garlic albacore hand roll. Ambiance: crowded and busy Food: the roll was good. Filling and good. The hand roll was amazing. The nigiri mix, I wouldn't recommend. Service: awful. Our waiter was not accommodating at all. Didn't help or bother to inform what sushi was in the nigiri mix. He looked like he hated his job and didn't even bother to come around to give us our check. We had to buzz the button for that assistance. Bottom line, if there's another sushi joint near by, go there. This place is just busy hype. read more

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Seems like a popular rating (1star) this place gets. This was my 2nd time here and I only gave it another shot because the first time was mediocre but there was minimal wait here so I came back. Walked in and service was pretty quick. The issue was that it came TOO quick. We ordered a bake roll and 2 other rolls, however, it came out in like 5 mins. (Maybe even less?) we were a little suspicious, but thought little of it at first because we were pretty seriously hungry. As we consumed what we thought was fresh sushi, we soon felt the taste of "old" sushi. By this I mean that the rolls tasted like they had just been microwaved. Also, how does a bake roll come out less than 5 mins after we order? I'm not a sushi chef, but I would expect at least 5-10 mins based on previous experience.... anyways... last time I'm coming here in the near future. Highly recommend other places in Oakland as the sushi is likely (99.99%) better? read more

Kansai - Broke down sushi wish a slight touch - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

One of my coworker's significant others moved to the bay, so we had a welcome dinner here. There were 6 of us, and the bill came out to be just below $250, which is reasonable for the amount of food we got. We were seated promptly, although service did take a while. We got drinks readily, but we waited almost 40 minutes to order our food. Nevertheless, the chairs were comfy, and the atmosphere was lively. I got the excellent chicken teriyaki. The only minor downside was you got very minimal rice. I asked for some extra rice, and for another small portion was $3, which is steep for some steamed rice. They did provide miso soup and a giant salad that one of my friends ate. The chicken was good and cooked well. The teriyaki sauce was decent yet still flavorful. The table got several appetizers like the baked mussels and the edamame beans. Everyone at the table but me got sushi. They all said it was really good with a few exceptions. It was easy enough to pick off the pieces that no one liked. The biggest downside of the evening which really brings my review down was my friend's car got broken into, in the restaurant parking lot. I understand you can't be checking all the time. But we were there less than 2 hours on a weekday at 7 PM. The parking lot has a metal fence around it and gives the idea that it's safe but evidently, it's not. I parked on Telegraph right in front of the restaurant. Even though the food was good, I can't recommend somewhere that I don't feel safe. If they upped the security then I'd come back. read more

Kansai is easy peasy with parking, always tables available, and solid menu, happy hour prices and pretty good sushi on the regular. We have had a couple of rolls that didn't hit the mark once in awhile, but service is pretty good even during busy times. It is a family favorite and we love to dine among our amazing diverse and lively community who is often there enjoying meals creating a buzz of good energy. read more

Amazing! So delicious and pretty affordable in today's market.... The staff is amazing and sweet. This is my go to sushi spot in Oakland , I love that they have their own parking lot too. Sushi is always fresh and perfectly seasoned read more

Great service! Food was good, 7/10. My boyfriend said it was "mids", but I liked it! Sat us very quickly after our horrible experience at azit across the street! Service was great, friendly staff. Food came out quick and mussels were so good, didn't get to take a picture! We got the triple s, godzilla, in & out & sweet surrender! read more

Kansai - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

Veggie gyoza is actually godly. You might think it's real meat at first! So crispy, so flavorful, not the typical soggy green center of a vegetarian gyoza. Go to Kansai, get the veggie gyoza, and if you don't like it, you are the problem. I can't speak to most dishes because i'm too busy ordering plate after plate of veggie gyoza. Miso soup is also yummy tho and they bring it free for everyone. read more

Kansai - this was vegetable Gyoza Appetizer, but not anymore because i ate it all. - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

Came here late night with my friends after drinking for a couple hours. Sushi sounds amazing for some reason after midnight. We found street parking, and got a table within 5 minutes. They had happy hour, so we ordered off that menu, and I got a vendor box and my friend got udon. They forgot to bring out my friends lion king roll, we finished our food and just asked them to cancel the order. We had sake bombs which were very tasty, and another drink it was cloudy, and STRONG. The food was really tasty. For my bento box I got chicken teriyaki, and mixed tempura. My friend got the bento with chicken and gyoza. The gyoza was fried to left yams they weren't shy with the meat. This is such a great find especially after having drinks. I'll be b k soon, and am planning to bring other friends here for late night sushi!! read more

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I'm not sure what the most reviewed time of day for this place are, but we're on Japanese diner level time for this. It feels straight like a [Japanese] diner after 11pm in here. The food is excellent. We had fanicifed sushi rolls, nigri, a chicken and noodle yakisoba dish, and a spicy seafood soup. This place isn't going to rock your super high class Japanese restaurant world, but damn if it's not a late night diner of not Greek nature. Love it. Thanks for feeding me and my keto needs, late night! read more

I've been here way too many times and this place never gets old for me. Honestly this place is one of my go to places when it's late because the store is open pretty late and has good happy hour offers too. While the service can sometimes be lacking, it's good enough so that I don't have any real qualms with it. The food is always good and I usually get the 2 combo bento with a dragon roll. If not the bento, I'll get an udon dish and all are great. The portions here are actually enormous so definitely expect to have some leftovers if you typically eat very little. If you don't mind coming at odd hours, I would highly recommend coming during happy hours because the deals are honestly really nice. You can get a huge bowl of udon for $8 or you can get some other sushi for a steal as well. Overall, Kansai has been a constant source of good food for people like me that eat really late. Even though I don't live in Berkeley/Oakland area anymore, I'll still make a stop here when I am in the area. This place is definitely worth checking out if you're craving some Japanese food. Food: 5/5 Service: 4/5 read more

This is the best Americanized Sushi restaurant I have ever been to. It is open late and they have a great selection of sushi rolls as well as a large array and range of offerings on their Happy Hour Menu. This place is great for professionals, students, couples, friends. Decent service, great food, fair prices. Come grumpy, leave happy. Also, which ever Sushi Chef made my Lion King Roll, well done! Most delicious and satisfying Lion King Roll I have ever eaten. read more

Kansai - Best Lion King Roll I have ever eaten! - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

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A late night Berkeley student spot for sure - happy hour here has really good prices for sushi rolls and other Japanese dishes. The quality of the sushi is not the best, but you're also paying significantly less than other sushi restaurants. The selection of sushi options is pretty extensive, and they have all the classics like california rolls, rainbow rolls, and caterpillar/dragon rolls. A solid place for a late-night sushi fix! read more

Kansai - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

Kansai will be a place a go back to again! The sushi was amazing and the teriyaki salmon was so good! Everything we ordered exceeded our expectations It was definitely a hot spot! Loved the seaweed salad and the maguro melted in my mouth!! read more

Great food usually order it on delivery apps but always tastes good and fresh and lots of menu choices

I ordered a Lion King Roll and was not given fresh seafood. Despite me being hospitalized on the same night, I was unable to call and report to the restaurant immediately. In fact, the restaurant was closing upon my departure. As a result, I contacted the restaurant the following day and was told by the manager Sophia that a refund or remake due cannot be provided due to a made-up policy that is not posted in the establishment. As a regular customer, I was highly disappointed and will not be returning. Advice: Make sure your food is fresh, if not call the restaurant immediately and hopefully they can provide great customer service. read more

Very bad. My sushi had water on the plate. Too much sauce in the roll. The fish was bad. And today my friend and Iare sick today after eating there last night. read more

Looking for fresh sushi? A friendly staff? Great chicken teriyaki? This is your place. It's very hard to find good, reasonably priced Japanese food in Oakland. I love this place because the food is high-quality, staff is very friendly, and it has great ambience. I've been to both the Hayward and Oakland, branches of Kansai, and the food is consistently good. My only gripe about the Oakland location is that there seems to be some interesting characters in the parking lot. Meaning, homeless/unhoused people. Of course, this is not Kansai's fault, but just to be aware of that if you visit the Oakland branch. I can't say enough great things about this place. read more

Got take out and it waws fresh and delicious. I'[m a big fan of fried tofu - - and they did a great job. Recommend!

The worst sushi place ever.. I order udon, it's 15$ but take like cabbage soup. And the chicken tasted like stone. Never ever order udon in this place. 2nd I order Tofu, the first picture on appetizer menu Is not what is supposed to be. It suck. Fucking such .. I promise you guys, I want to pay the owner to eat if he can eat or not.. Cook to make sure human eat. Not the dog. Fuck this place. I never come back.. read more

I've been here many times at Berkeley. I have to say that it is my favorite sushi spot in the city, then yo's. The fish is always fresh, the consistency on the miso is always done right, the flavors are very well flavored! Can't go wrong here. The lunch specials are great too! Save money going during lunch! The prices definitely rack up the more rolls you get and you can't have just one! You gotta try them all! The parking might be one of the easiest spots because they have their own parking lot, but very limited, but it's better compared to having to park on the side streets for the restaurants around the area. Now for the service here, I'd give them a 10/10 because waiters from other tables came to check up on my girlfriend and I. I was able to get my water filled 3 times today and they had a full house! That's some hardworking staff! Definitely had to put that out there, other than the food, service is big for me. I'm sad they ran out of takoyaki, but that's an all time favorite for me, highly recommend! read more

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I'll keep it short and simple. HAPPY HOUR. This is were its at. Is the sushi good? Yes. Is it expensive? Depends on who you ask. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. But listen to me when I tell you that you aren't going to understand the hype behind Kansai until you check out their Happy Hour. And I know what your going to say. "But Sidy, it's so lateeee. I want my sushi nowww while the suns still out." I understand. And you can have your sushi when ever you want dear reader. But if you want to get the best bang for your buck while enjoying a rather extensive variety of sushi, sashimi, appetizers, udon, and more than starve your self for that extra hour or two and thank me later. read more

Kansai - Miso on the house - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

TLDR: decent quality sushi at good price Ok so let's start off with this disclaimer: this isn't the best sushi I've ever had but it's good for the price. I always come to Kansai for happy hour which is usually after 10 PM. The sushi here is always good and priced super reasonably which is why I always end up coming back when I'm craving sushi at night. My favorite rolls are the Katie1 roll, the John Roll and the Lion King Roll. These are all good rolls that include a good amount of fresh fish. In addition to the rolls, I usually get the chicken udon which is actually amazing. It had good flavor and a decent amount of topping! read more

Kansai - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

Alright Kansai!!! I am not a Sushi eater, i always thought it was okay! I was stubborn though, i tried sushi rolls like Lion King or California and always thought it was "Okay". It wasn't until i tried Sashimi that i found out what i truly was missing out on!!!! Kansai is a pretty big place to eat at, it has a bar and a few T.V'S! Parking is okay, they have a small lot and depending when you go you could find a spot on the street! This place seems to be popular as i have been twice and it is packed. So again i was not a big Sushi person at all but my son loves it and we came recently and i got the Sashimi Combo! It is about 15 pieces including Tuna, Salmon, Snapper, Hamachi, and Shiro Maguro now idk what all those are but for $28 it's fire! LoL. Fresh and tasty just dip it in that soy sauce with the Wasabi ( Babe showed me) and that's all she wrote. My son also grabbed a Salmon hand roll which he enjoyed and that was $5.95. What i enjoy also is it stays open late, i work til 8pm many days and that works for me! Great choice for Sushi! read more

Kansai - In and Out Spicy Tuna Roll!!! - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

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When you go to Kansai, you have to remember that you're not trying to get the highest quality sushi you've ever had. You're going for a ton of decent, cheap sushi and a great atmosphere. The price point is key - I don't know anywhere else in Berkeley where you can get a full platter of California rolls for just a couple bucks. For a place at such a low price point, there are quite a few unexpected benefits. The service is really good. They have buttons on the side of the table to call the waiter / waitress. The portion sizes are huge. One of the best hidden gems at Kansai is the sake bombs. They're super popular with the students at Cal. The beer is pretty cheap. They don't have a huge selection, but they have the basic beers that you would expect at a Japanese restaurant, including Sapporo, Asahi, etc. That doesn't mean that there's no room for improvement. The fried rolls sometimes have tails still in them, and I'd prefer that those weren't included. Overall though, I'm a huge fan of Kansai, and I think they're filling a real niche. read more

Kansai - Platter of sushi - includes spicy tuna closest to the camera - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

I've been here a few times now, for both happy hour and dinner. Their salmon sashimi is very big, fresh and good! I've tried a few of their rolls and they're almost too big (hahaha) but very good! We got the Katie 1 roll, and the John roll last night. Katie 1 was supposed to be spicy but I really couldn't taste any spice. Other than that they were good, though we couldn't finish them. Somehow it felt like everything came out within 5 minutes of ordering. Super fast! read more

Kansai - Katie 1 roll, John roll, salmon sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

A go-to place when you want cheap late-night sushi. Great deals for happy hour. Their rolls range from $2.95 to about $9 (if I'm not mistaken). They also have happy hour deals on their hot items, hand rolls, and alcoholic beverages. FOOD: You will get a ton of food for what you order. They provide complimentary miso soup, salad, and edamame for most orders. The udon is a great option if you're craving something warm. I would highly suggest passing on the ramen--the noodles were extremely soft and the entire dish lacked flavor. ROLLS: Get the sauce on the side!!! Kansai likes to drench their rolls with sauce and everything ends up tasting the same after a while. CA rolls are also a hit or miss. Sometimes the avocados are super brown and mushy. SERVICE: Fast and efficient. They get you in and out of the door fairly quickly, without ever feeling rushed. read more

Kansai - Happy hour California & spicy tuna rolls - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

Decided to go to Kansai for lunch as I was craving for some miso soup. Saw that they had a lunch bento for a reasonable $9.95, which comes with salad, miso soup, and two items w/ rice. I decided on chicken katsu and a CA roll. I ordered and paid online, it was ready within 15 minutes, and the transaction was contactless and seamless. The bento was well portioned, just enough for lunch without having you ready for a nap. Otherwise, they have other menu options. Their appetizer selections were numerous and reasonably priced. If it's the same as my college days, they might even still have half-off all rolls during happy hour. read more

Kansai - Two item lunch bento with chicken katsu and CA roll - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

The edamame is a perfect app to sit and socialize with as you await sushi. It's a nice chill environment during the weeks. Easy to sit and enjoy some good food for moderate prices. A lot of instagram ready food. read more

Kansai - Edamame carcasses, tempura shrimp roll, dragon roll - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

Finally made it here, I like this place I liked my sushi, I got the Lion King Rolls and Spicy Tuna Rolls they were good but they were very soft. My lion king roll kept falling apart. The customer service was alright which is the reason why I am not giving them 4 or 5 stars, they were not very friendly. But the sushi was flavorful and good. read more

Great food! Sushi is immaculate and the service is exquisite! Just ask for unagi and extra spicy mayo!

Got food poisoning here last night. The sashimi tasted a bit off and I saw a waiter blowing his nose. Not sure if he got around washing his hands. You've been warned. read more