Service was fantastic as was the all the food we had during our visit! I think we found our new favorite place, we will definitely be back!

Great food,Awful service. We went during lunch and the restaurant was fairly empty. There were no clean tables other than the teeny ones by the stairs do we chose to sit at the bar. We started with water and then had to ask for other drinks since no one checked on us. Our appetizers never came. Partly because they waiter didn't listen or verify our order and because they were out of ingredients to make some of it. When we asked they realized they got our order wrong and never told us they couldn't bring our spring rolls. I was pretty much done with my meal when I finally got our appetizer. They apparently close for lunch and we were rushed out . Disappointing experience despite it being highly recommended by locals. We were clearly not hipster enough for the place. read more

Love it, love it...Its my fav sushi place in Springfield. I love all the specials. The venue is great, I wish we had more space between each table, music is a little bit loud, your order does not take to long to be on your table. read more

I have eaten there dozens of times, drank there twice as many times. It's a great location with amazing food & sushi. The owners are fantastic and always willing to say hello to anyone and everyone. Staff is great and Chris, the guy in charge of catering (who is also part of the waitstaff) is fantastic to work with. The spot has great feel & ambiance and is one of the best locales to 'be seen' in Springfield. On the weekends they have great DJ's downstairs in the bar area while serving phenomenal food upstairs. My only complaint is a few times they have overbooked reservations and made myself or other parties wait, but they always take care of you on the check side for the inconvenience. Highly recommend this place for sushi lovers and Japanese steakhouse lovers! read more

The atmosphere here was amazing! It's like a night club for sushi! Wednesday is college night, half price smaller portions after 9pm is great if you're looking for a lighter late night dinner and beverage. All of their sushi is amazing and they have a whole menu of other Japanese cuisine that is just as good. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants in springfield, for a dinner date or a quick bite for lunch! The service is impeccable, and I have never been dissatisfied with an experience here! read more

amazing sushi, amazingly beautiful staff and the ambience is classy but also very inviting! gotta try this place if ya in Spfd!

Kai is amazing. Great food, great drinks, great people. What else could you ask for. Definitely recommend it.

We totally love kai, and they totally had a 5 star review in my heart until they got rid of my favorite appetizer lobster Rangoon. It was definitely half the reason we came and I'm really bummed I can't have it with my sushi read more

Love this place, but so disappointed that they got rid of the lobster Rangoon. I went mostly fried food free in January and only reserved 3 items that were fried that I would continue to eat. The lobster Rangoons were one of those three. read more

This is always my go-to sushi place. Never had a bad experience here. My favorites are the American Beauty and Lobster Monster. The Oh My God roll doesn't disappoint either! Our favorite appetizer is the asparagus/tempura/cheese one (can't remember the official name). So good!! I will agree with some of the negative reviews as far as the hostesses not being the "friendliest" people ever but the food is so great that the hostesses aren't going to keep me from coming in. And I would say 9/10 times, we have really great service. We've never had bad service sitting upstairs. read more

This is by far my favorite sushi restaurant in Springfield. I visit Kai at least once a week. I really like that they serve sushi (no kitchen available - like teriyaki chicken for ex.) until midnight. I lovvve this as I am always up late and wanting GOOD food, not just fast-food. Wed. nights are college nights from 9-12, which can be pretty crowded starting at 9, but simmers down at 10/11. I like going on Thursday nights, which is ladies night, with 1/2 price martinis and $4 jalapeno rolls (my personal favorite) and $4 sex in the city rolls (also a good choice). [I'm PRETTY sure these are the prices...] Monday and Tuesday nights they have a Tapas menu, which I like as a cheap appetizer as they are small portions and you can get one for $3-$4. In reference to people being ... basically stuck up here, I have been to about 60 different sushi restaurants throughout Missouri, and all sushi is considered a classy affair. Sorry if you feel uncomfortable in sweats, but I prefer to go here on a date night and get dressed up. read more

Amazing, Awesome, Terrific! We were stranded at our hotel during a blizzard in Springfield and needed to get some take out. Both of us love Japanese food and found the gods were with us when we realized Kai used Door Dash for delivery. OMG... their food is full of flavor, fresh, good portions and delightful. We agree that we will visit Springfield again for Kai's food... this time in the restaurant.. read more

Great place to eat with a matching atmosphere. The waters are professional. They can get busy at times so make a reservation. You may want to dress up a little. read more

My favorite sushi in Springfield MO which actually has the best sushi I've ever had though I've tried sushi in KC and St. Louis as well. The Miami Vice roll is amazing and while fried sushi may sound odd to some it is delicious. I went there for special occasions only since sushi can get expensive. The atmosphere is gorgeous upstairs where dinner is served. Its all plush velvety red and black with gorgeous beaded off areas and beautiful lighting. My friends were always impressed when I introduced them to Kai and I even went there for my sister's bachelorette party. Its right by a parking garage so don't worry about parking. read more

I really enjoyed Kai. The bartender (Pete) was incredibly nice and makes great drinks. The Mr. June and American Beauty rolls were top notch. Easily my favorite restaurant in Springfield. read more

I have been to Kai several times and the more I go there the better it gets! My favorite food so far is the hot rock, and my sister and I come here often to also get the fried asparagus with a sauce which is a total delight. I could highly recommend this place to anyone who loves sushi or is huge foodie in general! read more

Some of the best sushi I have consumed, and I've lived in Seattle. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is the overall service left something to be desired. read more

So, I always unintentionally end up here when I go downtown with friends or for casual romance. I've eaten here with drinks more times than I can remember. The sushi and other Japanese staples are fresh and will not disappoint those who are familiar with traditional fare. I love the atmosphere and I think subconscious nostalgia from my time living in the Southern Honshu area keeps bringing me here. The building is thin and long, the lighting is very dim, and the styling/lighting modern and colorful, much like the urban bars and restaurants one would frequent on the streets there. In fact, I'd even say it reminds me of some of the larger yatai the way the tables are set up and if there were more windows. The hostess is always easy on the eyes, the staff always attentive and courteous, and the drinks always strong; a winning combination. read more

We had a great time at my daughters birthday with 15 people! Great service with so many people! The food was expertly prepared and served beautifully. The bartender was amazing! I always have trouble with poorly mixed drinks but not here!! read more

If you're looking for a nice, quick lunch venue, try Kai. The food is tasty and the service staff very friendly. The tables up on the 2nd floor are a bit crowded and the stairs are many; however, the tables on the 1st floor are very sparing and the ambiance less desirable. Be sure to try the "Wok Fired Edamame" as it's a wonderful treat. read more

Have dined here a number of times, most recent visit was this weekend after not having been for sometime. Hostess is terrible, unaccommodating and seems to serve more as a place holder than a functioning employee. After being seated late for our reservation we waited at least 15 minutes for our server to show up. We asked twice about his presence before he finally came with the revelation that he didn't know we were there. This is a Friday night 8:15 reservation... We ordered immediately as we had already had plenty of time to see the menu. We ordered 3 appetizers and entrees for our party of 4. We were hungry and ready for appetizers ASAP. After waiting another 50 minutes, with the waiter returning only twice to literally breeze by the table to report our food will be up shortly, we received our appetizers and entrees AT THE SAME TIME, with no acknowledgment or apology. He simply stated the kitchen was backed up and left. I will say, our food was good. The spicy seafood soup is excellent, my dragon roll was great, my husband loves the sea bass... but, I doubt we will return to be simply handled by the waitstaff and hostess in hopes of some good food we may wait for upwards of an hour to eat. read more

Great food in a unique atmosphere. Fast and friendly service, reasonable prices. They have a great martini menu with lots of options to choose from. read more

The best about this restaurant is Ms. Young and great service from Logan. She invited my girlfriend and I back to Kai after a bad experience. She suggested 2 different rolls that were just OK but the tuna with jalapeno were definitely out of this world. Turned out that it was her birthday so it was cool that she came in to resolve our issue on this day. Other than that, this place caters mostly to college kids and I doubt I'd come back. I would rather try another one of her restaurants. I think my favorite part of the meal was when she fed my girlfriend some tuna insisting that she would like it even though she doesn't like sushi. It was kind of romantic :) ..my gf thought the same. read more

This was not a good experience. We made reservations for 10:15 pm for dinner. We knew we were going to be late. But we got there by 10 pm only to be told the dinner tables available upstairs were not available. They should've told us this when making the reservation. We were seated at a table at the bar which got progressively louder. We were told (at the time of making the reservation and also when we got there) that the kitchen was open till 11 pm and the sushi bar was open till midnight. We ordered the gyoza and seafood cakes. It was exactly 10:05 when we ordered the appetizers. Well......we were still waiting for the appetizers at 10:30 pm!! We asked our waiter if we should cancel the order. He was really nice and really apologetic. We finally received our appetizers at 10:40 pm. The gyoza was good but it was cold. The seafood cakes were very tasty. Maybe we were really hungry by then. The waiter apologized and asked if we wanted something else from the kitchen. We ordered the misoyaki cod. This arrived pretty promptly but instead of the miso sauce the cod was caked with the sweet teriyaki sauce. I scraped off the teriyaki sauce, which made the fish taste better. We decided nothing more from the kitchen. We then ordered some drunken tiger sushi rolls that arrived promptly though somewhat overpowered with siracha sauce. Let's just say we're not going back to Kai in a hurry. read more

Awesome! We come here all the time! my favorite is spicy tuna on crispy rice. It's not on the menu but if you ask for it they will make it!!

The trendy choice for sushi in Springfield. Ultra modern decor, great location downtown. More of your upscale crowd or those on a date-night. People always seen to dress to impress here. Sushi menu is the best, but expect to also pay for the best. Steps from movie theatre make it perfect for a dinner and a movie date night. read more

Kai is a great place to eat and have drinks late night! The food is fantastic, and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. I would highly recommend Kai to anyone looking for amazing sushi and unique cocktails. read more

I enjoyed the sushi and the uniqueness of the rolls and drinks. I went with the Jurassic Park roll which was delicious and had an app of Tuna Dynamite which were basically stuffed jalapenos with not too much of a kick which was great as well. The reason for only 3 stars though is because of the service. The environment was ok, but our waitress was not good. She had no personality and acted like when you asked her something it was a bother. She may have been stressed or overwhelmed. My plate was also forgotten when the food was brought out. Maybe if we decide to eat there again, the service will be better. read more

Sushi is pretty fresh but the service could be more efficient. It's not really worth the wait. Great location!

I am a confirmed Kai fan. I have read previous reviews. I am not a college student or a sushi-snob. I recently relocated to MO, and I am trying to find really good food. I have dined at Kai twice with my husband, and I was so delighted both times. It wasn't a special occasion when we went to Kai; we just decided to splurge on a delicious meal, and we headed to Kai. I don't do the fried rolls, but I have had many different raw salmon, tuna, and shrimp rolls, which I devoured with absolute pleasure! Delish! The staff is wonderful, the ambiance is wonderful. Thank you, Kai, for a little piece of the city in this town. I will be back again and again. read more

Great food, great drinks, ambiance, fast service! What more can you ask for?!? Highly recommended!

The best sushi and the best decor since I lived in Miami and Hollywood, California. You need to see this gem. read more

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What a wonderful place to relax and have a great meal. The sushi rolls are some of the best I've ever had! Friendly service staff but a little off in their timing of drinks and food orders. The atmosphere is relaxing after a long day. Love this place and we will be back again. read more

Food is excellent, atmosphere is okay, and prices are okay. The problem I have is I feel like I'm eating in a club and it ruins the experience of a fine restaurant. I ordered a steak and asparagus and potatoes. Everything was great. read more

The sushi was very good. They have many of the favorites to choose from. The service was friendly and efficient. The cocktails were very good. We were in a hurry to get to a show and they were very accommodating. read more

I have been to sushi restaurants all over the Springfield area and by far Kai has been the best I have had! As an avid sushi goer I fell in love with the American Beauty Roll. The taste was incredible! Not only was the food amazing but the staff was wonderful and very helpful. I will most definitely be a regular at this restaurant whether it be for happy hour or a regular dinner date. I was not disappointed! I would most definitely recommend to everyone. read more

Food is always good! Had a problem with my reservation on Valentine's Day and the owner and management staff far exceeded my expectations.

One of the best restaurants in Springfield!! Literally everything on their menu is amazing

Was very excited to visit Springfield after living in Idaho for the past two years. And I have bragged about the sushi in my home town to my girlfriend. So I planned Kai into one of the must sees in our short visit. So excited we walked in and stood at the front for at least ten minutes, passed by employees and even looked at by the manager who was to busy talking to someone at the bar. So we decided to just seat ourselves. Sat another 10 minutes without being recognized. I asked the server when he walked by " do you work here"? He said ya as he walked by to go help another table. No eye contact and there were only two other tables in the restaurant. At this point I'm ready to walk out , he finally comes to table and says what can I get you. Not a hi, not a welcome, just a feeling we are an inconvenience. I ordered a beer and we ordered . Our food comes out which was great as expected. After eating we are the one of two tables and manager walks by and ask how was everything and I told him bad service but food was great and he'd here about it on Yelp. Oh and what's the servers name because he never told us. He walks away and comes back and makes excuses for our bad service, saying Josh was busy. I tell him I don't want excuses I just wanted a " hi my name is Josh," or "welcome to Kai" . I understand when someone is busy but that shouldn't be a reason to make us feel unwelcome. Afterwards Josh dropped check off and again no eye contact, not even an apology. The lack of service doesn't match the food, and since they do not value service I will never be visiting Kai again. I've had better service at Denny's. It would seem they have built a reputation from they're food and now feel the people who come to spend good money there do not matter. When Visiting Springfield do not go to Kai or Harunos, for they are the same owners. I would recommend Nakatos, they have great food, service is spot on and they are even cheaper. read more