I read a few Yelp reviews and truly thought this place must be pretty good. So we decided to go. We entered the restaurant, and were told we could sit wherever we like. We looked over the menus for a few minutes and then decided to place an order when the server brought us drinks. We ordered three rolls to start (I specifically said that), and it took 45 minutes to get the rolls, without a single check-in from our server. There was a group of five girls next to us that, a couple times were talking about the "terrible service" which made me aware I wasn't the only patron feeling neglected. The food was not anything phenomenal. Very heavily covered in sauce. I do feel it was better than glorified Costco sushi, but nothing compared to Gen Kai or Japanese Blossom in Chico. We had wanted to start with these rolls, but the server didn't even come to check on us! We nearly finished the rolls, I stopped eating so she might see that we needed something, but no. We had to flag her down after over 20 minutes. I asked how long it would take if we ordered more, as we had been here already over an hour. She responded with "I would have to check, and your rolls took longer because of the large party next to you." So I told her no thank you. And... since when in the restaurant industry is 5 a 'large party??' I know some places won't even take reservations unless you have eight or more!! I was so annoyed with the service. I assume it was the owner who got wind we were feeling annoyed, and he brought us over complimentary mochi ice cream. It was nice to be given some kind of something for our poor experience, and we were thankful, but the quality of service here couldn't be fixed by two balls of gelatin covered ice cream with a tiny umbrella stuck into one. Though I do love me a tiny umbrella. Overall, food was 3 star, not great but not terrible, but the service was 1 star. Some of the worst service I've ever had in any restaurant. Bratty, unprofessional just-out-of-high-school girls who haven't learned to smile I guess. read more

My Lady and I we're feeling spontaneous so we decided to get some tasty sushi as our last experience was enjoyable even though the tempura was overcooked. We ordered four rolls and none of them were really that good, bland relatively tasteless and too much rice. Our server seemed pretty disinterested when we asked if a specific roll was good or not and he gave us a smartass answer. On top of that the girl server who hadnt attended to us once until the very end to take out plates and ask if we wanted the check,(which we had and already paid) was over heard having conversation with a worker that was too casual for someone who was supposed to be working, like she was hanging out and chilling. On top of using language that wasn't appropriate. The other guests seemed unhappy as well. I'd like to give a better rating but for the price and lack of good sushi we won't be returning. read more

Service was great, the staff was really attentive and checked on us frequently. Our food did take a while to get to us, but no biggie there. I ordered two rolls and I left hungry so I thought the portions could've been a bit bigger. My friend ordered the French Halibut and it was two small pieces. He wasn't very satisfied. Overall, I give this sushi joint 3 stars...average in my opinion. read more

Went here for sister in law's birthday. Service was super slow. Took 30 minutes to take drink order. Then the sushi took 45 minutes to come out and forgot the second roll which they came up and told us after they tried to charge us that they ran out of shrimp. Not a good time. read more

Always the best fresh sushi in town love the new remodel thanks Sam keep up the good work. read more

Love the loco rolls tempera chicken, tempera onions and cream cheese perfect for a sushi sissy.

The sushi is great, but as you have read in numerous other reviews, the service has gone from mediocre to awful. On top of that, they play blasting loud Top-40 music that would be appropriate if their typical customer was a 14 year-old girl. If I hear Katy Perry's 'Roar' or Adele's screeching 'Hello' one more time, I'm going to get sick...they play both every time I'm there at ear-splitting level. So...the first bit of advice: Bring ear buds, or better yet, full headphones! Or stop at Home Depot and get a box of ear plugs like they use at construction sites. Second bit of advice: Plan on the process taking a long time, so bring a crossword puzzle or a good book to read. Tonight when I was there, the service was so bad that I was planning on leaving a 10% tip, half of my usual 20% at other places even for average service. I got the check after a long time waiting after I finished, and put my credit card on the table, and when no one came to pick it up, I left $21.00 cash on the table to cover the $20.22 bill. I would have been more generous, but when they can't even bother to pick up the credit card? What Kampai Sushi needs is a visit from the Restaurant Impossible reality show right now! ...and turn off the damn stereo! read more

I've been to Kampai Sushi several times and have only been disappointed once. That time I excuse because they were super busy. Everything took a long time, but once my food arrived it was wonderful. The rolls are great every time I eat there I am never disappointined with the food. The guys working the sushi bar are super friendly and it has a good atmosphere. When I want to impress people who've never had sushi I take them to Kampai. read more

No Stars!! 8-19-16 I have been a Kampai fan for a long time, until last night. In the middle of eating our dinner salad, my mother in-law reaches for a napkin and cockroach scurry's across the table. (And I Know it was a German Brown Cockroach because my parents have owned a pest control company for 20 years and I spent time working for them as a teenager/young adult). With a room full of other guests we wanted to be respectful to others and had the server ask for the manager/owner. We respectfully informed the owners daughter/ manager that we would just like to pay for our salad and wont be staying to eat our entree's and explained to her what just happened. She looked at me with a blank stair on her face.... As I walk to the register and she puts a ticket in front of me, I ask her. " after a cockroach run's across our table your really are going to charge me for the three salads?" "Her response was, well you ate them didn't you" Inside I am completely disgusted and disappointed. I pay for the salads, and will never go back, and I will make sure everyone sushi eater I know doesn't either. (And we are a 2/3 times a month sushi family) I have never worked in the food service industry myself, so I'm not sure what I was expecting the situation to play out like. Please understand my disappointment. This is the first time I have ever posted a review on yelp. I am usually the type of person who picks up and moves on pretty quickly too. Just so disappointed that I felt obligated to write this. read more

The sushi is decent. Wasn't the best in Redding but it's good. The new expansion is nice though. Not my first choice.

I always stop by here when I travel to Redding. The Sriracha Roll is a perfect blend of tempura chicken, cream cheese, and Shriracha sauce!! Seething very different. read more

Great quaint little sushi bar with great food and service. I like the smaller less expensive rolls. You can have several.

Pleasantly surprised with how great their food was. Just what I needed after a long 11-hour drive from SoCal. Better than some Jap restaurants I've tried here in Vancouver BC. Will definitely look it up when I'm Redding again! read more

Unexpected find off I/5 in Redding. Fresh and tasty fish. Big portions, reasonable price. Hole in the wall ambience but feels authentic. Thoroughly yum. read more

ROACHES!!! I was nervous when I walked in based on the general cleanliness. Food was ok until a cockroach walked across us. We were sitting at the sushi bar. Based on the staffs reaction this was not the first time they had seen that. If we're seeing roaches in the middle of the day I would hate to imagine what it's like at night read more

I was unimpressed. We went there with the advise that this was the best sushi in Redding. If that is the case I think we'll be skipping sushi I'm redding in the future. We paid over fifty dollars on food we didn't even want to finish. :( read more

Good food. Not too much room. Only around 25 inside and packed. Service was good. One star off because of a couple of small errors which were corrected immediately. We will be back. read more

Love the dragon roll, great fresh sushi, good service

Went to have Sushi and had a total of 6 people. We arrived at 6 pm on a Tuesday. There was one other couple in the restaurant. We were seated immediately. Then the problems started. We got our menus and made our orders. we waited and waited and waited. Had to nag the waitress about water and beer and saki. The food started coming out 30 minutes later and they had two different orders on one plate and over the next 30 minutes the rest of our orders dribbled out. We had to continuously ask for more drinks then re ask. They had two waitresses and they were nice but not much help. We spent a lot of money for fair food and bad service. We wanted to pay and it took forever to get the bill. Not going back. read more

Sorry to report this place has disappointed twice recently. Not sure what is with all the 4-5 star reviews, this place doesn't make the grade. Menu expansion is too confusing and with far to many options, keep it simple people! Wish there were more options than rolls (100+ to choose from, you're killing me with reading a book for a menu). I tried the sashimi, not impressed. Sent back the mackerel...they gave me some excuses but at least cut the bill. Service unimpressive as well. Not coming back, this place used to be great. Sad. read more

Probably the best sushi in Redding, but not by much. It is very expensive for the quality they offer in my opinion. If you don't mind spending $18-$25 per person then go for it. It's good but not anything to rave about. Service takes a little long. read more

The sushi here is solid. The service and how long you are sitting waiting. Too long. Gonna have to scratch this one of the list. Sorry guys. read more

Bad, BAd, BAD service! Horrible service! Cant emphasize that enough! Not greeted, not seated, not even acknowledged! Finally sat ourselves, didnt get our food for quite awhile. Ordered the monkey roll which was delicious. Then it took a VERY LONG TIME to get our check, and then no one even came to take the payment! Awful bi*chy little girls working there......but, the food was delightful. What a shame. And forget about calling to speak to rhe manager. No one would let me speak to him......sketchy. read more

We love this place...excellent fresh food....the only drawback is the size...can't hold more than 20 tops....I wish they would expand!!....highly recommended for a quick bite if you have a hankering for Sushi! read more

The food was a mix. Sushi/sashimi was a 4 out of 5 but the bento boxes get a 1. The tempera was more like KFC deep fried. Service was poor, not the server but the kitchen staff. The six of us ordered a total of three bento boxes, four sushi/sashimi items, and drinks. Each item was prepared/brought out individually and there was about five minutes between items being brought out. This is not the first time they have served in this matter. Will I go back? Probably not. The first time I wrote off the odd service to being busy (about 75% full). This time less than 20% of the tables were filled and the service was just as poor. read more

Amazing little sushi place!! As a culinary student in napa, it's very nice to come back home to redding and eat at a great place like this!! read more

Kampai Sushi - Dragon ball - Japanese Near Me - Redding, California

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Always love coming to this place. The Death roll and Monkey roll are delicious as are many of the fusion rolls. Service was great. Relaxing and comfortable environment. Great sake and calamari was delicious too. I'm sure you could try everything on the menu and never be disappointed. Sam and his staff are wonderful. It's a must go!!!!! read more

This is the worst food I've ever had in my entire life. Obvious they have changed hands...so sad...used to be so good. The waitress was so slow and the cook so very slow and for what? The food was unbelievably horrible! Chicken dry and tough, like constipated dog poop. Teriyaki sauce watery ,uninteresting, flavorless. Vegetables, not cooked, miso soup uninteresting, watery, tempura sauce the same, watery uninteresting. We were all so disappointed we couldn't even say anything as the whole experience was so bad. We were embarrassed for these obviously inexperienced people. This place will not last, word will get around. read more

This is absolutely the best sushi in Redding. I've had friends who prefer other places (on Hilltop, perhaps?) but they wouldn't know good sushi if it hit them in the face. Always fresh, always original, extremely professional sushi at Kampai. If you are a person who actually likes sushi, this is the place for you. read more

The food was good. The service was terrible. And now they've charged me tree times for the same meal! I won't be going back there again!

A bit hidden, but worth the search considering the alternatves.

Order the chicken donburi. You won't be disappointed. Best I've ever had hands down. Seared tuna was also excellent.

I just moved right around during the corner from this place and decided to try it out based on all the rave reviews. It was delicious and I highly recommend this place for great sushi. We got the death rolls, monkey rolls, and dragon rolls and they were all amazing! Oh, the miso soup was great too read more

Best and only Sashimi I will eat in Redding. Decent quality fresh fish and tasty special rolls plus friendly, fairly reliable service with kindness and understanding towards the GF diner and Tamari keep me coming back here and only here for Sushi in Shasta County. Definitely not up to the standards of the SF Bay Area, but beggars can't be chooser's when you got's to have your Sushi fix and you live in a cow town filled with honkey's who wouldn't know decent Sashimi from a hole in the ground! So try to keep it in perspective if you go and enjoy the cute atmosphere, friendly chefs and the fact that at least you have AN option. And Kampai does get very busy and has weird hours so be aware when making dinner or lunch plans. read more

Been here a few times, It's decent for sushi but overpriced for what you get. I've been to many sushi joints that are far superior and are about 9-12 dollar range for a roll of excellent sushi, here it's about 14-16 a roll and less quality sushi. Atmosphere is nice, service lacks. . . very little organization in it at all really but friendly people. They run an honest business but for sushi, it's just overpriced mediocre. read more

The raw sushi was not fresh. The monkey roll was GREAT. The teriyaki chicken was tasty and the wasabi was HOT!

Hamachi sashimi was awful, didn't cut the bloodline off. Chewy and fishy. Very unprofessional and bad service for the large bill. Atmosphere was silent and uncomfortable, been here many times and the service has only gotten worse. read more

I really like this place. Its really quaint. The sushi is good and its fresh! I love going to lunch here!!

Very cute, good service and decent food. One of the best Japanese places in town. The hours can be weird, though, so It's best to call ahead. read more

Hadn't visited Kampai for a long time...how could I have not? Best sushi in Redding bar none. (Pun intended )My daughter wanted sushi and I thought about Kampai based on reviews on Yelp. We (daughter, granddaughter and I) set at the bar and enjoyed visiting with the chefs. Very friendly staff. Very attentive. On top of that really great sushi. My Daughter and I both agreed to do this at least once a month. read more