Good, basic place, our go to for sushi. It's not the best sushi place in Raleigh, but they make what we like and it makes for a happy wife. We almost never go to steakhouse, even when that's what we want we sit down up front in the sushi and bar area. Basic and simple, there isn't much more to say. read more

Food was pretty good... however I had better. Portions are small . Our waitress was slow and inattentive. If you eat here I recommend attempting the Hibachi Bar. read more

Shoot me if I ever have to sit through another mall hibachi experience the rest of my life. Hector however was fantastic. read more

My daughter and I went for dinner around 8:30 last night and there were quite a few empty tables. So we were told to sit where we liked. Even with only a few diners, the service was poor. To start, I ordered a drink with the name "banana bomb" and it turns out to be a piña colada. When I told the waiter, he said, "yea, it's made like a piña colada and half a banana." Go figure. Edamame was hot, salted and good. Signature dish namesake, the meat was top shelf but cold. The vegetable medley, in which the meat was mixed in, was piping hot and good. The fried rice appeared to be scraped from the bottom of a pot, hard and cold. I asked for another plate of rice and it was better. But why should I have to ask in the first place? Chicken broth soup appetizer and salad with ginger were both good. Daughter had a bowl of soup and white rice. Very simple and uncomplicated. No complaints. For the money, disappointed. Waiter was read more

I love the Teriyaki noodle bowl. I always get extra sesame seeds with a teriyaki sauce. The best time to go during lunch time and you get a best deal and special attention when it's not so pack and you can enjoy a great meal. read more

We have gone to Kanki at Crabtree for years and have never left with the feeling that we would never return until last night. I took my daughter and several friends there for her 15th birthday. The server and hostess did a good job, but the food was terrible. Rather than cook it in the butter as they have always done everything was cooked in vegetable oil. The oil gave the food an oily texture (think rice cooked in lots of oil) as well as not such great stomach experiences afterwards. The cook did use a tad bit of butter for the shrimp, but that was after he began to sauté in the oil first. I understand butter has drastically increased in price, but I'd rather pay an extra dollar per meal than eat food not fried, but sautéed in vegetable oil. I asked the chef why so much oil and he said it was what they were told to do. I was beyond disappointed and was embarrassed as it was supposed to be a nice birthday dinner. We spent a little over $300 and I think next time we will cross this off our list and go elsewhere. My husband said to me tonight he is still getting the oil slick out of his mouth and I think I may try to use dawn mouthwash to get the oily feeling out of mine. No joke, it's that bad. Again service was good, I think management made a cost cutting fail by decreasing or eliminating butter. read more

Literally one of my favorites restaurants until today. My husband had some form of paper in his soup. Not sure if it was tissue or a wrapping but it definitely killed our appetite. The manager brought us a fresh round of soups and then there was the same paper substance in mine. She examined it and determined it definitely wasn't food and offered $5 off our meal. We also overheard the wait staff at the bar mocking us and claiming it was only a mushroom when it clearly wasn't read more

We've been customers for many years and we usually request a chef. Today was no exception and our waiter told us that our favorite chef was available. We got our drinks, soup and salad, at that point the other party arrived to the table escorted by Lynn the evening manager...they also requested a chef, a different one from ours...they even told Lynn that they were willing to wait for their favorite chef... well, to our surprise, our request was denied and the request of the later party was met, but ours not. The food was good, and the attention from the chef was ok. Why the manager decided to fulfill the other party request and not ours that we arrived earlier and we were promised a specific chef, I'm not sure. We still paying customers like anyone else. read more

First time here at Kanki and I think the food is really good. I wanted to get steak, shrimp, n salmon but the server told me no substitutions so I ended up getting steak and salmon. The salmon was delicious and the steak was good but overcooked. The rice pretty much just tastes like fried rice.. nothing special. The yumyum sauce was good but not the best I've had. Altogether the meal was good. But I am comparing this place to my favorite Japanese place on earth (Kobe's 610-Garrisonville,VA) and this place misses the mark just a tad. Still good! I would definitely recommend! Thanx for the experience!! read more

Kanki - Fried rice, sauteed onions, salmon. Good Af - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

This place is overrated. Food isn't all that's it's hyped up to be. Very bland. Eggshells in my rice. Only thing that was good was the steak on my plate. Shrimp was salty. Was just very disappointed in the food. Service was great tho read more

My daughter loves this place it's the best and food is soo good we always celebrate things here

The Scottish roll is amazing. I love everything Bout this place and wish I had one in my house.

I give the staff and entertainment a 3 star and the food 2. I'm from California and go to GOOD Japanese restaurants very often. This place was good on the hibachi grill but the sushi was not good. The rice was very sticky and hard to eat which took away from the taste of the actual fish. I had the salmon on the hibachi and it was good. The waiter we had was very entertaining and even scared my son at the table which was very funny. He interacted with us and kept the laughs coming. read more

Always a great experience and this visit was n exception. We went for my birthday, my son ordered the hibachi shrimp, and my husband and I both ordered the emperors delight. We made reservations so we were seated right on time. We were seated with 3 different families and each family had a birthday in their part, including me. Eric was our chief and he was fantastic, super entertaining and social and he also gave hearty portions! The miso soup and salad came out immediately after we ordered and were really good. The shrimp seemed larger than I remember so that was awesome and tasty! The steak was cooked to perfection as was the rest of the meal. The chef had the whole table try to catch a piece of chicken in our mouths. Out of the entire table my husband and I were the only ones that missed lol. At the end the birthday people were provided sherbet which was the perfect end to a wonderful meal. This will remain my go-to birthday retaurant!! read more

Kanki - Buddha - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

It was late about an hour before closing, but we were hungry. They were still seating people at the grills. Our wait for a cook was longer as expected. Normally, you eat your soup and salad while the food is being cooked, but that didn't happen this instance. Truthfully Crabtree Kanki is not always my favorite. I really prefer the North Market Square location. Finally our cook arrived with distasteful, but funny jokes in tow. I ordered the shrimp hibachi. Portions were plentiful enough to take home. I enjoyed my salad and soup while eating it of course, but have now have come to the conclusion that iceberg lettuce is not my friend. I ended up with the worse stomach ache later in the night along with some nausea. I just really need to stay away from it. No one's fault but mine. Other than that the food was good. I would have liked for my mushrooms to cook longer. It's obvious that our time around the grill was a but rushed due to time. I'm sure I'll end up at Kanki again, but no salad for me... read more

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Kanki is the type of restaurants that charge more for the experience or "show". But the show is just watching someone cook your food in front of you. And even then the food is average at best compared to other hibachi style restaurants around the area. And then you leave the restaurant smelling like grease. But if you just eat at the normal tables with no grill you still pay the same price as if you were on the grill. So you might as well go eat at the grill but the wait times can be outrageously long. Will I probably eat at Kanki again? ...meh, maybe if I'm at the mall during a slow time and if I'm really craving overpriced hibachi. Other than that, hell no. read more

The food and sushi was out of this world. Was told the wait was an hour and 15 minutes later we were seated the chief has been doing this for a while but, I felt bad for the table next to us their chief was not that good he didn't give them a show like ours. read more

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I love their hibachi! The service is always friendly and I've never had bad food here!

I came here after a shopping trip with a few of my friends. The place is located in the mall but is huge, with the hibachi grill section and a normal section to sit and eat at. We sat at a hibachi grill and enjoyed some miso and salad with ginger dressing, which kind of tasted watered down. The hibachi portion here was massive but I wasn't very hungry and only stuck with the veggies on my plate. Our hibachi grill guy was pretty nice and funny but I was annoyed because I told him I didn't want to do the shrimp toss thing and he did it anyway and it hit me in the eye -_- . The rice had way too much soy sauce in it. The chicken was ok but nothing special. Overall, definitely been to better but decent experience. read more

This place is amazing, there's so much good food and the workers are super friendly 5/5 I wish I could give more! :)

Who doesn't love a dinner and show? Even better when your dinner is the show! LOL So cheesy but it is good family fun. It reminds me of Benihana in San Francisco where I grew up. Now and then for special occasions, it's fun to have dinner at Kanki. The kids (albeit at 16 and 21) still enjoy coming here. We always order the choice of two (steak or chicken and shrimp) and filet mignon, with yum yum sauce x2. This time the DH and I tried the Hana White Peach Sake, and I recommend you try it too. It was so light and not overpowering. There's always a long wait so be prepared for that. You can wait onsite and they give you one of those beepers. If you want to roam the mall during your wait, you can do that too. They'll ask you to arrive 15 minutes before to pick up a beeper. The wait isn't too bad especially if you order a drink from the bar ;) For birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, any special occasion, try Kanki. read more

Came in for some quick drinks before heading home. Bartender was cool. Order some vegetarian sushi. Which was good also. Great experience read more

Kanki - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Came here for a little Sunday hibachi lunch and sushi and was met with a friendly staff and great food all the way around. The hibachi is what would be expected and the sushi is the best around. We'll be back. read more

Stopped in for a drink and they had some different scotches and bourbons. Friendly staff and good service. Not a big sushi person but I do like the other Japanese foods. read more

Wait & Service was Ehh, but our Chef Cook Jesús made up for the restaurant! My family & I first time in Kanki today were iffy & a bit annoyed because of the wait... But once more Our amazing Cook Jesús made the place 100x's better & concocted increíble food! A fabuloso A PLUS! If you're dining in make sure to ask for Jesus a very humble and humorist Cook! read more

Worst experience ever. We took my very excited 6 year old there to celebrate his birthday. The waiter was rude and was not attentive to our needs at all. The chef was no frills and did not provide any display of culinary showmanship. He cooked and that was it. He barely talked to anyone at the table and overcooked our filet and scallops. We asked him to recook them and he did not offer an apology and just huffed back to the kitchen and came back out carrying the meat in his hands. He quickly recooked the food and threw it on our plates, cleaned the table and walked off. We thanked him for recooking the food to the proper temp and he just grunted something under his breath. Its sad Kanki is one of the few hibachi restaurants in the area. Perhaps that's why they think they can treat people so poorly for mediocre food, poor service and high prices. We wont be back. read more

We have had to come here many times for birthdays and other like events. Keyword is "had" as we would never come here by choice. Perhaps a first experience may be novel and even a bit exciting. But after the rushed shtick by the not so authentic teppanyaki chefs making a flaming onion vulcano and flipping pieces of shrimp to those willing to make fools of themselves trying to catch them in their mouths, you are fed a tremendously overpriced pile of rice and zukini with bits of beef, chicken, and/or shrimp and plenty of sauce to add some much needed flavor. Seriously, $10 Hibachi in a styrofoam box from a strip mall is better than $50 per head at Kanki once a drink and tip are included. And you do not have to rub elbows with someone you do not know or pretend you are having fun dropping a hundred plus bucks for two at a party for nieces and nephews who are not really having fun either. read more

Stopped in for a quick meal and ordered Salmon, Tuna and Kani Nigiri. Rice was under-seasoned and too glutinous, Salmon/Kani ok but unremarkable and I left the Tuna alone after eating a piece, it was fishy and not fresh. If you are looking for an authentic Japanese joint, keep moving, but if you like the standard American attempt at Sushi, it might satisfy. BUT, if your raw fish smells or tastes fishy, pass on it unless you want to be visiting the porcelain god later on. read more

Always good ! It's always a long wait to get food cooked in front of you , so definitely recommend making reservations or you can go to the other side which is usually quick. Service is usually good. Definitely recommend it. They are spacing people out during covid. read more

I've been to Kanki a few times and I've come to a conclusion. Maybe they just don't try anymore? My friend and I went after work to get dinner and we were pretty disappointed. We ordered our food, which wasn't too complicated, but it still took over 30 minutes to arrive. I understand it was a weekend night but I've gotten faster services at places busier than Kanki was. As for the food itself, I can only review my Steak Kanki meal since my sushi sampler never arrived since the waiter apparently forgot to take down that part of my order. Very unprofessional in my opinion to simply forget. He acted like I never ordered it and honestly his behavior was off-putting. My friend remembered me ordering it so I'm not crazy. Anyway, the steak Kanki was...disappointing. The rice was very dry and the steak itself was over cooked. I ordered it medium rare but it came out basically well done. I'm not sure why they ask how I'd like it done since it didn't seem to matter. The white sauce they have was alright so I just drowned the rice in it. I feel like the only reason I come back is because enough time has gone by that I forget my past experiences. Maybe this review will keep me from forgetting again. read more

Service is definitely below avg. Price isn't high, waiting time is unreal, e.g. I've got to wait 1:30 to eat some thing. Food it self is below avg, wouldn't recommend. read more

We ate dinner tonight at the bar instead of at the grill. The food was awful. Our bill was $100 for cold over cooked food. The only reason I am leaving 2 stars is because the bar staff were very friendly and attentive. My husband was throwing up before we left the restaurant and I needed to find a ladies room within 10 minutes of leaving. Not at all worth the money we paid. read more

The only reason we dined at Kanki was because our daughter wanted to go for her birthday. Unless you have a little kid or someone who lives a sheltered life once in your life is plenty for these types of places. Save your $$. You can have a much better meal for less $$ elsewhere and your clothing will not smell like grilled food. read more

IF... you're looking for a way to blow $30 (ish) per person on mediocre food and slow, lackluster service while crammed around a human feeding trough in a noisy, chaotic environment THEN... this the place for you! read more

Seated quickly which was very nice . We requested a hibachi table instead of the dining area where the food is just brought to you . We got seated off to the side of the hibachi table and were basically not included. I do not care about where we sat really , it was more of the food and server that was the problem . The server said because I didn't want sesame seeds they may have to bring my food out from the back and not cook in front of me (which is the whole reason I waited for a hibachi table and didn't just sit on the restraint side ) Everyone was out of drink most of the time we were there also . Our whole table was about to leave because it was so hot , we were the only table left toward the end of our visit here and it had to have been 85 degrees in this place . The food was okay , and I'm sure if I'm ever in town I will try again . Our chef was wonderful , from what we could see : read more

Ordered the shrimp and salmon combo with fried rice and a vegetable medley. It was too crowded to dine in the showroom so we ate in another "first come, first serve" area where we were seen promptly. Hopefully I can make reservations the next time! I am not a sushi fan so I was relieved to see the selection of seafood, chicken and beef that was available. Huge bar selection as well was a big plus! read more

This is my favorite Japanese food in Raleigh. Entertaining and delicious. They have a lot of variety on their menu.

Best place to eat in the mall! Great food great people! Love this place amazing! Our chef was very funny and the group we ate with was crazy read more

Kanki - Love this place - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Amazing. Absolutely amazing. This is the second time I went there and it was even better than the first. We went around four on a weekday so there was no wait. We went with two three year olds and they loved it. The guy did many tricks and we were all laughing and having a good time. He even made a mickey mouse shape for the toddlers. The food was spectacular, there was not too much soy sauce and everything was perfectly cooked. I will say that the food and show quality depends on who you get but the food quality doesn't vary too much. The portions are huge and everything is delicious. I recommend Kanki to anyone and everyone. I love it and the food is always delicious. If there is a special occasion, you should go to Kanki, they do something special for birthdays and such. I will try to come back every time I come to Raleigh. Try it, it's amazing. read more

I wanted to see the chef making the sushi and playing with the food but those tables weren't free that day but the place is big and the decor is neat. They had a similar dish to p.f chang's dynamite shrimp which was nice but I prefer pf chang's. But their Mary Roll sushi was AMAZING! i wanted more of it. It was one of the best I've had. read more