Food: Hamachi collar was not washed/ handled properly. Inedible and sent back. Do not recommend. Chicken yakisoba noodles were ok- chicken was actually good and not dry. Tempura veggies had raw batter in between them and were bland. No mocktails and fountain drinks were also bland/watered down. Service: Eh. Over the phone- person responded brashly and appeared rushed. In person- MOST staff appeared miserable and unhappy. We received some condescending looks and only one smile which is sad. Waiter seldom made eye contact. It was odd, but to give credit where it's due, the inedible dish was taken off the tab. Ambiance: We were sat by the bar in the corner. Booth seat was dirty. Ambiance felt stale, boring, and outdated. Cool fish tank tho. I don't think we will ever go back unfortunately. read more

Best sushi in town! Great food and excellent quality.Staff always treat you right! We will back soon! read more

Kanpai - Japanese Near Me - Bakersfield, California

came here to study/have a drink with an appetizer, once i walked in the hostess just seemed incredibly snotty. when i asked for a menu she practically just tossed it on the counter and did not hand it to me very unprofessional as well with having her belongings on the counter, ngl. wanted to toss it back to her and leave but since i work in food service i also get that days can be stressful. but to never take it out on potential customers!!! i tried making small talk but the vibes weren't just it so i left. the ambiance of the place is actually really nice from what i've seen from the host stand, just the service is not it from the hostess!!! first impressions people. read more

I was given a gift card to try this restaurant and I couldn't have been more excited. I love the decor it's all very clean and modern and I must say the fish tank is mesmerizing. When I arrived the wait time for teppanyaki was nearly 3 hours so I sat in the lounge area which had no wait at all . I was greeted warmly and asked if I'd like to drink . I ordered several items each more tasty than the last. My personal favorite was the Japanese Lasagna. It had great flavor although it was a bit tricky for me to eat with chopsticks. I enjoyed this place tremendously and cannot wait time return. read more

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Actually terrible. Took forever to get drinks. I am GF not by choice i have to. So it isnt a preference. I asked the waiter what we could order GF. he said anything and ill make substitutes. He did not. We order 7 rolls GF for the table and as he brings them out he says oh btw theyre not GF cuz sauces and tempura. THEN WHY DID YOU SAY THAT YOU COULD CHANGE IT?? After a $200 bill?! That we still had tovpay. Do notttt come if you have food allergies theyre AWFUL read more

I love going to this place and typically come on special occasions. The food is great, however my little one has got sick overnight and I called two hours in advance to see if it were possible to make an order and pick up for the same time. When I called I was first greeted and then immediately told, "hold on give me one second" and placed on hold while I was still talking. I recognize Valentine's Day is a busy day. Rather than get upset I tried to explain my situation and was ultimately denied the opportunity to order the food for pick up. I was told, "no, no, no we aren't doing pick ups today..." in a rather abrupt tone by the employee working the phone. I then asked for clarification. Would I need to come in place an order, sit down, and then request for my food, then ask for boxes and the bill once my meal arrived. Long story short yes. While this is was an unpleasant experience, not sure what to think . Maybe the employee was having a rough day. This service and experience sucked today. read more

Amazing food and little pricey but whatever ig. The service is mid they always have teenage servers. The ambiance is great they got a fish tank and a nice bar even outdoor seating read more

This is our go to spot for teppan. The sushi is also great a lot with their customer service.

Great food. Service is great, nice ambiance. Cocktail drinks are strong and delicious. They take reservations and plenty of parking. Definitely recommend. read more

I had high hopes! They were super busy on a Monday which is always a good sight to see. We ordered the edamame app and they were hot, spicy, and steaming; a perfect start for 4 diners hungry and eager to eat! One diner doesn't do sushi so she order a beef/broccoli bowl while the other 3 ordered 4 rolls to share and a bowl of fried veggie rice. The rice and beef with broccoli came out at once which made it awkward because one diner had her meal and the others sat for a good 30 more minutes waiting for the rolls. All these dishes that came (edamame, rice, cups, sauce dishes) really cluttered our table during the dining experience. They would give refills but failed to take old cups, gave us new app but didn't take the dish of the eared edamame shells, etc. Had the food blown my tastebuds away I'd have given it 4 stars but 3 is sufficient for this particular night. read more

Surprisingly this was my first time dining in Kanpai. Sadly we didn't get to do teppanyaki tonight but I do plan on coming back to try that. Our starter was the crispy rice with spicy tuna. This is one of my favorite dishes at any sushi place. This rice was very crunchy but i feel like the spicy tuna lacked in flavor. The fish was fresh and was not too fishy at all. I would still order this dish but i definitely recommend adding ginger and soy sauce. Overall the sushi rice was well seasoned. The surf and turf roll was very interesting. I wanted to try something new and i know this roll is a crowd favorite. The steak was delicious but i think this roll needed more freshness than it offered. The Philadelphia roll was delicious and i think showed us this restaurant is more than capable of providing delicious fresh fish sushi. Not pictured in this review was the shrimp fried rice. The fried rice was delicious and came in a HUGE portion. This rice was hands down the best thing we ordered tonight and is the reason why I look forward to coming back and trying their other teppanyaki options. All in all we had a fantastic night. The restaurant was busy due to Saturday winter formals. We were seated quickly and all the staff was so wonderful and helpful. I did notice this restaurant was also very clean as well. I do recommend this place for some yummy fresh sushi. read more

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Stopped here for dinner and never again would I ever come back to this place. I highly recommend you don't either. Service was the worst I've ever seen, I mean the absolute worst I've ever come across for any restaurant here in Bakersfield. How does someone serve dinner to two people in the same party 35 minutes apart? Literally my meal came out within 10 minutes of preserving, and the second half of the meal never came out until we started asking about it. I let my plate sit there because obviously I'm not eating in front of the table. Food sat 35 minutes became cold and couldn't eat it after the rest of the food came out. I quickly asked for the check and walked out. I wish Yelp would allow negative reviews because this place definitely deserves a minus 10. I would never in a million years ever attempt to eat here and restaurants need to take notice with their employees and how to serve. It's their primary job and yet this place failed so bad it's beyond comprehension. Absolute garage and should be avoided at all costs!!! Don't waste your time energy or money on this place! read more

Amazing cook, food was also well prepared. Bartender very friendly. Hostesses are the ones welcoming you and sending you off and they were anything but friendly. One of them wore a bandana on her head like she was in a Tupac music video from 20 years ago. Which I loved him then, but don't need it recreated with the greeting staff at the local spot. Had her attitude been one of warmth and welcoming the bandana wrapped around her forward would have made no difference. But, she acted upset we showed up to the establishment that she makes a paycheck from. Too bad, hopefully you will reconsider who you hire as your hostess team. Other than your front of house team we would return as I remember when establishments were appreciative of when you showed up and earned their business. read more

Our family favorite. Food is amazing. Service is always friendly. We go with kids or on date nights and the experience is always wonderful.

The all around quality seems to have really dropped off. The hostess who seated us communicated poorly, which set the tone. The food was bland, flavorless and unexciting all around. The drinks where basically straight booze, with no style and served in water glasses. read more

The teppanyaki is really good with fresh ingredients. The sushi is kind of pricey and not that extravagant. Chefs and servers were nice and attentive. I'll be back because there's so many items on the menu I'd like to try. read more

Kanpai - Surf & Turf roll - Japanese Near Me - Bakersfield, California

This is for the service only, I have been here 3 times in the last 15 days and the service somehow seems to get worse. Today for lunch, I came in with my wife and son. It took 45 minutes from start to finish and that includes the 30 minute wait after we ordered. It's a Bento box lunch, it's not difficult to get it out when it's not that busy. If you have a lot of down time and time is not of the essence, stay awhile, but if not this is not the place to go. My family won't be back unless we have ALOT of time on our hands which is very rare. read more

My family and I ate here last Saturday. Overpriced for mediocre food. Shrimp had literally no seasoning and the steaks were bland. Chicken was overcooked. Super slow on the service end. 3 hostess talking about dating was a little much and then when we were seated - 2 servers were literally playing on their phones instead of working - kinda looked like they were making tiktok videos. Took an hour to get our food. Very disappointing. But the facility is very clean and they have a cool fish tank lol read more

Probably my least favorite Tappanyaki place but it's edible. We rolled in with a reservation for a party of 10. We got seated quick enough and the drinks were on point. Actually, the drinks were the best trait of this place. I placed my order but only half of it stuck 8n the brain of my server. Almost everyone at our table ordered steak (except me because while I DID order filet, it wasn't noted so all I got was scallops and the usual setup. Luckily I ordered sushi, which was also meh. I seriously just want some good fresh pieces of tuna steak draped over some good rice and served up cold but the best I got was slightly warmer than room temp but at least it was edible enough to not make me paranoid all night. The chef went around the table and asked each person how they wanted their steak. Out of 7 people who ordered steak, only one person got their steak as ordered. Everyone else got it completely wrong, and as such, those people paid 50+ dollars for a plate of food they ended up leaving behind. Frankly, it's their own damn fault for not saying something but I didn't even get that chance because the waiter didn't even put in my order for the Filet I requested. The scallops were good... not great. The chicken was also fair, not great. They were cool about offering to throw a steak on for me after they had already saturated and dropped a rag on the grill for cleanup, but who wants to wait another 12 minutes after your friends have already eaten and are ready to move on. And who wants their filet thrown on a griddle that has a nice skin of soapy water on crusted ingredients? Their sauces are also average when compared with more established places like Akira and Tokyo Garden. I don't remember those places using salt in addition to their soy drizzle either but meh. I'd say their food quality is in the 15-30 dollars range vs the 35-55 dollar range they charge. All in all they get a B for effort and a D for execution. read more

They have horrible customer service! They have young girls in the front and seat all their friends and co-workers before they even acknowledge other people. They are very snotty and rude! We will never go back! read more

I would probably come back for the sashimi only. Nice friendly server and staff. Bussing was ok, kitchen planning was ok. All of the entrees came out unsynchronized but server was super nice and comp'd one of the entrees without us asking. In general, the cooked/prepared food relied a lot on fat and sodium. Too much salt. Usually indicates trying to prolong the life of the food, poor quality, or just poor recipes. Because this is Bakersfield, I wanted to try the sashimi. There aren't too many places in town where I would try it. I think the sashimi was good enough. We had Tako salmon yellowtail and tuna. Also Unagi. They were good enough. For the quality of the cooked/prepared food, I think they were overpriced. read more

Such a fun atmosphere. The cook was funny and made the dinner a great experience. Food was awesome and had so much leftovers. Top notch sushi! read more

Came here to celebrate an anniversary. We made a reservation same day, and we had a great time. Service was great, food was delicious, and the chef was really fun. I was nervous coming here due to a lot of the negative reviews, but I'm glad we still gave it a try. We had a great meal. read more

Poor service. Was seated and nobody came over for 20 minutes. Waited way too long just to get water to the table. Had to request to have our order taken. No table settings brought had to request. Meal couldn't order teppan as it was an hour wait and they didn't tell us upon being seated. Had to order from kitchen since teppan items were an hour wait. Sorry service and will not go back. Tokyo Garden it is moving forward. read more

I read multiple reviews on this restaurant prior to going. One common theme is the service. I looked multiple times on their website as well as the reviews ... one thing the owners have failed to mention is the need for reservations. If you plan on even semi enjoying yourself I'd advise to make one. The hostess is very unwilling to help or even make a suggestion. So writing this restaurant off and maybe next time heed the warning of so many bad reviews. read more

I have been here twice now, the food is ok, nothing to rave about. But the reason for the one star is the roach problem they have. Before I had a chance to order there was roaches on the plate and silverware, 3 baby ones. By the time I got my water and waited for more people to get there 3 more roaches made an appearance on the stove top. We did tell the waiter and he did apologize and placed a few plates over the roaches on the grill to hide them and assured me they spray every morning. We walked out, definitely will not be back. read more

Was one of my favorite places. Customer services seems to continue to decline. Absolutely worst service I've experienced.

Just got back to Tehachapi from dinner at Kan Pai where 3 of us spent $325.00 for dinner and drinks. Bar was fine, but the cook was so busy visiting with the other party at the table that we were entirely ignored! Received half the vegetables that normally come with dinner and we were the only 3 at our table that ordered New York steaks. I wondered why we weren't given all of our steak and went to say something when he gave the remainder of our steak to the other party. We paid for lobster and 3 New Yorks, not lobster and part of 3 New York steaks. The owner of Kan Pai came to our table, but he also ignored us, while visiting at length with the other party at our table, consisting of a man 2 women, and 3 kids. The dirty dishes piled up as our waiter was too lazy to come by and remove them. Won't be back for more of that kind of Bullshit treatment. The food not that outstanding! read more

Went here 5/24 with a group of friends. We have our favorite restaurant but decided we needed a change. A few of us had gotten there early trying to get some seats outside and were notified that the patio was full and it would be a little wait. I arrived and asked how long the wait was and the girl said over an hour! Why she didn't tell us this so we could get seated inside is beyond me. We get seated inside and I love how the place looks. It's chic it's sushi! We are seated and the server comes and tries to get us to order drinks. There's six of us and one drink menu! I ask for another drink menu several times and he finally obliges. We order drinks and continue conversation. After ordering some appetizers come out some don't. I have to reorder my edamame because the amount of salt tossed on this made me gag. I sent it back and people started getting their entrees before their apps. All the food was over salted. At the end of the meal one of us asked for a box and the guy brings a styrofoam box and sets it ON THE FOOD TO BE BOXED!!!!!! Who raised this kid!? We go to pay and with all the complaints on the meal the server made no attempt to get a manager or change our bills. Overall this place gets two stars because I liked the look. read more

Very nice place, food is great!..But unfortunately their front desk host really do act their age. On more than a couple occasions we asked them about our wait times and would not only get attitude but we're very argumentative suggesting that customers are ALWAYS wrong apparently. Front hosts Very unprofessional, unpleasant and in need of better training. read more

Went in to sit at the grill and was told we needed a reservation. No where on their site does it say you need a reservation to sit at the grill. Because of that we left and went elsewhere. Also their site is confusing and doesn't have a place to even make a reservation read more

I ordered over the phone for lunch. They charged $6 extra for fried rice, which they didn't tell me about the up charge. The worst part was, the rice was so overcooked and mushy. The chicken was dry. I won't come back read more

Looks great from the outside, and even nicer inside. We didn't have time for teppan, which I love. We ordered bento boxes from the lunch menu. The whole experience including food and service was a bit unimpressive. I asked our server what was in the bento box and she was completely wrong about 2 of the 4 items that were in it. After getting our food it was a long and thirsty wait to get refills. The food was pretty average. The whole time we had ringside seats to staff members holding a conversation that included foul language and graphic discussion of bodily fluids, among other things. I was just really expecting much more from a place that looks so nice and has such high prices. read more

Kanpai - Japanese Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Food was great Service was even better. Request for Allan as your server. He gives great recommendations and is very attentive. Can't wait to go back read more

Warning: PRICES are too HIGH. PORTIONS are too SMALL. We had a double date with friends last night, and arrived around 6:30. Didn't come with reservations, so was told that we'd have to wait at least 5-10 minutes. We ended up waiting approximately 20-25 minutes for a table to open up. Wow, didn't realize this restaurant would be so busy on a Friday night! All of us had never been here, and apparently, they had renovated the interior of the restaurant so it's modern, upbeat, and classy. It was definitely bustling with young people and families as well. I was excited to try this sushi place, since I am a huge fan of sushi...I ordered: (1) Negi Toro Rolle $15 = blue fin tuna belly, green onion, gobo, shiso, seaweed These came out REALLY REALLY SMALL; I was so surprised and so were my friends. They couldn't believe the rolls were so tiny, I felt like they were bite size for toddlers, a total of 6 pieces. {sigh} quite sad and disappointed at this roll. Toro (fatty tuna) is suppose to be plump, silky smooth, and melts in your mouth. This roll was just OK, didn't think anything too special of it, but am glad it was fresh though. Just the size was ridiculously small for rolls, at $15 too! 3 stars. (2) Black Cod Miso Yaki $18: marinated in miso served on butter lettuce with deep-fried potatoes. Can I just express how I was disappointed once again at this dish? While the black cod was soft in texture, it was too salty. There were only 3 small pieces (servings) of the black cod on butter lettuce. It's not clear to me what they meant by "deep-fried potatoes", because I was expecting something like roasted potatoes, but instead it was small shredlings of potato-chip like pieces flung all over the plate. The plating was just not that appetizing. :-/ Again, disappointed, and see the photo for what I mean. For the $18 price, this dish was SO NOT worth it. 3.5 stars (3) Beef Bowl $14: rice, assorted vegetables & teriyaki sauce - my husband ordered this and thought the bowl tastes pretty good, although the bowl was "more rice" than meat. In my opinion, you can probably go to Flame Broiler in town and get something similar at half the price. =P 3.5 stars (4) Shinobi $14 spicy tuna, cream cheese, spicy crab, avocado, panko fried (no rice), spicy mayo & eel sauce. My husband ordered this and thought it was decent but not extraordinary. 3.5 stars I really wanted to give this restaurant a try and like it along with many others, especially since I love sushi; but the price and the quality/portion of sushi we get for price, really made me re-think the star rating and the value. While I liked their modern decor and updated interior, I would give this place a 3 star, and leave it at that. read more

Kanpai - Black cod miso yaki, Neri Toro Roll, Beef Bowl - Japanese Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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Service was amazing! Food was amazing! Lastly the ambiance was amazing! Will be back no questions!

We were excited to celebrate my daughters birthday with the Teppanyaki dinner. The server insisted we know what our orders were before we sat down. It's clear that they're trying to crank out as many patrons as possible and their service is sacrificed because of it. I happily dropped $350 for dinner but was disappointed when we were handed to-go boxes while we were still eating. I was given the check and bussers cleared away dishes after only being there for 45 min. read more

The sushi is so fresh and so good! Both times we sat at the tepan tables The food is great but the cooks are kind of boring I'm definitely used to dinner and a show at the tepan tables. Our servers are always great the food is definitely worth going again again. read more

Kanpai - Appetizers - Japanese Near Me - Bakersfield, California

really good restaurant!! I order the rice bowl because it's really big amount of food for the price. the teppanyaki is pretty good but not their specialty. Getting seated is a pain for any group larger than 2. reservations don't really ensure you'll be seated on time. food is really good. sushi rolls are the best and the garlic edamame is addictive. read more

Had a great dinner there last night. Everyone was attentive and the food came out quickly. Portions are big; nigiri is a little rice heavy but tasty. They have white tuna (ono/escolar) and it isn't available everywhere so I had 2 orders of that. The ambiance outside is pretty cute. Tables are nicely spaced out and there is a fire pit (wasn't on for some reason) on the patio. Lots of parking around as it is on a giant plaza. Food is well priced. read more

Kanpai - Snapper, salmon, yellowtail - Japanese Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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