Kan Pai

The only minor thing I would mention that was just remotely negative and it's probably an oversight on my part, but we had to wait for about 2 hours for the table. However, my friends and I wanted to full experience of getting the chef to cook in front of us. But we didn't make reservations. (First timers mistake, 😆). If we had, I'm sure we wouldn't had to wait. Other than that, great place with great food and awesome service. They also have regular tables if you don't want the full experience and just want to eat (wait time for that was maybe 30 minutes. So not bad for a pretty popular place).

The food was good not big portions of proteins but enough to take home. The panko sweet potatoes were very good, my favorite, crispy on the outside soft on the inside with just enough flavor to not overpower them. Our server was not too friendly until we were ready to leave, she didnt smile much and seemed annoyed when taking our order. The atmosphere was quiet and relaxed until people started sitting at the bar. Overall I would recommend it.

Now, the food is subpar, the service is hit or miss, and the cleanliness has gone way downhill. If you don’t believe me, just look up at the air vents above the sushi bar — you’ll wonder if that stuff hanging off them is falling into your food. The bathrooms aren’t much better, which makes me wonder what’s going on in the kitchen or underneath the sushi bar. Yikes.

Gone to this restaurant alot. Food is always excellent, service at the tables are always good. One time we decided to sit at the bar, got waited once and never came back to check on us or ask if we wanted to order dinner.

This is one of my personal favorites going back over 10 years. It’s a great place that COVID changed for the positive ! Post COVID 5% sales take out - now 50% ! And this place has it all Table Top Cooking, Great Bar, traditional sitting and tables and great outside patio. I am not going to go deep in the menu except to say I have not had any thing that was not great here … The stand out for me The desert peppermint ice cream: Today I can say the only thing better than one scoop is TWO and better than that is Three and … well I put on the breaks at Three but honestly I ate 90% of Rebecca’s ! So I say 3 Plus is the right amount !🤣😙😋

Excellent food and service!!! The New York steak and shrimp was delicious! Also the grilled Chicken. The Salad just okay. Soup was delicious! Orange/Raspberry sherbet and the Green Tea Ice Cream were excellent after meal dessert! PRICE: PLAN ON at least $50-$75 per person!! Overall fun and delicious!!

My husband took me my sister and my friend for my birthday.A few days ago, it was our first time. The sushi was amazing, almost everything that we got was over the top delicious.The service on the other hand was hands down.Probably the worst service I have ever had. So much so that I thought I was being pranked. We\nHad a reservation , we were seated right next to the bathroom. After about 10 minutes, we finally asked for some menus and the waitress threw them in the middle of the table.\nWe had to wait for our drinks.Asked for our drinks to be refilled when they got empty. They forgot one of our appetizers , but didn't forget to charge us for it. She brought me a bowl of ice cream.\nWhen my husband told her it was my birthday.There was a hair in the bottom of it , and when my husband brought it to her Attention her response was " That's weird" Not i'm sorry just that's weird. My compliments to the chef , but I can get good sushi and good service At the same time , somewhere else. You would think if you're spending hundreds of dollars\nThey would say we're sorry there was hair in your food.

I came here with a large group. We were seated in the patio area. It was a nice experience for our group. The service was great and the food was great as well. We were able to enjoy ourselves and engage in conversation.

If you're looking for a quiet place for a late lunch/early dinner, you definitely need to stop at Kanpai. They have happy hour during the week between 2pm and 5pm. Their sushi is always so fresh. My family has known Randy for many years. It's a great place to come together for great food and atmosphere.

Grandsons 27th birthday is always a good excuse to visit KanPai. We made reservations for 5:30, greeted and seated when we entered everyone was on time. KanPai was already humming busy staff was prepared for a fun Saturday evening. Friendly host took our beverage and appetizer orders. Our Teppanyaki Chef "Lucky"came out and introduced himself. Our special drinks and appetizers came right out and were amazing. After all our dinners choices were made, Lucky got busy with his craft. Soups and salads started us off and were just right. Lucky was a true master chef, very professional watching him prepare our meals was artistic. The rice, vegetables perfect all our entrees, Scrimp, New York's, filet mignons scallops were outstanding cooked to everyone's request. The Dewars ice cream topped off a super delicious dining experience. Thank you KanPai for a memorable evening Happy Birthday Austin

Went to Kan Pai for dinner with a friend visiting from out of town and it did not disappoint! I had the chicken teppanyaki dinner while she had the New York steak -- both cooked well and packed with flavor. We also ordered gyoza and shrimp tempura (no pictures because we ate them too fast!) but they were both absolutely delicious. The service was friendly, attentive, and we never had to wait long for refills. Portions were generous too -- we both left with leftovers, which is always a plus. My only complaint is that my friend ordered her steak medium rare and it came out closer to medium well. Other than that, everything was excellent. I'd definitely recommend Kan Pai for great food, good vibes, and friendly service.

Came here for my daughter's birthday on 12/7 with a reservation for 12 girls. There was a roach... not a water bug, but a small/medium sized roach crawling on the counter where my girls were eating. It was unbelievable and so disgusting that none of the girls wanted to finish their food. I don't blame them. They only offered us a 25% discount. They should really get the health department out there asap

My friends and I went for their Happy Hour. The bar service was horrible. They did everything possible to ignore us - even when you made attempts to get their attention to get a glass of water and another drink. They also I am sure screwed up our bills and charged for things on my card and my friend's card too. There are bartenders who do not like working the happy hour rush. So there is a great solution for that don't work for a place that offers happy hour. As a local Boca resident. I am very dissatisfied in this place for service. As much as I love the food and think the restaurant is beautiful it will make it very hard for me to go there again or suggest this place to my friends, family, or clients. Zero stars for bartenders service!!!!

We have been coming here for years and have loved the food in incredibly great. There must be new management or something because we have been here tonight for an hour and a half and have received our meal in pieces and cold when we got it. I don't know what happened, but I will not be back after six years of extreme loyalty every Tuesday

It has been a while since we've come to this restaurant. And we went here at least twice this year for birthday celebrations. Reservations required to be seated at the Teppan Grill. We sat at the Teppan bar both times we went. Making reservations was a breeze. Both times I got courtesy calls to remind and confirm our reservation. And one of those calls even offered an earlier seating due to some schedule change. Our chefs at both times were entertaining. And my kids enjoyed their birthday dinners. Food wasn't the best & prices are a bit high... but you come here & pay for the experience. Will most likely try other Teppan restaurants to find the best in town.

Wow! I had no idea that Bakersfield offered Teppanyaki. Kanpai is worth the visit for a unique dining experience. The restaurant's ambiance is lively and the service is excellent! I visited Kanpai this weekend with my friends to celebrate a birthday. The restaurant was packed, so I'd recommend making reservations if you want to avoid the wait. Because we wanted to order from their regular menu, we were seated promptly. I ordered the Tiger roll and it was quite flavorful. My friend ordered the Katsu. She enjoyed it, but mentioned that it was a little tough rather than crispy. Kudos to our server! Thank you for never letting our glasses empty, especially in this heat!

On 9/24, I called to make a reservation and said it was for my husband's birthday. I really thought it would be noted for the chef. Towards the end of our meal, friends brought up his birthday and chef said he didn't know. At other teppanyaki restaurants, a birthday would be noted or waitress or chef ask if anything is being celebrated, which makes the meal a special celebration. Dessert was never offered to at least buy a birthday dessert. For the price paid, thought the service would be customer oriented. Aside from that, food was great and restaurant is classy. Only wish chef or waitress would've help make the birthday celebration special especially since it was mentioned.

One of the worst dining experiences I've had in a long time. The service was unbelievably bad from start to finish. We were seated and then completely ignored, no one offered refills at any point, and it felt like we were invisible to the staff. We waited over an hour for our food, and when it finally came, it wasn't even worth the wait. To make it worse, they never brought out the appetizer we ordered and no one acknowledged it or offered an explanation. It wasn't busy enough to justify this kind of delay or lack of attention, so it just felt like a complete lack of care or professionalism. No apology, no check-ins, no basic hospitality. Definitely won't be returning, and I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone expecting decent service.

Don't show up at 7;45. They are too busy cleaning up till 9pm to remember what you ordered. Very sad because I have always loved eating here. Terrible service tonight and my guest never received her meal

Glad this place is an option here in Bakersfield. Made reservations here , especially since it was Valentine's Day. Recommend reservations for sure either way; holiday or non. The sushi tasted fresh. The chef was awesome; did a lot of tricks that were entertaining. Loved his choo choo train sounds and demonstration. Food cooked exactly as you order , especially the meat. Add jalapeños to ur fried rice; gives it a nice little kick with ur meal. Very filling meal; ask for containers for ur leftovers. Taste good the next day also. They add gratuity automatically on ur bill; so check that out closely. Nice size shrimp; not them itty bitty ones where you have to eat a few at a time to think you ate one piece. It can be causal or fancy if you please. I would recommend they ask u if you want more sauces, for your food though before they take off to the next table.

First the hostess cost a star. Unclear on availability for seating. There was only two of us and the bar was getting full but the hostess failed to mention outside seating was available. Both to us and the other couple that came several minutes after we arrived. She then proceeded to say that we had to wait for our server but then seated us anyways. This did not exude confidence. We ordered some beverages they were tasty. Ordered jalapeño poppers as an appetizer. Fresh jalapeños tempuras with cream cheese and spicy sauce very good. Highly recommend. We got the little red roll. Wrapped in avocado to soothe the heat it was a good roll to add to the mix. We got the spicy yellowtail roll. It was fine not tightly wrapped but tasty. The star of the evening was the autumn roll. Crunchy tempura shrimp in rice wrap and other goodness. With several sauces on top. Very good. Topped off with dewars peppermint ice cream. Perfect

Came here for the happy hour! They have it Mon-Fri. 2-5pm Bar & Patio only. I ordered the Shrimp Tempura Roll ($9 for HH) & it was delish! We also ordered the surf & turf roll ($22), it's pricey but it's worth it! I love how you can order hibachi from the tables and you don't have to eat in front of the grill if you don't want to. The service was just okay. She was busy with other tables, I get it but getting her attention was a challenge. Otherwise, we will return!

I have always wanted to go to the place and got to go for my brother's birthday. We love the ambiance, there is a cool fish tank that my boys enjoyed looking at. The hostess was super friendly and got us seated right away. Our drinks were brought very quickly. The chef was funny, friendly and very talented. Everything we ordered was delicious. I got the shrimp plate. My husband got the fillet. My kids loved their meal too. We will definitely be back. We love teppanyaki.

One of our favorite places..but today bartender gave no shits. No check ups on drinks

Very disappointing. Chef put an alarming amount of salt and pepper on our dinners. Food was dried out. Even the rice was dry and flavorless. We used to enjoy this place but the mgr needs to re-train the chef.

Horrible service, horrible drinks... bad food doused in butter . I can't believe people go back

Outstanding! Delicious, fresh food. Superb service, meticulous with all details. What a fun treat. Everyone in our party of 10, thought it was fantastic. I am so impressed!

Sat in the bar. Was told there was only 1 entree vegan option - soba noodles and they were good. Staff was friendly enough.

We went in at 3:30 on Monday, Dec. 30th and received service from a waitress with dark hair (Leslie according to the receipt). We all left saying "that was the worst service we've ever received". I literally have never seen such lack of people skills and joy from a waitress. The sad thing is that the owner was also waiting tables so you would think they would notice. I am not a queen that expects top notch service but c'mon, no one wants to spend nearly 220 (for only 4 guests) and get treated like you're annoying them. She smiled ONCE and said "have a great day" and that was when she handed us the check. We all thought maybe someone called in ‍? Totally no excuse! The tempura was cold and the calamari was $17 for the smallest freaking portion I've ever seen! I'll take our business to Jin Sushi. Their food is better, service is better, and prices are better. Everyone knows: Okay food + Terrible service + high prices = 0/10 experience. At least good service can sometimes make you want to go back--it can even make the food less crappy! Not there! The ambiance was bar heavy which is probably what keeps the light on-- that and the ridiculous prices!! Kan Pai: hire another waitress that understands what waitressing involves--representing your business. Sorry, Leslie but you should go do something else for a living!

My friend and I went for dinner on Saturday night. We were asked if we had a reservation, which we didn't. But we were seated. Reservation is recommended, and the tepenyakki was booked for the whole night. I loved the baked mussles and the weaver dream roll. Their hand roll was good, but they are stingy in the tuna portion. The setting is the best sushi place in bakersfield so far. The ambiance was beautiful. Despite their beautiful ambiance and decor, their prices are really good compared to other sushi places. Service was good and attentive.

I'll tell ya for free, this place used to not be my jam, but I'm a convert and now LOVE IT. Drinks are tasty and well poured, huge appetizer list, tons of yummy sushi, and you can order teppan AT A TABLE. GAME-CHANGER. We are frequent teppan eaters but after 20 years of it, watching the same tricks and acting excited isn't enjoyable. We want to be able to eat the food without the show, and you can here!!! Protip- ask for some mustard sauce to be cooked in with the fried rice, you won't be sorry!! We are also super thrilled that they have scallops as an option and they were cooked perfectly!! I will say that I will be passing in the garlic tuna carpaccio... definitely was nothing to write home about and isn't worth the money. Man..... now I'm salivating thinking about eating there!

Nice and fresh seafood! Pleasant employees are always great! Excellent customer service!

We love Kanpai for the teppanyaki and sushi as well. My favorite sushi is the surf and turf role it is absolutely delicious and that is coming from someone that typically refuses to eat sushi! Service is always fantastic there and it is a great place for lunch with friends or a romantic date night. We will continue to come back!

The food was very tasty! The service was great and the ambiance was very welcoming and pleasant.

Very good teppanyaki. Not too greasy and well flavored. Experience overall is good and prices include a lot. Don't be discouraged if you can't get a table at the grills. Food is equally as good at normal seating too.

First off let me say I normally don't eat at places like this. I am a pretty picky eater so I got the ribeye steak. They made the rice in front of me. I don't even eat rice unless it's sweet rice and it was good. I like it was great, nothing but five stars the ambience was amazing. Will definitely be going back again. The waiter was awesome and the chef was awesome.

First time and it will definitely not be the last visit. By far the best sushi I have had in Bakersfield. We ended up having 6 nigiri (chef choice) and each piece was carefully prepared and super fresh. One of my biggest complain about sashimi/nigiri is that it is usually served to cold and this was not the case here. The halibut was my favorite is the night with the toro being a close second. We ended the evening with 3 hand rolls (scallop, yellowtail and uni/toro) and all were worth having again. We sat at the sushi bar and the service was super friendly and prompt. Will be back!!!

"Communication Chaos: A seasoned Old Restaurant That Needs to Talk" So, we decided to check out this restaurant that's been around for a number of years, thinking they've got their act together. Boy, was I wrong! The whole experience felt like a comedy of errors, all thanks to their unprofessional communication mess. First off, you'd expect a place with a number of years under its belt to have staff who can talk to each other, right? Wrong. It was like watching a sitcom with waiters and chefs on different wavelengths. Orders were brought at different times and the kicker was my meal never came! The poor waitstaff seemed lost, stumbling through explanations on why my dish was never prepared, like they'd never had a busy night. When I tried to get some clarity on my meal. Blank stares and vague responses left me scratching my head. I thought, "Come on, you've been doing this for a very long time- get your act together!" In the end, it felt like the restaurant's age was working against it rather than in its favor. You'd think after all these years, they'd have figured out how to communicate within their own kitchen. Apparently not. So, if you're looking for a place with great food but don't mind the chaos and confusion, this restaurant might be your jam. But if you value a smooth dining experience where the staff knows what's happening, you might want to look elsewhere. Kanpai been in the game doesn't mean much if you can't get your team to talk and serve a meal without the drama. I would like to thank downtown McDonald for their their superb adult 10 piece chicken nugget happy meal. It fulfilled my night!!!

We been here a few times and each time we try to convince ourselves it will be better but it's not. This last time was the final time. The two girls at the front were stressed out and unorganized, the food was not great, salmon was overcooked, chicken was not favorable and the rolls were loose. Honestly this place is slightly an upgrade from Shoguns but there are better opinions in Bakersfield.

Food is reasonably priced. Sushi was good but similar to any restaurant that sells sushi. The appetizers are pretty tasty. Good atmosphere inside. Service was good servers would come by to make sure everything is okay and we're not missing any food items. Would come back again!

Food: Fair. I didn't spit it out. I didn't finish my meal. I won't be back. Forgettable. Service: good Ambiance: nice

The service was a highlight of the meal, but I think the food needed a bit more work. The scallops were cooked well! I liked the lime squeeze at the end, however I feel like the flavor of the food was a bit lacking and disheveled. Once we asked and used the extra sauces, it was much better... but I think that for teppanyaki the flavor should've been more put together. Both the server and the chef put on a great show and were attentive! The place had a simplistic modern design and had mood lighting!

This review is for the service we received tonight: Wednesday, 7:00 pm, reservations for 8 at a teppanyaki table. PROBLEM: After the initial order, the waiter never returned to our table. We had to ask the chef for soup & salad after he cooked the entree, because no one ever brought them. Also, even though we asked for it, our water glasses and beverage glasses were never refilled throughout the entire meal. Since food is cooked in front of everyone, it was HOT around the table. Every person at the table had empty, dry glasses in front of them. OBSERVATION: The restaurant was not busy; there were several empty tables throughout the house, and we saw several waiters, busboys, a hostess and a female owner sitting at a table just behind the hostess. The Restaurant did not appear to be short staffed. WHY I WILL NEVER GO BACK: Female owner not interested in our experience whatsoever. When I say she couldn't care any less, I mean she never walked the floor of her restaurant and she didn't want to hear about any problems. THE REAL MASTERPIECE, THOUGH... Our party of 8 included a toddler that didn't eat. Parties of 8 have a gratuity automatically added. This can not be removed. We asked that the whole tip go directly to the chef since he was the only one working with us. The owner said no. FINAL-THOUGHT: Even though the food was good, the lack of service created a negative effect, especially since the female owner was disinterested In actually managing or helping her crew. You might say, the head of the fish smelled here tonight.

Made reservations for my granddaughter's birthday party at the Teppenyaki grill and they converted us to a regular table without notice. My daughter and wife were both on phone when they made the reservation. Both confirmed. This guy called my wife a liar and could not seat us for 3 more hours if that is what we wanted. Those guys get an F at this point. I like the restaurant but this guy sucks.

So I have been to this place many times, but first time for lunch. The service was very fast, we were sitting down and eating right away. This is by far the best teppanyaki place in town. The chef Lucky was amazing. The fried rice was buttery. The steak was really high quality and cooked perfectly. Well the picture is worth a thousand words.

Fantastic service, amazingly fresh food, and a great place to celebrate a birthday or anniversary!

Came for our anniversary dinner. Excellent dinner exceptional bar service. Taylor was amazing. Very busy night she was on the go the entire time yet gave everyone her best. Highly recommend this place and if you like to sit at bar like we do, hope you get Taylor.

Not a great experience unfortunately. Expected more after hearing wonderful things from family members. Food was good service was bad and extremely slow. We had to ask for soup spoons twice, never refilled our water, everyone's dinner came out at extremely different times, didn't write down the sushi order correctly. Just not a great experience.

Bakersfield does not have an abundance of Teppanyaki options. My wife has to have Gluten free options due to having Celiac, and this place has that option. The key to this place is making reservations ahead of time if you want to sit at the grill and enjoy the show while dining. We always get the same chef every time we go, not that we are requesting him just happens to be the luck of the draw I suppose. He's cordial and pleasant and we enjoy the interaction. Kanpai meets a need, the food is average as far as Teppanyaki is concerned, really just lacking in flavor. Until we have a better option though, we will be returning.

This is a nice looking location with attractive decor and a beautiful aquarium. All the items on the menu sounded amazing and we were excited to try some interesting dishes. Service was incredibly slow. I don't know how much of that was on the service floor and how much was on the kitchen, but we were discussing paying for our drinks and leaving by the time the food came out. We were also very hungry by that point, which is why my fiance's Black Cod dish was so very disappointing. It was tiny. I double checked the menu to make sure it wasn't listed as an app. Or an amuse bouche! I ended up giving him one of my Japanese Miso Beef Sliders (which were delicious) so we wouldn't have to stop for snacks on the way back to the office. The food we had was tasty, but buyer beware... don't do hungry, or unless you have an open schedule.

I've came here a few time since my 2019 review. One thing that stood out to me was that if you don't fit their look they will not seat you at their hibachi grills. Both times I had reservations. The first time we checked in and after checking in a few more guest who would be at our table they seated us last but almost forgot to call us until a person in our party spoke up. This was in 2022. Now fast forward. I made reservations for 4 a few weeks ago. I made the reservations with the manager herself. So while on the phone she asked me for Hibachi or dine in. I repeatedly clarified Hibachi side. She said no problem see you at 6. We show up and eventually we were being lead to a table. I said No I booked the Hibachi she said we are all booked up for Hibachi. I said okay but I too made a reservation over the phone. The manager comes out and said I'm sorry for the confusion I thought you booked Dine in our grills are all booked up and booked a week out right now. I said there's no confusion you and I confirmed that it was for the Hibachi side. We ended up leaving because she seemed non remorseful and rude. Bottom line the vibe that I get from this establishment is that they don't like to cater to people of color.

This is absolutely my new favorite sushi spot! I'd like to start by saying that I don't normally ever go for a roll with cream cheese as the flavor generally overpowers the entire roll. However, the Philadelphia Roll here was utterly amazing!! So much so, we ordered it twice! The flavors of the avocado & salmon were exquisite and you got a hint of cream cheese at the end. This will definitely be a staple roll every time I come. The Ebi Go Roll, wow wow wow! I didn't know what to expect as a few of the ingredients I had never tried in a roll before. But this is hands down THE BEST roll I've had in my life. I felt like Remy from "Ratatouille" when he experiences a mixing of flavor profiles. This roll blew my mind and was the perfect combination of everything. I will be back to order this 1000%!! If you're considering ordering it, do it! All the other rolls we ordered were delicious as well and there was not one piece of sushi left to spare. I cannot wait to come back again and try more of the menu. #veryhappycustomer

Awesome experience!!! High quality sushi!! I am a regular there !!! Joey is amazing !!!

I'm only giving them one star because I have too. The hostess ignored us as we walked in and we had to ask for her attention that she was obviously unwilling to give. We asked to sit in the patio, and after a minute of writing she looked up and stated that we "can just go sit wherever". We sat down and waited for a half hour for no service to come. Went back inside and was told no one knew we were outside and we had to see the hostess to be seated. Going in circles...I love merry-go-rounds, but not when i'm trying to eat. When we said that we already did, the bartender said that they were going home so we left hungry. Outrageous service.

First time at this amazing location. Environment is amazing, clean and friendly staff. I must say this place is so much better than Shogun Palace. Wait time was pretty long so I recommend to make a reservations. The food had amazing savory taste. Definitely recommend!

To be able to eat local and have an amazing meal is the best combo you could ask for. The owner is dedicated to the local community and is always giving back. Bakersfield is built on the backs of people like the owner of Kan Pai. It will always be number one spot for tepan and sushi in town.

Service, food really good. Make rsvp before arriving. I bit pricey but with today's prices I guess can't complain.