Kampai Sushi Bar

The chicken teriyaki was soft and delicious. The gyoza were perfectly crispy and tender. The volcano roll was incredible, and the eel hand roll was phenomenal, too. Service was prompt, courteous, and kind. The prices were very reasonable. Can't wait to be back!

My wife and I ate here on a Saturday night. We had a little bit of everything. Highlights were the salmon skin hand roll, torched salmon nigiri, mackerel nigiri, sunset maki, and white tiger maki. The octopus and scallop nigiri were ok, but not amazing. Food was overall delicious and prices were in line with a good sushi place. Also, the atmosphere was fantastic. The only nitpick I have is the food came out a little slow. Not that bad, but not a good spot if you're limited on time.

So I dicovered this little Gem totally by accident. Let me just say that this place and sushi and atmosphere overall is an absolute pleasure. The sushi tastes Very fresh and everything is very light on the stomach. The very frequently ordered OMG roll that comes out in flames is absolutely amazing. Perfectly put together with a lovely not so stronge smokey flavor and it all just blends in so well. I have had sushi many different places including Japan where it originated from. So from all the Very overpriced joints like drunken fish and sub zero where you spend a small fortune and still leave hungry, Kampai Sushi is definitely one that blows them out of the water by a long shot. It has the lovely upscale look and feel but the prices are anything but. Very affordable and fresh and tasty. For all you Sushi lovers definitely check out Kampai Sushi.

Cute little restaurant with an impeccable vibe! Very cozy feeling and atmospheric. I thought the sushi was very good (I'm not even that big of a sushi fan, but the "fancy roll" I ordered was sooo good.) They also have a couple korean dishes on the menu - I ordered the BBQ short ribs and thought they were yummy, though a little tough (perhaps that's how the dishes come though?) The service wasn't the the most attentive unfortuantely, and the Tempura Ice Cream I ordered wasn't even slightly sweet... didn't make for a great dessert. Overall it's these issues theat lead me to give it 4 stars instead of 5, but in any case I did enjoy my experience and I'm sure I'll be back soon.

I had such a wonderful experience here! The environment inside was so cozy and comforting! The staff was very nice and the food was fantastic!! Highly recommend

Kampai is one of my all time favorite sushi bars. Quaint yet authentic. The menu options are robust. Great food, great service, incredible sushi masters. Kampai is one of my favorite places to eat. Incredibly fresh and very delicious. Don't miss the miso, especially the miso soup.

I liked the squishy pillows in the booths and general chill vibe. The rolls this time were underwhelming— the OMG roll was more style than substance. Other rolls I’ve had here previously were better. If you care about the atmosphere, I recommend. If you want to gorge on really delicious sushi, go to Sushi Ai.

I came here last night to pick up my take-out order. I ordered a salmon roll, a spider roll, and then a rainbow roll. I enjoyed all my rolls last night, and they were delicious. It was much needed for my late dinner. The restaurant was spacious inside, and the staff were friendly and inviting. I'll come here again soon for a dine-in experience. :) update: I have recently moved into the neighborhood, and this sushi restaurant is my go-to place to enjoy tasty sushi or sashimi with drinks. The ambiance is inviting, the staff is super friendly, and the location is perfect if you live in CWE, located close to BJH. The small patio area that they have is pet-friendly, so you can bring your fur baby with you if you decide to come and try this place! I highly recommend this place if you are a foodie and love Japanese food.

There are so many sushi and ramen places we've enjoyed trying in St. Louis, to the point that we've forgotten to branch out. A friend recommended Kampai for a dinner out this week, and I think we may have found another regular moving forward. I will note that service slowed down about halfway through our visit, but this was also around the time the dinner crowd started to pick up. Outside of that, everthing was wonderful. CWE is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city from an aesthetic standpoint, and Kampai's atmosphere fits right in. We were hungry after work, though, and our biggest concern was the food itself (and that food did not disappoint). We started with a vegetable tempura appetizer and hana infused apple sake. Each veggie was a perfect textured, enhanced by the delicious accompanying sauce. The sake was also very smooth, sweet (but not overly sweet) and palatable. A strong start. Our main course was split between the Love and Fuji rolls. I can't pass up smoked salmon, and the combination with cucumber, avocado, mango and honey wasabi created a solid balance between savory, sweet, spicy, and cool. Just like the vegetable tempura before it, the texture of the shrimp was appetizing on its own and enhanced by the apple and tuna. When it comes down to what should be the most important focus of any restaurant - the food - Kampai delivered with one of my favorite all-time sushi experiences. If you find yourself near the Central West End around dinnertime, give it a try.

all staff member were super sweet and smiley! my boyfriend and i got the sake flight and the lycee drink. i wouldn't recommend the sake flight unless you're familiar with sake and or getting food to go with it. (it's like shots of rubbing alcohol) cute vibes and very clean! would recommend

I visited Kampala Sushi bar for dinner one day. This restaurant offers an assortment of sushi, warm entrees, and appetizers. They also have a fully stocked bar which includes domestic and non domestic beers, wines, and liquors. I ordered the shrimp tempura to start and it was hot and crispy! I also ordered the Yaki Udon which came with miso soup and a starter salad. The miso soup was warm and yummy. The Yaki Udon was a little sweet for my pallet but still good. Finally the sushi was good- I got an assortment of sushi with eel, shrimp, and salmon. The overall atmosphere was nice and staff were friendly. Parking is street parking but there are some garages around the neighborhood within walking distance of this restaurant. They do offer a Omakase (let the chef cook for you) at a fixed price which is nice. I may try that next time!

My new favorite sushi spot in St. Louis! I stopped in today to grab dinner. The restaurant is inviting, intimate, and pristine. For food, I had the takoyaki and the white tiger roll. I've never tried takoyaki before, but this was delicious! The roll was filled and topped with lots of fish -- it tasted fresh and the presentation was lovely. The service was top-notch. Some of the best service I've ever had in St. Louis! I will definitely be back.

One of my favorite neighborhood spots! Great service and amazing sushi. Have not found a roll we haven't liked.

The service and ambiance was excellent and it got us excited to try this place. We're new to St. Louis from California and dying to find "our" new sushi spot near us in the CWE. The sushi was okay -- it could have been fresher with more taste. The prices are also a bit high. I would come back for a special occasion only and not a casual dinner. I would be willing to try new dishes again.

Wonderful service and delicious sushi!! Our server, Song, made our birthday girl feel so special and appreciated with a birthday treat.

Sushi was fresh and delicious. We got the crazy roll, tornado roll, sunset roll, toro nigiri and salmon nigiri. Different textures and flavors really complemented each other in each roll. We also got chocolate lava cake for dessert which was warm, gooey, rich and amazing. Service was 10/10. Staff was nice, helpful and let us stay a bit past closing to finish up our food and drinks! Ambiance was calm and cozy. They dim the lights a bit at night and play calming music. I would definitely come back and get the same order plus a few more things!

Open on Mondays Alert! Kampai Sushi in Central West End, St. Louis, is a sushi lover's haven. They have so many sashimi, nigiri and roll options. If you're like me and crave sushi rolls all day, every day, Kampai will definitely hit the spot. This cozy sushi spot has been a staple in the STL community since 1984. We had the edamame, nigiri and several sushi rolls. They were all very good. Check out our new friend we made... the stuffed animal sushi.

Kampai has become my go-to sushi spot in CWE thanks to its consistently efficient service and reliable quality of rolls. The staff is really sweet and the food comes out quite quickly. There's plenty of seating available, so even though it gets pretty filled, I've never experienced a wait. The space is clean, warm, and comfortable. It's nice for a casual meal or even for a slightly more intimate date. I've tried the uni nigiri, which I honestly didn't love because it tasted like the uni had been soaked in sake. Their spicy tuna rolls were also a miss on me (maybe I had them on a bad day). However, the rolls that keep me coming back are the West Pine Roll and the Joy Roll. They're simple and similar in flavor, but well-done seared salmon rolls overall. Another honorable mention is the OMG Roll, which is really flavorful and has great presentation. Their takoyaki is also solid. I also really appreciate that they give you the option of complimentary miso soup or salad while you wait. The miso soup's got great umami with its inclusion of pieces of mushroom in it. Is it sushi that is going to blow your mind? No, but it's a great spot to come back to every time for consistently decent food and nice service.

Dimmed lights; contemporary piano music in the background; and neatly folded napkins placed upright on each plate. I came in with my group of 5 on a Thursday evening, and we were seated immediately. Service was great, always checking if we needed anything! We decided to share a 15-piece sashimi combo, two rolls, and two bowls of udon. A little bit of everything! We ended up all getting complimentary miso soup and salad that really hit the spot. The only downside is the price. However, the fish was fresh, and flavor did not disappoint. There might be better value and fare for sushi elsewhere, but this restaurant is perfect for a fancier get-together or date night!

Kampai does it all! They're a great go-to for a quick lunch roll (they do the standard rolls really well but the fancier rolls are also great and consistently delicious! My current favorite is the crunch roll) as well as a special dinner location. Dimmed lights and easy music make for a great environment, fitting anything from a casual bite to eat to a special event meal. Super kind service as well, everyone is very sweet! Super consistent, quick prep on to-go items, and always super delicious. I also really love their gyoza. Have been here many times and will continue to visit and recommend to everyone.

Kampai Sushi Bar is a sushi restaurant that offers a wide menu from nigri, noodle soups to sushi rolls. It is at a central location at Central West End. Street parking is plentiful. Service is attentive and the sitting space is comfortable. I only ordered sushi rolls at my visit. I feel the rolls are below average for mine, apart from the long wait time. The udon noodles dish my friend ordered looks so much better. Will I come back again? Perhaps not for the sushi, but for the convenient location.

I have recently moved into the neighborhood, and this sushi restaurant is my go-to place to enjoy tasty sushi or sashimi with drinks. The ambiance is inviting, the staff is super friendly, and the location is perfect if you live in CWE, located close to BJH. The small patio area that they have is pet-friendly, so you can bring your fur baby with you if you decide to come and try this place! I highly recommend this place if you are a foodie and love Japanese food.

Kampai sushi bar is a really cool place to bring friends! I'm addition to their beautiful sushi they have a wide drink selection and various different dishes you can try besides sushi. My friend and I ordered a TON of rolls and loved every one of them. The fish there was fresh and flavorful and the server we had was super sweet! They serve soju and sake here which was a treat, and offer sake flights if you and your friends are feelin a bit crazy. Additionally their Ice cream Sandwich there (look for pic at the bottom of my review) was surprisingly one of the best desserts I've had in a while! The sushi and food there looked and tasted awesome and the experience I had here was great! I will definetly be coming back for a sake flight

Kampai was great! Some of the rolls are a bit more expensive but the basic ones are still at a great price point. Quality was good and the service was great, plus the indoor seating is cute. Excited to go back!

The staff were great, and the service was very accommodating. Server was nice and helped celebrate the night. Nice ambiance and it was a great place for celebrating friends' birthdays as a casual hangout. The food was decent, but the donkatsu was a bit tough. The sushi was good and I recommend the combos or chirashi, but it is a bit on the pricier side, which is expected for decent seafood in the area.

Great service, very attentive and kind. The food was ready very quickly though I didn't feel rushed. Excellent seaweed salad and possibly the best spicy tuna mix I've ever had! Unfortunately I didn't care for the miso soup, it was lacking flavor. Small salad and miso soup comes with purchase of meal. Prices are average, $12-14 for the specialty rolls which were a good size. There's also plenty of non-sushi entrees to choose from. I got there right at opening at 5p and the place started to fill up pretty quickly on a Friday night. Would return.

The newer ownership is what brought me here. The owner was my favorite server at another sushi restaurant, before she moved here. We enjoyed the food and service. The atmosphere was open and friendly. All the guests seemed to be enjoying their time. Sung is the greatest! Wishing you the very best!

Lunch today was delightful. My son got the chicken teriyaki bento box. And I got the tekkadon. Shrimp tempura appetizer was five pieces and perfectly hot. Two miso soups were perfect and generous, and not on the bill in the end. I believe deliberately. My beer came with a frosty glass. And the mango mochi was nicely presented. Water glass refilled twice. Great service. Unfortunately only two other patrons made it while we were there. So they could use some more business.

Street parking available depending on the time. We were greeted upon entry. The food took a little long to come out for us to be the only people in the restaurant at the time but the taste and service made up for that. Recommended.

Kampai remains best traditional sushi in Saint Louis! They recently got a new owner (Song) who has kept what is good about the place and improved in areas of weakness. The food is the same but new menus and updated wine list! The staff is the same and Benji the long time sushi chef remains. The floors are new, walls repainted and new light fixtures created an updated ambiance. I have been going here for 10 years and my favorite rolls are; dynamite, joyroll and crazyroll. Love their Ama ebi which to me is a good test for a true sushi restaurant. I know their uni is very good too! Highly recommend this place.

Great sushi spot! I loved the OMG roll which is set on fire as they bring it to the table which gives it a nice smoky flavor. They also give complimentary miso soup and salad which I enjoyed. My boyfriend loved the tuna sashimi and we split the spicy tuna roll which was good but nothing special. Would definitely order the omg roll next time and try a new roll as well.

This is my go to sushi spot in STL. Very reasonably priced sushi and all very good. I think my favorite was the OMG roll. The presentation was cool how it came out on fire. I've probably tried 10 different rolls here in total and they have all been very good. The atmosphere was very nice with the big windows, light colors inside, and friendly staff.

So glad to have a late night sushi spot so close to home. Whereas most places close at 9p, Kampai stays open until 10p most days, and 11p on Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant is cute, and the staff super friendly and attentive. The sushi is a 3.5 to me, good enough...but if it's not late night Kampai probably won't be my first choice. The fire dragon roll was definitely the best. If you like heat, make sure you order that one!

I had high hopes for this place, but sadly was not my favorite. It's a cute spot open late, but the sushi was a little disappointing. The sushi was overly sticky and hard to chew and lacked any flavor. The udon noodles however were good and had a large portion size. I wouldn't get the sushi here again, but it was okay otherwise.

Things have changed at Kampai since we tried it about 2 years ago. First, our server was a delight. She was sweet and smiling and very professional in her service. Also, some will be happy to know the floor was no longer sticky, which my son noticed immediately. Our sushi was so good and so fresh! Finally they had strawberry mochi in stock too. The menu always said Chocolate and Strawberry, but previously, not once did they have any strawberry. Not sure what other changes they made, but the room itself actually seemed lighter and brighter, not dingy like before. We decided we will be back since it seems almost like a different place from when we first tried it two years ago. I've got to return anyway to see if they can tell me where they got their spectacularly beautiful wine glasses.

I always get takeout from here since I live so close . Most orders come with complimentary salad with a delicious ginger dressing and a cup of miso soup . We have tried the sashimi and rolls and they are solid . It looks like a really cool place and we really need to dine in one day :)

I've recently decided that kampai is my favorite sushi restaurant in St. Louis. I eat sushi pretty frequently (we're talking at least once a week) and kampai perfectly balances quality fish, good menu selection, continence, and price point. I order take out from here very often and have always had great experiences and they also have a great restaurant atmosphere for dine in! I'm a big fan of their rolls and nigiri. Fried rice is also a very frequent side of mine. I just recently learned they have an omakase option which I can't wait to try soon!

Okay. I wanted to love this place, I really wanted to. I was taken aback by the reviews a little, but they were the only spot in the area that seems to have Omakase, and I wanted to treat my fiancé for his birthday, so we gave it a chance. We made a reservation and were seated immediately, that's where the good service ended...my fiancé didn't want to sit at the sushi bar (don't make this mistake, sit there), so we were seated in a table in a corner by the kitchen door. There were flies flying around/dead flies around us, the bars splitting the table and the kitchen area were super dusty and gross at eye level like they had never been cleaned, and the light was broken (which we were warned about), but we thought it would be turned off, we didn't expect it to be flickering the whole time. This annoyed my fiancé so we nicely asked to move, and the waitress was SO offended and was like "fine just move over there, grab your food and drinks". It was very weird. Now, I recognize my fiancé was being VERY picky and needy this night, but we've both worked in the service industry and I think we're more hyper aware to what we think is rude, in reality, we weren't being rude at all, so I'm not sure why her attitude was so bad towards us. We started with the Sake flights which were really cool to taste the differences, we enjoyed that. We then spent $100/each on Omakase. It's a cool concept because you don't have to think about it, but I'm not sure I would do it again here (this is where sitting at the sushi bar probably would have been better because they could have chatted with us and figured out what we liked). Calculating what we got, it was about what we would have paid off the menu, so it's cool to try a lot of things you probably would have never gotten, but it's not a deal or anything like some of the other Omakase we've seen/eaten at. Here's everything it came with: Soup, Salad, a whole cold Squid, 4x of 5 types of sashimi, 6x salmon belly sashimi, 4x nigiri , 2x shrimp , 6x sushi pieces , 2 hand rolls , Lobster roll , Soba noodles, mochi. It made out to be 8 courses. The lobster roll was freaking bomb, if we come back, we're just going to eat that. Again, cool experience, but nothing super special you can't get off the menu, and service kinda sucks. Personally, we'll probably just go get a bunch of rolls we know we like next time.

My favorite sushi in the area. Sushi is always superb and the servers are really nice and do their best to give you what you want. I have celiac disease and our server was very belpful in making sure I didn't get glutened. I feel very safe eating here, and thatxs saying a lot. Did I tell you about the Squishmallows in the booths? What more could you possibly ask to make you feel safe and cared for? Yes, I just love this place.

Called on a Friday night to see if we could come in and was easily able to get a reservation. Just coming back from Hawaii, we were a touch crowd to please with the fish but kampai was delicious. Started off with the agedashi tofu which is probably one of the best I've had. The outside was crisped perfectly and the tofu was in a delicious broth with scallions and finely diced pickled ginger. We got the fire dragon roll which came topped with eel and was delicious, the west pine roll which was our favorite with blow torched salmon on top, and the dynamite roll.

We recently relocated to the CWE and live a few blocks away. Before visiting, we researched the reviews and menu. A little apprehensive, we went anyway since this will be our sushi and Japanese neighborhood restaurant to go. The soft shell crab tempura was very good, fresh, tasty and we would order again. We also had a variety of other sushi including the lobster roll which was good to experience. We may have that again and certainly would return. There was no problem with seating. We had a pleasant server and the atmosphere was comfortable complemented with recorded jazz music selections in the background.

This is one of my absolute favorite sushi restaurants I've ever been to. I love their ginger salad dressing and really any of the rolls I've tried have been delicious. I wish I could remember the name of my favorite roll, I think it's white tiger or something like that, give them a try!

We come here often for our sushi fix. The best in STL in my opinion. The fish is always fresh, quality is consistent and very reasonable priced. Torched salmon, scallop, sweet shrimp, hamachi nigiris are all excellent. I also like their spicy salmon/tuna rolls use big chunks of fish instead of grind up. Service is great too!

Very good sushi- I wouldn't say the best sushi I've had so not dishing out 5 stars rn. We had take out and got a couple rolls and the fried tofu with that dank sauce. Spider roll was gas, same with the St. Louis roll. I can't remember the other ones we got but they were all really good. Soy sauce was also the real stuff and not that fake shi.

This place was great. We had a sushi dinner before catching a movie at the chase. Such a nice date night. The OMG roll was hands down our favorite. They set it on fire. It adds a nice smoky flavor. The little kid next to our table just LOVED it. It might sound gimmicky but it is amazing.

The sushi here was pretty alright; enjoyed each of the rolls we got. The hot sake was a little off though. Could have been a bad batch, unsure. There is plenty of seating inside and some outside as well. It doesn't seem to get too crowded either. The establishment is downtown, so there is only street parking. Otherwise, service was super quick & friendly!

A nice little sushi spot in the Central West End with an array of sushi, drinks, and other chicken/beef dishes. It has a cozy ambiance and outdoor seating by the street. It's lively until the late hours during summer months.

Went here with a big group of people for a friend's birthday recently. Typical sushi place in the CWE, due to this it is hard to find parking so keep that in mind before heading over. Food was good, and they have great service, were very on top of refilling drinks etc. However, it didn't feel like the ac was working very well and it was fairly warm inside. Something to note is that they add the tip in automatically, however most of those of us in our group were unaware of this. I don't mind leaving a good tip, it just felt like they were hiding that fact and tricking you into tipping more.

Not sure if I ordered the wrong thing, or this place was just not good. You get what you pay for. Ordered the Alaskan roll, crunch roll and the dragon roll.

Walked in tonight for dinner with my husband and had a lovely time. Servers and chefs wearing masks and no sharing condiments. Covid 19 protocol approved. Food was delicious, ambiance was nice, food came in promptly too- no complaints.

The place has been really busy recently and looks to be a little short staffed right now. Be patient with them and they will help you out when they can. I know my order was canceled really close to that dinner rush time, 6pm last Wednesday. No worries, cause I will be back again when I catch them at an earlier time The rolls that I love are the Crunch roll and Crazy roll. Don't forget to get their Miso soup and House Salad andddd the ice cream mochi for desert

The food was Devine! Very fresh. Definitely looks upscale and great ambiance. I had a lunch bento box and the lychee sake. Nice size bar too! I will be back for dinner soon!

The good: Chicken wings, soft crab shell, white tiger roll (wahoo), yummy roll, and the fish ice cream sandwich are so delicious!! The service is good but not excellent. Price is reasonable! The bad: The starting salad had some strange flavor. OMG roll was cool but not as tasty as it looks. Overall great! Perhaps the best sushi in the area :-)

Very poor quality. Rolls were just ok. Teriyaki chicken was like a Trader Joe's frozen product that wells microwaved. They must have a grill and it should be easy to grill the chicken. Teriyaki chicken bawl from Teriyaki Madness franchise is absolutely much better than this. The floor was so sticky that I hear the noise whenever I move. It was like they spilled the huge amount of water glue on their entire floor. Really! I won't go there Ever!

Came to the CWE just to try this spot and the hostess said they weren't seating anyone because they were too busy and closed more than an hour after we had arrived. They didn't acknowledge us when we walked in and had us wait, without a greeting, while other door dash/pick up drivers who came in after us were pulled ahead of us to be assisted. Disappointing and we will only give our money to Cafe Mochi going forward.

When they offer you salad or soup with your sushi rolls, choose the miso soup. It has a few mushrooms in it which is a nice spin; the salad has a bland dressing. I ordered the sunrise and yummy rolls. I liked both but the yummy was better because the mango in the sunrise wasn't quite ripe. My husband ordered the Alaskan and white tiger. Both were good but the white tiger was great. I also ordered spicy scallop nigiri and white tuna in garlic sauce nigiri. Both were yummy. Service was great. Atmosphere was good. Will come back!

Overrated place. Doesn't compare to what the pictures shown on google, etc, and I'm here to tell you this place is mid or way super overrated. The walk in is fine, seats are pretty bad, very uncomfortable. The fish quality is not bad not gonna lie but the flavor in terms of hand rolls to price value is kind of insane. The sashimi is cut pretty thin at a steep price as well. Worst of all, the service isn't exactly inviting. Never been asked how my meal was, how was everything going. Not the worst place in the world, but definitely overrated and better off going elsewhere in my opinion.