Kanpai Japanese Restaurant

Quick and tasty! Kanpai is a great place for quick, tasty and expected Japanese dishes. I give 4 of 5 as I could not find a la carte Sashimi readily available without asking and also some of my favorite sushi/​sashimi of Uni (sea urchin) or hotate (scallop) was not in the menu. Everything was served super quick and tasted great. I tried the recommended Eggplant Sushi and it was awesome! I highly recommend.

a total classic. excellent traditional japanese, no nonsense and perfectly reliable. adore. best thing on the menu? eggplant sushi. could eat 3 serves of it and still want more.

We used to eat here years ago. Returned today to find the quality of the food had not changed. First up — best teppanyaki I’ve ever had. Crispy bits in the meat/​seafood/​vegetables and the sauce is creamy, garlicky perfection. Seriously worth going ‘south of the river’ for. The sushi and sashimi were also delicious. The seaweed salad is perfect — lemony fresh rather than sweet like so many out there.
Service is friendly and quick. Will definitely return.

Been eating here for 23 years. It’s a classic south yarra joint full of regulars and people in the know. The food is tasty, service quick and well priced. The Seafood Tepanyaki (garlic creamy sauce) is just insane! Very good venue, extensive. Bit daggy the décor but that also
Makes it special from the 80s!

*Review incomplete
Ordered a bento box, but the food wasn’t great.
Service was friendly

Quick lunch in between appointments today and I felt like Japanese food and I found it through Unilocal as it was the closest one around where I was.
I ordered the entrée sushi & sashimi which came with four pieces of sushi, 8 pieces is sashimi and four small sushi. I thought that was enough for me but I was left still hungry and had to order fried tofu in light broth.
The food was tasty and sashimi was fresh especially the tuna. But the size was disappointment and the cut was not perfect. I know I ordered the entrée size but it was just the way it was cut. It wasn’t your pretty slices of sashimi you would expect.
The service was really great though. Servers and I think the owner was very attentive and initiative. I would give them ⁵⁄₅ for service.

Deceptively large but narrow but honestly serving some of the tastiest Japanese food I’ve had. We ordered the deep fried chicken, think popcorn chicken, but incredibly juicy with a creamy ranch style sauce to balance the grease.
The gyoza was a beautiful dumpling of shredded meat and herbs. Also flat, so didn’t look like your typical sushi shack dumpling.
This was a super quick visit and based off this brief relationship, I will be back for more in a heart beat.

I have been coming to this place fortnightly for the best part of 6 years. The sushi is fresh and absolutely delicious. The sushi chef will create anything that you like and all you need to do is ask.
The service can be questionable and I will be honest in saying that if I was writing this review a year or two ago they I would probably have only given them a 3. They know us by name now and always treat us well, know what we want to drink and eat and always manage to find us a table if we haven’t booked.
Try the teppanyaki mixed plate with rice, I sometimes dream about this dish it is so delicious.
This place will continue to be my Japanese ray of sunshine for years to come.

Amazing amazing sushi, and the hot meals are also pretty tasty. We were served quickly, but not so fast that we felt we were being rushed out of the restaurant.
Only been here once, prior to a movie at the Jam Factory, but I would definitely go again.
Very reasonably priced, great for a casual dinner with a mate or a long term partner.

I had a highly enjoyable experience eating at Kanpai Japanese Restaurant. It all began with a quest to find a decent Japanese place near the city — but not too close to the city that parking would be impossible. I think Kanpai is in a great location for the perfect balance.
~ Inside, its dimly lit, warm atmosphere is relaxing and the staff are welcoming and understanding.
~ The drinks come in big glasses, the food is well presented, and orders come out quickly.
~ The open kitchen style is nice, albeit not particularly unique, finding comforts in the more traditional teppanyaki-​styled Japanese restaurants. The downside of this is that when the restaurant is busy, I imagine the kitchen sounds could get quite noisy for the seating environment.
~ The restaurant is open ‘late’ on some nights — and they mean it more than other restaurants in the area. Kanpai was actually my second choice of places to try, however arriving at the first restaurant at 10.15pm on a Saturday night and finding it closed made me give Kanpai a try. On the Saturday night I was here, the kitchen closed at about 11pm.
~ Sadly, the entrees and mains did not come out at the same time. It’s a little pet peeve of mine, but if I’m eating with someone else and my entrée arrives ten minutes before theirs, I have the choice of either being rude and gobble it up without waiting for theirs to show, or allow it to go cold while waiting for my dining partner’s dish.
Overall, the food was tasty, the environment was quiet and clean, the experience was positive, and the staff were kind. I even had a laugh at the waiter who I witnessed using an array of chopsticks and sticky-​tape to rescue a receipt that had fallen behind the fridge. A positive dining experience. I will be back.

Pretty good place for sushi. We won have rated this place with 4 stars but the service lets them down.

I’ve eaten here a couple of times and I always seem to be drawn to the same dish on the menu. The last time we ate here I remember how famished I was walking in and how full I was walking out in the span of less than 45 minutes. This is a testament to their speedy service and exceptionally tasty menu. The meals are considerably priced compared to other Japanese eateries in the area and wont burn a hole in your pocket. The menu offers your standard Japanese dishes aside from the standout mixed Teppanyaki Mix (chicken & Beef), which I highly recommend, you can also add seafood if desired. The meat is cooked in a creamy garlic sauce, yes you can taste each calorie as you suck the fork dry but it is well worth ordering and will leave you satisfied. Give it a go!