Izakaya Kanpai

We are always excited to find Japanese izakayas (居酒屋) in San Diego, mostly because we work and tend to eat at later hours. While cruising on Clairemont Mesa Blvd., my fiancé unexpectedly spotted Izakaya Kanpai and decided to try it out!
Izakaya Kanpai’s décor is a marriage between casual Japanese sake house with a touch of Westernized crystal chandelier and furniture. Upon entering, we were seated immediately at the bar among other patrons, who were mostly family with children. The restaurant was not crowded around 9:30pm, but it took a good 10 – 15 minutes before someone came over to take our initial drink order. Once our water and sake arrived, it took probably another 5 – 10 minutes before our food order was taken. I normally would understand the delay if the restaurant was busy and crowded, but there was around six tables with no circulating staff on the floor, most of the servers were huddle behind the cash register.
Apart from the service, the food was good. We ordered:
Happy Hour Menu:
— Edamame w/​garlic salt: came out pipping hot! Well-​seasoned finger food appetizer
— Wow: deep fried salmon skin w/​teriyaki sauce. Most bang-​for-​the-​buck! The first few bites were really appetizing, but they used mostly the layer of salmon with lots of fatty parts, thus towards the middle it felt I was eating fried blubber.
Ramen:
— Spicy Miso & Salmon Ikura Don: Kanpai special combination, great deal for $ 12. My fiancé really liked the savory pork broth with miso, but was not a big fan of the thin noodles. The baked salmon with salmon roe don was very tasty.
— Tonkotsu Ramen: The pork broth is amazingly prepared, not overpowering salty like Yakyudori. Thin noodles also used, which I need to get use to. My only critique is that the chashu was fattier than other ramen noodles I have tried and I personally like leaner chashu. But overall, it is a solid bowl of ramen.
We also asked for minced garlic for our ramen, which the waitress quickly brought out on a tiny sauce dish for us. It really enhanced the flavor of the ramen from good to great. Initially the waitress was going to charge extra for the minced garlic, but she was nice and changed her mind towards the end. Izakaya Kanpai serves good food at a good price. It just needs some improvement on service speed and maybe the vibrating bar countertops from the fridge underneath. It was a good late-​night dinner at a reasonable price.

Really good Japanese, ramen, sushi spot. Stopped in with my daughter for lunch based on all the great reviews. We tried the Seafood Salad Combo (just available on weekends and for dinner) and it was really good and great value at $ 15. Included a huge mixed greens salad topped with seared tuna and fresh salmon, cucumbers, tomatoes and a really good, tangy dressing. Plus choice of another entrée — we got chicken teriyaki, and my daughter really liked it. Service was SO welcoming and friendly; thanks Pinky!

Like the happy hour deals, ramen is yummy. I recommend Sansai Udon, if you are a vegetarian. It takes 10 hrs. To make their broth. No wonder why, it’s taste so good. Our server is so sweet. Nice décor!

I never knew it would be as nice as this in the inside! It’s decorated quite nicely. I like the big table in the middle and the chandelier on the ceiling. We were greeted warmly and seated right away. But. Without any menus. So we were just sitting there for 5 minutes waiting for the menu. The ladycame brought us water and gave us the menus. We had the menu for like 10 seconds before the other lady came by to ask if we were ready. Clearly we werent. So we asked them to give us a couple minutes but this turned into like ten minutes lol. There was another tablw waiting for their check. Only two ladies working at dinner time on sunday probably isnt the best idea. Anyway they have really goodcombo deals. I didnt try the combo but i think i will next time. I got the bulgogi don– loved that there were a lot of veggies in it and loved that it came with a side salad and soup but the gulgogi itself wasnt as tasty. Also got the spicy tuna done– it was good! The ladies gave us a nice goodbye as well.

I am literally in love with this place. Let me start by saying that this place has the best ramen in town. The kitchen sink is a must order — the most flavorful ramen I have ever had in SD. Keep in mind that they also offer the traditional ramen soups, tonkatsu and miso.
Alcohol: Izakaya has a huge alcohol selection, and is the only ramen restaurant that carries Hitachino beer. Must try the white ale.
Overall, great staff, excellent service, cozy atmosphere, and AMAZING food!

In San Diego visiting friends, this place is fantastic. Daughter had the curry ramen, being from Hawaii I’ve had Japanese curry a thousand times, this place is the real deal.
Ordered the Kenai bun thinking it was char siu bao or Manapua. It wasn’t, but it was delicious. It was char siu pork belly with Japanese vegetables in a steamed sticky bun.
Had the spicy miso ramen finished it all.
Ji was our server, cool dude, fast, hard working with kind eyes.
Hope to be back in the future.
Mahalo

Great food and atmosphere, honestly a weird location so when we going in we didn’t know what to expect! But overall the food was amazing and really shined for ramen in San Diego!
Will be coming back for seconds again because this ramen was too bomb.

I stopped in here for the first time tonight for a late dinner, and I’m so glad I did. The Japanese fusion food is delicious and the staff is very welcoming and attentive.
We ordered the Kimchee Natto cold plate, Spicy Miso Ramen dinner special with Curry Don, and Yakisoba with the $ 2 kimchee addition, with a pot of green tea to share.
I was raised eating natto for breakfast at least once a week (my family is Japanese), so I like looking around on a menu to see if restaurants offer natto in any creative way. I found that Izakaya Kanpai has a cold plate consisting of natto on kimchee, so I was eager to try it, and wasn’t disappointed. It’s not a dish for those who haven’t had either food before, so please exercise caution if you’re not a fan of fragrant, fermented foods. For those who enjoy both kimchee and natto, though, give it a shot! I never would have thought to combine those flavors, but I enjoyed it, and will probably make some at home between now and my next visit to Izakaya Kanpai.
I had the Kimchee Yakisoba (can you see a theme to my tastes?), and although it was a little wetter than I like my yakisoba, the flavor was good. There were plenty of fresh veggies in it, with generous slices of zucchini and carrots, and it was served piping hot, which made it taste all the better.
My dining companion had the dinner special, which comes with a choice of ramen or udon (each in two flavor options) or seafood, a side of either white or brown rice, and a choice of one item from a list of other foods to go with the rice. She chose the Spicy Miso Ramen with white rice and Curry Don. I was able sample a bit of each, and they were both good. The curry was spicy and came with a bit of red pickled daikon on top, which I always enjoy eating with curry, so it was nice to see it included. The Spicy Miso Ramen was delicious! It was a perfect level of spice and the noodles were cooked just right. What makes a ramen, though, is a good broth, and this broth did not disappoint. It was flavorful, spicy, and just a bit on the salty side (I’m sensitive to salt, so things that are a bit salty for me are usually just right for everyone else).
The green tea was also very good, and I would have gladly finished a whole pot of it on my own if we hadn’t ordered so much food to try. The tea was loose-​leaf genmaicha (green tea with brown rice) placed on a strainer within the tea pot; no tea bags here.
We never made it to dessert because of how much food we had, but I’ll update my review the next time I come here, because I will definitely be returning soon!

Service was good when we went on a Saturday but there was also no one at the restaurant. Interestingly, they have a fancy chandelier in the middle of a restaurant decorated to look like a Japanese establishment.
On to the food. We came here for ramen. I got the spicy miso. The noodles were like the ones from the grocery store ramen bag (hopefully they weren’t!). The broth was good, not great, and the other ingredients were just ok too. There was ground beef in there but it just didn’t feel part of the meal. Nevertheless, i was hungry so finished most of it. If i come back, ill try the other food choices they have.

Came here randomly one night after seeing the reviews. I politely disagree with the average ratings, but that’s just me.
Food: I should’ve listened to everyones input but I was really craving curry. The noodles were your typical ramen width and consistency, the curry soup was a little sweet and slightly thick. It could’ve used a little more seasoning to bring out the distinctive curry flavor and maybe thicker noodles.
Tonkotsu ramen had slightly thinner noodles. Soup was average as well. Good broth but not spectacular or distinctive. Your average ramen. Calamari was soft and chewy, not very crispy. Tasted pretty well. Came with a dip which consisted of Japanese mayonnaise sprinkled with shichimi togarashi.
Teriyaki was made of good chicken thigh, the taste was what you’d get at any other place.
Price: decent prices. Their combo deals are pretty nice if you’re looking to feast on a budget or if you just eat a lot.

The only «izakaya» restaurant in this area to get above 4.0 stars on Unilocal~ The portion sizes are huge and it does not take away from the quality of the food.
Note that the style is «Asian fusion,» which is a totally different art than traditional Asian food. T
Starting off, the spicy tuna don /​combo was more than just a bowl of spicy tuna over rice and garnishes. It came on a platter… with pickled cucumbers, a salad, miso soup, inarizushi/​tofu. This meal is such a good value for everything that you get.
I reeeeeallly like the ramen here. I get really grossed out when I see oily and fatty ramen but the broth here was lighter but really flavorful and the flavor soaked into the noodles perfectly. Additional ingredients are about 50 cents. The pork in the tonkatsu broth was tender and soft, just the way it should be. The half-​egg that comes with the ramen is soft boiled too! However the spicy miso ramen comes with ground/​minced pork, and I find it less appealing to eat. Tonkatsu is the way to go!
Some of the appetizers I’ve tried include the infamous Bara Bara and salmon skin. The salmon skin was only $ 1, so i expected one strip of skin, but what we got was small plate of strips of skin! Definitely worth the $ 1. The Bara bara was well flavored, but overwhelming if you do not share it with anyone since there’s 8 pieces.
I love the kanpai bun even though it’s $ 3.50… The pork is sauced up well and the bun is fluffy. The crab wontons are pretty good too.
Other things I liked: There is a daily happy hour that is literally from open to close. The appetizers on here are all less than $ 5, and pitchers are $ 9.
Parking is so easy… avoid the convoy parking, lines, and wait times by coming here!

Been frequenting Izakaya Kanpai more frequently, so here are some updates.
This is Fish Attack’s sister restaurant, which is also one of our favorites, so I’m not surprised Izakaya Kanpai is just as good.
Some Highlights:
–Very good karaage chicken like Fish attack
–Fiancé and I love the udon soup here. Noodles are on point and the broth is the best I’ve had in San Diego. Added beef to my udon last time and while the meat was flavorful, it would’ve been much better if they had sliced it thinner so that it would be less chewy and easier to eat.
–Spicy tuna don is amazing. Good balance of sweet and savory. Fish seems fresh.
–Ramen is tasty, but maybe not the best in San Diego. Tonkotsu and spicy pork miso ramen are both pretty good. I still prefer their udon though.
–Chicken teriyaki here is better than at most places.
-$ 12 for the dinner combos that come with ramen or udon and a small entrée of your choice

Came here with some friends upon recommendation. We ordered a bunch of items. There were several things on their happy hour menu which is available all day and it seems to have a few rotating items. I enjoyed the WOW item (salmon skin). Probably really bad for you, but pretty delicious.
For entrée, my friends recommended the spicy miso ramen, but I was a little ramen’d out at the moment, so I opted for the sansai udon combo instead, with a spicy tuna don. The portions were really generous. You can easily share one combo between two people. And I loved the presentation of the dishes, but I felt my udon was a tad salty. Though I did like the flavors. The spicy tuna don was a normal spicy tuna dish. Perhaps the spicy tuna was a tad bland. I recall adding more soy sauce.
I got to try some of my boyfriend’s dish, the chicken teriyaki don. It came out with multiple side items like miso soup, a salad, tofu rice balls, and some pickled cucumber. Almost bento style, without the actual bento box. Again, really big portions. But the taste was just okay. Pretty average for chicken teriyaki.
Overall, this place has a great value, but I think of them more for quantity than quality. Everything tasted fine, but nothing amazing. Maybe I’ll try the miso ramen that my friends were raving about next time.

As far as first impressions go, I’m totally digging Izakaya Kanpai.
Dragging the coworker out for lunch, it was nice to find that the restaurant, which opens at 11:30am for lunch, wasn’t crowded, at all. It was a nice surprise. We were greeted by a friendly and very attentive waitress.
Lunch specials are an awesome deal. Typically, the specials will come with your main entrée, a side salad and a small side dish. Coworker ordered the tonkotsu ramen. I ordered the tentoji (tempura shrimp) don, fried salmon skin, tako yaki and chasu kanpai bun. Yes, I was hungry/​hangry! They had a small all day HH menu, which I totally took advantage of. Everything I put in my mouth was DELICIOUS! =P
I was impressed with how big the portions were for both the lunch specials and the HH items. The picky coworker was also impressed, as well. Yay! Score on another place that the picky coworker approves of!
This will be a favorite because it’s off the beaten Convoy path and the prices/​food portions are pretty reasonable. On the west side of the 805, it’s in it’s own little universe… err, shopping strip mall. If you can’t find parking onsite, there’s plenty of street parking, as well.
Looking forward to coming here, again.

Izakaya Kanpai is relatively new in Clairemont area of San Diego (since mid-​2015). Focused on Ramen and Asian fusion style dishes. Between my significant other and I, we ordered the following:
— Curry Ramen — I ordered this and liked it. Noodles were cooked al dente just the way I like it and egg was a little runny. The broth wasn’t too overpowering with the curry, just right.
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— Spicy Miso Ramen — Significant other ordered this and liked it. Noodles were also cooked al dente. Broth was a little too salty for my tastebuds, but perfect for significant other’s tastebuds.
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— Salmon and Scallop Carpaccio — This was fun! Salmon, scallops, and avocado. My three favorite foods on a plate. Not much to complain about!
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— Salmon Kama — Significant other ordered this and though the salmon was cooked just right.
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— Karaage (Fried Chicken) — Not much to comment here. It’s fried chicken, always good!
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Conclusion:
Overall, pretty good food for the price. Be sure to check out their Happy Hour menu!
ENJOY!

Delicious!!! We went here on a Wednesday night with my date. We got the dinner combo of Spicy Miso ramen and unagi don, and super salmon roll and baked mussels.
Everything was delicious! But I would skip on the baked mussels because we were only given 4 mussels.
I really liked the roll, spicy Miso ramen and unagi don. The unagi meat was super tender and and flavorful. And the broth to the ramen was very good! Our total came out to $ 33 before tip. Not too shabby. I highly recommend getting the combo. I got a huge bowl of ramen and a bowl of unagi rice for $ 14 :)

I’ve been wanting to try Izakaya Kanpai since they’ve opened because of the amazing prices for the food (pictured on Unilocal). The sister restaurant to this place is Sushi Fish Attack.
AMBIANCE: Cute little place, I’m enjoying the wood and bamboo décor. The dividers against the wall are creative. The restaurant is dimmed with American music playing in the background. There’s a nice chandelier a top one of the larger tables and many hanging lights, it’s pretty. There’s a fish tank too!
SERVICE: Came in for a late dinner on Valentine’s Day, they had a special for liquor if you spend $ 35 or more for 2 people. I’ve also come for dinner several times. At arrival, we put our name on the sign in sheet and waited. There was one party of 3 ahead of us. None of the waiters welcomed or acknowledged that we were here. There were bar seats available, 3 tables cleaned and 2 not cleaned but no one to seat us. After about 10 minutes we were asked how many were in our party and were seated right away. Clara the waitress lady was very nice, she was so sad for us when we ordered the calamari but they had ran out.
FOOD: Food is fantastic! An absolute amazing price for the amount of food you get. Want to grab some good food for a decent price, definitely try this place out! I’m amazed their happy hour everyday, all day is still going on, maybe it will forever stay like this… hopefully! I asked the waitress and she said the happy hour menu rotates items every few months. The food was very tasty and there is a very large drink selection to pick from. I’m very very happy with my meal!
1. Takoyaki ($ 3.5 HH) was unfortunately no good. It’s fried and had this buttery flavor to it that I didn’t enjoy. I was really looking forward to this appetizer because I love takoyaki, but I’m very disappointed.
2. Vegetable Croquette ($ 2.50 HH) was pretty good, I enjoyed it. I didn’t enjoy the sauce on the side, but my boyfriend did, there’s a distinct tart to it.
3. Gyoza ($ 2 HH) was nice and crispy, meat was very soft and tender inside, and the sauce was very good. The Gyoza was well worth it.
4. Kanpai Special Combo ($ 11.95) for ramen or udon and a rice bowl! We ordered the Spicy Miso Ramen and the Curry Don. Both were good, but I enjoyed the ramen the most. The Spicy Miso was actually spicy and had a kick to it, which I loved. It came with lots of noodles and meat, not enough broth, I wished there was more, I ran out of broth before my noodles were finished. It’s also a VERY large bowl. My boyfriend kept saying this is the best Spicy Miso Ramen he’s ever had. The Curry Don was just mediocre, not great. There was only 2 little slices of beef and lots of rice and potatoes. I’ll have to try the other bowls and find a favorite. We will definitely be back to try more of the menu!
5. Tuna Don Bowl was better than the Curry Don Bowl, but still not great. There wasn’t much flavor, that I usually enjoy with a poke bowl or something. It definitely needs some kind of sauce! They give a large amount of spicy tuna, but it wasn’t very spicy. I would not recommend the Don Bowls.
6. Wow ($ 1 HH) is the fried salmon skin w/​teriyaki sauce, exactly like it says. I enjoyed it, but my bf did not. If you like salmon skin, you might just really enjoy this!
7. Tempura Yaki Chikuwa w/​Krab & Cheese ($ 3.5 HH), I did not enjoy, but that might be biased because I do not like cooked cream cheese… It just said cheese, is didn’t know it was cream cheese, but I should have known!
8. Calamari Calamari ($ 5 HH) wasn’t bad, it’s very lightly battered, I would want more but I can appreciate it as is. The prices of calamari are thick. They are the rounded ones.
My favorite dish is the spicy miso ramen, it actually might be the best spicy miso ramen I’ve had… And my favorite appetizers so far are the gyoza and vegetable croquette. The food is definitely very good, but service is just okay.

Cute little Korean run joint that offers good food at affordable prices.
Got the happy hour gyoza for an appetizer and wasn’t terribly impressed. It was decent, but nothing amazing.
For my main meal I ordered the California roll and chicken karaage. The California roll was tasty with very little rice. The nori (on the inside) was tough though. I highly recommend the chicken karaage though. They use dark meat and I believe either corn or potato starch for dredging. This results in a crispy and fluffy outside coating.
All in all another good place to check out in the Convoy/​Clairemont area.

Sometimes I crave ramen & most of the time I crave sushi. I had a hard time finding a place that had good ramen & sushi until I came here.
This is the sister restaurant to one of my favorite sushi spots, Sushi Fish Attack. They don’t have nigiri & all of the same sushi rolls, but they have a good, small selection. Quality fish & delicious.
The ramen is served in a huge bowl. It’s flavorful, but not overly salty like some other places.
The only downside is the service. They seem understaffed at times with open tables & several groups of people waiting. At times, they’re not attentive & welcoming. We’ve brought to someone’s attention that we just missed our name being called because we were outside. They said they would tell the waitress to call us next & they never did.

Came here last minute with a party of 6, so we called and we were able to be seated right away.
Service was alright.
Food:
We had a few appetizers but I forgot what it was. :(I think it was the fried salmon skin. :(
Tonkotsu Ramen and Tupac had the Beef Shortribs Ramen. (?)
Overall, the ramen was delicious. I need to return again.

Solid 4 stars for this ramen joint!!! I am pretty particular when it comes to ramen.
Not busy on a Wednesday night. Plenty of empty tables and 2 servers. We were seated right away.
We ordered quite a few items:
WOW (deep fried salmon skin with teriyaki sauce) — good taste, nice and crispy plus it’s only a dollar during happy hour
Chicken karaage: good flavor but not as crispy.
Spicy miso ramen: huge portion and good flavor. We got spicy level 2 and it was just perfect spicy level for me. The broth was just the right temperature and served with all the fixing. We only added soft boiled egg for $ 1.50
Unagi don: soooo darn good. Good quality eel for sure.
Spicy tuna don: delicious rice bowl plenty of tuna and rice to fill you up.
Overall, I love the idea of ramen and rice bowl combo. Remind me of Santouka but just cheaper and larger portion! I think we will come back soon when my hubby to be wants ramen.
PS: service can be a little slow

The service is really good!
The food itself was probably a ⁷⁄₁₀
We got the Wow (salmon skin with teriyaki sauce) $ 1 during happy hour
Tempura yaki chikuwa w/​lean and cheese $ 3 during happy hour
Combo (vegetable udon) and house curry $~11
Kimchi ramen $~11 (it can get spicy if you want a medium get a 2)
Came out to be around $ 30 which is good price for what we got

nice staff, good food for good price. Lunch combination is a really good deal with big portion. I recommend tonkotau ramen

There was a group of people waiting outside, so I thought this place was going to be packed, but service was just slow. There were 4 empty tables, but we still had to wait at least 10 minutes just to be seated.
We initially came here for their sushi rolls, but after looking over their menu, there was only one roll in particular that we wanted to try. I ended up getting the ramen special, which comes with a choice of of one of their rice bowls. I went with the spicy miso ramen and the karaage don. My boyfriend ordered the kitchen sink ramen and a salmon roll.
The karaage don came out first and was small in size, but made for a good appetizer. The salmon roll was really fresh and delicious! This was our favorite thing we ate that night. Both ramen bowls were really good and quite flavorful, but I liked the spicy miso version more. It had a nice kick and plenty of meat and noodles. The kitchen sink had a lot of things going on– there were fried dumplings, kurobuta sausage, and an egg!
My boyfriend mentioned that there seemed to be some pork missing according to the photos on Unilocal,but our server said that it was actually chicken. She ended up bringing a small dish of the chicken at no extra charge. That was really nice of her! Overall, the food is pretty good, but the service was super slow.

This place has some awesome happy hour deals and reasonably priced ramen. I’ve been here a few times now and I’m a fan.
There’s a good amount of options of izakaya and some of the stuff is also on their all day happy hour menu.
Favorites:
Tonkotsu Ramen
Wow (Deep fried salmon skin)
Hamachi Kama
Cucumber Salad
Grilled Squid
Seaweed Salad
Workers are friendly and provide good service. The restaurant also has a nice ambiance to it.
Come early and get the sake bomb during HH. Then stay for the food.

Service is good. Sapporo is good. Ordered tonktasu ramen with kanpai toppings and fried chicken rice combo. Tried friends teriyaki chicken, ok. Fried chicken is 4.5 stars, Delish. Broth is buttery and delicious, 5 stars. Chashu and egg toppings great. Not a fan of the crab cake/​gyoza. Overall, best ramen in San Diego, will satisfy any craving if you’re from la/​bay/​ny/​Japan.

Liked it so much came back twice.
Cames here on a Tuesday for lunch and then on a Saturday for dinner.
I’m a creature of habit — ordered the same thing. Tonkutsu Ramen with extra garlic and corn. Delicious both times.
Service was fantastic — staff were attentive and prompt. Ambiance is warm and inviting. Price is right. I do enjoy Ramen a lot and frequent quite a few in the area and this is my new favorite.

This place is perfect. So fun, yummy and a really good deal too. The music is rad, the staff are so nice and the setting is hip. And if you come after 9pm it’s happy hour! What a steal.
Disclosure — for a Unilocal review you get a free green tea ice cream but to be honest I owe a review anyway because this place is so great!!! Yay!

Great friendly spot for killer lunch special deals… Ramen/​Udon/​Sashimi salad PLUS another rice dish (white/​brown rice). Sister restaurant for sushi fish attack, which is only open in evenings on weekdays and normal hrs on the weekend.
I ordered the Udon with mountain vegetables and spicy tuna don. The Udon broth wasn’t that great… Very soy saucy and too sweet. My friend ordered a miso ramen that came in a bigO bowl and he really enjoyed it, but agreed that my udon broth was too sweet. Nevertheless, it was nice to have soup to sip on. The spicy tuna don was yummy. So much food in one luncheon! And our waitress was super cool chic who was friendly and on point with the water refills. I was also diggin the Bob Marley and Sean Paul playing over the speakers.
They also have a bar with a great selection of beers and drink specials… And they have Hitachino XH, which I loove. The waitress gave us recs also. If I wasn’t going back to work, I’d have ordered something at the bar and chilled out there. Nice vibe.
Big enough parking lot available.
I will definitely come back here for lunch.

This restaurant is located close to the 805 in Clairemont. It’s in a small business area but there is parking available.
I’ve been here a couple of times when I was craving ramen. The noodles taste fresh. I get the spicy miso ramen, and it definitely can get spicy. The portion size is pretty good. The also have cheap happy hour specials like the eel skin and calamari. The workers here are nice
I would definitely recommend trying this place out, especially if you’re craving ramen and want to avoid the convoy area.

More like 3.5 stars but the excellent service snd prices got the extra push for these guys.
New business since late last year of 2015.
Came in around 630 pm on Tuesday night with plenty of seating. Location is right off a busy street so you’ll need to watch out for it. The sign says «Ramen Kanpai» with a ramen bowl logo instead of the expected «Izakaya Kanpai» signage. It’s right by Aladdin so if you see that you are in the right area.
Service was great. Prompt and attentive.
Menu — happy hour all day right now (except drinks) was ridiculously cheap. Gyoza (4) for $ 2, edamame with garlic salt for $ 1. Nothing to rave about taste wise but for the price, it was well worth it. Sapporo draft was just $ 2.75 !
I opted for the tonkotsu ramen ($ 7.50) with added corn (.75 cents) and two gyoza for (0.95 cents). You can choose level 1 or 2 for spice. Level 2 has Serrano peppers — it’s really not spicy at all. If I had to pick a number 1 – 10 for how hot level 2 was, I would say it’s a 7. Large portions, perfect al dente noodles and perfectly cooked egg. It came with pork cha siu (BBQ meat), red ginger and caramelized onions. Broth was thick and rich, but not as flavorful as I would have preferred it. It did its job, but I’ve had a lot better. The gyoza, though deep fried, was extra oily.
If you can type pretty fast, you can write a review of Izakaya and you’ll get Green Tea ice cream for free. Im a big fan of free but I’m not a big fan of pressure type reviews so I don’t support it. However, thought I’d share for those that want to take advantage of this offer.
Would go here again, but wouldn’t be my top choices. If you are looking for fabulous prices, average –good tasting food and great service in an upscale yet modern environment. Check this place out !

Ambiance (⁴⁄₅): This is a really cute store tucked on the other side of the 805 away from the usual asian restaurants on Convoy. The place is highly decorated and dimly lit, with rustic wooden tables and bamboo sheets between tables so you have more privacy.
Service (²⁄₅): Looking at past Unilocal reviews, you will notice that many people bring up the poor service. It is something the owner even admits to. There is only 2 servers who also act as cleaners, which I feel awful for since they are running back and forth delivering food and cleaning up tables. For us as a party of 6, there was an open table, but it took them nearly 15 minutes to clean it and seat us. Likewise, I noticed at times multiple free tables that needed cleaning, since there was a wait, but no one really acknowledged them. Plus the food came out at different times, it took nearly 20 minutes for our last friend to get his donburi, so our ramen that came out first was luke warm.
Food (⁵⁄₅): I will say however even with horrible service, the food was outstanding. There is multiple combos and all day happy hour to choose from. I ended up choosing the combo that included tonkotsu ramen and a small side of chicken teriyaki. Even though my food was lukewarm by the time I got to eat, it was extremely flavorful, light, and the chashu was a perfet mix of chew and fat. The portions were huge as well — I was pretty full after finishing my ramen — but still had a side of teryiaki chicken left. This rice bowl was very light as well, and the chicken tasted like premium meat. I honestly thought I was eating steak at one point.
Overall, food is amazing and all my friends also agreed to this. But I will say, they just need to hire more workers since they are definitely understaffed and your dining experience here will definitely improve substantially.

Ramen is basically my entire food pyramid and I can proudly say that their Ramen is so far one of the best I’ve ever had!
Came in on a weekday night and was still expecting difficult parking like my usual spots. Nope! Parking was very easy.
Starting with the apps, they have a «happy hour» for food, which is every single day from open to close… so I guess technically it’s «happy hours» or a «happy day» :) Anyways, they have a list of food to choose from at low price and we easily picked the garlic edamame for only $ 1! Good deal! They do have 2 happy hours for alcohol, one after 5pm and another after 9pm. Because the happy hour for our edamame is all day, we failed to realize that our pitcher of Sapporo ($ 9 for HH) didn’t count with happy hour because it wasn’t 9pm yet –_​_​– but no biggie
Now the star of this show was the ramen! We all ordered BULGOKI ramen, which has marinated beef, fried garlic, few vegetables, egg, and a big ass pepper. I also ordered chili oil for 50 cents more. It was AMAZING! They give a good amount of meat and noodles, the broth itself was so delicious and the chili oil was perfect for that spicy kick. The bowl itself was huge, but all four of us almost finished the whole thing because it was so good. The spoon they give you is practically a ladle!
I went for a friend reunion dinner and I was the one who picked this place. It was all new to us and they were happy that I picked this particular restaurant. Thanks Izakaya Kanpai for making me look good with this recommendation hahaha
The service was really good and the atmosphere is clean and nice with Japanese décor and art. It wasn’t busy at all, but we weren’t the only ones inside. Can’t wait for my next visit… which I know isn’t far from now.
Thanks Izakaya Kanpai,
Sincerely, a very happy ramen lover

Craving some good Japanese food when I got back from my recent trip to Japan and although not as good as the real thing, this hits it pretty close! I got the bulgogi Ramen and it came in a pretty large bowl that was super filling. The broth was rich, not overly salty, and went well with the noodles. The noodles were not overcooked or soggy as well! There was a good amount of meat that came with the Ramen and it was nice and easy to chew.
My only real complaint was the service. It was extremely slow that night even though there was not that many people was in the restaurant. But oh well, they didn’t rush us and they weren’t rude about anything and even apologized for the service so it was alright. We even got some hot tea afterwards since my friends and I were just hanging about chit chatting.
I’d come again!

It was cold. It was raining. And so after a long day of drinking (sampling San Diego’s finest craft brews!) my friends and I wanted nothing more than to dry off in front of piping hot bowls of ramen. My go-​to place in the Clairemont Mesa area is Rakiraki on Convoy, so we drove over there. But as we pulled up we saw a larger than normal crowd waiting outside. We tried one of my friend’s favorite ramen spot and it too had a large crowd waiting outside. I guess cold and rain in San Diego puts everyone in the mood for ramen?
We took to Unilocal and found highly rated Iazkaya Kanpai nearby. Located in a small strip mall along Clairemont Mesa Blvd, but west of the 805, it looked very quiet. Was this the right place? The place that got so many rave reviews on Unilocal?We found out soon enough that yes — we had come to the right place.
After a short 5 minute wait inside, we were seated. They have a pretty standard menu and even offer sushi. We shared an order of chicken karaage and each got bowls of miso soup-​based ramen.
The karaage was good — nice strips of marinated chicken, starched and deep fried to a nice crisp. Not the best I’ve had (I’m pretty partial to Rakiraki), but still pretty good. The ramen itself hit the spot. There was a period of time when there was no talking at our table, just the sounds of the three of us slurping up the noodles and warm broth. The texture of the noodles was very good — nice, thick and hearty. The broth was salty and flavorful.
All in all, Izakaya Kanpai may be the best kept ramen secret in the Clairemont area!

I originally wanted to go to a different restaurant but my friend insisted on coming here instead the other day. He was rambling on and on about… idk something about great happy hour… something about super affordable meal and great noodles blahblah, I was so hangry at that point I kinda tuned him out tbh because i just wanted something in my stomach so I was like OKAY FINE.
And you know what in retrospect I’m glad I did because this place is legit. Its created by the owners of fish attack. They have a sampling of appetizers that are on the happy hour menu, which goes on literally all day everyday which is kinda silly because at this point its just how much the appetizers cost. Yo Izakaya Kampai, is this some kind of psychological marketing ploy? because its working. I ordered the BARA BARA which is basically salmon/​imitation crab fried tempura with spicy mayo and eel sauce drizzled on top. PRETTY BANGIN’
I also ordered the fried salmon skin, which was kind of watever, They have pretty great combo specials going on with your choice of ramen or udon + rice bowl for like 12 bucks. It ends up being a lot of food for an affordable price. I usually eat the noodles there and take the rice bowl togo for leftovers later.
UDON is super al dente and delicious. Comes in a sweet soy soup with a separate bowl packed with tempura flakes for you to put in.
RAMEN is o k a y, I would probably segment it as… better than yakyudori ramen but like… not as good as tajima. and certainly not as good as santouka.

My fiancé and I went here tonight for the first time and ordered a Sapporo beer, tonkotsu ramen ($ 7.95), and $ 11.95 dinner combo that included tonkotsu ramen + karaage-​don.
[Ramen]
Can I just say… That ramen hit. the. spot. The broth was creamy and flavorful, but the best part was the chashu. 2 decent sized chunks of soft, fatty, melt-​in-​your-​mouth pork. Yooo.
[Chicken Karaage]
The karaage bowl was overflowing with chicken. I actually asked for an extra bowl so I could separate the chicken from the rice and make sure my chicken-​to-​rice ratio was solid (sometimes restaurants get sheisty with their meat portions). Surprisingly, there was a TON of chicken! My tummy was happy.
[Service/​Atmosphere]
Our server (Clara) was friendly and attentive, so no complaints there.
The dining area had traditional Japanese décor, with hanging bamboo booth dividers and Japanese artwork.
The music was also enjoyable for different demographics (Jason Mraz’s «I Won’t Give Up»; Ed Sheeran’s «Thinking Out Loud»; Sublime’s «Santeria»; Mary Wells’ «My Guy») and not too loud, so you can actually have a conversation.
Speaking of conversations, I think this would be a great place to bring company, since they have all-​day happy hour for some of their appetizers :] (e.g., $ 1 edamame with garlic salt).
[Verdict]
The main critiques I have about the ramen I had are: (1) although the noodles had a nice texture, they weren’t very flavorful on their own… And (2) I prefer my egg to be more runny (personal opinion).
Overall though, I’m a definite fan and will be coming back again!

I started coming here when they first had opened. Their happy hour was amazing! As time progressed, it started dwindling down to just about 5 – 6 items. The food is still fairly priced and good. I typically order their kanpai specials with a bowl of ramen & don for about $ 12. The ramen is not as good as Tajima or Yakitori but its still pretty tasty. The service is friendly, though a bit slow.

I’ve been here twice now and both times have not disappointed me. If you’re craving ramen, get your fix here. The place is not that big but both times we came it wasn’t that busy. They have happy hour all day everyday. The food on the happy hour menu is really good and some are just a $ 1. The WOW is pretty good and the garlic salt edamame is good too. It’s a steal selling it that cheap.
The ramen here is really good. I tried the kitchen sink ramen and that pretty much sums up it. There’s a lot of food that comes in it and it’s spicy too. Definitely worth the price. The flavors are there depending on what you’re looking for. From regular to spicy. I also tried the curry ramen. It was different but in a good way.
I’ll definitely be back for more!

The goods: Large portions, great prices, clean, quiet, and a friendly wait staff.
The not-​so-​good: Fatty meat, and the chicken karaage was basically just popcorn chicken (which could be a good thing, depending on your preference).
I personally thought the chicken rice bowl was great, but I’m a fan of the crispy popcorn chicken. My boyfriend was less impressed, and prefers something more substantial.
Overall, I think this place is worth coming to. They have a really good deal ($ 12 for ramen and a rice bowl), and plenty of happy hour items that are available all the time. As long as they keep these deals, I think they’ll continue to do well. I was especially impressed with their ramen egg — not all places can do it well, but they make a good one. If their meat had been of higher quality, this could’ve been a 5 star spot!
Between the two of us, we had two bowls of soup and a single rice bowl. This was the perfect size, and I couldn’t even finish my soup there was so much! They really don’t skimp on the noodles, which is nice.
Parking is easy (huge plus!) and I would definitely come back.

4.5 stars but I’m rounding up because this place is good for what you get and pay for!
My boyfriend and I have been here about 5 times and it is consistently good. We always get the Kanpai combo which includes a noodle bowl (either ramen or udon) along with a rice bowl of your choice. He always gets the crab bowl and I usually get the spicy tuna. They don’t skimp on the crab meat and tuna; it could be a mini-​meal on its own! Just an fyi: the crab is really sweet and tender; definitely try this once! You will not regret it.
The ramen and udon are above average quality; you can’t go wrong with either. I’ve tried the tonkotsu ramen, sansai udon, and spicy miso ramen, and I’ve yet to be disappointed with any of them. I’ve had worse ramen at other places and have paid more at these establishments; this place is definitely a step above the mediocre ramen shops I’ve been to.
We sometimes get appetizers, especially since we want to take advantage of their grand opening rates for the apps. I recommend the karage chicken and jalapeño bomb. Jalapeño bomb is definitely a must if you like spicy food!
I’ve heard that this place can get pretty packed, but we usually go during off-​hours so we always are seated right away. Another bonus: our waitstaff is always really nice and attentive. A part of me kinda doesn’t want to write this review because this place is so good, but this is definitely a place that deserves recognition. Try them!!!

I accidently discovered Kanpai on my way to Ramen Yamadaya last Wednesday… then ate here on Friday and Saturday as well…4.5 Stars, but I’ll round up as this is one of the best meals in San Diego for $ 12!
$ 12 Kanpai Combination: pick a Ramen bowl and a rice bowl!
Tonkatsu ramen… a solid tasty bowl of ramen and chasu pork. Not quite as good as Yamadaya’s tonkatsu broth, but that is purely subjective.
Spicy Miso Ramen… just lovely and the right amount of spiciness. I prefer it over the Tonkatsu.
Karaage bowl… they give you A LOT of fried chicken, and its good!
Spicy Tuna bowl… there is quite a bit of tuna in this lighter choice. Its a bit too spicy for me, but then again I’m a wimp.
I’ve also tried salmon crab cakes, chicken katsu curry, daishu (?), gyoza, and salmon roll… everything is fabulous and reasonably priced!
Bonus: $ 9 pitchers before 6:30pm and after 9:00pm. :)
Its a newer restaurant so things can be a bit disorganized and food items can appear at different times, but the price and the quality, and friendly enough service, I can overlook this.
DISCLOSURE: According to my last DNA test, I have 0% Japanese blood. On top of that, I’ve never been to Japan, so I plead guilty to the fact that I have absofucinglutely NO idea as to what «authentic ramen» is, but my tongue says this is pretty darn good, and my wallet likes the prices. And I’m Asian at least.

Came here after hearing rave reviews so I decided to give it a shot. At the prices they were offering, I wanted to try these items before they went up in price.
Ordered the following:
Ramen
Deep fried salmon skin with a sauce on the side
Sweet potato fries
Karaage
The ramen was decent. It wasn’t the best I’ve had, but it also wasn’t the worst. Their noodles are little on the thicker side and I’m just not that big an fan of those types. The broth was flavorful and if I were to come here again, I’d order their ramen. Their deep fried salmon skin at 0.99 cents was tasty, but eat them quick because if you don’t, they become a little soggy because they drizzle some type of sauce on it. I took them home as leftovers and didn’t really enjoy them very much. The karaage was definitely not what I was used to. I’m used to a crispy more batter type of fried chicken and this fell below my expectation. It wasn’t bad, but I just wasn’t excepting it.
Lastly, the sweet potato fries were NOT actually made of sweet potatoes. I don’t know how this got lost in translation, but when we ordered sweet potato fries, we expected sweet potato fries and not regular fries.
Overall, this place was a-​okay. The deep fried salmon skin was innovative, but the place didn’t wow me. The prices are low, which are a plus, but I expect them to increase over time as they work out the kinks of their menu.