kanpai

the sushi was okay, but i have eaten there twice and was completely disappointed by the food both times. first, bulgogi without banchan or even kimchi? what?! long grain white rice! what?! over cooked dry sesame chicken! yuck. the miso soup is good and salad was okay. theatmosphereis terrible. the restaurant is small and so loud you can't here the people at your table. i spent the last attempt at this poorly thought out restaurant listening to the horrible cackling of a women a few tables over. it's not worth returning.

delicious, fresh, finest sushi in town. i'm very particular about what restaurants i'll eat at because i'm a classically trained personal chef. i love kanpai, it's one of the few evansville restaurants i frequent. this is because everything is fresh (owner told me mostly organic produce, grass fed beef, wild caught fish) and flavorful! i cannot stress how delicious it is, and it's because they believe in quality and flavor! they have a great beer selection (over 30 beers, craft and domestic) and good wines (great selection of $15 bottles). they also have the best crab rangoon we've ever had. we've lived in cincinnati, louisville, now evansville, and still, they have the best crab rangoon... i'd say hubby and i are connoisseurs. as far as sushi goes, they create tasty, creative rolls like the c.b. roll (yellowtail, scallions, cucumber, mayo, crunch, tobiko) and they have by far the best spicy crab roll! i don't know what they do, but it's magical. theatmosphereis so cool, very hip. they have live music sometimes and craft beer tastings! they're an absolute gem and i am on board with their philosophy on food: fresh, pure, and unprocessed tastes so much better! (plus side: it's better for you!)

sob roll rocks. great flavor! greatatmosphereand packed on a wednesday night which is typically unusual. owner even came out to meet me as a "1st time customer" and bought my 1st roll.

best sushi in bend. i have eaten here a few times now. hands down best sushi in bend. the sashimi is always fresh and presented beautifully. the wait staff is attentive and knowledgeable. extremely good sake selection and theatmosphereis very pleasing.

i also love that they have a vegetarian menu. however i always have to sway from it as the fish is always fresh and melts away in my mouth. the scallops are wonderful too.

kanpai: trendy, serviceable. we took our two visitors here for an indulgent last night in bend. we were all excited to see the vegetarian menu and ordered vegan miso soup, edamame, seaweed salads, kanpai house salad and plum wine to start. first off, you can't beat theatmosphereof this place -- perfectly darkened, impressive woods everywhere and loads of interesting people to watch. our service was passable, not the most prompt, and falling into the "invisible personality" category, which i appreciate. no friday's smiley faces here.

one note about the kanpai house salad: bravo! many interesting, fresh ingredients served in rice paper: carrots, cilantro, avocado, greens, lotus root chips, mango vinaigrette. i love a salad you can pick up. this one was a screaming success.

post appetizers we really dug in and blasted ourselves with rolls and sashimi galore. the husband gave thumbs way up for freshness of the yellowtail. the la pastora and yakuza rolls stand out: a yellowtail ceviche and tempura jalapeno roll, respectively. and i had to order the mothra roll with its habanero sauce: pretty good. there was a mushroom-stuffed tofu dish i can't remember the name of, but the presentation was amazing and it tasted fantastic.

i agree with another reviewer that the rolls need to be neater and tighter. another visit to kanpai is in order before i say i love it.