Kansai

When it comes to a cool, modern Japanese restaurant in the Bay Area, Oakland’s Kansai is the place to go! As Kansai’s delicious Japanese food and low prices are no secret, the restaurant is always buzzing with people. The tables fill quickly at all hours of the day, and the restaurant draws families, groups of friends, and couples alike. With the constant chatter of the guests and the popular music playing on the speakers, it’s a laid-back but lively environment, one that invites you to have some fun with the people you came with.

It’s a sit-down restaurant where you order from a server at your table, but the demeanor is casual and fun. No one needs to dress up or behave formally.

The servers there seem to make an extra effort to be friendly and likable, and they tend to know the menu pretty well. I think a few of them know who we are by now because we are always coming back. (I think it’s nice how they tend to remember their frequent customers like that.)

Despite always being crowded, the service here is pretty quick. You first place your order from a friendly, knowledgeable server, and then, if you ordered more than $15 per person, you will soon be surprised by a complimentary warm and savory miso soup. Otherwise, you can pay a small price to have one anyway, or you can just wait for the food to come, which never takes long either.

The menu offers a variety of delicious options, catering to both traditional and more modern tastes. You will find that they have a mastery of the art of traditional sushi; the menu offers options like tekkamaki, sakemaki, and negihama, which are personal favorites of mine. They also offer traditional entrees, such as beef teriyaki, tonkatsu, and udon, all of which are prepared according a traditional Japanese recipes. (The beef teriyaki is very good.) But the menu also takes some original twists on the old classics; they have baked and fried rolls, as well as lots of modern creations that experiment with sauces and spiciness. I am a personal fan of their gyoza roll.

This isn’t the type of place where you get sticker shock when you finally get the bill. In fact, the prices here are quite reasonable, and it’s one of the main reasons this place is somewhere we frequent. To make things even more affordable, they host a happy hour with a reduced price menu. Various appetizers, sushi rolls, sashimi dishes, and donburi, entrees, and alcoholic beverages have their prices slashed during the happy hour, which occurs from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm to 11:30 pm Monday through Thursday and from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm to 12:30 am on Friday and Saturday—but it goes all day on Sundays. One of their best discounted rolls at happy hour is the spicy tuna, which is completely addictive.

Overall, Kansai is a wonderful place to drop by and enjoy something yummy, whether you fancy some sushi or some other Japanese-inspired dishes, even or especially if you are on a budget. You can join the many people who already know about and love this restaurant!

4345 TELEGRAPH AVE, OAKLAND, CA 94609

 (510) 658-7273