Kampai Sushi Bistro & Lounge

I just walked in and the lady walked up to me saying it was going to take too long because it was busy, I only saw about 3 tables to 4 being used. I felt like as if she did not want us to stay I told my family lets no somewhere else and she immediately say ok bye. I would not recommend this place.

This place was so f**king terrible. 1 star since I can’t leave zero. The 3 stars should have been a warning sign for us, but we still decided to give it a try. Walk in and there is no one else inside. As we are ordering the owner/​waitress is saying how surprised she was that my friends and I, young Black women, knew about the more complex Sushi rolls (she hinted that we should get fried chicken or salmon when we were seated). We ordered appetizers which included miso soup that didn’t come until right before the end of our tragic meal. Halfway through our meal we see a crawling bug on our table by our plate of tiger rolls (we kill it). As we are eating our final roll, we notice some bones in the spicy tuna AND THEN we pick up a piece of sushi and see a roach covered in eel sauce!!! We call over the owner/​waitress who says «they» sprayed a few days before, hence the dead roach. She claimed tiny bones found in the Godzilla roll were crunchy things from my seaweed salad. There were so many excuses, but none were satisfactory. As we prepared to leave without paying for our stomach-​turning mean, we hear her talking to the Chef (dressed in a polo shirt, no uniform) saying, «this is the second time, I’m going to fire you!» This business needs to throw in the towel.

We were looking for a small fun place for sushi etc. We had great food and the best udon ever. Perfect food and fun service. Ask for Julianna because she is too much fun.

This is a wonderful family owned sushi restaurant. They are also fish brokers and have the freshest fish we have ever eaten. The woman who owns the place is delightful and visited with us and gave us Japanese candy and cookies. She is soooo sweet! The Décor is 70’s/80’s retro and is very cool. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who appreciates really good Sushi! :)

For the second time in a row I have experienced wonderful service, great food and great prices at Kampai.
I really have developed a love for Kampai. The food has been cooked to order and very accommodating to my dietary needs. There is organic sake available and custom food orders. I sit at the bar because if I sing karaōke I will clear the bar. I appreciate the hospitality I recieve here. Consistently amazing food and comforting atmosphere no matter how many people are in the restaurant.
As a return customer I can speak from experience. Although parking can be a hassle, most of us know this when coming to Waiks to dine or enjoy an evening out.
Julianne remembers me, she knows what I eat and do not eat and I can rely on her to serve me food that I know will fit my very picky taste.
Noodles, veggie hand rolls and definitely a large bar selection.
As I said I do not sing karaōke. If I did then no one would come back to Kampai lol so I don’t have experience in the karaōke rooms. All I can say is that the food, drinks and service I have consistently received at Kampai has been the reason I come back down from the hills of Makakilo and fight parking for.
If you enjoy a cozy and accommodating environment then cruise by Kampai in the Waikiki Gateway Hotel.
Mahalo for a wonderful pau hana!!!

The owner I call her (Aunty) she’s a super awesome nice person. Her place is kinda like a hole in the wall place, small and cozy. Good place to hang if you just got off from work. The food’s great and the price is reasonable.

(This review is a response to a customer)
(actual advice… Food is fresh and great but if the place is busy. expect the food to come out a bit/​extremely later. Im also a customer here and i do pay money to eat)
This is a response to Marcos L. You told me that i had to pay your bill since you apparently you and your family has been waiting for 40 minutes. Its funny to tell a waiter to pay your bill. First time i ever heard of that. I should have gladly paid your drinks and that would be part of my contribution to charity. You refused to pay your bill and i warned you that i will call the cops. I should’ve just let your family go and then talk to management. How i see it, your basically trying to steal from a small restaurant. I served your drinks right away and i seated you far away from the party due to their loudness. How inconsiderate of me not to put you in front of a noisy party with your children. I’m sorry i couldn’t offer you complementary bread (i assume that’s what you want) since it was a Japanese restaurant. I told you that we had a back order since we had a party that ordered a lot of food and you understood what i said. I guess that you don’t understand the concept of first come, first serve (food). I understand your upset for waiting and taking out your frustration on me due to being only male there that DOESN’T COOK food. I wish I could serve you like ROYALTY. I could knit pick every part of your review all the way down to the spelling errors but i wont really do that. I want other potential customers to hear my side of the story. This business has been going on for more than 4 years and going. I recall taking a picture of you before you were trying to leave the restaurant and you had the audacity to stick a middle finger in front of me with your children present. I probably have that recorded on my phone. If i recall correctly, you’re were hinting/​implying that you would hurt me and i believe at that point cops would seem necessary. Taking business law, i assume that you were trying to get something by complaining to the front desk and in your shock, we are not part of the hotel. I have other witnesses (customers) that saw the way you were acting in the restaurant and the way you spoke to me. They were sitting on the counter but in your rage probably didn’t see them. I believe some of them defended me and messaged you already about your conduct in a restaurant and how you act in front of a young adult (me). I hope you have a pleasant stay in Hawaii like i said before you left and enjoy that slice of pizza. Mahalo Nui

TRUST ME PEOPLE DO NOT BOTHER TO GO HERE. I WARN YOU! ! NOT TO WASTE YOUR TIME AND PLEASE GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. TRUST YOUR INSTICS ON THIS ONE. READ REVIEWS FIRST… I give it one star because the lady who runs it has a nice character and I had come here the night before for a late night drink and sushi roll which was decent. Her son who is her waiter on the other hand is worthless ignorant person who will ignore and give you horrible terrible service and cater to the. person who he thinks will give him a better tip. (and if you’re a family. .go somewhere else gurantee you’ll have a better time!) I stayed at the Wakkiki Resort Hotel which has amazing service but unfortunately I walked into this place looking for a bite after a long fun family day. THE ENTRANCE IS LOCATED FAR AWAY IN HIDDEN CORNER IN THE DOWNSTAIRS LOBBY OF HOTEL. From the beginning my waiter gave us this weird look as to why we were there as a family. I asked for a high chair and he said we dont have any because we don’t usually get families. We were 2 adults two 5 year old kids and an 8 month old baby. I said no worries I’ll take a booth and ended up being placed towards far back. the rest of the place was empty except for this private Office Type Room they consider vip which they rent for 60 dollars more if you have a group. The waiter was so busy taking care of this dinner party in their so called vip room that he completely ignored us even after we gave him a where’s our food? look and after 40 minutes I said I was leaving and I expressed my being upset and said I’m out and that was not fair to us. No simple sorry or any form of simpathy except pay for the drinks which we still had sitting around FULL waiting for our dinner. (We ordered our meal along with drinks as we sat down because the menu was outside in lobby and we already knew what we wanted) … the mistake was… I’m sorry I don’t believe I should pay for those drinks especially after 40 minute wait a hungry family and still nothing… Wow! that was the wrong thing to say because her son now all of a sudden cared and got all upset loudmouth and «threatened me».yes. you read correct «threatened to call police» over 4 lousy drinks. 2 being sodas… I was told rudely you can leave but you have to pay for drinks. I was more disgusted in the form how he said it as if we were that disposable… and didn’t even have a care and he was more upset because of the 4 lousy drinks. I imagine wakkiki rent is high but come on… seriously??? It was so bad that poor mom manager owner who runs place had to get in front of him because he was so upset and she thought he was going to fight me. MY 2 FIVE YEAR OLD DAUGHTERS STARTED CRYING AFTER HIS THREATS. I just paid her the 20 dollars and left. Never had a bad experience like this and unfortunately it had to be here. THE Wakkiki Resort Hotel HAS NO AFFILIATION WITH THIS RESTAURANT come to find out even though it’s on property. AGAIN SAVE YOUR TIME EVEN IF YOU ARE TIRED AND DON’T WANT TO GO ANYWHERE LIKE US AND EAT ON PROPERTY. JUST ORDER ORDER PIZZA YOU WILL BE MUCH HAPPIER. I PROMISE. I really should have trusted my instinct on the reviews I read about the bad service but my fault I still gave them a chance. !!! AND HERE IS THE BETTER PART OF IT. THIS GUY’S FRIENDS AND HIMSELF SENT ME REVIEWS AND COMPLIMENTS HOW I WAS AT FAULT. YES I TOLD HIM TO STUFF IT AFTER HE INSULTED ME AS HE ASKED HIS MOM TO MAKE SURE MY HUNDRED DOLLARS WAS REAL. LOL. AND NOT EVEN A SORRY. I HOPE YOUR 2 DRINKS AND 2 KIDS SODAS. ARE WELL WORTH THE BAD REVIEW. PEOPLE GROW UP DON’T SEND YOUR BUDDIES TO HELP SAVE YOUR PLACE. I’M SORRY. BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER TOO SAY A SIMPLE SORRY FOR A 40 MINUTE DELAY AND INSTEAD YOU CHOSE TO BE UPSET ABOUT ME WANTING TO LEAVE… AND LEAVE YOUR DRINKS FULL BEHIND. MAYBE YOU WERE ALL STILL TOO BUSY ARGUING WHITIN YOUR COOKS AND YOURSELVES ABOUT YOUR SO CALLED DINNER PARTY. HOPE YOU HAVE HAVE A PIC OF THAT AND MY FULL WASTED DRINKS… OVER DRINKS!!! WOW. 20 BUCKS WELL WORTH IT??? I’M HERE A WEEK SO I CAN EASILY GIVE YOU THE 20. GOD BLESS YOU ALL HOPE YOU DO PEOPLE BETTER THAN ME.

The sushi is great. The service is slow. Small little gem hidden inside a hotel. Looks like a 70s lounge. They apparently have karaōke.
We ordered the caterpillar roll, god of fire roll, and the sakura roll. Each of them had unique taste and great presentation. The god of fire was very spicy with the added jalepeno. Great roll. Overall we enjoyed this place. Service was friendly but slow.

Their specialty rolls are excellent and the service is even better. Located in the Waikiki Resort Hotel, it wasn’t easy to find from the street.

I would rate the food a C+/B-. The sushi chef was a little slow even though the restaurant was empty, but the waiter made up for it. She was very friendly and a real pleasant person. Food prices were decent too.

This place is GREAT !!! Great food, Great service, Great prices. We truly had a Great time.

The place is awesome. Super cool and very strange but in a cool way. There was a disco ball and the white seats remind me of Miami or something. The guy serving us was super cool and way funny. The pimp
Shrimp roll was awesome :)

We came out to Hawaii for a family vacation. My daughter and I were craving sushi. After looking and walking for about an hour we had to call because we could not find this sushi restaurant. The name outside is completely different from what is listed on Unilocal.We came in and were the only customer inside. Kinda weird i thought as its a Friday night. That wasnt a good sign already. After about 30 mins which is a long time considering the fact that we were the only customer there the sushi came out. It was the worst I mean worst sushi I have ever had. It was so bad I told my daughter who was starving to leave it because I didnt want to get food poisoning during our vacation. Cant say I’ll be back here the next time we visit the island.

This place is called Kampai Sushi Bistro Lounge. This place is really cool inside. There are a variety of seating arrangements including large private rooms.
They have a full bar. Fresh fish and great service.

For someone who doesn’t like sushi but have friends that do, I’m thankful there were a few dishes for us «outsiders».
I was pleased with the chicken teriyaki. Pricey, but tasty.
LOCATION: This is inside of a hotel. If you’re following Google Maps, just go into the hotel and to the right of the reception area.

Accidentally found this bar located in a small hotel in waikiki.
Had to say… What a surprise!
Food was good, drink was great, and the 2 mama san were super duper nice!!!
We’ll definitely be back for the sushi/​sashimi and their special rasberry&vinegar soju cocktails!!! :)

Located inside of a mid-​range hotel, Midori was not easy to find. Thank goodness for GPS… unless you’re surrounded by tall buildings and are trying to use GPS in the midst of solar flares. The old-​fashion walking around finally did the trick.
When we walked in, I was a little surprised by the décor. It’s a bit on the cheesy side. I agree with the other reviewer about the 80’s karaōke bar feel.
We ordered the dragon roll, rainbow roll and the terikyaki chicken bowl. Sushi was okay, but the chicken bowl really stood out. It was very flavorful without being too salty. Food-​wise, I’d give the restaurant a 3. However, the owner is so super friendly and accommodating that I have to give her an extra star. You really do feel welcome in the restaurant.

Really delicious, fresh food and sweet, attentive staff. We went three times out of our week-​long stay on the island.
The owner, Julianne (really!), offered her suggestions on what to eat… and she continually brought out things for us to try (it was a slow). Once I told her that I was vegetarian, she had a special veg version of the mango tango roll made for me. Best roll I’ve ever had (veg, mango, salsa, pickled onion, scallion, wasabi mayo). Obviously, not traditional, but hey. It was tasty! The hubs enjoyed: standard mango tango, godzilla, spicy tuna, sushi taco, and dragon roll (over 3 nights, not in one sitting… although, I’m sure he could eat all this and still be hungry).
Lovely people; owner said this was her 7^th restaurant. Karaōke bar atmosphere, but quiet/​chilled for dinner. It is inside a hotel, hidden around the corner behind a set of stairs… don’t let that put you off trying to find it. It’s a hop, skip and a jump away from most of the hotels in Waikiki and completely worth trying. Go!

This place is literally in our backyard and passed by it so many times but haven’t checked it out yet because it didn’t look open but has been open for quite some time now (this place has no windows, which makes it hard to determine whether it’s open or not, unless you look for the OPEN sign on the door). You could easily miss the joint if you don’t try and look for it. Midori is tucked away in the back of the Waikiki Resort Hotel and the main entrance is on Prince Edward Street behind the hotel, I think where hotel employees park. Just looking at the outside of the place looked sketchy, but once inside it was like we had time traveled to the 80’s…more along the lines of 80’s strip joint covered in mirrors and glass chandeliers with the sounds of soothing water fountains and fake colorful orchid plants…
But we weren’t there for the décor, we were there for the sushi! We’ve heard so many good things about this place so we decided to give it a shot! Aside from the surprising and interesting décor, this sushi bar is real small and intimate. It also has 2 private karaōke rooms for you to rent out. It has a full bar and tiny sushi bar where the sushi gets made. We were welcomed and sat and looked over their menu. They have so many variations on different sushi rolls that we had a hard time deciding because we wanted to try them all! We started off with 2 miso soups to cleanse our palates and ordered the Tiger & Godzilla rolls to share.
Our sushi took awhile to make and we were hungry and sober, so would be good to order some drinks while you wait or sing karaōke! The Tiger roll I ordered consisted of salmon and unagi and it was so worth the wait! Usually for me, a roll doesn’t fill me up and I end up ordering another roll or sashimi on the side, but the portions were perfect and the roll tasted delicious! Very friendly staff and awesome ambience! They also gave us a 15% off coupon for our next visit since we were neighbors. Definitely worth a try!