KAI Japanese Restaurant, San Jose CA

I am super picky with my sushi because it’s something my stomach can’t handle well and so I know a place is good if my stomach can handle it. And this was the place! Ordered the spicy tuna popper and it was the best! Never had anything like it and luckily the spice wasn’t too bad because I can’t handle spicy the scallop rainbow roll and the spicy crazy roll was so fresh and delicious. They loaded it up with so much fish! I can’t believe you get that much for the price. Truly can’t be beat. I’m surprised this place doesn’t have more people coming to visit. Wish the windows weren’t blocked cause we thought it wasn’t opened at first until you go towards the front. But besides that, you guys are missing out and need to check this place out if you haven’t already. Tons of parking in the back and service was great. The owner was so nice and friendly.

I was craving some sushi and I had a wonderful dining experience here! The service was great and the food was plated so beautifully!

Unique rolls and fried dishes like the tuna popper. Fish was fresh and portions were generous!

Are you a SUSHI LOVER

Then KAI JAPANESE RESTAURANT is your perfect spot!

They start you with some hot miso soup and side salad. For the appetizer, we chose to try their fried calamari— the most huge pieces I've ever had, and were so fresh and crispy. Their salmon nigiri was incredibly fresh and buttery.

The sushi rolls were so colorful, with a variety to choose from on the menu. We opted for the Spider Rainbow, featuring soft-shell crab, crabmeat, avocado, and a variety of fish on the outside. We also ordered the Texas roll with tuna & crabmeat filling, and salmon and avocado filling on the outside.

This restaurant not only offers sushi, but also amazing appetizers, donburi, udon, and even bento meals!

Definetly check out this spot in the Bay Area for your next sushi craving!

Love the massive sushi rolls here. Their ratio of filling to rice is amazing. Seriously so much fish/stuffing per roll and the fish was also fresh and buttery. Reasonable prices too. The Mexican roll was $9.99, the O-philly roll was ($10.99), and the Spicy Crazy Roll was ($13.50). Miso Soup was perfect and a comforting side. Super kind service and a cozy ambiance.

Came here on a Sunday Evening for dinner and it wasn't too crowded so we were able to get a good seat. The cashier was also the server so she was cleaning tables and taking orders.

We had ordered the Baked Salmon, Calamari Roll, Beef Teriyaki and Katsu with Edamame and Gyoza on the side. What was nice was the meat dishes came with Miso Soup on the side and that was refreshing especially on a cold day. Everything was good and what you would think a Japanese Restaurant would have. I do think my Baked Salmon could've been made a little more tighter as every time I picked up a piece, it would immediately fall apart.

Once we got all our food, a bunch more people started coming in so glad we beat the dinner rush. The service was nice and will definitely be back again!

Quick easy sushi, nice place, on the smaller side. Sushi was good, not amazing, but good for the price, but the tempura calamari was fire! Huge strips of calamari steak, super tender with just the right amount of panko crust and cooked to crispy perfection!

This place is exceptional! The service here is so attentive and pleasant. All their sushi rolls were super fresh and delicious. The owner is super nice too if you get a chance to meet her. My favorite part about dining here was that they also have vegetarian options, which makes it more inclusive to bring all kinds of friends here.

Run by Korean, people working there are rude and bear no manner. Dined there once, I remember service was rushy and unfriendly. Waitress threw things on our table. They don't bother hiding their rudeness and there was no respect in their service. Food was average. They gave you tons of rice. People might not remember what you say but will always remember what you do and how you make them feel.

A sushi chef doesn't do much braising, broiling, frying, or sautéing, doesn't whip up a lot of fancy sauces, and doesn't usually fuse a global array of techniques and flavors on the plate.
So, given a certain basic level of skill with a sharp knife, it might seem difficult to distinguish one sushi chef from another.
But experience an oyster served by the sushi chef, and the mystery will start to clear. Yes, the oyster is raw, gleaming freshly on the half-shell. The garnishing is understated: A sprinkle of grated daikon, a hint of chili, a dash of soy-citrus ponzu sauce, and a bit of chopped scallion. The total effect, though, is astonishing, a thrilling, vivid intensification of the very essence of oysters.
A sushi chef's seafood salad sheds more light on the matter. It combines a bracing slice of raw salmon and succulent octopus with shards of cool cooked crab fairly bursting with sea savor, set off by pungent threads of seaweed and super-crisp cucumber dusted with sesame seed, all moistened by a light-handed ponzu dressing. Their menu options begin with a visually exceptional and equally palate-pleasing salade composed of bitter ripped radicchio, torn Bibb lettuce and house-pickled veggies in a peppery honey-ginger vinaigrette flecked with sun-dried tomato. I follow suit with a fabulous rustic, rough-hewn purée of mushrooms - cremini, button, oyster, shiitake - that's finished with a last-minute sautée of even more 'shrooms, a splash of balsamic reduction and a final swirl of white truffle oil. It puts every assemblage of baby shrimp and lettuce to shame.
If you grab one of the dozen seats at the sushi bar near the sushi chef's station (he's the one with the exclamation-point eyebrows), he might share some of his secrets - as when he shaves wasabi fresh from a gnarled root (it's subtler than the usual powdered mix) to accent a seaweed-wrapped nigirizushi bundle pairing perfect rice with amazingly lush raw albacore, or bracing big-eye tuna.

Loved this spot, super friendly and professional staff. But the chicken teriyaki was incredibly good, loved the wood charcoal smoke flavor on how the chicken was grilled, and added depth to the main dish that you can't beat for those summer nights in the Bay Area. The gyoza was perfectly fried with rich pork flavor blended well inside the fried dumplings, the side salad had a nice sweet dressing that paired well with the simple ingredients, perfectly cooked fluffy whole rice, prepped well. And the house-made teriyaki shines through with the 10/10 teriyaki that has that wood fire smoke profile. Love the spot so much will get to eat here again soon. Easily climbs to the top of the list of places I want to eat here again or bring friends too.

It was so delicious and the service was so good.
It's a place I want to go again

This is a nice Japanese restaurant. Restaurant is clean, the wait staff was efficient, and food was good. It is a good place to grab some sushi and other Japanese food.

Standard Japanese eatery. It's fine if it's currently the nearest Japanese restaurant to you, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

Very poor quality. Do not waste your time and money. Very unwelcoming staff and interior. Broken plastic cup. Not fresh ingredients. I'm still hungry immediately after the visit as we could not finish them. Worth zero star. Who gave good reviews? I was totally scammed by the reviews here.