Kanpai Izakaya

10 Reviews on “Kanpai Izakaya”

• Paralyzer

  I ate here before I read any reviews. It seems that the consensus is correct, and that the food is great while the service is not. I initially had reservations for a special Milwaukee downtown dining week 3 course meal. The host sat us in a booth with the regular menus. We probably would have said something, if she had returned. No big deal. Even average sushi is delicious, so well just order from the regular menu.Ten minutes later, after several servers had passed back and forth, it began to look like no one was coming to our table. Well, its probably just an unusually busy night and theyre understaffed. No hard feelings. We were about to leave and head to one of the many nearby restaurants but whats this?There is a button on the side of the booth to call for service. Maybe they operate like a Brazilian steakhouse, where you hold up a green circle, or otherwise signal that you would like to eat? Or is this the flight attendant model, where a lit sign lets the server know that we need help? I press the button, which lights up while youre pressing it, but gives no other feedback to indicate that someone is on the way.A server shows up after a minute or two and seems to be surprised that we hit the button. I dont remember exactly how the conversation went, but the general message is that we were wrong. There are buttons on the booths just in case nobody notices you. At that point, we all sort of exchanged looks, and Im not really sure that any of us knew what was going to happen next. But, it seemed to be a restaurant, and we were hungry, so we ordered.The server was very personable, made us an excellent drink, and as far as we could tell, the poor service was through no fault of his own. We ordered 4 pieces of sushi, and two maki rolls. It was all delicious, and reasonably priced, though one of our maki rolls was replaced with something that was clearly not maki. We pressed the button again, but after nobody came to fix the problem, we decided to go ahead and eat it.It was a weird, surreal time. I cant understate the absurdity of an entire row of booths equipped with an emergency we would like to eat button, and I cant imagine the circumstances which led to their installation. On the drive home, we came upon a red stoplight, which then began flashing red, then turned off completely. I next expected to drive off a cliff, and wake up thrashing in bed. We wont be eating here again.

  September 8, 2020, 9:21 am

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• Cary Silverstein

  Sushi Heaven. We have dined more than once at Kanpai Izakaya and have yet to be disappointed. The sushi is fresh and tasty and the seaweed salad is a spicy delight. The service was attentive and professional. We will be back soon.

  August 23, 2015, 3:19 pm

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• Michelle

  Good service, water was never empty. Sushi was extremely fresh and well made! Roasted chicken meal was over cooked unfortunately.

  January 7, 2015, 1:18 am

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