Kanpai Sushi in Edinburgh, City of

A lovely little restaurant and the quality of the ingredients is so fresh and top notch. The staff are great and so helpful. We enjoyed every mouthful. I equate it to tapas Japanese style. Not your usual 2/3 course meal. This is our go to for Sushi over the years as it’s always consistently great.

Got there for our reservation at 8pm, were stood in the lobby for 10 minutes before being taken to our table. Ordered food around 8.30. some people in my party got food within half an hour, such as gyozas and a sushi roll while others such as myself didn't receive anything until around 9.30, an hour after ordering. The sushi roll I got was delicious but waited a long time to get it. Staff seemed to be rushing around and appeared to be very stressed, the manager didn't appear to be doing anything other than chatting to people at the bar. Overcharged us £30 for items on the bill that we didn't order and we ended up cancelling the remaining 2/3 of our order as it hadn't arrived after an hour and a half, apparently they had ran out of rice. Overall, food that we did get was delicious and the staff were very friendly and apologetic. Clearly there's a huge management issue and the restaurant is severely understaffed.

I would recommend Kanpai to everyone if you’re willing to pay slightly more! It has the nicest, cleanest interior and the food was INCREDIBLE. Everyone needs to try the miso glazed aubergine!!! Best taste in my mouth ever. We had a range of maki, rolls and hand rolls which were all great (I would recommend the teriyaki salmon maki). Servers were polite and attentive- always filling up our waters and ginger/wasabis. Cannot wait to go again!

El millor restaurant de Sushi d Edinburgh. La qualitat immillorable. El servei perfecte I un ambient molt càlid. Molt recomanable.

terribly slow service....waited more than an hour for 2 dishes. First few dishes came but even that there was a 15minute interval between each dish. Very pricey as well. Will not return

Most authentic Japanese food I have had outside of Japan. Great selection of sushi and hot food.

Absolutely brilliant sushi, great location if you are attending a concert at Usher Hall. Wide range of options all beautifully prepared.

Yamato was closed and answer machine directed me to their sister restaurant where I was looking to order a delivery. They don’t offer delivery but their food (which we opted to pick up) was exceptional. I had the cold soba noodles (absolutely authentic), tempura prawns, rainbow roll, salmon sashimi, gyoza, salmon teriyaki, California roll. Everything was delicious. Can’t praise Yamato and kanpai enough. There are no other Japanese restaurants in Edinburgh that can match for authenticity and quality of Japanese cuisine. Well done! Arigato gozaimasu :-)

Surprisingly a good gem. Food is amazing. Went there for a quick lunch without reservation and got lucky we got a table. Place is quite small so would recommend to book a table if you come with a big party or for dinner. Definitely will come back if I go to Edinburgh again.

Abs fantastic, ive had sushi all over the world, this place is worth the visit, the cocktails are great too!

THE ABSOLUTE BEST FRESH SUSHI IN EDINBURGH. YUM. EXTENSIVE SAKE LIST, TOO AND COCKTAILS. LOVELY STAFF EXCELLENT LOCATION. EVERY VISIT IS A JOY!

Very chilled atmosphere, efficient service and amazing food. Crispy salmon parcels are a game changer.

Great food of very high quality ingredients.

Fantastic sushi. Extremely fresh and perfectly made. Agedashi tofu was good too.

Nice food but a bit pricy. Didn’t get a particularly warm welcome.Felt rushed as when we ordered were told kitchen was closing in 10 minutes. Not very relaxing as seated near the bar and staff constantly watching, nowhere to hang up coats or umbrellas and no offer to take, it was a wet day. Wanted it to be special as it was our daughters graduation and rather disappointed. Sorry won’t be back.

Extrem gutes Sushi. Sehr hohe Qualität und alles frisch zubereitet. Nette Bedienungen. Die Preise nicht gerade billig, aber letztlich mit Preis-Leistung völlig in Ordnung.

Delicious! It was also conveniently right across from our AirBnB. We got chicken gyoza and edamame as starters. My dad got sashimi, I got a black dragon roll, and my husband got the steak. We’re American so eggs in sushi is uncommon for us, but still had plenty to choose from that was more familiar. All very good, we’re keeping it on our list for next time!

Very lovely food. Great for veggies

Best sushi I've ever had. I recommend the rainbow roll and the wraps, my friend and I were in heaven.

It's fine if you're in Edinburgh and in the mood for Japanese. Having done sushi at the fish market in Tokyo, I felt the sushi here was, . . . yesterday's fish? They forgot to serve the ginger. It is convenient to Usher Hall if you're looking for pre-theater.

That's us just nipped into the city for a wee bite and to visit some shops. Here on holiday from America, I always struggle to find healthy, light food in Scotland. When I suggested sushi for lunch, I was surprised to find such a cozy, peaceful lunch spot. We were fretted upon arrival and sat with menus. Our server was very friendly and accommodating. My husband ordered the Seared Tuna with a miso dressing that he loved and the Tokyo Roll. The roll was quite large and hard to eat but very tasty (he is new to sushi). I ordered the Hamachi Nigiri- melt in your mouth delightfulness and the Soba noodles. Such a light, fresh meal! Today is Tuesday so it wasn't very crowded and it was a perfect lunch!

Food, was not bad the owner need training he was rude and racist toward Chinese as i over heard the heat exchange!

One of the best takoyakis I've ever had !

OMG, this place is outstanding. Friendly, speedy service. The most delish, fresh sushi and sashimi. All served in an elegant place that was almost full but felt relaxed and serene.

Amazing as always! Best sushi ever. Fresh, well cooked, seasoned to perfection and presented so well. And that's just the takeaway!! My recommendation will be the soft crab roll. Absolutely exquisite. Such a treat.

The quality of the fish was excellent. If we take that into consideration, it is somewhat justified the higher prices, but it is still quite expensive. The cocktails were average.

Super speedy and friendly service. Food was outstanding. The perfect place for a pre-show bite to eat.

This sushi restaurant in Edinburgh stands out as one of the best. Their grilled aubergine is an absolute must-try and a unique highlight. It's worth noting that this place is consistently busy, so it's advisable to make a reservation to secure a spot. Enjoy the fantastic flavors and vibrant atmosphere!

My favorite sushi restaurant in Edinburgh. It feels like an escape from reality, like a spa! Delicious sushi, excellent service, wonderful peaceful atmosphere.

mediocre food, slow and unwelcome service.

Absolutely devine! Every single dish was delicious and full of flavour. So many highlights it is hard to choose the best dish. Dragon rolls were really good though. Highly recommend! You must try if you like sushi.

Lovely food and staff. Nice sushi in the centre!

Overly expensive for very small portion of industrial food. The rice was not cooked fresh, the fish had no taste, the sauce was generic. No harmony between dishes and sauce. Sure the plate presentation are okay for instagram but you'll waste less money signing in shutterstock in this case. Sushis do not hold together properly, the texture are poor and the flavors are mild. The service was very slow and only bringing one very small plate at a time. The waiting staff seemed understaffed and quite stressed which question the management of the place. I wouldn't complain if it was half or quarter the price but at 12£ for a portion of tempura that can literally fit in one childs hand I expect at least a little bit of quality.

Impressed, its not everywhere you find very good Japanese food in Europe. I would strongly recommend the fried salmon roll and the miso based aubergine. Everything else we had was also fantastic (e.g. nigiri, sushi rolls, miso soup). Fantastic.

Super restaurant, avec des makis préparés avec soin.

Poissons frais et sushis rolls de qualité. Le plateau de sashimis était un peu décevant

Consistently excellent sushi. It's not the cheapest, but you get what you pay for. Nasu dengaku, dragon roll, salmon temaki all very good.

Tsome of pur favourites...tempura King prawns, steak on a ceramic stove, miso aubergine. All great with lovely staff. Sit at the bar if you want to watch the prep.

Great spot. Fantastic food. Staff lovely. If in Edinburgh, this place is well worth a visit. Will definitely go again.

I have visited Kanpai Sushi twice for lunch in the summer of 2021 in a small group and a dinner in a larger group recently. Really nice: - extensive menu, large restaurant that is relatively calm and quiet with the sushi chefs working at a visible counter. - the ice creams are delicious - some of the sushi dishes are creative and delicious too (liked the maki wrapped in buckwheat) Room for improvement: - the service can get rather slow in the busy times and we got some of our orders confused while acting annoyed :( - the sizes of the dishes are difficult to predict, some nigiri sushi and sashimi can be very small. Make sure to confirm. I would probably try it again when it's calmer for lunch.

私は日本人で昔からの常連です。久しぶりに行きましたが驚くほどのクオリティーが落ちた事です。寿司は写真とは異なり以前よりも ミニチュアサイズ、刺身はハムの様な薄さ寿司酢でも無く寿司としての味は全く無いです。プロの握りではありません。インフレーションなのか？プレゼンテーションも普通。味も普通。がっかりです。

Interessante menukaart. Hierop werd aangegeven dat het restaurant hoopte dat de gast niet alleen sushi, maar ook andere traditionele Japanse gerechten zou uitproberen. Mijn partner en ik voelden ons hier helaas niet stoer genoeg voor, dus wij hielden het bij de bekende sushi's. Deze smaakten heerlijk. De sfeer in het restaurant was rustig, professioneel en wat timide, wat je enigszins verwacht in een Japans restaurant.

Loved this little place! Atmosphere was so calm and suitable for the cuisine offered. Maki rolls were so fresh and yummy! Quality of salmon was great! Waitress was so friendly and polite 🙏🏻

Pour avoir vécu au Japon, je cherche toujours le gout authentique. Ici, on l'a, même s'ils ont une carte avec des "california rolls" qui n'ont rien d'authentiques. Par contre, les portions des nigiris sont ridicules, jamais vu aussi petit où que ca soit dans le monde. 2 nigiris, sont 1 nigiri dans n'importe quel autre restaurant, donc le rapport qualité prix est mauvais. Très déçu d'en ressortir avec une grosse faim malgré la dépense de 80 £.

high-quality sushi, but please, change the music or at least turn it down. *very* loud relaxation/massage-type music not at all conducive to a chill restaurant atmosphere. service was also very infrequent.

Disappointing. The food itself was tasty, but portions were small, and the service was unfortunately so slow that it ruined the experience. Over an hour to get all dishes served (we only ordered 4 in total) with massive gaps in between.

Amazing sushi, so tasty and fresh, highly recommend rainbow roll and dragon roll, the squid and king prawn tempura were also amazing, the batter was so light and crispy. Very nice chill atmosphere and staff were lovely. Will be back

Food was delicious. Very fresh. Temakis was perfect. The crab salad amazing. Dragon roll size was just a little to big to eat but even though was great. Misô soup was divine. Make sure to reserve the area where the sushi bar is.

Had dinner here in July 2015, and it was so so good. Still, remember the taste of Tuna Tataki

Nice service and good decoration shop

We wanted good sushi and we definitely found it! Such an amazing place. We had the tuna belly tartare which was so so tasty, the tuna was like butter. Also, a variety of different sushi rolls and for dessert ice cream for sharing 🍨 with 3 scoops of white sesame, black sesame and green tea and I it was so so delish. The perfect desert to finish an incredible meal. I can’t recommend this place enough. We will definitely be back.

El mejor sushi de Edimburgo,delicioso. El ambiente estilo Japonés es espectacular. Muy recomendado.

Best Sushi I've had in Edinburgh.

Second time here, really excellent. Food is fabulous.

Restaurante japonés con productos frescos y platos para disfrutar: desde el wakame hasta el sushi, la variedad de platos mantuvo un nivel muy aceptable. Como siempre en la ciudad, buen servicio con camareros muy atentos.

I’ve eaten a lot of sushi at a lot of places and this was top tier. The otoro (fatty tuna belly) maki and the snow crab hand roll were out of this world, and the simple pieces like tamago and kappa maki were amazing quality. I barely took photos because I was so busy eating. Service was excellent and vibe was overall very Japanese - clean, minimalist, tasteful, efficient. Would definitely come back!

Super nice sushi and sashimi!!! The best Japanese restaurant I’ve ever been to in Edinburgh!!

Beautifully presented food, calming atmosphere, good choices. Tempura prawns and veg were my choice and I wasn't disappointed. A lovely lunch experience.

Nice place for Japanese food! Lovely interior decor and atmosphere. The only downside is that the portions were very small and I left hungry, but it was a lovely place.

Really one of the best sushi in Edinburgh. Soooo delicious 😋

Excellent food and service. Recommend the dragon rolls.

Amazing food and authentically Japanese....not cheap but amazing...

Great experience, foods are beautiful and tasty 😋

Great japanesse food. The wagyu its great but expensive

Perfect place - week day if you are on your own (or with friends) and wish to just eat japanese food!!! Sake sushi sashimi fried chicken (japanese style so not Kentucky) and best - grilled sushi! Enjoyed and happy to pay!

Fantastic food and service - sushi, wagyu and plum wine. Best sushi in Edinburgh.

Gorgeous food, excellently prepared and the service was wonderful.

Ho mangiato il miglior sushi e sashimi di pesce in Edimburgo. Consiglio vivamente agli amanti di questi piatti della cucina giapponese

I don’t understand the great reviews for Kanpai. The place is nothing special, not authentic Japanese, nor is their fish specially good. I’d recommend Harajuku Kitchen instead which offers actual authentic Japanese cuisine.

Very nicely prepared sashimi, solid quality fish and prawns, and very polite service. Food was ready very quickly. Sat at the bar, it would be a definite improvement to be able to watch the prep.

Rolls are trash, sides are good. But generally overpriced.

Best place to eat sushi rolls in Edinburgh. And I absolutely enjoyed their miso soup and ice-cream. Certainly recommended.

Went here for Valentine’s Day. It’s more of a ‘fine dining’ kind of sushi restaurant which means higher prices and elegantly prepared, modestly sized plates of food. I couldn’t knock it though. The sushi was really great and the kitchen was firing out dishes fast.

The best sushi I have ever had. Its a simple review I cannot find anything wrong or negative. You have to go here if in Edinburgh!

I brought my family to Kanpai for dinner two days ago, ordered some sashimi and raw beef. Sadly my whole family including me have been sick since dining there. I threw up a couple of times and my mum even has a temperature. We had to spend a whole day resting in the hotel which just completely ruined the last day of our trip.

非常に失礼な接客。愛想もないし歓迎されている気がしない。日本のホスピタリティを期待していってはいけません。

My second ever time having sushi and this place has cemented as one of my favourite cuisines! Lovely atmosphere and great service. The food was extremely tasty and diverse in flavour. For the small amount we ordered we were left very full and satisfied. Great value for money.

Delicious Japanese food, excellent variety.

As others have said the food was delicious, authentic, and beautifully presented, I can't fault it. Upon arriving and being seated we waited a while to be asked our order which is understandable as it was quite busy. My one complaint is I did find the service to be unnaturally terse, and not in an endearing way. I never expect feigned happiness, but it would've been nice for our waiters to say anything other than the bare minimum. Perhaps what I mean is friendliness, which makes you feel more welcome in a dining room. Also I was given octopus despite ordering squid, but I don't really mind, I liked eating it! Thanks for dinner.

Amazing sushi place! Traveled a lot and this is in my top list now!

A great place to try japanese food. I loved it. Only the 2nd time I've had Japanese. You must try it

I’m not a sushi lover per se but my family love this place. Very fresh, delicious sushi at prices you’d expect from dining in Edinburgh. Nice staff.

One of the best sushi places I've had in Europe.

A wonderful selection of sushi in a beautifully decorated restaurant with a calm atmosphere. Intimate tables and great service.

Lovely restaurant, friendly and helpful staff and excellent food. Highly recommend.

Incredible sushi, reasonably priced, great drinks and superb service. Highly recommend!

This is the best sushi I've ever had. Hands down in the UK.

Really delicious food. Nice atmosphere. Only one criticism, was a little bit cold sitting next to entry door. Book in advance to make sure you have good sit😉

We are talking here about the best sushi I ever had. Suitable for the international taste. For maki lovers, this is heaven.

Wonderful Japanese restaurant; everything was fresh and prepared beautifully! The grilled scallop nigiri was amazing. The staff is very pleasant and they don’t rush you.

Been there two times already and each time it was a great experience. The staff is very professional, polite and willing to discuss the menu with you. The food is just superb. Nigiri sushi and takoyaki brought me back to my time in Japan. Definitely an authentic experience. Wide range of Japanese sake and umeshu is definitely something worth considering while dining in.

寿司ネタはまあまあ良いものを使っている。 が、かかってくるソースと酢飯がすべて甘く、料理を駄目にしている。イギリス人の好みに合わせたのか？値段も過度に高い。 Yamatoという店と同じメニューを使っていたので、経営者は同じか、チェーンのようなものかもしれない。 開店までやや早いので外で待つように指示されたのに、後から来た客を先に通していた。 日本人は一人も働いていないし、日本の寿司とは思わず、別の創作料理と思って食べた方がよい。

Fairly expensive for reasonably good (not excellent) sushi. We spent £120, without wine. This restaurant guilts guests into leaving large tips with an insidious payment processing technology which prompt guests to leave a 10%, 15% or 20% tip or custom(ie skinflint). We dont live in America (where wait staff get minuscule base and live on tips). I often do tip 20% but I don’t want to be guilted in to paying more, by the waiter hovering over me as I choose tip amount. Disgraceful practice. To top it off, when the waitress (who I am sure is manager or connected to management) asked if everything was ok, I said “the food was fairly good, but I don’t like the guilt tipping”. Instead of saying “ok”, she started arguing with me in quite an aggressive manner, which was most unprofessional. The irony is, I had proposed to my wife that it’s probably worth coming back, and might by a gift card for my dad. After the waitress’ behaviour, we won’t be going back.

A lovely little place that we almost walked right past! My wife and I shared two types of Nigiri, salmon and seabass and honestly they were both excellent. We also had 2 types of Maki, spicy tuna and Snow crab soba and while the tuna was fantastic the snow crab was next level. Finally we had Takoyaki and squid tempura, the Takoyaki was light and soft, perfectly done. The tempura was as good as I've ever had, squid was soft and the batter was light. For drinks I had the cal fizz, a sort of sake and prosecco cocktail which was absolutely beautiful and my wife had a peach bellini which she enjoyed. This is not a cheap place but it's worth every penny and more! ごちそうさまでした!

Very tasty stuff! Conveniently placed just on the outskirts of down town, it's very easy to get to and has a very big and tasty selection of food you can eat. Doesn't close too early either like a lot of other places. I really enjoyed my time here!

I've eaten here many times and have only ever had a good experience. The food gets better every time we go. Love the new additions to the menu and the fact that all wines are now served by the glass. Best sushi I've tried in Edinburgh.

What a place. I'm half Japanese and I've got to say this really brought me back in Japan ! For Japanese speakers, a few of the staff are japanese so that's a nice +. The sushis were amazing. You could taste the freshness of products and the rice as well, still a bit hot of being just made. It was quite pricey though, hence the 4stars, but to me still very worth it. Would invite my family.

The sushi was absolutely delicious, the best I had in Edinburgh. We started with different rolls, the tuna tartar, a sashimi set and a niguiri one. When the food arrived to the table, the waitres didn't walk us through the different items there was in the plate or table. After this we had the wagyu, scallop tempura, soft shell crab tempura, takoyaki and chicken karagee. We ask the waitres about the different components and ingredients that came with the dishes like what was in the dipping sauce, what kind of micro herbs and flowers they use? And she didn't know. Same thing happen with the sauce for the wagyu. Overall everything was great, but the waitreses need to know more about the ingridients used in the kitchen. I was just genuinely curious about it because I love it. We also thought that we should have just stick with the sushi and leave the hot dishes aside because they weren't as good as the fish. Overall great experience, great decor and music and excellent food.

Sushi was pretty good overall. Shout-out to the tempura which was amaaazing — don’t know what magical ingredients they use in their batter — and karaage!

Fabulous Sushi, really one of the best Sushi I ever ate. The Sushi was light and very tasteful. Service very friendly.