Kanda Sushi

Reviews

• Nick P.

  star star star star star 11 April 2021

  Look, if you're looking for real, authentic Japanese sushi in Westlake...this is your spot.  If you're looking for cheap, ultra fast, rotating belt, AYCE joints with no minimums, extra "sauce," specialty rolls, or everything covered in spicy mayo, then this isn't the place for you.
  
  Chef Mitsu and his team know about sushi, service, and a lovely dining experience.  His knife skills and perfect garnishes present sushi in a simple yet dynamic way that you won't really find in a lot of other sushi spots in Ventura County.  Kanda has a warm atmosphere that is clean and intimate, perfect for a date or special occasion.  That being said, I've been here countless times when the place is packed, when the place is empty, sat at the bar, sat at a table.  It doesn't really matter, the experience is always consistent and the sushi tastes great.
  
  I don't know what some of these pleb reviewers are blathering on about (not a real sushi restaurant [then what is it?] / Mitsu isn't Japanese [big lol] / fish is not fresh) but wow I am dying over here...you can't please everybody right?  Head in there any day of the week and Mitsu will serve you at least 3 different types of mackerel, 4 different types of salmon, and incredibly traditional rarities/seasonal items that will knock your socks off.  If you're more than halfway serious or passionate about sushi, order omakase and let Mitsu take you on a flavor adventure.

• TheFoodieReviewer C.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 7 April 2021

  Dining experience 7/11/2019:
  
  Pros:  Restaurant clean, staff friendly, nice location
  Cons:  Portions are small, hand rolls are small
  Price Point:  On the expensive side for a roll
  
  I've passed by this restaurant a few times and finally decided to try it with my family back in May 2019.  We started with the shrimp and vegetable tempura.  The batter was good and it wasn't soggy, so we enjoyed this appetizer.  We all then ordered different hand rolls (2-spicy yellowtail, yellow tail, and spicy tuna).  When we received the hand rolls, I was a bit surprised how small the rolls were - especially since it was $6!!  To be honest, we really felt ripped off!  It lacked fish and rice inside and it was rolled in a way I have never, ever seen before - where a small strip of seaweed was put on the end to close it off.  I'm all about presentation as well as the quality of the food and the way it was rolled was a big turn off for me. I questioned whether I had an experienced chef preparing my food. The fish quality was good - but since I was not happy with the hand roll, we decided not to order additional items, paid the bill and left. I felt if we ordered additional items, we may get small/tiny portions and we didn't want to feel ripped off.  
  
  I've seen other reviews about how small the servings are but I still wanted to have my own experience.  Unfortunately, we experienced the same thing as others.  
  
  I would hope the owner listens to these reviews and makes some adjustments.
  
  Will I go back?  No

• Michael R.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 5 April 2021

  What a joke! My wife and I would be considered by most people sushi connoisseurs. We eat our sushi in a very traditional way, mostly ordering sashimi, very little rice, lighter fishes first and never eat Americanize rolls.
  
  We had not been there in several years because the last time we were there the chef (owner?) was very rude and provided us terrible service.
  
  Tonight we finally decided to give them another try...big mistake. We were greeted by a rude hostess that told us twice that there was a 3 piece minimum per person. When we sat down at the bar, there was a sign every two feet that said in bold letters "3 piece minimum". The board on the wall spelled out the rules that included "no chili sauce, no eel sauce, no cell phones and no hot dogs".  So far I could live with it...so when it came time to finally order, I asked the chef to prepare a sashimi dish of two of the fish that were listed on that same board with all the rules. I requested half of two different varieties of snapper. The chef had to go ask the other chef (owner) if that was acceptable. His reply was a very dismissive shake of his index finger, absolutely not!
  
  I looked over at my wife and said "do you want to stay here?" And we both looked at each other and got up and left but first told the chef we remembered why we have not been back!
  
  Bottom line, the place has no ambience, smells like fish and has rude employees! Don't waste your time or your money! There are plenty of other great sushi places in the area!

• Ika I.

  star star star star star_border 27 March 2021

  Great service and nice quality sushi!
  
  We tried Kanda for the first time last night as our favorite sushi restaurant was recently closed. Overall, I would rate the food and service both solid 4 stars.
  
  The restaurant is located in a strip mall on Thousand Oaks Blvd and parking spaces are ample. The restaurant appeared to have been recently renovated with nice bar sitting and a nice dining room.
  
  As for the food, the restaurant serves many traditional Japanese sushi. We ordered nigiris the live shrimp, live scallops, Spanish mackerel, toros, halibut, salmon and also a king crab roll. The fish tasted fresh and I love that the sushi wasn't loaded with a lot of rice or sauces that would drown the authentic taste of the fresh fish.
  
  The service was good and our waitress was very attentive. The food was served fairly fast. As for the cost, most nigiri was about $7-$8 per order but the toro nigiri was $25. We felt the toro tasted ok and we liked it better at our previous restaurant. The king crab roll was $17 and it contained both real crab and some fish cakes.
  
  Overall, a great place to get authentic Japanese sushi!

• Hong H.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 21 March 2021

  This is the second time I went there.  Bad service.  No class.  The portions are small.  The sushi is not fresh.  It tastes like they are masking the lack of freshness with other flavors.  Spicy tuna hand roll is sticky and gross.  Another time I went there, they charged me $3 more than the price that was listed for the sushi.  Does not feel like a restaurant that has good business or food turnover.  Will not go there again.  I highly recommend Sake2Me Sushi in Simi Valley instead.