Sushi place in walking distance of my house? You bet I go here a lot. It's hard to believe I never reviewed them until now I go here so often.
I'll make it simple:
Prices: same to lower than all sushi places
Spicy Tuna Rolls: Yum
Spicy Tuna Rolls w/ Tempura: Super Yum
Kappa Rolls: That's a whole lot of small diced cucumber in there and it makes it super hard to eat
Edamame: Normal
Service: Usually bad but not awful
I really enjoy the food here. Although it looks like a hole in the wall from the outside, it is actually quite nice inside. The sushi is always fresh and very reasonably priced. It is good to eat there with a group and the service is always appropriately fast.
They Deliver also, which is great!
This was our neighborhood go to spot for sushi delivery for over 6 years. Our last order of sushi was far from fresh and our spicy tuna roll was inedible. I tried to make it right by contacting the manager but he essentially dismissed my complaint as no other customers called to complain. It is unlikely we will order from here again. Too bad management cares this little about loyal customers only looking to help them out by pointing out poor quality.
Review Source:Moving back from San Diego where sushi is cheap cause its near the ocean and overcrowded with sushi places, this place is amazing . Great staff, great sushi, and the best in Denver. If you check in on yelp you get a free bottle of hot Saki (dine in) and they deliver as well. Great wonderful spot! If ya live near Lowery come here!
Review Source:Really enjoyed happy hour here. Best $1/piece sushi and okay two-for-one saki.
We had the white tuna, makeral, red clam, unagi, and hamachi nigiri sushi. We also had a spicy salmon roll. All were very good. Miso soup and green tea were both pretty good.
At the end of the meal we got a fresh slice of pineapple cut up in bite size pieces. Wow, it was so fresh and sweet. What a nice surprise.
Definitely going back even though they are a bit of a drive for us....we did go back and took two more with us. We all enjoyed it and the service and food were consistently good. It is becoming one of our favorite sush spots!
This place is amazing! When you think dollar sushi you think hmmm that's not going to be good but let me tell you you are thinking wrong! You can go here for happy hour and get sushi for a $1 and its the freshest sushi I have had since leaving California! The pieces are large and fresh what else can you ask for! They also have super amazing rolls! I absolutely love to go here and I go at least every two weeks!
Review Source:Don't let looks fool you...
This might be my new sushi sanctuary .. I'm new to Co via Ca and its hard to compare our cuisines. I've been disappointed thus far, as far as trying ethnic and specialty restaurants. But Kassai was exceptional! Great menu, fair prices and friendly staff.
We ordered mango avocado salad and soft shell crab to start. Way too much avocado for my guy but not me (being the Cali girl I am) The crab crispy and fried with a savory sauce. Also had the dragon* roll, which had eel & BBQ sauce for a first try I was very appeased. I ordered the Manhattan roll which was wrapped in salmon aka perfection, and finally the Phoenix roll (I think I'm obsessed with foods named after cities) which had crab meat, plenty of avocado A+ and crunchy bits.
I never finish a meal anywhere and I couldn't control myself tonight. Our waitress seemed preoccupied but I was too! So, when we did need somethin we had to flag her down. The atmosphere is very relaxed and casual nice for a quick dinner date or girls get together after work. Wish there was more of a bar I would come at a later time and enjoy the flat screen or something.
Can't wait to return :)
I came here for take out because I was craving udon. Â I got the nabeyaki udon here and to my surprise it was very delicious! Â I should have eaten it there, but I wanted to watch some olympic events, so the takeout container came completely packed full of the contents + soup that it was near impossible to open the blazing hot container without spilling it all over my table. Â Nonetheless, it was still delicious once I was able to get it under control.
While I was waiting, I noticed that there was a great happy hour deal on sushi. Â $1/piece? Â hmm I might have to try this, except I'm skeptical at how fresh the fish is here in colorado (i mean where are they getting these fish from? :/) haha. Â Other than that the restaurant is nice, clean with an interesting decor. Â They also have some actual Japanese sushi chefs, which makes me feel at home.
It's not the most inviting storefront, but inside is super cute! The staff is friendly and food is great! They usually have 3 fun "special" rolls plus a good mix of normal rolls. One of my favorites is the spider roll. Also tried their chicken teriyaki when we went with friends who don't like sushi and the sauce was delish! Very reasonably priced too.
Review Source:I haven't been to the restaurant, but I just had delivery from Kassai. The gentleman on the phone was very nice and my delivery driver was so sweet and nice.
We ordered the Tuna Poke, which was delicious! I've only had it once before and this was just as yummy. The only difference was price, it was a slight bit more expensive.
I had 2 pieces of Hamachi (yellow tail) nigiri. the pieces of fish were larger than I expected, so this was a great treat!
We finished off with a Philadelphia Roll which was average tasting. Not bad at all.
I will order from here again, as it is nice to get sushi delivered.
I love this place. They make some fun roll specials that are always tasty; the sushi pieces are always fresh, & you cannot beat the price.  It's a great hidden gem for getting sushi in a comfortable & clean atmosphere, without breaking the bank,& I would especially  recommend it to people who are just getting into sushi. The service can be hit or miss, but after coming here for a few years, I would say it has definitely gotten better.  I've tried a few other smaller sushi places in the area & they don't even come close to Kaasai!
Review Source:I've very casually enjoyed sushi for years, but for some reason my taste buds have totally fallen in love with the stuff recently.
The craving hit me when I was near Lowry recently. Quick Yelp search and I was at Kassai.
I'm a beginner to this sushi thing so pardon the fact that I don't really know what I ordered. Salmon something, whatever something or other, rolly whahoozit?
I really have no idea.
What I do know is that they were all on the happy hour menu; which is a dollar a fishy thingy.
What I'm learning is that sushi happy hours and all you can eats are not created equally. Some are truly all you eat, order whatever you want affairs.
On the other hand, others like the happy hour deal at Kassai only feature the most basic things. For this reason I was a bit disappointed eating here even though everything was good and frankly I don't see the need to come back.
After living in Denver for a year and eating at a good number of sushi restaurants, Kassai has become my go-to spot when I'm craving raw fish. Which kind of sucks because it is a 20 minute drive from my house in Wheat Ridge, but awesome because they still have delicious $1 nigiri, all day every day.
Unfortunately they stopped the 2 for 1 beer and hot sake promotion, which just about made me cry. I also came to the conclusion early on that their specialty rolls are not worth the $13+ dollars they cost. I go to another sushi spot when I want some unique, special, and really tasty rolls. I come to Kassai when I want nigiri, plain and simple. I strongly recommend the salmon, white tuna, and eel. The basic rolls are also really good- california, spicy tuna, alaska. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
The appetizers, desserts, and kitchen entrees are all average (some are below average). Just go here for the nigiri. Usually a couple beers, miso, soup, gyoza, 20 pieces of nigiri and a roll will set me and my man back about $50. It's one hell of a deal when you consider that the same meal at another sushi restaurant would be at least $15 more.
Also, I love the servers. There is one- I think her name is Kay?- who always waits on us, and is superb. The atmosphere is welcoming and laid back, and you don't have to fight for parking (shakes fist in general direction of LoDo).
Keep up the good work, Kassai!
I give this place such a low rating because of a pretty frightening experience that would fall under service category....
I'm a vegan so I asked about the miso soup before ordering - most miso has a substance called dashi in it - which is derived from the scales of bonito fish. The waitress left the table to 'ask' if it was vegan - and returned a short time later with two bowls of the miso and said that it was just beans, no fish......
We then ordered several vegan rolls. They all looked delicious! Except for the one that had imitation crab and was covered in fish eggs. I stopped the waitress immediately and advised her that they probably gave us someone else's order - and that the california roll was definitely not ours as we were both vegans.
She smiled, nodded and took our plate off to go to the chef to request he remove the california roll and give us the vegan roll we had ordered. The waitress was stopped by another waitress and they argued for a moment and then our waitress returned with the plate of sushi and placed it back down on our table. She ten proceeded to tell us that the crab was imitation crab and that the fish eggs were imitation fish eggs!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING?!?!?! What???? I politely responded that imitation crab is still made from fish which we don't eat.... and that there is no such thing as imitation fish eggs. She smiled and nodded again and took our order away... returning several minutes later with a vegan roll to replace it.
The sushi was well rolled and the ingredients were fresh. The atmosphere was decent and comfortable. I liked the design of the place but I wasn't overly impressed. I won't be going back anytime soon. What if I had some sort of fatal fish allergy? They just lie to you to get you to buy/eat it? Give me a break. So not pleased.
For being a 45 minute drive to the Rocky  Mountains, there are sure quite a few sushi places. Sadly half of them are not even worth it sushi wise but what makes one come back time and time again is the sushi chefs, selection of sushi and the other people that are sitting at the sushi bar with you. I have found three hole in the wall sushi places that are worth it and to me this is one of them. I agree that parking can be horrible on the weekends and so is the service but then again, I don't go on the weekends anymore so those problems don't arise anymore.
The sushi is a little better than okay, the sushi chefs are adorable and the prices are perfect. Also, it is a hole in the wall so you always know that on any weekday, you will have a seat at the sushi bar.
My friend lives in Stapleton, otherwise I never would have known about Kassai. Â The restaurant is nice and clean, with a hip vibe about it. Â The service was attentive, but it really wasn't too busy. Â We ordered a variety of rolls which were all good. Â The happy hour is great. Â But in general, the menu is very affordable.
Review Source:I'd never been here before but found myself here twice this week for lunch with co-workers. Both times we were greeted by friendly staff and offered beverages promptly. I went with the three rolls for $10.50, which come with a large house salad and miso soup. Â Not the biggest pieces of fish that I've had, but fresh. Â Drinks are re-filled without having to ask and the staff are pleasant. Â Worth checking out this bargain place.
Review Source:Preface: My grandma is Japanese, which means I've eaten an estimated few tons of raw fish in my 29 years. Normally I'm nothing short of disappointed after a "cheap" sushi experience... However! Kassai is my neighborhood, every day sushi joint - as in, I would stop there every day on my way home from work if I could. It's a reliable, affordable suppliment between visits to some of the more notorious sush in town.
The location is lack-luster, but the recent-ish renovations inside were a nice change.  The fish has been fresh all of the 20+ times I've been in, and servers always seem to be cleaning when they don't have customers (2 thumbs up for clean menus! Nothing is more appetizing than someone else's meal smeared across the sushi list). I would recommend dining in, since take out/delivery sushi is never as good after a ride in the car, but  I've never had to wait more than 5 min the few times I've gotten take-out, whether I call my order in ahead or walk-in.
PS... do yourself a favor and get a order of gyoza while you wait for your sushi.
I have driven by Kassai Sushi so many times, I have always wondered about stopping. Â So, I went for lunch last week. Â Their lunch hour was not very busy. Â I sat at the sushi counter and watched a young sushi chef create my lunch.
Their "lunch sushi & shashimi" was great. Â It came with a cup of miso soup and a traditional salad with a wonderful miso carrot sauce with ginger dressing. Â
All of my sushi pieces were fresh tasting and melted in my mouth. Â I was glad that I ordered an extra Philadelphia roll along with my lunch, which was quite small compared to other sushi restaurants, because I would have been hungry.
My waitress was very accommodating to my refills and water. Â The prices were great accordingly to the smaller portions and I was very happy with my stop.
As I was finishing my lunch, another sushi chef arrived. Â The two behind the counter shared some story and laughed in Japanese. Â I thought that was a nice thing to see as most sushi restaurants have drab chefs with their heads down, no words exchanged and I always wonder if they enjoy what they were doing.
Thanks Kassai for fulfilling my longing to stop.
Since I can't always take the long venture down to Samurai when I need a sushi fix, Kassai acts as an okay substitution. Â Located in a much more convenient proximity to my house, Kassai delivers in subsiding my sushi craving. Â Nothing too spectacular other than quality sushi that is priced well. Â Just as practically all sushi places offer dollar sushi during happy hour, so does Kassai, however, I can assure you that they are legit.
Review Source:Kassai was my first taste of Denver sushi before I moved here so I have a soft spot for this crowded little joint. For over 3 years, Kassai has satisfied my (expensive) cravings for raw fish.
The restaurant is small and the service is lackluster. Parking is hit and miss - don't expect to park by the restaurant on a weekend night. What keeps me coming back is that they are cheap cheap cheap cheap! $1 nigiri and the fabulous Tokyo roll are all I need to be happy. The age dashi tofu is passable but I've had better elsewhere. Their green tea is good as well as the veggie tempura. My friends and I love the place since we usually eat a lot of nigiri, the location is really convenient and we've never had a bad piece of fish.
They do deliver but the last time I ordered from my old apartment in Stapleton, the guy refused to come up to my door and insisted that I come down to him... 4 floors down and on the wrong side of the complex. They had always delivered to my door. I left him waiting and called the restaurant to let them know he'd be coming back with the food and without my money. They offered me a $20 credit for the next time I was in their restaurant. The credit was honored and they were once again in my good graces.
Kassai is no Sushi Den, Hapa or Japango but I like the place. It's similar to the cranky relative you want to hate but can't because they give you awesome presents.
A dead fly on my sashmi! Â
A friend and I decided to meet here on a Saturday for lunch.  We ordered 2 specialty rolls, 7 pieces of nigiri, and 4 pieces of sashimi.  At the time the dead fly was discovered, we had only eaten 6 pieces  (there was 16 pieces total) of the rolls and 3 pieces of nigiri.  Kassi's reaction to the dead fly in our sushi was to give us 20% off the total bill.  Unbelievable!  3/4 of the order was sent back uneaten.  The waitress stated it was the only fly in the restaurant!  Considering the preparation involved in presenting sushi and the fact that sushi is a delicate food were contamination is always a factor, I will never eat here again.
Kassai is a welcome surprise to the Quebec/7th area. Â It's kind of like finding a $10 bill in the bus station. Â You would never expect it, but it makes you happy. Â I have always had a good experience with the service, but we normally go out for sushi on a weekday and kind of after work (7:00PM). Â Last time we had a cooked Yellow Tail collar+ cold unfiltered sake, it was awesome. Â I recommend it as an easy place to get sushi - definitely no pretense. good prices and good food. Â It does not compare with other cities like San Francisco or Vancouver, but hey this is Denver which is at least 1,000 miles from the nearest ocean. Â What do you expect?
I would not recommend this as a place to go on a date where you might want to impress your girl with your broad knowledge of eating raw fish. Â For that I would choose Domo (or if you want to come off as a real snob, Sushi Den). Â But if you want to and chillax and get good sushi for a good price, Kassai is the place to go.
First time I have actually ate in house. Â I drive past this place twice a day, to and from work. Â 1$ happy hour sushi kept nagging me to come in. Â So this time on the way home I decided to stop in. Â
Got here about 5:15, place was pretty empty. Â Service was good, greeted me when I came in, I sat at the sushi bar, water was set in front of me right as I sat down. Â Ordered some sushi (unagi, tuna, smoked salmon) - fresh, tasty, plenty of fish but skimpy on the rice. Â Miso soup tasty. Â
Overall 8 pieces of sushi, bowl of miso soup, glass of Diet Coke - with tip under $15 and out the door in 45(?) minutes. Â Like I have said in other reviews, I don't need to be entertained by the staff - just being professional and efficient makes me a happy camper, and here I was satisfied by the service.
I noticed on the menu that they serve Katsu Don, which is my favorite Japanese dish (and not commonly found in local Japanese restaurants). Â I'll be back.
Wow, I really feel most of the other reviews for Kassai are spot on. This is the go-to nearby place for me and that's really the only reason I continue to go. The location isn't great. If you come during a rush you will likely have to (or want to) park in the street nearby.
The sushi is decently priced but the service is generally terrible. The sushi chefs themselves do a good job of getting your food out to you but the servers aren't very friendly, constantly mess up orders and slow things down. The sushi has always tasted fine but they have had problems off and on with it coming out to you warm. Cold sushi is a must. Overall not worth it unless you are nearby.
I ate here with 4 friends tonight and we were hungry. We ordered lots of sushi and the bill averaged $27/person including a beer, lots of food, and tip. So the price is very reasonable. There is $1/piece sushi happy hour which only lasts from 4:30-10PM every day! Downsides: small dining area, crowded tables, strip mall location, small pieces of fish. No comparison to the ambiance of a Sushi Den, Japon, or even John Holly's. Quality of the food was decent but not such that I would drive across town to get more. Still, it is an A-OK deal for the price asked.
Review Source:WTF? Â Service has gone downhill exponentially. Â The last 3 times I've been here have left a sour taste in my mouth. Â I'm truly not a picky eater but I know what I like and I try to be very careful and specific about what I order. Â How can you screw up my order when I am pointing at it on the menu for you? Â AAAAARGGHHH! Â Kassai will probably be my last resort if I'm craving sushi and drive the extra distance to find decent sushi and consistent service.
Review Source:I have been to Kassai on a few occassions, and have been pretty satisfied.
My friend first recommended this restaurant to me, as it was near his house.
Judging by the outside, I thought I was in for a terrible sushi experience. Â I'm pretty particular about my raw fish.
The wait staff was less than friendly from the start, and outwardly unhappy that we walked in later at night (I think they close at 10, and we tend to go around 9:15/9:30).
On my first visit, I didn't know about the happy hour $1/piece nigiri, so we ordered a bunch of sashimi, a few rolls, and a spicy kaibashira temaki for me.
The sashimi was fabulous, and some of the fresher I've had in Denver. Â The rolls were 'okay', and the scallops were bland and the texture was off. Â I'd recommend skipping those here.
Their sake is priced well, we drank the hakushika junmai gingo, which I have had at other restaurants for a few dollars more.
In subsequent visits, we went for the $1 nigiri, and I was disappointed by the quality of the rice. Â It's a bit chewy for my taste, it doesn't fall apart like good nigiri rice should. Â I think next time I'd stick to the sashimi, even though it's pricier.
I have never tried any of their cooked dishes, but the cooked menu looks unappealing to me.
The most off-putting thing about this restaurant is the wait staff. Â Some of them don't speak enough English to clearly understand what you are trying to order, and they are never helpful or friendly. Â I think they fail to realize the extra money they could make in tips, simply by smiling and offering some customer service.
If you're just looking for good, cheap sushi with no ambience or dining 'experience', Kassai is a good quick-bite joint.
I'm downgrading Kassai based on my last visit on 10/8. Â I was extremely disappointed both in the quality of the food and the service which teetered between indifferent and rude.
I got a to go order of teriyaki chicken and it was just lacking all around. Â I sat at the sushi bar and drank a beer while waiting for my food. Â About half way through my Sapporo, I discovered a foreign object in my beer. Â Not sure if it came from the glass or was in the beer bottle that was delivered to Kassai. Â Not even sure if it was animal, vegetable, or mineral. Â
Just to give you an idea of how unfriendly the staff was, I decided not to mention the floater and just take my food and go. Â My spidey senses should have told me to just say fuck it -cancel my order, and leave. Â But...I was supposed to start a fast at sundown and didn't really have time for a plan B. Â While there were no UFOs in my food, it just wasn't very good. Â
I'm having a hard time deciding how many stars here, but think I'll settle with two (vs. one) because it is a locally owned business and I've had better experiences in the past. Â Even though it is bike distance close to my house, I don't predict I'll ever spend money here again.
Kassai is cute, affordable and pretty reasonable quality sushi too. Â It's in a crappy little strip mall (Yucky, avert your eye's.) Â Once you're in you'll find a modern atmosphere. Â They are not shy about color, yea, and the art work isn't too bad either. Â The food is very good for the price. Â They usually aren't crowded and the orders come up quickly. Â The staff is a quiet bunch but they do understand English very well.
It's a tiny place so don't take a large party, just one or two people is perfect. Â Quick, close to home, and affordable! Â They own the place next door too (hot Asian food) so if your table mates don't like sushi ask to see the "other" menu and they'll bring you something from next door. Â (It'll be our little secret.)
Kassai is walking distance from my house, so...as sushi, drinks and happy hour often go hand in hand when I think about what I want to do on a friday nght - Â walking distance is strictly a BONUS!
There are alot of good things about this restaurant, but more average things than good. The atmoshpere is dry. The sushi chefs and the waitstaff are young and seem to be pre-occupied with whereever they need to be immediately following their shift. The waitress is biding time to get to the next after hours and I get the feeling someone makes her work there - it's not her preferred choice. The elders that wander around supervising don't speak to anyone and the overall environment reeks of mandatory service value.
The decor is interesting. There are TV's mounted above the tabletops to satisfy your sports addiction, and there is a typical sushi bar where you can watch the chefs go at their art with speed. The best thing about the decor is the red chairs. They have the most unique red leather chairs which look like typical cheap pickup joint wait room chairs from the front, but from the back they are laced like a boustier from bottom to top. They are trendy and fun and would really make a different room stunning.
That said, the food is fresh and good...and cheap. If there were any personality behind the food, it would be amazing, but it's walking distance so I'll always go back.
When I think of Denver, I think of a lot of great things but good food is not one of the. Â Likewise, when I think of good sushi, Denver would not likely crack my top 20 cities in the US where I would expect to find good sushi. Â However, after eating dinner at Kassai, I just might change my opinion on both subjects.
My friend who lives in Denver suggetsed we go to Kassai for their "happy hour special". Â Apparently in Denver, happy hour means "middle of the afternoon until closing". Â Kassai's happy hour (daily from 4:30 pm to 10:00 pm) was fantastic: $1 negiri. Â I promptly loaded up on 10 pieces, along with a couple different maki's (spider roll = terrific, spicy scallop = good heat). Â The fish was fresh and the portions were hefty. Â But the cost (or lackthereof, rather) was perhaps the best part. Â I would've easily paid at least four times more for the exact same meal had I eaten it in Chicago. Â There's definitely something to be said about not having to plop down $50 every time I want to have sushi for dinner.
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