Kappaya Japanese Restaurant

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3384 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97202

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(503) 233-3122
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Reviews
( 15 )
( 7 )
( 3 )
( 3 )
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Best

You're not getting charged extra for over the top decoration or or presentation. Just good honest sushi. Sit at the bar if you can, super friendly peeps. This is a spot that local...

Worst

I ate here about 2 or 3 times, usually only because it was the closest thing and we couldn't think of anything else. It has always been bland, unremarkable food, served by unpleas...

Just plain good 9/13/2011

You're not getting charged extra for over the top decoration or or presentation. Just good honest sushi. Sit at the bar if you can, super friendly peeps. This is a spot that locals would like to keep a secret. more
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Authentic, Delicious Food 12/4/2010

I don't claim to be an ""expert"" just because I've lived in Japan, but this is my favorite Japanese restaurant in Portland. The owner/sushi sensei, Terry, is as friendly as others have written about, and the staff is all Japanese (except for Terry's co-sushi chef). That means that the food and flavors are all delicious and authentic. It's true that the decor is not the best, but are you going to a restaurant just for the decor? Also, people here have complained about the wait times, but I just went there tonight at a busy time with three friends, and we had absolutely no problem with the service at all. I love this restaurant and have no qualms about recommending this place to friends and family. more
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Favorite Neighborhood Sushi 4/16/2010

We love this place. It is often overlooked but well worth it to stop by. Once we started coming here it is now the only sushi we will have in SE, and we live right across the street from ichidai. Pros: Terry! Cons: Closed in the middle of the day more
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Served me well for years 7/3/2009

I spent years as a regular at Kappaya and found it to be a wonderful little jewel. The food is down to earth, delicious and I always left feeling wonderful and full of energy. The prices were alway reasonable. Go for lunch and you will see there is a real community that surrounds this place. Thank you to the staff for all their kindness! This place if full of good people and healthy food. I have moved now, but will visit you when ever I can. Best to you all. Pros: Great down to earth cuisine more
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Eh... 2/4/2009

There was a little lost in translation. I asked about the tempura appetizer, and told the waitress I wanted it with my sushi. We went back and forth 3 - 4 times about it, and finally I got my tempura well ahead of my sushi anyway. Oh well. As someone else mentioned, the oil may affect flavor a bit. Pros: Fresh sushi! Sushi master Teri will help you, and is pleasant. lots of parking. Cons: Small pieces of sushi can lead to expensive meal. Some communication with the waitress was lost in translation. more
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Sit at the bar and get to know your sushi chefs 5/23/2008

Oh man, you want to know about a good sushi place? You gotta try Kappaya. The portions are generous, the sushi is delicious, and the chefs are friendly. The wait staff can be a bit standoffish, particularly if like me you don't know Japanese, but the chefs themselves are really nice (one of whom is the owner). The nigiri (the type of sushi that is a piece of fish on top of a bit of rice) is really superb, I particularly recommend the hamachi or oregon maguro. The unagi avocado maki (roll type sushi) is quite good and there is a good variety of spicy, savory, and crunchy rolls depending on your mood. I've also had a tasty dinner here even when I wasn't in the mood for sushi, including sweet and salty Kitsune Udon (yum). Pros: Excellent Quality Fish, Tasty Food, Special Orders Okay, Great Specials, Ample Parking, Great Value Cons: Popular can sometimes mean Slow, You'll want to order appetizers on busy nights, It would help if you spoke Japanese (I don't) more
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Unremarkable food, poor service 3/29/2008

I ate here about 2 or 3 times, usually only because it was the closest thing and we couldn't think of anything else. It has always been bland, unremarkable food, served by unpleasant people. Pros: decent location Cons: poor service, bland food more
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Best potstickers EVER 1/8/2008

I don't care for sushi, and that's the only reason I can give for not having tried this little gem before. It was a spur-of-the-moment choice, because I figured they had to have more than just sushi -- and was I ever glad that I did try dinner here! The house sake is tasty, the entrees are delicious (and beautifully presented, as well as generously-sized), the prices are very affordable and the potstickers are the best in the entire universe. I'm thrilled that I found such a delightfully informal place with such good service, charming ambiance, and delicious food! Pros: Delicious food at value prices more
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best sushi in town! 11/16/2007

this place is amazing! the relaxed atmosphere can be whatever you want it to be, romantic or relaxed or kid friendly. try the rainbow roll its pretty much amazing, the sushi is like butter! Pros: good service, good sake, good sushi, good sukiyaki more
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Good sushi -- but that's all, if you're vegetarian 11/7/2007

We stopped in, wanting a hot bowl of something -- ramen, udon, whatever. They told us all of these options were made only with meat. (Yes, I know that japanese soup base almost always contains fish. I don't have a problem with the bit of it that's in a miso or ramen. They seemed to be saying it was something more, and we couldn't communicate well enough to figure it out.) more
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It's great! (not for the bridge and tunnel crowd, though). 11/3/2007

The last poster was crayyzee. Kappaya always has fresh fish. I've eaten at both Masu's and they were foo-foo yuppie places with sushi made by white people! Come on. Sushi is good when that's what is the focus of a restaurant, not the decor or the servers. It's authentic and simple, not trendy and gimmicky. Kappaya is great, simple, honest, fresh and satisfying. I've NEVER had a bad meal here but I have in several other sushi places in Portland. Pros: Always dependable. Cons: Sometimes crowded at night. more
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Below Quality Fish 10/7/2007

I'm a hardcore sushi snob. I came here because it's close to where we live and because my friend wanted to come here.. I hadn't been here in years because I was never fond of it in the past and had since moved on to discovering Sushi Mania, Masu East and Meiji En.. But in the name of relinquishing my hardcore sushi snob attitude and surrendering to my friend's direction, I went to Kappaya. Let me just say that it's probably ranking in my bottom three sushi places in Portland, including also Takahashi and Mio Sushi. The one thing that I enjoyed was the crunchy roll. The rest of it was mediocre ~ sushi quality that you might get out of a deli case. I was not moved into my normal hysterical state of moaning ecstasy with any of the rolls or nigiri. Plus, the atmosphere is dismal. They need some aesthetic design assistance. In general, the experience was Cheap. Cheap prices. Cheap fish. Cheap furniture. Not good quality. Pros: Cheap Cons: Not Yummy more
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Great sushi, period. 8/3/2007

Next to Saburo's in Sellwood, Kappaya is my only choice for good sushi in Portland proper. You can keep Takahashi, Mio Sushi, Koji, Yuki and all the other trendy, gimmicky and cheap places. Kappaya's owner knows how to roll good sushi. I've been going there since 2000 and have never had a bad meal. The service is polite, tables are clean and besides the ocassional, ignorant idiot from Gresham, I've never had a bad dining experience here. If you don't feel like driving to Sellwood or waiting in line, give Kappaya your hard earned money -- you won't be disappointed. Pros: parking lot, sweet servers, damn good sushi Cons: the average moron may stumble in on ocassion more
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decent sushi 4/26/2007

Consistent, decent sushi. I've never had a bad experience. It can get busy sometimes but generally the service is fast. The tempura is very light and not greasy like many places. The Mexican roll is great! Simple interior. Prices are reasonable. Open for lunch on weekdays only. One of the better deals for sushi in Portland. more
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Average Japanese meals at $$$$$ 2/17/2007

If I had to write a review 2 months ago, I would have rate the food some what ok for its price. However, the whole experience changed when I dined there last month and found a piece of hair underneath our Wasabi Chiken order. We didn't see the hair on the plate until my friend picked up the last piece of Chiken and we both almost threw up in our mouth. Sadly, I won't be returning here again. The service was lame, waitress unfriendly and unless you want a hair in your food, I wouldn't go there. Pros: Japanese influenced ambiance Cons: Hair in your food!! more
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dont go for lunch, no sushi 1/10/2007

typical day, trying to get sushi, lunchtime, maybe 6 tables full, was told would have to wait for sushi for 30 minutes, I was alone, they are crazy, not going back, the miso soup was good and the seaweed sald good but the noodle soup I ended up ordering was horrible, mushy fried tofu, sweet, yuck, still sitting in the fridge more
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A relaxing neighborhood gem 12/19/2006

To be frank, I was always a little put off by Kappaya-- there were never many cars in the parking lot-- but now I know why. Kappaya seems like a genuine neighborhood restaurant, and while eating there, I saw as many people walk in as drive up. Pros: Very good food at very good prices. Not hectic. Cons: None to speak of. more
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Best Family Owned Sushi Place in Oregon! 12/8/2006

A great place to get great sushi at a great price! Everything was superb. The owner, Terry, was a delight to talk to at the sushi bar. With his 17 years of sushi experience combined with an outstanding restaurant chef, this is a great little place to get some serious japanese food. Get place for friends and family! more
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WONDERFUL food and service 10/8/2006

I went to Kappaya for dinner with my parents for the first time on the search for a good Japanese restaurant in SE. Kappaya looked to be just a small neighborhood restaurant, and we were surprised to find a great atmosphere, decent prices, fast service, and the best Japanese food I had had in a long time (probably since the last time I'd been to Japan!). The bento box was huge (I had the teriyaki and tempura bento), you certainly get your money's worth. The tempura, teriyaki chicken, and sushi were all delicious. I would DEFINATELY go there again. Kappaya is my new favorite Portland spot to get Japanese food. Pros: Great tempura and teriyaki chicken, huge bento boxes, good service more
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Good Neighborhood Spot, Average sushi 7/13/2006

I've had better, I've had worse. Pros: Service, Prices, Easy to get a seat more
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Menu for Kappaya Japanese Restaurant


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Editorial

  • In Short
    A genuine neighborhood place, you won't find any attitude or vibe, just authentic food served in a spare room, adorned with simple Japanese posters and screens. Appetizers like...

  • 10/19/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Payments: Master Card, Visa
  • Neighborhoods: Richmond, Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Program
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