We continued our quest for a second month to answer the question: “Is Seattle teriyaki dying?” We will lead with our conclusion: There are worthy options in and around Seattle, but the focus has moved out from downtown and broadened to include wider menus.
Still Downtown
BB’s Teriyaki Grill (1111 3rd Ave., Seattle; 206-876-9105; bbsteriyaki.com) is a holdout in Seattle’s core financial district. BB’s has expanded, with locations in the
U District (on The Ave), South Lake Union (210 Westlake Ave. N), and Issaquah Highlands.
Unusual for downtown lunch spots, BB’s stays open for dinner, closing at 8 p.m. on weekdays and 7:30 on Saturdays, making it a great resource for those days one is working through dinner. The Issaquah and U District locations are open on Sundays.
We tried the U District location, as parking is easy on most Sundays. We found the format was unlike most other teriyaki restaurants: The food was pre-cooked, and you chose items as you went through the line. One nice aspect of this was the choice of three sides from seven options to go with your teriyaki. We chose brown rice, marinated cabbage, and veggie stir-fry.
Then came the chicken. It was also pre-cooked, with no char or grill marks on it at all. And it wasn’t very warm. At this point, we had the choice of regular teriyaki or hot/spicy. For consistency, we tried straight teriyaki. The sauce was much thinner and waterier compared to other places we sampled. It had a Seattle teriyaki flavor, but it was weaker. Still, it was sticky if you got some on you.
Service at BB’s was fast, undoubtedly because the food was pre-cooked. Though we liked the choice of sides, the veggie stir-fry, like the chicken, was lukewarm. The marinated cabbage was dominated by vinegar. While BB’s has a loyal following, we are more likely to return to other teriyaki shops.
North of the Ship Canal
Just northwest from Gas Works Park, it is easy to overlook I Love Teriyaki (3409 Stone Way N, Seattle; 206-547-5330, iloveteriyakistoneway.com) despite its location on a busy corner. It is tucked into a small strip mall
between a laundromat and an animal sanctuary. Yet they have been operating there for 20 years and have a very busy takeout business. We were the only dine-in customers.
The chicken teriyaki came with two scoops of rice and an iceberg-lettuce salad. The salad had a modest amount of nondescript dressing. The chicken was grilled fresh and served in a very generous portion. Some of the chicken was dry. The teriyaki sauce was soy-dominant with something of a smoky taste. The chicken arrived not heavily sauced, but more was available because we dined in; that helped with the few dry pieces.
I Love Teriyaki offers a fairly wide menu, including tempura shrimp, but we were sticking to chicken teriyaki for comparison purposes. The food was fresh and plentiful. Their chicken teriyaki plate cost a bit more than at other spots, but the quantity of chicken was also greater.
I Love Teriyaki appears to have a loyal following, and if you are nearby and very hungry, you may want to give it a try.
I Love Teriyaki is not affiliated with I Luv Teriyaki restaurants. The similarity of names among Seattle teriyaki spots could become a hallmark alongside the cuisine.
Checking Out a Toshi’s
Notice we said “a” Toshi’s, not “the Toshi’s.” We visited “The Original” Toshi’s Teriyaki
(3715 NE 45th St., Seattle; 206-524-1174) about a block west of Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Several restaurants in town are named Toshi’s Teriyaki. Operators of this Toshi’s informed us their location was established by Toshi Kasahara and later franchised to them and that they still pay royalties for the name and logo. But the website of the actual Toshi’s (toshisgrill.com/toshis-teriyaki-
seattle-laurelhurst) says this Laurelhurst location is no longer affiliated with Toshi.
Toshi still operates Toshi’s Teriyaki Grill (toshisgrill.com) in Mill Creek as well as a mobile location in the Bay Area. We did not manage to make it to either of those locations for this issue.
Now, to give credit to this iteration: The chicken teriyaki here was freshly grilled, served hot, and came in a generous portion over a double serving of white rice with a small iceberg salad. The salad dressing had a sweet vinegar base.
The chicken was not heavily sauced, but the sauce was well balanced. The dominant flavors were the chicken itself and the char on it; the teriyaki was secondary.
Toshi’s had people dining in as well as carrying out. Prices were a little above average.
Heading South
South of Costco No. 1, past where Michigan jogs, Mikou Teriyaki (6519 4th Ave. S, Seattle; 206-763-6000; mikouteriyaki.com) sits amid the industrial area on the mudflats. We found an ample dining room. Most of the lunch crowd took their food to go. Mikou has a diverse menu, and we noticed the katsu dish was popular.
We again stuck to chicken teriyaki, which arrived on a plate rather than in a plastic box — we were not accustomed to that. The chicken came with rice and the largest iceberg salad we received at any of the teriyaki restaurants we checked out.
The chicken was freshly cooked and had a little bit of char, but not much. The teriyaki sauce was slightly on the salty side. Diners could choose from several salad dressings at the table.
If you are in the neighborhood during their long opening hours — 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., except Sundays — Mikou is worth a try. We’d like to go back for their popular katsu. Mikou has been there for decades. Across the street, a rebuilt I Luv Teriyaki is set to reopen soon. South Michigan Street may soon rival the teriyaki density that downtown once had.
Still Further South
For those of you who get south to Pierce County, or at least to Puyallup, locate Honto Teriyaki (11012 Canyon Road E, Puyallup; 253-536-9027; hontoteriyakipuyallup.com) just off Highway 512. Of all the teriyaki spots we visited, this one had the busiest crowd dining in, even after the lunch peak into midafternoon.
Honto’s menu has many options, including several types of noodle dishes. The chicken teriyaki came (on a plate) with a generous portion of mostly white meat and an iceberg salad with a slightly tangy dressing. The chicken was freshly grilled, and the sauce tasted somewhat meaty (for want of a better adjective).
Overall, the food was good and the service very friendly. This is the only teriyaki joint we visited where people, from families to state patrol, were just hanging out. That says something about the place.
Honto has a second location in Bonney Lake if you need a teriyaki fix there.
Wrapping Up
Each of the local restaurants we visited reflect the “Seattle Style” teriyaki that Toshi is credited with creating. During this time, we had the opportunity to sample teriyaki in another state, but it was so different that we excluded it from our search.
There really is a Seattle style, even if the sauces and accoutrements vary. We liked the slightly sweeter flavor at Teriyaki Madness, which we reviewed last month, but that is a matter left to personal taste.
We have concluded our search for Seattle-style teriyaki, for now. The short, teriyaki-only menus that once dominated downtown faded long before COVID-19, possibly due to increasing rents.
The good news is that there are plenty of well-established places to get your teriyaki fix in other neighborhoods, often with broader menus and better parking.
Dining Out is brought to you by Christopher Howard with the help of friends and family. Please send any comments or suggestions to him at 205-559-5756 or chh@f2t.com.
