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    Saimin Says

    4.5 (160 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated 2 months ago

    Order Saimin Says Takeout or Delivery

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    SAIMIN SAYS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual

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    Spam Saimin $9.95 mini loco moco $14.95 extra gravy $1.95
    Aulani A.

    I wasn't happy with this. The Prices are crazy, food is mediocre. The hamburger pattie was cute and small and tasted like ketchup. Not for me!

    Hawaiian Style Breakfast (L)
    D P.

    Definitely a take-away place, as opposed to a sit-down place. They have seating but if you dine in, they still serve your meal in a take out container. All that aside the food was very good and the prices are fair.

    Menu at Saimin Says
    Peg C.

    Thank you, Yelpers, for steering me to Saimin Says! My hubs and I were going to Ikea around lunchtime on a Tuesday afternoon and knew we didn't want to eat there. So I jumped on Yelp and found this place. The place is small and tucked into a non-descript industrial-like strip mall. But what they don't have in ambiance, they make up for in the food. My mochiko chicken was crispy and delicious. My hubs's shoyu chicken was savory and tasty. We both thought the tuna mac was some of the best macaroni salad we've ever had. We both ate half our lunches, sampled each other's lunches, and still had a decent amount to take home that later became part of our dinner. As the Hawaiians say, this place has 'ono grindz! Next time we have a shopping trip at Ikea, we will make sure to come back to Saimin Says.

    Fried Saimin
    Jennifer S.

    Finally tried Saimin Says after so many years! It's located in a business park-ish looking building right across the street from IKEA. On a weekday, the parking was easy right in front. The restaurant is kind of small with a handful of tables. The menu has a pretty wide selection of Hawaiian-style dishes. I wanted to try them all, it's so hard to choose! We got the fried saimin and garlic chicken plate - so good! Will definitely be back soon!

    Garlic Chicken, Spam Katsu Musubi - IG @bougiefoodieboi
    Kyle W.

    I went here for a lunch and it was not busy inside. Most people come for pick up orders, but I opted to dine in. I got the garlic chicken rice and the spam katsu musubi, totaling close to $20. Food came out decently fast, about 10 minutes, and a powerful smell of garlic seeped to my nose, in a good way - I was excited to try the dish! The garlic chicken is a mochiko chicken with garlic, and it was quite flavorful. Just the garlic chicken dish itself filled me up, so it was good value. There's a good amount of rice and Mac salad, and it's not just any kind of Mac salad. It's Mac salad with tuna, adding a bit more flavor to it. The chicken itself is alright though - it's a bit dry and super salty. It helps with the rice but I wouldn't enjoy it in itself. The spam katsu musubi is a heartier take on the spam musubi. Instead of a teriyaki sauce, it's a katsu sauce so the flavor profile is a bit different. It's interesting and I enjoyed it but I would stick with the typical spam musubi next time. Overall, good food for decent prices. Recommend paying in cash as there is a hefty 3.5% surcharge for all card transactions. Unless you use something like Amex gold, it's worth it to just pay in cash.

    Shoyu Chicken &Kalbi Combo
    K K.

    Wow! Food was excellent. What stole the show for me was the macaroni salad with tuna in it. Kalbi was awesome, good sweetness, and char to it. The soy chicken was also amazing. Super homemade taste, chicken fell off the bone. The garlic chicken was also very tasty and tender. Good chunky pieces. All it is, is their Mochiko chicken dip and garlic sauce, bomb! The Katsu cutlet was OK. The gravy was good, but if I ever go back to this place when I visit Seattle, I'll try their regular Katsu. I'm sure they have a bomb Katsu sauce. The service was great and they were very helpful in suggesting the top items. It is a little hole in the wall, seating is limited, but it looks like it's more of a takeout restaurant.

    Craig F.

    I have been going here for many years. The current location is much smaller than it used to be. They are very efficient with space but the seating is only for 20 or less dine in customers. The customer is friendly. The menu selection is diverse and of course Spam Musubi. They serve breakfast and lunch only. If you are at Ikea shopping, this place is near by and is a great place to eat.

    Khoa N.

    Stopped by Saiman Says for a quick bite, and overall, it was a solid experience. I tried the mochiko chicken and garlic chicken. The mochiko was decent, though nothing that stood out too much. As for the garlic chicken, I appreciated that it wasn't overly sweet (a big plus), but I wish it had more bold, garlicky flavor. The spot seems like a classic mom-and-pop shop with a laid-back vibe, which I love supporting. While it didn't completely wow me, the food was decent, and I'd definitely give it another shot to try some other items on the menu. Hopefully next time I can find something that has a tad bit more flavor.

    Garlic Chicken
    Wendy K.

    Have been to the Kent location with my brother and dad years ago. When brother told me they were in Renton now and they had been to make sure and check them out. My sister in law is from Hawaii so I trust her judgment on Hawaiian places. Her favorite dish is the Garlic Chicken which is their mochiko chicken but amped up. Was tasty with chopped bits of jalapeños. Chicken was tender inside and crispy outside. Dad got the katsu curry chicken was also cooked perfectly. Each came with a generous scoop of rice and mac salad. I'm not usually a fan of mac salads but theirs had great flavor with the added tuna. Friendly staff, not a large space but welcoming. It was nice to see they had a steady stream of customers dining in and for take out around 1:30 on a Saturday. They're not open on Sundays just an fyi it's why it took me so long to give them a try. Located amongst a bunch of businesses can almost be easily overlooked if you don't they're there but parking easily available. Looking forward to trying the rest of the menu. They have another restaurant as will inside that I'd like to try some items off of as well.

    malasadas
    Rachel B.

    I wanted some spam musubi. This place has multiple options for spam musubi, and I ordered 2 different types (katsu and original) but received spicy, regular, and katsu. The regular spam musubi and the spicy spam musubi were well seasoned. I liked the spicy spam. The katsu was okay, but I'd recommend sticking with the original. I also snagged some malasadas that they had for sale that day. I regretted buying them almost immediately because they didn't look like they would be fresh, but they tasted awesome! Very dense, very tasty, a little on the oily side. They reminded me of elephant ears from the fair. Prices are affordable.

    Cardin N.

    Delicious food and service was good. Very friendly and there were a couple of tables available for dine in. Pretty small space so don't expect a ton of tables. They do get a lot of to go orders which is usually a great sign of delicious food.

    Special Pork Belly Combo (please call and reserve asap)
    Pat A.

    Awesome Saimin and all Hawaiian dishes they offers!! We've been customer for over 20 years. Our favorite dishes are : Chicken Curry rice Curry Saimin Spam Masubi Mochiko chicken Lau Lau Kalua Pork Katsu and rice Shoyu Chicken All the Saimin bowls are really good!!

    Mochiko Chicken Kalua Pig and Cabbage

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    3 months ago

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    2 months ago

    Good for your Hawaiian food fix, small but has a few tables. In an office park near Ikea

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    2 years ago

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    3 months ago

    Always great food when coming here. Best place in Kent to get your Hawaii food fix. Weekly stop for me

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

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    11 months ago

    Great spot. Friendly staff. The garlic chicken was great. Close to ikea so when we go there we always stop by.

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    1 year ago

    Rating it 5 stars purely on the garlic chicken it's SOOO good!!! Would come back just for the garlic chicken!

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    6 months ago

    Still the best Hawaiian food in Washington! Can't wait to try their new Bellevue restaurant.

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Saimin Says

    Is it the same owners from the kent shop?

    No. I only know there is one Saimin Says .

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    Triumph Valley - Seafood Tofu Pot, Fried Crab W/ Dry Garlic (2Lb) (2Lb), Fried Lobster W/ Dry Garlic

    Triumph Valley

    3.9(513 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    I LOVE love LOVE Triumph Valley!! genuinely love at first bite. This is my go to spot for dim sum…read moreand it never disappoints. Everything comes out hot, fresh, and just hits every time. So many seats inside but Just a heads up: come early or be ready to wait, because this place is always packed. It's busy, a little chaotic, but 100% worth it. There's 20 Chinese aunties running around so please come with an open mind. No matter how long the wait gets, I'll always make time for my bookie pookie.

    The food itself is high quality. The best pan-fried noodles I've had in a long time (aka chow mein,…read morechoose the crispy option). Dim sum is some of the best in the Seattle area. But they lose 3 stars from me because they use some kind of industrial strength cleaning chemical to wipe down the tables. Hard to enjoy your meal when all you can smell is the same chemical they use to mop the floors at QFC. If they are using a spray bottle to clean at the next table, you'll get a cloud of harsh cleaning chemical up your nostrils while you eat. I've had to rinse off and wiped down my own table with a napkin dampened with tea or water in order to enjoy my meal. When I mentioned this to staff, they were dismissive and haven't changed a thing in over a year when I first brought it to their attention. They should only be using something like quat sanitizer, that doesn't smell, to clean the tables. NOT something that is used for floors or bathrooms. and on a side note: if you decide to mop underneath another table while people are dining next to it, please say "excuse me" or just wait. Instead of almost hitting people in the head with a mop handle without saying a word. Also not great for a dining experience. I have worked in restaurants and F&B management. I know something about these things. You shouldn't use anything on a table for diners that you wouldn't use on a food preparation surface. How many times has a dumpling got away from you and bounced around on the table and you snag it and consume it, because you assume the table isn't being cleaned with floor cleaner? If you agree with me, please say something to the staff, and maybe they'll eventually listen. This is a real shame. The food quality is quite good. I might just do take-out from now on. There are other high quality Chinese and Asian dining options, that's the bright side of living in this area.

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    Triumph Valley
    Triumph Valley - Fried Lobster W/ Dry Garlic

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    Fortune Noodle House - Fried Chicken Wings

    Fortune Noodle House

    3.9(361 reviews)
    4.1 mi
    $

    I'm always a little skeptic when a place does multiple cuisines. But this local restaurant does a…read moregood job. The best thing we ate were the salt and pepper calamari. It was tender and flavorful. You even got a bit of that wok char on it when they cooked it all together with the bell peppers. It was the most satisfying thing we ate. The chicken wings were flavorful as well but didn't love the coating. It was super crunchy but just a little too heavy on the coating for my preference. The pho was not anything I would go out of my way for. But it did its job. And for $13 for a combo pho, I was not mad at it all. Definitely packed with a lot of noodles if you appreciate that too. The broth was solid. The service was friendly. It's a small restaurant with a good amount of seating. Nothing fancy at all. But you don't hear for vibes. You come here for affordable eats that deliver on flavor. I definitely plan on coming back and trying their chow fun. If the calamari had the wok char, I can only hope their chow fun would too. I'll definitely update when I come back and try!

    Order the sweet and sour chicken it was very good love the pineapple in it…read more Also ordered the tuna roll not too tuna tasted funky I through it away. I love tuna, something was wrong with it. Service was very good! I just have a hard time understanding what people saying when they wear a mask. She was very nice. Tables were clean so bonus.

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    Fortune Noodle House - Front

    Front

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    Marugame Udon - :D

    Marugame Udon

    4.2(287 reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Vegan friendly

    Huge thanks to Andre Boyd for the fantastic service. I was impressed by his initiative; he noticed…read morewe might need assistance and came over to help without being asked. It's rare to see that kind of attentiveness at the registers. He made our visit seamless.

    Overall: 8.5/10…read more Food: 8/10 I got the #5 Creamy Broth which was a creamy chicken broth topped with juicy pork chashu and a flavorful seasoned egg topped with free self serve tempura flakes, green onion, and ginger. I asked for a spice ball for the soup on the side. The soup was rich and creamy as the name suggested. The pork chashu was average at best. It lacked flavor and color. The noodles were thick and al dente and absorbed the broth very well. I would not recommend mixing the tempura flakes into the broth as it makes them soggy and they no longer have the crunchy texture to contrast the noodles. For tempura I got a steamed egg tempura, shrimp tempura, and potato tempura. The egg tempura definitely reined supreme. Would heavily recommend a tempura sauce which they happened to run out with today. The vegetable tempuras were all bland. Would not recommend. If you do get the tempuras, eat them before the main dish so the richness of the main dish doesn't ruin the delicate flavor of the tempura. Atmosphere: 9/10 Tables were cleaned and bussed regularly. There were plenty of tables where we didn't really have to wait after getting our food. The tables were kinda close to each other and the restaurant was packed on a Saturday night at 7 pm. It was very loud and we could not hear the music in the background and had to speak up when talking to each other. Service: 9/10 Self service similar to chipotle where you order at the counter and they make it in front of you and all the individual components of each dish are premade. Unlike chipotle, once they give you the main dish in a tray, there is a self serve Tempura bar where you pay by piece.

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    Marugame Udon - :D

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    Happy Autumn - Pho Thai

    Happy Autumn

    4.5(83 reviews)
    4.5 mi

    I used to live in Renton and then a number of years ago, moved to Covington and discovered that the…read morefew Pho places in Covington ALL have a food handling rating of OK or worse. The last place I went to had clouds of fruit flies, the floor was sticky and the table looked like a science experiment (the Pho was good though, but ewww). But this isn't about Pho places in Covington. This is about Happy Autumn in Renton. I needed to be in Renton along 4th Ave and since I don't get to eat good Pho much anymore, I saw that Happy Autumn was along the route I'd be driving. My first impression. The food handling rating is EXCELLENT and the restaurant looked clean. The staff was delightful, professional, full of smiles, and had my order ready for pick-up right on time. I got the grilled chicken Pho to go, which is risky because 'to-go' meals can be skimped on since people don't tend to complain on meals to go from their house. I was NOT disappointed. They piled up all the goodies. Extra Sriracha, jalapenos, cilantro and basil. Lots of chicken and noodles and just a touch of sprouts (they are my least favorite Pho item). The broth was fragrant, flavorful and by the time I got home 45 minutes later, still hot. I put it all together and enjoyed some of the best Pho I've ever eaten locally. HIGHLY recommend.

    My friend said I should give this place and try and it was OK but I wouldn't return…read more As others reviewed, the best thing about this place is the service. Staff was nice, attentive and the tables and restaurant seemed very clean. We ordered pho, chicken summer rolls and a grilled chicken rice plate. The broth didn't have a lot of depth. It was fine but not enough to warrant a return. The grilled chicken was not exactly grilled. It tasted more like boiled chicken in a sauce and it was very sweet. I will keep looking for other pho restaurants to try. We have visited I Love Pho and Square Lotus in the Factoria area for probably 2 decades so need a change sometimes.

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    Happy Autumn
    Happy Autumn - Shrimp fresh roll

    Shrimp fresh roll

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    ONL 05. CRAB RANGOON

    Saimin Says - hawaiian - Updated May 2026

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