Nothing exceptional about this business the teriyaki is very delicious and they have good prices and a variety just like every other teriyaki place but I will say that the last time I went I looked at the menu and walked away the owner/cook give me a kind of evil eye for not buying anything. But I don't hold that against him really but I think the smell of the deliciousness overwhelmed me and then I just had other plans for dinner but yes they do have a fairly good business although intermittent and not heavy. I saw only one or two tables mostly the people that order here are to go. I've had three good dinners here, about $14 for one entree and that was definitely enough for one person. Parking is tight, as it is shared with the Shell station next door. read more

Teriyaki 1st - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I ended up here on a recommendation from the barbers next door, and I'm genuinely thankful they pointed me this way. The man behind the grill has been making teriyaki for over 30 years, and it shows in every bite. No shortcuts, no gimmicks, just perfectly cooked, flavorful teriyaki done the way it's supposed to be. I got the teriyaki chicken and it was hands down some of the best I've ever had. Juicy, smoky, rich sauce, and portions that actually fill you up. While I was there, a woman came in who said she had moved out of town. She went out of her way to stop here because it's her favorite spot. That alone tells you everything you need to know. People don't do that unless a place really means something to them. This isn't some trendy place trying to reinvent teriyaki. It's the kind of neighborhood spot that's been doing it right for decades and doesn't need to advertise. You walk in hungry and leave happy. Simple as that. This is one of those places you're lucky to have nearby, and now that I've found it, I'll be back regularly. If you're even thinking about it, stop in and order. You won't regret it. read more

The best spicy chicken teriyaki around! Most places just add Sriracha to the sauce to make it spicy, but this one has a different flavor, and includes grilled onions. Highly recommend! read more

I was in Seattle recently and read online that teriyaki is a must get food when in town. I decided to hit up Teriyaki 1st on a weekday afternoon. I thought it'd be pretty close to the UW campus but it was a bit further away. The place is super small with almost no room to dine in, but that's fine as I like grab and go type places. The place seemed like it was run by Korean people and they seemed pretty efficient. Didn't seem like they had any customers yet when I got in and my order was prepared reasonably quickly. So I decided to get to regular chicken teriyaki. It comes with rice and salad. It came out to $12.19 after tax, which was one of the cheaper meals I had in Seattle. My first impression of my food was that the container was pretty heavy - always an excellent sign. I went to check out the UW campus and ate outside since it was a nice day. When I opened up the container, I was very pleasantly surprised. They gave a ton of food; huge piece of chicken sliced up nicely, and a boatload of rice. I was happy. The chicken teriyaki was excellent, especially after drizzling some extra sauce on it. The sauce was really sweet but not overly so. The chicken was moist and not dry. The rice was good; you can't really mess up rice. So all in all, I was lapping up my teriyaki and with big smile on my face. Also, the salad seemed very fresh, which is always key. So I gotta go with 4 stars overall with the experience I had. The thing I hate the most is when you order food from a place and their portion sizes are tiny. Teriyaki 1st nailed it with this. Only reason I'd give 4 stars instead of 5 would be the price. $12.19 seemed pretty reasonable, but if it was closer to $10, it'd be 5 stars all the way for me. But I'd still recommend this place without reservation. read more

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Take out place located near gas station. Got the beef and chicken plate and it was tasty and a good portion read more

Teriyaki 1st - Chicken & Beef - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Just a damn fine teriyaki place. See my previous reviews. Updating the menu pictures as of Aug 2023 read more

Teriyaki 1st - As of Aug 2023 - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Come today this place first time. Ordered chicken and gyoza. Very fast service,for Seattle very cheap. And was soo delicious. Especially when you put sauce in rice. Omg so delicious. But you need know before come only take out and they deworm in Sunday. But I am definitely recommend this place. I am come back. Atmosphere small place with take out food. read more

Teriyaki 1st - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Staying with our kids around Green Lake and found some great reviews for this mom and pop teriyaki spot. Incredibly tasty with heavy portions and surprisingly inexpensive! We ordered the Beef Gyoza plate and the Chicken/Pork Gyoza plate. Both came with rice and salad. I got there at 11:20 and after I ordered there was a line out the door. The owners are friendly and efficient. We'll be back. *very limited seating, better for take out* read more

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My favorite Teriyaki place, no dine in, no nonsense, consistently delicious, and affordable. read more

Teriyaki 1st - Beef teriyaki to go. Pro Tip: Call in your order, and grab a beer at Chuck's next door. - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Going here for years. Always delicious, quick and friendly service, healthy servings. Tried others but always this is by far my favorite.

This place is fantastic. The spicy chicken is spicy but not overwhelming, and super flavorful. It comes with these slightly fried onions that add so much to the dish. The people here are delightful. The beef kabob is a gem too. read more

Teriyaki 1st - Spicy Chicken - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This is probably the best teriyaki chicken I have had. I'm glad I have to work back in this area to be able to eat here again. But yes, as some reviews have commented on. The owner is a total butt head. He's not very polite. But also, he does just want to get back to work. I don't think he intends to or may be he just doesn't care. Who knows. The food and portion sizes are good! I recommend if in the area. read more

Teriyaki 1st - Spicy chicken teriyaki - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Best teriyaki in the world. There's really nothing more to say. We need to petition Ballard to make statues of this couple. They been feeding us since middle school and best believe I'll be dreaming bout spicy yak with gyoza before I take my last breath. God Bless Teriyaki 1st. P.S. Good luck getting extra sauce. True test of a champion. read more

Enjoyed a nice takeout chicken teriyaki here a couple weeks back. Good food, nice man working the counter.

We all agreed this was great teriyaki, don't be fooled by the tiny size or proximity to a gas station, it's good!!!

Place was ok at best the guy who was working that day rushed me to order but I gave him the benefit of the doubt being an older gentleman and thought him being rude was part of the experience and this place let's the food speak for itself. But the food itself i definitely finished but wasn't really the quality I would want for going out to eat to get teriyaki. It satisfies but doesn't rly do anything to be genuinely GOOD teriyaki. read more

Hands down the best teriyaki in the area. The owner is a bit gruff, but he works hard and I've come to respect him. Pro tip: always call ahead. They cook all the meat to order so it's not a quick stop. Also, the chicken and spicy chicken are good, but the short ribs are phenomenal! read more

Come here for cheap meals with a heavy side of rice that's consistently "average". Not the friendliest staff.

Pleasantly surprised. Great tasting, generous portions for a fair price. The place is unassuming but pumps out great food. The only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is the wait time. Perhaps they make everything from scratch but 45 minutes is way too long to get a 2 dish order. Apart from that, overall it's a great experience. read more

Ordered thru door dash the first time last week and have to say this is some of the best teriyaki we've ever had. Got the chicken and short rib combo and a gyoza combo. The short rib meat was tender and literally fell apart as you picked it up. Food alone is great - definitely ordering from here again and want to try the prawns as well. Really impressed with the quality, the portions and the price. read more

Teriyaki 1st - Chicken and short rib combo - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The Teriyaki version of the Soup Nazi is just spot on (look it up Gen z). If you want world class service go to Canlis. If you want world class Spicy chicken Teriyaki then come here, but leave your ego at the door - the dude isn't gonna smile at you. read more

Chicken and Katsu Combo and an order of egg rolls. Consistently delicious for two years. They fry the egg rolls to a deep brown crispy crunch which turns out to be the way you should serve them. So good! Large entree portions, too much rice, delicious and ready when they say. Should you decide to order takeout at the same time as everyone else there will be a wait. How can you be upset by that? read more

Good food, reliable, and amazing portions! Mom and Pop shop that always provides fast service. It's a small shop, no tables, so it's always take away. read more

Super delicious, reasonably priced teriyaki. The servings are very large (as expected). Everything is cooked perfectly, especially the veggies which a lot of places tend to over cook. The owners are efficient. We'll definitely be back. read more

Best teriyaki in Seattle, have been coming here for years and always great. Really good people too.

The spicy chicken was pretty good. Not dried out like some teriyaki chicken can be and the spice level was just right. You get a nice portion for what you pay for. The place itself is kind of small at a gas station. Like other reviewers said there are a lot of business cards on the table underneath glass. There are also a lot of old magazines by the door and a TV that was set to golf (at least it was when I was in there). I won't knock off any points for this but if you deal with the public develop some kind of personality. Smile. It makes your food taste better. Be some what talkative, even it is a simple "thank you" or "have a good day." Just a suggestion. Zipzap Zubidy Bop! read more

Teriyaki 1st - Spicy chicken - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Great, fast, affordable, Seattle teriyaki. My go-to local spot for takeout.

Teriyaki 1st has always been my go-to spot for teriyaki. The portions are very large, as others have noted, and is probably the biggest highlight of Teriyaki 1st. The food is also consistently good. For those who don't want to wait, you can simply call in ahead of time to place your order to go. I almost always order the beef spare ribs and I've never been disappointed. Other standard teriyaki choices don't disappoint either. It is a hole-in-the-wall, so don't expect much seating space when dining in. Ordering to-go is recommended. read more

PSA - I did not come here to write about Teriyaki. I randomly crave sweet + sour chicken - and I'm talking the legitimate one you would find in Chinese restaurants in China, not the Americanized version (chicken balls with sweet and sour sauce). This version includes crispy chicken that does not get soggy in the sweet and sour sauce (that is not overly thick) it is tossed in. I haven't had much luck since I've ordered this as sit-in or takeout in multiple places (particularly around Phinney Ridge). Enter, Teriyaki 1st. I ordered the sweet + sour chicken combo on a whim and was VERY pleasantly surprised. This will now be my go-to place for the dish when I have cravings. I'm also very okay with the price tag of $8. We also ordered Teriyaki (beef, chicken, gyoza) which was fine but not the best. Tip: This place quoted us a 25 minute wait time which was super surprising and unpleasant for Teriyaki takeout (according to other reviews this wait time can be longer). The good news is the food is fresh and portions are large so if you can stomach the wait, it'll be worth it. read more

Still a regular Go To for us, highly recommend! If you order ahead, they tell you 20 minutes, yet it's Always 25+. I always add $1 for Brown Rice. read more

Walked to the bathroom and you get to see raw chicken roasting in the heat! I kinda don't want to eat my food after seeing that!

I've had a ton of teriyaki in Seattle. This place is definitely solid. Got the spicy chicken teriyaki and it was good, the onions were a nice touch but I like my chicken charred a bit more. Worth a try. read more

This teriyaki joint is B.O.M.B. You know how sometimes you go to teriyaki restaurant and your chicken comes out tasting dried but bathed in teriyaki sauce because they precooked it earlier in the day? Well, Teriyaki 1st cooks everything to order. They take a while to prepare the chicken katsu and spicy teriyaki chicken but it is so worth the wait. The katsu is perfectly cooked, crisped and golden brown. The spicy chicken is the perfect level of spicy and they wok fry the chicken (after grilling it) with other vegetable so that is not "just spicy chicken". I go here as often as I can over the other teriyaki places near us! read more

Tiny place. Excellent and large portions. Nice couple, he's serving good food, he's not Cedric the Entertainer. Recommend.

I've been going here for 10+ years and they'll always make wonderful yummy teriyaki. As others has said below the wait can be sometimes long but the owner couple are very hard working and it is just the two of them running the restaurant so please be patient. I have family in the restaurant industry and I understand how tough it can be. The portions are great and generous. Teriyaki restaurants of Old Seattle are disappearing and I am glad this is still around in my neighborhood for me to visit. read more

Great teriyaki spot ! The wait time is a little bit long but I can definitely taste the freshness of the food! Great portion size ! I don't know about everyone else but for me what really makes a teriyaki spot for me is the salad dressing, if the restaurant has a good salad dressing that really makes the meal for me ! Bring your friends for lunch ! read more

Fantastic spicy chicken. Not just regular teriyaki chicken with a spicy sauce thrown on as an after thought, they fry it up with onions and other goodness that elevate the flavor nicely. MAKE SURE TO CALL IN. You can't walk in, order and walk out 5 minutes later with food. Things take a while to be made but well worth the wait. read more

I think the owners are very kind. Efficient service, and great food. I appreciate this mom and pop shop that is easy to park at, and so close to my house. My favorite teriyaki, consistent and charming too: they even stay up to date on posting the ever changing posters for local happenings. Smile first, see what happens. Oh, and leave a tip. :) read more

The teriyaki here is some of the best. Plenty of portion to eat twice. These goofball comments about unfriendly service... first of all your order is just taken at the counter. What service? Secondly, the man doesn't talk much because he does not speak much English and what he does speak isn't very good and he knows it. Give the guy a break. He still makes great teriyaki. The chicken is fresh and juicy and there is a spicy option. The beef is good too. The pork sometimes a little tough. I love their side salad with the tasty dressing as well. Best to try it yourself. I don't even like most teriyaki places. This one is an exception on the good side. The neighborhood is not Phinney Ridge, it is Crown Hill. read more

Curt and rude on the phone, even worse at pick up. Barely acknowledged me as he handed me the debit slip to sign, Jeesh. However, the best teriyaki ever! Fresh, delicious, sets itself apart from other teriyaki joints. Been back multiple times. read more