Rate the Best Teriyaki in Seattle: A Tasting Method

To rate the best teriyaki in Seattle, order the same plate at each shop and score the chicken, the sauce, the rice and the cabbage salad separately, tasting the chicken before you add sauce. Seattle argues about teriyaki the way other cities argue about pizza, and notes settle more than loyalty does.

What is the story behind Seattle teriyaki history?

Seattle teriyaki history usually starts with Toshihiro Kasahara, a Japanese immigrant who is widely credited with opening a teriyaki shop in 1976. His version came with grilled chicken or beef, rice and salad, and used a sweeter sauce than the Japanese original. Sources say he used a soft, sticky medium-grain rice.

Others took up the idea, and some accounts credit Korean immigrants who opened shops in the 1980s with spreading the style across the city. Teriyaki shops now number in the dozens across the city. The history matters because it explains what you are tasting: a local invention that borrows from Japan and has been reshaped by many hands.

Why rate the best teriyaki in Seattle at all?

Teriyaki is cheap, fast and eaten constantly, which is exactly why opinions blur. After a hundred lunches, you forget which shop had the better sauce. A short note, taken the same way each time, turns a habit into a record and shows what you actually prefer.

It also makes the debate friendlier. Instead of saying one shop is better, you can say which has the crispier skin, the lighter sauce or the better salad. People can disagree about a note without raising their voices.

How do you judge the chicken?

Most shops grill chicken thigh, and the skin and the char tell you a lot. Look for a few dark marks from the grill, not a uniform brown. The meat should be juicy and give easily to the fork, and the edges should have a little crisp. Dry white meat or rubbery skin is a miss.

Taste the chicken before you add anything. Note the seasoning, the smokiness and whether the sauce is on the meat or beside it. A grill that is kept hot gives better results than one that is crowded, so go outside the peak lunch hour for a fair test.

How do you judge the sauce?

Seattle teriyaki sauce is sweet and savory, made from soy, sugar and a few aromatics. Some shops thin it, others thicken it. Judge the balance: it should be glossy and clingy without turning syrupy. Too sweet masks the meat, and too salty overwhelms the rice.

Ask for the sauce on the side once, to taste it alone. Then note whether you would want more or less of it next time. A sauce that tastes the same on Monday and on Saturday is a sign of a careful kitchen.

What about the rice, the salad and the extras?

Rice should be steamed and fluffy but sticky enough to hold, with each grain distinct. The salad is usually shredded cabbage with a light dressing, and it should be cold and crisp as a contrast to the hot meat. Some boxes add a few steamed vegetables or a side of noodles. Note whether the extras taste like an afterthought or like part of the meal.

Portion size deserves a mark of its own. Teriyaki boxes are generous, and a plate that is stingy on rice or sauce is worth noting, because that is where cost is often cut.

How do you keep a consistent record?

Use the same short card each visit. Give each item one of three marks, a hit, a fine or a miss, and write one line on what stood out. Add the shop, the date, the time of day and what you ordered. Order the same plate, such as the chicken combo with rice and salad, so that the results line up.

A phone note works well. If you eat with friends, have each person fill in their own card and compare afterward, not during the meal.

How do you build a Seattle teriyaki list and share Seattle favorites?

After five or six shops, sort your cards. Rank by the part you care about most, whether that is the chicken, the sauce or the value, and make a second ranking for atmosphere and speed. Keep the list short, ten at most, and note the plate to order at each.

To share Seattle favorites, send the list to a friend and ask for theirs. The most useful comparison is the difference between two lists, since it shows what each of you values.

Where should you read next?

For a noodle day, read the best ramen and pho in Seattle guide. The family friendly restaurants in Seattle guide helps when children are at the table, and the best seafood in Seattle guide covers the waterfront. The US guides page lists more cities.

How this works in the app: Rate places.

Every box deserves a verdict. Get the Mosey app, rate your next teriyaki plate on the chicken, the sauce and the rice, and start the Seattle list that settles the argument for you.