Teriyaki 1st

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.

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

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*

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.