In Seattle, we all LOVE good Teriyaki. Licton Springs is no exception, and we are lucky to have at least 4 Teriyaki places within our < 1 square mile neighborhood. With so many to choose from it can be difficult to know which one to try out. So, we decided to make the only logical decision and try all 4!

The methodology

For this taste test we decided to go with the plain Teriyaki Chicken dish from all 4 locations. We took turns with a blindfold on while the other randomly gave us a taste of one of the Teriyaki dishes and asked for a score from 1-5. We didn't include cost in our calculation since all 4 Teriyaki places had their Teriyaki priced within a few dimes of each other in the $8 range. NOTE: Many of them also have lunch specials for around $7.

The contenders

Manna Deli Teriyaki Conveniently located on Aurora and with very friendly service, this Teriyaki place currently enjoys the highest rating of the 3 Teriyaki only restaurants on Yelp, but unfortunately had the lowest health rating at the time we went. Address: 9831 Aurora Ave N Seattle, WA 98103

Hours: 11AM-9PM Monday-Saturday, Closed Sunday

Current Health Rating: Okay Oak Tree Teriyaki Located in the Oak Tree Plaza, right near the recently remodeled AMC (easily one of the comfiest theaters in Seattle now), this has long been my favorite Teriyaki place. The owner is super friendly, they have these excellent house fries, and they have hours that work pretty well for eating before or after movies. However, I always get the Spicy Teriyaki here, so I'm curious to see how the regular Teriyaki fares. Address: 10002 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133

Hours: 11AM-9PM Monday-Saturday, Closed Sunday

Current Health Rating: Good Teriyaki Plus The only Teriyaki place of the 4 that neither of us had been to before, so we are both stoked to try it out for the first time. Address: 2100 N Northgate Way b, Seattle, WA 98133

Hours: 11AM-9PM Monday-Saturday, Closed Sunday

Current Health Rating: Excellent Cafe Banh Mi Tucked away in a business complex on Meridian Ave, Cafe Banh Mi is the only place we tried that isn't marketed as a Teriyaki restaurant. It does, however, happen to have Teriyaki permanently on the menu. We discovered this when traveling back to Seattle on an early morning flight. We missed Seattle Teriyaki so much on our vacation - that we craved it upon returning. Cafe Banh Mi was the only place that served Teriyaki we could find that was also open at 8 AM. However, their matching early close time and non-existent weekend hours mean we don't get to enjoy this place nearly as often as we'd like to. Address: 10700 Meridian Ave N #106, Seattle, WA 98133

Hours: 7AM-5PM Monday-Friday, Closed Saturday & Sunday

Current Health Rating: Excellent











The ratings

Cafe Banh Mi With a generous coating of Teriyaki glaze covering perfectly moist chicken, Cafe Banh Mi easily took the #1 spot. Amanda: 4.5 - "Delicious. I want more."

Tim: 4.5 - "By far the best." Oak Tree Teriyaki Oak Tree's distinctive crunch helped pull it into #2 place. And then there are those glorious house fries... Amanda: 3.75

Tim 4.0 - "Has a really nice crunch to it." Bonus (House Fries): Amanda: 5.0 - "This isn't what we are taste testing, but these are delicious."

Tim: 10 - "That's right, these are off the scale. It's a good thing these aren't included in the actual rating." Manna Deli Teriyaki Amanda: 3.5 - "Has a nice flavor to it, but I want a bit more."

Tim 3.25 Teriyaki Plus Some more teriyaki sauce may have made all the difference for this one. Amanda: 3.25 - "Too Dry."

Tim 3.0 - "Too Dry!"

Disagree with our ratings? Let us know why in the comments! Either way, go eat some delicious Teriyaki in Licton Springs!