Happy Teriyaki

12154 Pacific Ave S, Tacoma
(253) 531-1818

Recent Reviews

Kendle Odom

Don’t let this establishments deceiving exterior sway you from entering. Inside I was greeted by a well maintained building and clean environment that gave one of the best teriyaki dining experiences I’ve had in ages. Not to mention the food itself was the best teriyaki I’ve had probably ever.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Honey Garlic Chicken, Steamed Veggies, Spicy Chicken Teriyaki

Edwin Rushton

I'm a big fan of the Happy Teriyaki chain and Teriyaki in general. This is my first less than positive review and I hope this was just my bad experience, but here goes. I ordered the chicken and beef Teriyaki combo for $17.99 and that is where things started to go wrong. The chicken teriyaki was $11.99 and the beef teriyaki was $15.99 so a chicken beef combo should have been like $15.99 or less in my mind. But it was $2 so i moved on. Like I said, I enjoy me some teriyaki. I also wanted to get a bento box originally and for some reason that was not clear to me the bento box was $23.99, but everywhere else in town a bento box has more in it and ranges between $15-21. So not doing well on price, but I was hopeful for the food itself. Now I like to order my sauce on the side because the sauce can mask the great taste of the food beneath. So when the food arrived in about 7 minutes I was excited to try it. When I picked up my food the box was noticeable lighter than most local teriyaki places. I stopped and had to double check that there was food in the bag. There was food in the bag with the normal size container. Now the container was a super nice microwavable container which is unique for teriyaki. I got to my car and opened the box. At this point I'm looking for answers as to what will this over priced light weight weight teriyaki do. First the weight. The container was indeed half empty with two scoopes of rice instead of a bed of rice with the teriyaki mounded on top with the lid pressed against the food. Now the presentation was good. There was a nice char on both the chicken and the beef. However, things quickly took a turn for the worst when i tried the food. First I tried the chicken. The chicken was tender with a noticeable char, but the general flavor was off. The chicken had a distinct won ton flavor to it. Great with a won ton,but not doing it for me with the chicken. Next i tried the beef hopeful that the beef would wow! Unfortunately besides the nice char the beef was bland with an odd won ton flavor and tough as shoe leather. This was particularly sad becuase when prepared properly with velveting and marinade the beef Teriyaki rarely needs sauce. At this point I needed some of the steamed Vegtables which yes somehow tasted like won tons again. What is happening in my mouth. The rice was the saving grace of the meal. Unfortunately this was not the standard Happy Teriyaki experience i have come to enjoy from the several other local Teriyaki joint. This particular teriyaki joint is now firmly at the bottom of the list of local teriyaki places with only one direction to go and hopefully that is up.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 4

Travis Blevins

Ordered Honey Garlic Chicken for takeout. I live a block away from the restaurant, so I placed the order in the parking lot. It was done within 2 minutes. What I got was a mushy bland chicken with a heaping helping of honey garlic soup at the bottom. It's almost as if they cook it separately in giant batches and serve it up buffet style. When I buy from a restaurant, I expect the food to at least be fresh... Zero stars is what this place deserves.

Food: 1

H Nelson

My favorite teriyaki!!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Yakisoba, Spicy Chicken Teriyaki

Mariah Melena

Very friendly staff and food is delicious. I always come here. One of my favorite teriyaki places.Parking: Open parking lot. Easy to use.Wheelchair accessibility: Ramp to use

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Crab Rangoon, Spicy House Fried Rice, Garlic Chicken, Honey Garlic Chicken, Orange Chicken, Yakisoba, Spicy Chicken Katsu, Steamed Veggies, Sesame Chicken Teriyaki, Shrimp Fried Rice, Tempura, Spicy Chicken, Beef, Fried, Bag, Mongolian Beef, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Spicy Chicken Teriyaki, Chicken Teriyaki Bento, Pho Served Without Meat

Mary Lou Eidson

Sweet and Sour chicken was horrible. Way too dry,shouldn't be dry. Never

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Rotwiler

Ordered delivery, price was fair and meal was excellent. I was actually surprised how good the food was, I had chicken Teriaki and Gen Tso's Chicken combo, both were great and the Gen Tso's was so good, almost like fried chicken pieces, a little sweet and crispy. For sure will be back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Josh O

Its ok rice was burned the sauce is off of what I'm used

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 3

Jedadiah Taylor

Not as good as I remember it being.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Gyoza, Chicken Teriyaki

Non Sleeping Proletariat

Cozy and AFFORDABLE teriyaki, in an easy access parking lot with plenty of parking stalls! Friendly staff and delicious food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken Teriyaki

Jeray Davis

You get a lot for your money. I was there about 9:30 pm & it was pretty busy. The nice thing is they are open until 11 pm for those late

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: House Fried Rice, Chicken Teriyaki

Peter M.

This was the first place we ate at when we moved into the area and it was pretty tasty, since then we've been back 2-3 times a month for the last year. The mix and match combo is a great value and has tons of chicken. I generally upgrade to the fried rice even though it's an extra $4 on both plates. The veggie portion is mostly cabbage, I feel like some broccoli would be good but overall I like this place. The bubble tea is a little spendy but I do like it every now and then. Staff members are friendly every time.

chelsea -

Love the yakisoba and eggrolls!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Caris Ash

What an amazing restaurant! Just like everyone else, they are adapting to a sit in/online order clientele, but they make sure you are treated with respect and cook AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS food! I had a mistake happen on Uber, called the store up, and they were able to fix it in no time! If you were thinking of somewhere out to eat or ordering online in the parkland/PLU area, Happy Teriyaki will not disappoint! Also they have great deals! Best place ever!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Garlic Chicken, Gyoza, Spicy Chicken Katsu

Not Provided

Not as good as the one in Puyallup on River Road close to the Fife city limits. The locations are not all created equal. Both the food and the ambiance at the River Road location are better. If you are willing to drive the extra distance to the other, I would say it is worth it.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

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