What's believed to have originated as a grilling technique in 17th-century Japan has today become synonymous with that sweet, umami-packed sauce that coats and marinades chicken.
Teriyaki became a hit in the U.S. as Japanese immigrants came to Hawaii in the 1960s, adapting the recipe by adding local ingredients like pineapple juice and brown sugar. Teriyaki was further propelled in Seattle's dining scene by Japanese chefs Junki Yoshida and Toshi Kasahara, who respectively founded Yoshida Foods International and opened Toshi's Teriyaki, Seattle's first teriyaki restaurant.
While teriyaki isn't hard to find around the Inland Northwest — it's on menus at nearly any Asian fusion spot — this sweet-meets-savory dish seems to be experiencing a bit of a resurgence, with two new restaurants joining the ranks of local faves. Here's where to get some.
MADD CHICKEN
1520 N. Government Way, Coeur d'Alene
Instagram: @maddchickencda
Walking into Madd Chicken in Coeur d'Alene, the first thing you may notice is a definition for "madd" posted on the wall, meaning "very," "extremely" or to have "a large amount of." An example sentence reads: "these teriyaki fries are madd addictive."
Madd Chicken's chicken teriyaki fries ($18) are certainly a satisfying heap of crispy crinkle-cut fries fried in tallow, topped with house sauce, sliced teriyaki chicken thigh meat, spring onions, sesame seeds and cheese and an optional spicy kick.
Co-owners Tim Bastedo, Scott Luna and Tom Gasper opened the new teriyaki spot in mid-January of this year. Head chef Bastedo attended Pasadena Culinary School of the Arts but had put his restaurant dreams on hold to focus on family.
Now that he's finally achieved that goal, the restaurant is also thriving, going through around 150 pounds of chicken thighs daily.
Beyond chicken, Madd Chicken offers steak, shrimp and pork teriyaki bowls ($18-$20) and teriyaki entrées ($16-$23) served over white rice and with side salad. Vegetarians can substitute meat with steamed vegetables.
The restaurant's burgers have piqued customer interest, reminiscent of the In-N-Out burgers Bastedo grew up eating in California. Options include beef or chicken ($9; $14/combo) and deluxe versions ($12; $17/combo) with avocado, grilled pineapple and teriyaki sauce.
Madd Chicken's house-made, gluten-free teriyaki sauce uses soy sauce sourced from Hawaii and is thickened naturally by simmering, rather than with cornstarch.
"Every morning we make our own teriyaki sauce, we make 5 gallons," Bastedo says. "When we first started, I thought I'd make 1 gallon every Monday, and now I have to make it every day."
All menu items use high-quality, fresh ingredients without seed oils or gluten. Bastedo himself has a strict personal diet due to health issues he's had since he was 16.
"I was blessed with a stomach that I have to eat this type of food," Bastedo says. "There's many people that are having a lot of stomach issues and problems because the food that we eat is really not good for us."
"I think that food is a little bit more than just energy for the body. Food, it goes deeper, it's like happiness for the soul. Good food does that to people," he adds.
Future Madd Chicken locations are slated for Post Falls and Liberty Lake.
TERIYAKI SPICE
1412 W. Second Ave., teriyakispice.com
What started in 2015 as a family-run teriyaki spot in Woodland, Washington, has since expanded to five locations across Washington and Oregon, including a spot in Airway Heights. Teriyaki Spice opened its downtown Spokane location in February in the former Uncle Rusty's Diner space, serving an Asian fusion menu with scratch-made sauces.
Teriyaki Spice's menu covers all the essentials, from the classic chicken teriyaki ($12.97) served over white rice with a side salad to more diverse offerings like potstickers, egg rolls, french fries and California rolls.
In a nod to teriyaki's seafood origins, there's also salmon teriyaki ($14.97), plus beef ($14), shrimp ($14.87), pork ($13.49) and tofu ($11.97).
For noodle lovers, the yakisoba dishes ($12.97-$15) feature thick noodles topped with steamed vegetables and a choice of protein.
KAY'S TERIYAKI PLUS
601 E. Francis Ave., kaysteriyakiplus.com
A longtime Spokane teriyaki staple, Kay's Teriyaki Plus has been serving char-broiled teriyaki and other Asian dishes in generous portions since 1996 on East Francis Avenue.
The chicken teriyaki ($17) includes egg soup and white or fried rice, while the spicy version ($19) adds some heat. Other protein options include beef ($20), shrimp ($19) or a protein combination ($21).
For those craving more variety, Kay's offers Chinese and teriyaki combo plates ($22) featuring dishes like Mongolian beef and almond chicken. Other menu highlights include the Korean bulgogi ($21), tender slices of marinated beef stir fried with onions, carrots and sesame seeds, and crispy gyoza ($5).
ISLAND STYLE FOOD & BBQ
2931 N. Division St. ,islandstylefood.net
When Nicholas DeCaro opened a food truck back in 2020, his island-style dishes were met with overwhelming success.
"Our first few weeks [open] we had two and half hour waits in line, lines around the block," DeCaro says.
By November 2023, he decided to open a permanent spot on North Division.
Growing up in the food industry (his parents owned the former DeCaro's Italian restaurant), DeCaro didn't imagine opening a restaurant of his own.
While his father's Italian origins prompted that concept, DeCaro decided to honor his mother's Pacific Islander and Asian roots with Island Style.
Teriyaki is integral to Pacific Island cuisine and is a main player on Island Style Food's menu. The chicken teriyaki ($17.89) is made fresh daily, flame-broiled and served over traditional white sticky rice. For sides, there's cucumber and macaroni salads.
"We have a very big gluten-free and celiac following because we don't have [just] one or two items, most of our menu is gluten-free," says DeCaro, adding that customers can substitute meat with tofu for vegan and vegetarian options.
"I think that teriyaki is a good entryway into people trying our food, and then it leads to trying other things," he says.
