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Category: Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: Downtown
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Wow, I had no idea this place even existed. It's basically totally hidden. For those who have never been, it's just north of Banana Republic, down some steep, narrow stairs past the cigar shop. They'd probably benefit from some additional signage out on the street.
Once inside, it's surprisingly nice. Way nicer than you'd expect for being crammed in the basement of some building downtown. The service is super fast and friendly. The food is really good (not great, mind you, but really good); I particularly like the grilled cabbage that come with the basic entrees and the chicken has a very nice smoky taste. And everything is really reasonably priced (about $6-7).
Not the best teriyaki in the world, but definitely the best in downtown.
Yum yum! Their beef and chicken teriyaki combos are both delicious. The grilled cabbage and veggies are a tasty alternative to the typical salad-and-dressing you get from other teriyaki joints.
You can easily walk to this place from the Westlake tunnel station.
I heart Happy Teriyaki. This place rocks. Where else in downtown Seattle can you get a lunch with chicken, rice, gyoza, and that darn yummy grilled cabbage for under 7 bucks! No where other then the Happy! This place is only 2 blocks from my work and if I could I would eat lunch there every day. I wish all the Teriyaki joints where I live on the south side measured up to the Happy........
I think the owners, wait persons and the entire staff in general are great. The food is excellent and the prices are perfect.. Thank you for having a great resturant!
Sam
Since it hasn't been said in a while, the lunch special is under six bucks and includes:
*a small portion of teriyaki chicken;
*three gyoza;
*a good-sized portion of rice;
*a huge portion of grilled cabbage and carrots (with a few bits of broccoli thrown in); and
*a small bowl of miso soup.
I was expecting, you know, just some chicken. And rice. And crappy salad.
**For the picky eaters** The chicken is less fatty than many cheap teriyaki places; the rice is slightly overcooked but not at all mushy, the cabbage is a little wet (this is almost always unavoidable), the gyoza is crunchy on the outside but tasty within, and the miso soup is a touch bland.
My only gripe: my chicken was warm, but not hot. And they weren't busy, so there isn't an excuse. Sorry, Happy Teriyaki - you could have gotten five stars, but will have to settle for four.
Ill start with a shout out to fellow seattle yelper Mitzie H. as she told me to try this place out. So after a quick walk around the pike and pine blocks I found the Teriyaki Dungeon. Going down the stairs into the unknown, I pass several people carrying away their lunches in the telltale white styrofoam containers, I know I must be getting close. I round the corner and the smell of charcoal and chicken start to cover up the old, musty building smell.
Upon entering I see the place is packed. All tables full, guess I am getting lunch to go. I order and expect to wait maybe 5 minutes to get my food, however I am suprised when, less than a minute later they are calling my name and my food is ready.
I get back to work and dive right in for the good stuff. First bite of chicken and I can taste the spice and the flavor of freshly char-grilled chicken. The rice was cooked perfectly, not mushy or soggy. The cabbage and carrots on the side was pretty tasty although I would rather have a salad with the delicious garlic dressing it usually comes with. Pretty good teriyaki, Ill definately be back to the dungeon.
Happy Teriyaki is one of my favorite during-the-week lunch spots in downtown Seattle. Perhaps I love it because you have to walk down some steep, rather sketchy looking stairs to get to it. Between the stairs, and the cigar shop across the hall from the restaurant, Happy has a speakeasy feel which I find somewhat irresistible.
The place is almost always packed during lunch, and competition for table space can be fierce. Don't let the long line intimidate you -- they turn out the orders quickly, and I've never waited more than five minutes for my food to arrive.
Confession time: I don't much like teriyaki sauce, so I view all teriyaki restaurants as a place to sample (and possibly devour!) the spicy chicken offering. The spicy chicken at Happy is delicious and not too sweet. The miso soup is ok, but nothing special, and the mediocre gyoza and egg rolls come drizzled in a very sweet and thick teriyaki sauce. (Perhaps they're afraid you'll forget you're in a teriyaki joint?) Most of the plates come with a mound of rice and a pile of cooked cabbage.
Happy, why do I like you so much? You have a charm that I can't quite place my finger on, and spicy chicken that is awesome, but everything else about you is so middle of the road.
This is some very good fast food teriyaki for downtown. So good that I walked seven blocks in the rain at lunch today to get it instead of just getting soup upstairs because I was craving it so bad. I waited in the long line to place my order while trying not to sweat to death from the warmth of the place. Like stated the place does get warm I'm not sure why but during the summer it can get like a sauna down in there, so get it to go.
I always go for the chicken teriyaki, no rice all veggies, I love their sauteed veggies with chili oil on them, so good. You never have to wait long for your order to be ready and it's packed up nicely that you don't have to worry about anything spilling on your walk back to work. If you're looking for good teriyaki downtown check out Happy Teriyaki.
Happy,
I don't care that your carpet is green and outdated.
Or that you are not accessible to people in wheel chairs (unless they are carried down your super steep, narrow stairs).
Or that there is no proper waiting area for people getting their lunch to go, and that I have to awkwardly stand in between the kitchen and the first table of diners with my arms crossed because there is no place to lean and look natural until my food is prepared.
No. I don't. You know why? Because your #1 Chicken Special is my favorite lunch-in-a-hurry during the work day. Happy, indeed.
chicken lunch special with gyoza makes me happy. Super fast and super friendly. perfect for getting out of the office on lunch.
I'm really not a teriyaki fan (reminds me of college and it's just so pedestrian!), but for some reason, I was in the mood today. I have to concur with other Yelpers on this one. A good, solid teriyaki joint. But nothing stellar. I ordered the "chicken teriyaki special" for $5.45, which, in addition to the chicken, rice, and veggies, comes with miso soup (which was rather anemic) and 3 gyoza. They give you less of the chicken and rice than they do on their regular "chicken teriyaki" dish ($5.95) because you get a bunch of other stuff instead (soup and gyoza) for roughly the same price.
I really like that they have the sauteed cabbage/veggie mix on the side. Cooked perfectly and seasoned well. It wasn't completely flavorless like I anticipated. The soup was only OK. Should've had more tofu and seaweed floating around. And it needed more flavor. But whatever, I could've done without the soup altogether. What you get for your money is a real bargain. I'll probably come again next time I'm in the 'hood, but I doubt I'd go out of my way to eat here.
I also liked that it was the *perfect* amount of food. I left feeling comfortably and happily full. No need for a to-go box that you have to cart around all over town.
Oh, on my way out I saw an Asian dude eating his teriyaki with a KNIFE and FORK. Who does that? What are we, in England? Especially an Asian? Hasn't he heard of chopsticks? Sheesh.
In a downtown landscape that's packed to the brim with lunch places, Happy Teriyaki stands out as the quintessential "solid" teriyaki joint. Located below ground in its cozy subterranean location off 5th it serves up good, speed, tasty teriyaki for reasonable prices.
Their chicken teriyaki reminded me very much of Nasai with its similar thick and syrupy sauce and overall flavor. Happy T shines where other places usually falter, however, with their excellent side of veggies. The delicious grilled cabbage and veggies are a welcome change from the usual boring/horrid salad accessory.
I've been here a couple years ago... and the only thing I really hated about it is the long line/wait. Today, I got smarter. The line was backed up all the way to the door. What do I do? I call them and placed my order "to go". By the time I got to the front of the line (5 minutes at least), my food was just being bagged! How perfect! Still hot and fresh... AND I didn't have to wait longer than I had to. What's funny is that the people who were all in line in front of me were pisst that I got my food first.
Well... should have been smart about it like me! I just hope that not EVERYONE does this trick from now on, or else, I'd have to end up waiting again.
Spicy chicken... yummmm! I just wish they would serve salads rather than the stir fried vegetables. They might even save themselves some time if it was that way... but maybe they'll learn soon.
Okay... I'm going to finish my food now. :)
Yum Yum...pretty clean downtown teriyaki joint although you're surrounded by the smell of cabbage. I always order the spicy chicken plate- the chicken can be dry sometimes so the sauce helps it. The servings are really good and I like to top my cabbage off with their spicy oil.
They have tons of options to spice up my life- every now and then when I'm feelin blue I order their gyoza. Service is always fast and friendly- don't forget to ask for a punch card if your'e a regular!
it's great
I love stopping here when I want teriyaki, plus it is super close to my office. I've never eaten inside the restaurant before as it is always packed. Very friendly and quick service. I like their gyoza and chicken teriyaki w/ some hot sauce on the side. I never know how spicy they'll make the spicy chicken, so I prefer to spice it up on my own.
This place is an excellent lunch choice. The service if fast and friendly--you're in, you're out. The location could be likened to that of an underground bunker.. a bit dark... and they'll never get that teriyaki smell out. If you choose to dine in, the competition for a table could be stiff. My favorite is the hot, spicy chicken. It can actually make my nose run, which is a "thumbs up" in my book. The low-carb choices--teriyaki w/veggies--is also a favorite. For about $7 you'll get a pile of food, so you may need a nap before 5 p.m. Happy Teriyaki also has a punch/stamp card that entitles you to a free meal after so many regular purchases. FYI.. my Japanese roommate told me that teri means "shiny," and yaki means "bake." So I now refer to this place as Happy ShinyBake. :)
I have had some damn good teriyaki in my day, this isn't the best of them. It is good though. If you work in the downtown area, walking distance to Westlake, venture here for lunch. I recommend getting here before noon (if you can) because it will get busy. Look for the sign on the east side of 5th avenue, you will have to take some stairs into a basement room. Get i to go, or eat at one of the many available (hopefully) tables. They have a lunch special, although I have never tried it. Great yakisoba, excellent Gyoza's.
Awesome Teriyaki - their sauce is mighty mighty tasty. If you eat in, they throw in free miso with your meal. Also, they have a frequent buyer card that when you fill it up you get a free meal. I always went for extra rice instead of the veggies. They are really drowned in butter. The Chicken Special w/ the Gyoza is the bomb dizzle.
A step above your run of the mill food court Asian food. The spicy chicken had a decent kick to it. We got take out and the service was super cheap. Good lunch find!
Working in downtown, this place serves teriyaki faster than I could get my utensils and have a seat. What adds flair to their routine teriyaki is the extra thick sauce and stir-fried veggies. It ALWAYS fills me up and never leaves me disappointed. Careful, the spicy chicken is SPICY.
Not your typical teriyaki, but it is good food and quick service.
Not the best teriyaki by any means, nor the biggest portions. However, the lunch special is decent, as the chicken is accompanied with their sauteed cabbage, gyoza, and a small bowl of miso soup.
I'm as fond of good teriyaki as the next guy. Happy Teriyaki is okay as a quick lunch fill. The chicken is usually in an oven warmer and has that taste that says I wasn't cooked to order. The teriyaki sauce is thick and alright. The portions are definitely good for the $ and it's not a bad teriyaki place, but I have been searching and going to others. You may want to give Okinawa Teriyaki a shot - I think you will be happier there and it is a few blocks down the hill from this mediocre at best spot.
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