Some flavors simply belong to Seattle, and some of our most iconic foods arrive in humble takeout containers. The chargrilled chicken, the glossy soy-ginger teriyaki sauce, the unmistakable smoky sweet aroma, the comfort of a warm box on a gray Seattle day — for generations, every one of these Seattle comforts has meant the same thing: Toshi’s Teriyaki.
This year marks a remarkable milestone. It has been 50 years since Toshi Kasahara introduced Seattle to its very first teriyaki shop.
Half a century of sizzling grills, loyal customers, and a sauce so beloved that it has its own fan club. In a region known for innovation, Toshi’s story is a quiet, delicious revolution that began with a simple idea and grew to an entire city claiming it as part of its identity.
The Beginning: A Wrestler, A Dream, and Five Menu Items
Long before teriyaki became a Seattle staple with countless shops all over Western Washington, there was just one man with a vision.
Toshi Kasahara, a wrestler from a rural farming town in Japan, immigrated to Seattle with a dream of opening his own business. He wanted to serve something every day, something comforting, something simple. In 1976, he opened the doors of the very first Toshi’s Teriyaki in Lower Queen Anne near the Space Needle.
The menu? Just five items. The price? A chicken teriyaki plate with tax was $2.00. The cooking method? Chargrilled over an open flame, smoky, sweet, and unlike anything Seattle had tasted before.
At first, Seattle didn’t quite know what to make of it. But then came the turning point — a glowing article by The Seattle Times food writer John Hinterberger. Overnight, business tripled. Word spread. And suddenly, teriyaki wasn’t just a meal. It was a movement.
The Birth of Seattle-Style Teriyaki
What Toshi created wasn’t just teriyaki, it was a new regional specialty. His style was distinct: fresh meat marinated in a soy-ginger blend, grilled hot enough to lock in flavor but carefully enough to keep every bite tender. The sauce was the soul of it all. A glossy, sweet-savory blend of soy sauce, sugar, wine, garlic, ginger, and a few secret seasonings.
Customers described it as “magical,” “perfect,” and “the best bang for the buck.” And they weren’t exaggerating. Toshi’s teriyaki was affordable, delicious, and deeply satisfying. The kind of food that felt like home even if you were tasting it for the first time.
As Seattle grew, so did the phenomenon. Teriyaki shops began popping up everywhere, in strip malls, near office parks, tucked between coffee shops and as neighborhood restaurants. Today, you can hardly drive through Western Washington without spotting at least one. But every single one traces its lineage back to that small shop in Lower Queen Anne that Toshi Kasahara created. Seattle didn’t just adopt teriyaki, we claim it as a Seattle specialty.
A Legacy That Spread Across the Country
Over the decades, Toshi’s influence expanded far beyond the city limits. His style of teriyaki became synonymous with Seattle itself, a comfort food that locals crave and visitors seek out. The Travel Channel even spotlighted Seattle teriyaki as a regional specialty, highlighting the smoky-sweet flavor that started it all.
Customers across the country began asking for Toshi’s sauce, and eventually, he started bottling it. Today, you can order his signature Seattle-style teriyaki sauce online, along with recipes that let home cooks recreate the magic in their own kitchens.
But even with national attention, Toshi’s heart has always stayed close to home.
The Last Original: Toshi in Mill Creek
While there are several Toshi’s Teriyaki locations around the region, only one is still owned and operated by the master himself: Toshi’s Teriyaki Grill in Mill Creek, which opened in 2013. It’s a no-frills, takeout-only shop — a throwback to the original spirit of his first restaurant.
Walk in, and you’ll likely find Toshi behind the grill, doing what he’s done for 50 years: making sure every plate is exactly right. He still eats the teriyaki himself, constantly checking quality and believing in serving delicious food at a reasonable price.
And he still lights up when customers tell him it tastes good. “When people give me compliments — ‘it was tasty,’ — that makes me so happy,” he says. “That’s why I’m still doing it.”
There’s something profoundly Seattle about that. In a city that’s changed dramatically over the last five decades, Toshi’s Mill Creek location feels like a time capsule. A reminder of the flavors and traditions that shaped our food culture long before the tech boom.
READ MORE | Toshi has been the godfather of Seattle-style teriyaki since 1976
Why Toshi’s Teriyaki Matters at 50
Seattle has changed, but Toshi’s teriyaki remains. The warmth still feels like stepping into an old Seattle memory. The sauce still glazes the grill the same way. The char marks still tell the same story.
Fifty years is a long time for any restaurant, but for one that sparked an entire regional cuisine, it feels monumental. Toshi didn’t just open a restaurant, he created a legacy. He introduced a flavor that became part of Seattle’s identity. He built a community around simple, delicious food. And he did it with humility, consistency, and a deep love for feeding people.
The Future of a Flavorful Legacy
Toshi’s story is still growing. Toshi’s legacy is now carried forward by his two sons, each continuing the tradition under the name their father made famous. One runs a Toshi’s Teriyaki Grill food truck in San Francisco, bringing the smoky sweet Seattle-style to new neighborhoods and new fans. The other is preparing to open a Toshi’s Teriyaki location in Ashikaga, Japan at the end of this year, bringing the family’s signature flavor back to the country where Toshi’s journey began.
It is a remarkable full circle. What started as a small shop in Lower Queen Anne has become a family tradition that stretches across states and oceans, proving that the simple idea Toshi believed in decades ago still resonates far beyond Seattle.
A Seattle Classic Worth Celebrating
As Toshi’s Teriyaki turns 50, it’s worth pausing to appreciate what that really means. It means decades of loyal customers. It means generations who grew up eating his teriyaki after school, on lunch breaks and on rainy nights. It means a flavor that became part of the city’s culinary DNA. Most of all, it means that one man’s everyday meal became one of Seattle’s most iconic food traditions and helped define how Seattle eats.
Here’s to 50 years of Seattle-style teriyaki—and to Toshi, the man who changed the city’s flavor and put Seattle on the map for this beloved comfort food.
Learn more about Toshi’s Teriyaki Grill here.
Carolyn Sellar is a Seattle Refined freelance writer whose work highlights the Pacific Northwest’s food & beverage culture, creative community, and local events. Follow more of her work here.
Dining and Cooking