I used to live near Kin Ja Teriyaki, but except for having a meeting with coffee, I’d never eaten there. I saw the firefighters across the street come over to get bags of carryout, and the local business employees came in since there wasn’t another restaurant in the neighborhood, but we didn’t eat there.
Oh, how I wish I had.
We went for lunch and ordered Chicken Pad Thai at $8.99 (thin rice noodles, egg, tofu, mixed vegetables, and special sweet sauce, which we ordered medium), Ketsu Chicken ($8.99, breaded and fried, then cut into strips), Pork Yakisoba ($8.99, cooked pork mixed with Japanese noodles and vegetables), Pineapple Chicken ($8.99, deep-fried chicken chunks served in a thick pineapple sauce with chunks of pineapple, served with a side salad of lettuce), and Beef Stir Fry ($8.99, mixed vegetables, chopped and mixed with beef and fried). We also ordered a side dish of two egg rolls, filled with vegetables and chicken and deep-fried ($3.99).
Everything came with steamed rice, and everything was delicious. We fell on this food as if it was our last meal.
The fried chicken was some of the best I have ever had anywhere, and the Pineapple Chicken melted on your mouth.
The Chicken Pad Thai was aromatic, and the noodles were cooked perfectly.
The stir fry was tender and crisp, and the various flavors mixed perfectly.
The yakisoba was fun to eat, with the shiny noodles and sliced vegetables all coated with a delicious teriyaki sauce.
The portions were very large, and we had plenty left over. These were just a small sample of the dozens of dishes available on the menu.
Kin Ja Teriyaki isn’t fancy. There is counter service and just a few tables, but the cooking is exceptional and the prices are reasonable. I can’t wait to go back.
IF YOU GO
Kin Ja Teriyaki
8415 87th Ave. SW. in Lakewood. Located at the corner of 87th Avenue and Steilacoom Boulevard. Faces Western State Hospital grounds, and there is plenty of parking.
253-582-98488
Open Monday through Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Sunday.
Carolyn Augustine, a freelance restaurant writer from Lakewood, writes the Senior Eats column for Senior Scene.