Nara Teriyaki — Restaurant in Shoreline

I wish I didn’t have to give 2 stars as I love to support local businesses and was so pleased when they switched to a halal menu. I’ve been here once before and the service was quite good however at today’s visit I was very disappointed by the service of the woman at the front counter. The ordering process had gone okay although I did find the rigidity regarding subbing in food a bit odd (I had wanted to order the yakisoba and chicken katsu but was told that just wasn’t possible). However once the food came out we were given food with no cutlery. Food was delivered to two other tables while I waited at the counter to ask for cutlery and water glasses for the self serve station. Once the staff member came back I asked for cutlery and glasses and instead of just letting me know she would be bringing it out shortly to the counter or the table (whereupon I would’ve just sat back down and waited), she began passive aggressively explaining to me how busy it was and then motioning me to move out of the way so she could speak to the man behind me before I even finished talking.

I have no problem with busy restaurants, we weren’t rushing her to bring the food faster, we just didn’t want to sit with our food getting cold staring at it without cutlery once it was ready to come out. Once she did bring the cutlery out she slammed three forks on the table and walked off without any acknowledgment. It was already rude to throw the cutlery enough that they bounced on the table but downright unsafe to do that right in front of my infant who was at the table. Two sauces were still missing from our order. When asked to speak to the manager she needed us to coach her through on how to actually get us in contact.

To me it seems like a lack of employee training unfortunately. I recommend spending time on teaching how to prioritize during busy times, what tasks to manage first, how to bring food to the table (bring cutlery and sauces and everything for one order before moving onto another if everything’s already ready), how to place things nicely, and how to manage a disappointed customer. I also recommend placing cutlery with the glasses at the self serve station.

Not one apology was given and instead she barked “talk” to my husband when giving him the phone to speak to the manager. The food was paid for and tip already given, so it was extremely disappointing to be treated with so much attitude and disdain from the staff member when we asked for cutlery to eat our food, not the Crown Jewels or some absurd request for free food or something like that. Unfortunately we did not eat our food and instead asked for a refund which was not given. We were told to expect a call from the manager at a later time and never...

I ordered through Uber Eats. Food was delivered totally on time, everything included. I think this place is Korean-run because they serve Korean-Mandarin food.

Ordered fried shrimp, BBQ chicken wings, and the spicy seafood noodle soup (jjamppong). Scored one star for the one item I liked, another for being open late. Minus 3 stars for:

The jjamppong was very bland, but had an okay veggie broth and enough noodles. However the seafood in it was very lacking and I found myself a little distrusting of the freshness. Way too many veggies compared to the seafood content.

BBQ chicken wings don't taste anything like BBQ, in fact they tasted like iron or copper. Almost thought I was bleeding in my mouth, but it's just the glaze they use on the wings. It's not very good, and honestly I wish I hadn't ordered them. IF YOU'RE GOING TO USE FROZEN WINGS YOU SHOULD USE BETTER ONES.

The fried shrimp was the item that really illustrates what kind of restaurant this place is. Six pieces. No sauce. Butterflied for no reason. The shrimp was string thin, for about a 6:1 ratio of breading to shrimp. Also very, very greasy. I kinda felt sick after eating them, so I stopped.

I like the variety offered here and how late they will be open, but the flavors and ingredients seem to be lacking. I'd wager this place has a lot of items meant to maximize profit margin while skimping out on the customer. I don't want to give em my patronage anymore, and I don't suggest others do unless you're just looking for a quick meal and don't care. These kinds of restaurants is why Chinese food can't get past a "cheap and...

On a drive down Aurora the other day, I saw a sign for a teriyaki place that I had not noticed before. The sign promised an extraordinary price for lunch. I checked in with my stomach and got the happy news that I could eat. I am retired, so there is often time in my day to try a new place. I pulled into the parking lot and took one of several available spots. The buildings around the lot are seedy looking, so I prepared myself for one of those sketchy places. When I went in the door, I was surprised to find myself in a clean, inviting place. A very polite young woman offered to take my order, then she patiently waited for me to go through the menu on the wall behind her. I picked General Tso's chicken and added a pop to my order. It was not the advertised special, so the price was closer to what you pay in most teriyaki places. I had my choice of any table in the place. I have been back a few times and there is never anyone there. I don't understand why this place is not catching on. The food that came out was tasty and plentiful. In addition to the gooey, spicy chicken, I got a little pile of steamed vegetables and some rice. The food was delivered to the table by the same polite young woman. Since the place was empty, I didn't feel bad about lingering after eating to read a bit and let the food settle. I was there for an hour and only saw one other person come in - a door dash driver. While I like having a place to myself, I'm hoping enough people join me there to keep them...