Hot Rice

Was recommended by the construction crew while delivering, and did not disappoint one bit. I had the beef/​pork teriyaki, wife had the chicken. We also has the goyza and egg rolls.
This was the best teriyaki we have ever had, quick delicious and giant portions. I think the two highlights were the egg roll (made in house) and the owner. Charming, attentive and funny.
Everything is made to order fresh and all the meat is organic and GMO free.
I know Portland is a foodie city but I’d travel from Toronto again just for this meal.

My go to lunch on Swan Island. Nothing fancy, but I know what I will get and spend very little to fill up. They have three lunch specials with a fountain drink for $ 6 to $ 7.50. Good flavor with their teriyaki or hot & spicy seasoning. Brown rice option for 50 cents but I like the sticky white rice and Sriracha hot sauce! Ask for Kim-​Chee if they have some to set off your lunch.
The Kim family is always friendly and they remember your name if you go regularly.

Best teriyaki I’ve had in a long time. Huge portions, cheap, and I love the sauce they use.

Lunch was the best teriyaki ive had in a long time… money! Fresh, cheap, and good portions.

Great place for lunch. The food is simple but well done considering. The Lunch special is consistently tasty and for less than $ 6 is a solid choice. The owner is very kind and goes out of his way to know all the regulars.

Good food at great prices. Fast and friendly service. Since I work on Swan Island, I usually eat lunch three times a week on average.

I go a take out chicken and prawns for lunch last Wed. I took it back to my office and the chicken was fine. The shrimp, on th other hand was not, It tasted moldy. Ive eaten there many times and have not had any problems. The staff is great and the price is right. I won’t be having the shrimp again.

I ordered chicken teriyaki. The rice and chicken was good. Rice wasn’t dry or soggy, it was perfect.
Lunch special is around $ 5.95 and it comes with a side salad. Not bad.
I came in and ordered take out and the service was fast and speedy!

Back during the apex of the Bento reign of terror over our entire culture, all through the 1980s and well into the mid-​late 90s, there were no less than 43 Bento eateries for every living soul in the United States* (see note below). How the mighty have fallen. Though still a powerful presence on the Portland food-​o-​sphere, this is an Empire clearly in decline. Old trends gives way to new, and the Bento-​sphere has (reluctantly, no doubt) surrendered much territory, earning power and stature to the imposing Triumvirate of Mexicali, Ameri-​Thai, and Viet-​Zilla**.
There will always be a place, one supposes, for the classic Bento shack in our fickle and capricious culture, and truly Hot Rice Teriyaki is about as by-​the-​numbers generi-​Bento as it gets. You even get the paint-​by-​numbers older Asian matron of the business, the Supreme Burlesque Actress, who, with her exaggerated Bad English will fake-​flirt with any male patrons and is encouraged to continue doing so by any eye contact, smiling, or displays of buffoonery by said patrons. As it turns out, many men in our culture apparently enjoy this sort of exchange almost as much as the matron-​mommas do, and eagerly and enthusiastically await any opportunity to showcase their own buffoonery***. Accompanying said matron, again completely in keeping w/​the stereotype, is a younger Asian female, presumably matron momma’s daughter or niece. She speaks perfect English and is hot, like they almost always seem to be. She is also far more composed and quieter than Momma, and seems a little put off, but in a loving way by Momma’s antics. Dignity isn’t completely over– rated after all…
A quick word about the food @ Hot Rice Teriyaki: truly, no more than a few quick words are necessary. If you’ve ever had a decent Bento before, you’ll know exactly what to expect here. There are no curve balls. There are absolutely no surprises. Generous portions of sticky rice are balanced by small-​ish portions of meat, and a limited array of vegetables – mostly cabbage, carrots and onions. The meat selection includes shredded pork, beef (incl. short/​flanken rib, de-​boned), chicken (sweet n’ sour or hot ‘n’ spicy), salmon and shrimp. They do offer tofu. They have Yakisobi noodles, burgers and fries, egg rolls and pot stickers to round out the menu. Most menu items range from $ 5.50 to 9 bucks. All meats, only naturally, are laden with an incredibly sweet teriyaki marinade. I honestly wonder if there’s more soy sauce or sugar in this marinade. No diabetic, pre-​diabetic or gestational diabetic could possibly consider eating here w/​a clean conscience. The ladies are preternaturally secretive about their family marinade recipe, but honestly, ladies, I wouldn’t dream of even asking. I may be a buffoon, but that would be straight up déclasse****.
A 2.5 star review based on the food is bolstered here by the energy and vigor and vim of the very likable Matron and her Missie. One can but hope there’ll always indeed be a place for a bonafide Bento experience in our culture, and there undoubtedly shall continue to be – as long as they continue to suffer fools so very gladly. Thanks as always for reading, and stay thirsty, my friend…
Notes:
* At approx. 310 million living persons for the US population, that would be over 13 BILLION Bento shoppes in the US alone! This figure may be slightly exaggerated, but is reliably sourced from
, and thus retained here for dramatic illustrative purposes.
** If the tongue in cheek nature of this narrative has been somewhat obscured by poor, inadequate writing, my regrets. For the record, please feel free to take this review w/​a properly large grain of salt. Such would be in perfect keeping with the truly impressive sodium content of the take-​out meals experienced by this writer and co. @ Hot Rice Teriyaki.
*** I assure you, dear reader, that I personally have NEVER, EVER engaged in such buffoonery — -with Asian Matron’s using exaggerated Broken English, or anyone else…
**** In other words, t-​a-​c-​k-​y.

Inexpensive & Easy, these people treat you well and are always kind and friendly. The price on their specials makes it cheaper to eat out than pack a lunch. Highly recommend this tasty little spot.

$ 5.95 for lunch special.
Lots of rice.
Low priced.
Loud and busy at lunch. Less so other times.

This place gives Teriyaki a bad name.
They use a ton of cabbage as filler. Very little meat. Sauce tastes like its from a can. Dirty tables. Garbage can reeked of something like a dead animal or used diaper. Place is very busy, probably due to the dearth of decent quick lunch availability on the island.
I’m from Seattle, and as a consequence have Teriyaki frequently. Not a Teriyaki snob (can there be such a thing? Thats like saying you are a Ripple snob …). This place is just not very good. Cheap though.

Love this place. I work on Swan Island and this is my favorite lunch spot.
Their lunch special for $ 5.95 can’t be beat — Chicken Teriyaki, salad, and soda. This is so much food, I usually eat half for lunch and the other half for dinner.
Their chicken is good quality and cooked to perfection.

Good spot to pick up some quick lunch for a good price. $ 5.99 gets you teriyaki chicken, rice, salad, and a small soda. The food is pretty good, it comes out quick and the people who work here are friendly.

Very good teriyaki. Plenty of food for a decent price. No frills — but what do you need on your half-​hour lunch break?