How to Build the Perfect Teriyaki Chicken Sushi Bowl
· By the Sus Hi Team
We get this question at the counter probably ten times a day: "What should I put in it?" Somebody walks in, sees the build-your-own board, and freezes. Totally normal. There are a lot of buttons to push.
So let's break down the most-ordered build we see — the teriyaki chicken sushi bowl — and how to actually make it hit instead of just... fine.
Step 1: Pick your base like it matters (because it does)
White sushi rice is the default for a reason. It's a little sweet, a little sticky, and it soaks up teriyaki like a sponge. Brown rice holds up better if you're loading a ton of wet toppings and don't want it going mushy halfway through.
Salad base? Solid if you're cutting carbs, but be honest with yourself — teriyaki chicken over greens is a different meal. Not worse. Just different.
The half-and-half move
Ask for half rice, half salad. It's the best of both and nobody tells you about it. You get the crunch of the greens with rice to catch all the sauce at the bottom. That last bite is the whole point.
Step 2: The chicken
Our chicken gets flame-torched, which is the part people underestimate. That little bit of char plays against the sweetness of the teriyaki instead of just drowning in it. If you've only had teriyaki chicken that tastes like sugar syrup, that's the difference.
Want it spicy? Add a spicy sauce on top of the teriyaki. Sweet-heat is undefeated. I'll die on this hill.
Step 3: Toppings — don't overload it
Real talk, a lot of people pile on eight toppings and every bite tastes the same. You want contrast. Here's the framework we use:
- Something crunchy — cucumber, carrots, or crispy onions
- Something creamy — avocado, always avocado
- Something bright — mango or pickled ginger to cut the sweetness
- Something with texture — tempura flakes, sesame seeds, seaweed salad
Four categories. That's it. You don't need more.
Step 4: Sauce discipline
Teriyaki is already doing heavy lifting. Add one more sauce max — spicy mayo, eel sauce, or one of our house sauces. Three sauces on one bowl and you've built a puddle, not a meal.
Don't feel like building? We did it for you
If decision fatigue is real that day, our Teriyaki Chicken Chilled Noodle Bowl is basically the same flavor idea over cold noodles instead of rice, and it's criminally underrated in the summer. The Party in My Mouth Bowl is another one people sleep on.
But honestly? A well-built teriyaki chicken sushi bowl with avocado, cucumber, mango, crispy onions and a light drizzle of spicy mayo is my go-to order and has been for years. It's not fancy. It just works.
Where to grab one
All seven Dojos — UCF, Altamonte Springs, Lake Nona, Millenia, Colonial, Chickasaw, and Tampa near USF. A few of us stay open until 2AM, which our UCF and USF ninjas know very well.
Order ahead on the app so it's ready when you walk in (and you'll rack up rewards points while you're at it). Or come in and let a ninja walk you through the build. We genuinely like doing it.
Now go make your bowl. #BuildYourOwn