Teriyaki House Ankeny in Ankeny

Went to this place while I was in town on business from CA PRO: Chief was very friendly and prepared the food well. They were out of noodles and it seemed to be a slow night so I was going to settle for fried rice but he insisted it was no trouble and made them. Staff was friendly. Food was good. And for the price it was extremely satisfying. Portions were large so I ordered too much but it was good. Clean place, good selection of items. CONS: Store was a little small so that could be bigger to help with customers and the covid virus. The younger Asian American cashier ( only put that so Management can address if they want as they didn't have name tags) seemed very timid and soft spoken. Which I could care less other than it made ordering difficult as he would repeat what I said to confirm but I couldn't hear him so we'd have to have a much longer ordering process than necess...

I was staying in a hotel, and they didn't send utensils, so I ate it with my fingers and I'd do it again it's that good.

Hello. I am a "chef" for a family of nine. I cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner almost every day.Every now and a long time, I get out to try something new or revisit favorite places. This time, something new. Teriyaki House Ankeny.Very friendly staff and the place looked clean at the time of my visit. 10/10 for that.While service and cleanliness are important, I come to taste food. When I looked at the menu and setup, I really wanted to turn around and walk out. Instead, I gave the place a chance, seeing all the good reviews.When I opened the box, it reminded me of something my kid would make for me for a food challenge. Spring salad mix, fried rice with some onions, egg, and other ingredients, and 6 pieces of 16-20ct shrimp on top. It also came with 2 small sauce containers. I tried hoping that it would taste good, but that did not happen. Bland shrimp and fried rice. And lettuce is lettuce. Im ok with lettuce, but it needed a good dressing and maybe some ingredients to give it a worth my time and money.The biggest problem was the blandness. The sauces were ok, but nothing great. They were certainly not going to save the meal. And, as I sit here 2 hours later, my stomach feels upset. I rarely have an upset stomach. Maybe I am spoiled with my own cooking and my likes, but there should be no excuse for bland food. If you are going to open a restaurant you need to take risks and have something amazing. The problem, is people don't cook anymore and have settled for bland, greasy, salty fast food. So when they come to a place like this....WOW. I really...