Glaze Brings Seattle Style Teriyaki to Midtown

We’ve never felt a lack of chicken teriyaki here in Midtown (after all, this is the home of Teriyaki Boy!) but apparently it’s nothing compared to the amount of teriyaki you can get in Seattle.  According to the New York Times it’s a huge deal out there, and Glaze Teriyaki is looking to spread that love to NYC.  Inspired by Seattle, and located on Lexington btw. 54+55th, Glaze plans on opening in the next few weeks (Eater got a shot of the plywood last week.)  We’re not exactly sure what makes Seattle teriyaki so much different than the versions we already have… but we look forward to finding out!

12 Comments

  • Recently moving here from Seattle, I do have to say that Teriyaki is probably the food I miss most (well that and maybe a decent Thai place). I can’t really put my finger on it, but the teriyaki I’ve had here just doesn’t compare. In Seattle, it’s usually chicken thighs (you can get white meat at most places though for an extra dollar or two) chopped into strips and covered in a thicker, sweet teriyaki sauce.

    Teriyaki shops in Seattle are like the Deli’s or Halal carts here in NYC. There is literally teriyaki on every street. I’m definitely looking forward to trying this place.

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    Teriyaki Boy isn’t real teriyaki. It is disgusting. Even at the fanciest japanese restaurants you cant find real Seattle style Teriyaki…and believe me i have tried everywhere. I cant wait to try this place. Its about time someone did this….I will be there every day if the food lives up to Seattle style!

  • Back in March, I spent 8days in Seattle (stayed at the Edgewater), I walked as much of the city as I possible could, meeting locals and going to various restaurants, but not once had I heard a mention of Teriyaki nor saw it anywhere…the only thing that really seemed to standout was how fresh the salmon was…and I had a hotdog with creamcheese and onions at 3am one night, that was different but awesome

  • I, for one, find Teriyaki Boy reliable and unpretentious. That said, I’d certainly be interested to try to “Seattle-style” teriyaki.

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    Being the son of a teriyaki shop in seattle (aka I’m Korean) I can easily say there is a difference between “seattle-style” teriyaki and the stuff they have here. Also, you don’t really notice the teriyaki shops in seattle just like you don’t notice the chinese take-out shops in ny because they’ve been around forever and the signs are all usually pretty weathered. What makes it so special? Nothing really (i’ll be honest, i’m sick and tired of teriyaki…in fact, i haven’t had it for years since my mom kept bringing home leftovers). But it’s like eating Halal food from new york vs. the same thing somewhere else in the US. It’s just that simple, staple, go-to food that you get at lunch but never really notice how often. Oh…except for the teriyaki sauce…that sh*t is bomb (and loaded with an insane amount of sugar).

    That being said I get this hunch that Glaze isn’t going to do “seattle-style” teriyaki justice. The website does have korean on it (which is a good start) but at the same time it’s too…clean. It’s that same feeling of getting chinese food from a really really clean and modern establishment. It’ll be nice and clean, but you know that they don’t have the experience of an immigrant family that has owned the business for years and sent their kids to college with it (*cough cough*).

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    Oh and if it isn’t near the range of $3.99~5.99 for a lunch special, i don’t care how good it is, it will never be seattle teriyaki

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    This is awesome! Having moved to NYC from Seattle, it is about time for some real teriyaki around here. It is the worst when you order the teri off of hybrid-Asian restaurant menu and it ends up being steamed chicken & broccoli with the crappy food service teriyaki sauce dumped all over it. I hope these guys are bringing the real recipes. It will be my go to meal if they do.

  • Weird, I lived in Seattle (only for a year) and never heard about the Seattle style teriyaki phenomenon. I think I really missed out. :-\

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    Can someone who understands Korean tell me what the heck the cow is saying on the Glaze homepage? I don’t know why I care.

    Looking forward to trying out this place. Hopefully it will live up to all you Seattleites’ standards.

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    haha, it basically says “coming soon”

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    I am sooo excited to try this new spot out! I live in the West Village and work uptown and have always been on the search for a teriyaki spot, FINALLY! The website looks cool and glad to hear they are serving all fresh ingredients!! Thanks Glaze for opening in NYC!!! Hope it’s good!

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    OK. As someone who’s Japanese AND grew up in Seattle, I have a few comments. First of all, Seattle teriyaki has nothing to do with authentic Japanaese teriyaki. Real teriyaki sauce is a thick, sweet glaze that you would brush over chicken (I think this is basically what they have at Teriyaki Boy). Compare that to the teriyaki sauce in Seattle, which is still sweet, but is much thinner and saltier (probably a combination of soy sauce, garlic, water, ginger, brown sugar, etc.). Seattle teriyaki joints all fill up one of those big styrofoam to-go boxes with a small side salad and a big mound of rice covered by plenty of slices of grilled marinated chicken (maybe with some low quality dumplings thrown in on the side as filler). The “teriyaki sauce” comes in a little plastic container that most people pour all over the chicken and the rice. It’s really delicious, but anybody describing Seattle teriyaki as “authentic” is a bit misinformed. They’re usually run by non-Japanese families in Seattle. For the closest approximation to the “Seattle teriyaki” experience in NY, I recommend that you go to any one of those Chinese-run taco hole-in-the-walls that are scatterred all over the city (usually called some derivation Taco House, Taco Express, Fresco Tortillas, etc.) and order the chicken and rice combo. By my estimation, it’s 85% similar to “Seattle teriyaki” although being Mexican restaurants, they come with Mexican rice instead of plain or brown rice. Now the fact that this new place is called Glaze, an adjective that is much more befitting of authentic teriyaki sauce than it is to Seattle teriyaki, makes me a bit skeptical. Plus, being a novelty in NY, it’s bound to demand a premium, despite the fact that the low price is a big part of its appeal in Seattle. I’m still kind of excited, though. If it is anything like Seattle teriyaki, then it will turn out to be relatively healthy, quick and delicious; the kind of meal you can eat twice a week and not get sick of it.

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