Teriyaki Boy
“So I always have a hard time trying to find a cheap but good lunch spot around this area.”
“The chicken thigh grilled skin side down leaving crispy yakitori style skin and then dipped into the teriyaki sauce will leave your mouth watering for more.”
“There is very limited seating in the store, so it is really a grab and go type of joint.”
Teriyaki Boy
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
4 reviews
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After writing my review of Hibachi Dumpling, I discovered that a Teriyaki Boy opened up on 45th St., near 2nd Ave. Feeling nostalgic, I decided to check it out.
I loved going to Teriyaki Boy before they closed. They served good food at a great price.
Well, the newly opened place got the good food part right.
I remembered getting chicken teriyaki over rice at the older Teriyaki Boy, with broccoli and some ginger for about $5. I got a chicken teriyaki box (thigh meat) for a little more than $9 (with tax).
In their defense, there is much more chicken in the newer version (with less rice), and salad. The chicken was really good. The salad was basically greens with red onion. When they ask if you want cilantro in your salad, say yes. It does add a nice flavor to the salad. I also had the ginger salad dressing, which was okay.
There are no chairs here, so you basically either eat standing up or take it out. Tudor City Greens is two blocks away, and is a nice place to eat. I'd recommend going there on a nice day.
This is one of my go-to lunch spots but the changes they've made in the past month have made me like the place a bit less. They've streamlined to the max and whittled down the menu to just chicken thigh or chicken breast lunch boxes (with rice and salad), and they stopped accepting credit cards. I used to love the half and half boxes with beef and chicken so I was sad to see that disappear from the menu. The portions also now skew towards more chicken, less salad. I appreciate that most people would prefer this ratio and it's probably more economical for the business, but it was sad for me because I did love the big pile of greens. I'll continue coming here because it is still a pretty solid lunch option and the chicken thighs continue to be super tasty, but I'll always be nostalgic for the Teriyaki Boy menu of old.
I can't speak for lunch because I've only come here for dinner before. However, it seems that most of the low reviews are due to changes in the lunch box, which I don't have any experience with. Therefore, I'm writing from my perspective as someone who came here for dinner.
This is a tiny, barely-any-seating, mostly-standing-space, restaurant. The real appeal is to drink super-cheap and order small "dishes" on the side to accompany said drinking. Teriyaki Boy gets this done well: thus the four stars.
The menu is either a hand-written one or you might be able to gleam some choices off the wall. I would go with the yakitori choices here. If you are someone who has complained about the prohibitive cost of "Torishin," then look no further than Teriyaki Boy! Of course the quality is totally different, thus the difference in price but Teriyaki Boy is extremely reasonable for some satisfying chicken on a budget.
I keep saying "cheap" and "reasonable" — how reasonable? Think, everything is "$3.90" reasonable! Overall, for the price, I think Teriyaki Boy is great and have no complaints. I would just advise you to avoid bringing huge parties here. It would be way too cramped.
I love these small scale restaurants that only make one thing. We are all given way too many choice these days so faced with only one thing on the menu is definitely a breath of fresh air. I feel the weight on my shoulders lifted as I confidently without hesitation order my teriyaki chicken over rice. The only choice I had to make was thigh or breast, and ginger or wasabi salad dressing.
There is very limited seating in the store, so it is really a grab and go type of joint. The chicken, rice, and salad came in a nice paper box sealed with a Teriyaki Boy logo sticker (i love attention to detail!) I think I literally gasped when I saw the amount of food they gave for not even $10. The box felt heavy sure, but seeing it confirmed it. They give you SO MUCH CHICKEN! and (in small font if I could).. I shamelessly ate it all…
I can't say for sure if they use free range organic chicken, but I felt so good after the meal. This will become a go-to lunch spot that doesn't break the bank.