Deliciously different chicken wings in NYC


It might not look like much, but Tebaya, housed in this little storefront on IMG_6472West 19th Street in Chelsea happen to make some of the best chicken wings I’ve ever tasted.

They are of a Japanese pedigree rather than of the upstate New York persuasion so they are very, very different, in a very good way. Rather than being “wet” and covered in sauce, the wings are super crispy and mostly dry. I could’ve used a wet-nap when I was done, to be sure, but it was a much different experience than a traditional buffalo wing. The sauce recipe originates in Nagoya, Japan. They are double fried to get rid of the fat but keep the collagen intact; apparently that makes them healthy, according to their menu.

They are a bit spicy and there is some garlic. But they also have a touch of sweet in the flavor. Apparently there is a touch of sweet sake in the sauce, and it really accentuates the spicy of the flavor as well as providing a bit of sweet in the aftertaste. And sesame seeds sprinkled on top. Delicious.

My only concern is that Tebaya is not open on Sundays, meaning that I can’t have the wings for my Super Bowl watching festivities. It is a major bummer.

Special thanks to Audrey for the tip on this place; I know I’ve walked past it dozens of times and almost certainly would have continued to ignore it without the push from her.

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Seth Miller

I'm Seth, also known as the Wandering Aramean. I was bit by the travel bug 30 years ago and there's no sign of a cure. I fly ~200,000 miles annually; these are my stories. You can connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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