NYC News

Teruko Opens at Hotel Chelsea with Refined Japanese Fare
May 28, 2025, 12:15.11 pm ET

Print


Photos: Teruko

Hotel Chelsea has unveiled Teruko, a new Japanese restaurant and sushi bar marking the final stage of the hotel’s extensive reopening. Located on the hotel’s subterranean level—formerly home to the iconic nightclub Serena—Teruko is led by Executive Chef Tadashi Ono, formerly of Matsuri at The Maritime Hotel, and Head Sushi Chef Hideaki Watanabe. The menu highlights traditional Japanese ingredients and techniques, including smoked and seared kampachi with scallion and jalapeño, whole Dover sole karaage with ponzu, and robata-grilled Ozaki Wagyu served with fresh wasabi.
The sushi selection includes edomae-style offerings like toro taku with smoked radish and optional caviar, aburi toro nigiri with koji and scallion, spicy kara tuna rolls, and yellowtail with jalapeño and cucumber salsa. Other rolls include shrimp tempura with sweet soy, king salmon with avocado, and the yasai maki—filled with chayote, cucumber, plum, shiitake, avocado, and okra. For a chef's sampling, Teruko offers sashimi platters of three or five varieties.


The beverage program is a key feature, with an extensive selection of sakes and Japanese whiskies curated by George Padilla of Sunday Hospitality’s Rule of Thirds and Brian Evans, Hotel Chelsea’s Director of Bars. Signature cocktails include the Gari Martini with pickled ginger and white soy, the Sakura Sling made with imo shochu and sour ale, and the Kinoko Old Fashioned featuring Japanese whisky, bourbon, and shiitake mushroom. Wine selections come from Wine Director Claire Paparazzo, and beers include Hitachino’s Espresso Stout.
Teruko is named in honor of Teruko Yokoi, the Japanese-born artist and former Hotel Chelsea resident, whose original paintings are displayed throughout the space. Ahead of the opening, NYC’s Hollis Taggart Gallery is presenting Teruko Yokoi: Noh Theatre, a special exhibition on view through June 14 highlighting the artist's works from the late 1950s to early 2000s. The design of the restaurant incorporates raw materials and wabi-sabi aesthetics, including antique limestone floors, salvaged wood walls, and indigo-dyed denim. A historic backbar from the Orchid Bar at Tokyo’s Hotel Okura serves as a visual centerpiece.
Teruko is operated by Sunday Hospitality and partner Charles Seich, also behind Hotel Chelsea’s Café Chelsea and El Quijote. The restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday and Wednesday from 5:30–10:00pm, and Thursday through Saturday from 5:30–11:00pm. Reservations are available via Resy.


^Top