Glizzy’s, a fast-casual hot dog counter concept that opened in Williamsburg last year, is opening its second outpost at 34 St Mark’s Place in the East Village in the coming weeks. Co-owner and restaurateur Johnny Huynh hopes to open four more in Manhattan by the end of the year.
Glizzy’s, which is a nod to the D.C.-metro slang term popularized on TikTok for the phallic food, opened up its flagship at 390 Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg last year. Its second outpost opening soon will take shop in a spot that was formerly occupied by the 1950-style ice cream shop, Lucky Star, according to EVGrieve. After his East Village launch Huynh says he hopes to open shops in other crowded bar-centric, college neighborhoods like the West Village and Hell’s Kitchen. Glizzy’s is a popular late night stop, with its flagship staying open until 3 p.m. from Thursday to Sunday. He is also aiming to launch at nearby airports and host pop-ups at local music festivals like Randall’s Island’s Governors Ball and Electric Zoo.
Glizzy’s offers 10 signature hot dogs that pay homage to significant personal and pop cultural figures to Huynh, which he hopes highlights the cultural diversity of New York City.
The dogs range from a Jamaican-style “Sean Paul” made with jerk smoked brisket, creamy coleslaw, and Mike’s Hot Honey sauce saluting Huynh’s love of reggae, to its Texas-style smoked brisket chili “Houston, We Got A Problem” made with cheddar cheese sauce and chopped fried onions honoring his mentor who hails from Austin that taught him how to smoke meats, to his Korean-style “Mr. Lee” made with kimchi, furikake, scallions, fried garlic, Korean BBQ sauce and sesame oil shouting out the owner of his local corner store.
“It’s a New York thing. Hot dogs are just a New York thing. It’s just what we ate growing up as kids,” he says. “It’s simple, fast. Hot dogs will never go out of fashion.”
Glizzy’s was co-founded by Huynh who grew up in Bushwick and was raised primarily by his grandmother who fled Vietnam. He says she spoiled him with Vietnamese food growing up, which in part inspired him to pursue a career in hospitality. He teamed up with Nikki Yam, a Queens-born and Flushing-based elementary school teacher, and Philip Ng, a firefighter born and raised in Midwood.
Huynh launched his first venture Lucy’s Vietnamese on 262 Irving Avenue in his hometown of Bushwick in 2015. It is a beloved spot known for its signature smoked brisket banh mi and pho. It currently has three locations in Bushwick, Williamsburg and Bed–Stuy. He plans to open its fourth location in East Williamsburg in the next month or two, he tells What Now New York.
However, Huynh sees Glizzy’s expansion in Manhattan this year as just the beginning. He dreams of opening shops in all 50 states, hoping to be this generation’s Sabrett or Nathan’s.
