The Halal GuysCHAIN

2.4/10Middle Eastern

AI-generated summary

People say it fell apart after franchising. The chicken comes out dry and bland, the became beef, and the white sauce now comes in packets instead of squeeze bottles. The common advice is to eat at almost any other cart. A few holdouts still like the red sauce.

NYC classic — Egyptian Americans Mohamed Abouelenein, Ahmed Elsaka and Abdelbaset Elsayed started a hot dog cart in 1990, switching in 1992 to chicken, gyro meat, rice and pita for Muslim cab drivers seeking halal food. The cart at 53rd and Sixth drew block-long lines, its secret white sauce became legendary, and the brand later grew to over 100 locations worldwide. Wikipedia

6th Avenue &, W 53rd St, New YorkHell's Kitchen, Manhattan2 NYC locations mappedGoogle Maps

What Reddit says344

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  • in:Real talk, do the people who linger in this sub even like food?32 pts
    replying to u/TomatoClown24: The one thing we can all agree on is that many tourist traps run on legacy instead of food quality. Katz and Halal guys are good examples of the two. $30 for a pastrami sandwich? hell no.

    “Halal guys has been ass since 2012 or so when they blew up and replaced their lamb with the cheapest beef they could find and their yogurt sauce with vegetable oil based substitute.”

    H3

  • in:Which places suffered from the curse of success leading to worse quality food?12 pts
    replying to u/throwmefarhldmeclose: Used to get halal guys weekly in 2012/13. Was incredible. Once they started selling their own packaged stuff and subsequently opening multiple locations, the quality went downhill. I had it a few months ago from the original truck and it was absolutely horrid. Almost inedible.

    “I can confirm the original 53rd & 6th cart is finally back to cooking up the gyro meat properly (chopping & browning), and the salad is fresh as can be!”

    H3

  • in:Adels is overrated8 pts
    replying to u/herseyhawkins33: I'd probably agree it isn't as good as it was 5-10 years ago, but it's hilarious how much some people love to hate on big name places here. It's still solid.

    “They branded themselves as Halal Guys and cut down on quality and quantity. Then it went to complete shit when they started opening brick and mortar shops. The white sauce packets should be removed from existence. Their original cart is okay but there are definitely better places to go.”

    H3

  • in:Adel’s8 pts
    replying to u/The_CerealDefense: Adels is fine, I wouldn't wait in line, its not that great a cart. There's plenty of halal around thats better. I think Halal Guys is OK, and people who shit on it are wrong, but I dont sing its praise

    “That chicken is straight up grey, it's terrible. There's no seasoning, it's just a vehicle for white sauce”

    H3

  • in:Chicken over rice - Halal food truck 6 pts

    “As a born New Yorker I must insist you avoid, like the plague, The Halal Guys. It is tourist trash. The chicken is beaten into paste and the flavors are one dimensional.”

    H3

  • in:What's the worst food you've had in NYC?5 pts
    replying to u/Aljowoods103: Halal Guys is truly terrible. I don't understand their popularity. I've never been in NYC, but there was one in Chicago I went to a couple times. It's just BARELY ok/edible but was also like $15 for a chicken and rice plate. Halal Guys is to Lebanese food as Taco Bell is to Mexican or Panda Express is to Chinese.

    “Now it's like half salad, I don't think they even use lamb anymore, and 1 triangle of pita.”

    H3

  • in:50+ NYC halal trucks/carts later, I made a website ranking them all5 pts
    replying to u/SubzeroNYC: What about the original Halal Guys? Is that still around?

    “It's around, and it's awful. Even if it didn't have a ridiculous line, I wouldn't eat there. Their chicken is always dry and really bland. Decent white sauce, but horrible everything else.”

    H3

  • in:Must try eats in NYC/Unique American foods2 pts
    replying to u/ReliabilityTalkinGuy: It’s not what it used to be, but it’s not _bad_.  Plus, for an Australian who doesn’t have access to that exact style of dish, it’ll be representative and easier to find than “That cart that’s normally at X St and Y Ave.”

    “Nah, it is bad. Dry ass meat and disgusting soybean-oil-based pre-packaged sauce. Literally any random corner halal cart is gonna be way better.”

    H3

  • in:Adel’s2 pts

    “Halal Guys sells you white sauce in these little packets, which means it's not freshly made. But also, I strongly believe Halal Guys uses seed oils instead of real yogurt as the sauce just tastes like eating plastic. Bleh!”

    H3

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