Halal Guys - Who has gone and what did you think?

Sorry if this is a multiple - searched and didn't see much pertaining to Halal Guys.

Who has gone? What is your reaction?

49 W Division St
Chicago, IL
(312) 877-5575

I have had their cuisine in Manhattan and loved it. Am happy they have expanded to Chicago but their location is not convenient for me. Not sure if long lines are still occurring or if those have died down, but a lengthy wait is also a deterrent for me. Am hoping they open a location in my neck of the woods sometime soon.

Long enough line at the Division St. location this past Saturday to deter anybody. I realize there's a logical fallacy in that sentence.

Are they famous for something?

Roger Ramjet wrote:Long enough line at the Division St. location this past Saturday to deter anybody. I realize there's a logical fallacy in that sentence.

Are they famous for something?

They are really popular in Manhattan (multiple food trucks and I think more recently actual restaurants); they are known for their shawarma and felafel as well as their secret white sauce. When I have gone to their food trucks in NYC there has been lines, but nothing more than a 5-10 minute wait. Have really enjoyed my food from them, but nothing so extraordinary that I'd wait more than 10-15 minutes for. In NYC it is a really good value for what you receive, so that is a plus as well.

I was curious on the White and hot sauce which many rave about from Halal Guys. From reading about the white sauce at Halal Guys it seems to be like Mayonnaise and not like Tahini (ie Pita Inn white sauce). I am not sure mayo goes well with shawarma, but it seems as this place has a cult following so it must be good?

Angel Jizz recipe- http://gothamist.com/2013/03/16/behold_ ... hite_h.php

It's been a couple years since I hit up the Halal cart in Manhattan, but I don't remember the sauce resembling mayo very much. I recall an interview where they admitted it was an emulsion, but nothing beyond that. I think the Trib said it was "watered down mayo" which I never found to be the case although it is definitely not like tahini. Maybe it's the magic of the NYC cart scene, but I've never found anything in Chicago that compares to any of the chicken carts in NYC, Halal Guys or otherwise.

I've been meaning to head over to this place. Every time I'm in Manhattan and had a few too many, I always stumble to 53rd and 6th to grab a platter.

Some middle eastern places, like Zankou (made famous in the Palestinian chicken episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm), serve a Lebanese mayonnaise-type sauce (toum) that is heavy on garlic and it sound like that's what this is . . . different from and not intended to be the same as tahini.

BR wrote:Some middle eastern places, like Zankou (made famous in the Palestinian chicken episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm), serve a Lebanese mayonnaise-type sauce (toum) that is heavy on garlic and it sound like that's what this is . . . different from and not intended to be the same as tahini.

Toum garlic sauce does make sense as I was wondering why mayo on Shawarma would be so popular!

Nine, (ten now) replies yet no one has gone yet...hmmm

pacent wrote:I've been meaning to head over to this place. Every time I'm in Manhattan and had a few too many, I always stumble to 53rd and 6th to grab a platter.

It's the only saving grace when one is stuck staying at the massive NY Hilton...

I don't think I've been past State and Division in about 7 years, so I don't see how I'm going to get to the Chicago version particularly soon.

https://www.thrillist.com/recipe/new-yo ... st-recipes

My favorite falafel truck is outside the Fairway on 25th & 7th, great lamb and rice, nugget falafel, tangy white sauce, take no prisoners chile sauce, an imminent jouissance of is it so late they've run out of falafel? plus whatever, we'll get the lamb.

Anyone know where the upcoming additional Chicago outposts will be located?

Well if we're talking New York -

Mamoun's for falafel

and there was an almost literally hole in the wall place across the street (or on the next street over?) for doner kebab


mmmmmmmmmmmmm

Been there a few times in Manhattan - my opinions of Halal Guys is this. Vastly overrated middle eastern food for (a) people who don't know middle eastern food and (b) people who are either in a rush and/or drunk. The falafel sandwich is not bad, but everything else - chicken is dry and very bland, for example. On the plus side, the hot sauce they have is legitimately hot. There are imitators in Manhattan now of course - there's one cart near my office in FiDi that does it better than they do easily.

I'll try it to see if the quality is any different, but I can tell you that the NYC cart, at least as of right now, is far inferior to a legitimate middle eastern place. They get plus points for being open late on weekends though which is great and furthering the Chicago late night scene again. As a person of middle eastern descent myself though, I automatically lose trust in someone if they think Halal Guys is the best or even up there. Then again, at least in Manhattan I've only ever had a few decent or good middle eastern meals. The worst Lebanese food I've ever had, by far, was actually not far from the Halal Guys

I had an hour to kill in the area while waiting for my new bike to be built (thanks Reader, for the free bike) so I hit up Halal Guys for some lunch. The line wasn't too long and I probably waited for 25 minutes or so. I got the chicken and gyro platter, extra white sauce and normal hot sauce. I definitely agree with the sentiment that it isn't the best Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food, but I didn't have any pretense about it being that. I got exactly what I expected: hot, tasty meats on rice and doused in that delicious white sauce.

I ate on a bench in front of a library and it was a pretty enjoyable lunch, overall. Once the hype dies down, I could see myself popping in again if, god forbid, I'm ever in the Gold Coast.

If you think that the hype about The Halal Guys is a hoot, then you will no doubt enjoy the editorial in today’s (Aug 31) Trib.

If you think that the hype about The Halal Guys is another sad reminder that our (far-too-foolish society) society places far too much emphasis on celebrity and far too little on substance, then you will no doubt be dismayed by the same editorial.

Once again, the Chinese got it right a long time ago when they espoused their famous three (apocryphal) curses:
--May you live in interesting times
--May you be recognized by people in high places
--May you get what you wish for

Is this a great world, or what?

I live nearby and hope to try it out this week. For those not wanting to wait in line that long, here is an excellent recipe http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/12/serious-eats-halal-cart-style-chicken-and-rice-white-sauce-recipe.html. You will have to supply your own hot sauce, I recommend a schug.

Stood in line for about 20 minutes yesterday and pulled a platter with chicken and gyro.

This was thoroughly mediocre, especially compared to the recipe I linked above. I don't know if that means Halal Guys is a particularly poor "halal cart" or if the entire concept is not nearly as good as heralded.

I thought the Tribune review nailed it when she compared it to Taco Bell. Between the strange near neon orange rice and the vaguely spiced meat, this could have been the contents of a Taco Bell burrito of my youth. However, the tomato and lettuce on the side were much fresher than any Taco Bell. The pitas we were served were horribly bland and a bit gluey.

They were a bit stingy with the white sauce, particularly because this is a not insignificant amount of food and the white sauce is a primary flavoring ingredient. I think it could have been more acidic and overall I didn't get the big deal. Again try the one in the recipe above. The hot sauce is legitimately spicy, but one dimensional.

Finally this place could turn out platters MUCH FASTER. You order and then do a Chipotle style thing to I guess ask you what sauces you want? Not sure why you can't do this at the register. Anyways it massively slows down the line for no good reason.

This would be totally skipworthy even without a line.

botd wrote:This was thoroughly mediocre, especially compared to the recipe I linked above. I don't know if that means Halal Guys is a particularly poor "halal cart" or if the entire concept is not nearly as good as heralded.

There are better Arabic Halal carts in NYC. The one near my office in FiDi is certainly better. I was told yesterday there's an even better one near my office. Going to get that in the next few days.


By the way, I find it hilarious that people think the cuisine is called "Halal", in the same ilk as Chinese, Japanese, etc. and not realizing it's just Islamic law, and doesn't necessarily JUST refer to food. Go to Astoria in Queens - you'll find Halal Chinese places (no different than finding a Kosher Chinese or BBQ place).

Between the strange near neon orange rice

If it's what I'm picturing, that's actually fairly normal in many places.

marothisu wrote:[, I find it hilarious that people think the cuisine is called "Halal",.

???

If I go to a kosher deli I have a fair idea what sort of cuisine to expect ... Is "halal" somehow different?

Did the people who decided to call their franchise "The Halal Guys" find the name hilarious?

Roger Ramjet wrote:

marothisu wrote:[, I find it hilarious that people think the cuisine is called "Halal",.

???

If I go to a kosher deli I have a fair idea what sort of cuisine to expect ... Is "halal" somehow different?

Did the people who decided to call their franchise "The Halal Guys" find the name hilarious?

I don't think you understand. Halal can mean any cuisine, just like Kosher can mean anything. There are people out there who literally think that "Halal" is something like the name of a country or culture. No joke. It's fairly sad.

Gonzo70 wrote:

Roger Ramjet wrote:Long enough line at the Division St. location this past Saturday to deter anybody. I realize there's a logical fallacy in that sentence.

Are they famous for something?

They are really popular in Manhattan (multiple food trucks and I think more recently actual restaurants); they are known for their shawarma and felafel as well as their secret white sauce. When I have gone to their food trucks in NYC there has been lines, but nothing more than a 5-10 minute wait. Have really enjoyed my food from them, but nothing so extraordinary that I'd wait more than 10-15 minutes for. In NYC it is a really good value for what you receive, so that is a plus as well.

What they serve is not shawerma, it's shit chopped gyro meat, and not even from a decent brand like Olympic. It's fucking sawdust from some crapo company in New York where Gyros are generally disgusting outside a few Greek neighborhoods. The chicken is ok. The white sauce is mayonnaise. The rice is probably made with yellow food coloring. God bless those Arabs for fleecing people out of their money with that crap, but if you want a Gyro or Shawerma, especially in Chicago, you have far better options.

Just wanted to add: the entire concept is garbage but New Yorkers love garbage (see dollar pizza slices and dog turd hot dogs). I hope Chicagoans know better.

BR wrote:Some middle eastern places, like Zankou (made famous in the Palestinian chicken episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm), serve a Lebanese mayonnaise-type sauce (toum) that is heavy on garlic and it sound like that's what this is . . . different from and not intended to be the same as tahini.

It's not toum. It's bulk brand mayo.

Habibi wrote:

BR wrote:Some middle eastern places, like Zankou (made famous in the Palestinian chicken episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm), serve a Lebanese mayonnaise-type sauce (toum) that is heavy on garlic and it sound like that's what this is . . . different from and not intended to be the same as tahini.

It's not toum. It's bulk brand mayo.

Uggghhhh

There are many, many better options for fast service kebabs/felafel. For just one example, I really like Mr. Falafel on California just north of Devon. It is a tiny Iraqi kebab house, and the sandwiches are very good. The gus on samoon, with amba, is just like you find around Detroit. Everything there is homemade... except the kubbat Mosul, which is frozen.

The only upside of the genocidal hell that we started in Iraq is that small neighborhood Iraqi places (of all ethnicities) have flourished in West Rogers park with the influx of immigrants and refugees. When I left Chicago there were more places to get fresh samoun and homemade torshi amba than you can shake a stick at.

Habibi wrote:

Gonzo70 wrote:

Roger Ramjet wrote:Long enough line at the Division St. location this past Saturday to deter anybody. I realize there's a logical fallacy in that sentence.

Are they famous for something?

They are really popular in Manhattan (multiple food trucks and I think more recently actual restaurants); they are known for their shawarma and felafel as well as their secret white sauce. When I have gone to their food trucks in NYC there has been lines, but nothing more than a 5-10 minute wait. Have really enjoyed my food from them, but nothing so extraordinary that I'd wait more than 10-15 minutes for. In NYC it is a really good value for what you receive, so that is a plus as well.

What they serve is not shawerma, it's shit chopped gyro meat, and not even from a decent brand like Olympic. It's fucking sawdust from some crapo company in New York where Gyros are generally disgusting outside a few Greek neighborhoods. The chicken is ok. The white sauce is mayonnaise. The rice is probably made with yellow food coloring. God bless those Arabs for fleecing people out of their money with that crap, but if you want a Gyro or Shawerma, especially in Chicago, you have far better options.

Don't mince words. Tell us how you really feel.