Halal Cart

Typical NYC halal food cart. I would have preferred for the seasoning to have a little more cumin but with a little less turmeric and nutmeg. The portions and prices are on par with the other carts.

This place was so good. I had the eggplant falafel with hot sauce and white sauce. It is one of the better ones I have ate in three states. A must try when getting off the train

Was on the verge of starving to death when I smelt something delightful~ looked it up on Unilocal,as I always do and decided on chicken rice. It’s so delicious, will definitely visit afa
Chicken rice-​$ 6

I had the chicken rice 2 years ago and again yesterday. It is even better than I remembered. Last time, I lamented that the portion was a tad small. Well, no longer! This time, the portion of chicken rice and salad is overflowing! I have never had bad chicken rice from the city’s many vendors but this one is EXCEPTIONAL. The fragrant basmati rice is lightly reasoned. There are chunks of broccoli and peppers with the chicken. In addition, you can add pickled olives and peppers for more oomph. I also added the white sauce on top. It was a yummy meal — creamy chicken with crunchy broccoli and peppers, fragrant rice and crispy lettuce salad. It was an excellent meal for $ 5! Give it a try. This will be my go-​to place around Penn Station.

I was teetering between 3 and 4 stars since this establishment is a solid 3.5 stars and an excellent place for a quick bite if you are on the go awaiting a train/​bus near Penn Station. The Halal Guys have set the bar fairly high for chicken/​rice in NYC so unfortunately any halal cart will have to compete with them with my taste buds being the judge. First off, it looks like there hasn’t been a review for this place in quite some time so I will say that contrary to prior reviews the price has been upped by 1 dollar (6 bucks flat) for the chicken/​rice plate which comes with a generous amount of of protein, seasoned rice (spicy rice available on request per other reviews), small side salad of iceberg lettuce/​sliced tomatoes, and your choice of a white mayonnaise based sauce and red vinegary pepper sauce similar to buffalo wing sauce.
Pros:
Convenience– right at front entrance of Penn Station
Flavor-​interesting flavor accents on request such as olives and hot peppers and random bits of broccoli and green peppers
Value– at a dollar more still a bargain meal for the portions given
Service– the person manning the cart was very cordial and applied the sauces at the end with a little showman-​like flare which I appreciated
Cons
No menu with posted prices other than random photos displayed on the cart itself
I’m more of a traditionalist so would rather the white sauce be yogurt-​based and the red sauce be closer to harissa since the sauces described above along with the choice of stir-​fried broccoli adds a distinct Western accent that could be good/​bad depending on personal preference
At the end of the day, I would still choose this cart over any retail fast-​food option if I’m in the area, but let’s be clear, they’re no The Halal Guys.

This is not my everyday meal but today i grabbed chicken over rice topped with lots of white sauce and fed sauce, with can soda it cost me only $ 6.
Great food for price. chicken was perfectly cooked served with yellow colour rice and lettuce n slice of tomato. not bad place for quick lunch, need to maintain cleaning and use gloves.

Pretty much the only halal place I go to. 1 because of the location near where I live, and 2 it’s better than the other halal carts within a 10 block radius. Open LATE and cash only so be prepared but there’s an ATM across the street.

This halal cart is located just across the street from Jimmy’s BBQ on the Northeast corner of 31^st St. and 8^th Ave. The man inside the cart archaically takes orders from all his customers in every which way, rather than taking the orders of the next one or two standing in line. I guess this makes his cooking more efficient as he can portion how much food to throw on the grill, but he asked us 2 – 3 times what we ordered. For the most part, this cart is standard-​fare serving lamb off a doner kebab and chicken. However, I also noticed there long whole sausages sitting adjacent to the grill that I was quite intrigued about. But to keep things safe, I ordered Lamb over Rice ($ 5.00), which you have the option of yellow or spicy rice. I opted for the spicy rice along with white and hot sauce.
As we waited, I watched the chef as he chopped up the lamb meat very fine into small bits and squirted a red liquid on it to moisten it up. Thumbs up for that, which helps make the meat a little more tender and tasty. He then scooped a couple spoonfuls of rice and put the standard chopped lettuce and sliced tomatoes in. He then squirted, what seemed like for 5 – 6 seconds of the white sauce, and then some hot sauce. It was doused completely in white sauce. Usually the white sauce helps accentuate the flavors but I was hoping it wouldn’t turn out to be eating practically all mayo. When opening the container, I noticed that portions were fairly large, almost twice the amount of meat that I’ve been recently accustoming myself from other halal carts in the area. One could make the claim that the meat was so finely chopped to give the appearance of a lot of meat, but I’d have to say there actually was. The lamb meat was indeed moist and flavorful; not too salty and not too bland, but just right. The white sauce, of the mayo variation, was pretty standard as well as the hot sauce which I didn’t find spicy at all. Where I found a kick was from the rice, which used a fatter/​wider grain as opposed to the longer-​grained basmati rice. One of my friends claimed that it tasted like Goya rice. However, the spicy variation did indeed have some heat initially, but then it got overpowered with a vinegar-​like flavor. It kept reminding me of Frank’s Hot Sauce, or when you eat so many of the typical buffalo wings and your lips start to get numb from that vinegar flavor. After a while, my palate was overpowered from that sourness that I had to take a couple breaks while eating.
At the end of the day, it was pretty good as the meat portions helped justify much of the smiles on my face. I will probably settle for their regular rice, which the 5 – 6 other people on line had ordered, as the spicy rice was just too overbearing. Another thing worth noting is that he will also offer olives and hot peppers, both from two humongous glass jars, which is a nice bonus if you so desire. For $ 5, it’s not the worst in the neighborhood, but it’s also not the best.

This place is delicious and I’m not sure why but it’s better than other halal carts I’ve tried in the city. I got the chicken and rice with white and red sauce and a drink for 6 dollars!!! The portion is a little bit smaller than other carts which means that it is still too much for one person but I still I highly recommend this place.

3.5 Stars
$ 5 for a chicken & rice with pita bread. Pretty good deal. The food were not the best we’ve had but definitely good. The portion is a bit smaller than some other halal carts.
Friendly service!
Definitely worth checking out!

This is probably the best deal in town. All the cabbies know it.
Chicken and Rice box for 5 dollars, add a soda for a dollar more
Salad, fries, rice, then sauce, chicken and vegetables, add red and white sauce, dress with a pepper and meatball, eat with plastic utensils from styrofoam container
Also tried their chicken gyro and it’s delicious
Lamb gyro is good
I would eat at the Halal cart everyday if I lived in NYC.

I crave this every time I’m in ny. I ordered the combo– had lamb, chicken, and falafel with rice and vegetables. The red and white sauce added a kick to it. Absolutely love it.

I came here at around 1:30 AM and ordered a chicken rice. This morning I had stomach problems throughout the day and I am almost certain that it was from food made from this cart. I do distinctively remember a lot of bits and pieces on the heating surface that was included in the chicken on top of the rice. Not sure how long those were sitting around for.

This was my first Halal cart experience, and I was completely blown away. The man in the cart was really nice, and prepared the food extremely quickly. The chicken over rice with the hot sauce and the white sauce was indescribably good.
This cart is a little out of my usual path, but I would easily walk 10 blocks for the food here.

Apparently the old cart at this location has been replaced with a much larger and cleaner one with much more competent staff. Generous portions, dirt cheap price, better-​than-​average quality food, and best of all no food poisoning.

It is a pleasure to have such a good halal cart right next to MSG/​Penn station. This cart is open 24 hours a day no matter what. The food is cheap too with platter costing $ 5. Workers are usually friendly. They have spicy rice too, just have to ask! The cart on the other corner (34^th and 8^th) is not good at all.
After getting your delicious halal too, you can eat it on the steps of the one of the most beautiful buildings in NY, the Farley post office. Make sure you do not go there late at night though because the postal police will kick you off.

Amazing cart! The best lamb for a street cart in New York City! It’s perfectly cooked and it great when you just want the fix. Once you try this place, you won’t regret it. It’s like heaven in your mouth. =)

Excellent Halal food. Friendly customer service. 24 Hour Convenience.
I’ve picked up food from here before boarding my train at Penn Station. I’ve rarely had to wait more than 3 minutes. Their sauce are rice are distinctly flavorful. GIve it a try and you won’t be disappointed.