Rafiqi’s

Have loved their lamb over rice, with lots of white sauce, a little bit of red sauce, lettuce and tomato for over ten years now! As delicious as street food gets in NYC!

The lines outside of this cart are alwaysssss long especially during lunch hour. They have a steady crowd for a good part of everyday. This made me think like wow it must be REALLLYYY good halal food. I never sully buy halal food, only when I’m craving it which it about once a year. so today I got out a bit early and decided to try it. I got the chicken over rice, and told them to put all the toppings. That should have included all toppings that are advertised– onions, black beans, lettuce, tomato, and corn. I got chickpeas instead of black beans and then some black olives. Overall the food was okay. I’m not gonna lie, I expected to be blown out of the water by this carts halal food. I was not blown out of the pond, even. It was decent, but very mediocre to me. I’ve had better halal downtown by the WTC. Even the halal guys famous cart in midtown by radio city is actually really good. That too is always packed and when I I taste it, you can see it’s packed for obvious reasons. But this cart, my only guess is that it’s always packed because it’s decent food for 6 bucks. Maybe I got them at an «off» time. Maybe they really are just mediocre. Maybe I’ll give it a second try soon and go for the lamb. Maybe that’s what the lines are about.

This food cart is AMAZING! it was the best $ 5 I’ve ever spent! No joke!!!
I have been wanting to try some of this halal food and I spotted the cart as I came out of the subway hole hahahaha. I was shocked to learn it was only $ 5 and was even more surprised when I saw how much food they gave us!!! Lots of meat!!! And most importantly it was really really delicious! The meat and rice were really fresh and flavorful! The sauces were exellent compliment tp everything on the plate!
Lamb was not gamey, even the non-​lamb-​fan hubby really loved this! I really wish that they have something like this in the Bay Area!

Street food is my guilty pleasure and Rafiqi’s is a hidden treasure… located near my workplace on Park Avenue South between 32^nd and 33^rd on the east side of the Park Avenue South. The two guys working there are very nice. They have memorized my ordering ritual… Lamb, Rice, Hot and White, Everything but Cilantro. That dish, my fave, is in my weekly lunch rotation. It is an ample and very filling portion of deliciously seasoned and perfectly cooked lamb meat with admittedly somewhat limp lettuce which is made tolerable by the addition of tomatoes, peppers and tasty black beans. And at $ 5.50…a BARGAIN.
A better than average casual and cheap lunch option which I will certainly choose again.
TIP: Go there ten minutes before the lunch hours of 12,1 or 2 to beat the massive lines.

Rafiqi’s differentiates itself by offering additional «toppings» that come with the general halal cart fare. In addition to the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, they also offer things like black beans, chickpeas, cilantro, corn, olives… etc. I guess that’s nice but in the end, throwing 6 extra chickpeas doesn’t really hide the fact that their portions are smaller than usual and not made to order. During the lunch rush, there’s just a massive pile of meat that’s used to dole out to the masses.
Should you come during off-​peak times, be prepared to wait a bit. It takes them a surprisingly long time when that pile’s gone.
The 3 or 4 times I’ve come here, the veggies have been sparse and limp. The chicken was full of skin and gristle. The lamb was ok but the portions were small.
It used to be under a ton of scaffolding so it was an easy way to grab a quick lunch when it’s raining but now the scaffolding has been taken down and there are no longer any advantages to coming here.
There’s a «traditional» halal cart just up the street that does it better.

For anyone who is looking to get lunch here (specifically lunch, I leave work around 5:00 and they are basically closing,) I highly recommend getting here by 11:30 or 12 at the absolute latest. The lines here get huge thanks to the 1 Park Avenue building among others. Though the long lines don’t take a super long time here.
I like the various Rafiqi’s carts as you can choose what you want on your platter and everything
added is free. I would say the chicken is slightly better than the lamb but both are servicable.
Good food with two really nice guys in front. Classic halal street foot. I like this a lot.

I’ve only eaten here once (lamb platter) & I can’t say that I was blown away by the awesome flavors BUT I was happily blown away by the cost. I got a full meal for $ 5.50 in midtown!
Normally I get a salad & soup & spend $ 14 – 16 if not more! $ 5.50, shit it’s almost more convenient to just buy this everyday.
I hate when ppl question the quality of food from a cart, it’s NYC people lets be progressive. Also, their customer service was pretty awesome, very nice guys!
I will return & I’ll update this once I try a few more things.
My coworkers love the falafel.

Can’t beat this deal, a nice filet of broiled tilapia over long grain yellow rice and a small side salad for only 6 bucks, and in midtown no less. I have been coming dozens of times, and always find the fellas operating this truck to be friendly, fast, and courteous.
I will be coming here for as long as I am working in this area. Nothing else even comes anywhere close. I am talking about the truck on 52^nd Street and Park Avenue.

Lamb gyro was amazing!!! Extra white sauce of course! The guy was so nice and the pita was so light and tasty. Yum!!!

I have been eating street food in NYC for more than fifty years, and this is some of the best ever. Well at least for falafel.
These are high quality pitas and platters for falafel. Better than any of the pita restaurants in the neighborhood. Crunchy on the outside and perfect inside. The sauces, red and white are really some of the best ever.
I don’t know how these guys do it, working in such a tiny space, sometimes there are three guys inside because they are so busy. One guy working the street side and taxi drivers and the other two the sidewalk side.
At lunch there is usually a line of about ten people. Everything is well priced, with a falafel pita going for $ 2.99 and the platter being $ 3.99.
I am here with my girlfriend at least once a week. We love it.

Food is very tasty. Portions are great. Price is very affordable. The only thing I realized was that the lamb gyro was a little crunchy but it was still very tasty.

Rafiqi’s looks kind of like a typical food truck stand with probably mediocre food if you judged them by their set up, so I guess it’s understandable if you’ve passed by this cart without giving it a second glance. However, you shouldn’t be deceived by its looks and I’d actually recommend giving Rafiqi’s a try because the food from them is really good!
And cheap, too!
$ 5 for a filling meal with a great selection of toppings you can choose from makes me happy to make the trip.

I lived in NYC for six years, and I probably ate at Rafiqi’s hundreds of times, mostly at this location. I always loved it, but just how much I loved it is coming home to me now that I’ve moved to Florida, where there are no street halal carts that I know of. Rafiqi’s stands out from the other street carts due to the great selection of toppings. The green sauce is good, too. I usually get chicken with rice, white sauce and green sauce.
Even after their recent price hikes, it’s still a pretty good deal. Everybody always talks about how expensive New York is, but frankly, I’ve been unable to find a comparable portion of food for this cheap in the Boca Raton, FL area. New York has lots of bargains, if you know where to look.

I tried Rafiqi’s a couple months ago and thought this was the shittiest halal food I ever had.
I was craving halal today and decided I give em a second chance. Good thing I did, combo over rice (5.50) was really good. The gyro were soft and salty, the chicken was tender, and the toppings were cool (though I opted only for cilantro)

Pretty standard mediterranean food truck fare. Good portion and the corn add a nice touch.

$ 4 for a delicious, filling pita chock full of chicken and lamb and grilled onions and white sauce and TWO KINDS of hot sauce?
Yes, this is the joint.
Rafiqi’s is my go to street meat when I just can’t shake that craving and also when I don’t have a lot of coinage in my pocket (read: always).
I don’t know if this is 5 star material (nothing ultra transcendent about street meat) but I think it’s as good as it gets in the category.

There are several locations for Rafiqi which are operated by brothers /​cousins. The one that I have visited was on 32^nd Street & Park Ave. I have heard about this place from a colleague and went there to buy a chicken rice lunch. The food was great. I got to select types of side to go with chicken and requested both white and hot sauce. It was very delicious and the portion was generous. It kept me full through out the entire afternoon. More colleagues of mine went to that cart after smelling my food when they passed my office. They all loved Rafiqi.

Although unimpressive to look at (it’s just a little cart outside a bank), the awesome goodness that is Rafiqi’s simply cannot be contained in the stands little walls.
Where to begin? In the heart of midtown, surrounded by banks and expensive chains, you are still able to get a huge, filling meal for less than $ 5. And the food is delicious! The platters come with a choice of gyro, chicken, Italian sausage, philly cheese steak and more, rice, onions, salad (with your choice of toppings at no extra cost) and sauce. I have gone to upscale restaurants and not been as delighted and satisfied with the food as I am here.
What really sells me, though, are the men running it. The main guy (at least I assume he is, he seems to do the bulk of the cooking) wears a perpetual smile. They are friendly and warm, so much so that it almost feels like you’re a guest in their home. That, alone, is priceless.
In conclusion, I would recommend stopping by Rafiqi’s if you’re looking for cheap, quick food with a smile.