Rafiqi’s Delicious Food

Not really into getting lunch (or dinner — must say though that in a rush I will get coffee in the morning) from food trucks. However, beware that this place is addicting!!! Highly recommended by a co-​worker and so I tried the chicken gyro sandwich with some lettuce and fresh tomatoes. PLUS splash of tzatziki and hot sauce :) Needless to say, I am now a believer and my other co-​worker actually ate this for lunch one 4x within 5 days! Lol!

Y’all. This place is great. Lunch, Dinner, Late Night. Every time of day is great for Rafiqi’s. The chicken and lamb platter is great, and I always get some side pita. It’s best when fresh from the cart, but it also reheats well if need be. The gyro’s are also amazing, they make sure they heat the pita up. The falafel is spicy and has a good consistency. Always get the white sauce. It’s delicious. Also the hot sauce is pretty good too and packs some heat. Cheap, reliable, and the Late Night guy in Union Square is hilariously delightful.

Rafiqi’s on Park and 51^st is probably my top favorite food cart restaurant in Manhattan, but the location in Union Square gets one less star from me. The guy in this truck isn’t that friendly, and the last time I went, there was no corn, and the guy was slicing what looked like a frozen onion. Frozen veggies are not appetizing, but the meat and rice were still delicious, ergo still 4 stars.

Have it four stars because they ran out of sides for the falafel plate. But overall, super cheap and delicious

I usually stay away from halal carts because it’s always a hit or miss situation. Well, this one is a hit. I stumbled upon this cart, hungry, at 3 p.m., because I’m not used to having lunch that late. I got the falafel sandwich, which was super flavorful and just the right texture. It’s really easy to get bad falafel.
Going back again next week to try the gyro sandwich. Haha.

I’m writing as I’m eating because Rafiqi’s is so freakin good. As a result, I’m having a stomachache from eating too fast.
Like most people, 6 Ave halal will forever remain #1… but that might change for me now that I’m having Rafiqi’s!
What I love most about this location is that my rice is not swimming in sauces! And the salad has additions of black olives, corn, and chickpeas to the plain ol’ lettuce, tomatoes, and onions you see at other vendors.
$ 7.25 for chicken+lamb over rice with a can of Coke in Union Square? Uhhh, yes please!
Now that I’m a little more digested… back to eating! :)

OK so at first I didn’t like this truck. Then I loved it. Then not so much. And now I like it again. In that sense, I am ra-«Fiqkle» it’s true. If you don’t like rude and silly jokes you shouldn’t read my reviews by the way, they might Fiq you out. And if you do read them and don’t like them, and then you send me hate mail or hate-​compliments (oxymoron!) or even worse, and yes I have had much worse — long story — then you can seriously go and Fiq yourself. :)
Really though, I don’t think people realize that receiving negativity and hate mail just galvanize the resolve. So if you don’t like someone, the best way to deal with them is to completely ignore them and forget they exist. That way you don’t waste your energy and time on them, and you don’t spur them on and encourage them and fuel them. You would be wise to follow that advice in life. Spending your time hating others or bringing others down only really brings yourself down in the end. Plus, if you keep it coming, eventually I’ll give in and do something about it. Don’t say I didn’t, say I didn’t warn you.
What to get: Combo with all the sauces — no salad
What else: This is my fave location of Rafiqi’s
Why: Cause tonight baby, I wanna get Rafiqi with you
What else: I want a lady on the street but Rafiqi’s in the bed
Oh really: Yes, this food is wild, like Korn said, keep Rafiqi’s on a Leash
So sometimes the traffiq’s bad in this location, but it’s well worth it because for some reason it tastes even better than all the other locations. I say even better because all of those are really good, too. I have tried four or five different Rafiqi’s locations and I’ve had similar experiences at all of them, with a couple of notable exceptions, and this is the exception on the high side. It’s juuuuuuuuuuuust sooooooooooooo gooooooooooooood
(a) One time this particular cart in Koreatown made me really sick, but the food still tasted great and Cart food tends to go right through me anyway, so I’m not going to downgrade their star level for this. I know other people would.
(b) One time the cart at Union Square (this one) tasted absolutely awful.
But
© This one (Union Square) is my fave because they seem to taste better than the others on a semi-​consistent basis.
This cart opened in 1900, during the final days of the reign of British Queen Ra-​Fiqtoria.
The guy working at this one is usually really friendly. It’s not as popular as the Midtown one I reviewed. Halal Guys and Biryani Cart get more business (and rightly so, in the case of Biryani), but if you want to sample all the best of NYC street meat, you have to give one of the Rafiqi’s a try. This Union Square locations, or the ones on Park, are right up there with the best of them.
For dessert, I like to get Fiq Newtons.
From this particular location, the first time, I ordered the combo (which is gyro meat and chicken, with rice, covered in sauces). I had yet to learn my lesson, and I got it just the way it comes, which is with Salad. Since then I have always ordered the same thing with no salad. Or just he chicken and rice, sometimes, which is fantastic too.
It just tastes so per-​fiq.
If you get it, I recommend skipping the Salad, which is often a little old and nondescript anyway. The salad tends to go bad if you save some of the food for later, and besides, it’s next to all the piping hot stuff so it kind of gets weird quickly, and doesn’t microwave well at all. Not that I like to microwave stuff, but how else are you going to re-​heat a combo?
I was reading a biography while I waited for the food here. I like Non-​Fiqtion works.
I think it’s pretty awesome that the guy has a huge Rafiqi’s empire and so many trucks all over Manhattan. I wonder when (if?) he’s going to expand into the other boroughs. According to my notes I have tried 5 Rafiqi’s total, but there are about 15 of them… it really is an empire. I like to try different locations so that I can decide which ones are better, if any. So you can look forward to reviews of the others at some point.
I finally met Rafiqi’s mother by the way! She introduced herself as the «Mother Fiqi»… er…
By the way if you’re willing to venture out of Manhattan, then you must go to Sammy’s Halal in Queens. But if not, then try Halal Guys (the famous one), Chicken Tikka at Biryani Cart (my fave by far in Womanhattan), and any of the Rafiqi’s too.
Oh and I have a confession to make. Some of you might think this is out of character for me, but the girl I’m seeing actually has Fiq Boobs. Not just a little fiq but really really fiq. I’m sure they weren’t cheap. I think she must have had to do a Beatles and work Eight Days A Fiq to afford them. I can’t fiqure out which ones are or aren’t, sometimes, but in this case, it’s totally fiqin’ obvious.

My favorite location of this great chain. solid food that’s always fresh at good prices. Sweet guys too.

I get Rafiqi’s about once a week and these guys are great. The food’s consistent and the workers are friendly. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I have not got sick or tasted anything out of the ordinary.
Chicken and rice for $ 5.75? You can’t beat it.

I like falafel, and there is no other halal cart for me. Most halal carts serve you coarse, pre-​made falafel, but Rafiqi’s is soft and fresh. Other halal carts will stick some lettuce and onion into your pita and call it a day, but Rafiqi’s offers all sorts of fun toppings like corn, olives, and chickpeas. And then there’s that green hot sauce — you have to ask for it otherwise you’ll get the regular red hot sauce — it tastes like a cross between chimichurri and coriander chutney and explodes flavor on your tongue like a thousand suns.
Any of these facts alone would be enough to crown Rafiqi’s the best cart falafel in the City. Rafiqi’s is better than the other carts in every conceivable category. And their stuff is a quarter or two cheaper than your average cart. It’s amazing other places get away with what they get away with.
NB: This review applies to all Rafiqis that I’ve been to; I am reviewing this one because it’s the one I go to the most.

I feel cheated… my meal almost costed $ 7 and I got ¾ of whAt I actually get with the cart by my school… little bit of rice, the reason for the higher star instead of 1 is because the chicken is decent but not enough of it. other than that go to another rafiqi’s. P. s the one by Bmcc serves chicken and lamb combo for $ 5 o_​O now that’s a steal

Lamb & chicken on rice with white sauce and hot sauce is probably my favorite lunch of all time! Pretty cheap, too. I’ve tried other Halal carts but this particular Rafiqi’s has them all beat!

I have had Rafiqi’s before and for the most part, have always enjoyed it. For the price, you are getting a filling and flavorful meal. However, one incidence caused me to never want to eat here again.
It was late one night and I was scrambling to find places near the subway station that was still selling food. I find Rafiqi and think, thank godness, my saving grace. The cart looked somewhat vacant, and as I approached, I saw the vendor sitting behind the cart counter. I asked him if the cart was still open and operating, he said it was. I order the combo over rice.
When I went to eat it, I tasted strong flavors of gasoline. I immediately spitted it out and could not bring myself to finish it. I usually love halal food but this was not something I could, or want, to stomach.
I’m sure there are many people who have had great experiences, but this was one of my experiences and, surely, the last with Rafiqi.

I have a weak spot for street meat, so when I heard verbal rave views about Rafiqi’s, I decided to add it to my potential list of options. I’ll start by saying, once I got my food, it was definitely tasty, though not out of this world and the price is right. The problem was really with the service. Now I’ll admit that this was an unseasonably warm winter day days before Christmas. Perhaps the proprietor didn’t expect the turnout of people, but it just seemed like poor preparation given that the stand is based in Union Square right off the park and holiday market.
I arrived to a long line and became motivated. It must be good with a line right?!?
My nephew and I order a gyro and a plate of lamb and rice to which we learn that there is no lamb prepared right now and it will be a 10 minute wait. Because we’d come this far, we decided to wait and I ordered a hotdog for my nephew in the interim. Response: I ran out of hotdogs. Smh. Ultimately the food came, but Rafiqi’s lost at least 7 other sales during this wait. Waiting= acceptable in a restaurant, but is unacceptable while waiting curbside.

Rafiqi’s fools you once, shame on Rafiqi’s. Rafiqi’s fools you twice, shame on YOU!
Seriously guys, don’t let this place lure you in with its bottom dollar prices and its «how bad can it be? it’s street food!» charms. I honestly had a day of my life ruined after eating their gyro on rice, as I prayed that the sodium-​fueled storm brewing in my stomach wouldn’t turn out to be food poisoning. You will regret this decision. You’ve been warned.

I actually think Rafiqi’s halal tastes better than the 53^rd and 6^th one. I like my veggies, so maybe that’s why… they give you a proper salad on the side and the olives are (surprisingly) a tasty complement to the lamb and chicken. And the best part? No 30 minute wait! Hell yea.

If you like a more eloquent halal with more additional vegetable choices, go here. But if you like your halal simple but with more emphasis on taste — don’t.
Not terrible but not that good that you have to give it a try amongst the other halal carts and stores out there.

Tasty and cheap eats.
I ordered the Gyro sandwich and it was pretty good.
For $ 4 it’s a quick and affordable bite.

Street meat… it’s cheap, fast and easy. Hmmm… that sounds like a euphemism for something else!
But since I was averaging about 6−7miles of walking a day while in my short trip to NYC, I had to try one of these because the smell of the gyros were alluring and for about $ 6/​pop, that’s cheap NYC food!
I say you have to visit one of these stands at least once when you visit NYC. It’s pretty good. And all this time, I never knew what halal actually meant. The lamb is pretty good.

Wonderful, deliciously fresh gyros! These things smell and taste great. My brother in law liked it so much he actually scarfed down two of them in about 15 minutes. I think it was like $ 4 for one in a pita. Amazing value.
Just want to point out that you need to beware of impostors… there’s sometimes other carts right off the corner who are trying to siphon off business from Rafiqi. Actually, sometimes Rafiqi’s is not there at all, so while you can get a gyro, you may not be getting the good stuff.