XPL Halal Truck

XPL is always a solid choice. I hit it at least once a week as it’s only a block and half away and my standard lamb and rice meal with veggies (no salad – leaves more room for the good stuff) is always delicious and just the right amount of filling. I have no problem with a generous dose of white sauce, but I usually ask for a little extra red for the right kick, but still without being overpowering. It’s a perfect combo. And the guy running it is always very pleasant, super efficient while serving up a great $ 6 LUNCH.

Among the better Halal Trucks, XLP serves up a damn tasty falafel over rice, which includes eggplant and chickpeas as well as a small side of salad, and is covered by both white and red sauces.
Tip: If you don’t want too much of either sauce, especially the white sauce, ask them to go light on it; otherwise, everything will be drenched!
A fan I am!

«Blasphemy!»
That’s how my friend reacted when I told him that XPL offered better food than the Halal Guys.
A friend brought me here, and it’s like a well-​kept secret only a few know about, but has a solid following. Does that make it a bad food truck since no one harps on about it? Hardly.
There were about 7 – 10 people ahead of me in line, and given the fact that there was only one guy handling everything inside, the line moved at a pretty fast pace.
My friend got me the lamb over rice ($ 6) — his recommendation — and some falafels.
The lamb combo serving size was very generous, and could easily have been good for 2 people (actually, you think you can’t finish it but before you know it, your food is gone). Good value for money.
As for the food, I am not a fan of lamb at all, and would only normally eat it if there was nothing else. But upon tasting this food truck’s lamb, for the first time, I found myself liking it! Gone was the game-​y taste I disliked most about the meat, and it was tender, and juicy. Perfect. The rice I think was a pilaf, flavorful but subtle, and thankfully not oily. It came with a heap of salad, and generous (adjustable) drizzles of the tzatziki and hot sauce. The sauces did not steal the show, as some often do, but did as they were designed to do– to enhance the flavor of the meal. The falafel, unfortunately, was dry but more flavorful than the Halal Guys.
Overall a very satisfying meal that leaves you feeling good.
The guy running the show, despite doubling as chef + cashier, was very friendly, sparing a moment to chat — he learned how to cook from his mother — and gamely answer questions.
I understand why people like my friend would regularly frequent this place, and keep it under the radar– a gem of a food truck, understated, but with its food bigger and brighter than its reputation.

Very solid chicken and falafel cart. There is usually a line around lunch time, but the food is worth it. I had the chicken over rice for $ 6 and it is a lot of food. There’s a lot of white and red sauce added in, which I love. The falafel is good as well. Good cheap place for lunch. Plenty of benches nearby for sitting.

My go-​to street meat cart and a good place to get a paleo/​carb-​free meal. The guy who runs this cart is a nice guy. $ 5 gets me a falafel/​chicken mix over salad (i skip the rice, and this is one of the few carts that won’t look at you sideways for asking for salad instead of rice). The chickpea addition is always nice. Ask for jalapenos as well.

I’ve worked up a serious addiction to the chicken and lamb over rice. Great with the white sauce and the hot sauce. I recently learned through research that a halal truck-​sized portion of chicken and lamb over rice can contain approximately 2,000 calories. So, if you think about it, $ 5 for a day’s worth of calories is possibly the best you can economically do. And that’s how you eat food during a recession.

Delicious and tasty falafel, when cooked fresh. The pita is warm and moist. The rice dishes are over generous. The afternoon and evening guy is really nice, and cooks me fresh falafel every time. The sauces are great. Thumbs up to the chutney. For $ 3 (pita) to $ 5 (rice dishes), it’s a great deal. You might say I’m addicted.

I got the standard combo over rice for $ 5. It does not come with a drink or any pita bread, but plenty of sauce if you ask for it.
The rice is different than most of the other carts that I have been too. It’s the basmati style rice and it gives it more of a biryani type taste to it than what you would get at Gussy’s or 53^rd and 6^th.
It wasn’t great and it wasn’t bad, but I think I personally prefer the other type of rice served at most other places.

Still a fan… just a note:
The guy DOUSES your halal food with White Sauce if you ask for some. He doesn’t go easy on it. Make sure if you ask for white sauce… say not much, or very little or something, otherwise you’ll be eating sauce with lamb and rice.
It kills the flavor of the lamb and rice… just a note…

I come here nearly once a week for their Chicken and Lamb over rice (with white sauce, and sometimes with green sauce also). The place kept growing on me, and is a staple when I need a quick but hearty meal.
Love the tasty basmati rice.

$ 3
Fresh pita falafel
They fry those green balls right in front of your face!
White sauce hot sauce lettuce tomato onion peppers
$ 3

Today was definitely a day for falafel. I stumbled upon this place on Unilocal!and decided to check it out. It was definitely worth the walk. Their falafel rice platter is delicious. For only $ 5, you get a soda and 5~7 falafels on top of rice, along with some vegetables and a small salad. The rice is nice and moist, and the salad is crisp. I’ve had better falafel (theirs is a bit oily), but it’s well seasoned. I could tell which of mine had been sitting in the bin for a bit longer than the others. If you get lucky and show up when there are fresh falafel though, you won’t have to wait online to get it! The service is speedy, so there’s no line.

$ 3 Lamb & Chicken on Pita
I’m new to the Midtown Lunch food culture, so am still enthused about street meat. Last night, I happened to walk past XPL on the NW corner of E52nd & 3^rd Ave. I recognized them from MLB’s SMP2 & SMP3! In Street Meat Palooza 2, they were the most highly recognized new entrant.
I decided to give their lamb & chicken pita ($ 3) a try, with white & red sauces, of course. The chicken was a tad dry, but I liked the lamb. It was hard to judge the quality of this street meat since my combo pita was doused in white & red sauces. The red wasn’t too spicy, which is good because the red sauce at the Famous Halal Guys is 5-​alarms spicy!

Good Halal truck for $ 3! It’s also one of the better tasting Halal truck/​cart in Midtown East!

Just to add my two cents. $ 5 for a soda and a meal is a steal around these parts. In addition I just wanted to add they have some good veggie options. The $ 5 falafel on rice option with a soda while unorthodox works. They give you the standard salad and savory basmati rice with 5 or 6 falafels and this wondering stewed chick pea and veggie concotion that is reminisenct of what one might get a Turkish restaurant. Agreed with everything else TCL said.