NYC's BIGGEST TOURIST TRAP? Halal Guys Cart Review

Halal Guys, also known more officially as The Halal Guys, is perhaps NYC's most famous food destination. There is no more well-known NYC street food especially when it comes to NYC halal carts, as the famous Halal Guys chicken over rice platter is well known to New Yorkers and tourists everywhere. Halal Guys has capitalized on this fame, opening several Halal Guys storefront locations all over the US and even in other countries.

Despite this fame, however, I am a firm believer that Halal Guys is one of the biggest tourist traps in New York City. While the brick and mortar halal guys locations may still be making good food, the original Halal Guys carts are serving dry chicken, watered down sauces filled with preservatives, and bland rice. While the original 53rd street and 6th ave Halal Guys cart may have started the Halal cart trend in NYC, other halal carts in the city have now surpassed this once legendary institution.

Watch my latest vid and see for yourself if Halal Guys is still worth its reputation. Like and Subscribe if you like my vids!

Restaurant Deets:
The Halal Guys
6th Avenue &, W 53rd St, New York, 10019

The Halal Guys
307 E 14th St, New York, NY 10003

[GorgeGeourge]

Used to go halal guys all the time like 20 years ago when they only had one cart and were $5 a platter and they were amazing. The meat was always juicy and full of flavor. Past few time I've had it the meat was dry and bland. It was so disappointing how their quality seems to have dropped off a cliff.

[krushmoto]

As a native New Yawker... Skip the tourist traps and go to the outer boroughs. The halal cart in the Stop N Stop plaza across the Police Academy near the Whitestone Expressway in Flushing is made fresh every time and never dry and stringy!
I also go to a cart on Cross Bay Blvd & Rockaway Blvd when I worked at JFK.
Haven't been to the JFK cart in a few years but still go to the Flushing cart when I visit my mom.

[alisachamoy]

Agree completely. Lifelong New Yorker here and never go there despite everyone claiming it’s super popular. Great, honest review as always.

[edreid]

How much was the storefront meal?.. I walk by the spot all the time, and never stopped in..

[nicolasfortier]

Visiting NYC later this month, and just ripping through your awesome vidz for food ideas. Love 'em!

[daurang]

I agree with you completely. Their franchises are mostly garbage too, with low yelp rating to match. I wish other reviewers are as honest as you instead of faking smiling and yummy everything so good!. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!

[matthewelliott]

Halal Guys has recently received terrible reviews. Dry... Flavorless... Expensive for what you get. Seems to be universal.

[LouisLim]

I'm glad a review was done. I stopped eating at Halal Guys when I asked for chicken, they had one packaged already from a previous customer that probably didn't want it. That should have been my first clue not to take it, when I found out it was lamb, and that was it. I remember when we could add the sauce ourselves with the squeeze bottles that had available on the side of the cart. I guess they're tighten their belts. A huge definite skip, now with the dry ass meat (or surprise meat). Huge definite pass whenever I'm near that corner.

[KahlilDechaine]

Hello from Calgary, Alberta Canada. They opened a location here and thought I'd try it out based on a number of Youtube videos I watched to see what the hype was about. It didn't blow my mind enough to go back.

[Kanyethegoat]

I love your channel so much man. You have a great personality and vibe to your videos. Love how youre actually critical of food unlike other channels

[jcnot]

Hello. I subbed to you back when you made your first halal guys vid. I remember disagreeing with your opinion on it since I used to get them for lunch at my old job and had fond memories of it. This made me curious so I've since gone back and Jesus Christ is their chicken dry as cardboard. What a waste of money. I always walk past the brick and mortar locations thinking it's just going to be more of the same, but you've convinced me to try one out. Thanks for calling out the tourist traps. There's so much good food in this city, it's not worth it go to a subpar location to eat just to say that you've tried it.

[YASTravelsEatsWell]

Nice updated review! Interesting that the store-front is so much better than the cart. I've done a ton of street food in NYC over 40 years but this is an interesting touch. My assumption is that the flat-top in the store is better to work with than the cart! I will definitely stop at the 14th street location on my next NYC visit. Nice that you mentioned Adele's! Just for curiosity, were the prices similar? I hate dry chicken. I do prefer lamb!

[bobstrete]

Have you tried the grease trucks in New Brunswick at Rutgers? I think one of them(R U Hungry) graduated to an actual restaurant

[Wheels_NYC]

Yeah I feel they're over-hyped. There's some great halal carts by me in Queens, but Manhattan has plenty, too. As a retired NYC Paramedic, next time you see an ambulance, ask them where to get, and 99% of the time, it'll be the best in the neighborhood!

[okunka]

Right after 9/11 my office was temporarily relocated across the street from Halal Guys. The city was practically shut down (hard to even find a cab), so they had no business. Also, many people discriminated against Arabic people after the attack. My work buddy and I felt we should try them out to show them not all Americans were so bad. Well, we were blown away at the quality and how delicious the food was! We became some of there best customers, and we told everyone we could to try them. It's great that they turned this into a big business, because they were the sweetest people you could imagine. Now they need to improve the cart, this may be tough to do since they are limited by the city on the space they have, and they are trying to do volume to meet the demand.

[Pintexx]

Halal guys was great until 2017. Used to go there every week at the 14th st location during my high school days. Price was way lower too and meat was juicier, flavorful and fresh. Just not the same these days, higher prices but lower quality. Definitely better than the cart but my favorite halal guys store is the one I went to in King of Prussia, PA. Price was lower and quality was definitely better than any NYC halal guys

[VanJazzFan]

A storefront Halal Guys opened here in downtown Vancouver, Canada a month ago at 570 Robson St. After trying the combo platter, my advice is to head to Afghani Kabul Kebab Donair on 1793 Robson St for a much better tasting, and less expensive meal.

[jeemoon]

I was so blessed to have worked around the corner back when they were good. Feel so old now.

[vniemo]

They tried to put a franchise in Dearborn Heights MI, it lasted less than 6 months before closing. We have the largest Middle Eastern population outside of the Middle East here in SE Michigan. The food was pretty horrible when compared to all the independent places here.

[jskelly]

The franchise here where I live, the food is so dry that it makes your throat hurt. There is way better options when it comes to this type of food but they do deserve some credit for making more people aware of it.