28th & Madison Halal Stand
“The white sauce complimented everything well – I would suggest overdoing it actually.”
“but you also get french fries, pita, lettuce, tomato, and even a stray fallafel or two…”
“Mixed with yellow rice and an order of fish on top is my usual and never dissapoint.”
28th & Madison Halal Stand
Take-out: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Inexpensive
7 reviews
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Another halal cart that I think is amazing and infinitely better than Halal Guys… this place is def in my top 3 favorites, up there with Casbah and Rafiqi's. The portions are HUGE, the sauces are great, rice is delicious, and the chicken is quality chicken pieces, and tender plus flavorful. On top of that, they are open for dinner, which allows me to get my chicken on rice fixing even after lunch time. Also, any halal cart that gives cucumber in their salad also automatically gets extra points from me. Delicious!!
From at least a block away you can smell the aroma of sizzling goodness wafting your way. This street meat's so good you'll want to shovel it in your mouth. But really, try to show some restraint.
Order the combination platter and they'll load up a box of rice, salad, french fries and a slew of meats for six bucks. Take this puppy back to your desk and it'll keep you company all afternoon.
I think there are two Halal carts that occupy this space. I've been here a few times and I've seen a gray cart in the afternoon and a yellow cart at night. I've tried food from both and both are pretty good. The gray cart is a dollar cheaper. Yellow cart = $6 and grey cart = $5, for chicken and rice.
Standard Halal fare with your choice of brown or yellow rice. I chose yellow. Good amount of flavoring and its served pretty fresh. Serving size is medium. Its not a ton of food like Halal guys, but its enough for one sitting.
I think the thing that separates this cart from the rest of them, is that this cart serves fries and sometimes a falafel with your platter. I'm not so sure I'm a fan of fries with chicken and rice. But recently, I ate it with the meal. In the past, I used to separate the fries and eat it at the end of my meal. To me, fries just don't seem to go along with chicken and rice. I guess I'm on the fence about that.
Unlike the little street carts you find all over Manhattan, this one is actually a food truck that is parked on the corner of 28th Street and Madison Avenue all day. As a result, it is much better quality. The lamb is actually cut from a spit like in restaurants and tastes fresher and is juicy – not dry and old like carts that store their meat in coolers. The rice and veggies are also more freshly prepared. And, the chicken or lamb with rice is still only $5.
Also, as a bonus, the guy here usually gives you french fries and a falafel ball when you get a platter. This is easily the best halal food in this neighborhood.
Since starting my new job in this neighborhood this guy is my go-to lunch. I keep trying to walk further afield, but then I get a whiff of street meat and it's all over.
$5 gets you chicken over excellent rice (I like the "spicy" brown rice personally) with a little iceberg salad, a falafel ball, and some gratuitous french fries included. Oh and a soda. It is an offer I can't refuse. Cover it in that beautiful white mystery and holy chicken that is delicious.
Chicken in a pita makes it perfect for a park trip, but I sure do love that brown rice man…it's got that little hint of sweetness in the spicy that I just go nuts for. Highly recommended.
While the untrained eye might see all of the endless Halal Stands in New York City as being indifferent from one another, know that the particular stand on 28th and Madison is a good one, with good quality eats at reasonable prices.
Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere?
When it comes to a food stand, there's not much more you can ask for besides expedited service and a friendly face, and you get both of those things at this location. My buddy lives not far away and is a local of sorts, and the two of us are always met with a friendly face and a question as to whether or not we want the usual. From there, food is out the window in under five. What more could you want? Star Granted.
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
We're not talking McDonald's cheap here, but know that the Halal Stand is above that level of quality anyway. For $7 I got a sizable portion of mixed chicken and lamb with rice, and while that's only a few dollars away from say a Chipotle Burrito, it was also 0230 in the morning. These prices are fair. Star Granted.
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
Good. Very good, actually. The meats are fresh and of high quality, with good flavor across the board. The rice is cooked to perfection and flavorful in it's own right, and the sauces bring everything together in a way that reminded me of late night kebabs, which is very much a good thing. My one gripe would be that the veggies were a little bit on the weak side with just boring ole lettuce and some other chopped veg, but that's a small issue in the grand scheme of things. Single Star Granted.
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
I love simplistic affordability, and that's exactly what this halal stand is. I'd gladly come daily. Star Granted.
This is the kind of food that tastes "just O.K" when you're sober, but can have a heavenly taste after a few drinks. There are a few bars nearby, which might explain the places' success.
The gyros, in my humble opinion, have the best taste out of any order there. And it is great that you can get full with like $6dollars. So all in all great value. Try them after visiting any bar that's in the neighborhood.