Sammy’s Halal Food
“When topped with the red and green sauces this plate becomes a scrumptious, oily feast of the world's simplest, most popular staples.”
“Vendy awards rarely lie and they certainly do not lie on Sammy's.
I'm known by certain circles as a Halal fiend maybe even more so than a bagel and apple pie fanatic.”
“I had been doing the inconvenient trek to jackson heights whenever i craved good halal.”
Sammy’s Halal Food
Take-out: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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Similarly to fellow vendy award winning Queens Halal cart King of Falafel (yelp.com/biz/king-of-fal…), Sammy's pseudo recent expansion to Manhattan can be attributed to their cult like success in Jackson Heights. This cart is right up there with some of the better Halal in the city, but like a typical sequel doesn't quite have the punch of the original version.
That's not to say it's not delicious. $5-6 gets one the same portion of chicken + lamb over rice and salad and with one drink. While it may not be as hearty as 53rd & 6th, the lamb is seasoned in a way where it blends with the white sauce almost perfectly. On top of that, the use of basmati rice is a welcome treat over the typically bland yellow rice that many Halal carts all too often.
I'm glad to see Sammy's didn't adjust the prices for the pricey West Village area and in doing so has enabled this cart to be in the cheap lunch discussion. And since this area is a prime nightlife location, Sammy's doubles up as not only a lunch spot, but a perfect drunken food spot as well.
My other hope is that this cart doesn't keep folks from trying the original Sammy's in Queens. It's all fine and dandy to capitalize on the Manhattan bucks, the mentality of going out of one's way for good food as opposed to have a lesser version come to them is still applicable.
sweet merciful crap, how have I not reviewed this place yet?!
it is always there after my drunken shenanigans on Bleecker or when returning from Hoboken. in fact, at one point we had the phone number of the guy working Friday nights and would phone in our orders ahead of time. that's the sign that you might have a problem…
I always get the lamb/rice platter. load up on red sauce, and we're good to go. 5 bucks for delicious halal cart awesomeness.
always cheap, delicious, and ready for the afterparty…like the ideal girl. BAZINGA!!!!
I AM SORRY! BABY TAKE ME BACK!!!!!
On the real doe. I was mistaken. The price rise still aint feeling it cuz I'm out here tryna eat.
However I admit after frequenting this cart over the last 3 years I have to say there is no equal to Sammy's. I might even go as far as to say this is my personal favorite cart. Trust me Halal Guys is deng good and unique too, but the taste got a little old on me. I don't know if they put some addictive sauce up in this or not, but after having tried at least 6-7 halal carts I keep coming back to Sammy's.
The reason Sammy's kills 'em is cuz they marinate their chicken and keep it relatively juicy. The chicken don't go dry at this joint. Moreover the spicy sauce is more liquidy and it don't dry up on you food like at the majority of other halal carts, and its not as spicy as halal guys. They give you good portions (average) so no more complaint. The taste is a slight spicy with a slight sweet.
This is a great option for when you want some grub but not a formal meal or junky fast food. I'm currently on a no-to-low carb eating plan but am happy to chow down on the contents of a gyro and give the pita to the pigeons, who happily devour it and then burst into flames from the hot sauce (or so I'd wish).
This is the same Sammy's Halal as the one in Queens. Vendy awards rarely lie and they certainly do not lie on Sammy's.
I'm known by certain circles as a Halal fiend maybe even more so than a bagel and apple pie fanatic.
Sike. Bagels first Maaaaaaaan.
The service has always been friend.
The price is good. You can refer to my photo for complete listing.
The quality is AMAZING. Normally, I just order the chicken over rice. Okay, I order 2 orders of chicken over rice. I can eat OKAY? Sometimes I order the lamb over rice. My stomach is pretty happy after that.
People want to be a fan of the Halal Guys all they want. I've stopped eating Halal Guys as I use to rave about them. I still do if I'm desperate for that late night Halal but definitely NOT in the day time.
Sammy's is where it's at y'all.
SUPER Fan.
I was hanging out in the West Village when my friend said she wanted to halal food, naturally we went to Sammy's because of all the good things we've heard about them, and especially because they also won the VENDY AWARD! I've even read a few reviews that this place top halal guys so of course I had to give it a try! I ordered the lamb over rice and my friend got the chicken over rice. I ate mine too quickly so I didn't get a chance to take the lamb over rice picture but a attached one of the chicken over rice! LOL
My first impression is that they skimp out on the quantity, my portion was extremely light. I guess I'm just used to halal carts stuffing my my Styrofoam container with tons of food. As for the actual food itself, I thought it was just all right, nothing special that especially stood out for me. I was only happy over the fact that the lamb was not dry, unlike that of other carts that I've tried before. IDK if it was just me but the food tasted way saltier than other halal carts that I've eaten before. I was dying for water halfway through the portion :/ and no water was not given for free with your purchase. In conclusion, I wish I could have liked this place more, but it turned out to be a disappointing first try to me. I Guess my go-to halal cart will still be the one in Queens near my house 😀
I kinda like this cart better than the more famous halal cart in midtown, mainly because of the cilantro-heavy green sauce.
Chicken: Firm and nicely spiced. Even better when slathered with the creamy white sauce.
Lamb: Cut into small cubes that ended up being seared all around for a very crunchy gyro meat experience. A perfect texture contrast to the fluffy rice. The hot sauce is a must to counter the fatty richness.
Rice: So fluffy and without any grains sticking together. Perhaps the lightest rice I've ever had from a food cart. There is no need for a soggy pita when you have this.
Salad: Very forgettable. Lots of iceberg lettuce squares with a few cabbage shreds. I never waste stomach space on this.
Delicious mixed combo. Channa chick peas hit the spot on a cold day. Chicken is tender and juicy. Lamb is in nice cubes. Green sauce is mint chutney and is a nice twist for cart food. Very nice man running the cart as well. He gave us some free chick peas.
This place definitely lives up to its name and is better than halal g*ys lately. Cumin rice, green sauce, it's the little touches.