31st and Broadway Halal Cart
“$5 Lamb over spicy rice, salad covering only a quarter of the platter – thankfully.”
“It is easy to grab a box of food and walk over to Greeley Park and people watch as you eat.”
“I have tried the combo platter which comes with lamb/chicken meat over rice and salad.”
31st and Broadway Halal Cart
Take-out: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
4 reviews
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This food stand was my introduction to Halal food. While I had heard about the food cart on 53rd and 6th Ave, 31st and Broadway happened to be right next to my hotel.
I figured, why not give it a try? It probably won't be as good as the one that has received 102 Yelp reviews, but I just got off the flight, I'm starving, and it's close.
IT WAS FAN-TA-BO-LOUS.
For the rest of my NYC trip, I reminisced how tasty and tender the lamb (I usually hate lamb!) and chicken tasted in the combo platter. How spicy and creamy the white and red sauce was and how nicely the vegetables combined with the healthy serving of rice.
Cost? $5. Truly excellent.
Later in the week, I took two subway stops to try the "famous" 53rd and 6th Ave. Halal cart. While admittedly I took the subway back (~10 minutes) and only ate once the food had gotten cold, I really think the 31st and Broadway cart was BETTER.
And how many Yelp reviews does it have? ZERO. I could only find one Google mention on Chowhound.
It's probably the location, but if you're down this way, definitely check this Halal food stand out. It's easily recognizable by a large enclosed cart with two people inside and a humorous misprinted sign that reads "chicken sushi kebab."
I couldn't make it to halal guy this time I visit NYC, so I gave it a try to this place. The owner is super polite and nice. The food turned out to be very good, the lamb over rice with good amount of flavors and sauce. Their spicy sauce is very spicy. The only thing that is too different from halal guy is that this place has much smaller portion and still $5, though I can't recall how much it was at halal guy.
This halal cart, labeled as Sharif along the top, always seems to draw a crowd during the lunch hours. The food looks fresh and plentiful, offering up lamb or chicken, and 3 types of rice: brown, yellow, and spicy. Two enthusiastic men and a kid were operating the cart at the time I visited this cart.
The grill was piled high with meat, divided into 3 sections with makeshift metal partitions. The very left contained the new food being grilled, followed by the chicken section being kept warm, and then the smallest of the three being the lamb meat which was being kept warm on the grill. Usually, I question how long the meat is sitting on the grill if I don't see them throw it on upon order. But because of the crowds and curiosity, I decided to order a Chicken over Rice ($5.00) with their spicy rice.
A styrofoam tray was immediately pulled out, piled with several spoonfuls of their spicy rice, salad, chicken, french fries, 1 falafel, and white sauce and hot sauce swirled on top in a spiral fashion for good measure. They are definitely quick, without a doubt. I was excited to see them throw fries and a falafel into my platter, one that I've been longing ever since the generous chef Omar left the Little Morocco halal cart (the owner has decided not to honor Omar's generosity to his clientele, and stick to just the basics: rice, meat, and an overabundance of salad).
Portions are decent, the biggest highlight being that the salad, consisting of just chopped fresh lettuce, only took up 1/4 of the platter, as opposed to the 1/3 salad portions that many halal carts have recently been leaning towards to. The salad was crisp without any sign of browning, signifying freshness. Then came the rice, which was not very spicy, but had a subtle seasoning to it that didn't overpower the palate but enough to make a presence. The chicken was delightful, seasoned well and tender, and mixed with vegetables (onions, broccoli, etc.). The unseasoned fries were soggy, but were a nice touch to added some extra carbs to the dish. The falafel was tolerable, although dry due to it being previously deep-fried and just sitting in a tray on the cart, but it had a good spice to it. The white sauce was your standard mayo-based sauce, and the hot sauce had a hint of spiciness but nothing overbearing.
On my second visit, I ordered the Lamb over Yellow Rice ($5.00). The lamb is by far much better. The lamb is thinly shaved off the doner kebab after it develops a very nice sear on one side, making for a subtly crispy outside, yet still maintaining a moistness inside. The yellow rice is moist yet not overly wet, making for a standard yellow rice. So far, I prefer the spicy rice, but have yet to try their white rice which actually has a yellow hue, as if it were cooked with chicken broth.
Overall, it made up for a fairly good halal cart, especially with the recent drought of good carts in the Westside (Garment District/34th St.) area. Little Morocco is no more, Adham's Halal Cart no longer provides the quality that it once did, the two gentlemen on 34th St/7th Ave. providing a heavily cardamom-spiced rice have been replaced by two new gentlemen, leaving it open to whoever wants to take over that market. These guys on 31st and Broadway definitely provide one of the better halal carts in the area and you will definitely find me coming back again. And free fries and falafels included?! Thank you!!
This place was good but not great. Reviews are exaggerated but I still enjoyed the food. I got a 50/50 chicken & lamb plate and a felafel gyro… Honestly I liked the felafel best, with the chicken a close second and I just wasn't a fan of the lamb.