Rafiqi’s Delicious Food
“Proving not all street meat is created equal, Rafiqi's serves up Middle Eastern standards like succulent lamb and chicken over rice.”
“This stand is and will forever be THE BEST $5 I will have ever spent in my life.”
“They also have a rather large selection of toppings for a food cart including cheese, lettuce, tomato, peppers, onions (raw and/or grilled), black olives, black beans, and corn.”
Rafiqi’s Delicious 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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I want a lady on the street but Rafiqi's in the bed.
What to get: Combo with all the sauces – no salad
What else: This place can be your Rafiq of the week.
I have tried four or five different Rafiqi's locations and I've had similar experiences at all of them, with a couple of notable exceptions.
(a) One time the cart in Koreatown made me really sick.
(b) One time the cart at Union Square tasted absolutely awful.
Despite that, the Union Square location is my fave. But this review is about the one near Times Square which was the one I tried on one of my most recent trips, so let's focus on that.
This particular Rafiqi's is one of my favourite ones. Service is fast and usually pretty decent. It seems like a clean, well-maintained cart. It's right in the heart of Midtown and very popular. The nearby Halal Guys and Biryani Cart get more business (and rightly so, in the case of Biryani), but if you want to sample all the best of NYC street meat, you have to give one of the Rafiqi's a try.
From this particular location I ordered the combo (which is gyro meat and chicken, with rice, covered in sauces). I learned my lesson at previous Rafiqi's, and finally asked for no salad, and extra of all the sauces. The salad tends to go bad if you save some of the food for later, and besides, it's next to all the piping hot stuff so it kind of gets weird quickly, and doesn't microwave well at all. Not that I like to microwave stuff, but how else are you going to re-heat a combo?
Service at this Rafiqi's is fine. I think it's pretty awesome that the guy has a huge Rafiqi's empire and so many trucks all over Manhattan. I wonder when (if?) he's going to expand into the other boroughs. I'm looking through my notes here and I have several other Rafiqi's I've enjoyed in my recent trips to NYC (I like to try different locations so that I can decide which ones are better, if any). So you can look forward to those.
By the way if you're willing to venture out of Manhattan, then you must go to Sammy's Halal in Queens. But if not, then try Halal Guys (the famous one), Chicken Tikka at Biryani Cart (my fave by far in Womanhattan), and any of the Rafiqi's too.
Cause tonight, baby… I wanna get Rafiqi's with you!
Tasty, delicious, cheap, street food! Definitely better than most others around. Their meat quality, salad is quite different and flavorful. If your in an area where you spot this truck, check it out!
Best street halal cart! I alternate between the chicken and rice and the combo and rice depending on my mood. Chicken is always moist and never over chopped up and the rice is cooked perfectly. I like how they've stepped up their salad garnish sides. Their white sauce, which is mayo and some vinegar mix I believe lacks a bit but their hot sauce makes up for it. Can't go wrong with the $5.50 price tag either.
I specifically looked for this Rafiqi's cart because it's pretty close to the Philippine Consulate (45th) where I had to assist someone with business matters. Of course, as someone else has mentioned, the headaches from dealing with the consulates can get you a bit aggravated AND hungry.
If I only knew my way around Manhattan — or personally knew someone who does — I would have made the trip to visit the famous Halal Guys carts, but I don't. Rafiqi's will do.
Lamb Over Yellow Rice ($5.50): I'm a bit skeptical of the "lamb," because for starters, the guy working this cart sliced meat from the vertical spit and then took a handful of slices of meat from a container near the window. Also, it did not taste like lamb at all. Maybe it's because it was heavily seasoned with spice, but still, it didn't even smell like lamb either. Nonetheless, it was still a tasty lunch after having a couple of slices of pizza a couple hours prior to my visit. There was plenty of meat and rice. It comes with yellow rice, a salad, white sauce, and red sauce.
The guy who works the cart is super friendly. He was nice enough to add extra white sauce (that's what the locals ask for, right?). I know there are other Halal carts around but if you can't find the time to check them out, this isn't a bad option at all. Solid food for cheap.
Delicious halal cart and definitely my favorite cart in NYC! I tried the lamb over rice. I thought both the lamb and rice were really flavorful. I also like how their portions are good, but without being over-flowing and excessive like some of the other halal carts. I like the white sauce here better as well. If you're looking to try a halal cart in nyc, I highly recommend this one!
Best halal plate to date! Got the combo plate, both chicken and lamb were relish, next time I'd get just lamb though because it was really good. Get all the sauces and it includes lots of veggies more then the standard stuff, and all were fresh. Would definitely go back!!
Since there are a million halal stands I usually go for whichever one has the longest line, you have to figure if people are willing to wait it's for a reason! Rafiqi's did not disappoint delicious, cheap, street food. I usually go for a chicken and rice platter with extra white sauce and hot sauce which is what I had here, it was perfect for a quick lunch!
This location is temporary closed since December. Closest location is 52st and Park ave, or 40th and Park Ave