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The Halal Guys, Originally a Manhattan Food Truck, Rapidly Franchising in Numerous DC-Area Locations


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Al Saray, a short-lived attempt at Egyptian fare, is no longer with us. In its place in Springfield Plaza will be The Halal Guys, which began as a food truck in Manhattan and is now "going global," with locations in our area coming to Springfield Plaza, University Mall in Fairfax, Dunn Loring, and H Street NE.

I wish them well, and I hope they checked their sales projections. That stretch of Baklick Road in Springfield will deliver direct competition from Karahi Kabob House, Afghan Bistro and Flame Kabob, not to mention Eleni's for solid gyros and a handful of downright good char-broiled pollo places. I would have thought the market was saturated for grilled proteins, but what do I know?

 

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The satellite location that I have visited (14th St in NYC) is pretty solid compared to the original carts.  I'm not sure there is a lot you can do to screw up shredded chicken, but they do ok carrying over.  One drawback is that the original carts are always busy - the food is always extremely fresh.  If you hit a storefront location outside of busy hours... not as fresh.  Still good, but not quite there.

But at least you don't have to shovel halal in your face while walking down 6th Avenue.

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28 minutes ago, genericeric said:

The satellite location that I have visited (14th St in NYC) is pretty solid compared to the original carts.  I'm not sure there is a lot you can do to screw up shredded chicken, but they do ok carrying over.  

Oh, I've seen shredded chicken screwed up many times - it can be as dry as sawdust, or sitting in a in a vat full of hot liquid (*) - both equal sins in my eyes. Do you know how The Halal Guys store their shredded chicken once it has been cooked? And do you know how they cook it?

Funny, it's usually the brick-and-mortar locations where you get the better food, and the food trucks that struggle to keep it fresh; here, you make it sound like the opposite situation - is this the case?

(*) I'm looking at you, John's Roast Pork.

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1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

Oh, I've seen shredded chicken screwed up many times - it can be as dry as sawdust, or sitting in a in a vat full of hot liquid (*) - both equal sins in my eyes. Do you know how The Halal Guys store their shredded chicken once it has been cooked? And do you know how they cook it?

Funny, it's usually the brick-and-mortar locations where you get the better food, and the food trucks that struggle to keep it fresh; here, you make it sound like the opposite situation - is this the case?

(*) I'm looking at you, John's Roast Pork.

I'm honestly not sure how they cook it - the carts and stores all have a flat top grill, but I'm not 100% that's where the chicken is cooked.  But yes, since the carts almost always have a line that appears to be based on the amount of food the cart can cook, not the check out process etc. so the food is always fresh.  B-a-M locations (at least the one on 14th) have a higher capacity and few customers, so it can sit for longer.

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1 hour ago, genericeric said:

I'm honestly not sure how they cook it - the carts and stores all have a flat top grill, but I'm not 100% that's where the chicken is cooked.  But yes, since the carts almost always have a line that appears to be based on the amount of food the cart can cook, not the check out process etc. so the food is always fresh.  B-a-M locations (at least the one on 14th) have a higher capacity and few customers, so it can sit for longer.

They cook the marinated meat on the flat top.  They start cooking at 10, store as much as they can hold on the grill, then the lines start to grow as they run out of the precooked meats.  I never actually ate there, but their cart was just north of my office in NYC so I passed by frequently.

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Holy shit they are expanding rapidly. I had a feeling that their several locations in New York wasn't the end of this saga. I actually have eaten at the cart once and wasn't like overly wowed by the experience. I remember it being quite salty but this was some years ago now!! In DC it could do quite well ESPECIALLY IF IT STAYS OPEN 24 hours. DC's great weakness!!!

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OH MY GOD PLEASE LET THIS BE HAPPENING.

not particularly happy that it's on H Street NE and nowhere near me, but i'll take an Uber both ways for it. one of the BIGGEST hits I took moving from half a mile from the 14th Street location (and working half a mile from 53rd and 6th) here was the halal scene.

let's bring Russ and Daughters down here for lox and i'll be on cloud 9 ;)

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It's very tasty. Not the highest quality meats, but perfect after a late night out (but I've driven to the one on 53rd and 6th at 10pm on a week night stone cold sober). The white sauce is great, and definitely get it. The hot sauce is no joke. Ask for it on the side or sparingly. I got a raging esophagitis that burned for the 20 minute drive back to Jersey City and will never make that mistake again.

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As the "Mayor of Springfield Dining" this brings me joy:

“Springfield is a demographic melting pot with a vast population and that territory was our first priority in finding real estate in,” said Burney, who is also the operating franchisee. “It’s a vibrant place, a great location and we have the potential to appeal to local and international people because there’s a gap in the market. Our food is enjoyed by people from all walks of life and demographics and backgrounds.”

 

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Okay, I tried this place (the Avenir Place/Merrifield location) last night for dinner, and while it wasn't a mind-blowing culinary experience, it wasn't bad.  Still, I have some reservations.

First is the parking.  The closest you can park (for free) is in the parking garages attached to the Halstead Apartments/Retail complex that's across the street from Avenir Place ('behind' the Courtyard hotel).  They currently have a four hour time limit, but something tells me that'll get pared down over time.  Harris Teeter allows you two hours just to shop in their store (I'm sure you could 'fudge' this by going in, buying a bottle of soda/water, and using that as your 'drink,' but I digress).  The other option would be to use your SmarTrip card and park in the closer Dunn Loring Metro garage.

As for the food, I bought a 'regular-sized' Chicken/Gyro platter.  As with any Greek/Middle Eastern place, this *always* means you're going to get more pita slices, rice, and veggies than protein, and this place is no different.  I found both the Chicken and Gyro tasty enough, but not plentiful.  I suppose it should come as no surprise that 'Extra Protein' is quite legible on the menu for an additional $2.49.  Also, unlike a few of the low-star reviews on Yelp, my platter dish was not 'swimming in oil and grease' when I got done with it.  Also, the hot sauce is definitely a few steps above sriracha in potency and persistence, but it's not the ~nuclear firestorm~ people make it out to be.  If sriracha is too hot for you, enthusiastically decline the red/hot sauce, or ask for it in a packet.

The aforementioned reservations are kind of simple:

1) It's too small of a space.  Granted, I'm sure the logic that went into this place was that it's within walking distance of a few hundred/thousand people in Yuppie Containers who generally don't like to cook.  That means this place is not going anywhere *anytime* soon, especially since most ~young urban professionals~ around here have had an occasion to find their way to NYC, and much like Shake Shack began its bid for global grass-fed domination, word of mouth and remembrance of hitting the original stand in NYC will ensure enough people find their way here just for the novelty factor, since it's literally a hop, skip, and a jump from the entrance to the Dunn Loring Metro station.  Oh, and you also kind of have to be part-contortionist to get to the soda fountain, since there are tables placed super-close to it.

2) The noise.  Oh my good dear christ the *noise*.  Not from the customers or the prep staff, but from the grill attendants constantly chopping the holy goddamned hell out of the protein.  Also, the minimalist construction of the joint means bare concrete floors and hard bare walls *amplifies* any and all noise.  And all you will hear during a rush time is the CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG of the grill attendants chopping away at chicken and gyro meat.  Non-stop.  I almost expect there's a secret chapter in the Halal Guys franchisee handbook entitled "A Guide on How to Cycle Customers the Hell Out of Your Franchise More Quickly."  And on that digital page there's a link to a sound file that the franchise owner is required to listen to for fifteen minutes at their computer's maximum volume that's nothing but CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG over and over ad nauseam.  They *reeeally* need to put down some spot carpeting and/or add crap on the walls to act as sound dampers. :wacko: (full disclosure: the only seat I could get was on the 'meal counter' section and I was sitting like, 2-3 feet away from this guy chopping the hell out of meat, but it was no less grating when I walked across to refill my drink)

You know how when you dine-in at a McDonald's (and dear god, why would you do that in this day and age, even with the 'hip' remodels), and you constantly hear the cacophonous 'beeps' and 'chimes' of timers going off (dee-dee-doohs and beep-beep-beeps), and wonder how on earth there hasn't been a mass-shooting *by* a McDonald's employee who's had to listen to that for hours on end, day in and day out...this is much, MUCH worse.  Provided it's not a 90-plus degree day, I'd highly recommend finding a bench somewhere, or even go into the Metro station and avail yourself of one of their monolithic cheap marble benches, provided they have any of them left outside the platform area anymore.

3) The aforementioned lack of protein.  The amount of meat I got would be perfect for a lunch-sized portion, but seeing as I ate here as an early *dinner*, it simply wasn't enough for me.  I had to heat up some leftover pieces of pizza when I finally got home to finally feel satisfied.  I don't even want to know how 'appetizer-like' the *smaller* platter would be - so if you're eating here past lunch, you're probably going to want to fork over the additional $2.49 on top of the $7.99 platter cost to actually manage to feel like you've eaten something other than the Middle Eastern equivalent of Chinese food.  And then, with a drink, you're paying ~$12-13 per person.

This place is good, but guess what, so is Plaka Grill, and when I get a gyro at Plaka I damn sure feel full after eating it (and in the case of the Plaka gyro...kind of like I just ate a salt lick >.>).  I can also park for free at Plaka Grill and not have to walk across a six-lane wide feeder road onto a main thoroughfare, too.

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So, I also went last night, late (9:45), for carry-out, to the Dunn Loring location.  I parked in the Metro surface lot right behind the building the restaurant is in, but I could see that if I were not trying to go in under cloak of darkness (as well as some heavy showers), parking is not great.

I ordered the same thing, the regular-sized combo platter of Gyro/Chicken.  As I do at most kabob places, I ask for "no salad", as what is usually offered is pretty awful.  Instead, it looked like they gave me some extra rice to aid in filling the aluminum tin.  The meat portions I got looked to be about the same as those in the other orders being prepared with the rice and salad.  I feel like, for $7.99, it is a decent amount of food, but my appetite isn't what it was 25 or even 15 years ago. 

I did not care for the gyro meat, I thought it to be more salty than the pork in the Plaka gyro, but I have not had that in a while.  The chicken was decent.  I got the white sauce in a "to go" cup and a packet of the red sauce.  I found the red sauce to be a little closer to the "nuclear firestorm" mentioned above.  The white sauce, which everyone seems to rave about, still tasted mostly like mayo to me, without much seasoning.

Destruya mentions favoring Plaka Grill over this place; I do as well.  Also, after picking up my order and taking a right out of the Metro surface lot, I noticed a District Taco that appeared to be open still at 10:00, so I would definitely try that (I have never had their food), before going back to Halal Guys.  Also, if Taco Bamba in Vienna is open until 10:00 (I may check tonight), I would also put that ahead of HG on my list. 

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Went to the Springfield location for lunch yesterday, got a chicken sandwich (pita wrap) and a side of baba ganoush.  The wrap was overfiled to the point that it wasn't even worth attempting to hold it to eat it and I worked my way through about half the fillings with a fork.  I passed on the white sauce because, from looking at the folks ahead of me, the counter folks were drowning the meats in it.  A half cup of flavored mayo wasn't appealing.  So I just got a light pass of the red sauce and dabbed on some of the baba ganoush for extra flavor/moisture on the chicken fillings.  Very few toppings and they didn't look appealing.   I thought it was a fair price for the amount of food, the meat flavor pretty good and it was  pretty moist.  The pitas (an extra came with the eggplant) were soft and fresh but they had a slightly raw flour flavor to them still.  The baba ganoush was nicely smokey flavored and light spiced.  The sumac sprinkled on top had lost all its zing and was just red powder, no astringent bite left to it.  I took about 2/3 of it home, as I had eaten all I wanted.  It made a lovely side for red snapper & broccoli last night.  Based on my visit, I think I didn't do a great job ordering, but I didn't think it was fabulous, either.  Definitely much lower on my radar than Cava Grill.

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On 2/13/2017 at 7:24 AM, weezy said:

Based on my visit, I think I didn't do a great job ordering, but I didn't think it was fabulous, either.  Definitely much lower on my radar than Cava Grill.

respectfully, it's not surprising it's lower given your order. the correct order is your choice of meat over rice with an absurd amount of white sauce and a little hot sauce.

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I'm not sure I understand the appeal of this place (that is, the long lines I usually see). There were very few choices for toppings (only lettuce and tomato, no onion), and the meat is pre sliced and chopped, so it's all small, over-cooked bits (I like the long pieces, and watching them slice it off). I recognize this is done to ease gyro production. It was a properly stuffed gyro, priced reasonably, and perfectly adequate. 

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On 5/20/2017 at 3:15 PM, Dr. Delicious said:

I'm not sure I understand the appeal of this place (that is, the long lines I usually see). 

Were you at a cart in NYC or a restaurant location?  My personal opinion is that Halal Guys works really well as a food truck, less well as a brick-and-mortar.  As I noted up thread, the food trucks almost always have lines.  Any time you go you are getting a hot, fresh meal - I've never had the gyro (always get the chicken) but I've never had a less than 'really good' meal from the truck.  That hasn't been the case at some of the restaurant locations, where the food moves less quickly and expectations are somewhat different.  

I don't like to eat fast food for dinner, and I love that there are always so many new places to try in New York.  But its not uncommon for me to grab HG for dinner one night when I'm there, usually when I get into town late or maybe after a show - it's pretty freaking good.  The restaurant business model seems to rely on nostalgia from former New Yorkers and visiting devotees - its passable, but just not quite the same.

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I just had a falafel sandwich from the Halal Guys.  It sucked, compared to Amsterdam.  My balls were very soft, and slightly undercooked.  I don't see myself as a regular patron.  I'll just eat my crappy American Chinese food from Panda Gourmet next door (sadly I eat crappy American Chinese food all the time because I enjoy eating real vegetables).

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On 12/13/2017 at 2:15 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

I just had a falafel sandwich from the Halal Guys.  It sucked, compared to Amsterdam.  My balls were very soft, and slightly undercooked.  I don't see myself as a regular patron.  I'll just eat my crappy American Chinese food from Panda Gourmet next door (sadly I eat crappy American Chinese food all the time because I enjoy eating real vegetables).

you should go back and try the food you're supposed to eat there -- some sort of meat over rice.

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They started with a single food cart in NYC over 20 years ago. Today is the soft opening, seems to be going really well. Over 165 now open across the country.

They are in the back of Wintergreen Plaza near the Food Lion. 891-A Rockville Pike. Hard to see from the street.

I had a combo platter of beef and chicken over salad, rice is available as well. Also had side of Falafel and an order (2 PC's) of baklava. Food was good if a little salty. Be sure to get alot of their "famous" white sauce.  The red hot sauce is truly hot! 

Service was quick and friendly. You order Chipotle style and move down the counter towards the register. My tab was $17.02 for the combo platter, a fountain soda, Falafel and 2 pieces of baklava.

I'm glad it's here, 10 minutes from home.

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3 hours ago, JBag57 said:

This sure sounds like The Halal Guys--could they possibly be that similar?

ETA:  Just checked their site, it is The Halal Guys.  There is already a thread on the chain here, in that they have previously opened several local locations.

Right - this threw me for a moment, too.

Apr 7, 2017 - "The Halal Guys To Open in Rockville" by Joe Zimmermann on bethesdamagazine.com 

(Thanks for the update, hunter - I think "they" means "these particular franchisees." For fast-casual franchises (as opposed to chains), pretty much anyone with $100K-ish that gets their location approved can open a unit.)

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Yesterday, I stopped in The Halal Guys at University Mall in Fairfax. I was in a huge hurry, and got a medium (they only have "small" and "medium") Combo Gyro and Chicken Platter to go, served atop rice, with iceburg lettuce, a few mini-wedges of spongy pita, and squirted with white (mild) and/or red (very hot) sauces. It looked very much like the picture above "Platters" on their website, and was an ample portion of food. I don't remember exactly how much it was, but all-in, including tip, it was under $10 - it was ... okay: better than Chipotle (this is a fast-casual restaurant), mainly because the meats aren't sloppy ... the gyro meat was dry, and spooned up from a steam tray; the chicken meat was also dry, and tonged off the flat-top. When I say "dry," I mean "not sitting in liquid" - the meats themselves were sufficiently moist. 

Given the location (this shopping center is a food *desert*), I'd do it again, but if you're heading towards the Beltway, you'll pass The Swiss Bakery before you get there, and the ham-and-cheese croissants there (one of few savory items) are better than anything you'll find at The Halal Guys.

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18 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Yesterday, I stopped in The Halal Guys at University Mall in Fairfax. I was in a huge hurry, and got a medium (they only have "small" and "medium") Combo Gyro and Chicken Platter to go, served atop rice, with iceburg lettuce, a few mini-wedges of spongy pita, and squirted with white (mild) and/or red (very hot) sauces. It looked very much like the picture above "Platters" on their website, and was an ample portion of food. I don't remember exactly how much it was, but all-in, including tip, it was under $10 - it was ... okay: better than Chipotle (this is a fast-casual restaurant), mainly because the meats aren't sloppy ... the gyro meat was dry, and spooned up from a steam tray; the chicken meat was also dry, and tonged off the flat-top. When I say "dry," I mean "not sitting in liquid" - the meats themselves were sufficiently moist. 

Given the location (this shopping center is a food *desert*), I'd do it again, but if you're heading towards the Beltway, you'll pass The Swiss Bakery before you get there, and the ham-and-cheese croissants there (one of few savory items) are better than anything you'll find at The Halal Guys.

Did you ever try it in NYC early 2,000 era?

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I've been to the Rockville location now 4 times in the last couple of months. This is my favorite fast casual place around, easily.

Regular combo platter with lettuce, tomato, onions, peppers, and olives. Lots of white sauce, a little bit of BBQ sauce, one stripe of hot sauce.

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