Story

According to Jaime Daez, master franchisee for The Halal Guys Phils., The Halal Guys was started by three Egyptians who migrated to New York. They initially started as cab drivers who decided to open up a Hotdog stand. They eventually got tired of being one of the countless hotdog stands in New York and decided to finally make their own food. They created Halal food, which became a phenomenon in NY. As of today, you can see Halal food carts practically everywhere in NY. They started their franchise operations last year and now have about over 200 locations under development. 

Food

I can't really say a lot about service since the stall is located in a food court setup. You just line up, place your order and get your food. Everything else is practically self-service. I won't elaborate too much on the line since I'm pretty sure you've seen a ton of photos online. The Halal Guys serve platters and sandwiches. The platter includes meat (chicken, gyro beef or both), rice, iceberg lettuce and slices of pita bread. Their sandwiches have the same ingredients wrapped in pita bread.   

I ordered the Gyro and Chicken Combo - Small (P269) and my friend got Gyro and Falafel Combo - Small (P269). I was beyond thrilled to finally have my first bite--of disappointment. The Chicken and Gyro beef were so-so, nothing spectacular. I'm not a food connoisseur in any way so take everything I say with a grain of salt. The white sauce on the other hand was miraculous. Too bad the serving size wasn't enough, you'd have to order another serving of this addicting sauce at P25 if you want to have more. Another thing that blew me away was their hot sauce. The smell was mild so I put a lot on my food. I was happily chewing on my food when it struck me. I could taste a lot of herbs and spices and other things I couldn't put my finger on, but one thing was for sure, this heat will linger. I had to remove some of the hot sauce I put on my food because it was too much. The Halal Guys isn't so bad at all, if not for the queue. If anything, I think their sauces were redeeming factors. Some friends who have been to the original food cart in NY says there is a vast difference regarding the taste of the Chicken and Gyro beef. But I have yet to find out since I'm poor and I don't have money to go to NY, haha. UGH. You can find their full menu here

Verdict

I will go back. I want to give it another chance. Wow, as if I'm a revered food critic, lol. I'll probably bring more friends next time so I can have a taste of the various dishes they offer. I also want to see their take on sandwiches and maybe have some sides and dessert next time. I'll probably wait for the fuss to be over before I go back again.