Whoever said “little things come in small packages,” is a genius. NewYork City is home to hundreds of fine dining restaurants, but even more food trucks and venders.

The Halal Guys opened their first branch to success in 1990. The founding partners opened a hot dog stand, but began to see a demand of Halal Meals from Muslim cab drivers. They interchanged their hot dog stand, and began to serve Halal food.

FOOD: 

If I had an option of eating only one meal in New York City, hands down I would pick the Chicken Gyro Combo from The Halal Guys. This dish, (which costs around $6) provides the perfect combination of flavors. The half-diced-half shredded chicken lays atop  a bed of rice, lettuce and pita. You should drench the dish with their famous white sauce (of course, try the sauce first, to see if you like it), and add a dab of their red hot sauce. It will sear your tongue but please your taste buds.

There is always a huge line (at least a block), but it moves pretty quickly. The venders are very kind and work efficiently. They have a few locations around New York City, but the best one is on 53rd and 6th.

Overall, I would rate this place a 10/10.

Publicized restaurants always fail to please me. The cliche, “landmark” restaurants in major cities (such as New York or Miami) rarely live up to a standard of quality food (well, food that would be served at any other restaurant). Whether it’s the service, the food or even the ambiance, it seems that these types of restaurants live up for the “name” or reputation, rather than the quality of food and comfort of diners.

The Todd English Food Hall, at the infamous Plaza Hotel, really describes the concept of “landmark” restaurants. For one, a restaurant at the Plaza must carry some weight, but it contradicts the idea of “not-caring-about-the-label.”

FOOD: To be honest, the food was not great. I ordered the Steak Tacos (do not order)…One, it was served cold. Two, the portions were so tiny, and there was lettuce messily thrown on the side. For the amount of money being paid, the dish was not substantial. The steak was bitter, and completely overpowered the flavor “fresh” vegetables.

AMBIANCE: The restaurants can accommodate a large amount of people, with seatings at the bar or regular tables. In the food hall, there are multiple stations that suit everyones needs; from desert, to caviar to sushi. However, reservations are recommended because (for some obscure reason) people want to dine here.

Over all, I would rate this restaurant 4/10