The Halal Guys
3033 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
There have been some pretty big restaurant openings this year in OC. There's Grits in Fullerton, which we hear is making fantastic breakfasts. There's also GD Bro Burger, which has gotten some good press with its supposedly excellent burgers and unique red hamburger buns. For those craving desserts, there's the Dirty Cookie at Union Market in Tustin, with their chocolate chip cookies formed into a shot glass filled with milk. Yeah, that's a real thing. Unfortunately, all of these restaurants pale in the hype we have experienced about the latest spot to open in Orange County, The Halal Guys.
I heard that the Halal Guys were going to be coming to Orange County earlier this year when the guys over at Foodbeast broke the story. Since then, the hype has been ramped up with every article I have read in the OC Weekly. The authors of those articles go on and on about the long lines at the original food cart location of the Halal Guys at 53rd and 6th in New York City and the legendary white sauce. Unfortunately, I never made it to the NYC location of Halal Guys when I was there, but a quick check of Yelp makes me wish I had. Four and a half stars with over 7000 reviews have excited me that we are getting our own location for this iconic New York restaurant.
We were lucky enough to be invited to a special sneak preview event a week before they opened. This Halal Guys location is on the corner of Paularino and Bristol Avenue, across from Garf's Sports Bar, and in the same shopping center as Japanese favorite, Anjin, the soon-to-be-opened Capital Noodle Bar, and a newly opened Creamistry. The media event was anytime within a two-hour time, and we got here a half hour after the start, and the place was mobbed. I had high hopes for this place if media folks were willing to battle the crowds.
The menu at Halal Guys is straightforward. They have plates or sandwiches and four options: chicken, gyro, a combo of both chicken or gyro, and then falafel. The plates come in two sizes, regular ($8.95) or small ($7.95). Do yourself a favor and get the regular for the extra dollar. You'll be glad you did. Sandwiches are very reasonable ($6.95).
Along with the plates and sandwiches, they also have a small number of side items, hummus, baba ghanouj, tahini, and fries. Ordering is done assembly line style, and you are walked through each step until you hit the register. Let's take a look at what we tried on this evening.
Okay, let's start with the obvious. This is not the most beautiful food out there, but my mouth is watering as I'm writing this. This was Katie's choice for the Chicken Platter ($8.95) this evening. You can have this with rice or salad; Katie selected rice as her base. It also comes with a few triangles of pita bread, any veggies you choose to add, and of course, the legendary white sauce. You can also add their spicy red sauce to pep things up a bit. Katie went a little easy with the red sauce and thought it was pretty spicy. The chicken was tender and flavorful, even though it was sliced thinly. The white sauce does a beautiful job of not hiding the chicken's natural flavor but enhancing it. I would have asked for more spicy red sauce if this was mine, but Katie was delighted with this meal.
Of course, I had to try the sandwich since Katie had the platter. I went with the Halal Classic Sandwich ($6.95), which combined the chicken and the gyro meat. Again, not the best-looking thing out there, and it doesn't help that I did not want any of the colorful veggies that would have made these pictures pop a little more. Wrapped ready to eat in aluminum foil, this is the epitome of NYC street food. The chicken was delicious, the gyro meat was spiced wonderfully, the white sauce was predictably delicious, and the pita did a solid job of holding things together while remaining soft. I'd get extra red sauce on future visits here and maybe add some onions to make this an even better sandwich than it was on this night.
I was still a little hungry, and intrigued by their falafel, so I ordered a Falafel Sandwich ($6.95) to try. I'm glad I tried this, as this was one of the best versions of the deep-fried chickpea dish I have ever had. This falafel was fried perfectly, with a crunchy outer layer and a softer, nicely spiced inner core. With this one, I let them make it with the veggies, and it was still pretty tasty, but that might have had more to do with the white sauce than the lettuce and tomatoes. Just a guess, though.
Again, I had never eaten at Halal Guys when I was in New York, but my good friend Minerva from Much Ado About Fooding has been, and she said this was just as good as what she experienced in New York. I heard this more than once, and I have to say I was pretty impressed with our first experience at Halal Guys. All the employees we encountered seemed very positive and upbeat about the food they were serving here and seemed primed to have a big hit on their hands. Now that they are open, I have heard that the lines have been pretty long, with up to a two-hour wait, but that's to be expected during this much-hyped restaurant's first few weeks of operation. They are also working on speeding up order times, so I'm sure these waits will not be the norm in the future. Leaving the Halal Guys, I felt like Orange County has hit the restaurant lottery. They could have opened anywhere, like Los Angeles, Miami, or Boston, but they chose to open in our own backyard, and we all should be really thankful for that. Just another sign that OC is becoming a force in the culinary scene of the United States.
For more information on the Halal Guys and where they are going to be opening up next, check out their website here: http://thehalalguys.com/
Okay, let's start with the obvious. This is not the most beautiful food out there, but my mouth is watering as I'm writing this. This was Katie's choice for the Chicken Platter ($8.95) this evening. You can have this with rice or salad; Katie selected rice as her base. It also comes with a few triangles of pita bread, any veggies you choose to add, and of course, the legendary white sauce. You can also add their spicy red sauce to pep things up a bit. Katie went a little easy with the red sauce and thought it was pretty spicy. The chicken was tender and flavorful, even though it was sliced thinly. The white sauce does a beautiful job of not hiding the chicken's natural flavor but enhancing it. I would have asked for more spicy red sauce if this was mine, but Katie was delighted with this meal.
Of course, I had to try the sandwich since Katie had the platter. I went with the Halal Classic Sandwich ($6.95), which combined the chicken and the gyro meat. Again, not the best-looking thing out there, and it doesn't help that I did not want any of the colorful veggies that would have made these pictures pop a little more. Wrapped ready to eat in aluminum foil, this is the epitome of NYC street food. The chicken was delicious, the gyro meat was spiced wonderfully, the white sauce was predictably delicious, and the pita did a solid job of holding things together while remaining soft. I'd get extra red sauce on future visits here and maybe add some onions to make this an even better sandwich than it was on this night.
I was still a little hungry, and intrigued by their falafel, so I ordered a Falafel Sandwich ($6.95) to try. I'm glad I tried this, as this was one of the best versions of the deep-fried chickpea dish I have ever had. This falafel was fried perfectly, with a crunchy outer layer and a softer, nicely spiced inner core. With this one, I let them make it with the veggies, and it was still pretty tasty, but that might have had more to do with the white sauce than the lettuce and tomatoes. Just a guess, though.
Again, I had never eaten at Halal Guys when I was in New York, but my good friend Minerva from Much Ado About Fooding has been, and she said this was just as good as what she experienced in New York. I heard this more than once, and I have to say I was pretty impressed with our first experience at Halal Guys. All the employees we encountered seemed very positive and upbeat about the food they were serving here and seemed primed to have a big hit on their hands. Now that they are open, I have heard that the lines have been pretty long, with up to a two-hour wait, but that's to be expected during this much-hyped restaurant's first few weeks of operation. They are also working on speeding up order times, so I'm sure these waits will not be the norm in the future. Leaving the Halal Guys, I felt like Orange County has hit the restaurant lottery. They could have opened anywhere, like Los Angeles, Miami, or Boston, but they chose to open in our own backyard, and we all should be really thankful for that. Just another sign that OC is becoming a force in the culinary scene of the United States.
For more information on the Halal Guys and where they are going to be opening up next, check out their website here: http://thehalalguys.com/
Good review! And I agree - we're getting some really great food options in OC lately. Halas Guys is definitely worth waiting in line for in NY when you consider your other food cart options. But not in OC. There's no long line at The Grill (Culver and Michelson) and the quality is equal. Why do they get 1 star lower ratings? That's the silly thing about crowds and restaurant hype. Most people can't discern. Anyway, as good as Halal Guys is, you can get as good elsewhere without the long line (except at food carts in NY).
ReplyDeleteI finally had a chance to try GD Bro last week. They're good, for sure, but they kind of kill the burgers with their sauces. It really becomes about all the stuff and the sauce they smother them with. Like some of Slater's burgers. Not what I want from a $10 burger, anyway.
You know what Dirty Cookie is missing? Alcohol! Fill those babies up with Bailey's, Kahlua, Amaretto, etc... YES!
Anonymous - Thanks for the tip on The Grill. I'll put it on our list f places to hit up, especially since I don't think the lines are going to be dying down at Halal Guys for awhile.
ReplyDeleteGD Burger is one of my next reviews. I kind of had the same take as you, but I did enjoy it. The fries were pretty tasty as well.
When I first headed over to the Dirty Cookie, that's what I thought was going to be in the cookie shot glasses. They should maybe have a special night where they do a cross promotion with the bar that is right in front of them. Just an idea.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment on the blog. I always enjoy knowing that people actually read this. Have a great weekend.
Sure thing. I really enjoy the reviews and your honest opinions. I didn't dislike GD Bro. It was tasty. But there are so many saucy, crazy burgers already, I guess I was really just hoping for a great piece of meat for a change. You're not kidding about the recent activity of burger happenings. I just heard today that Burger Parlor is opening in OTO (my neck of the woods). Check that out when they do and let us know! :)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - You are going to love Burger Parlor. They are doing things right, and I'm glad they are inching their way closer to where I live. Can't wait for that opening.
ReplyDelete