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    Farook Halal Food

    4.9 (80 reviews)
    InexpensiveHalal, Street Vendors
    Closed 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Farook Halal Food Photos

    FAROOK HALAL FOOD ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Farook Halal Food

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    Brendan T.

    To say the hype is legitimate is putting it far too mildly. I'm going to come right out and say it and definitely declare, that until I'm proven otherwise, this is currently the title holder for my choice of the elusive "Best In the City", and thus most likely best in the known universe halal cart. Brought here initially by a NYMag piece highlighting the work of an apparently indisputably credible Halal-focused IG account @thehalalguysguy, which listed this at the number one spot in its listicles rankings. I would have otherwise had no clue to it's greatness as it appears as anonymous and instinct as any other of the countless halal carts to be found in any corner of the city. I've also never seen any significant line formed other than one I would expect at any of the other nearby carts due to it's location on the outlying periphery of Union Square and right outside an NYU dorm. It's certainly nothing even close to some of the inconceivably long lines you see at some of the Tik Tok viral spots or even the original Halal Guys cart in midtown. That should serve as yet another example of how unjust the world is, because if quality was the true measure the line here should be dwarfing them many times over! The food here has done nothing less than redefine my whole concept of what halal can be, which is nothing short of miraculous since I've been consistently consuming it for the better part of my now over two full decades in the city. Both the wonderfully gamey and juicy lamb (always my preferred protein where halal is concerned) and the deeply and vibrantly red hued, and crucially just as juicy chicken (unfortunately dessert-dry chicken is more often than not the case at your average cart) are consistently both perfectly seasoned and cooked to a smokey and caramelized unctuousness on the griddled straight off the spit. The sauces likewise shine many levels above those found elsewhere, with a wonderfully zestier and lighter version of the default white sauce, and the classic red hot sauce and the rarer green version, which both pack some serious heat, but also much more depth of flavor than usual. When you select a gyro, as I often do here you are rewarded with a more compact more densely rolled sandwich than usual, in a slightly thinner pita that normal, slightly more closely resembling a burrito than usual. It's also packed with wonderfully crisp and fresh veggies which are likewise a cut above the rest. When you select a platter you are presented with the usual components in a delightfully new fashion. He seems to be an innovator in a method that happily seems to be spreading wider in which he chops the accompanying pita into numerous small triangles which he tops over the platter in two consecutive layers topping the food with one layer, of pita covering that with a layer of sauces, topping again with the second chopped pita layer and saucing again. The process results in an aseptically striking array as well as a delightful texture achieved by the layering and saucing process, nothing short than brilliantly delicious! It's details like this that solidifies the carts iconic and singular status. It's only that much further reinforced by the proprietor Farook himself however. A true gentleman as well as a culinary genius with the sweetest and gracious demeanor and eyes as soulful as you will ever encounter, he will melt your heart as much as he'll wow your tastebuds and blow your mind. This man deserves a spot in the NYC food legends Mount Rushmore right there next to the late great Dom Demarco as he's just as responsible for elevating the beloved everyman cuisine that is the heart and soul of the city and elevating it to nothing less than high art.

    Hannah M.

    Absolutely banging, straight fire flames, go there don't look back. Almost want to keep it a secret. Combo over rice is $8 and dude loaded me up with meat. It was a massive portion. I asked for white sauce and he gave me the appropriate amount which is to say, a lot lol. Best halal cart I've been to, blows the others out of the WATER. You can pay with cash or with Venmo for a $1 surcharge. Guy working (maybe Farook himself) was really nice. Not that I would care, he could have spit in my face and I'd still come back the food was that good. But a nice little bonus. Maybe the best meal you'll have in nyc for under $10 tbh.

    Marc F.

    I'm absolutely here for the halal cart renaissance. Street carts have been a cornerstone of the NYC food scene even since before THE Halal Guys in the early 2000s. We've strayed from the path but with the help of halal cart-fluencers, we're getting back on track. Farook's cart has been out front of the old Trader Joe's forever and hasn't dropped in quality. What doesn't photograph well sure tastes amazing. Run, don't walk, to your nearest halal cart before the craze inevitably hits.

    Combo Chicken & Lamb Over Rice
    Nicole F.

    Amazing. Cheap and filling. This meal was $10 and it was 2 big meals for me! The meat was super tender and super flavorful. The food also came out really quickly since it was a food truck, so we didn't have to wait long. Food trucks like these need to get more recognition; they may not be the most popular among visitors but they probably have equally great food (and no line!)

    Line to the cart!
    Michael W.

    After a long night out for a friend's birthday, I made my way back to the train. I was quite hungry, so I decided to stop at a food truck for some food. This one was well reviewed, and boy was I in for a treat! A bunch of the locals in line were telling me how great this truck is, they'd all been coming here for years because it was the best one. And boy was it amazing, this may have been the best food truck meal I've ever had. The chicken was so flavorful, juicy & tender. The rice was done to perfection & well seasoned, and the white sauce provided a nice creaminess to complement the flavors & spices on the chicken & rice. It was a great amount of food for a very reasonable price, and an amazing amount of flavor for the price. If I lived in NYC I would come here as often as I could

    Menu - IG @bougiefoodieboi
    Kyle W.

    This is a very excellent halal cart with no lines compared to the more famous ones. This is definitely an up and coming halal cart that challenges even the super popular one that is Adels. I got the combo over rice with white sauce, and the combo is a combination of chicken and lamb. The total was $8, paid with cash, for such a large amount of food. Aside from the meat, there is a generous amount of rice, lettuce, and chopped pita bread. The pita bread is very soft and topped with white sauce, yet it was not soggy. I did not consume immediately as I was in a rush to run some errands and go back to my friend's place, but even the food sitting in the takeout box for 45 minutes did not diminish the quality by much, if at all. If you only had to choose one, I would go with lamb as the texture is much softer and it is more flavorful. If you don't have the dedication or time to queue up the more famous halal carts, this is a very very viable and comparable halal cart!

    Chicken Over Rice
    Seth T.

    A solid late night spot! Fast service, flavorful halal meat, and filled to the brim with meat, rice, and pita. As far as spicy goes (I used to be able to handle spicy, but not so much anymore), it was enough to where I felt the spice but not enough to have me sweating.

    Dan L.

    I can't believe this place only has 23 reviews. It should be better known! It's been one of the best Halal Carts in Manhattan for years. Not as trendy as Halal Guys, but a lot better. The meat is cooked fresh and cut up into pieces, the pita they put on top is pretty decent, and the potato chunks they mix in are really good. I'm not going to say it's not greasy, but it's less greasy than a lot of other halal carts and the sauce has a nice flavor. If you like spicy food, the hot sauce is legitimately hot. If you smother the rice in hot sauce, it's spicier than Sigiri but not as spicy as the chicken phall roll at Thelewala.

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    6 months ago

    Portion. Value. Quality. Flavor. It's so good. I put it over Adel's. Fair warning, his spicy sauce is super spicy.

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    5 months ago

    Exceptional falafel. I wish I could identify all the spices in play. I can not. I will be returning often.

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    2 years ago

    Amazing, huge portions for like 7/8 dollars, delicious and flavorful. I ordered the lamb on rice and it was PACKED.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Farook Halal Food

    I haven't seen Farook's food truck since the pandemic began? I've tried to text him to ask if he's relocated, but I haven't heard back. I hope he's ok! It's my favorite food truck of all time. Does anyone know of Farook is ok or if he's relocated?

    Saw him a month ago but haven't seen the stall the past 3 weeks.

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    The Halal Guys - Falafel over rice

    The Halal Guys

    4.2(10.5k reviews)
    2.0 miTheater District, Midtown West
    $$

    We were absolutely starving, coming out late at night from a concert at Radio City Music Hall, and…read morethis was one of the few spots nearby that was still open. I had heard about The Halal Guys for years but somehow never had the privilege of trying it, mostly because this cart is usually packed. We walked straight up and, to our surprise, it was fairly empty-- clearly our lucky night. We ordered the chicken sandwich with everything and the beef platter with yellow rice, and OMG... it was incredible! These guys are clearly commanding the halal food scene, and after finally trying it, I completely understand the hype. The food was flavorful, satisfying, and exactly what we needed at that moment. There's something about eating a great late-night meal straight from NYC food cart that just hits differently. I will say, my sandwich was VERY spicy. And i love spicy food, but this was another level haha... My entire mouth was on fire. The funny part? I literally could not stop eating it. It was that good. Sometimes the simplest food, at exactly the right time, becomes the most memorable. This was definitely one of those moments. Now I get the hype!

    I have worked at 6th/50th st for over 25 years and the Halal Guys location near 53rd and 6th is a…read moreshort walk. I have eaten here at least 200 times over those 25 years. I don't go as much as I use to, as the price has more than doubled since 2017/18. However, that has nothing to do with my rating. My problem is that meats have gone downhill. I used to love gyro meat - never sure what it was exactly lamb or beef - but now it is just gross and greasy. The chicken which used to be excellent is now very dry. The white sauce is great and the rice is fine, but that is it. Not worth getting anymore. Maybe one of their competitors is better, can't really be worse.

    Photos
    The Halal Guys
    The Halal Guys
    The Halal Guys

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    Kissena Night Market 法拉盛夜市 - Changsha stinky tofu

    Kissena Night Market 法拉盛夜市

    5.0(1 review)
    9.0 miFlushing, Murray Hill

    Who would have thought that the most lively food scene in Flushing late at night is not even in the…read moreheart of downtown Flushing? Instead, walk 10-15 minutes south on Kissena Blvd and you will find a group of street vendors gathering nightly on the sidewalk right in front of Gold City Supermarket. On a beautiful night, you'll find many people camping out on the ledge of the supermarket parking lot, or even putting out picnic blankets, while enjoying various street foods they can find at this great little "food fest". The street vendors are from different regions of China and serves all sorts of yummy goodies. You can find lots of fried items, soup noodles, grilled skewers, marinated meats and veggies, desserts, etc. One of my favorite stalls is the vendor selling hand torn shredded chicken ($25 each), which they dress up in seasoning and spices. They use an older chicken that has a firmer texture that won't fall apart when tearing the meat. The flavor is wonderful and absolutely addictive. They even give you a frequent buyer card that gets you a free chicken when you reached six purchases. The same stall also sells marinated items that are quite good. You are allowed to mix and match as long as they have the same price point. Another stall I would recommend is the stinky tofu stall. There are often more than one, but I like the one with the longest table space only dedicated to this single product, often in the middle of the block. If you have never tried this delicacy, close your nose and give it a go. You may be pleasantly surprised. Other stands that are popular include the BBQ grilled meats over charcoal, where you can get $2-3 skewers of lamb, beef, chicken wings, and whole lot more. Also, if you see the man grilling whole squids, his stuff is quite tasty too. Bottom line, it's a fun evening hanging out with your friends and snacking on various yummy bites. Be brave and try something new. Though there are few English signs, just order what looks good. Find a day with nice weather and check it out soon.

    Photos
    Kissena Night Market 法拉盛夜市 - Marinated crawfish (front), stinky tofu (back)

    Marinated crawfish (front), stinky tofu (back)

    Kissena Night Market 法拉盛夜市 - Changsha stinky tofu

    Changsha stinky tofu

    Kissena Night Market 法拉盛夜市 - Mixed box of marinated beef tendon, honeycomb tripe, and chicken gizzards.

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    Mixed box of marinated beef tendon, honeycomb tripe, and chicken gizzards.

    Cheong Fun Cart - Large fresh shrimp rice roll

    Cheong Fun Cart

    4.5(265 reviews)
    1.2 miLittle Italy, Chinatown
    $

    Little street cart that serves the softest cheong fun ever! I got off the plane from LA and…read moreimmediately rushed myself over to this little cart. I've heard so many great things about the cheong fun here and how cheap it is. I was recommended to go earlier in the day since they leave early or whenever they're sold out. Considering it's street food, take the cleanliness to your liking. My family and I got 5 different bowls and the total came out to $18 which is NOT bad at all. They offer soy sauce, peanut sauce, and/or chili sauce. Definitely only get the soy sauce for the protein options and peanut sauce + soy sauce for the plain one! Take it from me, my dad ordered all three sauces in all of our bowls and it was too much flavor mixing together in your mouth. Food: Plain Cheong Fun (8.4/10): The silkiest, softest cheong fun I've put in my mouth. You must eat this right away. This is not a take-home option because it will clump up together. Take it from me, I made the mistake of bringing this back on a 15 minute subway ride. Although I had to wait to enjoy, it was still delicious. Dried Shrimp Cheong Fun (7.6/10): I love a good dried shrimp and green onion cheong fun but this one didn't really hit the spot for me. I wish there was dried shrimp within the cheong fun. I maybe got a few pieces within each bite but those bites were still delicious.

    Cash only! I wanted…read moreto try the Cheong Fun Cart for a long time, but never got the chance to during my other New York trips! This time I found the opportunity and am glad I can say I've been now! Its literally a small cart on the corner of the street intersection. There was a line formed and so we just followed suit. No place to sit to eat, so just be mindful of that - especially since the containers they give you the food in can be super hot! We ordered one fresh shrimp rice roll, and waited about 10 minutes for our food to come out. It is PIPING hot so it was hard to hold and eat, but we managed. The first few bites were delicious and the rice roll was super silky. However I felt like since it was shoved inside the plastic container, the rice roll keeps cooking in its own heat, and thus got overly goopy. Still, I enjoyed the cheap snack on the street, but have definitely had better long-standing rice rolls in NY.

    Photos
    Cheong Fun Cart - The cart

    The cart

    Cheong Fun Cart - Shrimp with egg

    Shrimp with egg

    Cheong Fun Cart - Large fresh shrimp rice roll $6

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    Large fresh shrimp rice roll $6

    Chinatown Night Market - Lovely mix of cultures in the historic area of Chinese immigrants, now gentrifying, but retaining its unique character

    Chinatown Night Market

    4.2(5 reviews)
    1.2 miSoHo

    I had such a fun time experiencing this, but maybe not the vendors. The various vendors definitely…read morehad their work cut out supporting the massive crowd. They mostly had great attitudes despite the chaotic event-professionals all the way. There were extended wait lines, and sometimes popular items would run out to the disappointment of many. But that didn't stop the festivities! The music was lively, the artists had beautiful displays of wares, the food was delicious, and the city provided a perfect backdrop.

    This is it! Bahn mi in halves for $5, for those of us that can't take the entire thing. A duo of…read morehipster sandwich thieves must have felt the same way because my bahn mi was hijacked. ROBBED. The food truck remedied the situation, thankfully, and I say mine was better. See the pix for best Vietnamese food if you're in Bklyn, but they are 404 on the map in Bath Beach. I'm guessing it's a roving food truck. Maybe you can summon them via the phone #. The best, most deliciously rich little cheese tarts had virtually no line, which I am still trying to wrap my head around. Ube and matcha cheese tarts went in my greedy little belly. Their card is attached. I had no room for the basque cheese cake, which looked delicious but was simply too big for me. Fancy. Many varieties of food, sugar cane being juiced with a roller machine to order, music, sugar painting and on and on. DJs, lights, the city.... Don't miss the next one, which is the last of the summer, sometime in August. Be early, the lines were long.

    Photos
    Chinatown Night Market
    Chinatown Night Market - Cheese tarts 11 mott

    Cheese tarts 11 mott

    Chinatown Night Market - Cheese tart: sesame, ube, lemon, matcha, plain, basque cheesecake, macaroons

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    Cheese tart: sesame, ube, lemon, matcha, plain, basque cheesecake, macaroons

    Grand Street Skewer Cart - Lamb

    Grand Street Skewer Cart

    4.5(120 reviews)
    1.1 miLower East Side
    $

    Overall: 4.3/5 [take out]…read more Okay, I was a bit skeptical about this place's rating since we had just eaten dinner at a highly rated spot right before and left sorely disappointed. This cart seems to be run by a husband and wife duo and everything is cash only. They grill over charcoal and fan the heat themselves, which is such a cool thing to watch. We got beef, pork, and lamb skewers for $8.50 total which was so worth it. You can choose spicy or non spicy and we went spicy. The beef was the most average of the three, the lamb was better, and the pork was delicious. If you are in the area definitely give this place a try!

    Owned and operated by a Fuzhounese couple, this late night Chinese skewer cart has been around for…read morethe better part of 15 years. While it appears as "Young Xinjiang" online, the owners have confirmed this cart is nameless despite what the rest of the internet says. (#1) Open until 1A.M nightly, they have steadily maintained one of the best street food options in the Chinatown vicinity. Gone are the days where the skewers were $1. Thanks largely to food inflation, each one now varies between $2.00 and $4. While it's a steep increase, the meats have remained excellent in quality and in today's economy would be considered a very good deal. Their most popular options include lamb and beef, both aptly at $3 each. The meats are grilled over charcoal, and make for an excellent snack at any time. Chili powder is highly recommended for a small kick but delicious finish. Duck skin ($3) is a sleeper pick, and the beef tendon ($2.50) is excellent and is their most tender choice. Squid ($3.50) can be incredible if grilled well, and I would highly recommend avoiding the Italian sausage ($4) completely. Vegetarian options such as eggplant, king oyster mushroom, corn, or rice cake feel a bit overpriced at nearly $3 each. As per usual, everything is cash only. Given the price point, friendly service, and high quality meats, this nameless cart (#2) is an excellent option for a late night goers and carnivore lovers. Given the lack of competition at this point, I sincerely hope they can continue to keep it up. __________ (#1) Perhaps accidentally mixed with another competing cart? It matters little now, since they are the only one left. (#2) Take that, IRS.

    Photos
    Grand Street Skewer Cart - Lamb, chicken heart, squid

    Lamb, chicken heart, squid

    Grand Street Skewer Cart
    Grand Street Skewer Cart

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    Farook Halal Food - halal - Updated September 2026

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