This place is amazing. So glad it came to Chicago. The white sauce and the hot sauce are simply amazing. This place is a must try.

The Halal Guys has a really great history. This franchise all started as a food cart (where I first met Halal Guys) that sits on the SW corner of 53 and 6th avenue in NYC. It serves a small menu of either chicken, gyro (lamb), combination, or falafel over rice. Few veggies, as much white sauce (or red sauce if you have a serious set of cajones) with warm soft pita. Lines consistently were 20-60 people long, prices were just right ($6-8 for a platter, $1 soda), and the taste was out of this world spectacular. It quickly became so popular, that some other jabronis made similar shirts, got their own cart and similar foods, and popped over to the other three unoccupied corners of 53 and 6th avenue, known to insiders as the "imposter carts." Halal Guys actuall pursued lawsuit for the imposters, suggesting a name change, not sure what happened to that. The only way to tell the OG Halal Guys are the slogan on their shirts "We Are Different." I highly recommend you venture to this corner of NYC, it's a gyro masterpiece. (A nice new yorker article if you please http://nypost.com/2014/08/16/the-greasy-competition-among-nycs-halal-street-carts/) Anyway, now the Halal Guys has a franchise. At least one store in NYC (14th and 1st) and a few here in Chicago. Having had the original, and having experienced the excitement of the fueding carts in person, I can't say the store experience is the same. But the lamb, the rice, and the infamous white sauce is similar enough. It's quick, it's fast, its flavorful, but not as heavenly as the OG, hence the deduction of 2 stars. read more

The quality of the food really isn't up to the new York food cart standards. Didn't taste fresh and the rice was almost uncooked. All of us felt really queasy after stopping by yesterday. I don't think I'll be going back anymore. read more

I love this place. I don't like to wait in line so my boyfriend always gets me the chicken and gyro platter.

I made a huuge mistake visiting NYC, and not eating at Halal Guys, I mean that's like so not right. All my buddies have raved about this place for years, and its almost a disservice to have "platters" On Rush and division, instead of 53rd and 6th. Either way I had to try it. I came on a Thursday at 530pm. The line was like 10 people deep maybe 15 mins. The place is hot and TINY, it has around like 3-4 tables that's about it. Part of me believes they chose a small location just so theres a line outside. The menu has like 3 things on it, but Platters is what everyone gets. I got the chicken and gyro platter which comes with lettuce, orange rice, and tomatoes. My first bite and I fell in love, well with the sauce that is. The white sauce was like a zesty ranch tahini mixture that's addicting. The red sauce adds a spicy kick. The meat was good especially the gyros, chicken was nothing special. It amazes me on how such a quick simple concept, and amazing sauces has taken off so well. I feel lines will shorten overtime, especially with more locations opening up. read more

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Amazing food - I've been to NY a few times and have never gotten a chance to eat at their food stands, so I was thrilled to grab dinner with my friend (fellow Yelp Elite Paul G) and try their infamous fast middle-eastern fare. I got there a bit before my friend and saw a decent sized line for nearly 8PM on a Tuesday, but I could tell it was moving pretty quickly, so I wasn't too alarmed. Shortly after Paul joined me and the line moved even faster as we gabbed and caught up. When we got towards the windows, I noticed that people inside were frantically fanning themselves with 'The Halal Guy' paper fans. I was already sweating up a storm with this last bit of summer heat we are getting, so I was a bit concerned. We made possible plans to eat in Paul's car if it was REALLY that bad inside the small shop or if we couldn't find seats (the restaurant is tiny, maybe five small two seater tables and a counter along the window which I assume folks can stand and eat at, if it wasn't so crowded). We ordered two gyro/chicken platters and an extra order of fries. The platters are large (most other Yelpers have said they saved half for the next day... we didn't but then again we have no self-control and pretty much rolled ourselves out after finishing our meals). The hands-down winning meat was the gyro, SO GOOD. Perfectly cooked, juicy but crisped on the edges, full of happy flavor. The chicken was good as well, but not as WHA-BAM-in-your-face delicious as the gyro. We got extra white sauce because it was delicious, and I very delicately sprinkled a tiny amount of the red sauce on my plate as well. The red sauce is burn-your-face-off hot. Really good in REALLY small amounts with the rest of the meal. I shuddered when I heard a guy order EXTRA hot sauce on his. Like, good luck to your bum later tonight pal. BTW- it was a smidge under a thousand degrees inside, but we toughed it out and sweat ourselves into happy oblivion at one of their little tables, occasionally stopping to fan ourselves and wipe the sweat from our foreheads. There were just way too many hot, sweaty, impatient-for-delicious-food bodies in such a small space for there to be any hope that it wasn't going to be hot as Hades inside. Hopefully once the novelty wears off a bit (or when they open the other locations they have planned in Chicago) sitting inside will be less of a sweaty affair. Will be back for more cheap and delicious eats! read more

I believe in second chances, and gave these a couple of them. And on each subsequent order, they have been lightning fast, delivering within the time promised, both orders perfect and delicious. They've got their act together now and are living up to the legend that preceded their Chicago locations. Happy to update this review and give them five well-deserved stars. read more

Yum! Such a simple combination of ingredients (meat, simple carbs, and white sauce) make for a delicious dinner! Go easy on the hot sauce! Just a few drops will really heat up the plate! A small size plate with double the white sauce does the trick for me! read more

Halal Guys has average food and horrible service. I live 3 blocks away and ate at this location 5x since it's opening in the summer. However, after my most recent experience, I will never return. On October 16, I had ordered the Platter Meal with double protein (chicken). The Halal Guys messed up my meal and gave me chicken and gyro meat. Upon returning home and seeing that my meal was made incorrectly, I telephoned the store and explained how they messed up my order. I was told that they would replace my meal the next time I went to the store. I was also told to ask for Tyler who was apparently a manager. A week later, I returned to Halal Guys and asked for Tyler. After explaining the situation, Tyler insisted on replacing my meal by giving me not a double protein platter, but a single order of chicken. I told Tyler that I wanted a double protein platter because that is what I originally ordered and paid for! Tyler said he wouldn't give me a double protein and wasted 5-7 minutes arguing with me and asking why I didn't have a receipt or called prior to arriving at the store. He then tried telling me that I should return and talk to the General Manager. I told Tyler I wasn't wasting any more of my time and that I had already called the store and that all I wanted was my meal to be replaced. After Tyler realized I wasn't leaving, he finally gave-in and gave me my replacement meal. However, even this meal didn't contain the pita bread that comes with the platter. All-in-all, I will never return to this store. Even prior to my visit on October 16, I thought the food to be average (at best). The Platter consists of 1/3 shredded (Taco Bell Style) lettuce, 1/3 shredded tomatoes, and 3 tiny slices of Pita bread to go along with whatever meat you ordered. The gyro is consistently overcooked. The first time I visited the store, I waited 25 minutes. The food is not worth the wait. The only reason why I went is because I want a quick meal after going to the gym. This place is highly overrated with mediocre food and HORRENDOUS SERVICE. Save your time and money. read more

Writing this review absolutely pains me. The Halal Guys on Division was, hands down, one of my favorite places to grab lunch or dinner in a pinch. Their staff was always super friendly, fast, and great at their jobs. I don't know what's happened in the last year, but as someone else pointed out, it's gotten progressively worse since they opened. The layout is weird now, the staff is distracted and seems poorly trained. I went in tonight and was served half the amount of tahini that comes with a side and was almost handed the wrong order before I caught the mistake. Hopefully the management takes these reviews to heart and makes the appropriate changes. Would love to see this place turn back around! read more

Got to hop in here for a media pre-opening. Their falafel was top-notch, perhaps the best I've ever had. The gyros were tender and tasty, the rice was exactly as it should be, and the white sauce is out of this world. I'm not sure what sort of magic goes into it, but ask for an extra packet to take home; you never know when you'll need it. Be careful with the hot sauce, though, or don't. It's up to you how buckwild you want to get. read more

Went on a Tuesday night. We got in line at 6:55pm and got our food at 8:05pm. A table opened up right when we got our food, so we decided to eat there. The food wasn't even hot. The rice and gyro was just room temp. which was so disappointing. The white and red sauce were awesome! read more

It is fine for pick up or delivery. The chicken sandwich is super. The seating for on site is small and not set up to invite diners. I sat at the counter by the window and felt boxed in. There were 2 small tables and the whole atmosphere was eat and go. This is fine for folks on lunch from work. I am retired and look for the chance to sit, relax and read. The hummus was good but hummus almost always is. The beef looked great but I could only eat one sandwich. If I needed a to go sandwich I would not think twice about picking one up here. The prices are very fair and the staff are very pleasant. A pan handler did sneak in and I handled him fine. The staff did not notice him so it was not a usual thing. They were busy enough to show that the neighborhood likes the food. read more

Love Halal Guys in NYC so naturally was excited when I heard they were coming to Chicago, no one does chicken and rice better than them. Unfortunately less than 1 week in and it seems like they are off to a rocky start. There was a long line which was expected, however I didn't mind waiting. After twenty minutes we were told that they ran out of chicken! That's like an Asian restaurant saying they ran out of rice. If a cart in NYC can correctly manage inventory, I would hope a b&m can. I'll chalk this up to growing pains and under estimating the demand, hopefully this is quickly resolved and won't be a problem in the future. read more

I've only had the gyro here but it's been very good both times. The hot sauce actually has a kick to it unlike many other places which adds to an already solid sandwich. The fries, however, are awful. Do not order them, you will be mad you wasted $3. If you just get the sandwich you'll spend under $8 and I would say it's enough for a meal. I've only come here for lunch because the lines can get ridiculous around dinner time. Is it worth waiting more than 5-10 minutes for? Not in my opinion. I think part of the reason the line gets so long is because it's pretty unorganized and tiny inside. They've also had a grand opening sign up for over a month which has now gotten pretty annoying. Either way, it's a good addition to the area and I'll be back here again for the sandwiches. read more

Went in person. Much, much better. While I was thoroughly disappointed with the delivery I had, the in-person food and atmosphere was great. Everything was delicious, fresh, and cooked to the Gods with sauce so good (and free) you could drink it from the tap. read more

I Lived in ny for 5 years. I've had several platters from the carts. That being said I have been to this location twice. Both times I got chicken platter with no lettuce, no tomatoes, extra white sauce and 2 lines of hot sauce. There's something off with there food it doesn't taste like the cart on 56th & 6th. The staff is nice my issue is with the food. Lacks flavor, the rice is either over cooked or not enough. The white sauce literally tastes like ranch? Don't know whats going on but its a true disappointment. :( read more

I'm actually seriously p-o'ed Halal Guys!!!! We have heard so much about your awesome food. We came all the way from the suburbs, took a cab, showed up on Tuesday and you "guys" are closed until 4:00 pm on Tuesday! This is not the way to start off in Chicago. You owe us $30 for our cab and Metra ride. At least have the decency to put your hours up on Yelp. We did check Yelp before coming. read more

It's ALL about the white sauce!! Seriously, if they made a soup out of this sauce, I'd drink it... all the time. I've actually never been to the cart in NYC so my first Halal Guys experience was here in Chicago. I've had the falafel platter, falafel sandwich, and the hummys and pita. Their pita is great! Their falafels are great ALMOST all the time. I've had a few sandwiches that have had dry falafel balls. I've usually remedied that by just adding more white sauce... and who can be angry about more white sauce?? Their hot sauce is INSANE. The packets are the same size as the white sauce packets, but don't let that fool you. I few drops will suffice to begin with, and if you're brave, you can add more (once you taste it and confirm you need it) - super spicy! My first time in, I asked about the hot sauce and they gave me some on a piece of pita to try. When it nearly killed me, they were kind enough to keep giving me pita bread until the fire was put out in my mouth!! This location is just an order and go - no seating. The employees are great! They're opening a location in the loop by Wabash/Lake! From facebook, it sounds like it's set to open sometime in August. I can't wait - this location will be walking distance from me!! (and will have seating!) read more

I LOVE The Halal Guys! So happy they came to Chicago. Although the line is a little long, it moves fast and service is fast. The food is outstanding, and I appreciate the extremely spicy hot sauce. Wish they would open more spots! read more

The food is great for a quick meal, definitely a fan of the combo platter and white sauce! Next time I'll skip the BBQ sauce since I'm more of a savory than sweet fan, but love that they have options. The hot sauce was great too but it is KILLER (but in a good way!). They definitely warn you about the heat so for those who complain about the intensity well... you were warned! Service wise, it's slow but understandable due to the high volume. Your patience will be rewarded with some delicious noms, so please be kind and patient to the employees! If you really don't want to wait, definitely check them out at an off hour. All in all, definitely an awesome joint with good food. Just get ready for those Halal Guy cravings! read more

Came here after work with friend. I ordered the platter with mixed meat, and my friend ordered the sandwich . They are all very good! I love the white sauce, and the hot sauce is very spicy! So good if u like spicy . Although we waited around 20 minutes to get in, it is worth to wait! read more

I am completely bewildered by why this place has been so popular. Just not a clue. Decided to finally try it once the crazy lines have died down to see what all the hype was about. I got fries and the a chicken/gyro platter. Let's break it down. You get rice, tasteless, under seasoned meat, lettuce, onion, tomatoes, pickled jalapeños. It then gets covered in a bland ranch like sauce. Hmmm, can we say crap food? I could maybe understand eating it on some random long night fueled by jager shots (klassy) but not on a nice Saturday afternoon AND stand in line for it? oh, and the fries were soggy. Did not eat the fries, did not finish the platter. With so many places open in Chicago, so many other choices, I do not see another reason ever to eat this. The only reason I'm not giving one star is because the rice was decent. read more

With all the hype surrounding this place, I was highly anticipating my first ever halal guys. Boy was I disappointed. First the location. It's very small and there no place to eat and park. It's pretty much a stationary food cart. Then there's the ordering system and line formation. It is completely counterintuitive. The food took way to long even though there was barely anyone there. They need a better way to streamline their ordering system. Then comes the food. I ordered a combo large platter with white and hot sauce. The chicken was ok. The gyro meat was chopped way too small. The rice was super greasy. The pita bread was unimpressive. The white sauce was good but essentially a ranch and mayo mixture. The hot sauce was good and very hot. Overall unimpressed with halal guys. It was barely above average. Maybe the one in NY is much better but this location has a lot of work to do. Definitely not worth waiting in long lines for. read more

There is always a line outside of this place and I finally was able to try it out yesterday. I was a little disappointed...I guess I expected more due to the hype. They only serve two dishes a platter and a sandwich. I got the platter with chicken. The taste was good and their white sauce is nice, but the rice was hard and clumpy. All this for $8 for a small dish...not worth it. Again, the 3 stars is due to their white sauce...otherwise it would be 2 stars. Don't believe the hype! read more

The white sauce, rice and meat failed to live up to the hype my friends had created. I'd only go back if I'm in the neighbourhood and have the munchies after a night out. read more

The food is great, but the amount of food they've been putting into the platters has gone down significantly since I first went. I love Halal Guys, but if this trend continues, I will be coming back less and less. For the amount of food they've been giving, it hasn't been worth the money. read more

The food is great here - the service is slow and not the most hygienic. I loved my combo plate with hot sauce and white sauce. Delicious and filling enough for two people! read more

Firstly, I went to the one in NYC so that is the benchmark that I am using for this review. My friends and I went there a week after they had their grand opening and there was still a long line. It was about an hour between getting in line till we got our food. But nonetheless I thought it would be worth it. I thought wrong. The price is higher and the serving was so little. The NYC plate was so stacked that it was super filling. The one here felt as though it was half filled in comparison. My guess is that they are being stingy because they dont want to run out of food. They actually ran out of the white sauce for their bottles by the time I got my food. Fortunately they had it in to go packets. While watching the servers prepped the food I realized why it was talking so damn long. Some of the servers were not enthusiastic and was moving slow as molasses. Literally 4 components in a plate but it takes them 10 minutes to scoop rice, gryo, chicken, and pita into a bowl. Oh wait they didnt even give me pita bread. I found out back at home when my friends pointed that out. *just dropped this review from 2 to 1 star* Taste: I'll admit the taste was good but at the same time I have to agree with some of the other reviews. The chicken felt a bit dry even though it was drowned in white sauce. I would rate the food a 4 but the overall experience was just crappy. Not worth the wait. Maybe I'll come back when it settles down. read more

Gotta say Not good not good at all. Why folks are waiting in line for this food is a complete head scratcher. Recommend go 1 block to the west to Mr Gyro get a 2 for 1 gyro sandwichs, which are delicious, and save yourself about $22.00 on a meal for 2. Can't say I see this placed lasting. Alot of hype. Churn and burn read more

Tasteless chicken, half boiled Un cooked. Red sauce is just hot chili paste without any flavor. Ridiculous customer service. Rice is bland, no aroma, no taste. read more

This is my favorite New York street food. I love it, takes me back to NYC every time I go. The chicken and lamb mix platter with the orange rice is everything! read more

FAMOUS FOR: - Chicken & Gyro Platter (8/10) - White Sauce I ALSO TRIED - Falafel (8/10) I've probably been to NYC only twice, and I didn't really have too much time, so I just asked Yelp what the most popular restaurant was, and I went to Ippudo Ramen. Halal Guys was close, but I was like, "no way a little cart is going to be that good." Years later, all my friends are raving about it, and even until today, I was still not sure how this could be so good. CHICKEN & GYRO PLATTER This is basically chopped chicken and gyro meat accompanied by orange rice, lettuce, tomato. Then they generously top it with their famous white sauce, and then a small line of their red sauce. I was told to mix everything up, so I did. It was a little hard to pinpoint what was gyro or chicken meat flavor, and what was white sauce accompaniment. The gyro meat, is not like your typical gyro stand gyro meat. If you've ever been to a place like Pita Inn, that's the kind of gyro meat that this tastes more like. When you think about a Greektown Gyro, the meat is heavily seasoned, but gyro meat from Pita Inn is sort of like the flavors of the Greektown gyro, but without most of the salt. That's what the gyro meat tasted like here. The chicken, I honestly couldn't point out. I can't tell if that's because I'm just not that good at picking out flavors, or if the chicken was getting drowned by the sauce. I will say, though, that never throughout the entire meal did I ever think about the chicken being dry. Oh, and a little warning to you all about the red sauce. It is not Sriracha or Tabasco. What I mean by that is those 2 are not only spicing agents, but they're pretty heavy on flavors and seasoning. The Halal Guys' red sauce is almost purely a spicing agent, and very little on flavors, but no seasoning. That's kind of a head scratcher, because most of the hot sauces you've had probably fit in the first category. So, when I wanted to add a little more seasoning, I reached for the red sauce and added more...and more. It certainly got hotter, but not any more seasoned. All in all, I think I had about 3 lines of red. That was enough to really have a kick, but the perfect amount where it was challenging, but all the more invigorating to eat. One more line of that, and I think I would have stepped into "suffering" territory. I was surprised at how much more incrementally spicy it got by each line of red sauce. Remember folks, I've done ghost chili challenges, and typically order Thai food "extra spicy," to give you a little indication of where my spice preferences lie. All in all, I think it was a great meal. Each bite was delicious, and especially after adding that 3rd line of red sauce, it was really engaging. Though everything tasted great, I think what it was really missing was extra seasoning. It's one of those things where I think that could potentially ruin the dish, so it has to be done ever so delicately. There were areas of my tongue that never got excited, and that kind of bums me out. I added olives to mine, and while the olives provided that seasoning, the flavors completely overpowered the rest, so it wasn't very enjoyable with it. FALAFEL I got mine with falafel too, and I have to say, these were the best falafels I've had. Texture's pretty much on par with most places, but it had a little bit more of a buttery flavor (not much more, but just a tiny bit more) than most, and it was nicely seasoned too. The flavors of the chicken & gyro combo were even too weak to overpower the falafel flavors, so it wasn't that good eating them together. HALAL-LUJAH! Ok, that makes it sound like I liked it way more than I did. I'll say that I can see how this can be addicting, and maybe after a few more tries (without the 1 hour wait), that 4 might turn into a 5. For a restaurant as hyped as this one, 4/5 is a pretty good score! Not very many restaurants even come close to the hype! read more

The food is very good and is halal so thats a plus point.i always order the combo platter from here.

I really wanted to like this place, but it really really did not live up to the hype. First of all, the line moved far too slowly considering there are basically only 2 things on the menu you could possibly order. More importantly, the combination plate tasted like a Taco Bell burrito. Even the red sauce had the same consistency and flavor as Taco Bell hot sauce. Once I made the connection, I couldn't even finish eating it. I will definitely not be coming back. Chicago is overflowing with great Mediterranean/Middle Eastern fast casual food options. Halal Guys just doesn't cut it. read more

Awesome food, good service, and outstanding location! The regular chicken platter is really tasty!

Great combo of lamb + chicken. Prefer the beef (originally thought it was lamb). Reasonably priced. Good white jizz sauce. Hot sauce is HOT.

I live down the street from this place, and it's been the biggest hype of the neighborhood, for people wait in line for over an hour, just to get one of these gyro/chicken bowls! I FINALLY got in a short line today and was able to try this place out. I ordered the regular size platter with two meats, chicken and gyro that were accompanied with rice and waaaaaaay too much lettuce. I thought it was good, but definitely not worth waiting in line for, what so ever! Five faces across the street has a good gyro, with no line... I'll stick with going there. Guys, if you want to keep REPEATED customers, work on your lines and stop trying to market like you're the best, because you're just an average gyro spot. Sorry. read more

After being conned into standing in line for 1 hour 15 minutes, I was expecting a better meal here. Unfortunately for the Halal Guys, their food is not very tasty. Either in the Financial District of NY, or in Midtown, during rush lunch our, there are about 15 trucks who have better food than the Halal Guys. This is my last time eating at the Halal Guys. read more

This place is a little far from me so i used the Postmates app. If you use Code IMKT, you will get a $10 delivery credit. Now onto The Halal Guys, its amazing food. Be sure to go easy on the Red sauce, i've seen a few grown men crying. read more