A great spot to eat on SDSU's campus! One of the slightly healthier options. The meats are very tasty, I usually get the mixed chicken and beef. The white and hot white sauces are my favorites. A bit pricey ($16 for a rice bowl) but a good amount of food. The line moves quickly and the food always tastes fresh. read more

The Halal Shack - Build your own rice bowl - Halal Near Me - San Diego, California

4/11/2026 - I was here for admitted day. Clean and organized and plenty of seating available on the other side of the building. I ordered the Naanarito for $9.99 ( a burrito) and they fill it like chipotle down the line. They don't fill as much as chipotle and I ordered a shack fry for $7.99, small bowl of fries and add protein and salsa to it. Both were good. About $20 total and it was to much food actually for one person. See photos. read more

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THE HALAL SHACK @ SDSU This spot is located in East Commons at SDSU. For parking, I'd recommend P1, P3, or P4. Just keep in mind that parking isn't free, so make sure to check the SDSU website for updated rates before you go. I've always enjoyed coming to this spot since my freshman year. Everything is super flavorful and seasoned well, and I love how most of the menu is high in protein. I usually get their rice bowl with chicken, and then you can add whatever toppings you want. It reminds me of a mix between Chipotle and CAVA, but with more of a Mediterranean, healthier twist. Their rice bowls are my favorite. You can also get fries and build a fry bowl, or you can make a build-your-own halal wrap. They have a lot of options, which I like. The staff isn't the friendliest, and every time I'm there it feels a bit rushed, like you have to know exactly what you want right away. The portions are decent, not overly big. I wouldn't recommend asking for extra anything unless you're okay with paying more, because they definitely charge for every add-on. One thing that's a little annoying is that you can't get toppings on the side everything has to go directly into your bowl. Extras like avocado cost more, and the bowls already run around $17, so it's definitely on the pricier side. Prices are higher since it's on a university campus, so just be aware of that. The ambiance is good overall. It's located in a food-court style area, so you just get your food and sit anywhere in East Commons. It's a popular spot for SDSU students, so you'll definitely be surrounded by college students. Other than that, it's a great place, and I love coming here especially on days when I'm craving a healthier rice bowl. read more

The Halal Shack - Halal Near Me - San Diego, California

I want to say the taste of the food is amazing but the serving size is too small for the price. There was a Rubio i could have went to. Also you people are not middle eastern it's Indian spiced rice I can tell the difference. Middle eastern restaurants provide a lot of rice if you want to claim your middle eastern quit being stingy with my rice. Also you said up charge on a free topping if i wanted another scoop of hummus. I can understand the avocado being up-charged but you are not a middle eastern restaurant because you provide small portions. We the students on campus who don't have time to eat breakfast deserve better service. Im in a school cafeteria in college next time I'm going the rubios next door at least you get a good amount of food. read more

Tasted awful, spent $20 (very expensive for a college student- meal bowl plus side of pita and hummus) wish I didn't buy it, didn't even Finnish it. Would recommend other places above this one in the food court read more

Bro.... yall need to give more meat... a full scoop is more like a half scoop... i have to ask for extra meat everytime read more

Extremely delicious food and one of the only gluten-free friendly options on campus. However, they are continuously becoming skimpier with serving sizes and upcharge on nearly everything. Every time I go I feel like I get a smaller bowl. Employees are very nice though. read more

Great food and nice staff. Loved the rice bowl with brown rice, chick peas, mixed meat, avocado, barbecue sauce and corn. Also some nice guy named Elvin made the experience 10 times better. read more

I would absolutely give this place 0 stars if possible. I'm completely appalled with the quality of the food served to me today. I was given moldy pita with our meal and I'm really hoping no one else was as well. It is disappointing to be unable to eat half a meal that was paid for, with little to no time to get a replacement, or even a new meal. This is mostly a health concern, as it is extremely obvious that the bread is not edible, nor should it be in the kitchen. The standards should not be this low, especially for such a vulnerable population, college students, who may not have the time or funds to go get any other food. I sincerely hope Halal Shack gets this issue under control, as I will definitely not be returning. read more

The Halal Shack - Moldy Pita - Halal Near Me - San Diego, California

I tried Halal as it's a new location on campus here at Clemson. Was tasty but feel prices are rather high. For comparison a falafel pita wrap at a favored restaurant about half hours drive is $9.99 compared to Halal's at $12.99 and is a little better/fresher. It will be more of an ever so often for me rather than a weekly consideration. read more

Dear Halal Shack, I have been regularly coming to your SDSU food court location since I first set foot on campus last semester. The Halal Shack is the only restaurant that I regularly visit in the food court because it offers a healthier more satisfying meal at a fairly decent price when compared to the other options in my opinion. A rice bowl with lots of chickpeas and hot white sauce is my favorite, and I often eat this several times a week for lunch. However, I have an issue with my experience at The Halal Shack which I have noticed every time I order. The attitude towards increased portions and general modifications when ordering is extremely frustrating. Every time I ask for extra chickpeas it is explained to me that I am only allowed to get a quarter scoop extra of chickpeas before my $14 bowl is increased by at least a dollar. Today I was given a sad pinch of kale that could not even be registered by my taste buds. Then when I asked if I could get more kale, I was told that any more kale than my inconsequential amount would incur an additional charge to my $14 bowl. Personally, I think that is unreasonable. At the price point of $14 any competitor such as Cava or Chipotle promptly gives me an extra scoop of nearly any topping. In another experience, I once asked if I could put the lettuce in my rice bowl on the bottom of the bowl instead of on top later as it usually comes. I was not asking for any extra portions, just to alter the order in which the ingredients come to my taste. I was told that this was impossible since a rice bowl has lettuce on the top, and a salad bowl can have lettuce on the bottom but cannot have rice. Further, in my experience working at a burrito restaurant in this fast food realm I am permitted and happily give any customer extra of any topping except for a few key especially expensive ones such as meats. I think this industry standard should be expected in any fast food restaurant. I have never experienced the level of micromanaging costs as low as a leaf of kale than I have in The Halal Shack. I believe this business severely underestimates the power of giving a customer an incremental increase in portions that would increase their attitude towards the business, probability to recommend it, and probability of returning tenfold. Perhaps the mindset of management is that since there are limited food options on campus and are in a prime location that even though they skimp on portions customers will return without a doubt, myself included. However I feel it would be much more honorable and beneficial to the business in the long run if The Halal Shack focussed more on making the customer happy than their bottom line. Still, The Halal Shack is my favorite place to eat on campus and is the freshest option in the food court. Additionally, the customer service isn't all bad, every employee is highly attentive and serves the food with a smile every time. Halal Shack, I love your food and I think your business is great, but changes need to be made around your policy on modifications and extra portions before I can really recommend you guys. Please consider, Henry read more

the staff was so nice and the food was amazing. I really appreciate how understanding and friendly staff were and the food also tasted so good! read more

I had never been prior to coming to college, since there's a Halal Shack on campus I've been twice since school started and I love it!! The first time I ordered the salad bowl with all the yummy fixings and a side of pita and tonight I got the fries bowl! Their attention to service and detail makes the food so tasty! So glad we have this food option on campus! read more

I was soooo disappointed by the Halal Shack. Literally I had high expectations for no reason. Okay cool, you wait in line, and you get offered a sample if you don't know whether to pick chicken or beef. I got the mixed plate so I could try both protein options. I honestly wanted a fries bowl, but they were out of fries... okay... it wasn't even the rush hour for lunch at SDSU yet (it was around 11:15am when I went) so I was confused how they were out of fries already. When they were making my bowl, all I gotta say is that they're super stingy with portions. Usually middle eastern food is very generous with the amount of food that they give but nope! Not here! When they put lettuce in my bowl, I asked if I could have some spinach or spring mix in addition to it and the girl literally told me "No you already have lettuce". I didn't know this was a rule?? It wasn't stated anywhere. And most places are glad to give you more than one green in a bowl so I really don't get why they're so stingy here. They didn't even put enough lettuce in the first place which is why I asked for spinach or spring mix. There was definitely more rice than anything else in my plate and even that wasn't much. The food in my opinion is super bland. The naan is flavorless, wasn't soft, or anything. You can literally get naan from the frozen section at vons that tastes better. The chicken was juicy but like I said, bland, under seasoned, undersalted. I honestly don't know why they couldn't have just callled the beef, a gyro instead because it's literally gyro meat. Usually when I see beef at a middle eastern place there is an underlying assumption as someone who is middle eastern that it is either kebab or shawarma. Which it was neither. Then in addition to all this, they had no tahini?? The lady literally told me it was out. Like wtfff how y'all about to call yourself a Middle eastern place and be out of tahini. Makes NO SENSE. And in addition to this, why the hell do you guys have bbq sauce? It does not match or go with middle eastern food! Their "naan" is also very bland and flavorless. Wasn't soft either. Plus naan is Indian. So I'm confused, what kind of place is this? Is it middle eastern? Indian? Make up your mind??? Like pick one thing and do it right. Don't go all over the place trying to use different cultures and meld it into one place if you can't execute it correctly. Sorry but the halal shack is a no from me‍ read more

I got the rice bowl with mix meat of beef and chicken, and I can honestly say that their sauces are what makes the dish great! The meat was dry (beef was almost crunchy) but very well seasoned. They give you two choices of rice- brown or white- and the brown was really tasty! Their rice bowl also comes with two pieces of pita bread that was just average. It seemed store bought and they did not even warm it before serving. I paid about $9 for the mix rice bowl, which I believe is a decent price, especially for the amount you get. At the end of the meal I was pretty full. You get the option of a rice bowl, lettuce bowl, naan roll, zoodles bowl, gyro and fries. After you pick what you want, you choose your protein (beef, chicken, shrimp), then whatever toppings. This spot is located at SDSU inside east commons, very easy to find. Overall, I hate to compare it to halal guys, but I would rather get halal guys. But considering that there is no halal guys in San Diego, it won't hurt to try out Halal shack, just don't come in with high expectations. read more

The Halal Shack - Mix rice bowl with beef and chicken - Halal Near Me - San Diego, California

When this restaurant opened, I was stoked to have a Middle Eastern restaurant be so close to where I worked on campus. The beef can be dry, and the bread included in the bowl is stale. As for the price, the bowl is lacking in terms of portion size. However, the customer service is great; they prepare your food in a timely manner. Also, the white sauce really does add to the bowl. Overall, it's a great spot to check out if you're craving some flavorful food on the go! read more

The Halal Shack - Rice with beef (and every free add-on) bowl - Halal Near Me - San Diego, California

Customer Service was great! Super welcoming staff. Got the Zoodles bowl with falafel. Awesome food. read more

The Halal Shack - a bowl of food on a table - Halal Near Me - San Diego, California

First let me say that the girl that helped me out was nice. Other than that, this place really does not deserve even one star. I did not see prices on the menu but I have been curious about this place so I got a bowl. I asked to do half rice and half salad. They said no. Any bowl place will usually have no problem with this. I asked to do half seasoned rice and half regular rice, they still said "no we don't do that here". She reassured me that the rice bowl "comes with a salad", (which is not true). So I get (salty but also bland) seasoned rice, and there was not many protein options left, so I got (SALTY!) beef. Other options were battered and fried shrimp, battered and fried chicken, and I think falafel (if you do not eat meat). The two more popular options were sold out. Now, she did give me iceberg lettuce (which has like zero nutritional value), some tomato and onion. Which is a pathetic excuse for a salad in my opinion. There are options for spring mix and spinach but I guess it is only if you choose a salad instead of rice as a base. She really should have told me that when she was getting the base ready, to be frank. I even offered to pay more for spinach and spring mix and she still said no! "We don't do that here." I should have walked away at this point. Cheese and hummus are extra. I did not get them because I feel like restaurants should not need to upcharge you/nickel and dime you for your food to taste good. The bowl toppings were very sad as well. I forget but I think the options were toasted pitas strips, jalapeno and corn and something else? Very sad. They could have saved themselves here if they had a few different sauces, ginger, carrot, nuts, sesame seeds or garbanzo beans or something, anything. But nope. And then they added some (salty and stale) pita bread. And then the sause was okay but it definately did not save the dry rice, stale bread and tasteless veg. It came out to about $11. Which is a great price for a tasty bowl at ANY OTHER RESTAURANT. There is a poke place on like college ave, there is a chicken place in the same building, a make your own sandwich place, make your own salad. Lots of other great options. Anyone who is pleased with this place, I honestly do question your other reviews because this place is not good. Eat somewhere else if you care about what goes into your body. In summary. Not worth the price, bland food with questionable nutrition content, and workers will politely decline everything that you ask. And then ask if you want a drink with that. read more

The Halal Shack - This is what a bowl with almost "everything" looks like but I did not get the extra cheese or hummus - Halal Near Me - San Diego, California

Think it's kinda funny they replaced the old Mediterranean option, with yet another Mediterranean place. Decent place to get a well-balanced plate of food on campus. The produce is fresh and the proteins are decent. Wish it was more flavorful and gave bigger portions but you'll still get a basic lunch to keep you full for the day ahead. read more

So exited The Halal Shack finally came to the west coast. The first time I tried this place was in New York visiting my cousin, now it's at SDSU! The food is so good and they always pack the bowl with so much food. P.S. The Hot White Sauce is my favorite! read more

The Halal Shack - a plate of food - Halal Near Me - San Diego, California

Wasted 30 mins in line just for them to say at the last minute they don't accept card. No signs, banners, notices of any kind to avoid this.

Amazing service and perfect food. Always have what i'm looking for and it always hits the spot

Finally got a chance to check out the first halal restaurant at SDSU and it was everything I expected it to be. Loved all the meat options they had along with the different sauces. Every time I go in, I can switch the meat options around and add new sauces and it tastes great every time with out my taste buds feeling mundane. I can either get it in a bowl or in a wrap. I prefer the bowl because they are very generous with their portions and I always have some left for dinner. As someone who only eats halal, it feels great to finally have a delicious alternative to always eating seafood or vegetarian while on campus. Thank you!! You have a repeat customer for life...or at least until I graduate. ;) read more

I actually loved this shop. I dont know much about Mediterranean food and what it should taste like, but the sauces were SO GOOD. The food by itself was amazing, even without the sauces. Was not disappointed. I will be coming back again!!! Tip: make prices more obvious on the sign. Had to ask. read more

The Halal Shack is a new addition to the SDSU Campus located inside the East Commons. I had been anticipating the opening of this place ever since it was announced that they would be part of the new dining options offered on campus. I had never heard of Halal Shack before they came to SDSU but I am a big fan of The Halal Guys. They seemed to have some similarities so I was excited to get my gyros fix without having to drive out to Costa Mesa. The Halal Shack offers different options kind of like Chipotle. You can pick from a Rice Bowl, Lettuce Bowl, Zoodles Bowl, Naanadilla, and a Naan Roll. From there you pick which kind of rice, meat and toppings you want. I got the rice bowl with beef gyros. Beware though that not all toppings behind the glass are included in the price. Shredded Cheese is an additional 50 Cents and Hummus is 75 Cents extra. My bowl was okay, either the meat or the rice had a strong lemon taste to it and I'm not sure if it was meant to be that way. It came with 3 small triangles of naan which was alright but the edges were a bit stale, it didn't taste freshly made. The one thing I was unhappy about was the very small portion of the meat and rice included in the bowl. I'm by no means a heavy eater and usually even the small size bowl at The Halal Guys will be enough for two meals worth for me but their portion here at The Halal Shack was a bit shocking. When I saw the guy scoop the meat and rice portion onto my bowl, I was thinking there's no way that's all they're going to give! I think that at my appetite if this is a small portion for me than a person with a normal size appetite will be very hungry still after eating here. The bowl came out to $9.15 after taxes which I think is overpriced for the small food portion they give. I know they're new and they still have some stuff to work out but I do hope they do consider providing portions that are fair to their high pricing. read more

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The bowl I got yesterday hardly had any toppings in it ... I was going to get a rice bowl but the rice looked super bland so I chose lettuce ... and that's what my bowl mostly was. Hardly any meat.... & then there aren't much other toppings to choose from. the menu offers a "mix of meat" if u want 2 choices... but the guy said u can literally only mix chicken & beef. Ok but why can't I mix chicken & shrimp ? Or grilled chicken & fried chicken ? Why are they limiting their meat mix? The BBQ place that used to be in this spot went out of business & I can see this place going out of business soon b/c they already have bad ratings & a bad rep for not a lot of portions. There's hardly ever anyone in line at this new place. *PLEASE IF THIS SPOT GETS REPLACED AGAIN, PUT AN IN N OUT BURGER SPOT or put poki 1/2 in here!** read more

It is a quick great Mediterranean food place on campus in SDSU. It is always a short line. I recommend getting their salad bowls which are super fresh and delicious that is way better quality than the Salad Bar on East Commons. I would also recommend their rice bowls due to it always being well cooked and never dry. I have it with the mix beef and chicken for good protein option. I highly recommend good food, good service. read more

Used to absolutely love this place but they frequently make changes to their menu and some of the recent changes have lowered my rating. For example, they no longer serve pita when they used to give you two pieces for free. Also, they removed their $5 small size bowl so now you have to get the $11 full size which is sometimes too much for me. Other changes they've made include flip-flopping between whether or not the hummus is free, changing the type of fries they use, adding and subtracting certain toppings, and more. I used to eat here 2-3 times a week because I loved it that much but because of some of the recent changes and the overall decline in quality (in my opinion) I barely eat here anymore and when I do I'm a bit disappointed. However, the people who work here are very nice and the service is still great. read more

Whoever owns/manages/runs this place honestly deserves to go out of business. To be fair, I read the reviews and had literally NEVER seen anyone in line here so in part I knew what I was getting myself into . At the same time I really wanted a healthy dinner option aside from panda and rubios...So I decided to give it a shot. Definitely a mistake. Definitely C- Mediterranean food at BEST. Lacked any and all flavor and did not feel fresh. I actually ended up tossing it less then halfway though. Didn't feel healthy and upset my stomach. What really rubbed me the wrong is that hummus was and extra charge. Never in my existence at a Mediterranean food place has hummus EVER been an extra charge. That's literally why I'm here. Anyways, the cherry on top was when I asked for my sauce on the side, not drizzled on top, and they said no. You heard that right. You can only get tahini sauce on the food, not on the side....Their reason? It's "imported" ....I'm sorry, what? Literally still don't know what that means or what relevance it holds. You can clearly see that's the only sauce I want and the fact that I would prefer to dip my food then have it soaking in sauce is really none of anyone's business. Still. They didn't give me it. I will say however the blame doesn't fall on the people who work here. They were polite enough and my review truly isn't directed at the them. if anything I felt bad they had to work for a restaurant with two stars on yelp. read more

I recently had the luck of stumbling upon The Halal Shack at SDSU and at the East Commons during my lunch break and boy was i happy that there was something diverse AND completely Halal available. It's really hard to find a Halal/Zabiha restaurant that is truly halal from back of house to front of house. Furthermore, the food had a great assortment of flavors and options. I got the rice bowl with chicken and a side of falafel. For 8.50 on the bowl the price point was solid and the best value I've ever had on campus. The brown rice is like a biryani and has flavors of home. Of the spin sauces my favorite is hot white. If you have ever had food from the shawarma carts in New York, this is the closest you can get to it on the west coast. When the Halal Guys franchise opened up in So Cal, I was excited but later disappointed with the food quality. Luckily The Halal Shack has redeemed my nostalgic feelings of eating NY cart street food. Will definitely be coming here again soon! read more

Everytime I step on the sdsu campus i can't help but go to halal shack. Great service, too!

Dissapointed to say the least. This is not true Mediterranean food or even close to it. A lot of the meat did not taste authentic and half of my food was cold. Also, the workers are rude. I ask a simple question and I get blank stares and attitude. Also.... extra charge for cheese and hummus? Really. It seemed like such a cool concept and such a cool way to bring the culture to our school... only if it was worth it. read more

Great food with lots of choices. They have options for people of all diet restrictions. Gets really busy in the middle of the day, so try to come by on the off hours. read more

The service and staff is outstanding. Very friendly people. Definitely support the Hala Shack at the SDSU. Food is consistent and always delicious. They also never short you on portion sizes. Thanks Halal Shack for a great experience every time. read more

I've been to every decent arab restaurant in all of southern California, and when i tell u that its in the top 3 u gotta believe me

The new Chickpea Korma is super delicious if you're a vegan/vegetarian or even a meat eater! The workers here are so friendly and hold a conversation as they help you down the line (No awkward silence), they just make you feel like you've been friends with them your whole life. read more

I would say I'm a picky eater but I do enjoy this spot! I always go for lunch when I have class so it may be busy but it's honestly worth the wait. My favorite style would be the fry bowl with a mix of beef and hot bbq chicken because the fries are very crispy and the flavors are different but tasty ! read more

I wanted to give this place a chance to see if the 3 star rating is true and may I say I regret ordering food here. The service was a 4/10 because when I asked to get hummus the worker didn't hear it the first time so I asked for it again and at the end of the day I did not get my hummus with my fries bowl. Now you would think it may be an off day for them but my boyfriend noticed I had to repeat myself multiple times for the toppings I wanted not to mention how limited it can be, I couldn't get lettuce with my fries bowl as an example. After I ate the food that I thought was "okay" I managed to get food poisoning hours later after a bowl I spent $9 on. I'm please to say I will not be coming back here and that the ratings are true. read more

I first tried Halal Shack when I went to Albany, absolutely loved it. Found out they opened one at SDSU and was exited. I usually get the rice bowl with the crispy chicken, hummus, veggies and sauce. This place is not only healthy, but also is affordable. The staff here was able to answer all my questions about the food items. I will definitely be back soon! read more

I love this place! This is my go-to place in East Commons. All the staff is super friendly, welcoming, and accommodating. Not to mention the food is amazing and so fresh. I love to get the salad bowl with Falafel and spinach. Try this place if you haven't already! read more