11 May Please The Palate Pick of the Week: The Halal Guys

A quick trip to New York for work this week was planned while in the midst of event mode. It meant that I had little time to plan any meals while in New York, although in reality, I also did not have time. I arrived in the early evening and headed to my hotel near Central Park and checked in. I wanted to get a bite to eat but the location of my hotel was surrounded by some very pricey restaurants. I was feeling casual and wanted an easy bite to eat and headed out for a walk to stretch my legs after a long flight. There is no shortage of restaurants in New York City. And, near Central Park, I was surrounded by some of the best of the best, including Le Bernardin and Per Se. With jeans and tennis shoes on and my hair in a knot, I was definitely in no shape for a restaurant of that caliber. As I wandered around, I saw a long line on the street in front of a food cart. It was the original location of The Halal Guys on West 53rd & 6th Avenue in New York City. What started as a hot dog stand in 1990, The Halal Guys have grown into the #3 most reviewed eatery on Yelp in the entire United States!  Today they have five carts, two New York City restaurants and more than 200 franchises around the world in development. The line was not too long and I only waited less than ten minutes. When I got up to the front of the line, the guy asked me for my order. It should be simple, you can chose a sandwich or a platter and then have to choose chicken or beef gyro, or a combo of chicken and gyro. There is also the option of falafel. As it was my first visit, I could not decide so he let me have a combo of all three! Freshly made chicken, beef gyro and falafel were added to a platter of rice, lettuce and pita. And, I ordered a side of creamy hummus as well. I returned to my hotel room where I quietly enjoyed my casual and flavorful dinner and got a little work done. Dinner from The Halal Guys hit the spot and that is why it is the Please The Palate pick of the week.