Everyone knows about Adels. Everyone loves Adels. And that’s a problem – the lines are insane, to the point where you can’t just pick it up on the way to something, but have to plan a night around getting it. That’s not how halal should be!
Thankfully, nearby we have a relatively new truck, Shawarma Bay, right next to Radio City Music Hall, that is not only incredible in its own right, but also super unique. Rather than having the classic squares of lamb, they do their meats shawarma style, cut fresh straight off the rotisserie. On top of that, they have their own unique tahini-style pink sauce, and a great green sauce, to add to the classic red and white sauces. With free fries and fresh veggies, this is an absolute can’t miss in Midtown, and well worth considering as top-tier in the city. Don’t forget to tip!
Taste: 4.5/5 | Heat: 3/5 | Speed: MEDIUM | Cost: $10 | Full [NYC Halal Cart Map (so far)](https://www.overrice.nyc/)
QnsPrince
Hot take: adels is average
justflipping
So good. Much more manageable line.
Maginum
Hope the line won’t centuple after this
hotdogaholic
ooh not far from me, will be having lunch there tuesday!
also truck looks CLEAN
as834625
If the truck had fresh-cut fries instead of frozen, it would be on a whole other level.
thriftdemon
I keep passing this truck on the way to work and it smells so goooooooooood, now I know what to get for lunch today thank you
zenmaster75
Wasn’t worth it for us. We tried the combo platter and the chapli. The meat portion on the combo is so small, it fits on 2 spoonfuls. Meat was also finely minced that’s suitable for a toddler. 85% of the platter is rice, 5% fries, 5% salad, 5% meat. Very small amount of fries and salad, junior size from a kids happy meal. 15 bucks. 2/5. Not worth it at all. Was very hungry afterwards.
Chapli, flavor is 4.5/5. 3 medium sized meat patties. Interesting flavor and decent portion of meat. Also 15 bucks. This is more of a lunch portion, not dinner.
We came here because it was rated 4.9/5 on Google and people raved about the chapli. We arrived 7:20, line was 10 people long, didn’t get our food till 8:15. The guy who takes your order on the line didn’t come till 7:45. Very slow service. I recommend to get only the chapli when there’s no line otherwise this place isn’t worth it. We had to grab more food afterwards.
OrangeWeekly1748
Halal guys is still the best
FoxComfortable6780
Its ok but not much meat
angrysandwich777
The food served in both carts is very different, but I still think Adels is better despite the unbalanced comparison because I love their grilled chicken.
Shawarma Bay is run by Pashtuns (not sure if they’re from Afghanistan or Pakistan) who serve Levant-style Shawarma off a spit and a Pashtun specialty found in Afghanistan and Pakistan called Chapli kabab (slipper-shaped kabab), a fried kebab marinated with tomatoes, cumin, coriander, chili flakes, etc. Adels meanwhile serve grilled chicken with Egyptian seasonings.
Shawarma Bay also serves cumin rice native to Afghanistan, and you’ll notice a lot of halal carts in the city serve this kind of rice (such as Shahs Halal) because their owners are Afghan as well. Adels serve cumin rice but usually season it with turmeric or paprika, and their spicy rice has carrots.
R-O-U-Ssdontexist
I’ve tried a lot of carts in the area and don’t get this. adels and shawarma bay are average at best and halal guys is below average.
I don’t understand any of this nonsense; my go to’s are royal grill on 44th and 6th or king of falafel on 53rd and park.
I don’t understand what anyone is thinking? I feel like my taste buds are taking crazy pills. Is it because they are open very late?
Delicious_Ant595
The picture that you can smell.
pywang
OP, random shoutout since you’re nearby but I love Mama Halal’s (please don’t post on TikTok ofc:); 54th/8th or 50th/9th. Not sure if they’re unique, but fresh lettuce and tomato, tumeric rice, and lamb/chicken over rice or chicken biryani are my go to in their massive menu.
Massive portion sizes and lots of meat and rice (female friend said one box could last her 2-3 meals) and friendly Bangladeshis (so they serve tumeric rice which is my fav).
they accept card and phone calling for pickup (both recent additions afaict). the guys have been feeding me for two years for good prices (recently bumped up to $9 but still worth it for portion size and taste). I’m usually overworked and fortunately they’re open almost 24/7 besides breakfast time ish (like 7a-8:30a or something; can’t really tell)
im chinese american, so YMMV re taste profile:) but I think this is better than Adele’s and most other carts, but I’m just religious to this cart at this point
14 Comments
Everyone knows about Adels. Everyone loves Adels. And that’s a problem – the lines are insane, to the point where you can’t just pick it up on the way to something, but have to plan a night around getting it. That’s not how halal should be!
Thankfully, nearby we have a relatively new truck, Shawarma Bay, right next to Radio City Music Hall, that is not only incredible in its own right, but also super unique. Rather than having the classic squares of lamb, they do their meats shawarma style, cut fresh straight off the rotisserie. On top of that, they have their own unique tahini-style pink sauce, and a great green sauce, to add to the classic red and white sauces. With free fries and fresh veggies, this is an absolute can’t miss in Midtown, and well worth considering as top-tier in the city. Don’t forget to tip!
Taste: 4.5/5 | Heat: 3/5 | Speed: MEDIUM | Cost: $10 | Full [NYC Halal Cart Map (so far)](https://www.overrice.nyc/)
Hot take: adels is average
So good. Much more manageable line.
Hope the line won’t centuple after this
ooh not far from me, will be having lunch there tuesday!
also truck looks CLEAN
If the truck had fresh-cut fries instead of frozen, it would be on a whole other level.
I keep passing this truck on the way to work and it smells so goooooooooood, now I know what to get for lunch today thank you
Wasn’t worth it for us. We tried the combo platter and the chapli. The meat portion on the combo is so small, it fits on 2 spoonfuls. Meat was also finely minced that’s suitable for a toddler. 85% of the platter is rice, 5% fries, 5% salad, 5% meat. Very small amount of fries and salad, junior size from a kids happy meal. 15 bucks. 2/5. Not worth it at all. Was very hungry afterwards.
Chapli, flavor is 4.5/5. 3 medium sized meat patties. Interesting flavor and decent portion of meat. Also 15 bucks. This is more of a lunch portion, not dinner.
We came here because it was rated 4.9/5 on Google and people raved about the chapli. We arrived 7:20, line was 10 people long, didn’t get our food till 8:15. The guy who takes your order on the line didn’t come till 7:45. Very slow service. I recommend to get only the chapli when there’s no line otherwise this place isn’t worth it. We had to grab more food afterwards.
Halal guys is still the best
Its ok but not much meat
The food served in both carts is very different, but I still think Adels is better despite the unbalanced comparison because I love their grilled chicken.
Shawarma Bay is run by Pashtuns (not sure if they’re from Afghanistan or Pakistan) who serve Levant-style Shawarma off a spit and a Pashtun specialty found in Afghanistan and Pakistan called Chapli kabab (slipper-shaped kabab), a fried kebab marinated with tomatoes, cumin, coriander, chili flakes, etc. Adels meanwhile serve grilled chicken with Egyptian seasonings.
Shawarma Bay also serves cumin rice native to Afghanistan, and you’ll notice a lot of halal carts in the city serve this kind of rice (such as Shahs Halal) because their owners are Afghan as well. Adels serve cumin rice but usually season it with turmeric or paprika, and their spicy rice has carrots.
I’ve tried a lot of carts in the area and don’t get this. adels and shawarma bay are average at best and halal guys is below average.
I don’t understand any of this nonsense; my go to’s are royal grill on 44th and 6th or king of falafel on 53rd and park.
I don’t understand what anyone is thinking? I feel like my taste buds are taking crazy pills. Is it because they are open very late?
The picture that you can smell.
OP, random shoutout since you’re nearby but I love Mama Halal’s (please don’t post on TikTok ofc:); 54th/8th or 50th/9th. Not sure if they’re unique, but fresh lettuce and tomato, tumeric rice, and lamb/chicken over rice or chicken biryani are my go to in their massive menu.
Massive portion sizes and lots of meat and rice (female friend said one box could last her 2-3 meals) and friendly Bangladeshis (so they serve tumeric rice which is my fav).
they accept card and phone calling for pickup (both recent additions afaict). the guys have been feeding me for two years for good prices (recently bumped up to $9 but still worth it for portion size and taste). I’m usually overworked and fortunately they’re open almost 24/7 besides breakfast time ish (like 7a-8:30a or something; can’t really tell)
im chinese american, so YMMV re taste profile:) but I think this is better than Adele’s and most other carts, but I’m just religious to this cart at this point