Koreatown welcomes East Coast staple The Halal Guys


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New York City is home to thousands of street vendors offering a variety of food from all over the globe. This year, Angelenos welcomed The Halal Guys — a NYC staple to the street vendor community — to a restaurant in Koreatown for anyone who is looking for unique varieties of taste in street food.

The Halal Guys originally began as one street vendor in Manhattan. Over a span of 25 years, they have expanded to more carts and restaurants throughout New York, including its original location, which is now home to three carts serving up the same American Halal food. Over the past year, The Halal Guys made their way to the west coast and now have three locations in Costa Mesa, Long Beach and Koreatown.

Located on the corner of  Wilshire Boulevard and Mariposa Street, The Halal Guys hosts a casual fast-food joint serving Halal entrees from 10 a.m to 4 a.m. 

The name The Halal Guys honors the Islamic culinary diet. The restaurant itself is like walking into a hot dog cart if it were large enough to fit people. With its metal interior and bright lights, the menu is simple. Chicken, gyro or falafel can be chosen as an option to be served as a sandwich or as a platter. The legendary platter offers a protein of choice, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, pita bread and rice. Unlike traditional Middle Eastern restaurant wih similar dishes with white rice, The Halal Guys serve an orange rice, dyed by the colors of numerous spices added in the cooking process.

This all comes along with endless amounts of their signature red and white sauce.

The red and white sauce wrap the entire meal together to create a wholesome, harmonious signature dish that anyone would be sure to only find on the street of New York. Red sauce has a hot sauce-like consistency, but is spicier than presumed. The white sauce adds coolness to the dish as it closely resembles sour cream but has the freshness of yogurt and hints of Middle Eastern flavor.

Additionally, traditional baklava is offered for dessert. Large chunks of diced nuts lathered in honey are enclosed between numerous layers of thin puff pastry, creating a decadent finish to an enticing meal that has been originally made from a hot dog cart.

Despite being labeled as street vendor food, The Halal Guys’ hearty and wholesome meals leave customers satisfied with a plethora of Middle Eastern flavors. The American Halal cuisine is one worth trying for any meal of the day.