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    Carnegie John's

    4.4 (98 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Carnegie John's Photos

    CARNEGIE JOHN'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Classy
    Loud
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Carnegie John's

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    Anna H.

    I saw and read all the positive reviews on Yelp for this cart and my managers highly recommended this spot as well. Pheww...thank god that there was no line when I arrived there with one person waiting for his order. I wrote a few items that I was debating from...Shish Kebab on Pita (winner), Lamb Gyro (my go-to), and Rib Eye Sandwich!! Just two guys working on this cart and they are pretty quick! The grilled meat cubes were seasoned and very yummy. As I was eating the last piece of meat ::sad face:: hubba hubba mmmmm *mama like* and the white sauce taste homemade! Another cheap spot for lunch and make sure you bring cash! Bookmark and give this cart a try!

    combo no. one: chicken + lamb shish kebab
    Danesh I.

    As wholesome as cart food can get. John is a no frills guy, and though his food may appears simple, you are getting so much from cart food basics for less than $10. The lines can be long but considering this a two-man operation, they churn-and-burn through orders quickly. The chicken, lamb shish kabob, gyro, and ribeye steak are all really good. This isn't the place for the Halal cart experience, so if you're expecting greasy or spicy, then head on over to 53rd and 7th. If what you want is fresh, tasty, and not as harsh on the stomach, then Carnegie John's is the right place for you. Very good food at great prices. Highly recommended in Midtown!

    Italian Sausage
    James F.

    My coworkers accuse of being a snob when I pass on lunch at Wendy's or Subway. I just don't get spending 5-8 bucks at those establishments when Carnegie John's exist. The prices are very reasonable, nothing over $8 , and the quality is very good. I'm as suspicious of street meat and dirty water dogs as the next guy but the food here is excellent What to get ? 1. Italian sausage. Either as a hero ($4.50) or over very good yellow rice ($5.50) it a wonderfully filling and tasty lunch. 2.Cheeseburger (4.50) is large and excellent quality but a little messy. The patty and bun are more wide than round. Better than any fast food burger and a good alternative to pricier burger joints. It's not Royale but quite good. 3. Rib eye steak. I prefer the sandwich to the platter. The quality of the meat is excellent but it I wish it was cooked with a little more salt. You can get it with the popular white sauce, BBQ sauce or ketchup or just salt it yourself. For $6 ($7.50 for platter) it's hard to beat. There are no vegetarian options and sometimes the burgers run out but in the Carnegie Hall/ West 50's area this is the best, reasonably priced lunch spot.

    Check out sign to make sure you have the right cart. Carnegie John's written down the middle
    Han D.

    We needed lunch in a bad way. At first we wanted Carnegie deli but the line was 20 deep! We thought all delis are made equally so we went to the one across the street, but I pulled up Yelp and they had 1.5 stars! Yikes! I found our alternative on Yelp with Carnegie Johns. At first his cart looks like all the other food carts. They all have the same red and yellow umbrella, you have to look at his menu to see his name. The line was about 7 ppl long and it was a hot and sunny day. Since he makes the food to order you can't really rush the process. We ordered: Cheeseburger delux, the cheese burger was moist and juicy, perfectly cooked. We asked for grilled onions, peppers and lettuce on our burger along with ketchup. He doesn't have ketchup or mustard packages. The fries were a little under cooked, they could've used a few more minutes but weren't really too special. The combo #2 with chicken and lamb over rice and a side of salad. The chicken and lamb were great. Tasty and moist. The rice and salad were ok. I can't compare it to any other cart food of the same genre but it was tasty. John and his assistant were friendly and efficient. The other people in line were all locals so you know they have to be good. I checked out the other carts while waiting the ~ 15 minutes for our food. None of the other places posted their prices and none of them had any customers either. Eat here you won't regret it. We took our food to picnic in Central Park. On a side note the waters from the carts 2-3 blocks from the park are about $1. In the park a small is $2 and $3 for a large. The stands immediately outside the park will rip you off. If prices aren't posted make sure you ask before you order.

    John Working Hard
    Rajesh N.

    1:45pm and on way back to work I spied a quiet Carnegie John's stand. Now, I normally see lines 5-6 people deep so I was concerned my need for a bite would be limited by options. I was wrong. The options were all available. I wanted to do something different from the cheeseburger I usually get from John. I went with the soulvaki platter. John immediately got to work as well as his helper. Before I knew it grilled marinated chicken was sizzling on the flattop while soft golden rice was placed in an aluminum dish. John asked me what sauces I wanted from his side saddle of sauces and veggies. There I spied the wonderful white sauce with little cucumber bits as well as plump tomato wedges and fresh greens. All this was placed in my dish as well as hot sauce. As I was paying I soon noticed a line begin to form. I had just beat the third hour of rush for John's. The soulvaki was perfect. Nicely seasoned and fresh. The white/taziki sauce went so well. Creamy and chunky all in one. Mixing everything together, you get a tastebud overload. After eating the platter, I was comfortable, not stuffed, not hungry. The platter did me right. Great prices at John's. My platter was $6. Most of the dishes are available for no more than $8. Clean cart with a very friendly crew. If you want a bite to take into Central Park, don't do the restaurants, go to this cart.

    Chicken breast over rice platter, too good!

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    1 year ago

    great street vendor! gyros, sausage sandwiches, grilled chicken....excellent! friendly english speaking to boot! highly recommend!!!

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    3 years ago

    GREAT food. Best Mediterranean around. Consistent, great portion, excellent cost benefit.

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    3 years ago

    Absolutely the BEST! John is a real gem in the city. 23 years and counting! Chicken and Rice PlateCarny John 's Tzatziki

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    You raised prices and the quality of the meat dropped?! That's being too greedy, choose one!

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    Page 1 of 3

    Carnegie John's Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Carnegie John's

    Where is this guy? I can't seem to find him at 56th & 7th ever?

    He's there today! Northeast corner of the intersection under the scaffolding with the red support beams.

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    Hainan Jones - Classic Chicken Rice Set (~$17): half poached & half roasted chicken

    Hainan Jones

    3.9(108 reviews)
    0.3 miTheater District, Midtown West

    Heard that Anthony Bourdain loved this spot for hainan chicken and rice, which is a comfort dish…read morefor me and I really understand why. The chicken was very tender, well prepared, and so were the veggies. I think it has stiff competition by way of Lou Yau Kee but is definitely up there as top 5 southeast chicken rices in the city! I would def come back here and what's great is that you can feel healthy bc it's steamed/poached chicken, rice and veggies :) It's inside Urban Hawker, so you can get a variety of other things to go with your meal - might I recommend Kopi (malaysian coffee) at the nearby stand? The flavors were bold, authentic, and the chicken skin was silky smooth. The cucumbers had a nice crunch and the veggies as well. They give you two sauces, one of them is spicy and might be hotter than you expect so try it first.

    Hainan Jones is located in Urban Hawker. Urban Hawker is an authentic Singapore street food center…read morelocated in the heart of New York City and it is the first of its kind in the United States to feature stalls from the UNESCO hawker centers of Singapore. The vendors represent essential cuisines like Malay, Peranakan, Chinese, Indian, Southeast Asian, and Asian-style Western favorites. The first time I went to Urban Hawker was in December 2022, so I was very happy to be back again. I went to Hainan Jones for the Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice. The menu offers two chicken rice sets: poached or roasted Hainanese Chicken Rice, Chicken Porridge, or a salad. Hainanese Chicken Rice is considered one of Singapore's most celebrated local dishes and is the star at Hainan Jones. I ordered the Signature Poached Chicken Rice Set ($19). The rice set is served with very fragrant chicken rice and broth accompanied by oyster vegetables with fried shallots, cucumbers, a chili sauce, and dark soy sauce. It didn't take very long for the order to be ready. The poached chicken was very smooth, tender, and tasty. I enjoyed the flavor of the chicken by itself and dipping it in the dark soy sauce. It was a good portion and very filling. My husband got the roasted chicken and he enjoyed it. There are plenty of tables for seating at Urban Hawker. After eating, I bought the tray to the trash area and there were staff taking the tray and cleaning tables. I'm looking forward to the next time I can visit Urban Hawker.

    Photos
    Hainan Jones - Vendor

    Vendor

    Hainan Jones - Roasted Chicken Rice

    Roasted Chicken Rice

    Hainan Jones - Urban hawker

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    Urban hawker

    Mr Fried Rice - Teriyaki Grilled Salmon Fried Rice

    Mr Fried Rice

    3.9(29 reviews)
    0.3 miTheater District, Midtown West
    $$

    I'm never too sure about the quality, or value, of food court vendors as sometimes I feel like the…read morestores rely too heavily on the novel aspect of their environment/experience over the quality or value of their food. Mr Fried Rice was a gamble that payed off! Portion sizes were a lot bigger than I expected (especially given location) and the flavors were on point. The fried rice had that signature wok hei flavor you get from chefs high heat wok cooking and the pork chop was juicy and flavorful. The staff were friendly too Hard to go wrong for a meal sub $20. Definitely recommend if you are in the area.

    It's fine? Highly…read morerecommended by my sister. I've been disappointed by Urban Hawker already but mainly from a value perspectivr. Slightly differe Ambience is irrelevant. You're at a food court. With some luck you can snag a seat and chow down but office lunchers will probably just head back to their desk. Was told that the fish was super crispy so I got that with fried rice. Purposely asked questions in Canto to let them know I'm with the home team. Fried rice is made to order and it's actually decent. Food comes out piping hot. The fish is covered with a thick breading that reminds me of the frozen breaded tilapia from Trader Joe. It's a big serving (ended up with enough left over for a second meal) but you'll have to work thru that breading. On its own it has pretty much no flavor but it comes with a black pepper sauce that you'll need. The sauce is weirdly thick but along with the thick breading the fish will stay crispy.

    Photos
    Mr Fried Rice - Mr. Fried rice stall (1)

    Mr. Fried rice stall (1)

    Mr Fried Rice - Shrimp Fried Rice

    Shrimp Fried Rice

    Mr Fried Rice - Sign of the place (Mr. Fried Rice)

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    Sign of the place (Mr. Fried Rice)

    Gray's Papaya - Hot Dog with Ketchup, Mustard, Relish

    Gray's Papaya

    3.8(1.7k reviews)
    0.9 miUpper West Side
    $

    This is my second time coming to this classic NY spot, and it was just as good as the first!…read moreOrdered a couple hot dogs with a drink combo which came out to around $7.50 ish. The hot dog sausages weren't out of this world but they were great and you can't beat the value you are getting. The toppings were fresh and tasted amazing. I'd recommend getting them with mustard, kraut, and onions. The highlight was the pina colada though! It was super refreshing, rich, and really complemented the hot dogs well. Some people say this place is a tourist trap but imo it's well worth the visit, just make sure you order your hot dogs the right way (no ketchup or relish), and get one of their awesome drinks.

    Full disclosure: I'm a tourist and I don't claim to be a hot dog connoisseur but I enjoyed Grays!…read moreIt might not be the perfect but it's iconic (I first learned about it from the movie Fools Rush In) and well loved. They're super freaking efficient so even we walked up to a long line it moved so quick. We got two dogs and a drink for 7.50 and you get it dressed how you want. I really liked the sauerkraut. You can pay .75 for things like chili and cheese. The buns were soft. The dogs seemed a bit small but it's a great snack. The unexpected MVPs were the juices! We got one pineapple and one papaya and they were so tasty!! Sweet but not overly sugary. Our favorite is the pineapple but I would try the papaya too if you can. They have standing tables outside.

    Photos
    Gray's Papaya
    Gray's Papaya - Recession special...one with mustard and sauerkraut & one with chili & onions. Papaya juice and Coconut Champagne.

    Recession special...one with mustard and sauerkraut & one with chili & onions. Papaya juice and Coconut Champagne.

    Gray's Papaya - Exterior

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    Exterior

    Carnegie John's - burgers - Updated May 2026

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