Great chicken breast platter. Definitely will be my one of my go to spots for some great food. I work right across the street and was looking for some good grilled chicken. This hit the spot. Very friendly guy and I'm definitely coming back to try a cheeseburger! read more

Carnegie John's - Chicken Breast Platter with White (tzatziki). - Burgers Near Me - New York, New York

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This spot has my ongoing business. Staff provide excellent attention. The prices work for normal budgets. Their food makes dining worthwhile. This restaurant is the quintessential small venue. read more

This restaurant stands out from the crowd. Carnegie John's is easy to find and offers a relaxed setting. Make sure to try their most popular items! Their culinary standards and service quality both excel. I question the taste of those rating lower. read more

The food satisfies deeply without showing off. The meals here show culinary talent. One bite explains everything. The workers' genuine kindness enhances every meal. Every aspect shows quality and care. read more

I moved to NYC from LA approximately 20 years ago. I initially tried other food carts but the end result was always the same. Too hard to digest. until I went to Carnegie John. The food is not only healthy as can be - coming from LA I'm very health conscious - it is so delicious and John is the nicest guy you ever want to meet. John will custom make any dish as to your preference. If I'm in the vicinity of Carnegie Hall, I am sure to have lunch from Carnegie John. highly recommended. read more

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

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! read more

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This iconic food cart is located kitty corner across from Park Central Hotel before the side entrance to Carnegie Hall. It's a very unassuming cart and John keeps things simple with made to order sandwiches and platters. I ordered 2 lamb gyro pita sandwiches with vegetables and "white sauce" for my wife and me. Fresh, tasty, good. And John is a super nice guy. read more

Sorry to say doesn't live up to the hype and iand a few co worker got food Poisoning wont be eating from this cart anymore What idid we eat the rib eye steak 2 thumbs down eat at your own risk read more

Pretty average cart spot. I went out of my way to give it a shot because of the raving reviews but didn't understand the hype. I got the gyro platter and was surprised to see he uses what the dingiest NYC carts use for their gyro meat - those long oval pieces, nothing authentic about it. The dish was fine, but cost more than a standard cart. Won't return. read more

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! read more

Carnegie John's - combo no. one: chicken + lamb shish kebab - Burgers Near Me - New York, New York

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

Pretty damn good. John has been on the corner of 56/7th forever and very happy to see he is still there post-COVID. He still seems to have a good following. He can seem a bit gruff at times as he can be super busy. This time - He looked up and gave me a super warm welcome. We chatted about the city post-COVID. For $10 a great lunch on a hot day! Chicken and rice with white sauce with Salad on side. read more

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

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. read more

Carnegie John's - Italian Sausage - Burgers Near Me - New York, New York

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Oh Carnegie John's, I find myself braving cold winds and dodging traffic for your tasty platters more times than I want to admit... especially since I will never eat Halal Guys meat ever again! Located on the NE corner of 56th and 7th Avenue, this place can get quite the line after 12:00pm so try to arrive before then to beat the construction lunch hustle. They offer the typical chicken and gyro options but for me, I love the chicken breast platter... a REAL chicken breast cooked in front of me, sliced and placed on top of a bed of fluffy yellow rice and fresh salad topped off with homemade tzatziki sauce for only $6.50. Only $6.50!!!! *does that happy dance* Gotta love good street meat... read more

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. read more

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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. read more

Carnegie John's - John Working Hard - Burgers Near Me - New York, New York

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Good take away food and more affordable than most places. Nice service and solid food ... read more

Carnegie John's was above and beyond expectations. Atmosphere is very unique and entertaining. These guys got a lovely menu too. Excellent service with smile. Carnegie John's...Go there, if you can. read more

Stopped by for a quick bite this afternoon after always seeing a long line of people. Ordered the chicken rice platter which came with a salad. Salad was fresh. Had a big portion of chicken which was cooked perfectly. Was disappointed they changed the rice (yellow rice on photos but it ended up being white). Overall great quick meal at a price of $8...can't beat that for midtown west. Will I return? Most likely read more

This little food cart is the bomb! I took both a Greek salad and a lamb gyro over to Central Park on a beautiful sunny day, and it was one of the best experiences I've had in New York City. There was a bit of a line during lunch hour, but it was all blue collar guys and local people, so I knew it had to be a great spot. And it's kind of a weird ordering process, so I'll break it down: 1) Stand in ordering line in front of cart; order food 2) Wait in "food waiting" line against the building 3) When he calls you up, tell him what toppings you want on your gyro. Be sure to ask him to make it spicy if you like a little heat. 4) Pay for your meal; receive deliciousness. Keep in mind they're cash only. Overall, one of the better low key lunch spots in the area. TL;DR- Bring cash, get bomb food, enjoy lunch in the park. read more

One of the best Greek food carts in NYC. Super tasty food that looks fantastic too. You can see John grilling the meat right before your eyes, its hot, fresh and awesome Super cheap and filling for just $6.50 read more

Carnegie John's - Chicken breast over rice platter, too good! - Burgers Near Me - New York, New York

I have this Love/Hate relationship with Food stands. Most of them are just not that clean and not that good. But for five bucks, you're getting a meal. But Carnegie John, or as I call him...THE MAN, is the best cart guy in the neighborhood. Most of these cart guys pre-cook all of the halal chicken and leave it out until they'r ready to serve. THE MAN takes out fresh chicken cutlets (pre-marinated) for every order. He also serves 1/2 pound burgers (not frozen patties), shish-kebobs, italian sausages and small sized steaks for sandwiches (which are grilled on the spot). The yellow rice is always fresh, hot and plump with a couple of bay leaves for the flavor. Of course there is salad too (either mixed salad with some green, purple and orange veggie stuff...carrots and romaine....but you knew that OR the regular old iceburg for sandwiches) but who wants that! Throw some more meat on the plate!! $4.50 for a chicken sandwich (on a hero no less), $6.00 for a platter (salad, rice and meat)....$2.50 for a tasty shish-kebob (always premarinated)....Awesome grub for a Cart dude. Get his number and call ahead to avoid the wait. In the summer, you may have to wait about 10 minutes since he's cooking everything fresh. HERE IS THE KICKER!! I went to get food one day and he got a surprise visit from the Health Inspector guy doin a random spot check of the food carts in the neighborhood. Instead of going somewhere else For food, I waited to find out the results. The Health guy said "Of all The guys I've ever seen this week, your cart is the best. I've got no violations. Your temperatures are correct, food properly kept, you're not handling the money...good job." read more

Despite all the advances that have been made in identifying standout restaurants, it's still hard to find the great food stands. While some stand out b/c of branding (aka 'peacocking' if you're a fan of 'The Game') or reputation (the 53rd and 6th Halal cart), the rest seem interchangable. Kudos, therefore, to New York magazine/NewYork.com for compiling a top 20 list for food stands (http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/33527/index1.html). If it weren't for this list, I never would've sought out Carnegie John's in my old midtown west haunts. Trust me, it wasn't easy. First off, he's only open Mon-Fri and he closes shop at 5PM. Second, he doesn't have any 'Carnegie John' branding on his cart so you've got to know the exact address. Here's a pic of him to go by (http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/carnegie-johns/#) I've tried his specialty - the chicken and rice w/ salad ($5.50) - and it is GREAT. I got it with white sauce and hot sauce. But rather than smother everything in the sauces, he compartmentalizes the white sauce and just cooks the chicken with the hot sauce. This results in chunks of juicy charcoaled chicken with a perfectly spicy kick to them - the closest NYC comparisons I can think of are Blondie's Grilled Buffalo Tenders or perhaps Dinosaur BBQ grilled wings. The white sauce is a nice complement. The seasoned yellow rice is delicious and the salad provides some guilt relief. After tasting this fantastic dish, it is RIDICULOUS that this is the first review for Carnegie John's where nearby 53rd and 6th Halal Cart (http://www.yelp.com/biz/53rd-and-6th-halal-cart-new-york#hrid:UhcuCoDkM79wLb3FRJ472g) has over 100. I credit it to the fact that Carnegie John does the day shift while 53rd and 6th does the night shift (not open until 7PM). So 53rd and 6th gets more late night customers, particularly drunk people. Yelp has a lot of drunks. 'Nuff said. Luckily, you don't have to choose - from lunch until 5PM, check out Carnegie John. from 7PM until late, go to 53rd and 6th st. read more

I go here once or twice a week for lunch. Carnegie John's really sets himself apart from the rest of the other mediocre street carts for a few reasons. 1. He cooks things from RAW - you'll see him throwing on raw pieces of marinated chicken breast, lamb kebabs, steaks, and burgers. Typically everything is cooked to order but during rush hour aka lunch, it's not uncommon to see things constantly being rotated around the grill in order to accommodate the line. Much different from the mountain of mushed, overcooked chicken that we're used to seeing on halal carts (you know the ones). 2. Great at remembering orders and how you want it. Extra sauce here? No problem, cooked this way? No problem. Very attentive to your likes/dislikes 3. The white/yogurt sauce is actually tzatziki and doesn't taste like a fake mayo concoction that will give you coronary heart disease. Very tasty and authentic. 4. He actually has a separate charcoal grill. You'll see him swap different meats between both grills to get the charcoal flavor and char. THIS sets him apart...the flavor is wonderful and unlike anything that other carts can produce. 5. In a world of unhealthy grease carts, Carnegie John's seems almost...healthy. Not that I care about that stuff, but to someone who is concerned with grease and filth, this place really has nothing that would make a dieter scream. Your typical platter has marinated breast meat chicken, yellow rice, and salad. Very clean operation. Things he could work on - steak might be a little more fatty/gristly than most people can handle. But for a cart, he pumps out a nice cheesesteak. Pro Tip: Ask for the lamb KEBAB, not the lamb GYRO meat. Kebab meat is whole chunks of lamb the size of an ice cube, cooked to a perfect medium/mediumrare. So it's better to get whole pieces of food than ground up gyro paste...unless you're into that. read more

One of the best chicken and rice carts in the city by far. Couple of things to remember: 1. Your meat is grilled fresh upon ordering so give about 10 minutes to get your order if the line is short; it can be up to 20 minutes when they're very busy. 2. The white sauce is not heavy mayo. I'm not 100% sure what it is, but heard yogurt. It is similar in consistency and taste to tzatziki sauce. Northeast corner of 56th and 7th Avenue, the line can be a bit awkward. Make sure you're in the right line - after people order, they congregate around the cart and they could possibly skip your turn. The meat is cooked on the grill. It's not boiled chicken warmed and chopped up on the grill like the Halal Guys on 53rd. It's actually chunks of chicken that he grills over charcoal and cuts up into chunks on his grill. If you order the chicken over rice platter, it costs $6.50 - more than the other guys slightly, but well worth the extra cost. It comes with rice and a salad that they drizzle with Italian dressing. Your choice of meat is put over the rice, and the awesome white sauce. The best part - you don't feel like crap after. I didn't like the lamb - they use lamb chunks, not the gyro meat - so I always go for the chicken over rice platter. It always satisfies. read more

$8.50 for a #1 Combo, chicken and kebab. On one half is salad, lots of lettuce, a few slices of tomato with a light oil dressing. On the other half of the platter is rice, a bit chewy and overcooked. With chunks of charred shish kebab, strips of grilled chicken, a white sauce and a bit of dressing. Quite filling, though not as insane as the 2 meal serving that chicken and rice places have. I find both have their advantages and disadvantages, with this offering freshness of the salad, meat cooked to order, and the meal not being overly greasy. read more

All that nasty, scary, unappetizing street food we have succombed to eating? Yeah, whoever's manning those carts needs to come take a lesson from the two guys manning this one. I had chicken over rice with salad and extra green peppers and onions. We'll start with the chicken: a whole chicken breast seasoned, grilled, cut up, seared again on the grill. Served over a bed of... Deliciously seasoned yellow rice. And delicious seasoned, perfectly grilled peppers and onions. Along side was an..... Actual salad! With green leaf lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes and vinegarette. And.... A little bit of white sauce. Which was heavily sour cream oriented. THIS is the MOTHER of all street food. I was shocked by how good it was. This was cooked....outside..... on a cart no different in appearance than most other carts in the city.... but what came off the grill from this cart was about a 100% better. Quality food, decent price, happy belly. I'll take the R (which I DESPISE) all the way from NYU up here for lunch. It's that damn good. This shit TRUMPS 53 and 6th. Same price. Less food. WAAAY better quality. read more

Sitting in the shadow of Carnegie Hall, this food cart is one everybody should visit. John, the owner of Carnegie John's, trained under Tony Dragonas, who has a famous street cart on the Upper East Side. This alone is enough of a fact to denote it worthy of testing. Once the line faded slightly, I was able to shout my order of a Grilled Chicken Pita. Now, John is notorious for his burgers, but he puts an authentic and different spin on food found at Halal carts. John's Greek influenced foods, and homemade sauces will make you kick yourself for never coming here before. They will also make you kick yourself even if you're a regular. The wait is long because John doesn't keep meat and veggies "heating" on one side of the grill to expedite orders. He starts everything fresh. To make the grilled chicken for the pita, he takes out a raw chicken breast that had been marinating in his own blend of whateveritisthatisinthere. He seers it on the grill, puts it into a different marinating drawer. He then takes it back out, puts it onto the flattop grill, and chops it up. The pita is monstrous. I advise sitting down to eat it, and have a stack of napkins close by. He also grills the pita, which gives it those nice, charred spots on the outside, which have the most flavor. It is stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, and chicken; and topped with his own cucumber dill yogurt sauce and spicy sauce. The chicken is charred and has more flavor than I have ever found at a street cart. It is like something grilled in the backyard, but better. It has that kind of grilled flavor. And his dedication to freshness shows in how good the chicken is. This wasn't cooked hours ago, and had been sitting there on the grill, drying out, waiting for someone to come by. It was grilled then and there, from a raw chicken breast. The sauces are what truly make this pita great. The green sauce is made with low-fat yogurt, so it is not heavy like those mayonnaise based sauces. The taste of fresh cucumbers and dill is very apparent. It doesn't have a vinegary taste like some dill sauces do. This one was made from the fresh, raw veggies. The spicy sauce adds heat and kicks it up a notch. My first bite made me stop. My nose was burning. But the heat disappeared quickly and did not return; it was only an initial heat that then gave way to roads of flavor. This is one of the best carts in the City. John is doing things the right way, the fresh way. The wait is worth it. And the price is worth it: the hulking pita was $4.75. That is cheaper than Halal food, and is much tastier. read more

Carnegie John's - The man at work - Burgers Near Me - New York, New York

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The line to Burger Joint was crazy during my lunch hour, so I decided to hit up Carnegie John's instead. I'd heard some pretty good things about it on other websites, so for a $4 cheeseburger, I didn't have too much to lose. There were only 2 people in front of me (none of that 20 minute wait like for Shendy's Halal) so I got my cheeseburger relatively quickly. It was a pretty decent burger. It wasn't terribly memorable or flavorful, but it was good. It satisfied my burger need and I would come back here in a pinch. The veggies could be fresher, but it's a street cart and the burger was $4. The patty was juicy enough and wasn't overcooked or too densely packed. Shake Shack's burger is $4 as well, and in my opinion it's a lot better than this burger, but at Shake Shack you also have to deal with about a hundred other people. All in all, this is fine. read more

By far my favorite street cart in manhattan. Carnegie John serves up real food. The salad is fresh, with large slices of fresh tomatoes and a light homemade salad dressing. The chicken comes as a breast, and is cooked right in front of you. The rice is perfectly spiced. The white sauce is made of actual yogurt! The hot sauce is flavorful, but not overly hot. He also serves up a decent steak for 7 bucks. Again, cooked whole and made to order. Might I dare say it? Yes. I'd rather come here for chicken and rice than the 53rd and 6th cart. read more

This place is incredible! Had the Chicken on Pita and both the chicken and pita were outstanding. First time to New York and was the first place I had grabbed food after getting to the hotel. read more

Wow!! Absolutely amazing food and very reasonably priced. This is some of the best Greek food I've had, and that's saying a lot considering I live in Astoria (Greek food capital). Just started working nearby. I usually bring my own lunch to work, but now I know where I'm going almost every time I don't. Eat here you won't regret it. I got the combo # 1. Chicken and lamb were both perfectly cooked and seasoned. Not dry, very flavorful. read more

My sister the travel agent recommended this deli. I was skeptical. My wife and I shared a Woody Allen; Pastrami and corned beef on rye. The best I've ever had, and twice or three times what both of us could eat!! Fabulous. And the cheesecake too, $11, but fabulous! Casual deli dining at it's finest!! Gracious service!! We will be back soon.!! read more

I've been a few times and it's still a great burger. Very simple, but very good. As others have said he cooks the burger at the very end over charcoal which gives it that great smokey taste. Remember when ordering the burger to ask for the lettuce, onion and tomato or else you just get the burger in a bun. I'll definitely be back. read more

Wow was the cart good. I love the Rib Eye Sandwich. The meat was both fatty and juicy. He cooked it medium rare which is what I wanted. OH YEAH HE ASKED ME. He used charcoal gril to give it that high heat flavor. The white sauce and spicy bbq with the onion and peppers made it perfect. This is a cheap sandwich compared to other places. $5.75 with a big filling sandwich. WOW. Oh yeah this place is a CART. Find it on the corner. read more

Carnegie John's - Ribeye in a cart :) - Burgers Near Me - New York, New York

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

Yelp never fails me. I was looking for a place to eat near my workplace and was pleasantly surprised by Carnegie Johns. Located at the corner next to Carnegie Hall, the street cart serves great, quick food. I got the steak platter which for $7.75, you get a large platter of soft yellow rice, steak, salad. The rice and steak was nicely marinated. And the dressing on the salad was good. Only wish there was more steak for all the rice that is given. It's a good thing the rice tastes good otherwise there would be a lot of wasted rice. Also, there was little to no wait. Great!! read more

Carnegie John's - Steak platter - Burgers Near Me - New York, New York

This place was hyped up and it was worth the hype. With chicken and rice being so popular, I feel that many cart foods are overshadowed. However, this place did not disappoint. I got the souvlaki platter. It came with rice and salad. I wish there was a little bit more meat, but I was satisfied with the portions. They serve it with their sweet red sauce along with white sauce, which was more greek based. My gf got the italian sausage platter and that was also pretty good. The souvlaki was beef, cooked very tender, and tasted delicious. For $6, I think it is a great alternative to chicken and rice, and I have to say that because half of it is salad, it is somewhat healthier. My only complaint is that I wish they put a little more meat, but I was still very satisfied. I can't wait to go back to try other items such as the kebobs and burgers. read more