** this is from several months ago** t'was sitting in my drafts for a bit,.... Several beer pitchers in @ HACHI (just next door-shout out to them)-- for a celebration of a breakup, the end of midterms, or simply the triumph of continuing to exist (in THIS economy?? were all needing to praise ourselves for simply surviving) -- we found ourselves drawn, like moths to a fluorescently lit flame, to Halal Guys. Now listen. The food? Solid. Reliable. The kind of food that understands you are not here for nuance. You are here because life has punched you in the throat and you require a plate of rice, chicken, gyro meat, and mysterious white sauce to spiritually stabilize. I used to go to the OG one in NYC when i was getting punched in the throat there too. (PUNCHED IN THE THROAT BY ACADEMIA, FIGURATIVELY, y'all haver crazy imaginations outthere). BUT it;s the people... It's always the people... The staff. My siblings in falafel... it was 10 PM. You could feel the collective energy of "we have been serving drunk people since sunset and you are the 437th group tonight explaining your breakup story while pointing at the menu." Not judging, just warmth and the quiet aura of people who have seen things. Who have witnessed humanity at its lowest point: ordering extra hot sauce and then immediately regretting it. JC looked in my soul and I think he understood,,, everything. AND JESS! (my fairy wielding a spoon scooping the heavenly meat and talking to me like a therapist??) And they fed us. Efficiently. Respectfully. Would I return? hell ya i would. only to see if Jess and JC remembers me. JK the food is always reliable. y'all stay away from the hot saucres, read more

I'm so glad they have the white sauce again! For a while they were out of stock and it was hard to order extra but now it's back!!!! The food is always on par! Service is quick but you never feel like they rush you! The dining room is a bit small and more cafeteria like but we come there for the food and not so much the atmosphere! read more

Easy and fast place for lunch. The sauces are the best part. The spicy sauce is so good and makes everything better. read more

The Halal Guys - Chicken bowl - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

The food is good! The service is awesome! The place is small but clean. Parking is plenty. I wish there would be one closer to us, IE. Will definitely be back again when we're in the area. read more

The Halal Guys - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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big ol plate and a large fry enough for 2 people for only $20. not too many options for toppings and meats, but it's simple, cheap, and gets the job done. read more

The Halal Guys - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Overall (1/5) This was easily my worst Halal Guys experience and honestly left me really disappointed. I came craving something familiar and left feeling like I wasted both time and money. First Impressions (1/5) When I walked in, there was only one person working, handling the fryer, the register, and assembling plates. I genuinely felt bad for her, especially considering the steady line forming. What We Got (2/5) I ordered a regular plate, which is what I usually get at Halal Guys. Nothing customized or complicated, just the standard order I have had many times before at other locations. Taste and Quality (0/5) The food was shockingly bad. The rice was raw and crunchy, which was hard to believe at first. The meat pieces were tiny and very chewy, and the pita bread was extremely soggy. On top of that, it was only around 4 pm and the usual spinning meat and grill were not even on, despite the line picking up. Service (2/5) The worker was clearly trying her best, but one person running everything in a busy location is not realistic. She was constantly running back and forth between the fryer and the line, which made the whole operation feel chaotic and slow. Space and Atmosphere (3/5) The space itself was fine and what you would expect from Halal Guys. Clean enough, but nothing stood out positively enough to offset the food experience. Was It Worth It (0/5) Not at all. As someone who is pretty frugal and almost always finishes their meals, I could not finish this plate. It genuinely felt like a waste of $18. Final Thoughts This location does not seem to be held to the same standards as other Halal Guys in the area. This experience was disappointing from start to finish. read more

The Halal Guys - Mixed Raw Rice - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Horrible service! 2 employees were too worried about their social life. They messed up our order. Pita bread was rock hard. Ice maker wasn't working for drinks. We were the only people in here at lunch time. This place used to be so good. Really gone down hill. Less protein given as well. WONT BE BACK read more

[ARCHIVE] Ordered - Platter Combo (Beef Gyro & Chicken) - White Sauce Thoughts Came here because I heard about their famous white sauce and it is so good! Their red sauce is pretty spicy and one line is just enough spice and kick for me! Very quick service, not a lot of seating inside so more of a place to grab to-go imo. Recommend? I'd recommend if you're looking for some quick halal food! read more

The Halal Guys - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I happened to be in the area and decided to give this spot a try. The guy behind the counter recommended a combo platter. I opted for a large platter with lettuce, tomatoes, rice, bell peppers, and onions. I chose chicken and beef for my protein, and for a dollar more I added humus and olives. The final toppings included jalapeños and white sauce. Overall, it was pretty tasty, even though I thought their chicken was a bit bland. But the beef was terrific. Their scoop of rice was HUGE, so if you want to stay off the carbs, opt for just lettuce and tomatoes. I was reassured that this was a primo spot when I saw several local cops come in on their lunch break. read more

The Halal Guys - Chicken and beef platter with salad, tomatoes, rice, humus, olives, and white sauce. - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

If I didn't have to leave one star, I would leave none. I ate in the restaurant and the food was cold ... the person behind the counter was too busy talking to someone who walked in/didn't speak English (and they turned a Mexican radio channel on), to care. A TOTAL waste of $$ for food that isn't that good, and cold before it leaves the restaurant. One positive - the bagged lettuce was fresh. read more

Good spot for a quick lunch. There's a few seating inside. The service was nice and easy. The food is good. I really love their spicy sauce.

Attentive and friendly staff. Not too busy around 7PM on a weeknight. It's in a great shopping center, next to Capital Noodle Bar, 7Leaves, and even came across this Japanese Cheesecake spot. Definitely more of a fan these days: delicious blend of rice, chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, topped with (EXTRA) the savory creamy white sauce. Staff are GENEROUS with the sauce! Thank you!! For once, a dining venue that doesn't charge you $1-$5 for sauce! Hospitality at its finest and customers like myself, we appreciate it!! Mind you, it's my first meal of the day, at dinner, so I was a bit famished on this particular visit, and it was really more flavorful and delicious than previous visits. *Their baklava is one of my favorites too. Definitely grab one for the road. read more

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Came in on a friday afternoon and was immediately greeted by the staff in a friendly manner. They were very professional and I received my food instantaneously. The food was solid and well priced. Would come again. read more

Ordered to go and have eaten here several times but never had this problem. Had a hard piece of plastic in my shawarma plate which is very disappointing because I really do like the food here. read more

The Halal Guys - Piece of plastic in my food - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

The food is really tasty, I can't quite remember what I had there but the food was good, of course it's all tasty food... it's halal... so tasty read more

Yikes guys. I need a refund. Ordered to go two regular plates with beef and chicken, got home and the food tasted weird. Worse part was the pita bread was stale. Like crumby and stale. How do you serve this at 15 a plate? Idk what happened but you guys fell off on quality. I want a refund.. read more

Quality control and customer service here is so bad, it's ridiculous. I ordered a platter plus a family meal. They were supposed to give me 12 white sauce and 7 hot sauce, they gave me 2 of each. There was no onions and green pepper for my family meal, and no pita bread for my platter. It's all over the place. They don't check before giving it to me, and when I called them after I got home, they didn't offer me anything at all to compensate me for their mistake. I had to go back to get what was missing, and they offered nothing at all. Imagine your family is waiting for the food, and then everyone is disappointed by all that was missing. Also I feel corporate is making bad decisions like making the hot sauce not hot anymore. Before 3 drops was all I needed for 1 platter, and now I use the entire packet, and it's not spicy. Might as well use my own hot sauces. It's so bad. read more

We ate there when it first opened years. Long line, really good food and plentiful. In fact we ate there so much we took a break. Granted it's been awhile since last visit but this was really disappointing. Ordered falafel wrap, just three very small pieces of falafel with a tiny drip of lettuce and tomato, Big pita though. Falafel tasted okay just not enough of it. Mango black tea decent. Waffle fries didn't have much potato in them, hummus was really nasty, like poured out of a tube, charged $6 for that. It went straight into the trash like the baklava did. Tasted like it had been sitting around for months. Oversoaked in honey and tough. $45 for all this and we really only ate the falafel. So disappointing. Wondering if there are new owners in charge of the kitchen because it sure doesn't taste like it used to and the wrap didn't have enough ingredients. We love this type of food but so disappointed. Next time we'll try the Japanese place next door. read more

The employee Jess was so nice helpful and organized loved her (- from the girl in the yellow dress ). Fries were made fresh

Great service Good food Nice seating Easy in and out Do you want me to use 85 characters so I don't know how many more words I need to say read more

It's been forever since I've been here and it's just as good as usual. The halal guys has such a distinctive flavor that can't be duplicated even though companies try!! The white sauce and red sauce and rice make the meal. Service here is also really good (even on Christmas Eve when we came!) read more

The Halal Guys - Regular combo platter with hot sauce and white sauce - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Not sure if things would have been better if we dined in rather than delivery. We went with the beef gyro and regular fries.

Service was great however food not so much. It was packed down but a sloppy mess and pita bread was hard maybe stale. Unfortunately, I won't be back Fresh off boat and The Great Greek is way better. read more

The Halal Guys - Chicken pita sandwich - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Worst taste of chicken I've ever had. I hope I don't get food poisoning. Not sure what was wrong with it. Food quality is below average. Cleanliness wag below average. Even the water smells weird. The staff not friendly to be polite. I had food from the halal guys in new York. This location quality is far from that. read more

Halal Guys is worth the hype! Very flavorful and delicious! The chicken and gyro bowl I got was very balanced, as it had the protein, rice, lettuce and creamy sauce topping. The red sauce is quite spicy, so definitely be careful. They ask how many "lines" of the spicy sauce you want and when I asked for all over, they had to double check that I knew how spicy it was-- so that definitely tells you how spicy it is (but I love a spicy bowl)! Also the portion is fairly large, and I only ended up eating half in one sitting. read more

The Halal Guys - Chicken & Beef Gyro Platter - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Hot sauce is extremely hot for the inexperienced. Always get extra white sauce is a must read more

The Halal Guys - Regular Platter - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I've been to other Halal Guys and they're usually about a seven or eight out of ten. The sandwich in these pics gets maybe a three or a four. The fries were ok but the pita was stale and broke apart as soon as I picked it up. The veggies inside were good but the falafel itself was super dry. I was surprised they only put in 3 pieces but whatever. It'll be awhile before I go back to The Halal Guys. Hope this helps. read more

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This is the second time I've ordered online and they forgot my sauce. The food is decent, but it's better with the white sauce and hot sauce. Really disappointing. Reminder to check your take out orders before leaving the area. read more

All I could say is what happened to this place he used to be an amazing spot. We used to go there all the time there's nothing Middle Eastern about it anymore. Absolutely one star. read more

The gentleman working were very kind, and sncei were attending a very important convention were pressed 4 time. The store was very clean and our orders were made on point. The food was well cooked and the presentation of the meals was awesome..thank u 4 the awesome lunch. And on another permission note, Will was very polite and kind. He was very well informed of all the food and different combos on the menu board. Will is doing a great job...and deserves a raise!!! read more

The Halal Guys - This is the regular platter with chicken - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

First time here and great experience. Good tasting food and the beef and chicken gyros are the best! Quick service and very friendly. They also give you generous portions which is a plus for me read more

The Halal Guys - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Yummy beef and chicken ! Very friendly nice staff here. Casual hip place for a quick bite. read more

The Halal Guys - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Visited for the first time today. Walked in and the 2 ladies were very welcoming. The menu was a bit hard to understand for me, so it took me a while to figure out what & how to order. I ordered a sandwich, which was a pita. I ordered it the way they make it. Service was nice & fast. They had 2 meats on the vertical cooker, but not shaving from it, instead they had meat I guess already cut in a warmer where they served from. Anyway the meat on the vertical cooker looked discolored and tasteless. The presentation of the food wasn't all inviting me to eat it, but I was hungry so I took a bite. Pita had lots of lettuce, meat looked weird, different shapes & sized chunks of chicken with no taste & dry. I ate this with the sauce that they put on top of my pita, no other sauces were added. Not impressed & probably wouldn't return. Besides the service, I would say the price was on point for what you get and how it tastes. This to me was fast food Mediterranean style, not my liking. read more

I try to stop in when I'm in town. The food is good & fresh. If it's your first time, the friendly employees will help you out. Parking is decent during the week but can be difficult on weekends, as it's shared with the other businesses in the plaza. read more

The Halal Guys - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

It's a great eat, but a cost of a platter is way too much to circulate as a weekly lunch option. 16$ for a platter. 2 small scoops of meat. Nevertheless, I am full. read more

Just go to cava or somewhere else. It's so overpriced and they barely have anything there. Kinda disappointed. The service is nice though.

Friendly staff, quick service restaurant. We visited on a weekday, I believe it was a Thursday and there weren't any customers there for dinner, but it could be because we came early. We got there around 5 p.m. and were greeted right away by the friendly staff. It was our first time visiting, so the staff helped us by explaining how the menu works. We got one bowl with beef and all the fixings which was more than enough for my husband and I to share. The amount of sauce they give you on the side is of great portions. I will say, be careful of the red sauce. We love spicy food, but this kick way whew! Different. One start dock as the meat was a little on the dry end and not as flavorful as other restaurants I've tried before. Other than that, everything else was great! Overall great atmosphere and clean establishment. Thank you Halal team for the hospitality. read more

Extremely underwhelming. Food was just average, no flavor. Chicken we overcooked and pita bread was flavorless. I would not spend more than $5 on this and it cost $14 :( read more

The Halal Guys - Small Platter - Halal Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Used to come here a lot back in the day. Shawarma is no longer real chicken. It's some processed ground gray clump you see on the rotisserie. Absolute lack of flavor and so extremely salty. I got a backlava too for old times sake and it was not refrigerated and was probably sitting out for weeks. Tasted old and smelled funky. Major disappointment for a 20$+ meal. I'm muslim and like to support halal restaurants but this was disgusting. read more

Their prices have gone up since I last went but at least the quality is still there. I always get the regular combo bowl with everything on it. White sauce in the end and a packet of their special hot red sauce on the side. I love how juicy the chicken is, I like dipping the pita bread in the white sauce. I love mixing the whole plate so I get some lettuce and tomatoes with each bite. I think I've developed a high tolerance to heat over the past years. I remember trying their spicy red sauce for the first time and I could only handle 5 little blobs of it. Now I went through more than half a packet! Yum! read more