My friend from Seattle was visiting for a few days, and when we passed this small restaurant on Robson a block from the library, she went bonkers, saying that the Halal Guys have a food truck that comes to her office at Microsoft regularly and it's her FAVORITE lunch! She insisted we go and take out lunch there - so we did. (I love Middle Eastern foods anyhow, so it wasn't exactly a hard sell lol!).
I was impressed with the bright and vibrant wall murals inside, with a cheery yellow being the prominent color, reminiscent of the famous NYC cabbies. The mural motifs and the subway tiles were all very NYC-centric, and the whole place kinda had that "Big Apple" vibe. Knowing that this is a New York-based restaurant made the interior theme make sense. And it definitely felt like a fresh, happy place. Even all the employees there were smiling and greeted us warmly and seemed genuinely happy to be there. Genuinely.
Onto the food.... My friend and I each opted for the "small" bowl. FYI: the "small" bowl is HUMONGOUS once they pile it high with ingredients. And pile it on, they do! We each got a combo with chicken and beef gyro (this was a tough decision, as the felafel looked wonderful, too), and it comes with orange seasoned rice (very tasty, not bad. I actually thought this was shredded carrots, it's so orange), lettuce, diced tomatoes. My friend also chose to have some black olives and onions and jalapeños added (not me! But I had a bit of tahini on it, and hummus), and we both chose their famous "white sauce" (no-one will say what's in it, but I can tell you, it's MAGIC. I suspect it's a sour cream-garlic concoction but I'm not sure. All it know is, it's bloody delicious). There's also some beans and other ingredients in the bowl that I'm forgetting. And they put some fresh, warm pita wedges, too.
The meal is delicious. For me, it was easily 4 meals, over the course of 3 days. I was initially on the fence about the chicken, as its texture was a bit odd, but when I heated up the leftovers for the next few meals, it was way better. I think the flavors of all the spices blended together and the meal was actually better heated up the following day. (The beef was wonderful, and all the ingredients were super fresh).
For $15, I thought this was super reasonable, as it really did make for four meals for me. (I think for most people, the small bowl would be 2-3 meals). Also, I gotta make a shout-out to the guys behind the counter who helped me with my order and talked me through the process of creating my personal bowl with patience and humor and friendliness. What nice guys.
Super new addition to the Robson lunch (or casual dinner) selection! read more