By RITHWIK GUPTA
Staff Writer
Halal Guys, originally a hot dog stand in New York, has now become one of the most popular chicken and beef gyro places. Located in the Tustin District by In-N-Out and Chick-fil-a, the newest location is in a prime location for more traffic and hopefully new customers.
The menu is quite simple, serving variations of beef and chicken gyro in either platters or sandwiches. In addition, they offer sides like hummus (a blended dip of garbanzo beans and seasoning), baba ganouj (cooked eggplant blended with seasoning), french fries and falafel (a fried ball composed of garbanzo beans). They also serve a dessert called baklava (a sweet dessert composed of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and honey for sweetness).
The restaurant has the same format as Subway where you create your own platter or sandwich. Platters and sandwiches are served with your choice of meat, rice or extra lettuce, tomatoes, pita bread and the option to add white sauce and hot sauce.
The beef platter was very tasty yet very greasy for my taste. This made the dish a little overwhelming since their rice is also made with oil. The chicken platter, however, is a better option as the meat is cooked to perfection and with less grease. The addition of lettuce and tomatoes helps break down the meat and carbs portion of the dish and the white and hot sauce is where the majority of the flavor comes in the dish. Comprised of mayo and other seasonings, the sauce is one of the things that has made Halal Guys who they are today.
The sandwiches offered are just as good as the platters considering that the same components of the platter are served in the sandwich except for the rice. Besides the main entrees, falafels are served primarily for vegan and vegetarian customers.
The prices of the food are neither really cheap nor really expensive. For the platters, you can order either a small platter for $7.95 or a regular platter for $8.95 and the sandwich costs $7.95. Compared to restaurants like Chipotle it is slightly more expensive; however, Halal Guys serve their customers much more food for the price compared to Chipotle’s well know stingy portions.
The colors incorporated in the restaurant follows their logo theme colors of yellow and red giving the restaurant an informal atmosphere. From the vibe to the fairly priced food, Halal Guys’ newest restaurant in Tustin is a unique addition to the area and I would highly recommend anyone to try it.
