Food & Drink

The Halal Guys coming to Toronto!

  • Last Updated:
  • Sep 8th, 2017 7:33 pm
Deal Addict
Apr 29, 2014
1206 posts
529 upvotes
Pickering, ON
I was wondering if it compares to the New York location?
Deal Fanatic
Jul 10, 2003
8086 posts
3870 upvotes
No, the line is too long. Also, there's already a huge Halal Guys thread.
Penalty Box
User avatar
Nov 13, 2010
7814 posts
1867 upvotes
Scarborough
what cheap rice are they using? Must be that fat and small grains just like those shawarma places.

Can't pay that much for rice and lettuce with few shreds of meat.

Not worth it, all these shawarma places are a ripoff. Even the doner kebabs in Germany/Austria are much better any day!
Deal Fanatic
Jul 10, 2003
8086 posts
3870 upvotes
My parents just pointed out that Ramadan is in 12 days, so the place will probably die down during the day starting on the 26th. Just walked by and still a huge line.
Deal Addict
Apr 14, 2017
1967 posts
621 upvotes
DT Calgary
Had this voodoo meat with rice the other day, pretty standard food. Can't imagine why you'd line up for this, but then again, people line up for Tim Hortons coffee.
Deal Fanatic
Dec 24, 2005
5853 posts
1695 upvotes
LNahid2000 wrote: My parents just pointed out that Ramadan is in 12 days, so the place will probably die down during the day starting on the 26th. Just walked by and still a huge line.
their customer base doesn't seem to be one that cares about that stuff. they're not in an ethnic enclave.
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User avatar
Aug 3, 2006
5351 posts
2459 upvotes
I was there at lunch today. $13 for a plate. Inside, half the seats were empty. But there was still a line out the door. Okay then, a lot of people get takeout. Yes, but also the service is really slow which is the real reason for the ongoing lines.
Deal Addict
Jun 7, 2009
1308 posts
1287 upvotes
Toronto
Raggie wrote: Why and how is the fake cart 'fake'? Are these vendors passing themselves off and calling themselves as 'Halal Guys'? Or are they just selling the same type of food? You're not able to identify the real from the 'fake'?
They wear the same color shirts, have similarly shaped banners, and are very clever with their advertising. They'll have signs like "Halal Express Line" in a very close yellow and red that resembles the halal guys colors and fonts.

They sell the same type of halal food, since halal food has replaced the hot dog in NY as the street cuisine of choice for most residents.

If you know, you're able to easily identify them, but if you're a tourist, you can easily be misled.

Just know that the one diagonally across from the Hilton is always the real deal, as is the cart on 53rd and 7th. The Halal guys operate 4 carts in a 2 block radius around 53rd St and 6th Ave. The famous location is only the real deal when they set up shop post 7:30 PM until 4:30 AM.
Deal Addict
Jun 7, 2009
1308 posts
1287 upvotes
Toronto
Raggie wrote: But why is Halal Guys the only shawarma place? Now that they have one location in Toronto, they are now considered the only legit place? Are they the originators of this type of food? Can I say that I attest that Halal Guys is nothing special, and there are many shawarma places here that are much better?

Halal Guys sure know how to market!
Halal Guys is not known for shawarma (for Toronto purposes) or NY Halal Cuisine in general.

First off, NY Halal and Toronto shawarma are made for two different palates.

Secondly, Halal Guys is a specific example of NY Halal that became famous through word-of-mouth before they expanded via franchising. Halal Guys is famous for their specific rendition of NY Halal.

Comparing Halal Guys to Toronto shawarma is obviously allowed (who are we to tell you otherwise), but it's like comparing an asian pear to a bosch pear. Sure, they're both pears (read: middle eastern food), but they have very distinctive taste profiles and textures, and are considered two different sub-genres (Toronto Shawarma vs. NY Halal) which should be recognized for their differences, instead of cross-comparing as the same type of food. All chinese food tastes the same, amirite?

However, judging by your picture of your wasted halal plate, I believe you went to the legit one, and you're more than entitled to your own opinion of Halal Guys.

Advice for people visiting NY and trying Halal Guys: Get 1 mix plate for 2 people. It is a lot of food.
Deal Addict
Jun 7, 2009
1308 posts
1287 upvotes
Toronto
ar2020 wrote: True that's wayyyy too much hot sauce and I eat spicy. You only need a drop or two of theirs and you will still be sweating.
Lol....if you guys have only been to NY recently, you guys missed out on the original owner's red sauce........At least twice the strength of the current version.

I used to drown my plate in it......and hate my life immediately afterwards. Masochistic streak.
Deal Addict
Jun 7, 2009
1308 posts
1287 upvotes
Toronto
nx6288 wrote: They have the same colour scheme and try to make themselves look the same as the "Halal Guys" cart. They sell the same type of food but the taste and sauce are way different.

On another note - has anyone who's tried both the NY carts and Toronto location give a review of how comparable they are?
I will try it at some point..........reluctantly. I've tried all of the NY carts and one of the brick and mortar restaurants. They used to be a lot better than they are now, but they're still competent on the NY Halal scene.

I used to eat at Halal Guys before the original owner sold it off to the current ones and they started franchising. This was when all the meat was prepared on-site, as opposed to the delivery van system they have going on in NY. That was really, the most famous rendition of the Halal Guys. Back then, a mix plate was $5. So to have to pay $13 CAD + HST is not very appealing.
Deal Addict
Sep 20, 2014
1637 posts
852 upvotes
Toronto, ON, CA
Just went today for the first time, have been to the NY 6th/53rd twice (2013 and 2016).
My thoughts:
- the chicken in TO tastes better than the chicken in NY - although the gyro tasted better in NY than TO
- they don't steam the pita as well as they do in NY, in NY the pita sits on top of the chicken and steams and then steams again in the takeout container
- the white sauce is about the same as it is in NY, I felt like they don't give you as much as they do in NY.
- rice in NY was a bit more flavorful
- do not dine-in, its hot and muggy inside.
- its a popular hangover spot in NY, surprised they aren't open till 3-4am but I guess Yonge/Wellesley is far from the Entertainment District anyway.

All in all, this is at about 80% of the taste and experience of the NY cart.
Deal Addict
Jun 7, 2009
1308 posts
1287 upvotes
Toronto
I still haven't tried it yet, but I will say the execution of this franchise is pretty poor, from what I've heard.

The whole point of Halal Guys was cheap food on the street, so lettuce, some tomatoes, yellow rice, chicken and lamb with the addictive white and hot sauces for $5 - $6 US. So things like comfort, space, seating, these were never an issue in the original concept since well, you were eating on the street, generally standing.

All these brick and mortar franchises really miss the point. The value proposition at $6 (or maybe it's $7 US now) vs. $12.49 + HST is quite different.

Additionally, the post-franchised taste is inferior to the taste that built up the reputation of Halal Guys, which occurred under the watch of the original owner, before he sold it to the current owners, who started the franchise model.
Deal Addict
Mar 16, 2015
1866 posts
339 upvotes
Try it yourself and you will realise that its not worth the hype....

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