Where To Go For L.A.'s Version Of NYC Halal Carts

By Jonathan Gold Wed., Dec. 7 2011 at 2:14 PM

Anne Fishbein

the invisible restaurant critic

Dear Mr. Gold:
New York City has the legendary halal carts at 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue. Please tell me Los Angeles has something similar.
--Joseph Saranglo, via Facebook

Dear Mr. Saranglo:
In a way, this question should be going to Zach of Midtown Lunch, who became famous as a specialist in Manhattan halal carts before he moved to Los Angeles a couple of years ago. I've certainly eaten at my share of the carts positioned along Sixth Avenue, but it took me years to discover that the good one was the cart called Halal Guys -- I had always hoped it wasn't, because the line was twice the length of its many, many imitators.

At any rate, Halal Guys is basically Egyptian in origin, but the food in question, seared meat or chicken served with an unctuous white goo, is more or less sui generis, and could as well have come from Bangla or Pakistani or Syrian cuisine. I can't think of anything at the lunch counters in the back of Swadesh or Aladin that might qualify, and the South Bay halal Pakistani places are a little too careful in their seasoning. I'm not sure halal-cart chicken or lamb exist here in that exact form -- they would have to be flavored with diesel fumes and taxi exhaust and eau de subway grate to make an exact match. But shwarma's pretty close, I think, and the garlicky tahini sauce you can get in the best places is vastly preferable to the carts' mayonnaise-based white sauce. My nomination: Arax Falafel.

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Falafel Arax

5101 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

Category: Restaurant

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calvin milam

I think they've got something rotten in the kitchen, am almost sure of it. You know anyone at the health department. The kind that take bribes?

calvin milam

Jonathan, take a look at the LAPD's menu, will ya?

calvin milam

Jonathan, I want you to look into what's eating at the LAPD? You've got a nose for news, right?

Anonymous

I would go for the Tarna Sandwich at Zankou (with extra garlic sauce and extra-crispy bread) as the best equivalent of the NYC halal meat stand. It's not exactly the same, but in spirit, it's pretty analogous.

Bigmouth

Former NYC resident here who thinks the Halal Cart, while good, is a tad overhyped.

What I personally miss are places like Azuri Cafe and Olympic Pita. Any recs for Israel-style shawarma and falafel wrapped in laffa with lots of salads, cole slaw, and fries inside?

Bigmouth

Never mind -- I found what I was looking for in Shawarma Palace thanks to LA Weekly and Midtown Lunch!

Fussy Eater

Arax cook their beef shwarma with a huge chunk of pork fat on top; this question specifically asked about halal food. Jonathan, please display some sensitivity for your many readers who choose not to eat pork products, and at least warn them that Arax is going to disappoint some of them..

Bigmouth

Wow... according to Midtown Lunch, it's true, the secret ingredient at Arax is pork fat.

Zach Brooks

Settle down sensitivity police... in fairness to JGold, in this context the term halal refers to a specific type of street food (chicken and gyro over rice with white sauce and hot sauce) in NYC. I could be wrong, but I'm guessing the person who asked the question could care less about whether or not the food is proper to eat under muslim law.

Fussy Eater

Maybe I'm the sensitive type, but I find your response pretty arrogant. Halal carts were created by Muslim immigrants; it's quite reasonable to assume that a percentage of their clients continue to avoid pork. Are you sure what the person who asked the question meant, and more to the point, are you also sure that all who read the response don't care? Some others, perhaps those that Google "Halal", will find this review, and certainly do care. I merely suggest that it might be a good idea to spare them embarrasment, and possibly even revulsion, at this discovery. You mentioned the fact in your Midtown Lunch Arax review, which I applaud, and I'd like to see Jonathan do the same. As a non-pork eating non-Muslim, I also like to know when it's used.