OPENS 10 AUGUST WITH A FREE MEAL FOR THE FIRST 50 GUESTS; THE NEXT 50 RECEIVE A FREE SOFT DRINK OR COOKIE.
London’s global food scene has welcomed another big-name import. Halal Guys, the hugely popular New York City halal fast-food chain, has expanded to London, opening this second restaurant in Earl’s Court seating 48 diners in the two-floor space. If it’s anything like the chain’s Leicester Square opening, there will be queues around the block.
Earl’s Court Road is a tourist hotspot and already home to most of the high-street chains serving the guests of the hotels that fill the neighbouring streets. As with Filipino fried chicken sensation Jollibee a few doors up, The Halal Guys is bringing something different not only to visitors on holiday but all Londoners: in this case, a halal-certified fast food option that is going up against the well-stablished UK chains. They should watch out: this new Halal Guys replaces a branch of the struggling GBK chain.
The Halal Guys started in 1990 as a street vendor, serving Muslim cab drivers American-style halal meat in platters, wraps and as gyro over rice, but has since grown hugely in popularity and now boasts restaurants popping up around the globe. There are plans to open a third restaurant in London and more around Britain.
The menu is based around Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes and everything is topped with the Halal Guys’ famous white and hot sauces. Grab a bowl of hummus or baba ganouj to start and scoop it up with falafel or pitta bread.
Move onto The Halal Guys’ sandwich wraps. Choose from a filling of chicken or beef gyro (or a combination of both), generously seasoned and cooked using the signature Halal Guys grilling technique and shredded to make it easy to eat. There’s also a vegetarian falafel option. The pitta wraps are stuffed with salad and finished with a drizzle of the white secret recipe tzatziki-style sauce and the famous spicy chilli sauce.
Alternatively, if you’re rather order something in a bowl, try the platter with grated carrot, salad and your choice of meat, served over rice and with pitta on the side. Round it all off with a traditional baklava for that genuinely Middle Eastern sugar hit.