Rafiqi’s

Delicious food and cheap too. The veggies are fresh and meats are very tasty. The sauce is excellent. Overall this is bang for your buck food.

Did you know this place has been Fiq-​tured on the Food Network? Okay, not really, but honestly it should be.
What to get: Combo with all the sauces — skip the salad unless you’re finishing it right away.
What else: Would you like to taste my sauces?
I have tried four or five different Rafiqi’s locations and I’ve had similar experiences at all of them, with a couple of notable exceptions.
(a) One time a Rafiqi’s in Koreatown made me really sick, but the food still tasted great and Cart food tends to go right through me anyway, so I’m not going to downgrade their star level for this. I know other people would.
(b) One time the cart at Union Square tasted absolutely awful.
Despite that, the Union Square location is my fave. But this review is about the one in Greenwich Village, which was I think only the 2^nd one I ever visited, back in the old days. This is an underrated Rafiqi’s, I think because it’s in a more trendy area so the locals are really trashing it. Shame.
This location of Rafiqi’s is pretty standard. Service is fast — as at all the others — and not particularly friendly, nor is it unfriendly. The guy that served me was businesslike. It’s not as popular as the Midtown one I reviewed, but is about level in terms of volume of clientele with the Koreatown one, in my experience. Halal Guys and Biryani Cart get more business (and rightly so, in the case of Biryani), but if you want to sample all the best of NYC street meat, you have to give one of the Rafiqi’s a try.
From this particular location I ordered the combo (which is gyro meat and chicken, with rice, covered in sauces). At this one, I had yet to learn my lesson, and I got it just the way it comes, which is with Salad. If you get it, I recommend skipping the Salad, which is often a little old and nondescript anyway. The salad tends to go bad if you save some of the food for later, and besides, it’s next to all the piping hot stuff so it kind of gets weird quickly, and doesn’t microwave well at all. Not that I like to microwave stuff, but how else are you going to re-​heat a combo?
I think it’s pretty awesome that the guy has a huge Rafiqi’s empire and so many trucks all over Manhattan. I wonder when (if?) he’s going to expand into the other boroughs. According to my notes I have tried 5 Rafiqi’s total, but there are about 15 of them… it really is an empire. I like to try different locations so that I can decide which ones are better, if any. So you can look forward to reviews of the others at some point.
By the way if you’re willing to venture out of Manhattan, then you must go to Sammy’s Halal in Queens. But if not, then try Halal Guys (the famous one), Chicken Tikka at Biryani Cart (my fave by far in Womanhattan), and any of the Rafiqi’s too.
There’s a movie about this place by the way. It’s called «American Rafiqi.» It’s about Rafiqi art on Subways and overpasses and such. It’s a beautiful movie, but watching it could probably get you arrested these days, given what some of the NYC cops have been arresting for lately.

The combo-​platter was good– but they must have been running low on food or something. I hope these kinds of portions aren’t a regular thing b/​c I got a few pieces of lettuce and 3 chickpeas as my «salad» with very little rice and some chicken and lamb piled on top– I could push my entire portion to one side of the box… it was very little for $ 6.25

DO NOT EAT HERE, ESPECIALLY AT THE END OF THE DAY. I was really craving this and ever had an issue with street food but had noticed that the meat was not particularly fresh on the grill so I inquired with the guy cooking it. He said he had just put it on the grill so I decided to go for it. BAD MISTAKE. That evening I had the worst food poisoning in my life!!! It was so bad I had to get off the train to puke and could not eat for a whole week. I definitely do not recommend this stall. Maybe better luck with the other ones?

I love Rafiqi’s chicken rice, but at this location, it seems like they give you less food than other locations. When I came home with the chicken rice, everything ended up in one corner. Much less salad, less chicken and less rice. It was so light when I got the chicken rice in a plastic bag. Why are they so stingy at this particular location? I don’t know. Kind of remind me of bad bank cutting corners. I won’t buy again here. I’ll go to 23^rd & 5^th Ave or in midtown.

Definitely one of the best food carts around! I’ve tried other Halal food carts but Rafiqi’s is quality. With other food carts, their side salads/​vegetables are mixed together with the lamb and rice. But Rafiqi’s separates the veggies from the meats, which I personally prefer. Also, Rafiqi’s offers chick peas, black olives, and other fresh ingredients while the other food carts skimp with lettuce and onions.

Rafiqi’s is very good middle eastern street food, in a sea of horribleness and old meat sitting on a grill for 6 hours. The chicken is the best, with good flavor and never from my experience the dreaded «street-​meat special» (bones, other things). Lamb is typical Halal-​cart lamb, tasty but very fatty.
The best part about Rafiqi’s is the hot sauce. It’s not like 99% of the other Halal carts’ hot sauce which is just Tabasco or Red Hot. Rafiqi’s hot sauce is really good, although hot, and tasty. Recommended.
Only downside, and this is true with all street carts, the servers can be rude. Don’t let it bother you, this one is worth it.

This place is overrated as hell. The standards for carts like this are so low its scary, especially in Manhattan, but they don’t even meet that bar. The chicken is oddly spiced, has a sizable amount of nerves, and is frequently undercooked. I’ve gotten sick from it when I’ve had it. The people in the cart also don’t always listen to how you want your order and screw things up. The extra stuff they offer like the olives and carrots sounds good in theory, but doesn’t really go with chicken and rice. I’ve given this place several tries as some swear by it, but to me its garbage. Go to Sammy’s on W4th & Broadway

‘The Gyro Cart’ (previously ‘The Gyro Truck’), as it is known around my E. Village office, makes strictly ‘good’ food. It’s street meat, and I wouldn’t recommend it to someone with an aversion to that, but it also makes for a cheap, tasty, filling lunch.
It’s quick, largely consistent in quality, and offers free condiments, like corn and black beans. I’m a fan of the Chicken and Lamb Pita, with hot and white sauce, for $ 4.50.

Mmmm… tasty, tasty, salmonella.
Walked up ordered lamb over rice. The friendly cook paddles some chicken to the side that was raw and cooking, then with the same paddle starts cutting up the lamb for my order.
So, if you want your daily dose of street meet and you don’t want a side of food poisoning along with your red and white sauce, walk down to 4^th and go to Sammy’s.

Love the gyro meat over rice with various toppings. The hot sauce is piquant, which it were a bit hotter.

Pretty tasty for street meat.
I like the fact that there are (some) options for extra veggies, and that the white sauce doesn’t look or taste like semen.
The best part for me is that this is not as greasy as most other street meat I’ve had. Nothing about it was too oily and everything tasted fresh.
Good job Rafiqi! Oh, and also good job in ‘The Lion King’.
…wasn’t that one monkey-​thing in the beginning of the movie named Rafiqi? I haven’t seen that movie in like… 16 years… please excuse my ignorance.

I used to come here relatively often, but I realized it was only cause my friends seem to like it.
It is not bad and it is good value, but there is better halal food out there.

As an NYU student without lots of money, this place hits the spot every time.

everyday rafiqi’s blows its flavorful smoke to the corner of my office trying to lure me in. some days i say ok rafiqi’s you win, i will have a plate of salad and your lamb. cheap and greasy but delicious.

Rafiqis is great for those times when your hungry but don’t want to spend tons of money on a good meal.
The chicken over rice really fills you up and it’s only about $ 4! The guy who works there is really nice and good at getting through the line quickly. The chicken is tender and flavored nicely. Overall a great place to go for a quick lunch

When I worked in Midtown I would eat street meat sometimes, but I had a bad experience and stopped. Now that I am downtown, I don’t see the carts as often and I never really thought about it until… all of the guys in my office pressured me (read: called me a loser until I caved) in to trying Rafiqi’s.
And it’s good. They have basmati rice and some mysterious green sauce made with cilantro and it hits the spot. It’s not for all of the time, but it’s nice just knowing it’s there.

Occupying the SE corner of 9^th and Broadway during lunchtime hours, Rafiqi’s serves up the same cheap ‘street meat’ found throughout the city (especially b/​w 6^th and 7^th ave in the 40’s). $ 4.50 for a plate of rice, salad, and a lamb/​chicken combo.
I liked this better than most ‘street meat’ I’ve tasted. Nicely spiced. The lamb was particularly juicy. And, most important part, I didn’t double over in pain at any point during the afternoon.
Decent choice for quick, tasty food if you work/​live in the area…