Daniel B.
Yelp
The Halal Guys launched to much hype and fanfare earlier this year, January 2017, at the corner of Buford Highway and Chamblee Tucker Road. The restaurant opened to mixed reviews. The crowds have died down and now it's very quick to pick up a meal here. This is the first Georgia location for this New York-based fast-casual halal chain which has hundreds of locations worldwide.
The restaurant is located in an old, but renovated, standalone building. There's adequate parking (about 25 spaces). Inside, you stand in line to order, a la Chipotle, and pay upfront. Most sandwiches or plates are assembled on the spot, though some orders, such as the falafel, may require a short wait. Water, fountain drinks, and tea are bottled or self-serve. There's a single unisex restroom which requires a numeric code (2727).
The restaurant isn't very big. The dining room has 6 4-person tables (24 seats) and 9 seats at the counter which faces the windows looking out towards Buford Highway northbound. The relatively spacious, fenced-in and elevated, uncovered outdoor patio has at least 6 more 4-person tables. About half of the patio tables have umbrellas. Inside and out, the place can accommodate about 60+ customers total for dine-in. Takeout is a popular option.
A good thing about Halal Guys: They're open late -- until 11pm, Sunday-Thursday, and 1am on Friday and Saturday nights.
The menu is simple and the food is affordable. You can get a chicken or beef gyro sandwich (pita wrap) for $6.79 or a combo (chicken and gyro) or falafel platter for $7.79 (small) or $8.79 (large). Sides and dessert include hummus, baba ghanouj, falafel, fries, and baklava, all for under $3 each.
I've tried both the combo and falafel platters. Between the chicken, gyro, and falafel, I think the gyro tastes the best, hands down. It's too bad you can't get just a gyro platter. That stuff is addictive. Like other Mediterranean restaurants, Halal Guys has spits of gyro meat spinning in their open kitchen, with griddles, behind the counter. Halal Guys slices their gyro meat into small morsels, smaller than most gyro joints I've been to. The meat itself is soft, super savory, and packed with flavor. I could just keep eating and eating it.
The chicken, falafels, and sides are OK. They're not anything to write home about, but not bad either. The falafels are medium to large size (bigger than the size of golf balls). The falafels are deep-fried fresh. Their texture and consistency is fine, though I've had crispier and tastier falafels at several other places.
An important part of a meal at Halal Guys is the sauce. There's a "white sauce" and a hot sauce. The white sauce is mayo-based and, according to one of the staff, contains a blend of 14 secret spices. The hot sauce is legitimately hot, so use it sparingly unless you love spicy food. They also have tahini sauce for the falafels.
Typically, the sauces are squeezed out of squeeze bottles on top of your sandwich or platter ingredients, but you can ask for them on the side. The white sauce and hot sauce are also available in packets. The sauces are yummy and I think they're a must on the chicken and falafel. The gyro meat, in my opinion, is tasty enough on its own to not warrant sauce.
Platter sides can include orange-yellow rice, chopped white onion, tomato, and green bell pepper, shredded iceberg lettuce, and pita bread triangles. With the exception of the rice which has a bit of flavor to it, the sides are basic and plain. They're fresh and of satisfactory quality. Fries (ordered separately) are served in a takeout container, similar to a Chinese takeout box. The fries are fairly standard, salted, and crinkle-cut.
The baklava is good. The dessert is pre-sliced and packaged in clear plastic snap-shut containers. The baklava is expectedly flaky, sweet, and rich. It's not as nutty as most other baklava I've had, but still scrumptious. If you like baklava, this one is worth trying.
Service is excellent. The employees are friendly and do an efficient job. If dining in, they'll walk around from table to table making sure everyone has enough sauce.
In the end, I give The Halal Guys in Chamblee 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Generally, the food is fine. It doesn't stand out from the competition with the exception of the gyro meat which is delicious. The meals are fast, relatively healthy and filling, and a decent value. Plus, service is great.
