The Halal Guys

In Union Station Food Court lower level. Service is quick and friendly. Food made to order, very little prepped before the order. Tasty, and I make myself believe it's healthy.

I visited The Halal Guys in Washington, D.C. expecting the same quality and flavor I’ve come to love in New York, but unfortunately, the experience was disappointing. The food lacked the rich taste and signature spices of the New York location, and there was a noticeable difference in preparation and quality. Service was average, and the overall atmosphere didn’t match the vibe of the New York branch. If you’re a fan of The Halal Guys in New York, don’t expect the same experience at the Washington location.

Nicole and her team did an amazing job ensuring I received my food in a timely manner before I had to catch my Marc train back to Baltimore. They went above and beyond to make sure I wasn’t confused about anything on the menu by answering all my questions. I was greeted with smiles as I entered and exited the door. The establishment was very clean and put together. I will be returning to the Union Station location for more delicious food!

I went here to see if they are as good as my coworkers have told me. I happened so see that they offered a Lunch Special thag was $9.99. It was for a Gyro or Bowl with Humus or Cookie for a side, and a small drink. I ordered the bowl with Yellow Rice, Chicken and a Salad. It came with Pita Bread and I chose the Hummus side. They really give you a huge portion of Hummus! The small biwl was just right and I added the Cucumber sauce on top. The food was delicious! The staff were extremely pleasant. Worth the price!

Not What I Expected — A Letdown Compared to the Hype I had high hopes for The Halal Guys — like many first-time visitors to the U.S., I’d seen countless YouTube videos praising their legendary white sauce, spiced rice, and savory meats. Unfortunately, my experience fell far short of that well-marketed promise. Watching the food being prepared in front of me, nothing about the presentation or process felt particularly appetizing. The setup lacked the visual appeal I’d come to associate with the brand — it was functional, but uninspiring. As for the food itself: the rice was underwhelming, leaning closer to a short grain than the long, fragrant styles many of us are familiar with in the Middle East. It lacked both depth and seasoning. The meat — which should be the star — was bland and forgettable, and the much-celebrated white sauce? Not the game-changer I’d hoped for. It was creamy, yes, but nowhere near exceptional. It’s possible that the original Halal Guys cart delivers a more authentic experience — I’d like to believe so. But based on this visit, the food felt overhyped and below average. If you’re coming in with expectations shaped by social media and global buzz, you may walk away as I did: disappointed.

Great service, great food. The young lady was kind enough to offer a free cookie and free water (no coke for me) and additional discount on the chicken platter with salad and yummy rice, All for $10.50.

This is my first experience here, and I wanted to share some feedback. It’s only 11:35, and I found the chicken quite dry; I’m unsure if that’s the intended texture. 👀Additionally, the pita was quite hard, and I felt like it leftovers. On a positive note, the staff was knowledgeable and nice. However, I noticed that the catering bagging space was too close to the food being served, which could raise concerns. I suggest that management consider providing a dedicated catering cart for the staff. This could help improve efficiency and create a better experience for everyone involved.

I ordered beef gyro and coke here, atmosphere was not ok very hot, I guessed AC wasn't working, staff were cooperative but not much helping, coke served unchilled that's not good after all. Good was good as I have had taste before.

I had dinner from Halal Guys tonight when I was leaving Union Station to head home to Baltimore on Amtrak. I got a Combo Sandwich: pita bread filled with beef gyro and chicken. I added hummus, lettuce, tomatoes, and their white and hot sauces. The pita is so small that the sandwich becomes a mess when wrapped up, so I'd definitely go with a platter next time (I didn't this time because I didn't want that much rice, but the sandwich is just too messy). It's in the basement food court at Union Station with lots of other restaurants and plenty of seating. Fast, affordable, and pretty tasty. Not a bad fast food meal in the station.

I usually order take out from this location via DoorDash. Service via DoorDash has been decent. They sometimes give less portion compared to when you dine in. I usually order the chicken combo with falafel. Spicy falafel is one of my favorites here. I order my combo with rice and salad with hot sauce. Hot sauce is very hot. I do not recommend it if you're not used to spicy food. I love the combination of white and hot sauce from the halal guys. I often order extra packets so I can add it to my breakfast burritos.

It's great that there's a Halal Guys in Union Station's food court, but the plate I got was a major letdown. I got the mixed chicken shwarma and beef gyro platter. The employees were pleasant and told me they just made fresh batches of all their proteins, the store was well-lit and looked clean, and I was excited to have food from Halal Guys again after my previous great experience in Chicago. The platters include some protein, soft pita, seasoned rice, lettuce, tomatoes, and a delicious mayo-based white sauced. It's a decent assortment of veggies, meat, and carbs for a fast-casual restaurant. But all the chicken and beef were super dry and overcooked? All the meat was chopped up into super tiny pieces and not a single piece wasn't glaringly hard. It felt like I was chewing on tiny granules of dried-out rice, except it was meat. What was up with that? Taste-wise, everything was as expected, but I was so bummed out that my reunion with Halal Guys wasn't anything like my first experience and who wants to pay for the star of the dish to be botched? If this were my first experience, I probably wouldn't bother trying them again.

I'm not sure what everyone is hating on this place for -- you are in a train station looking for lunch. Not the Four Seasons, lol! Is it the customer service you'd expect at fast food? Yes. Does it feel a little grimey? Yes. Was the food good? YES! The hummus slapped. My sandwich was amazing (falafel). They even had a lunch special. If I ever find myself back in DC at the station I know where I'll be lunching for a vegetarian-friendly option.

I've had Halal Guys before, but it was in Columbia, Maryland, and I had the platter, not the sandwich, at that time. First of all, I feel as though my server was extremely stingy with my toppings, even the olives that I was charged extra for. It wasn't a very filling sandwich and it wasn't worth what I paid. I recommend going to one of their larger locations like Columbia because they are more generous with their servings. As for this location unfortunately it has proven to be a disappointment.

Good food for the train station. Is this the best shawarma or gyro food no but they have to cook in quantity for the lunch rush. For the price and location this is a good option. The olives they give are a small amount but they charge 25-25 cents. So expectations should match. Are they chick fil a friendly, no but the one in the station is not anywhere near the friendliness you'll find outside and definitely not GA sweet. Good food for a decent price. Tasty with quick service. That's what I want in a train station. Also I hope I don't regret it later in the evening.

This was my first time trying the Halal Guys and it was pretty good. I ordered ahead using their mobile app, and got a free drink and side as a first time customer. The mobile app is pretty good -- it is organized, straightforward, and performs well. There are a lot of customization options, but most of them cost money. I missed out on customizing my sandwich with the free options (chopped green peppers or chopped onions) since they were buried among the paid options. Sides include things like fries, hummus, and falafel. If you want to max out your free side value, get the six piece falafel. For drinks, they have a basic soda fountain with Coke, Dr Pepper, etc. The gyro and falafel were pretty good. The falafel was freshly fried and a good consistency, but a little dry -- it could have used dipping sauce on the side. The gyro was also decent but a little basic with only the meat, tomato, lettuce, and pita -- it needed a little spice or more toppings. The staff member offered me some sauce with the falafel, but it was too difficult to hear and understand what he was saying, so I ended up with some drizzle of white sauce. Also, the lids for the cups were clearly the wrong size -- not like, "oh, I'm having trouble fitting this lid on," but clearly too small that it would just fall into the cup. It's a decent option at Union Station.

I am so excited that the Halal Guys are at Union Station (lower level food court, near Wendy's). I love the food choices. I was the first customer on opening day. I was happy to meet Abdelbaset Elsayed, the co-founder. There are wonderful platters and sandwiches. All platters come with enough toppings to make a generous serving. The food court has seating. If you use the app, you can earn points. The employees are nice and the food looks great. My favorite is the falafel.

The fries are cooked fresh and served hot. The chicken wrap and platter looked amazing I did not have those but my kid said it was good. The staff was very patient and friendly.

First and last time eating here. I was curious to try something new and this place looked great. Good looking location with good looking signage. I'm sure the food here could be good, but the workers there just don't do justice to the establishment. First, it was difficult to order the food. Being new, I had questions about the food. But the person helping me just seemed annoyed, and that's fine, but to me the worse part of it was that he would just mumble. I could not understand or hear a single thing he was saying. This is not a foreign language issue, the guy was American. Ok, fine- I can still figure out the menu on my own. So I still ordered and stumbled along. The main reason I won't be going back is- the food was horrible. The meat and rice were both overcooked and greasy. I'm sure the food had been sitting there since the morning and cooking all day. Guys- don't be cheap! Make a new batch of food! I'm sure this could be a good place, but it is not worth the price, nor the upset stomach, as long as it is being run by apathetic workers and hands-off management. I'm sure the same workers would do better if management set and held higher expectations for them.

Friendly staff, took time on my bowl and the portions of rice to meat and veggies was perfect. Not too heavy but still two decent meals. Quite fresh and a decent amount of meat (hard to see in this pic as its under the tatziki.) Beef was crisped up on the edges, real nice. Not sure why all the negative reviews for this location. This my first time I will def be back, and it looks like they have wings and an expanded menu now. This may be my union station go to...

Do not eat here!!! The Halal guys is one of my favorite spots to eat but this location is by far a terrible representation of what the halal guys has to offer. I should have left but I gave them a chance. Staff is rude, it's like they done even want to be there, portion size is half the usual size, ive been eating halal guys for years i know what the portion size is, they refuse to add toppings in the propper amount, and I wasnt aware the free pita bread that comes with the meal cost money. I will never come back to this location and I would suggest you go to another location. This is coming from long term customer.

Service was very rude young lady's was having inappropriate side conversations with costumers was in the store also when I received my food chicken was uncooked and rice was very hard

The employee taking our order was very rude. This should have been our clue to leave. After getting our food, we regretted not leaving as it tasted horrible.

first meal i had in dc, it was a convenient option but i will say it was a little underwhelming. i got a small chicken platter. the chicken was good, perfectly sized and tender enough. there wasn't that much food for that size. the rice was a little undercooked. go with a safer option like chick fil a, as there were plenty of other options for food. :-)

Super greasy and didn't receive my included packet of hot sauce and white sauce with my order. Don't bother with this location, just go to DuPont.