Chicken & Rice

I was so excited that a chicken n rice place would be available to us Angelenos and that I wouldn’t have to fly across the nation to get my fix. Oh, how disappointed I was when I tried this place.
When I got to the truck, there was no wait so we ordered right away and got our food. Thank goodness that I didn’t wait in line for hours!
The rice was way undercooked. When I bit into it, it was hard!
Don’t go expecting to have replicated flavors of the Halal Guys cuz like me, you will be disppointed. I went once and probably won’t go again.
I’ll be waiting for the real Halal Guys to be opening up in LA soon. I’m sure this truck will no longer be in business.

Can’t eat what you can’t find.
I was in the Los Angeles area on a Saturday night and decided to finally try these guys out. I’ve been a huge fan of the Halal Guys in NYC and make sure to grab some if I’m ever in Town.
Like previous posts mentioned — for a company that runs off of social media, you would think they’d be more willing to update their current location. Especially on one of their potentially busiest nights.
No location update = no C&R
Can’t wait for the real Halal guys franchise to make its way to SoCal.

Well I’ve been hearing about the chicken and rice in NY so when I heard about a similar food truck to that I had to go… driving out Hollywood last night I spotted the chicken and rice food truck and HAD to try it out! It was sooo good!!! other people complaining are just comparing and also maybe locate the correct twitter because I looked up the twitter and it said the same location where I found the food truck overall good experience and really yummy foo! Hopefully I come back here soon :)

The first couple times I had the chicken and rice plate, it was great! Solid price at $ 7 and huge portions of that yummy chicken/​rice with the white/​red sauce. The last couple times, I noticed the portions got smaller — they changed their packaging — and the chicken quality seemed different. What a shame. It’s still good mind you but went from a favorite of mine to being just good… and I don’t want to drag myself into the cold weather for a food truck for just good.
Also twice I paid with cash and the person working the register went back to cooking or doing something inside the truck without giving me my change. Not saying they were hoping I’d forget and they’d get to keep the difference but it happening twice was a bit questionable in my eyes. I reminded them, as I got my food, that they didn’t give me my change. «Oh I forgot» they said both times. Right. Luckily for me I didn’t forget.

Never consistent with their schedule and for a business that relies on social media to let customers know their locations and when they’re open, they don’t update it as often as they should.
Drove up to LA from OC twice and they were no where to be found. Real disappointment.
With the real «Halal Guys» making their way to LA, I probably won’t be visiting this business anymore.

I’ve been here on 3 different occassions and they all have been inconsistent. The first time it was pretty good, there was a good amount of chicken and rice however I did have to ask for an extra side of white sauce on the side. The 2^nd time was AWFUL. The guy never asked me what sauce I wanted so I assumed it was going to be white like the first time. OMG it had white and red sauce and the red sauce was sooo ridicuouslyyyy spicy I couldn’t even eat it. It was too much and not to mention the rice was sooo hard and disgusting it was lumps of hard rice. Even my Husband’s rice was lumpy and hard and we both ended up throwing more than half of our plates away. I gave this place one more shot the 3^rd time prior to ordering I mentioned to the guy that I had a bad experience that the rice was too hard and that I wanted white sauce only. He was nice enough and apologized however when I got my order same stuff, rice was still hard and not consistent. I once again ate half and threw the rest away. I won’t be coming here again. They need to be more consistent with their food. It’s a great concept but I’m not that impressed.

Terrible. Got there about 1:45AM on a Monday morning (Sunday night) and took FOREVER to find the truck. It was parked on hollywood and east of highland, maybe 2 blocks. It was dark and some girl sleeping in front in the truck. What the heck? What a waste of a trek. Ended up going to Thai town for some grub.
This plus all the neg reviews, I wont be back. Wait for Halal Guys to come over to LA. This is a joke.

Gotta update the review.
This business will soon fall and end. I WAS a fan because it was the closest thing to the Halal Guys in NYC. It didnt taste like it, it was OK, but I liked it because it was the closes thing that I could get that resembled the dish in NYC. The hardest part to take in was that it felt like I was eating 3 – 5 day old rice. It had that texture and consistency and left over rice. Sauces were pretty decent, especially coming from a person that didnt know the original recipe.
But now…
The Halal Guys from NYC are now franchising out to California. There is absolutely no way for Chicken & Rice LA to ever compete or come close to competing with «The Halal Guys.» Not just ANY «Halal Guys,» but the «Halal Guys» from 53^rd and 6^th!
You want the best, not the imitators. Like they all say… often imitated, but never duplicated!
Super excited that the ACTUAL «The Halal Guys» from NYC is finally coming to Cali! Hope the new place will bring back the old nostalgic feelings from my times in NYC!
NOT RECOMMENDED… anymore
UNTIL THEN! ^-^

Been too lazy to read all the reviews on this page but I’m gonna assume all the haters are bitter because they’re comparing it to the one in NY. Especially those who waited in the long ass line when they just opened. I would be bitter too if I waited more than hour for food.
I think I read one article that spread that lie and all the foodies got super excited because of that or from word of mouth.
Foodtruck:
It’s definitely not THE halal chicken and rice from New York. But it’s still tasty and filling. I tried their combo rice, half lamb and chicken, at the outdoor movie event. The food truck was hidden so the line was not bad at all. The combo cost about $ 10 but the amount you get is big enough to save some for lunch the next day.
Service was great and she didn’t mind giving me extra extra sauce on the rice and on the side.
My favorite was definitely the lamb, it had more flavor and it wasn’t as gamey.

Kudos to the owner (s) of this business who decided to monopolize on the ever so popular chicken and rice, originally from NYC. As the saying goes, often imitated but never duplicated. These guys don’t even come close to what The Halal Guys produce but IT’S OKAY my fellow Angelinos because the real deal will indeed be opening nearby very soon (hopefully).
Combo Rice Plate (chicken and lamb) — Charging $ 10 for a combo plate, when The Halal Guys charge half the price, with portions nowhere near what you would get in NYC. That is just highway robbery! I get it. Supply and demand. Whatever.
Let’s start with the rice. It totally reminded me of what I would get at a Mexican restaurant. Way undercooked as the rice grains were still pretty hard. The chicken tasted questionable, like something I’d get at fast food chain. The ground lamb was better, very tender and flavorful. I just have to wonder if all the meat was indeed halal. The sauce tasted like a mix of Tapatio and water. Super watery and sour.
Color me unimpressed. I’ll just wait until The Halal Guys open up in LA.

Wait wait wait wait wait… I can get chicken and rice in LA? Believe it baby! You don’t know how excited I was to get to work and see this name on the list for food truck night.
It was delish! I do think the original is always better and NY does it great, but the LA edition of Halal Guys is still legit. The service was awesome! They are very friendly and take pride in their work. Each plate is made fresh, so of course it’s going to take some time, but it’s so worth it!
I don’t know why it looks like there are so many other negative reviews. Without a doubt, I was one happy customer. They told me they also have a restaurant avail at 3232 N Figeroa… bookmarked fasho.
All you need to know:
Chicken and rice: white sauce + red sauce (spicy!).
Game. Set. Match.
Cash only!

Oh how I’ve missed the chicken and rice on 53^rd and 6^th in New York. When I heard about this place I got all these memories and one tear dropped down my cheek. The feels… the feels are real…
My 1^st time I came early before the food truck even got there. I suggest you do the same because I heard the food takes a while and the line gets long. When I arrived there was already a small line, but I only waited about 15 minutes to get my food. By that time the line was getting fairly long.
Now the way you eat it here should be the way you eat it in New York. They top the chicken and rice with the white sauce, but make sure to grab 3 – 5 extra sides of it. The basics is a lot of white sauce and a little bit of red sauce. For me it was about a 5 to 1 ratio. Five sides of white and 1 side of red all mixed together. Too much red will make it too spicy so more white sauce will help to cool it down. The white sauce also helps to keep the rice from tasting dry. Begin with 3 and when it starts to taste dry add some more at your own discretion.
It’s all based on preference though. You can add more red sauce if you like it spicy. The white sauce is a necessity though. Without it the chicken and rice will not taste the same. It’s not better than what you get in New York, but it’s good enough. It’s cheap and it’s filling so no complaints here.
Remember the more white sauce in your mouth the better.

The owner was inspired by his experiences with New York’s Halal Guys to start his own chicken & rice truck! I had Halal Guys in New York, but it was a couple years ago, so I got here with a clean palate.
They’re located directly in front of the Piano Bar, and we even got permission to sit and eat inside the bar! Very nice, I was afraid I’d have to loiter on a sketchy Hollywood alley.
Crack sauce? Check.
Red sauce? Check.
Overall the dish’s flavor was great, especially when you drowned it in the two signature sauces. The crack (garlic-​heavy) sauce really enhanced the flavors.
My biggest caveat is the chicken. I preferred the texture of Halal Guys’ chicken, which was closer to diced/​shredded. Chicken & Rice uses ground chicken which just changes the texture when you’re chewing. Not my preference, but to each his own.
Portion sizes were really good! One dish turned into two meals, easily. And they were quite generous with the sauces.

Yada yada, we tried to track down this truck and they moved on us. Make sure to check their website before trekking out and even then they might not be there exactly. Apparently they are constantly moving around to avoid police and permit issues.
My friends who have had halal cart in NYC says it’s about 80% there in comparison. Personally, I think this is sauce heavy and the rice was a bit stiff.
I’d check it out if I was near it but I wouldn’t drive out of my way to eat this truck.

I didn’t think it was that bad. Maybe because I didn’t wait in that crazy line opening night. I’m sure the quality was pretty bad because of the high demand that night.
But I went on a week night where there’s no line. For the combo plate which is $ 10.
The texture of the lamb and the chicken is of ground beef. They were both pretty flavorful and the chicken wasn’t that dry because of the way it was cooke.
The hot sauce is just OK and the white sauce wasn’t bad either.
The rice was cooked right and nothing was burnt. I didn’t really like the greens that they give with the salad but other than that it wasn’t bad.
Obviously I’m not gonna compare this to the original Halal guys in NYC. Because if you do, you’re definitely setting yourself up for disappointment.
I wouldn’t say solid 4 stars but I’m just rounding up because there’s nothing like this in LA and someone actually decided to start a decent enough one here.

I guess I hyped this place.
Definitely not what I was craving. I cant help but compare this place to the one in NY. Came here on a Friday night.
NOTE: check on twitter or their website to see what location they are going to be at before driving to the area. parking sucks.
We had a hard time finding it until we read someone else’s Unilocal review stating to check their website. They weren’t opened yet, but it was like 11pm. We had to wait like 10 minutes and there was no line really. We got the combo (chicken and lamb over rice). It was okay. Not as satisfying as I thought but I mean, it’s a novelty I guess. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to eat this again unless I was drunk and craving some WHITE sauce with a little chicken and lamb in it.
They douse their chicken and lamb in the white sauce. (not my steez but I know a lot of people like this)
The food is definitely better the next morning. Maybe because it soaks in all of the sauce.
On the brighter side, if you come to eat Chicken and Rice, you definitely are able to get a glimpse of all the holllyweirds. Very entertaining :0)

Expectations are like Assholes. Everyone has one. The trick is just managing your expectations like managing your Hemorrhoids? Does that make sense at all?! OK. HERE WE GO! :)
*Before you trek down to Hollywood and ATTEMPT to wait in line for the newest food craze to hit LA from NYC. (Cronut, Ramen Burger, now Chicken and rice) please read this review wholeheartedly. Don’t worry, I got you BROS…
Owner: The owner has nothing to do with Halal Guys in NYC. He’s not a former employee or co-​owner who decided to branch off. Just a nice guy who is a fan who decided to give people in LA the treat of Chicken and Rice.
Parking: You either gotta park in a parking lot nearby and pay $$$ or get lucky with street food
Hours: As of right now, it’s only an evening spot. It’s not 24hrs like in NYC. It starts off around 8pm and ends around 3am ish. Though, if you want to hit this place up after clubbing for some good drunk munchies. GOOD LUCK. The line will be too long and your patience will be too little. I suggest you hitting this place up right at 7pm (1hr before they open)
Location: It’s a food truck conveniently parked across from Mel’s dinner. Just look for the absurd line
Price: This weekend was a $ 5 special. But I’m going to assume it will be raised to $ 6 – 8 after this weekend. BRING CASH PLEASE.
Wait: Long as fuucck. Sorry kids, there is no fast pass for this Hollywood ride. Minimum wait time is 1 hr ½. That’s 90 fuckin’ mins kids. I can go watch a shitty paranormal activity movie and come back and I’ll barely be in the front of the line! One thing that struck me was the sheer inefficiency of the line. This place is not Halal guys. It’s not a well-​oiled machine. Granted, even in NYC you have to wait but the wait is ridiculous. Not 3 ½ hr Ramen burger ridiculous but long enough.
Chicken & Rice:
There is no real comparison. If you’ve tried the one in NYC, just know that it is the real deal. The Chicken was kinda in a scrambled egg form. The way it blended with the salad, sauce, and rice wasn’t the Bee’s Knees. The Rice is a red spanish rice. (HOW LA) as opposed to the Yellow Saffron like rice in NYC. The Pita bread was a bit cold and not well prepared. There is no kick to the red or the White sauce. It looked a bit skimpy to me and that is what makes Chicken and Rice in New York so sensational. Their epic WHITE SAUCE BRO.
*I’ll make it easy for you to understand the comparison between NYC vs LA Chicken and rice.
NYC: Double Double from In-​n-​out
LA: Whooper Junior from BK
*Words of Wisdom*
1. Just know that this is not Halal Guys from NYC. Manage your expectations and you might be surprised.
2. Don’t be an Asshole. Don’t be that douchebag that orders 20 plates at a time and holds up the line for everyone else. Yes. There were plenty of people who got more than 5 plates at a time which holds up the line. For now, there are no restrictions for the amt of plates one can order though I think they should enforce a 1 plate per person rule till they can master a more efficient and fast paced moving line.
3. Don’t be an Asshole…
Sincerely yours,
J to the Y.
Big ups to my sweetie J to the Y for standing in line with me. TEEHEE ST.

**Chicken & Rice, Inc is not associated with Halal Guys on 53^rd & 6^th**
The owner is only a fan, no other association.
I don’t know what to think…
I waited 1 ½ hours for hyped up Chicken & Rice. In the end, I’m the real fool. But overall, it’s not a bad plate of food. It’s literally street food with familiar flavors from Halal Guys in NY; emphasis on FAMILIAR, not exact.
There are tons of Halal carts in New York, and if you’re expecting the exact chicken and rice from 53^rd & 6^th, you will not receive that.
Notable:
— They skimped out on the meat and white sauce. I was looking forward to my dish doused in white sauce, with neon orange rice covered in lamb & chicken. It was a little underwhelming. It was flavorful though, don’t get me wrong.
— $ 5 specials throughout opening weekend; CASH ONLY.
— They open at 8! This is strictly late-​night food. JY and I tried to swing by for an early dinner, and we were disappointed that we would have to force ourselves to make Chicken & Rice our second dinner (what a hard life we have).
I could be wrong but aside from the owner and his friends, I highly highly doubt the cooks/​chefs have tried Halal Guys on their own.
Please make some friends in line. Expect to wait a while until the hype dies down.
I don’t doubt that after some time and hype articles, other LA restaurants will try to whip up their own version of Chicken & Rice. Just look at LA with the cronut!

Chicken and Rice! It’s about time the NY street food staple made it to LA even if it’s not from the same guys! Expect their location to change, but right now they are parked on Highland and Hawthorn behind The El Capitan Theater. Make sure to check their Facebook or Twitter for updates.
The wait for opening night was excruciating long (1.5 hours and we weren’t even all the way in the back) but the food is pretty legit even if sober. I don’t blame them for being so slow starting off, but they need to work on timing and efficiency before their Unilocal reviews go down the shitter. The demand is pretty ridiculous right now.
They are only offering rice right now, but their menu also lists wraps, tacos, burgers and sandwiches. The lamb is way more flavorful than the chicken, but I still prefer getting a combination of the two for textural variety. Don’t expect amazing meat quality because in reality the meat is super crappy. NY is crappy too though. But just like NY though, it’s all about the sauces. And their sauces are good. Creamy and garlicky. Pretty similar to NY from what my taste buds remember. Still have no idea what it’s made of and I don’t think I want to know.
Some differences from the carts in NY:
–The rice isn’t as bright neon orange. I think that’s good? Tastes fine though.
–The chicken is kinda rubbery. I think NY is more shredded. It actually looks pretty unappetizing when you see them break out bricks of chicken and start slicing away.
–They use a spring lettuce mix instead of the traditional iceberg.
–The hot sauce is not as spicy as NY. Perhaps good thing as well.
Overall, the food is not quite as good as The Halal Guys in NY, but it’ll satisfy the craving for now. If NY is a 10, I would say this version is an 8. Cash only. Extra white and red sauce please!

Be prepared to wait as long as you did in New York… they just opened so they haven’t got it down like the Halal guys in NY just yet but the $ 5 opening special helps!
After a night to calm down from the hype and excitement from realizing L.A. FINALLY brought an imitation of NY’s Chicken and Rice to the West Coast, here are my two cents.
I gave it five stars last night when I was excited and probably under the influence of a Tinker Bell street performer who waved her wand on me while I waited in line. Sorry, I was guilty of RUI, reviewing under the influence of fairy dust.
So is it as good as NY? Not quite but it’s close. I was in line with a native New Yorker who said «if we’re waiting two plus hours, this better blow my mind!» His brains were still intact after trying it so it’s safe to say its not on par with the original but a good alternative.
Notable differences:
— The rice: instead of the ungodly, savory, and delicious yellow rice you get a red rice that is a lot like Spanish rice. Not as spicy or flavorful as the tumeric infused yellow rice.
— The veggies: spring mix leafs like you get from Trader Joes instead of the ice berg lettuce from NY. A plus, so you can feel a little better about eating this I guess.
— The chicken meat: its dirtier and even more so than the one in NY. Greasier and maybe left in oil too long on this night. It’s also a lot thinner meat too.
— Red spicy sauce: Spoke to the owner who said they ran out of their red sauce so they took to using Sriracha sauce instead. It tasted fine mixed with the white sauce. Also, b/​c they were running out of white sauce, they didn’t slather it like they do in NY.
So why 1 less star? Opening night featured a 2 hour long wait at least. I used to look at people who waited 3 hours for the ramen burger and told myself «I’ll never be that guy.» Last night, I was that guy and it hurt bad. The problem is the cooks put too little meat on the grill and were very slow in cooking those small portions.
I spoke to the owner/​manager was apologetic when we expressed our displeasure and he said the Halal guys will cook the meats off site and bring them over to the grill, something he and I agreed he should consider. He also mentioned possibly expanding his own grill. Most surprising to me was that he mentioned he might shut down the cart and this may be a test run for now! So I’d recommend checking their Facebook site regularly to find their current location, hours, and if they’re still grilling.
Conclusion: It’s an even greasier guilty pleasure than the one I remember from NY. It doesn’t have the same charm or flavor but I’m interested to see how they’ll do once they perfect the recipe and cooking process. In the end, I’d go get it, wouldn’t wait that long again though!
*Tip: Parking on Hawthorne is available.
*Tip: look for the brightly lit parking lot across from Mel’s Drive In.
*Tip: Bring cash. Their card system slowed down the whole process and only one guy got to use it that I saw.