Costa Mesa: Try the Classic Combo at The Halal Guys

 

The Halal Guys opened their first West Coast location a couple weeks ago in Costa Mesa. The next one is set to open in Long Beach. My only question is – why Costa Mesa, why not Los Angeles? Of course, not everyone cares one of the biggest street food businesses arrived in a strip mall in Orange County filled with other foodie favorites like Anjin but I do. So I made the trek and got down there opening day.

It was madness. Wait times were clocking in around 4 hours. The parking lot was a bit of a mess but I managed to squeeze into a tiny corner space and just prayed the giant truck next to me wasn’t going to hit me. But I digress..

I knew I had to order the classic combo which is both chicken and gyro meat. It comes on rice with salad and pita bread. You can opt for all rice.

 

What makes Halal Guys so popular is the creamy white sauce. You can get lots and lots of it and pay extra for more sauce packets. I’m glad they asked me how much sauce I wanted. I asked for a tad more and a single line of hot sauce. I’m so glad I showed restraint on the hot sauce because it was freakin’ spicy. Good for spice lovers! I quickly discovered how the sauce absorbs into the sauce. At some point I did dip my fries into the famous white sauce and found it pretty good that way too.

I liked the chicken the best which was tender and moist. The gyro (lamb) is thinly sliced and can be a little bit peppery/spicy. The rice is nicely oiled and I appreciated the crunch of the occasional bit of salad.

Am I going to be there opening day in Long Beach? Maybe not but I’ll wait for it to come up to LA (hey guys, we really need you in Hollywood). This is the late night food after bar hopping. We need all the options; tacos, bacon-wrapped hot dogs and authentic Halal Guys cart!

The Halal Guys

3033 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626  —  (714) 850-1080

 

© The Minty 2015