Kwik Meal

Allow me to tell you a story of how a boy found happiness and a new primary Grubhub choice.

It was 9 PM on a cold Monday winter night. The boy grumpily finished the day's work. Unsatisfied with the mediocre Thai food for lunch, the boy thought it nice to grab a late night snack. Adel's Famous Halal was next to the boy's office, but even on a late Monday night, the line was disgustingly long. The boy wanted a quick meal and to go to bed to repeat the cycle of corporate slavery - the ludicrous NYC rent won't pay itself. Across the street, a few blocks down, a lineless truck flashing its accolades of newspaper features catches his eye. Swiftly, the boy did his due diligence of "Kwik Meal" and notes the general consensus: very good lamb, declining portions and quantitative value.

The boy thought to himself, "It probably won't be as good as Adel's but I don't have time for this sh*t. I'm just going to dap up this food cart guy, ask to take a few pictures for a food review, and have him load up this order to in turn milk out a good rating." The boy looks at the menu in front of the truck and was pleasantly surprised by the price. $6 for a Lamb Kofti spoke to him that night. After some pleasant conversation, the boy acquires a beautifully stuffed Kofti. It was love at first bite. The lamb was by far the most organic and natural lamb from a food cart the boy has ever had. The texture felt like tender yet mildly firm steak rather than mushy meatballs. The seasoning was fantastic. The creamy tzatziki and spicy sauce, along with the lettuce, blends all the flavors of an ideal halal cart experience together, tied together with a warm, fluffy crisp of the grilled flatbread. The bite was a simple synergy of halal street food perfection.

"Wow. That is delicious. Say, do you do food delivery by any chance?"

"Ya we got Grubhub. UberEats, Doordash, everything."

Immediately, the boy recalls a college memory. Crossed beyond measure, the boy and his boys Grubhubbed nearly $200 of Taco Bell. It was a fun night, but the boy imagined what that night could have been like had they gotten the same value of Kwik Meal instead. It was at that moment that he knew he leveled the f*ck up. The food delivery experience would never be the same for the boy again. The boy heads back home, thrilled with the discovery of this life-changing food cart. It was tempting for the boy to gatekeep this transcendental knowledge, but that night, the boy decided to be a hero. The boy should have been sleeping for a 5:30 wake-up to gym and work but at midnight, the boy passionately writes a Yelp Review to help out his newfound friend and Manhattan gem, before going to bed dreaming of the night he Grubhubs 20 of these Kati Rolls.

Thank you, Kwik Meal, for feeding a boy's tummy and soul, for being a glimmer of happiness and hope in this overpriced and tax-oppressive city. And to you, the dear reader, thank you for indulging in this review. And please, remember to dap up those who feed you. It will make both their day and yours, and perhaps, you may get more than you expect.

Returned to give them a shot at redemption.

I was pretty unhappy with a previous visit but I decided to revisit today after some time away. It was good to see the regular lunch staffer who actually recognized me and mentioned it's been a while.

Went with a chicken and lamb combo today instead of my usual lamb platter with extra meat. I wanted to try the chicken again and it remains solid. Dark meat, decent flavor. Lamb is gamey and a little dry but not as fatty and gristly as it had been previously. They made the platter spicy today. I could handle it but usually they ask and I tell them to not make it spicy. I'll make sure to speak up next time.

It was nice to be recognized and welcomed with a smile but I felt bad explaining my infrequent patronage was a result of remote work, which is not entirely true. The other person that mans the cart during off peak hours really left a bad impression. That said, I've added them back to my lunch rotation as long as it's the regular lunch guy.

It is a green cart and I've been here a few times. I've come during the week for lunch and it is great that I never have to wait too long. The food here is simple and delicious. I usually get a platter over rice and really enjoy that they marinate cubed white meat chicken and lamb. I think the quality and price are great. The platter comes with a little salad, really just lettuce, and homemade homemade tzatziki sauce and jalapeño sauce. The jalapeño sauce is very spicy, but I always ask for a little because it is nice and acidic. If you get a combo, you get a few pieces of falafel. The falafel is a little dry and could be crispier. I would definitely recommend getting extra veggies on the side to make it a more complete meal.

I believe there are 2 different people that working at this cart and was drawn by the different articles and photos of famous chefs, like Bobby Flay, that were posted on the cart. One of the guys that works in the cart is very enthusiastic and super nice. The other guy is straightforward, but not curt. I like that the food is served very quickly and can quickly walk back to my office if needed.

How to choose which food truck to eat? I'm not sure but I found this place via Reddit so I decided to give it a try. This place is significantly more expensive that other food trucks selling similar things in the area, but I was persistent. There was one extremely friendly guys working the booth and it took less than 7 minutes for my food to be ready after ordering.

I ordered the Chicken Lamb Combo and I immediately noticed that the rice was not yellow like that of other food carts. The chicken and lamb itself was also significantly better quality as you could still taste the gamey-ness of the meats. I will say, eating this almost made me feel healthy as the dish felt like it was flavored more naturally than by whatever sauce they usually offer.

If you're looking for a healthier alternative to street food carts chicken and rice dishes, Kwik Meal is a great option.

I always knew this place existed, but I never tried it until recently. I'm glad I did.

It's a bit different than your usual chicken and rice dish from the food carts. The rice isn't yellow, it's white and the chicken has a unique flavor. The white sauce is also served separately from the chicken and rice. The hot sauce is green and it's not too spicy.

I'm not sure if it actually is or not, but the food seems to be a healthier version of your run of the mill chicken and rice. Nonetheless the meal is tasty and bit different, but just as good, if not better than the other food carts.

Still the best Kati Roll in America and you only have to go to Manhattan to get it. Hell of a lot closer than Kolkata in West Bengal where they originate.

The lamb is something extra special. If you get one you'll wish you had two.

Nice service, convenient location, and the best damn Kati Roll!

Solid spot for a cheap, kwik midtown lunch. The guy in the truck was very friendly, he apologized profusely for not starting my online-order meal even though it wasn't really that late and I didn't mind. Good customer service and customer-centric which was appreciated.

Lamb pita had nice chunks of lamb in it and tasted really good, nice spices and balanced with the veggies. White sauce was solid. Falafel pita was also good. Falafel was slightly dry and was chopped up but not bad, I enjoyed it.

The problem with looking for NYC to return to pre-pandemic energy and times is we have a memory of what life was like before. I frequented Kwik Meal, given it was near my office AND it was one of only a few Halal carts that served the usual chicken and lamb over rice with salad the right way and I recall there was no skimping.

So I was near Kwik today and stopped by to retrieve a fond food memory, but it was less than I recall... literally. What distinguished Kwik from all others, even the few Halal carts I held in highest street cred, was the quality of its meat, which I am pleased to state is still there, just less of it, far less, skimping. Kwik has meat that has real texture and grain, not all ground up into something barely resembling chicken or lamb. Kwick seems to acquire its meat from somewhere else, even though the City requires all carts to get whatever ingredients, meat and veggies from the same place. Please correct me if this is no longer true. Somehow Kwik's street meat looks and tastes like it could come from any grocer a person would shop. Its spices are also very distinct from the rest. Even the rice is better and the veggies seem fresher and chunkier.

Is it inflation? The prices are higher, at least three dollars more and there is considerably less in that clear plastic folding container. It used to be filled completely and that is one of the reasons I would recommend Kwik to out of towners who wanted to get the best of street meat offered in NYC. It's still higher quality and distinct in flavor, served with welcoming grace, but now about one third less in volume, hence the subtraction of one star.

Halal carts are plentiful in midtown Manhattan, but there's none quite like Kwik Meal. They're open til the wee hours of the morning (4a!) and everything - I mean EVERYTHING on the menu is delicious. Favorites: chicken and lamb combo (comes with falafel!), chicken Kati roll, and chicken biryani. Their lamb is the definition of succulent, well-seasoned, flavorful. That tzatziki sauce mmmmphhh can't get enough of it. Excellent service. No complaints.

I love this meal cart and it's one of my favorite lunch spots in Midtown. I was so excited to come by and order the lamb because it's been a while since I was in NYC. Kwik Meal has always been a lunch staple.

I'd highly recommend ordering the lamb and nothing else. It comes with real meat that's marinated in papaya (I think) to make it super soft and tender. A lot of the other meal carts use cheap fake ground meat. I've also tried the salmon which was cooked perfectly and very moist, but the Lamb is where it's at. The line isn't too bad and the wait is maybe 5-10 minutes from ordering.