Why yes, it is almost Ramadan, and food becomes the most important thing on every Muslim’s mind! Inshallah I will post daily during Ramadan this year, as I have in years past. As a prologue, what better way than to document some of my pre-Ramadan binge? This past Memorial Day weekend was full of family and friends and food, and that included a trip to Long Beach for some hydrobiking and dinner at the Halal Guys, the famous NYC street food-turned-phenom that now has expanded to Chicago, SoCal, and other cities.

The Long Beach location sits right next to a Chipotle, which was utterly deserted; whether it was the stigma of food poisoning or the sheer bad luck of having one of the most hyped restaurant franchises in the world open next door, I can’t say, but probably a bit of both. The menu at The Halal Guys is simple, and can be summarized in a few questions: Sandwich or plate? Chicken or Gyro or Chicken/Gyro Combo or Falafel? Lettuce and Tomato or double rice? White Sauce? Hot Sauce? My answers to these questions was Plate, Combo, LT, White yes, Hot no.

A note about the hot sauce – it is labeled with a warning that yes, the sauce is very hot. This warning is deceptively incongruous. Take this seriously. If you think Sriracha is just flavored ketchup, then this hot sauce is for you. If you are like me and tend to mix sriracha with ketchup so as to take a bit of the sting off, this hot sauce is NOT FOR YOU. This is SERIOUS HOT SAUCE. Respect this hot sauce. You have been warned.

The food is simple and satisfying. The chicken is a bit bland, but pairs perfectly with the white sauce, whereas the gyro beef stands well on its own. This is really filling, tasty food, especially with the white sauce slathered on and the flavorful rice. You simply can’t go wrong. I ended up ordering extra just to take home and use for lunch the next day.

The bottom line – if you haven’t tried it yet, and there’s a Halal Guys near you, make it a priority to try it as soon as possible. You can’t go wrong.