Chicken Dinner
New Halal Guys location zeroes in on Dallas' hottest restaurant hub
Dallas is getting another branch of the Halal Guys, this time in the most inner-city location yet. The middle-Eastern restaurant chain that started life as a New York food cart is opening a branch on Greenville Avenue, in the Vue Greenville apartment building at 1811 Greenville Ave. It'll take over the space previously occupied by Lebanese restaurant Qariah, which closed in 2015.
A spokesperson confirmed that the restaurant would be opening in the space in late spring.
The first Halal Guys in Dallas opened at 5444 Lemmon Ave. in July 2016, and it was met by the usual long lines that seem to form any time a concept moves here from out of town, as if Dallas residents had never before eaten cooked rice. This was during the summer, too. People were waiting in the heat.
The fast-casual concept is known for its gyros, falafel, chicken and rice platters, and a mysterious white sauce. It was created by a trio of Egyptian immigrants who noticed cab drivers in New York were looking for a place to buy meals in Manhattan. They created a food cart that grew into a tourist and native New Yorker destination for American Halal fare. Their aim was to be different and encourage diners to ditch burgers for something unique.
There are also locations in Houston, Chicago, and Southern California.
This Greenville Avenue store will inherit what would seem to be a prime location, as well as a significant street-side patio. It'll be the third from the Fransmart group, who opened the Lemmon Avenue original as well as a second location in Richardson, which debuted in January.
But they're not the only ones: The North Texas area has a second franchise group that is developing locations in Plano and North Dallas, including one in a new development near the Shops of Legacy and Legacy West. Soon there will be many Halal Guys.