Zaiqa Halal Food

The food here is really good especially mix over rice with pita. It’s relatively cheaper than the halal carts in the area. The cook is a great quality guy too one time he ran after me because I overplayed in order to give me back my money.

This cart has the best food out of all the carts in the area. Plus the guy is super nice which makes for a pleasant experience.

I came to this place because of the amazing reviews. They must be paid reviews because this was far from the best halal I’ve eaten. I was really disappointed when I ate this too!
The bread was drenched in white sauce, the white sauce was on the sour side, rice was mushy, there was barely enough meat! The meat was chopped up so finely, it was like he just gave me whatever scraps was left. That does not sit right with me.
The guy is nice, I would go back to get a falafel sandwich. The falafel is good btw. Just the platter was not. However, there are not much spots to eat at Brooklyn College, this is a choice and its price well. Just be careful ordering lamb over rice.

I love Zaiqa. It is probably the best place to eat around Brooklyn College. If you go often, the guys that work here hook it up, no doubt. I typically get the falafel platter over rice. Their falafel is probably one of my favorites in all of NYC. As many people know, good falafel from Halal Carts are very difficult to find (ie, The Halal Guys, King of Falafel) are some examples of Falafel that I actually REALLY do not enjoy compared to falafel at Zaiqa. Ask for fresh falafel! (The guys there are more than happy to make a fresh batch for you if you’re willing to wait a few minutes).
The chicken of rice mix is also really tasty. The hot sauce could be a bit more spicy, but all in all great. The lamb, although I have not had it, is also highly reviewed.
These guys have my loyalty!

Halal food is definitely worth the $ 5. Where else can you get a cheap meal that satisfies? The food is good but i think I’ve had better. I enjoy the cart on 86^th and 5^th ave better as they give you a larger portion and is open late at night unlike this cart.

Zaiqa Halal food is the best food in NY !! I’ve tried many halal carts in NYC (even the «Halal Guys») and it just doesn’t compare to this one! You definitely get more than what you pay for especially for the meat! It doesn’t help that it’s located right by my job haha.

For a Brooklyn College student, the land is pretty baron in the surrounding neighborhood as far as food goes. Not much quality grub is near enough to the campus that you can get a quick bite and make it back in time for class. That is until you discover this gem of a cart.
Sometimes the only motivation I had to make it at all to class was knowing that I’d stop by this place for my lamb/​chicken and rice fix. Uh, so fucking good. The falafel is pretty good too but the meat dishes really make the trip worth it. I’m not really a fan of the hot sauce that they use there but all in all a very solid meal.

One of my favorite Halal Food carts. Always a long line around lunch time. Food always tastes good. Just one question. Where do they go to the bathroom and wash their hands?

Falafels are good, along with the chicken, lamb, and rice. Pretty tasty and cheap too; $ 5 for Chicken over Rice, like every other cart. They were nice enough to lower the price for me when I only had $ 4.

I discovered this Halal cart while looking for parking near Bulletproof Comics on Nostrand. I turned the corner at Campus Road, slowed for the stop sign at Hillel, and a tantalizing aroma hit me. My friend and I looked at each other and said, «GRUB!»
It was my first ever hot meal at a food cart. I overcame my distrust of a kitchen lacking plumbing by reminding myself that I’ve owned an RV and, yes, one can keep clean with a limited supply of water.
That first time on line it seemed that regulars were being served and we noobs were being ignored. Well, I assert myself just fine but purchasing food shouldn’t be a competition. If not for the delicious, reasonably-​priced food I would not have been a return customer. So now I guess we’re regulars, loving the mouth-​watering chicken and lamb, loving the homestyle rice pilaf and the side salad. Yum.

I enjoy this cart too but it must be said in reference to the other review that there are not one but two halal food carts near Target. The first guy (closer to Nostrand Avenue) does serve kind of Americanized food probably to cater to Target shoppers which means it can be somewhat bland and he serves things like cheeseburgers too. I guess it does kind of taste like chalk if you like spicy food. However the second guy (closer to Flatbush Avenue, I think his cart is called «Sahara») is really excellent. He doesn’t serve the usual plain Goya yellow rice most of the food carts have. He serves a homemade rice pilaf with peas, corn, little broccoli florets and sauteed onions. His salad isn’t just plain iceberg lettuce with one lonely tomato slice. It’s a real salad with carrots, pickles, red cabbage, tomatoes and whole jalapeño peppers if you want them.
How does he compare to the Brooklyn College cart? Both are good in different ways. Target guy is slightly more expensive (an extra dollar or so but including a free soda) and he has less variety (no felafel, smaller menu). However he’s a good halal dining option for a change if you want to get your vegetables for the day and a real salad and like very spicy homestyle food. Target guy is a little healthier while Zaiqa has more of a meat and potatoes thing going on. So both Zaiqa and the second Target guy closer to Flatbush are good in different ways.
Also if you are one of those people who feels iffy about «street meat» I can tell you that the guys at Zaiqa are fastidious about cleanliness: taking the trash out several times, always wearing plastic gloves even in the Winter and segregating labor so the guy touching the money is usually not the one doing the heavy cooking. It’s probably cleaner than some restaurants where you have no idea what is going on back in the kitchen.
*If you are a vegetarian get here early in the day. They run out of felafel by noon.

This is my favorite Halal Cart out of all that I’ve tried in NY. It doesn’t hurt that the location is convenient. As a student putting myself through school, I need to feed myself on the cheap. That’s where this cart comes in. They consistently make very tasty food, give you a ton of meat and rice, and all for $ 5 (until this year it was only $ 4.50 for chicken or lamb and rice). Gyros are an even better deal at $ 4. I’ve never had the lamb, since I don’t really eat lamb, but I’ve been told by many classmates that it’s delicious.
As a music student, I take a lot of classes in the Gershwin building, which is directly across Campus Road from the cart. That means I can smell their food being prepared as I wait for class to finish. This cart makes a lot of students hungry as they wait for lectures to let out at 12:15.
The line can get quite long around 12, and basically any time right after a large amount of classes let out. The line is an interesting mix of Brooklyn College students and staff, kids and teachers from Midwood High School, and people who don’t necessarily work nearby. Once a week there is a large crowd of sanitation workers who park their trucks down the street and pig out on Halal.
The guys who man the cart really know how to keep the line moving. There are 2 or 3 of them there at all times. The guys are all very nice, and recognize those of us who are there regularly.
The best part about this cart is that I can get chicken and rice at about 1:30 and I’m not hungry until I get out at 9. It’s a lot better deal than anything I can get at the Quizno’s around the corner for $ 5. They give you more food for less money than the chicken place right around the corner. There are other carts near the campus, but this is the best one. I’ve been disappointed by one on Bedford Ave, and was told to avoid the cart outside of Target since their food tastes like chalk.
If you’re nearby, stop here for your lunch since it’s the best deal and really the best food in the vicinity of the school. It’s much better than anything you can get at Applebee’s. They tend to leave early on Fridays since there are less classes offered and therefore less customers, and they aren’t around on the weekends. It’s a shame they leave around 6 every day because I’d love to have this for dinner before a long rehearsal.
I’m surprised I hadn’t reviewed this cart yet, but I’m glad I get to spread the word about these guys.