House of Pita Hanan

This truck food is different from the surrounding ones with much better quality. More authentic middle eastern. The lady is very nice indeed. She really deserves the five stars.

Hindsight being 20/​20, I’m thinking July 3^rd might not have been the best day to do a University City food truck tour. I’m fairly certain I only had about ¼ of the choices that are normally available.
However… Absolutely no lines whatsoever at 1:30, so it has its upsides.
I tried this truck first because I happened to park near it and I like Halal food. A $ 5 plate of lamb gyro with rice, lentils, white sauce, that comes with a bottle of water was a great deal and I downed it happily.
But it was very basic food. I did get the feeling that on a day where other trucks are around that I could have done better.

The wait for this place is very long. The line is long but dont be decieved. It is probably because the lady cranks out food slowly so the line just does not decrease. The line is not long because this place is delicious.
The woman is very nice if you go during closing time. She will offer extra hummus or give you larger portions if you come during closing time. The food is ok. It is not good, but it is not bad either. Just typical middle eastern food cart.
The falafels were sort of dry and they were not flavorful. They were just a little salty. The hummus is not very memorable either. It was a little more lemony and has less of a tahini taste to it than other though. The hummus is better than the babaganoush here so if you are debating, get the hummus instead.
That being said if you really do want this type of food, walking a little bit more for to Hummus is better even if you have to pay a little more. The quality is so much better than this food truck.

My friend and I ordered the lamb platter and the chicken platter. The woman who works here is a complete sweetheart, so huge points for that! Our meals had two types of rice, and I love rice, so that was a plus! The salad that went with it was also pretty fresh. I thought the chicken was alright. It tasted a bit dry to me, but there was lots of chicken. My friend enjoyed his lamb plate, so overall, good deal and decent taste.

The biggest upside to this place is their more than generous portions for a pretty cheap price. However, food was pretty average and it definitely wasn’t my favorite. But if you’re looking for a food truck that will fill you up, this isnt a bad place to go!

Hmmm, a long wait despite being the only one in front of the truck. The price is right for a tasty mid-​day meal, but I immediately wished I’d gone for more falafel and less chicken. The chicken ended up dry and tasted sort of like it’d been sitting out for some time, while the falafel balls were juicy and flavorful. I think it ended up being like, $ 5.75 for a meal that was big enough (two sides of different kinds of rice, chicken, salad, hummus, and falafel) for lunch and dinner.
The service was questionable. The woman who was working the truck was on the phone the entire time, and communicated to me mostly through gestures and whispered words. I would maybe go back, but will try the other nearby trucks first before making that decision.

I rarely give out one stars, but this was honestly one of the worst food truck experiences I’ve ever had.
Firstly, the wait took forever. My friend and I were the only people there and no one came to pick up food for the 20 minutes we waited on the sidewalk. I’m sure it doesn’t take that long to put together two lunches.
Secondly, the food itself was very disappointing. The platter was actually a little cold. The rice had no flavor to it. And to top if off, they put raw onions on top of everything. Like, a lot. I had to take them all off in order to taste what little taste the food had. The grape leaves were also disappointing. All I tasted was the bitterness of the leaf and the rice. Finally, to think I paid $ 6 for that meal. Definitely not going back.
If you want MIddle Eastern/​Mediterranean food, stop by Hummus or Greek Lady down the block. Well worth the walk and the few extra bucks.

The belt on my dress is leaving lines on my stomach right now, thanks to Hanan.
I went to
to find this gem and have been there twice… both times I’ve gotten the grilled chicken platter for $ 5.50. I noticed I got less chicken today than I had before, but it’s still a lot of food. I’d have to say there is about a cup and a half of two different kinds of rice — yellow & lentil, a little pool of hummus, and a little mound of tabbouleh — and chicken on top of the rice. If there was more, I’d eat it, and my belt would break.
There was no line, I guess because there are some mixed reviews, but then again I only go here when I am RAGING with hunger. Also today, it still tasted good, but the hummus was a bit on the liquidy side. Prob need to add some more chick peas to the food processor.

If I were you, I’d pass on the food truck and opt to go to Greek Lady or Hummus instead. Albeit I’ve only tried their falafel salad, I was still disappointed at the amount of food and the price. (
Small portions + high price (for a lunch truck) + so-​so taste = PASS.

More like House of Yum.
I got the Shwarma (aka Gyro) platter and it was delish.
It’s always great when you can roll up to a street truck, get your meal fast, and pay bottom dollar.
The rice, which was a combo of two kinds, which I can’t entirely describe, but it was good.
I also like the humus and salad that came with it.
All very yummy.

I really wanted to like this place. But it’s just not good. The chicken is over-​cooked and chewy, the salads are warm and wilted, and nothing has much taste.

The middle eastern food here is really good, but a little on the small side for the price at a food truck: $ 5 – 6 for a pita wrap that won’t completely fill you up. This is okay, but if you’re a fat kid like me you could just as easily go to a Chinese cart and pay $ 3.50 or $ 4 for a huge platter or to Tacos Don Memo for a delicious $ 7 monster burrito that you may not be able to finish.
That said, the food here IS quite delicious (try chicken kebab with feta in a pita sandwich), relatively healthy, and worth the extra cash once in a while, especially when you’re not starving (or if you happen to eat like a bird/​be on a diet).

They have some of the best kefta (lean hamburger) I’ve ever had, and I’ve been to the Middle East and have lived in Michigan, which has fantastic Middle Eastern food. The pitas are actually pretty lame (a little too chewy for me) and almost drive this review down to four stars, but the saving grace is the not-​hot-​but-​super-​tasty hot sauce and the mild feta cheese that is a perfect compliment to the spiced kefta.
Their hummus is of the liquid-​y sauce-​type variety (as opposed to the thicker hummus that can be found at more Israeli-​style places like Hummus and Mama’s Vegetarian), which isn’t my favorite, so I usually stick with the feta and kefta wrap with hot sauce. All in all, this is probably my second favorite lunch truck in the University City area (behind Tacos Don Memo).

I stopped by this truck after my dog’s appointment at UPenn’s veterinary hospital. While driving, I saw a bunch of trucks, but being the hummus-​addict I am, I had to go try this one.
I ordered a falafel & hummus ($ 4.50). It was ok. They were a bit stingy on everything except the pita they wrapped it in. The taste itself wasn’t bad.
I’ll try a different truck next time I’m in this neck of the woods.

I made the trek here on the recommendation of a co-​worker. The food quality was fine — slightly better than average Middle Eastern food — and, theoretically good value for money — ASSUMING YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
I ordered a kefta and grape leaves platter, and was certainly charged for one. But, when I opened up my container of food, there was NO kefta. Kind of a big mistake since it’s the centerpiece of the platter. All I was left with was basically a Styrofoam container full of rice and a tiny mound of hummus. It was no fun having to face the rest of the workday 6 dollars short and with a growling stomach.
Can’t attribute this error to them being too busy — I was one of two people in line. Maybe they were having a bad day and it was my bad luck to catch them at that time, but I won’t be going back.

This is the best food cart on UPenn’s campus and the best (most authentic) middle eastern food I have had in Philly.
EVERYTHING on the menu tastes great. My favorite is the kefta sandwich with everything on it… SOO GOOD.
I actually eat here almost every day and I get a different thing every day of the week and ALWAYS love it.

This wonderful Palestinian stand single-​handedly fills in a good portion of the shocking dearth of Arabic food in the Philadelphia area. Hanan is a sweetheart, and her falafel and baba ghannouj are always delicious and homemade. I think it’s fair to say that this is the best falafel I’ve had in the U.S. (outside of someone’s house, that is). It’s also wonderfully cheap, which is great for us college-​student types. As a vegetarian, I haven’t tried any of the meat options, but my dad had some chicken shawarma and said it was very tasty as well.
In this era of «pita pocket» and «pita pit» feaux-​Arabic food stops in mall food courts, it’s always hugely exciting to find fresh Arabic food made the right way. Oh, and in the spirit of keeping it authentic, for God’s sake (and your own) don’t dilute the flavor of the food with gobs of hot sauce.

After traveling to the Middle East three times in the past two years, I find myself frequently craving authentic Middle Eastern food. For a food truck where you can get a meal in under $ 7, this is about as close as it gets. My favorites are the Kefta, Falafel and Babaganouj. Their combo platters allow you to pick and choose pretty much any combination of your favorite ME foods. Definitely one of my favorites in the area.

If you’re ever on 38^th between Walnut and Spruce, you can’t miss this van painted in hues of pink, yellow, and green. Unknowingly from the outside, a whole bonafide Middle Eastern kitchen is housed within this sixties-​esque food truck.
Hanan’s an allright place for a snack, but not so great for a meal. Their falafel sandwiches with feta, hummus, baba ghanoush, etc. are always made fresh, but never truly fill you up, unless you get two. Chicken sandwiches are also pretty good here. The platters are also made on the spot, but I always feel that they mainly consist of rice & veggies while lacking in kebab. But, perhaps, I’m simply a glutton used to the giant portions of our modern-​day restaurants.
A good place though for vegetarian eaters because they have a very wide range of options. It’s inexpensive and orders are almost always filled within 10 minutes of ordering.

When I want a lunch that is filling, delicious, and ethnic tasting, I go to this food truck located near the corner of 38^th and Walnut Street. Everything is homemade and prepared fresh daily.
For the price, this food truck can’t be beat. I normally get the grilled chicken with grape leaves platter for my lunch. With this comes a full sized pita bread, tabbouleh, hummus, Tzatziki, yellow rice and lentil rice. You have the option of onions and hot sauce. This is all for $ 5.25.
They have a grill in the truck to heat up whatever you order.
I can’t do the menu justice here, but they have vegetarian and meat dishes and many small items which you can purchase. Prices range from $ 1.00 to $ 5.25.
They cater and will take orders over the phone for fast pick-​up. They run from 11 AM to around 5 PM, M-​F (even though their menu is listed as 8 PM). In one order, if you order 9 platters, the 10^th is free!