Last updated: June 10, 2025

In the Weeds

by Travis Mullis

My last visit to New York City was in February 2020, when Covid jitters were just beginning to spread and many of us tried to ward the virus off with wishful thinking and statements like: “This will all blow over in a few weeks.” So much for that. What I remember most from that trip, though, is the food. One of the great joys of New York eating are the thousands of halal carts that serve the various culinary delights of the Middle East and Mediterranean. 

Charlotte was blessed with a comparable version of this New York culinary institution when couple Khuram and Damaris Bashir set up their Halal Food Cart at the corner of East Trade Street and North Tryon Street back in 2016. The popularity of the food cart has allowed the Bashirs and their family to expand to two full service restaurants, one off of Independence near Idlewild Road, and the newest expansion located in the heart of Camp North End. 

There’s lots of great people watching at Camp North End, especially in the vicinity of Halal Street Food, as the diversity and mix of old and young that has come to define Charlotte is on full display. If you go on a Saturday night, you’ll very likely see dozens of gowned women and tuxedoed men stroll by on their way to the Revelry event space just around the corner. I’ve even seen a few well dressed couples stop to stare at the platters of food on tables at Halal Street Food and take in the aromatics of garlic and sizzling meat, almost as if they’re reconsidering whether that wedding reception or company soiree is really worth attending with such delicious food so near.

And the restaurant’s fare really is worth skipping an evening elsewhere for, with a wide selection of kebabs, shawarma wraps, gyros, food cart-style rice platters, and salads. There’s also a deli cooler of beverages along one wall that includes Laziza, a high-quality non-alcoholic brand of sodas and malt beverages from Lebanon. In recent years, halal white sauce has taken a coveted spot in the repertoire of many American diners’ condiment arsenal. Its origins are debatable. One story, as reported by the New York Times in 2016, has it being invented by Afghan refugees who fled to the U.S. and tweaked an old Pashtun recipe to appeal to American palates. The other most credible story revolves around the self-mythologizing of The Halal Guys restaurant chain in New York City, who claim to have invented the sauce as part of a broader effort to provide halal food to Muslim cabbies across the five boroughs who missed the tastes of home. 

Yogurty, tangy, garlicky, and salty, there’s a lot to enjoy about halal white sauce. You could put it on just about anything to instantly elevate a dish. Restaurant versions of the sauce tend to be thinner and miss the dill and cumin I add when I make it at home, which is forgivable in my mind  given how many rice platters they have to coat in the stuff. Halal Street Food’s rice platters are a must order for those looking to see the restaurant’s high points on full display. I would go for the combo over rice to taste the contrasting flavor profiles of the chicken and lamb.

The rice for their platters is both plentiful and refined in the best sense of both those words: tasty, consistent, and the perfect vehicle for soaking up the flavors of the meat and white sauce. The rotating spit of meat that is always turning in the back right corner of the restaurant has also been done with the same scientific precision, ensuring that each cut of meat is equally tender, well seasoned, and evenly cut before getting the requisite finishing sear from the flattop. 

For those looking for something slightly less common in Charlotte, their doner kebab is a solid take on the classic Turkish street food that has now become a staple of food scenes across Europe and Asia. I lean towards the lamb for this sandwich, which you can slather in whatever sauce you like, from the ”dare you” hot sauce or garlic to tahini or green chili chutney. What makes the sandwich memorable is the homemade Turkish bread, a thicker, richer, and more substantial version of the lavash flatbread that doner kebabs are usually served in. 

One of the great things about halal carts in New York is their efficiency and speed in both food and service, something noticeably lacking at Halal Street Food in Camp North End. Their set up, with lots of sauces and toppings behind glass, is reminiscent of a Cava or Chipotle, though it’s hardly ever used that way and the interior doesn’t have the space necessary to try and duplicate such a model. It can make ordering and waiting for food an awkward affair as folks mill around the glass, huddle near the far end where the pick up area is, or wait outside and fail to hear their name called. It seems to have the chaotic and cramped feel of a Manhattan or Brooklyn bodega without the efficiency and speed. On one occasion, I couldn’t seem to communicate that I wanted their specialty hot sauce to go with my doner kebabs. I asked in as many different ways as I knew how, but my request always seemed to be misheard, misunderstood, or became just another distraction in the noise and chaos of the small interior.

One of the tiny miracles of a halal cart on a busy city street is that your food seems to be ready before you even finish paying for it. Halal Street Food takes their time to get it to you, so bring your patience, and if you order their wood fired kebabs, be ready to wait 20 minutes or more. The American South is known for taking things easy; maybe Halal Street Food is just embracing the culture of the Queen City.