Big Arc Chicken — Restaurant in New York

Please read this review before eating here. I am extremely concerned about the hygiene standards at this establishment and would strongly discourage anyone from eating here after seeing how they clean the grill.

I live here in East Village - I have eaten here multiple times and actually enjoyed the food. While walking home late last night, I saw one of the employees standing BAREFOOT on the actual grill where the chicken is cooked and displayed. He was crouched in a squatting position with a metal brush in his hands scraping the bars. His feet and soles were filthy with dirt and grime - and his equally dirty pant legs were draping over the grill as well.

Right next to him, he had placed his shoes - these ancient, disgusting open-toed sandals) on the adjacent grill where the cooked chicken is placed for warming. His shoes were visibly oozing a combination of slime, oil, and grime. I am baffled why he didn't at least have the decency to put leave his shoes on the floor.

He was casually chatting with one of the chefs who was closing up the shop - this is not an isolated incident or a deviation from their usual protocol. I wish I had taken a photo because I wanted to vomit after remembering my past meals here. To the business owners - this behavior is absolutely disgusting and I hope you see...

After reading some good reviews, I was kind of looking forward to going here. It's not the kind of place that really stands out in the landscape, but sometimes those are good. Imagine my surprise when it kinda sucked...

Sigh.

First, they have a bunch of steam table food, which is always dicey at best. Most of it didn't look appetizing. I got chicken, which they cook on a grill at the front of the restaurant. Going to a chicken place and ordering chicken seemed like a good idea.

The dark meat was okay. The white meat was drier than... well it was dry. Yuck. I got it with rice and salad. The rice had some kind of sauce over half of it, which I asked the guy about, and he told me it was "green bean sauce". It was sort of like a tomato-ey red sauce with green beans. Passable, but unexciting. And the salad was a crappy Greek salad thing. Oh well...

The one thing I can say is that the place has value. they had a huge sheet of baked ziti that the guy would cut off big squares of and serve (after reheating in a microwave). Never mind that a microwave is not a great way to make pasta tasty, but if what you want is just a big brick of carbs for cheap, you might be...

It's been a few years but I used to live nearby and would get falafel sandwiches and platters here all the time. I'm glad to see this restaurant is still open.

Other reviewers are right about the service but, as the saying goes, it is what it is. The atmosphere is great, however. You feel like you've stepped away from the East Village by crossing the threshold. That also brings me to the reason I wanted to post this review: yes, the prices may be higher than what you pay for street food ... but look where the restaurant is located. It's amazing that they're still in business and serving food that's as reasonably priced as it is. I shudder to think about what their rent is. Hopefully they're around for a long time to come and I'm going to make a point to go back next time I'm...