Hamza & Madina — Restaurant in New York

1.1.1 Years of Late-Night Loyalty I’ve been a loyal customer of this halal cart in front of the closed CVS (across from 7-Eleven) for several years, especially during the late-night hours between 12 a.m. and 4 a.m.. It's been my default spot post-midnight, especially when other places are closed or too expensive. While the original owners seem to have changed, the food and late-night service remain a staple.

🍽️ Food Quality, Price & Portion Notes 1.2.1 Value & Inflation Over Time $8 Chicken Over Rice + Soda: Still a great deal for late-night eats

Portions used to be more generous (pre-COVID) — containers were overfilled

Recent years have seen higher prices and slightly smaller portions

$10 with tip still feels fair, but portion size varies depending on who's working

1.2.2 Food Favorites & Tips Combo Rice (Chicken & Lamb) – Highly recommended for first-timers

Ask for Pita Bread – Increases your food volume at no extra cost

White sauce + light hot sauce – Classic combo for flavor

Always grab a straw for your soda – sanitary tip!

Haven’t tried the kebab, but the chicken and lamb are both great

🧑‍🍳 Service & Staff 1.3.1 Personable and Recognizable Regulars (like myself) tend to get better portions and faster service

The late-night guy knows me by face, and the exchange is always respectful

If you're new, portions might vary, so tip well and build rapport

⚠️ Important Notes for Newcomers 1.4.1 Be Aware Of… CVS lot is closed — don’t park there or you risk being towed

There are many halal carts nearby, so if this one isn’t your vibe, you’ve got options

The quality is consistent, but the portion size can fluctuate

Avoid before 10 p.m. if you're looking for variety — this spot is best after midnight

🧡 Final Thoughts – Worth It, But Manage Expectations This isn’t a fancy spot—it’s a reliable late-night food fix. You’ll get solid portions (especially if you're a regular), good chicken and lamb, and unbeatable value after midnight. Yes, prices have increased, and portions are a bit smaller than before, but they still come through when it matters most.

Bonus tip: If you ever feel groggy after eating halal late at night, you’re not alone—it might be the ingredients or just age creeping in. Still, for what it is, this halal cart hits the spot when you need it most. Try it, and if you like it, leave...

This review is done by a South Indian taste buds on 9/25/22 Your experience may differ.

I have been enjoying halal food for years, predominantly in Queens and Brooklyn. There are two types of halal in my opinion. One that is more Asian Indian style and one that is middle eastern style.

This cart is the latter. The difference is the rice they use and flavor of the food. Indian styles rice is usually more yellowish and flavorful. The meat is more spiced and cooked with more onions and sometimes you can request food to be cooked more spicier in which case they may add more ingredients like green chileas and spices.

I visited this cart because it was close to my house and had many good reviews. When I arrived I saw four halal carts. This cart was getting all the business. Yes, I made the right choice I thought to myself!

I looked at the cart personal. Not Asian based. I asked for the food to be made more spicy, lady shrugged her shoulder and said she will put more hot sauce. The food came out within two minutes of me asking for three combos of chicken and lamb over rice, a red flag popped in head.

I had the lamb over rice. The lamb was cut into big chunks and tasted like it was steamed with no flavor. Had they cut it smaller and suauted it longer it might have had more flavor. The white sauce was too tart and no parsley, dill, or other ingredients incorporated in it. The hot sauce was hot, with really no flavor. The rice was an off white color and bland. The salad is just mainly lettuce, no tomatoes and no big slices of onion.

My family did not enjoy the food. My wife can cook better lamb frozen from Costco cooked with Sazon seasoning, she uses basmatti rice and some spices to make the rice yellow and her white sauce is...

I purchased 2 food chicken over rice on the hillside Ave and little neck parkway… Hamza & Medina -we found a long hair in the middle of the rice. I took pictures and went back to speak to the guys in the cart that sold me the food he wasn’t there however they started arguing with me and mentioned I’m looking for a free food. They treat me as if I was begging for a food. I showed them the pictures of the food and they said how could I prove it’s their cart. 1 I know which cart I purchased the food from—-2 I have money I would give them as a Tip the same cost as if I was going to buy a food. But was not willing to to pay for this particular food. — the cart guy down the block heard the commotion and he offer (me a free food nice cart owner- ) . I refused his offer it’s not about his food because he is a nice guy.. I would buy from him in the future. The audacity of the Hamza and Medina cart workers really showed it’s all about the money and no human element. I have pictures of the hair stuck into the rice they serve. If someone eats food from a food vendor that license and get sick you would have to prove you bought the food from them. It’s a cash driven business and they don’t give receipt To top it off he kept telling me I can’t take a picture of his vendor Id. I am warning anyone that buys from this cart know the truth. I will file with NYS and nyc department of health and food preparation as well as NYS and nyc to open an investigation into taxes that is not being paid(...