Smokey Chick Halal — Restaurant in New York

I’ve been to Smokey Chick in Forest Hills a few times, and while the food itself is solid, the overall experience can be hit or miss depending on the day.

The Food The smash burgers are definitely the highlight. They’re flavorful, cooked well, and have that crispy edge that makes a good smash burger stand out. The onion rings are crispy, not too greasy, and have a nice crunch, while the fries are decent—nothing mind-blowing but a good complement to the meal. When everything is made with care, the food is great and worth coming back for.

The Service Service here is good on certain days, especially Saturdays. When the right staff is working, orders come out fresh, and you can tell there’s attention to detail. However, on other days, it’s a different story. The lack of English-speaking workers is frustrating because good communication is key to success in any restaurant. When customers have questions or specific requests, clear communication is essential, and it’s sometimes difficult here.

Quality Control Issues There have been times when I’ve walked in, and it felt like the workers in the back put zero care into the food. The quality can be inconsistent, and on certain days, you can tell some cooks just don’t care about presentation or freshness. If management wants this place to improve, they should consider replacing some of the cooks who don’t put in the effort.

Final Thoughts Smokey Chick has great food potential, especially with their smash burgers and onion rings, but the inconsistency in service and quality control holds it back. If they can improve their staff communication and ensure every cook takes pride in their work, this place could be top-tier. Right now, it’s good, but not great—and how good your experience is really depends on when you go....

I saw this place on Google maps, saw the pictures and thought. Oh this one of those 12 dollar premium type of halal food. I traveled on foot 20 min today, just to come to this place so I can eat a normal food. But I was utterly disappointed. I was really looking forward to trying this place, but I was disappointed with the portion for $12.51. The amount of rice was extremely small compared to what I usually get from halal food carts that are $8-$9(which are also cheaper). It felt like the meal was thrown together without much care. Little bit of this, and ah whatever, here type of. Taste was okay, but for the price, I expected a more generous and balanced portion. Even the halal food carts, that are $8 or $10, they give out a good amount of rice and overall portion. I am very unsatisfied as a first time customer... Posting a photo so you can see what I mean, if you compare the photos they uploaded and see mine. It is so much less. I hope I was polite and if possible I can get my refund.

P.S. The cashier, she...

The platters are great. The hot sauce is great because it has good flavor and isn't just vinegar and food coloring, it actually has some heat. The fried chicken is pretty good too but I wish they had a spicy option. The burgers are okay but nothing too special. It's a simple and clean eating establishment.

Edit: they run out of their hot sauce all the time and it's a gamble whether or not you get vinegar with red food coloring or actual hot sauce with flavor. Whenever I order for pick up, there's a good chance they will mess up the order. Honestly they just shouldn't carry the cheap hot sauce, I'd rather they tell me they don't have any. It's disgusting. They still haven't added spicy fried chicken. It shouldn't be that hard to just add some chili powder to the batter/dredge mix. When the food is good, it's good but they way too inconsistent. I've been eating here for months and rarely do I remember getting the perfect order. It's always a little off (or a lot sometimes). I just want...