The Halal Shack — Restaurant in San Diego

First let me say that the girl that helped me out was nice. Other than that, this place really does not deserve even one star. I did not see prices on the menu but I have been curious about this place so I got a bowl. I asked to do half rice and half salad. They said no. Any bowl place will usually have no problem with this. I asked to do half seasoned rice and half regular rice, they still said "no we don't do that here". She reassured me that the rice bowl "comes with a salad", (which is not true).

So I get (salty but also bland) seasoned rice, and there was not many protein options left, so I got (SALTY!) beef. Other options were battered and fried shrimp, battered and fried chicken, and I think falafel (if you do not eat meat). The two more popular options were sold out.

Now, she did give me iceberg lettuce (which has like zero nutritional value), some tomato and onion. Which is a pathetic excuse for a salad in my opinion. There are options for spring mix and spinach but I guess it is only if you choose a salad instead of rice as a base. She really should have told me that when she was getting the base ready, to be frank. I even offered to pay more for spinach and spring mix and she still said no! "We don't do that here." I should have walked away at this point.

Cheese and hummus are extra. I did not get them because I feel like restaurants should not need to upcharge you/nickel and dime you for your food to taste good.

The bowl toppings were very sad as well. I forget but I think the options were toasted pitas strips, jalapeno and corn and something else? Very sad. They could have saved themselves here if they had a few different sauces, ginger, carrot, nuts, sesame seeds or garbanzo beans or something, anything. But nope.

And then they added some (salty and stale) pita bread. And then the sause was okay but it definately did not save the dry rice, stale bread and tasteless veg.

It came out to about $11. Which is a great price for a tasty bowl at ANY OTHER RESTAURANT. There is a poke place on like college ave, there is a chicken place in the same building, a make your own sandwich place, make your own salad. Lots of other great options.

Anyone who is pleased with this place, I honestly do question your other reviews because this place is not good. Eat somewhere else if you care about what goes into your body.

In summary. Not worth the price, bland food with questionable nutrition content, and workers will politely decline everything that you ask. And then ask if you want a...

There is not enough time or words on this planet that can adequality praise Halal Shack. The dinning experience is nothing less than spiritual, may I say religious. In a world of darkness, pain, and misery the Shack is my refuge. My life hangs off of Halal Shack like the Shawarma hangs on the rotating stick. To say the least, the atmosphere is extraordinarily comforting. The perfectly simple basmati rice is delectably seasoned, and perfectly complements your choice of protein. The sauce and sumac finishers bring it all together into a perfect equilibrium, much like God's perfectly chaotic universe. The whole experience, the buildup as you wait in line, the experimentation with different ingredients, the final hurrah as the flavors overwhelm your mouth, it is a near sexual experience. The staff are experts, guides in this incredible experience. They are the deliverers of my holy communion, priests ordained by the highest authority. We are not worthy of Halal Shack, yet the Shack does not judge, it invites those of all backgrounds. The shack dwells in Babylon; Panda Express, Rubios, Subway, Shakesmart, Baba's Pizza, and Jamal's Chicken tempt those who have not been Enlighted. Yet others and myself have seen through their lies, hacked through the jungle that blocks our path to destiny. Halal Shake, thank you with...

I recently had the luck of stumbling upon The Halal Shack at SDSU and at the East Commons during my lunch break and boy was i happy that there was something diverse AND completely Halal available. It's really hard to find a Halal/Zabiha restaurant that is truly halal from back of house to front of house.

Furthermore, the food had a great assortment of flavors and options. I got the rice bowl with chicken and a side of falafel.

For 8.50 on the bowl the price point was solid and the best value I've ever had on campus.

The brown rice is like a biryani and has flavors of home. Of the spin sauces my favorite is hot white.

If you have ever had food from the shawarma carts in New York, this is the closest you can get to it on the west coast.

When the Halal Guys franchise opened up in So Cal, I was excited but later disappointed with the food quality. Luckily The Halal Shack has redeemed my nostalgic feelings of eating NY cart street food. Will definitely be coming...