School is back in session, so the trucks are back! Some of them have moved locations, including this halal cart which used to be located on 13th Street in front of Speakman Hall. This, along with The Mexican truck and the two NY halal carts that were on the corner in front of Tuttleman are now located across the street from the Student Center, in front of Ritter Hall.

Now I must post a disclaimer here: I have started grad school at Temple so I won’t have as much leisure time to write these blog posts, but I’ll there are still places I haven’t visited so I’ll be sure to post semi-frequently. On to the review…

So many halal carts on campus! This one stands out in two ways: one, it is blue and quite colorful all around, and two, it leans toward the Turkish side of Middle Eastern cuisine, so there are plenty more selections (some I’ve never heard of and had to Google while in line).

Unfortunately on both of my visits I was not in the mood for lamb so I need to get back to try the Adana or Kofte kebabs to give a proper assessment of this place, but I will say the Chicken Tikka Kebab was tasty. It was not at all like I am used to, being that usually chicken tikka has that orange tint to it from the tumeric, but this was lacking that. They also have samosas which are usually dough filled with spiced potatoes, meat, and veggies. And of course, they have falafel, a staple for the vegetarians.

I tried both the chicken over rice and the gyro, shown below.

The gyro was only $4 and the rice platter was $6, with a free drink. I much preferred the rice platter because there seemed to be a lot more flavor going on with the rice and chicken, but I still prefer the NY halal cart over this one. The pita for the gyro was rather soft and pillowy which was a nice texture but also unforgiving with all the sauces added, it fell apart completely while I was eating it. I do appreciate the variety of this truck and would like to come back and try other things. The service is also excellent, the guy remembers his regular customers and what they order, which is always impressive.

The items I looked up were:

Adana Kebab:A strip of ground lamb cooked with red peppers, traditionally served with charred onions and tomatoes.

Kofte Kebab: Ground lamb meatballs with spices and onions, traditionally served with a spicy curry sauce. This dish varies by the region it is made in.

Below were some photos on the side of Ebi’s Lunch Cart, and the specials menu listing items available.

Location: On 13th street at Montgomery, between the Student Center and Ritter Hall

Pay: Cash

Cuisine:  Halal chicken and lamb on rice or on a pita

What I tried: Chicken Tikka on rice, Chicken Gyro

Delivery: No