By Bishop Foster

Halal Munchies, founded in 2020, is a restaurant that serves Middle Eastern-style foods, including wraps, platters, sandwiches, and more. It has over 50 locations, with the majority being in New York, but there are others in Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, and Connecticut. According to the American Halal Foundation, “Halal”  means “lawful or permitted,” so in terms of food, Halal refers to “denoting or relating to meat prepared as prescribed by Muslim law.” 

The Halal Munchies at 815 West Cary Street is a small restaurant-style spot near the Virginia Commonwealth University campus. It contains about three four-seat tables with two kiosks where you can order your food. Menu options include platters for $12.99, salads for $9.99, gyros for $9.99, desserts for $4.99, and combos for $9.99. The price for sides, beverages, and nuggets vary based on the quantity of the nuggets and what side or beverage you order.

Chicken over rice platter. Photo credit: Halal Munchies’ website. 

Tyler Lewis (‘26) first visited Halal Munchies at on Cary Street with a friend. Lewis was guided to order the chicken platter over rice with fries and salad, which contained chicken, rice, fries, “white sauce,” and salad. Lewis reminisced: “When I opened my meal, I saw this huge platter of food and thought to myself, I really got my money’s worth.” By seeing and smelling the food, he could tell that it was going to taste “pleasant.” When Lewis first mixed the contents of the platter into one bite, he said that the “flavors of the foods connected and formed a perfect, unbreakable unison” in his mouth that made “something magnificent.” As Lewis was eating, he found himself unable to stop eating, and after finishing, he was compelled to order more. Lewis’s experience caused him to think very highly of Halal Munchies, leading him to entice me, as well as other students, to visit and taste their food. 

Menelik Reid (‘25) is a vegetarian who was also guided by Lewis to Halal Munchies. Reid ordered the fish over rice platter, which contained fish, rice, salad, and fries with white sauce on top. Reid did not eat the fish but instead ate the rice, salad, and fries. When Reid received the platter, he noted that there was so much food that it was “flowing out of the container.” Reid described his and his friends’ states while eating the food as “non-verbal.” He said that he hadn’t believed Lewis when he described how appetizing the food was, but when he tasted it, the food was so delicious that he couldn’t speak. He wasn’t the only one who felt that way: “The whole table went silent as soon as we started eating. It’s like everyone was focused on the food, and the food only.” The contents of this platter were enough to fulfill Reid’s hunger, and he said, “I was full, but it was so good. I was still hungry, but I didn’t want to eat any more, because I was full.”

On my first visit to Halal Munchies, Lewis suggested that I order the chicken platter as well, which comes to around $16 with a drink on the side. The wait for the meal lasted around five minutes, and the first thing I noticed was the large amount of food it contained. Not only was there plenty, but the food was flavorful and was completely satisfactory for my taste buds. The textures and flavors of each of the components of the platter combined into a taste that I could have never before imagined. This meal was worth every dollar, and I left the restaurant fully satisfied. 

Featured image credit: Bishop Foster.