Mediterranean Halal Food Cart in Baltimore, Maryland

Mediterranean Halal Food in Baltimore, Maryland

On my trip to Baltimore, I visited the Mediterranean Halal Food Cart, a halal food cart selling rice plates and wraps with chicken and lamb. I only stumbled upon this hidden gem because of its location on the corner of Baltimore Street and Hopkins Plaza, directly across the street from my hotel.

There were a few things that stood out about this food cart. First, everyone ordering food from the cart appeared local, including students and workers from downtown businesses. Second, the Mediterranean Halal Food Cart had to be the most affordable restaurant in Baltimore. The price, the quality of the food, and the amount of food was second to none.

Mediterranean Halal Food Menu

The menu at Mediterranean Halal Food, Baltimore, Maryland — The menu at Mediterranean Halal Food

The menu at the Mediterranean Halal Food Cart, posted on the cart’s side, was as simple as I expected. The menu was typical for a halal food cart.

You had three main options: rice, wrap, or salad. You could choose chicken, lamb, or a mix of chicken or lamb for each option. There was also a hot dog.

The prices were hard to read. Instead of updating the menu prices, hastily written stickers were placed over the existing prices. Whoever did it didn’t have the best handwriting, making some of the prices confusing and complicated to read. The rice plates were $6.99, the wraps were $4.99, the salads were $5.99-6.99, and the hot dog was $2.00.

Mediterranean Halal Food Cart was, without a doubt, the most budget-friendly restaurant I visited on my trip to Baltimore.

Combo Rice Platter

I wish I had a scale on me so I could see how much the Combo Rice Platter ($6.99) weighed. It was large enough to feed two people.

If you order this platter, you will get a messy yet beautiful plate of rice topped with chicken, lamb, lettuce, and tomatoes.

A mix of creamy white sauce and spicy red sauce was drizzled across the top. If you aren’t a fan of spicy foods, you can ask for no red sauce, but you’ll miss out on so much flavor.

At the base of the platter was a generous portion of long grain rice. While simple, the rice was perfect and well-seasoned, acting as the ideal base for all the toppings.

The chicken was so fork tender that I could tear it apart with a plastic fork. I expected the cart to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, which are easy to overcook.

As a food cart, I expected the chicken to be dry, but this was not the case. The chicken, marinated in a spicy red sauce, was cooked perfectly. It was juicy and moist with just the right texture and spicy flavor.

The lamb was just as great as the chicken, maybe even better. Each piece of the lamb had this salty, smoky flavor that I couldn’t get enough of. It was rich but not so rich that it overpowered the dish. I couldn’t believe how tender the lamb was, with each piece having just the right melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Topping off this massive plate of food was fresh and crunchy sliced lettuce, red pepper sauce, and white sauce.

Like a paste, the red sauce added the perfect amount of heat. Each peppery, smoky red sauce bite added this perfect slow burn. As I love spicy foods, I wanted more of the sauce.

A refreshing, creamy white sauce made from yogurt complemented the red sauce. If you aren’t a fan of spicy foods, you’ll be happy to know that the white sauce helped tone down the spiciness of the red sauce.

Mix Wrap

If I wasn’t already full enough, I decided also to order a Mix Wrap ($4.99). As with the Combo Rice Platter, this wrap came with chicken and lamb.

As for the photo, it may not look appetizing, but it tasted better than it looked. I take decent pictures of food whenever I can, but no matter how I try, I can never take a photo of a wrap that looks appetizing.

The ingredients in this wrap were the same as those in the combo platter except for the pita bread and the absence of rice. The mix wrap was heavy, packed with chicken and lamb.

Just as before, the chicken and lamb were cooked to perfection. The chicken was spicy and moist, while the lamb was tender and rich. The lettuce and onions added a much-needed crunchy texture to the otherwise soft pita bread and tender pieces of chicken and lamb.

I enjoyed how fresh the pita bread was. While not homemade, I appreciated how soft and chewy the bread was. I could tell it was as fresh as possible. Old pita bread is never a good thing. It’s tough to bite and chew through.

Finishing off this wrap was more creamy white sauce and red sauce. As before, I would have liked more of the spicy red sauce for an added kick of heat.

Service at Mediterranean Halal Food Cart

I was handed my food a minute after ordering the combo plate and wrap. The food was not only hot but delicious. I wonder how the worker prepares it quickly while serving a quality product.

While interaction with the workers inside the tiny cart was brief, they seemed friendly throughout the process.

Conclusion

If I were a college student or a worker in the downtown Baltimore area, I would probably stop by Mediterranean Halal Food Cart multiple times a week for the delicious chicken and lamb along with the spicy red sauce and creamy white sauce.

While Baltimore isn’t the most expensive city I have been to, I would be hard-pressed to find a better value in the city than this halal food cart. The prices were fair, the portions were huge, and the food tasted great.

And, there was just something special about eating delicious food at a food cart.