Mandarin Restaurant (Virginia)

Rating:

Quality, Taste, Cleanliness, Environment, Price , & Staff

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Positive: HALAL American Style Chinese food.

Negative: Hidden in a small strip mall and hard to find.   The dishes are just average, the restaurant is cramped, and the service is very poor.

Overall: Only try it if you are really craving halal chinese food.

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I was very excited when I heard about Mandarin Chinese on my visit to Virginia because I had eaten all types of halal cuisines there except american style chinese.  When I went there I had a chance to try many of their dishes, including General Tso’s Chicken, Hakka Chicken, Hunan Beef, Spicy Hakka Noodles, and the Fried Chicken appetizer. All of these dishes were  mediocre and nothing was mouthwatering.

Overall, I was very disappointed with this restaurant from the minute I got there till the moment I left.  There were many reasons for this including the tightly-crammed seating, slow service because it is poorly staffed, and the low quality food.  So again, only go there if you are really craving halal chinese food.

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Burger 7

Rating:

Quality, Taste, Cleanliness, Environment, Price , & Staff

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Positive: Make unlimited types of burgers using the wide topping selection menu.  The meat is from free range/grass fed/hormone and antibiotic free cattle.  

Negative: They have non-Halal meat as well so you have to request for Halal Meat.  Fries and Onion rings are mediocre.

Overall: The best Halal burger place I have been to.

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Want to actually try a real halal burger place that tastes the way it should?

I had a chance to visit Burger seven in Virginia and I was very delighted after I just stepped into the place.  It was so much like Chipotle with a simple menu allowing you to experiment and develop your own meal through a 4 step process.  I’ve only seen this style at Hero Burger in Canada.  One of the most amazing things about this place is that it is true Halal in all senses of the word – the cattle is free range/grass fed and hormone/antibiotic free.  Not only that, their shakes are ALL Organic and their fries are fried in olive oil!   Furthermore, they ground the beef fresh every day. It is so simple yet you can make an unlimited number of burgers based on the toppings you choose.

The way it works is that first you choose the patty (1,2, or vegan), then the bun (white, potato, whole wheat, or lettuce), next the toppings (besides the usual stuff they have jalapenos, sweet/hot peppers, grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms, sour kraut, relish, A1/bbq/buffalo sauce) and finally the sides (fries, onion rings, sweet potato fries).  Oh and you can get melted cheese or chili to top it off.  Did I forget to mention they have sliders and hot dogs as well?

After enjoying the first bite of my delicious burger I knew this joint will be very popular one day, and would become a chain alongside Five Guys. The only problem I saw was the onion rings and sweet potato fries were not as good as I  had hoped. This is real competition, and best of all its Halal (make sure you ask though as they have non-Halal meat as well.)

This restaurant is owned by a Lebanese man who owns another Lebanese restaurant and he’s done a very good job managing this place.  It was very clean, the staff was courteous, and the food was excellent. The whole environment was perfect and I truly felt as though I was in a burger joint.  I tried their hot dog as well and was also happy with the taste and toppings although I wouldn’t get more than 2 toppings on it next time.  I still think the Philly Hot Dog Company frozen spicy sausages are the best hot dogs I’ve ever eaten.  My burger had some bacon on it which I felt took away from the taste of the patty and I will probably not get that added on next time.

In comparison to Hero Burger in Canada this place has more flavorful, delicious meat with more halal choices.  The Hero Burger in Canada has a better environ and real Angus beef but does not have the same flavorfulness of this burger place.  Overall I will rate this as the best Halal burger joint I’ve ever been too.  Hero burger is in second place.  On my way out I got to speak to their manager who reported that they will be opening another Burger 7 in Virginia and they have future plans of coming to the NY and NJ!  Try it out next time you go to Virginia, you won’t regret it!

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Burger 7 Website

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Popeyes (Northern Virginia)

Rating:

Quality, Taste, Cleanliness, Environment, Price , & Staff

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Positive: Only Halal Popeye’s in the USA with fresh, tasty food that the chain is known for.

Negative: Everything is made to order – meaning there is a long waiting time. Only chicken pieces and sandwich are halal, everything else is not (chicken tenders, etc)

Overall: Hey its the only Halal Popeye’s in the USA!

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halal popeye’s in the usa?  well… kind of

When I found out that there was a halal Popeye’s in the states my jaw dropped.  I was so excited to finally have this fast food chain’s chicken available here.  And better yet, available close to home in the Northeast.  I quickly made arrangements to go to meet my family members close to Arlington, VA.

When I got to the restaurant I saw the area surrounding it looked somewhat run down, but it was not anything worse than I saw back home in NJ.  There are a bunch of Pakistani restaurants in the area as well.  When we entered the place it reminded me of any other chain restaurant that you would go to, except for the fact that there was an older looking, South Asian gentleman standing by the counter.  My family and I spoke extensively with him about the authenticity of the meat, etc. and overall we were satisfied enough to eat there.  He was somewhat rude though but hey which older South Asian business man isn’t.

We ordered a few sandwiches and chicken pieces. Their chicken tenders and other chicken items were not halal.   It took more than 45 minutes for the food to come out which was very disappointing.  But, after we got the food we were delighted with the aroma and taste.  Everything tasted great and fresh. The Cajun fries are a must too!  The other sides are never that good at these restaurants.

All in all, I love fried chicken so if you love Canada for the sole purpose of Popeye’s then make the trip because you wont regret it, as long as you are okay with Virginia traffic everywhere.

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Generic Popeyes Website

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