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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Self-serve Frozen Yogurt (Central NJ)

Rating: (see below)

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

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Positive: Aside from Red Mango and Phileo Yogurt (not located in Central NJ), Yogurt Land has unique, delicious high quality yogurt flavors with an average number of toppings.  Yo Mon has the nicest environ (although small) and topping selection with average quality yogurt.Wicked twist is in third place with lower quality yogurt and an average number of toppings.

Negative: Twist and Fruity Yogurt have lower quality frozen yogurt which doesn’t taste like its respective flavors with below average toppings.

Overall: Go with Red Mango or Phileo Yogurt if they are in your area.  Otherwise if you live in central NJ go with , Yo Mon (if you are into toppings and environ), or Wicked Twist.  I wouldn’t go to Twist or Fruity Yogurt.

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I had a chance to visit multiple self-serve frozen yogurt chains in central New Jersey and compare them to well-known chains like Red Mango and Phileo Yogurt. (I did not include Pinkberry as it is not self serve at the moment in the Tri-state area) What I gathered from my experiences was that Red Mango is probably the best in terms of its quality, healthiness, and the fruity yogurts they carry. Phileo Yogurt was not far behind either and I would eat yogurt at any of those chains any day of the week.

I would regard these chains as the standards to compare other frozen yogurt places with.   The self-serve frozen yogurt trend has made its way to New Jersey with a wide variety of small businesses opening to offer their customers a wide variety of flavors and toppings for around 45-49 cents per ounce.  The way it works is that you come in and choose your cup (small or large), taste a few small samples of the flavors, fill up your cups as you wish and add the topping you wish before weighing, paying, and obtaining  a spoon to eat your delicious concoction.  

Yo Mon, located in Freehold, NJ is best known for its exciting environ with a colorful, young scheme and multiple TVs as well as a small sitting place right outside the door.  Although it is one of the smaller places I have been too, they make full use of the space even though most of the time the lines are out the door.  Their frozen yogurt selection is nicely varied, although they have less fruity flavors at one time like Red Mango. Their quality of frozen yogurt is not as good as Red Mango, again, but it is nonetheless better than the other places in Central NJ.  Their Espresso and Mango flavors are probably the best they carry and their wide variety of toppings really makes the yogurt  even more worth it.  Aside from the typical variety of fruits, nuts, cookies, etc they also have a lot of liquid toppings like corn flakes dipped in nutella as well as crushed, warm Ferrero Rocher chocolate.  This place has the most variety and best toppings from any other place I’ve been too, including Red Mango and the other location for you to jersey has an excellent environment as well as a huge number of toppings.

Wicked Twist, located in Old Bridge, NJ is located in a small shopping center similar to Yo Mon and has a good variety of frozen yogurt treats, similar to Yo Mon with less quality in the yogurt.   They also have  a small location and sitting places both inside and out.  The local crowd keeps this place busy as well.  Their topping selection was average and therefore similar to the toppings offered by Red Mango, with a smaller fruit selection.  

Twist, located in Princeton and Fruity Yogurt, located in New Brunswick, NJ are definitely well placed in ideal locations to tap the huge number of students in their respective areas.  Sadly, they don’t taste as good as Yo Mon or Wicked Twist.  Twist does have smoothies and frappes that you can order.  Red Mango, though, also has a wide variety of smoothies, shakes, juices, and teas that you can order from the counter. 

Yogurt Land, is located in Hamilton and Denville, NJ.  This place has a larger variety of delicious, unique flavors than other yogurt chains in Central NJ including Devil’s Food and Red Velvet Cupcake Batter.  I had a chance to go there recently and was very impressed with their selection and quality.  Their topping selection, however, is not as good as Yo Mon.  It is a chain that recently opened and seems to be doing very well.  I think it is better than Yo Mon in terms of quality and sitting room, and therefore I would recommend going here if you are in the Central Jersey area and want high quality yogurt but willing to compromise on the toppings.

Overall I would consider going to Red Mango if in the mood for a fruity flavor like Pomegranite from POM, White Peach, Mango, Blueberry or any other flavor while visiting an area in which it is located.  If I am in the Philly area of parts of New York where Phileo Yogurt is located I would go visit them as well.  However, if in Central NJ I would go with Yogurt Land or Yo Mon followed by Wicked Twist.  But if I am in the more busy cities like New Brunswick or Princeton I would rather have ice cream or some other sweet ending rather than the frozen yogurt places open there.

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Red Mango

Phileo Yogurt

Yo Mon

Fruity Yogurt

Twist

Yogurt Land

Wafels & Dinges (Manhattan/Brooklyn)

Rating: 

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

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Positive: Authentic Belgian Liege Waffles with a wide variety of tasty toppings at a great price.

Negative: Must check their website before going as they move to different locations throughout the day.  The environment can change depending on the crowd, location, and how easy it is for you to eat standing up.

Overall: Scrumptious and authentic Belgian waffles from a street vendor that you must try.

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Looking for dessert on the go?  try the waffle truck

Please note:  This is a waffle truck so please check the website (listed below) to see where the truck is located on the day and time you are planning on going.

Bottom line….After eating these waffles I cannot eat a waffle anywhere else.  In fact I actually have a greater appreciation for waffles now, and can probably eat at this truck any time of the day.  The delicious waffles offered by the truck have high quality taste whereas most waffles I’ve eaten taste like cardboard which I swallow using lots of maple syrup.  Now I finally know what good Belgian waffles are really supposed to taste like.

I have only eaten the Liege waffle as the other waffles contain some type of animal fat in them. The dinges (toppings) that I recommend are the Belgian chocolate fudge, walnuts, and the spekuloos spread (their own special spread which looks like peanut butter but tastes like traditional Belgian gingerbread-cinnamon cookies). This combination tastes just too good.  There are other dinges that they offer too, like fruits, nutella, maple syrup, etc. and you can get it with ice cream as well.

If you’ve already eaten dinner before this, I recommend splitting it with another person because it can be quite filling.  Since it is a truck the environment is so-so depending on where you are, how crowded it is, and how carefully you eat while standing up.  Overall its a great place to visit and try when you are in the area.

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Wafels & Dinges Website

Call the wafel hotline to find locations

866-429-7329