Maybe I’m late, but the cart I used to hit near Union Square has been off its game since the new crew started working the window. The chicken’s fine, but the lamb comes out chopped too fine and the salad is just wet lettuce now.

Where in the Village/Chelsea are you going for a late plate that’s still under fifteen with tax? I’m usually out around 1–2 a.m. and don’t want to walk to 53rd just to stand behind six NYU kids ordering ten sauces one by one.

WestVillage_W, you’re not crazy — a lot of those Village carts trade on the crowd, not the cooking.

If you can make it up to 53rd and 6th, the one outside the bank has been better than most lately. But honestly the move is just add extra red.

In Jackson Heights I don’t have this problem: the 74th/Roosevelt carts actually season the salad. Late night though? I’d tell you to just take the F from 14th to 74th if you’re already gone enough.

WestVillage_W, the late night halal cart situation in the Village has been inconsistent for a few years, mostly because the after-midnight foot traffic is more about volume than regulars. A few things I use before deciding to wait:

• Watch the rice line. If the rice in the front of the pan is crusting or the container is more than half empty, the plate will usually be better than if they just opened a fresh batch.
• Ask for lamb only if you can see them slicing from a piece with visible fat. If it’s pre-chopped trays next to the chicken, it’ll be dry.
• Say extra white sauce after they put the first line, not when ordering. You’ll get more without being charged, and they seem to remember the order.

My actual rec near you is the cart on the northwest corner of 8th Ave around 14th, mostly on weekends after 2:30 when the bars let out. There’s a line, but the line is your friend: high turnover means fresher rice and meat. In Astoria, the good carts pack up too early for that hour. If you’re willing to go south, the cart outside the subway at Canal/Church sometimes has crispy rice, but that’s a different ride.

Caveat: most of these carts buy from the same broadline suppliers, so the difference really comes down to turnover and whoever is working that shift.

astoria_arch, the white sauce after first line is real. Tried it last night at that 8th Ave corner spot around 2:40. Got a pretty decent plate. Guy gave me like two extra lines but the red sauce was hotter than I remembered. Not complaining.

JacksonHeightsJay, if I’m on the F at that hour I’m probably not going to Queens for cart food, but I’ll keep 74th in my back pocket for a daytime run.

Ha, fair. I wouldn’t leave the Village to sit on the F at 2 a.m. either — by the time you get off it’s breakfast.

But if you’re out here during the day, the cart on Roosevelt Ave just east of 74th by the sari place does a mixed plate that doesn’t taste like it’s been sitting under a heat lamp. Not saying it’s better than your spot, just that the lamb stays in bigger pieces.

Also, astoria_arch is right about the rice line; if you see them scrape the bottom, walk. That’s true from 14th St to Hillside.

WestVillage_W, glad it worked. The red sauce variance is exactly why I taste a tiny bit on a fork first — some carts use a red that’s basically pure capsicum, and some it’s just watery tomato with a little heat. JacksonHeightsJay, the Roosevelt/74th cart you’re talking about is one of the few Queens ones I’ll defend after midnight; it has enough foot traffic from the train that the food moves. The only thing I’d add is that “mixed” can hide old lamb, so I ask for meat on the side if the line is short.

In Manhattan, my cut-off for a halal plate is 2:45 unless I see them slicing a new piece. After that you’re paying bar-close prices for whatever has been sitting. I also keep a BEC as backup; a bodega with a griddle after last call can beat a tired cart.