LAST UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 2026 | ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED APRIL 2010
2026 STATUS: UNVERIFIED
We haven’t been able to verify that the King Tut Halal Food cart still operates at the southwest corner of 50th St and 6th Ave in 2026. This 2010 review is kept for the record. Google reviews from 2024 and 2025 still name a King Tut cart at 134 W 50th, opposite Radio City, but we have not confirmed it is the same stand.
Verified falafel nearby: Moshe’s Falafel truck on W 46th St between 5th and 6th Ave, about four blocks south, frying kosher falafel to order at weekday lunch since 1981.
KEY TAKEAWAY
In 2010, the King Tut halal cart at 50th St and 6th Ave sold a $4 falafel sandwich made from large pre-formed falafel ovals warmed on the griddle with a lemony sauce. It was filling and economical but not memorable, rating 7.5 out of 10. Its 2026 status is unverified; for fried-to-order falafel in Midtown, Moshe’s truck on W 46th St is four blocks south.
OUR EXPERIENCE (2010 VISIT)
There is often a line at the King Tut cart on the SW corner of 50th St & 6th Ave, although it was not so nice out today, and there was no line. According to the vendor, they have been there since 1995 (15 years) and have 2 carts downtown, too. The King Tut Halal Food cart has a fairly standard street vendor menu, and I was not in the mood for street meat, so Today’s Lunch was a falafel sandwich.
They put 2 large ovals of falafel on the grill, cut them in half so it was like 4 normal-sized pieces of falafel, and squirted some liquid on the falafel while it heated up. The falafel was then put on a pita and I chose lettuce, tahini, white sauce and hot sauce. I could have added tomato, green pepper or raw onion, too.
Heading back to my office, I was worried about sauce overkill, as yesterday’s chicken on pita was a little too liquidy, but this was much neater as I unwrapped it. The first bite had some falafel, lettuce and some heat, and the falafel had an undercurrent of lemon. The sauce squirted on the falafel while it heated up obviously had lemon juice in it along with other seasonings. A pleasant addition.
The falafel was fairly well seasoned, and had some cornmeal in it as well as chickpeas. What can I say about this falafel? It was good, but it was not particularly memorable.
Today’s Lunch gets a 7.5 out of 10. The falafel was decent but not exceptional in any way. I liked the slight lemon flavoring, but the hot sauce was only hot on the first bite, and it needed all 3 sauces to keep from being dry. Nevertheless, for $4, it was a filling, economical lunch.
I haven’t tried their meat yet, but it looked like the standard chopped chicken and gyro meat on the grill that is served at most of the halal carts. Unless someone tells me their meats are amazing, I don’t plan on trying them in the near future.
What People Actually Said About the Corner
The 2010 falafel note is still the only detailed write-up of that sandwich. Later reviews of a King Tut cart at 134 W 50th, beside the plaza opposite Radio City, are about the meat. In December 2024, Timur M ordered the chicken kebab, the chicken over rice, and the lamb gyro and called the vendor funny. In September 2025, Sommaya H wrote that Ibrahim’s chicken-and-lamb combo came on saffron rice, that he claims 200 plates a day, and that the lunch line at W 50th made that claim believable. A 2025 review said a loaded combo ran $12 and fed two, with some left for later. It is not all praise. In September 2022, Vazir Fatehi threw out a gyro that came with broccoli and squash and called it the worst in the city. Ask the price before you order. One reviewer said a four-piece chicken skewer came to $12 only after it was already in hand.
Why Does Griddle-Warmed Falafel Taste Different From Fried-to-Order?
Falafel fried to order has a crackling crust and a steamy, moist center; falafel that’s pre-made and rewarmed on a flat griddle loses that crust and dries out, which is why it needs extra sauce. This review shows the pattern exactly: large pre-formed ovals, halved and heated on the grill, needing all three sauces to stay moist.
At most halal carts, falafel is a side item next to the chicken and gyro meat. At falafel specialists, it’s the whole business, fried in hot oil the moment you order. Our field guide explains why the fryer matters more than the price when choosing falafel.
If your falafel needs three sauces to taste moist, it wasn’t fried for you.
Where Can You Get Better Falafel Near 50th St and 6th Ave?
The closest verified falafel specialist is Moshe’s Falafel truck on W 46th St between 5th and 6th Ave, about four blocks south, which has fried kosher, vegan falafel to order at weekday lunch since 1981. Moshe’s second truck is at 1411 Broadway at W 39th St.
Michael Stern, writing for Roadfood, put Moshe’s at the southeast corner of 46th and 6th and called most other Midtown cart falafel dessicated. His order was four balls in folded flatbread with tahini, lettuce, tomato, and pickle, crunchy outside and moist in the center. The line at noon can run for yards. On r/AskNYC in March 2022, the top answer to a Midtown falafel question was shorter: “moshe’s falafel on 46th is slammin, but it’s a food truck,” at 6th Avenue. A Tripadvisor reviewer who had been eating there since the 1980s, crosscountryhonda, said the only change was a fat french fry or two in the sandwich, and planned to ask for those left out. Another, rjfmkt, missed it for years because the truck is not there on weekends, then got lucky on a weekday and found it crispy and soft.
The cart still has that crowd. On July 1, 2026, @jsadinolfi posted that Moshe’s is usually at 46th and 6th and called it one of the best in the city, about $11.50. Two weeks earlier, @maryb1130 wrote that it had been a lunch go-to across 17 years of working in New York, that a West Side store had opened, and that the cart was still the original. The New York Jewish Week reported the Upper West Side restaurant in August 2024.
If you’re on 6th Avenue for chicken over rice instead, our NYC Halal Cart Guide maps the best carts on the corridor. For every verified falafel vendor in the city, see the NYC Falafel & Shawarma Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions About the King Tut Cart
Is the King Tut halal cart still at 50th St and 6th Ave?
NewYorkStreetFood.com could not verify that the King Tut Halal Food cart still operates at the southwest corner of 50th Street and 6th Avenue in 2026. Moshe’s Falafel truck on W 46th Street is the closest verified falafel vendor.
Where can I get falafel in Midtown Manhattan?
Moshe’s Falafel serves kosher falafel fried to order from trucks on W 46th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues and at 1411 Broadway at W 39th Street. The Broadway truck is open Monday to Thursday 11am to 5pm and Friday until 2:45pm.
