Rafiqi’s Tries To Intimidate New Mexican Cart From 49th Street
I stopped by the new, second location, of the El Rey del Sabor cart yesterday (on 49th btw. Lex+3rd) and discovered a few little tidbits. First, for those of you wondering what happened to the teriyaki/udon cart that popped up in that same spot a month ago… the new Mexican cart is the ramen cart. The El Rey del Sabor people bought the udon cart (and the spot, in theory) and converted it into a second branch of their popular Mexican food cart (the first one is on 60th and 3rd). The teriyaki guys gave no reason for wanting to sell their cart after only a month and a half, but the El Rey del Sabor people suspect it might be because they were intimidated by the street meat vendors in the area.
The same intimidation El Rey del Sabor has been feeling since setting up shop two days ago on that corner.
The lady who used to assist at the cart on 60th and 3rd is running the show on 49th & 3rd right now, touting her 25 years of experience working in a Bronx shish kebab cart as necessary to successfully navigate through the murky waters of Midtown. She says the threats have already started from the neighboring street meat vendors, most notably from the Rafiqi’s cart on 50th and 3rd. But unlike the two Chinese guys who ran the udon cart, she’s not afraid- and plans to soldier on. Having two big Mexican dudes in your cart who “aren’t afraid of nobody” probably helps. She said there was no violence yet, but according to a Midtown Lunch commenter, the cook at the original El Rey del Sabor cart on 60th and 3rd was telling a much different story yesterday:
I went to the 60th street cart today. The reason they weren’t there yesterday is that they got in a big rumble with the halal guy near the new cart they are opening (49th and 3rd). The guy threw their food around and generally tried to intimidate them so they wouldn’t open near him. Luckily our friends stood their ground and threatened to kick the guy’s ass.
These cart fights are nothing new, but usually involve a new vendor trying to sell the same food as a nearby stand. For example, The Treats Truck was threatened by a Mister Softee truck when she first opened. (Both desserts I guess?) Usually they’ll let it slide if the food is completely different (as was the case with the Carribean Spice cart on 46th btw. 5+6th) but I guess that isn’t the case here. What bothers them the most is that the Rafiqi’s cart isn’t even on the same block!
According to the El Rey del Sabor lady, the Rafiqi’s crew threatened to set up a cart right next to her if she decides to stay. Her response: “Go ahead and do it. And then we’ll see who has the best food. I am not afraid.”
Posted: 10:15 am, April 9th, 2009 under Cart, El Rey Del Sabor, Street Vendor Issues.
48 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
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48 Comments
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Zach! I love japanese teriyaki. When I lived in Jersey City I literally ate Sarku everyday! When you wrote that entry about the japanese cart I was excited but in the entry you said it was between 5th and 6th ave. Now you say it was on 3rd!?!? You fool! Oh well, I love the new mexican cart. I’m gonna head over to Rafiquis and give them a piece of my mouth for threatening an old mexican lady. Midtown lunch boycott on Rafiquis effective immediately!
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Man why must the two chinese guys be so easily intimidated…
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This is some bullshit they need to head over to modells and get a few baseball bats.
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Rafiqi’s is garbage anyway! I haven’t had El Rey yet (will try to go today) but I’m almost positive they won’t lose to Raf’s. They’re a waste of money. XPL is much better in flavor and if I really craved a good chicken/lamb platter, I’d head off to 53rd and 6th’s daytime cart.
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Yea, I had Rafiqi once and it was terrible… EPIC FAIL
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Boycott Rafikis
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Lets have a meet-up at Rafiqi’s and threaten to f them up…i can’t think of anything scarier than 50+ midtown lunch’ers surrounding a food cart. regardless, it would make for some great pics.
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Rafiqi’s is dead to me
Not that they were ever alive
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@ wined & dined
We should all wear Mexican Wrestler masks
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I hope they set up next to the cart. If that happens, send out the call – I’ll happily wait on line at El Rey del Sabor and taunt the assholes at Rafiqui’s. The boycott is on!!!
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The assertion that “two Chinese guys” were intimidated is speculation.
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Midtown Luncher, I think you are obsessed with El Rey. Every article on your front page blog is about El Rey! I finally ate there the other day, 2 soft shell steak tacos, and was not impressed. But I don’t judge on first impressions so I will try something else there. i find that soft shell tacos are just not as good as they are in Mexico. The fish tacos at Bar Americain rocks though.
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Actually stopped by the rafiki cart, the other day and they were taking too long so I walked away. Once I started walking away, the operators then noticed me, and started yelling at me to come back. don’t think Ill be visiting them anytime soon and will stick with the Halal and healthy cart. On a side not off to visit JD from the pizza truck, and get me their new midtown lunch special sandwich.
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Boycott ALL Rafiqi’s? The one on 6th Ave @19th St is my local go-to cart. Maybe they’re only guilty by association? Interestingly, they are located right outside of Sports Authority, which does have baseball bats a-plenty.
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“Kyster: “soft shell tacos are just not as good as they are in Mexico.”
Uh Yeeeeaaah (said in that Valley Girl voice).
Dude, you’re in Midtown!?! This aint no Cabo Wabo.
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I dunno, the Rafiqi’s guys at the 5th ave cart near 14th street are always super nice to me and other customers.
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I had a similar experience when my law firm moved into a new building in midtown that already housed a number of law firms. I ditto the sentiment here, nobody wins when dealing with a bully. I suggest a viewing of 3 o’clock for the teriyaki guys.
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“But unlike the two Chinese guys who ran the udon cart, she’s not afraid- and plans to soldier on.
Yeah Zach you should really reconsider rewriting this part as it’s based entirely off of speculation and makes it sound like you’re turning it into a racial thing. Especially when the next line is this.
“Having two big Mexican dudes in your cart who “aren’t afraid of nobody” probably helps.”
Stereotype much?
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@12:07–’racial’? Untwist your panties and get a friggin’ life. The first cart served Udon and had CHINESE guys running it. The new cart serves Mexican food and has MEXICAN guys helping out. That’s simple factual reporting, not ‘racial baiting.’ Get a life. And please go back to being a lurker.
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The Rafiqi’s on 31st and Broadway is outstanding and the guys are real nice. I tried the 2nd place winner of the street meat challenge and felt that my local Rafiqi’s was much better.
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*lower lip wibbles* Ditto to Mark and Stevenp: do we have to boycott all Rafiqi’s? When i’m down to $4 and skipped lunch, my guys on Broadway and 8th take care of me (extra white sauce, no tomato, kthx). I guess the street meat guys are a bit mellower below 23rd St.
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i’ve been to the cart on 60th street many times. i highly recommend the enchiladas — three (i always get chicken) tacos with rice and beans on the side — with green salsa and mole on top (they’ll do half and half if you ask). the food is always fresh — he wakes up at 5am every day to start cooking for the day.
i believe that the woman who used to be at the 60th street cart is the sister of the guy who runs the cart. they love hearing about this site so tell them that you read about them here.
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@ Mamacita: I would also like to add a Liz Lemon-style ‘”ah-DOOY” to your response to Kyster.
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I went to this corner today and couldn’t find the new El Rey cart. Saw Rafiqi’s but no El Rey. Which side is it on?
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Back when I walked that way, I used to see the guys from the Rafiqi cart on Park and 52nd every morning muscling out the people running their breakfast cart on the corner.
While the breakfast cart was helping customers, the Rafiqi guys would be turning the screw on the breakfast cart to lower the wheel for rolling it away. This was around 8am – long before they needed to be set up for lunch. Rafiqi might have been using the spot before this cart, but we’re talking two different timeslots.
Also, I’ve said before that something isn’t right with their food. The two times that I ate there, my wife told me that I stunk for 3 days. I’ll never try it a 3rd time. Much better carts all around that area…
Hope El Rey stands their ground.
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I just went earlier on the line to get my beef (can’t really think of it as steak) quesadilla ($6) and munched down a fresh chicken empanada while I waited. They forgot my chicken taco though (ended up giving it to the guy in front of me who only wanted a bean burrito. LOL). I think the highlight was the hand-made empanada. The quesadilla was soggy when I brought it back to my desk (I’m like 2 1/2 blocks away). It was average overall and nice of them to include salsa and guacamole on it.
I’ll definitely go back to try the tacos and possibly more empanadas. I think the quesadilla might have been better with chicken…or dare I say it, Chorizo! I should ask them to make that next time. :-P
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Anonymous has got it right, and stevenp doesn’t get it at all. stevenp, get a life.
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As a Chinese dude, I didn’t see anything racial about it. Those Rafiqi guys should just be glad that the Chinese guys they slighted weren’t of the crazy variety that we been seeing a lot lately in the news.
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I’m in on the boycott.
This act of aggression will not stand.
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@Sarah & @Mamacita: Help me find the best soft-shelled tacos in NYC! with some mexican slaw and lime juice drizzle on top!
@Brian: gettin’ me some enchilada lotsa!!
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Rafiqi’s is on my shit list. I will not patronize thugs. Zach, be sure let us know if there is more intimidation by the Rafiqi gangsters who seem to be all over Manhattan these days
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@factsarelate: C’mon give me a break… he reported the FACTS… two chinese men running a udon cart… and the woman stating she was staying… and him pointing out they had TWO BIG MEXICAN DUDES… which they do from what I noticed… If anyone wants to be offended by that at all, then perhaps at the implication that two men were scared of the rafiqi guys… its you and anonymous who are stirring the pot by implying that zach thinks chinese people are afraid of halal guys… Way to try turning nothing into something…
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Dasnny has a clue; “factsarelate” (whatever *that* is supposed to mean) is a brainwashed PC lemming. Get a clue, FAL.
ZACH: any chsnce of putting up a mobile-friendly wersion of ML? This site layout sucks on mobile devices.
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Sorry for the typos, and thx Lou for being a voice of reason!
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Steven quit hitting the sauce with out me!!! Happy Thirsty Thursday! ;-)
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The U.N. is only a few short blocks away, maybe we can call them in to mediate a lasting peace
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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the ‘mexican dudes’ didn’t really seem that big
but I would have probably gotten my food sooner if I spoke spanish!!
ps midtownlunch doesn’t work too well on mobile devices, agreed
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Kyster, Redhook, and sometimes at events at The Yard in Gowanus. This awesome family will make you tasty tacos there.
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Mama: sorry. The mango margaritas are history now. I have a serious idea for a ML HH report (no, really): Dallas bbq. They have huge goblet drinks, a massive order of wings (hot or honey) for $12 that feeds 3-4, onion loaves, etc. When shall we go?
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I’ve been a pretty steady customer of one of the Rafiqi carts in the past and I’ve had my issues with them but I usually go back because it’s a one minute walk to them versus a ten minute to 15 minute walk to Kwik Cart, famous Halal cart but hearing about this is the last straw.
So long Rafiqi and I’m not sorry to say good bye!
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Anybody know if the El Rey cart on 49th today?
Hoping to receive some intelligence before making the six avenue trek (which is still shorter than the 60th street journey, for me). An avenue block for a fat guy is like 5 miles to the lay man.
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@chip- they told me they would be there today… But I’m not guaranteeing anything
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Hey Chip Beef,
I was just there. I got the enchilades. They were delicious. I recommend eating them.
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Julian,
Lou?
LOL
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The Chinese guys sold the business because they were not making any money. They were going to sell the cart to the XPL guys. They just wanted to get out of the business.
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Was downtown earlier this week, (26th and 7th?, can’t remember), the Rafiqi’s cart discounted the price of their chicken and rice platter to four bucks, maybe they’re worried about the bad publicity from this Midtown Lunch .
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Zach, what about rafiqi’s story. How about some of us ask the rafiqi guys what really happened. “Everyone is a hero of his/her own life”.
I’m normally a fan of street meat, but that is just ridiculous. Like Zach mentioned, it is a) not the same food, and b) not even on the same block. El Rey should file suit or call the cops or something.
More reason to choose the new Kwik cart (on 45th/3rd) or XPL (48th/3rd) for your chicken/lamb over rice needs! Heck, walk over to 50th and Park instead for the tastier (but no-name) cart.
There should be a ML-led boycott of Rafiqi’s (lead the charge, Zach!).