Charcoal Avenue is satisfactory with average flavor, and the only interesting part of the restaurant is the atmosphere and fact that it serves halal meat.
Off Coit Road, Charcoal Avenue’s doors open up to a combination of styles, with brick wallpaper, chipped black paint and an ostentatious orange wall with the restaurant name printed in big black blocky letters. Posters and magazines are plastered on the walls. Wooden tables and metal chairs complete the setup as customers make their way to the counter.
Since its opening on Sept. 2, Charcoal Avenue, a Middle Eastern restaurant, has amassed 4.9 out of 5 stars on Facebook for their food and service — with good reason. The restaurant’s management jumped on the Subway-style service where customers can choose what kind of meat they want and the way they want it served. Customers can decide from five different meat options, all of which are halal, and can be served three ways: sandwich, salad bowl or rice bowl.
Each meal is priced reasonably at $5.99, and UTD students will receive a 10 percent discount. However, the main issue is not price, but waiting time. Though the food is prepared fresh for hungry customers, the delay can seem infinite. Ranging from five to 15 minutes when the restaurant is empty, it’s hard to understand the delay. When the food finally arrived, unfortunately it was lukewarm. While sandwiches aren’t supposed to be scorching, the chicken should at least be warm.
In spite of the temperature, the sandwich had the fresh taste of chicken and the slow but powerful kick of the spicy red sauce. The bread was soft, complementing the chicken quite well. However, as someone who adores heaps of seasoning, the chicken lacks in flavor. Not to say the chicken was not palatable, but it seemed that most of the flavor came from the red sauce and not the chicken itself.
Overall, Charcoal Avenue’s food was adequate and satisfied my hunger. The atmosphere and staff were pleasant and the food was decent. Consider giving this restaurant a try, but the wait might be problematic.
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