The Chicken Salad
From Curbside Gyro
At 16th and Spring Garden
Philadelphia
Nov. 27, 2025
The salad is just this: Romaine lettuce, chopped tomatoes, minced red onion, fresh cucumbers, feta cheese from the kind of random container your grandma might use, marinated chicken straight off the grill, all dressed in the gentlest voice asking what kind of sauce you want and how much of it you’d prefer.
That might sound like the standard salad plate you could grab from any of Philly’s over 60 halal stalls. But the fare at Curbside Gyro hits totally different, and that’s because of the man behind the counter — er, inside the cart.
When I asked Hacene (Huh-Sahn) why he immigrated to America instead of France, he simply stated: “Destiny.” Hacene Moussaoui, 31, is not the owner of Curbside Gyro, but he is its heart. On weekdays, there's always a long line shuffling and zig zagging along 16th and Spring Garden. You can see confused looks on commuters’ faces, puzzled as to why so many people would wait in line for one truck when there are at least six others on the block. The answer is simple; we are all here to see Hacene and to eat his food.
I visited Curbside Gyro this fall to unpack exactly why their salad — made from the same stock produce purchased by all if not most other halal carts in the city — is so unparalleled. I went looking for a secret recipe, but unearthed a secret weapon instead. (It’s Hacene.)
Hacene is from Algeria. He went to culinary school for two years in his home country. Then he put his skills to use cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for 1,400 people working in the oil rigs day in and day out for years. “You worked 30 days straight and then got 5 days off,” he recalled of that time. When I asked him what it’s like to man the grill during Philly’s summer heat, he told me: “Hell is in the oil rigs. This is nothing.” Hacene’s demeanor exudes the following sensibility: I have been through shit, but I know things will get better. Let me cook for you.
When anyone goes up to order, Hacene always immediately asks: “How’s your day?”
Hacene told me this is not a formulaic question, but one that opens up various conversations about the struggles his working class customers are facing. Hacene said he chats with customers about their lives not just because he cares, but because it’s the primary way he’s learned and continues to practice conversational English. While Hacene is listening, he’s also cooking. He is oiling the grill, pressing the chicken breast down, chopping it up, and simultaneously frying falafel to golden perfection. There is always a reciprocal relationship going on between Hacene and his customer. He cooks delicious food, and when you take a bite he smiles. That’s the most important exchange that takes place at Curbside Gyro.
When I interviewed Hacene, there were many first-timers surrounding him, no doubt attracted by the cosmic energy and mysterious sense of joy surrounding his cart. I shouted out to one new customer, “Get the fucking salad!” I didn’t mean to interrupt Hacene’s flow, but I could tell I helped the other guy out — afterall, he was ordering a meal for his girlfriend. There was a lot at stake.
I, as always, also got the chicken salad before leaving Curbside Gyro. At most halal carts, the options are meat with salad, pita and/or rice. Choosing salad might sound crazy — it’s normal to expect wilted greens from a sidewalk food stand. It remains a mystery as to why, but Hacene’s veggies are always robust, crisp and flavorful. It could be a placebo effect, a psychological shift that Hacene imparts upon us with his personality. But it comes down to this: Nobody asks you how much sauce you want on your platter anymore. And it’s rare that you get asked how your day is going. Carts have become, more than ever, about grabbing your food and going. Sure, at Curbside Gyro, my meal is made in under 10 minutes during rush hour. But I never feel rushed — rather, I’m reminded to take my time.
Waiting in line becomes a meditation. And if you wait around long enough, you notice a peculiar phenomenon: at the end of the day, all the halal cart employees within a one mile radius of Curbside Gyro leave their stands to make their way over to Hacene for dinner. There’s an underground consensus that Hacene, and his food, are the best there is.
The menu that Hacene has to work with is conventional, but he, himself, and the experience he curates, is exceptional.
