Yalla Habibi
3645 W. Michigan AvenueIs it just me or have all of my blog posts lately revolved around working?
Fall is just a busy time of year for me. I get to catch up on some of the bills we accrued all summer traveling for figure skating competitions.
Last Saturday night, I was working my second job. Not my freelance job. A different one that is part time and semi-regular during the winter months on weekends.
I got done with the job just before 10:00 and started towards home. I was hungry and thought about just hitting up a McDonalds or something quick.
However, there is a food truck that stays open late not too far from the college kids and WMU so I decided that might be the better option.
Yalla Habibi is a food truck but it’s parked somewhat permanently at the Marathon gas station on West Michigan Avenue near Jack Pine Way. I remember seeing some planning commission documents with the City of Kalamazoo a while ago for some hookups so even though it’s a food truck, they plan on staying in this spot. The truck is open late Friday and Saturday nights even though the gas station itself closes a little earlier. It’s also right next to The Library Kitchen & Taphouse and it was funny to see a bunch of the college kids in their Halloween costumes come out of The Library, order food at Yalla Habibi then go back in to The Library once they were done.
The truck is parked on the west side of the parking lot closest to The Library. There are a few spots to park behind it next to the gas station but those were all full so I just went to the other side of the property and walked back.
You can order ahead using Toasttab but you can also walk up and place an order which is what I did. They have some paper menus sitting on the counter and a whole team of guys working inside the truck putting it all together. Most orders are carry-out but like I mentioned, there were groups coming over from The Library for probably something cheaper to eat so there are a few tables set up outside in the parking lot to sit and eat. It was a nice night out so that wasn’t a bad idea.
As the name Yalla Habibi implies, a lot of the menu is Middle Eastern but there is also a burger section and that’s what I was there for. I picked the Jalapeno Smashburger which comes with seasoned fries. The cost was just over $16 and it took about ten minutes for my name to be called.
Even though it was a nice night, I chose not to sit with the Halloween clad college crowd and headed home to eat.
I started with the fries when I popped the box open. They were the battered kind of frozen fries I don’t love but these were actually pretty good. I got past the texture because whatever the seasoning is they used on them they laid on thick and it was really tasty. It was kind of like a Cajun seasoning so there was a bit of a kick but nothing super spicy.
The Jalapeno Burger is two smash patties with American cheese, fresh jalapenos, sauteed onions, and spicy Habibi Sauce on a brioche bun. I left the onions off, obviously. The Habibi Sauce was way better than I expected it to be and way spicier than I expected it to be. I thought at first it was the Jalapenos but I took a bite of just the sauce and nope, that sauce was spicy…in a good way. The sauce kind of dominated the flavor profile of the burger which I’m not usually a fan of but in this case, I really liked it. The smash patties had those nice crispy edges and the American cheese was just melted in to the layers. Obviously it’s not something that would be an option get at a Middle Eastern place but the only thing that would make this sandwich better would be a couple of strips of bacon. This was a really solid and really delicious smash burger.
I’ve always wondered why there aren’t more places like this around WMU. Yalla Habibi is a little further from campus but right in the heart of student housing along Michigan Avenue. Sometimes you just really need quick, delicious options later at night and that’s exactly what Yalla Habibi is.
