Eating halal on a budget in Baltimore usually means one of two things: a plate of something fried, or a long drive. Neither is much of a plan on a Tuesday. This is a straight breakdown of what different amounts of money actually get you at our Moravia Road kitchen, written mostly for students at Morgan State and for anyone in Belair-Edison, Frankford or Hamilton who wants a hot meal that is not a compromise. No upselling. Just what the numbers do.
Under $10
Chicken Hibachi, $9.85. This is the whole point of the price list. A hot protein plate with your choice of any two sides, which means fried rice and vegetables, or lo mein noodles if you want something heavier. It is a full meal, not a snack, and it is the single most ordered item at this price point.
Tofu Hibachi, $9.85. Same structure, vegetarian.
California Roll, $7.85. Six or eight pieces depending on the cut. On its own it is a light lunch. Paired with a side it becomes a meal.
Buffalo or Boneless Wings, 5 pieces, $7.99. Fourteen flavors. Better as a side than a dinner. Chicken Tenders, 3 pieces, $7.99, also come in all fourteen flavors, which surprises people.
Under ten dollars, the hibachi plate is the best value on the menu by a wide margin. Nothing else gives you a protein, a starch and a vegetable for the same money.
Between $10 and $15
This is where the menu gets interesting.
Chicken and Beef Combo, $11.85. Two proteins instead of one for two dollars more than a single. On a strict value-per-dollar basis this is the best order on the entire menu.
Beef Hibachi, $10.85 or Shrimp Hibachi, $10.85. One dollar over the chicken for a different protein. Salmon Hibachi, $11.85 is flagged as the best seller across the brand, and salmon at under twelve dollars is not common anywhere.
Chicken Bento, $12.85. Hibachi, vegetables, rice or noodles, a four-piece California Roll, two dumplings and two spring rolls. Five things in one box. At $12.85 it holds more separate items than anything else at that price, and because it is a closed box it travels and holds heat better than an open plate. If you are eating at a desk or in a dorm forty minutes later, order the bento.
Between $15 and $20
Chicken, Beef and Shrimp Combo, $14.85. Three proteins. This is a plate one hungry person can finish or two people can split. Chicken, Beef and Shrimp Bento, $15.85 is the largest single item on the menu, and Buffalo Wings, 10 pieces, $14.99 are a meal for one or a shared side for two.
Above fifteen dollars the smarter move is usually two cheaper items rather than one expensive one. Two Chicken Hibachi plates at $9.85 feed two people for $19.70. One $15.85 bento feeds one.
How to stretch a plate
Add-ons are cheaper than upgrades. Extra chicken is $2.95 and extra salmon, beef or shrimp is $3.95. Adding extra chicken to a $9.85 plate costs less than moving up to a combo and gives you more of the protein you actually wanted.
Sides on their own are $2.95 to $4.95. Fried rice, vegetables and lo mein are $4.95 each and white rice is $2.95. Two people can share one combo plus one extra side and eat properly for under seventeen dollars. And Yum Yum sauce is $0.50. It is fifty cents and it changes the plate. Order it.
Timing, if you are on a budget and a schedule
Everything here is cooked when the order comes in rather than held warm. That is the reason the food is good and also the reason a walk-in at 6:30 on a Friday will wait. If you are between classes or on a break, order online before you leave and collect. It turns a fifteen-minute stop into a two-minute one, and it costs nothing.
Visit us
Hot halal plates from $9.85 on Moravia Road. Flame Japanese Hibachi Baltimore, 5230 Moravia Rd, Suite B, Baltimore, MD 21206. 410-858-4910.
