I have gone to this store more than 10+ times now to buy meat (always chicken). The first time I got a whole chicken cut, I washed it at home and it turned out great. The second time, I don't know why I decided to get the chicken which had the BBQ spices on it. I was so excited to make it because it meant I didn't have to clean for another hour. Holy molly it was horrible. My husband washed the chicken AGAIN (after it had been cooked) and re-made it. In other words the stuff which is pre-marinated is not good. It's generally older chicken they are trying to sell. However I don't think there is anything wrong on that but at least the meat should be properly washed prior to being seasoned.
Moving on, the next few times I got the chicken everything was good, so check mark there. The second to last time, I got chicken, it had been frozen. I could tell when I was washing it. It was frozen solid on the inside.
My problem was actually the last time I went. My husband and I like the Midamar frozen chicken patties. Olive Tree just happens to carry these. They are between $7 for a pack of 6 so they are on the pricier side but overall really good and easy to make. They hadn't gotten these in stock for a few days so one of the managers told me he could make me fresh chicken patties in the back for about the same price. I need to mention that I only wanted comparable chicken patties because DUH that's why I went there. It should also be noted that this is CARY, there are like 10 other grocery stores nearby who happen to carry frozen halal food. We are not in a state of crisis for chicken patties. So if this store couldn't produce similar chicken patties, I honestly would not have cared.
Anyway moving on, I wasn't shown what these patties looked like and was told I needed to buy at least two pounds. So finally at the end when I saw the patties they just look like squished pieces of chicken with spices and there were 4 patties total for a whopping $12.48. Are you freaking kidding me? Why on earth would I or anyone pay $3.12 for an uncooked kebab patty which they will have to go home and make for themselves and spend an hour preparing? Let's put this in perspective, the delicious already made koobadeh kebab at Flame Kebab is $4. If I wanted to pay so much for food, I would just get take-out at: Jasmin, Flame Kebab, Kababish, Bosphorous, Greek Fiesta, mashaAllah the list goes on and on.
I am so embarrassed to say that I actually walked out of the store without paying. May Allah forgive me as I have never done that in my entire life but I just could not convince my brain to pay so much for an uncooked patty which didn't look anything like what I wanted. The manager did try to convince me that they are really good kebabs...which I am sure they are, but one should be fair with their pricing. To be honest, if this item was as good as advertised, I am sure people would be lined up to get the patties so that they could take them home and spend 40 minutes making them, followed by 20 mins of cleaning their kitchen. Just saying.
I would only go to this store because it is one mile distance from my house. As mentioned earlier the meat was good on some days and on other days, not so much. There are several other halal meat stores in the area which I would recommend over this. I am truly sad about writing this review because I thought I had found my go to Halal place!