I came to Arlington for a business trip from Atlanta. I've been to the Ballston Food Court several times since I visit frequently. First time at Hal & Als and I ordered the brisket sandwich. the cashier who I assume is the owner was telling me about who he learned to make ribs from down in Atlanta. he was so hospitable too. he asked me to let him know what I thought. I completely forgot. everything was great. halal BBQ is a little different but it blew me away. I'll def revisit when I'm in Arlington again.
T Ras
Unfortunately by the time I got there the ribs and combo were sold out so I could only get a brisket sandwich. But it was good and they were very friendly. Will come earlier next time also the Mac and cheese was really good too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Azhar Iqbal
I recently took my family, including two kids, and my wife to this place, and we spent a total of $160. The Dino rib, which costs $40, was a huge disappointment. They have no idea what authentic American ribs should taste like—definitely not worth the price.
We also tried the Gobbler sandwich, and it was hands down the worst sandwich I’ve ever had. To make matters worse, they don’t even provide disposable glasses, which is pretty basic for any food establishment.
The prices here are ridiculously high for what you get. The location is tucked away in a noisy food court, which wasn’t ideal, and parking was a hassle.
Overall, I’d strongly recommend taking your family somewhere else. This place is not worth the visit.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Dino Rib, Mac Bowl, The Gobbler, Brisket Chili
Anthony D'Rozario
My family & I really enjoyed eating BBQ brisket at Hal & Al's tonight. The meat, well-marbled and glistening, boasted a dense texture that required a determined first bite, before yielding to reveal a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. Each mouthful was a rich tapestry of smoky notes, perfectly balanced by the sweet kiss of barbecue sauce. The fat, a crucial component of good brisket, rendered beautifully, adding juicy bursts of flavor to the leaner cuts. The meat was cooked to perfection, retaining its moisture while achieving a remarkable level of tenderness. The smoke infusion was spot-on, adding depth and complexity to the flavor without overpowering the natural taste of the beef. My wife & I also had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Mohsin (one of the owner of Hal & Al's) who shared his dedication for fresh spices when prepping the meat that are imported from Australia and Kansas to serve their customers. We missed the BBQ ribs due to it's high demand. We will certainly follow the advice of ordering ribs one a day in advance before our next visit. We highly recommend Hal & Al's bbq on a night out or cater to host a large crowd.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
amo 01
The food was quality umair service was also exquisite
Parking: N/a
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brisket Sandwich
L G
Wasn't a great dining experience. I would not recommend. Brisket tasted like gas. Customer service was stale.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
M D
Excellent food and great customer service! Thank you guys! And congratulations for moving to a bigger location inside the Ballston Quarter! If you’re a fan of BBQ and smoked meats! This is the place to go! They make great Mac and Cheese and other dishes! And the best of them all the ginormous Dino Rib?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brisket Sandwich, Cornbread, Dino Rib, Mac Bowl, Pot Roast
Lauren Tucker
Very nice employees. Ketchup is Heinz but they make their own bbq sauce and it is quite sweet. Hot sauce and maple syrup is also available. The dino bone (boneless) weighs .762 lbs. (~ 345 G ~12.2 Oz) For $38 this was not worth it. However it was pull apart tender and perfectly cooked. The tallow fries are just refried and prepackaged but I appreciate them avoiding seed oils. The beef brisket sandwich is greasy. Corn bread is mid.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dino Rib
fatima laurent
I had the brisket sandwich! The food was delicious!! It took less than 10 minutes for my food to come out and the people working there were really nice! 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brisket Sandwich
Stephen Chih
Where do I begin? I have to admit, I saw this on social media and was intrigued enough to give it a try. I get there at 7pm on a Saturday night and there is a decent line at the register and another waiting for the food. I should've gotten the hint from that. After waiting over 50 minutes, and still seeing faces of people that ordered ahead of me, I asked for a refund and the manager was kind enough to oblige and just so happened that my food was "ready", still missing the dessert I ordered. That being said, the food (tri tip sandwich) was meh. Ingredients that any Sysco, Aramark, processed food company provides. The sausage was a hot dog, and the jalapeño cornbread was a cold Costco-esque pre-purchased cellophane wrapped sheet. I know, because I saw them prepping food trays on top of exposed sheet cornbread, because they lacked counter space for more than one person prepping food. And I don't think employees should be slopping food from under the counters. Welp, gotta check my CC statement to see if I actually got a refund now.
I’ll start by just saying I really wanted this place to be good and that I really wanted to leave a good review. Unfortunately, I’m being generous here with 3 stars.
For context, I’ll preface this by saying I was there for their grand reopening. From the moment I ordered to when I received my food, it was 50 minutes. The wait was far from worth it, but to make matters worse, the restaurant was actively accepting mobile orders from various platforms on their reopening night - a baffling business decision if you understand the extras fees the restaurant incurs by doing that. Why would any business owner even have these apps enabled and accepting orders when they have literally hundreds of people in front of them ready to give them their money with substantially lower transaction fees? To compound the issue, those in person customers then have drastically longer wait times. Glad there was all the cute social media stuff going on, but this business should be focused on the food - this was poorly planned and executed even worse. Oh, and the “free smoked chai” all night long? Yeah, didn’t even make an appearance in the 2 hours I was there. The owner kept saying “more coming out soon,” but it never arrived. More on the owner later.
As for the food, we ordered the ‘Dino’ rib, the Tri tip sandwich, a side of brisket, Mac and cheese, and the smores dessert. The total came to nearly $90, which felt a bit excessive for the quality. The Dino rib was cooked well, but lacked any real seasoning. You had to drown it in some type of sauce for flavor, but there were limited options for that as well. The brisket was oily and also lacked flavor. The trip tip sandwich was probably the best among the options, but was served basically cold. All of the meats shared a lack of much smoke flavor as well, unfortunately.
The s’mores deserve their own special shoutout for being particularly dreadful. Their menu described one thing and delivered another - the marshmallows weren’t even toasted enough for the chocolate to melt and the drizzle they were supposed to have was no where to be found.
I attempted to get the owner’s attention, who seemed busy greeting folks and engaging in lengthy conversations with who I assume to be personal friends of his. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as important as I was just a customer who waited an hour in line and another hour for my food and wanted to show my support for their reopening.
Take your money elsewhere. Truly good BBQ options are limited in the DC metro area, but there’s a lot better than this.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Mike Henry
Way overpriced for what you get. “Sausage” side is just a cut up hot dog. Cornbread had no flavor. Brisket sandwich was ok.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Ahnaf Shahriar
I understand your ribs are huge but please add some rice, salad with may be. The rib was only okay, better to flavor it with bbq sauce and honey. I think it’s expensive for its price.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Dave DelaCruz
Food highly exceeded expectations. Service was great. Ordered the dino rib and mac n cheese.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dino Rib, Mac Bowl
Cliff Wheeler
Wow! Hidden away in the Balston Quarter Mall food court, this isn't your average barbecue joint. It's a halal establishment so no pork, but the rib (advertised as a "dino" rib) is fantastic, as is the brisket chili. Both the chili and the jalapeño cornbread impressed this southern raised guy, with just the right amount of heat but not overpowering for you plain eaters. I can't wait to ho back and try the Cajun turkey sausage chili dog!
I came to Arlington for a business trip from Atlanta. I've been to the Ballston Food Court several times since I visit frequently. First time at Hal & Als and I ordered the brisket sandwich. the cashier who I assume is the owner was telling me about who he learned to make ribs from down in Atlanta. he was so hospitable too. he asked me to let him know what I thought. I completely forgot. everything was great. halal BBQ is a little different but it blew me away. I'll def revisit when I'm in Arlington again.
Unfortunately by the time I got there the ribs and combo were sold out so I could only get a brisket sandwich. But it was good and they were very friendly. Will come earlier next time also the Mac and cheese was really good too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I recently took my family, including two kids, and my wife to this place, and we spent a total of $160. The Dino rib, which costs $40, was a huge disappointment. They have no idea what authentic American ribs should taste like—definitely not worth the price.
We also tried the Gobbler sandwich, and it was hands down the worst sandwich I’ve ever had. To make matters worse, they don’t even provide disposable glasses, which is pretty basic for any food establishment.
The prices here are ridiculously high for what you get. The location is tucked away in a noisy food court, which wasn’t ideal, and parking was a hassle.
Overall, I’d strongly recommend taking your family somewhere else. This place is not worth the visit.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Dino Rib, Mac Bowl, The Gobbler, Brisket Chili
My family & I really enjoyed eating BBQ brisket at Hal & Al's tonight. The meat, well-marbled and glistening, boasted a dense texture that required a determined first bite, before yielding to reveal a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. Each mouthful was a rich tapestry of smoky notes, perfectly balanced by the sweet kiss of barbecue sauce. The fat, a crucial component of good brisket, rendered beautifully, adding juicy bursts of flavor to the leaner cuts. The meat was cooked to perfection, retaining its moisture while achieving a remarkable level of tenderness. The smoke infusion was spot-on, adding depth and complexity to the flavor without overpowering the natural taste of the beef. My wife & I also had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Mohsin (one of the owner of Hal & Al's) who shared his dedication for fresh spices when prepping the meat that are imported from Australia and Kansas to serve their customers. We missed the BBQ ribs due to it's high demand. We will certainly follow the advice of ordering ribs one a day in advance before our next visit. We highly recommend Hal & Al's bbq on a night out or cater to host a large crowd.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was quality umair service was also exquisite
Parking: N/a
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brisket Sandwich
Wasn't a great dining experience. I would not recommend. Brisket tasted like gas. Customer service was stale.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Excellent food and great customer service! Thank you guys! And congratulations for moving to a bigger location inside the Ballston Quarter! If you’re a fan of BBQ and smoked meats! This is the place to go! They make great Mac and Cheese and other dishes! And the best of them all the ginormous Dino Rib?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brisket Sandwich, Cornbread, Dino Rib, Mac Bowl, Pot Roast
Very nice employees.
Ketchup is Heinz but they make their own bbq sauce and it is quite sweet. Hot sauce and maple syrup is also available.
The dino bone (boneless) weighs .762 lbs. (~ 345 G ~12.2 Oz) For $38 this was not worth it. However it was pull apart tender and perfectly cooked. The tallow fries are just refried and prepackaged but I appreciate them avoiding seed oils.
The beef brisket sandwich is greasy.
Corn bread is mid.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dino Rib
I had the brisket sandwich! The food was delicious!! It took less than 10 minutes for my food to come out and the people working there were really nice! 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brisket Sandwich
Where do I begin? I have to admit, I saw this on social media and was intrigued enough to give it a try. I get there at 7pm on a Saturday night and there is a decent line at the register and another waiting for the food. I should've gotten the hint from that. After waiting over 50 minutes, and still seeing faces of people that ordered ahead of me, I asked for a refund and the manager was kind enough to oblige and just so happened that my food was "ready", still missing the dessert I ordered.
That being said, the food (tri tip sandwich) was meh. Ingredients that any Sysco, Aramark, processed food company provides. The sausage was a hot dog, and the jalapeño cornbread was a cold Costco-esque pre-purchased cellophane wrapped sheet. I know, because I saw them prepping food trays on top of exposed sheet cornbread, because they lacked counter space for more than one person prepping food. And I don't think employees should be slopping food from under the counters. Welp, gotta check my CC statement to see if I actually got a refund now.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
I’ll start by just saying I really wanted this place to be good and that I really wanted to leave a good review. Unfortunately, I’m being generous here with 3 stars.
For context, I’ll preface this by saying I was there for their grand reopening. From the moment I ordered to when I received my food, it was 50 minutes. The wait was far from worth it, but to make matters worse, the restaurant was actively accepting mobile orders from various platforms on their reopening night - a baffling business decision if you understand the extras fees the restaurant incurs by doing that. Why would any business owner even have these apps enabled and accepting orders when they have literally hundreds of people in front of them ready to give them their money with substantially lower transaction fees? To compound the issue, those in person customers then have drastically longer wait times. Glad there was all the cute social media stuff going on, but this business should be focused on the food - this was poorly planned and executed even worse. Oh, and the “free smoked chai” all night long? Yeah, didn’t even make an appearance in the 2 hours I was there. The owner kept saying “more coming out soon,” but it never arrived. More on the owner later.
As for the food, we ordered the ‘Dino’ rib, the Tri tip sandwich, a side of brisket, Mac and cheese, and the smores dessert. The total came to nearly $90, which felt a bit excessive for the quality. The Dino rib was cooked well, but lacked any real seasoning. You had to drown it in some type of sauce for flavor, but there were limited options for that as well. The brisket was oily and also lacked flavor. The trip tip sandwich was probably the best among the options, but was served basically cold. All of the meats shared a lack of much smoke flavor as well, unfortunately.
The s’mores deserve their own special shoutout for being particularly dreadful. Their menu described one thing and delivered another - the marshmallows weren’t even toasted enough for the chocolate to melt and the drizzle they were supposed to have was no where to be found.
I attempted to get the owner’s attention, who seemed busy greeting folks and engaging in lengthy conversations with who I assume to be personal friends of his. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as important as I was just a customer who waited an hour in line and another hour for my food and wanted to show my support for their reopening.
Take your money elsewhere. Truly good BBQ options are limited in the DC metro area, but there’s a lot better than this.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Way overpriced for what you get. “Sausage” side is just a cut up hot dog. Cornbread had no flavor. Brisket sandwich was ok.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
I understand your ribs are huge but please add some rice, salad with may be. The rib was only okay, better to flavor it with bbq sauce and honey. I think it’s expensive for its price.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Food highly exceeded expectations. Service was great. Ordered the dino rib and mac n cheese.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dino Rib, Mac Bowl
Wow! Hidden away in the Balston Quarter Mall food court, this isn't your average barbecue joint. It's a halal establishment so no pork, but the rib (advertised as a "dino" rib) is fantastic, as is the brisket chili. Both the chili and the jalapeño cornbread impressed this southern raised guy, with just the right amount of heat but not overpowering for you plain eaters. I can't wait to ho back and try the Cajun turkey sausage chili dog!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
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