“I’ll get chicken over rice with white sauce please.” It’s the phrase that rolls off every New Yorker’s tongue without a second thought. We all know the inviting aroma that follows us down the sidewalk from those carts. But with identical food carts on every block near Fordham, how do you know which one to choose?

We determined the best chicken over rice closest to Fordham by creating a list of categories to judge each meal: quality of service, quantity of food, spiciness of hot sauce and the quality of  the rice, chicken, white sauce and extras. We ranked each cart on a scale of one to four (with one being the worst and four being the best) and averaged the seven categories for a final score  We scouted the four closest halal carts to Fordham along Ninth Avenue located on 58th, 60th, 62nd and 66th Streets.

66th Street – 1.6 / 4

This cart was a polarizing one. The rice and toppings were one of the best, but the compliments end there. It was by far the longest wait, with a hot sauce and white sauce that added nothing to the experience. While the chicken was tender, there was something sweet in the seasoning which did not mesh well with the rest of the meal. Combining that with the low scores in quantity, the 66th Street cart rounded up last place in this crawl.

62nd Street – 1.9 / 4

Moving downtown, the cart on 62nd street was next. This cart did not rank number one in a single category. However, its service was second best as we only waited a few minutes to get our food. It had everything that you would want: flavorful chicken, good rice, fresh salad and delicious sauces, but there was nothing special. That being said, it ranked second to last out of the four carts with its only score booster being its efficiency of service.

60th Street – 3.1 / 4

Continuing on our adventure, the next cart was the one directly outside on the Lowenstein building, on 60th street and 9th avenue. This cart — a fan favorite for its proximity — actually ranked second out of the four. The spiciness of the hot sauce and the quality flavor of the white rice and chicken led to high points for this location. As loved and as convenient as this cart is, they did unfortunately lose points for the amount of time they took and for their lack of toppings.

58th Street – 3.4 / 4

Our final stop was Halal Kingdom — and frankly, after eating this chicken over rice, you will never want to reside in another kingdom again. They were by far the most generous with their toppings. There were fries and falafel put on top for no extra cost. While the rice lacked flavor, the service was quick and the food was plentiful. The hot sauce was one of the best, with white sauce the same. The chicken was juicy, moist, flavorful and cooked perfectly. We should all bow down to the kings at Halal Kingdom.