A new food truck has arrived on Court Street, serving halal street food. The food truck Bobcat Bites, founded over the summer, offers Athens a diverse food option for those passing by.
Halal food refers to food items sold in compliance with Islamic dietary laws. Bobcat Bites offers halal street food dishes such as the South Green Chicken Gyro and East Green Lamb Gyro priced at $8.99. The food truck is not affiliated with Ohio University Culinary Services.
The menu also includes lamb and chicken rice bowls starting at $9.99 and the Rufus Chicken Biryani bowl at $14.99. Appetizers include samosas for $4.99, loaded fries for $9.99, and fries and masala fries for $4.49. Burgers and chicken sandwiches start at $8.99.
Bobcat Bites was previously located by the Sunoco gas station and is now located at 50 S. Court St. by Class Gateway. The food truck is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Muhammad Amin, manager of Bobcat Bites, helped start Bobcat Bites. He also manages other businesses in the area. Amin said the truck offers different kinds of halal foods and shared what foods are currently most popular.
“We have the lamb over rice, chicken over rice, lamb gyro, chicken gyro and we have the zinger burger,” Amin said. “Our traditional food is the biryani, kind of spicy. That’s our popular dish, food in our country. So many people over here from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh come over and buy the biryani.”
The food truck offers various traditional halal food, bringing more diverse food options to Athens. For those familiar with the traditional food, it can become a new taste of home.
Mustafa Tariq, a first-year grad student studying communication and development studies, said he is grateful for the food truck bringing more halal cuisine to Athens.
“There’s a huge Muslim community over here that doesn’t get halal fast food, so for them it’s a big deal,” Tariq said. “For the student body at large, I think that it’s one of those factors that is diversifying the food taste, so they have South Asian cuisines. The thing about South Asian cuisines are they get a plethora of spices in them, and there are layers upon layers of spices, and the process takes overnight. So that taste is something that everyone should experience.”
The different kinds of spices and flavors by Bobcat Bites provide students and locals with the opportunity to try a new type of cuisine. Tariq said this is important, especially for international students who are familiar with the food.
“I would say sometimes international students get homesick a lot because, one, our cooking really takes a while to cook your local dishes,” Tariq said. “So they offer you a taste of home.”
Bobcat Bites offers different varieties of food on top of multiple on-campus spots. Those walking by spot the food truck menu and smell the different entrees being made.
Reece Hartman, an undecided freshman, ordered an appetizer at Bobcat Bites after walking past the food truck. Hartman said he likes to see more variety in the food options on campus.
“I think it’s great,” Hartman said. “The more variety, the better. This serves food I don’t see at any other food truck or dining hall servings.”
