"Located inside a BP gas station in Bushwick, this bright blue takeout window is run by the people behind Sami’s Kebab House and Little Flower, and like those places, it’s 100% halal. You’ll find kebabs on Blue Hour’s glowing picture menu, as well as a riff on Little Flower’s smashburger and more late-night classics, like a fried chicken sandwich and chopped cheese. It's all pretty great, but the main reason to come here at 2am on a Friday night is their Cwunch Wap Supweme. A lot of places have tried to recreate the revolutionary handheld food, but Blue Hour’s beefy version succeeds. It's compact, contained, and the tostada inside doesn’t get soggy, even after a 20-minute walk. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte The quality of ingredients is a step up from your usual comfort food options, and most things are $10 or less. Blue Hour is open until 10pm on weekdays and 3am on Fridays and Saturdays, with plans to expand their late-night hours in the future. Food Rundown photo credit: Kate Previte Cwunch Wap Supweme Nailed it. (But also, petition to add a nacho cheese option.) photo credit: Kate Previte “Dragon Boy” Hot Chicken Sandwich If you’ve had Little Flower’s excellent fried chicken sandwich, this one is very similar, but instead of gochujang sauce, it has a vinegar-based sauce with a blend of three chilies. The chicken is super tender and suspiciously crispy given just how much sauce clings to the exterior. There are also some tart pickles, slaw, and creamy mayo, all smashed inside of a pillow-soft bun. photo credit: Kate Previte Chicken Tendies The seasoning mix on these tenders is unreal. Plus, they’re huge, but the breading is rice-paper light, so they won’t paralyze you afterwards. photo credit: Kate Previte Smashburger If you like a saucy smash burger, this one’s for you. Most “special sauce” is a variation on Thousand Island, but this one has the spirit of a harissa sauce, with hints of cumin. It’s still a secret though—the only thing they’d reveal was that it takes six hours to make. photo credit: Kate Previte N.Y. Chicken Over Rice From a place with ties to Sami’s Afghan-style kebabs, we expected a bit more out of this and other meaty dishes. The chicken and rice are both well-seasoned, but not as satisfyingly greasy as the stuff from the cart. It’s also a small portion, and needs about 10 times the amount of sauce—we don’t want to see the rice underneath. photo credit: Kate Previte Fries and Tots The fries and tots have some kind of mushroom powder on them. We’re not into it, and they get soggy super quickly. photo credit: Kate Previte Maracuya Lemonade So much better than the Tropicana in the gas station fridge. It's worth the $7, we promise." - Neha Talreja
