26 halal spots across United States, editor-picked. All United States guides.
Himalaya Restaurant ★ 4.7 · Houston
6652 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77074
Himalaya in Houston is Kaiser Lashkari's Pakistani-and-Indian fully-halal kitchen on the Southwest Freeway since 2004, with lamb biryani, hunter's beef and chai-glazed lamb chops.
Tip: Lunch buffet weekdays is the value. BYOB; the corner liquor store across Hillcroft is the run.
The Helmand ★ 4.5 · Boston
cambridge · 143 1st Street, Cambridge, MA 02142
The Helmand in East Cambridge serves an Afghan halal kitchen near Cambridgeside Galleria in Boston since 1989. Halal-certified meat in all dishes; kaddo and aushak the headline plates.
Ghareeb Nawaz ★ 4.5 · Chicago
2032 W Devon Ave, Chicago, IL 60659
Ghareeb Nawaz in Chicago is the West Ridge Pakistani halal kitchen on Devon, with a $7 special, daily-changing biryanis and one of the cheapest meals in the city.
Tip: Cash only. The chicken biryani special is $7 and feeds two. Open until 02:00, the only Devon plate at that hour.
The Halal Guys ★ 4.5 · New York City
midtown · W 53rd Street and 6th Avenue New York, NY 10019
The Halal Guys cart at 53rd and 6th has served halal chicken and rice in Midtown New York City since 1990. The yellow rice, white sauce and chilli set the cart template.
Kabob Palace ★ 4.5 · Washington DC
2315 S Eads St, Arlington, VA 22202
Kabob Palace just outside Washington DC is the Crystal City Eads Street 24-hour Afghan halal kabob counter, the metro area's most-known late-night halal lamb and chicken kabob shop.
Tip: Open 24 hours; the cab-drivers' rate is the standard rate. The lamb kebab with rice and naan is $14 around the clock.
Jerusalem Restaurant ★ 4.4 · Denver
1890 E Evans Ave, Denver, CO 80210
Jerusalem Restaurant in Denver is the University-area Middle Eastern kitchen since 1979, with halal-certified meats, kebabs, shawarma and a late-night hookah lounge.
Tip: Open 24 hours on Friday and Saturday, the city's only round-the-clock halal kitchen. The combo plate samples six items.
London Sizzler ★ 4.4 · Houston
6690 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77074
London Sizzler in Houston is the British-Indian-Pakistani halal kitchen in the Hillcroft Olympic Center, with mixed-grill sizzlers, tandoori lamb chops and a late-night Hillcroft crowd.
Tip: Order the mixed-grill sizzler for two. Closed Mondays; Saturday opens at noon for lunch service.
Safari Restaurant ★ 4.4 · Minneapolis
cedar-riverside · 3010 4th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408
Safari Restaurant on 4th Avenue South has run a halal Somali kitchen in Minneapolis since 2003. Halal-certified meats; goat suqaar, lamb sambusas and Ramadan iftar nightly.
Afro Deli ★ 4.4 · Minneapolis
cedar-riverside · 1939 5th St S, Minneapolis, MN 55454
Abdirahman Kahin's Afro Deli on 5th Street South has run halal East African plates in Minneapolis since 2011. James Beard nominee; halal-certified sambusas and gyros.
Holy Land Bakery and Deli ★ 4.4 · Minneapolis
northeast · 2513 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418
Holy Land Bakery on Central Avenue NE has run halal Middle Eastern groceries and deli in Minneapolis since 1986. Halal meats, falafel counter and Lebanese baked sweets.
Shawarma Shack ★ 4.4 · Nashville
east-nashville · 2918 Gallatin Pike, Nashville, TN 37216
Shawarma Shack on Gallatin Pike in East Nashville runs halal chicken and lamb shawarma plates and wraps. Family-run since 2018; consistently among the city's best.
Tip: The chicken shawarma wrap with garlic sauce is the canonical order; combo plates feed two.
Lebanon's Cafe ★ 4.4 · New Orleans
1500 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118
Lebanon's Cafe in New Orleans is the Carrollton Avenue halal Lebanese restaurant near Tulane, with halal meat shawarma, hummus, falafel and a long-running campus and family crowd.
Tip: All meat is halal-certified per the kitchen; the lamb shawarma and the chicken kebab are the canonical orders.
Kabobeesh ★ 4.4 · Philadelphia
4201 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Kabobeesh in Philadelphia is the University City halal Pakistani-Indian counter on Chestnut, with charcoal-grilled kebabs, biryanis and curries served 11:00 to past midnight.
Shahrzad Persian Cuisine ★ 4.3 · Los Angeles
1422 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Shahrzad in Westwood, Los Angeles serves halal Persian kababs and saffron rice on Tehrangeles' main strip. Family-run since the 1980s, banquet seating in back.
Saba ★ 4.3 · New Orleans
5757 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115
Saba in New Orleans on Magazine Street is the most-halal-friendly modern Israeli room in the city, with a kitchen that runs no pork or shellfish and lamb-and-chicken proteins as standard.
Tip: The kitchen is no-pork and no-shellfish but check the meat sourcing details at the host stand for strictly halal certification.
Kabab King ★ 4.3 · New York City
jackson-heights · 7301 37th Rd, Queens, NY 11372
Kabab King on 37th Road in Jackson Heights Queens runs Pakistani halal cooking around the clock in New York City. Charcoal-grilled kababs, biryani, paya stew, 24-hour service.
Shalimar ★ 4.3 · San Francisco
532 Jones Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Shalimar in San Francisco is the Tenderloin's halal Pakistani counter, with a tandoor at the door turning out chicken tikka, seekh kebab and karahi lamb under fifteen dollars.
Tip: Cash and card; lunch service moves fast, dinner has a small back room with shorter wait.
Old Jerusalem ★ 4.3 · San Francisco
2966 Mission St, San Francisco
Old Jerusalem in San Francisco is the Mission halal Palestinian counter, with a strong chicken shawarma, a mezze platter and a knafeh that draws cross-town visits.
Tip: The knafeh sells out by 21:00 on Friday; arrive earlier or call ahead to hold a portion.
Shouk Union Market ★ 4.3 · Washington DC
1240 4th St NE, Washington, DC 20002
Shouk Union Market in Washington DC is the NoMa 4th Street plant-based Middle Eastern counter from Ran Nussbacher, with shouk burgers, mushroom shawarma and Israeli-style salads.
Tip: The shouk burger with chickpea-mushroom patty is the most-ordered single item; the harissa hummus is the under-ordered side.
Falafel King ★ 4.2 · Boston
beacon-hill · 260 Washington St, Boston, MA 02108
Falafel King on Washington Street has served halal Middle Eastern food in Boston's Downtown Crossing since 1998. Falafel, shawarma, kebab plates; halal meat sourced locally.
Darya ★ 4.2 · Los Angeles
12130 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Darya on Santa Monica Boulevard, West Los Angeles serves halal Persian dinners with live music on weekends. Saffron koobideh and tahdig are the orders, family banquet style.
Aladdin's Cafe ★ 4.2 · Portland
alberta-arts · 6310 NE 33rd Ave, Portland, OR 97211
Aladdin's Cafe in northeast Portland, family-run since 2006, serving halal Syrian and Mediterranean kebabs, shawarma and mezze plates at the NE 33rd Avenue counter.
Tip: Open Mon-Thu 11:00 to 20:00, Fri 11:00 to 21:00, weekends from 12:00. Counter ordering, table service.
Z Zoul Cafe ★ 4.2 · San Francisco
295 Eddy Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Z Zoul Cafe in San Francisco is the SoMa Sudanese halal counter, with a foul medames stew, ful ta'amia (Sudanese falafel) and a tea service that runs all day.
Tip: The breakfast foul plate is the right first order; the staff will explain the spice blend if you ask.
Kalamatas ★ 4.1 · Nashville
green-hills · 3764 Bedford Ave, Nashville, TN 37215
Kalamatas in Green Hills, Nashville runs Mediterranean fast-casual plates with halal lamb and chicken: gyros, falafel bowls and salads. Small Nashville chain since 2004.
Tip: Lamb gyro plate with the lemon-roasted potatoes is the move; vegetarian falafel platters are equally strong.
Halal Bros (West Campus) ★ 4.0 · Austin
2712 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78705
Halal Bros in Austin is the West Campus halal Middle Eastern counter on Guadalupe Street, the closest halal kitchen to UT for chicken shawarma and grilled-meat platters.
Tip: The line moves fast; the chicken-and-rice platter is the campus default. Open until 11pm daily.
Tarka Indian Kitchen ★ 4.0 · Austin
9700 Escarpment Blvd, Austin, TX 78749
Tarka Indian Kitchen in Austin is the South Austin halal Indian counter, with halal chicken and grass-fed halal lamb served in tikka, curry, biryani and tikka masala plates.
Tip: The lamb biryani is the room's strongest dish; the Westgate location has the largest dining room.