Top 15 Halal Food You Must Try in New York

When it comes to Halal Food you are spoiled for choice in New York City. All you have to do really is open your mind and be willing to try new things. The fact that you are even visiting the big apple is the first step. Why not explore more?! 

Have you tried Mafe Ganar- chicken stewed served with vegetable and a flavorful peanut butter sauce poured on top? or Umka puff pies- flaky pies filled with succulent beef or chicken, pumpkin, herbs, and spinach? These are the kind of cuisines I’ll introduce you to in this article.  And you know what? The best part is that every restaurant on this list is Halal!

Seasoned Vegan 

 

Address: 55 St Nicholas Ave, New York, NY 10026  

Hours: Tuesday – Thursday:  5 pm – 10 pm;  Friday: 5 pm – 2 am; Sunday: 11 am – 9 pm

Price: $

Generally, when you think of soul food, greasy fried chicken or oily and cheesy pasta comes to mind, but not at this Harlem soul food spot! Just a 5 minutes walk from the  Malcolm X Mosque in Harlem is a thriving healthy soul food restaurant. This vegan soul food spot was founded by Mother and Son, Brenda and Aaron Beener. They strongly believe in wellness and health. At Season Vegan you can find dishes that will surprise you like their vegan chicken nuggets which tastes like chicken or their BBQ “riblets” which sounds meaty but both are a 100%  plant-based. Another highlight at Season Vegan is the juice bar where squeezed fresh fruit juice is served.

Joloff 

Address: 1617, 1168 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11216  

Hours: Monday – Sunday  1 pm  – 10:30 pm

Price: $

This has got to be my favorite Senegalese spot in NYC! Walking into Joloff will immediately make you feel at home. The cozy color theme, carefully placed African aesthetics, and cute African dolls add a special touch to this restaurant. The food is tasty and Joloff offers a wide variety of Senegalese dishes. My favorite dish at Joloff is the Yassa Yapp, this is marinated grilled lamb chops smothered in lemon and onion sauce served with fried plantains,  and I include a special ginger drink (You’ll have to ask Aisha the waiter for Kareemah’s special drink to find out). Other meals to try is their Dibbi, Yassa Ganar, and Mafe Ganar.

BK Jani 

Address: 276 Knickerbocker Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237 

Hours: Tuesday – Friday 5 pm – 10 pm; Saturday – Sunday: 12 pm – 10 pm

Price: $

If you want juicy, succulent, and well-seasoned burgers, BK Jani is the place to be! It is located on Knickerbocker avenue and Albee square west, both in Brooklyn. Former Pakistani American photographer, Sibte Hassan is the founder of BK Jani. Customer’s favorite is their lamb chops and beef burgers with green chutney. BK Jani is for the meat lovers out there! Their menu is mostly about meat.

Halal Food Trucks

When talking about Halal Food truck, Halal guys come to mind, however, there are two Halal food trucks you have to try before leaving New York. They both serve quality and tasty meals for unbeatable prices.

•     Farids Grill                                                                                                                                                                                               Address:  25-15 Steinway St, Astoria, NY 11103                                                                                                                           Hours: Monday – Sunday  5 pm  – 3 am                                                                                                                                   Price: $ 

Located in Astoria, Queens is a blue truck, Farid’s grill or Farid Kebab as it’s called today. Go to this food truck if you are craving tasty grilled chicken or lamb. Farid el-Baghdadi, the Egyptian food truck owner makes all his food orders fresh. You can tell that he really cares.  Customers love their half chicken grill, kofta, lamb chops, and their hot sandwiches. Side note– There tends to be a long wait (a sign in New York that the food is good), so, call in advance to order. The food here is so good that Comedian and Storyteller, Aman Ali makes it his duty to stop by before heading to the La Guardia airport.

•     Biryani Cart                                                                                                                                                                                          Address: 112-100 W 46th St, 6th Ave, New York, NY 10036                                                                                                    Hours: 24 hours                                                                                                                                                                              Price: $

The Biryani Cart at 47th and 6th avenue in Midtown Manhattan has one of the best Biryani in New York hands down! Kati rolls are the go-to food of choice.

 

Rasa (Malaysian)

Address: 25 W 8th St, New York, NY 10011

Hours: Monday – Friday 11:30 am – 10:30 pm; Saturday – Sunday: 12 pm – 10:30 pm

Price: $$

Rasa is a Malaysian restaurant located 5 minutes away from the Islamic Center of NYU. The owners Tommy Lai and Camie Lai grew up in a small Malaysian town called Rasa, hence the restaurant name. Here you’ll enjoy delicious, colorful and innovative meals like the Nasi Kerabu, Chicken Satay, Nasi Goreng, and the iconic Nasi Lemak Tower. If you are craving something unique stop by Rasa.

Creek Stone Farm Restaurants

Many people don’t know this but there is a beef process company located in Kansas that supplies Halal meat to restaurants across the U.S. This company is called Creekstone Farm. They are known to provide high-quality premium meat and slaughter animals in healthy conditions. Two of the recommended restaurants that serve meat from Creekstone farm are listed below. 

• Minetta Tavern
  • Address:  113 Macdougal St, New York, NY 10012
  • Hours: Monday & Tuesday: 9 am – 1 am; Wednesday – Sunday: 12 pm – 3 pm, 5:30 pm – 12 am
  • Price: $$$
• Quality Meat Steak House
  • Address: 57 W 58th St, New York, NY 10019 
  • Hours: Monday – Friday 11:30 am – 10:30 pm; Saturday – Sunday: 5 pm – 11:30 pm
  • Price: $$$$

For more restaurants serving Halal meat in the U.S., check out this post by the Muslim Eater. Also, call these restaurants in advance to ensure that they serve you Halal meat. 

Farida Central Asian Cuisine & Grill 

 

Address: 498 9th Ave, New York, NY 10018  

Hours: Monday – Friday: 11 am – 11:30 pm

Price: $

This is a central Asian restaurant that offers dishes from the Uzbek, Russian and other Central Asian regions. I would love to write about this restaurant but a video speaks a thousand words. The founders of Farida Central Asian Cuisine and Grill did a great job here telling you what they offer. Enjoy the video below.

Kashkar CafeAddress: 1141 Brighton Beach Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235 Hours: Monday – Friday 10 am – 10 pm; Saturday – Sunday: 5 pm – 11:45 pm

Price: $Located in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York is Kashkar Cafe. Although its name has “cafe” in it, don’t be mistaken, it is more of a restaurant that serves heavy meat-based food. Kashkar Cafe is another Central Asian restaurant with some East Asian fusion. Here you can find Uyghur and Uzbek dishes like Polo, Laghman (stretched out noodles), Samsa, Manti, and Uyghur bread.  I highly recommend their Polo and Bolog Manti. One thing I can say here is that the price is right for the ration of food served.Yemen Cafe

Address: 176 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201  

Hours: Monday – Friday: 10 am – 11:30 pm

Price: $$

Yemen cafe is the perfect spot to share deliciously authentic Yemeni meals with a group of friends. They serve scrumptious heartwarming soups, with large naan. Their soups are so fresh that you can still see it boiling from the ceramic bowl served. Some customer’s favorite at Yemen Cafe are the: Lamb Haneeth, Kibdah, Fatah, Lamb Fahsa, and Chicken Agda. Oh, did I mention that they serve unlimited tea at Yemen Cafe? You should definitely stop by!

Soul spot

Address: 302 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Hours: Monday – Friday 11 am – 12 am; Saturday – Sunday: 11 am – 11 pm

Price: $

Soul spot is a highly recommended soul food restaurant by many New York locals. The staff is welcoming and the food is great. At soul spot, you can find fresh and hot dishes like collard greens, *delicious* macaroni and cheese, fried catfish, and many more.

Carifesta

Address: 12615 Liberty Ave, Jamaica, NY 11419

Hours: Monday – Friday: 11 am – 10 pm

Price: $

Run by a Guyanese family, Carifesta is a Carribean restaurant located in Jamaica, Queens, New York, and the Bronx, New York. Carifesta offers well-seasoned Jerk chicken over fried rice, jerk chicken over pasta and many more. What is great about Carifesta is that you get filled up with just $10.

 

I hope you find this list useful and most of all I hope you enjoy the food at these restaurants. Share your experiences at these spots in the comment down below. This post was made in collaboration with Aman Ali, a friend, a comedian, a fellow Ohioan, and a food enthusiast.