The Best London Restaurants With Halal Options

Eating halal means that you can pretty much find yourself turning vegetarian when you’re eating out. Most restaurants offer some excellent options for non-meat eaters, but it doesn’t mean that watching someone else eat a burger while you’re eating another halloumi wrap hurts any less. Which is why we’ve made a list of some of the best London restaurants with halal options. From Lebanese bakeries to a Philly cheesesteak-specialising dive bar, you’ll be sure to find some top-quality halal food at any of these restaurants.

THE SPOTS

Halal status: Chicken, beef, and duck

Meals at Cantonese restaurants in London usually involve a strong focus on the seafood dishes, a lot of “does this have pork in it?”, and very, very rarely some halal duck. But not only does this cosy spot on Upper Street serve halal roast duck, whole soy chicken, and fried shredded crispy beef, it doesn’t serve any pork. That’s right, no playing dish detective, or keeping a menu to hand in case you need to double check if there’s a surprise meat in there. At Hong Kong Restaurant you can order with confidence. It helps that the dim sum is excellent, and the dan dan noodles come in an earthy peanut sauce that we’d happily lick from the bowl. Come in a group and work your way through the lengthy dim sum menu (which, by the way, is served through until dinner). 

Halal status: Everything

There aren’t many halal Sunday roasts in London, but of the ones we’ve tried, the jerked beef number at Guanabana, a Caribbean restaurant on Kentish Town Road, is the best. It’s a hefty plate of food, with the right ratio of rich jerk gravy to everything else. The perfect bite includes a little bit of everything: spicy, tender jerked beef (obviously), the edge of a crispy roast potato, a caramelised baby carrot, a piece of sweet plantain, and an unevenly cut corner of a beautifully deformed yorkshire pudding that’s soaked in gravy. Get a side of mac and cheese to make a near-perfect plate of food even better. It’s a laid-back spot that’s good for small groups, where you can see the chef chaotically put out plate after plate of roasts and, during the week, other Caribbean-inspired dishes like a peppery jerk chicken alfredo.

Halal status: Chicken

Like finding a tenner in some long lost jeans, coming to Bibi feels like making the ultimate discovery. Hidden in plain sight on a corner just seconds away from the chaos of Oxford Street, this Indian spot is small but significant. There’s a menu of incredibly designed dishes, from melt-in-your-mouth orkney scallop in a tangy lemonade dressing, to tender grilled chicken in a cashew and yoghurt whey sauce that you’ll want to lick off the plate. We could also gush about the counter seating, or the fun gola mocktails, but the reason you should come here—and the reason you’ll definitely return—is for the sensational food.

Halal status: Everything

Sometimes you want to go to a steak restaurant without calling 48 hours ahead and asking if they can pretty please get some halal meat for you. The answer to those impromptu rib-eye cravings is Zelman’s. On the top floor of Harvey Nichols, this inviting, red booth-filled spot is serving some top-notch steaks, for some equally decent prices. A sharing platter situation with every cut of meat is around £40 a head. Get that along with chunky, triple-cooked fries, and the creamy lobster croquettes if you’re feeling fancy, and you’ll be very happy and very well-fed by the end of the night.

Halal status: Chicken

This small family-owned Korean restaurant on New Malden High Street has plenty of seafood options, like an excellent calamari and spring onion pancake that we could genuinely eat every day. You’ll also be pleased to know that the chicken is halal here, which means you can load up on the addictive kan pung gi chicken, which comes in a smoky chilli sauce and is one of our favourite dishes here. The menu is lengthy, so bring a couple of friends and work your way through it, but make sure to book a table beforehand as this is a popular spot with limited seats. 

Halal status: Everything

Although it feels hidden, this small Malaysian spot tucked inside Queensway Market isn’t much of a secret. Because when you’re serving food as tasty as Normah is, word gets out. Everything, from the unbelievably crispy fried chicken wings and comforting prawn laksa, to the roti beef rendang is a cut above the rest. Come with a group so you can try a bit of everything, and then return alone so you won’t have to worry about splitting another flaky roti ever again.

Halal status: Everything

The smashburger is a special thing. Especially to those (erm, us) who have never been big fans of the ultra thick beef patty, it means finally having all the right ratios. And BUK’s special burger is not only halal, but it has some seriously outstanding ratios. A thin but substantial, flattened beef patty, a double portion of melted American cheese, plenty of that creamy, chilli house sauce oozing over the patty, and sweet caramelised onion to top it all off. This burger laughs in the face of the Big Mac. And we laugh in the face of anyone who hasn’t been to this laid-back Camden spot and tried it.

Halal status: Chicken

Tooting spot Daddy Bao—who is very much related to Master Bao and Mr Bao—is low-key serving some of the best fried chicken in London. Which means it may very well be serving some of the best halal fried chicken in London. You heard it here first. Now, picture the aforementioned fried chicken inside some pretty incredible buns, topped with wasabi mayo, kimchi, and sriracha, and you’ve got a great night ahead of you. But as great as the chicken bao is, the shiitake mushroom bao has our hearts.

Halal status: Everything

Hearty seafood platters, tender BBQ chicken thighs, and sweet Spanish-style rice are just some of the deliciously messy things you can find at this Balham favourite. Their menu has a ‘bucket’, which very much speaks our language and is a must-order. When we order one, we like the lobster tails, but you can choose between those and snow crab clusters. Make sure you also order bang bang prawns, spicy mac and cheese or Spanish rice, buttered corn and egg, and Oreo-topped waffles. Basically, you should arrive here hungry. Always get an extra portion of bang bang prawns because you’re definitely going to want them.

Halal status: Minced beef

You might not typically care about whether the meat at a pizza place is halal or not, because, after all, the most important part of the menu is the saucy marinara and gooey cheese part, right? But that’s not the case at this Detroit-style pizza restaurant in Spitalfields. Because as excellent as the classics are, you shouldn’t leave before trying the cheeseburger pizza. Ask for it without the bacon, and get a doughy, meaty, cheesy pizza that has all the best parts of a burger (yes, it is topped with pickles). That said, don't ignore their marinara-heavy Red Stripe or the margherita. Both are available by the slice.

Halal status: All meat is halal

This excellent Victoria bakery is churning out brilliant cheesy flatbreads, topped with all sorts of delicious bits that have officially made brunch hot again. There’s a menu of things like merguez and aioli, and burrata and burnt honey-topped flatbread, as well as great coffee and a comfortable neighbourhood-y energy. Chestnut Bakery has mastered the art of creating somewhere you’ll want to spend all your time. 

Halal status: Chicken

This tiny spot in Chinatown has some very tasty Taiwanese-style chicken which you can get fried to order. The menu is all grab and go, and you can choose between things like wings, popcorn chicken, and flattened chicken breast. The popcorn chicken, which is around a fiver for a big bag, is the one to order and everything can be seasoned to your preference. It’s the perfect on-the-go snack or for those times when you don’t want a whole meal.

Halal status: Chicken, lamb, and beef

This Indian restaurant has locations in Tower Bridge, Soho, and Spitalfields, and serves some interesting takes on Indian food. Example: rasam ke bomb, a lentil-filled crisp served with a tamarind-based soup in a shot glass. The Kashmiri lamb chops are a must-order, as is the aloo chaat. You can head to this spot for a fun dinner when you’re in the mood for Indian, but it can get busy so make sure to reserve a table beforehand.

Halal status: Chicken

It’s not often you find great bao in London. And even less often, great halal bao in London. But this spot in Covent Garden has some DIY bao with great fillings like a spicy, citrus miso-marinated spatchcock chicken, salmon teriyaki, and portobello mushrooms with wasabi mayo. The filling you should be coming here for, though, is the Japanese fried chicken. It’s marinated in buttermilk and it comes perfectly crispy, with red chilli and bbq mayonnaise which, because it’s DIY, you can apply generously. If you want something on the side, get the chips and dips, Korean fried wings, and the veggie hot stone rice.

Halal status: Everything

This cosy little restaurant in Islington is 100% halal. Yep, everything—from the sirloin steak to the glazed lamb rack and dry cocktails—is halal. But what you should come here for is their excellent weekend roast. It’s the only thing they serve on the weekends, and you get a choice between dry-aged sirloin beef, chicken breast, or slow-roast lamb shank. Although we’d happily eat them all, the beef is the star of the show. It comes with all the trimmings, gravy, and a sense of satisfaction that you can only get from finally eating a halal Sunday roast that you didn’t make.

Halal status: Chicken and lamb

Corridor-like space. A rotating tower of shawarma meat. Taftoon bread on demand. Are these the specs we listed on our Pimp My Ride application? Maybe. Are they more enjoyable inside this Soho restaurant? Definitely. Visit this Persian spot in Soho for mazeh, juicy kebabs, and a baklava ice cream sandwich.

Halal status: Chicken

Yes, we’ve made many mistakes in the past [please see: double denim], but putting Meatliquor, near Oxford Street, on this list isn’t one of them. The chicken at this loud and proud American diner is very much halal. Which means you can get their excellent monkey fingers—battered chicken strips in house-made buffalo sauce—plus their dirty chicken cheeseburger, and most of their starters and sides, which are vegetarian. Don’t leave without trying the hippie fries.

Halal status: Chicken and lamb

We’re pretty sure that if you break Brigadiers down into ingredients, it goes something like this: three parts excellent food, two parts Thierry Henry oil portraits, and 20 parts unfiltered fun. We’re talking a pool room, card games, and live sport on demand. And if that isn’t enough to get you to this Indian restaurant in the City, then let us introduce you to the best lamb chops in London. Uh-huh, we said it.

Halal status: Ask for the halal menu

This old-school Italian spot in Kensington has been around for decades, and not only does it have some pretty decent vegetarian options, but it also has a separate halal menu which you can get by asking a server. Come here for big portions of feelgood pasta and great pizzas, at a decent price.

Halal status: All meat is halal

There are plenty of restaurants serving great Turkish food around N4, but this is the only one we know of that also serves Uyghur specialities. Whether you settle into one of their warm, cosy booths for a solo bowl of fat, slippery legmen noodles, or you get the large plate chicken to share with a few friends, you’ll soon see that this low-key spot has all the makings of a place you’ll want to visit regularly. Also, take our word for it: you’re definitely going to want to order a little extra to take home for tomorrow.

Halal status: Chicken and lamb

What if I’ve made the wrong choice? Why did the server’s left eye twitch when I ordered that? Did I lock the front door when I left? Yes, food envy can have you questioning everything. But you can relax, because we haven’t met a dish at this King's Cross Sri Lankan restaurant that we didn’t like. Everything is excellent, from the dosas to the lamb shank buriani, to the biggest prawns you will probably ever lay eyes on. Plus, the food is designed for groups, which means your food envy can take a day off.

Halal status: Beef, chicken, and turkey

Like flower walls and 19-year-olds on yachts, a Philly cheesesteak is something we’re mostly used to seeing on Instagram. Enter Passyunk Avenue, a Philadelphia-inspired spot and dive bar in Fitzrovia that you can experience in real life. The cheesesteak is made with shredded rib-eye steak and your choice of cheese, in Italian hoagie bread. It’s moreish in all the right ways, and once you try it, you will be back. They also have some pretty good buffalo wings if you’re in the mood for chicken.

Halal status: All meat is halal

In case you don’t already know, Gökyüzü is a Turkish restaurant in Harringay that lives in our hearts rent-free. We’d go for the manti, the chicken wings, the cop shish, and the beyti. Yeah we know it’s a big order, but it’s the kind of food you happily take away and eat the next day. Or as soon as you get home. They have other branches in Finchley, Walthamstow, and Chingford.

Halal status: All meat is halal

As far as we’re concerned, burger options are always welcome, and this diner in Uxbridge has one of the best halal burgers in London. It’s meat-heavy, and the layers of cheese, red iron burger sauce, crispy onions, and jalapeños make it an all-rounder. And to top it all off, it comes with thick-cut chips.

Halal status: All meat is halal

There’s quite a lot of choice when it comes to Persian restaurants in London, with a large proportion of them being halal. But Sadaf is one of our favourites. This airy spot just off High Street Kensington serves some great lamb chops, addictive naan bread, and some of the juiciest koobideh around. The hefty portions mean you almost always end up getting some to take away, which is always a plus.