Chicago’s Top Spots for Creative Halal Street Eats

Halal or Zabiha meat can be eaten all over Chicago, but the spots that usually come to mind are the foods of Muslim-majority countries.

Middle Eastern, North African, West African, and South Asian food is usually the first that comes to mind when it comes to halal or zabiha cuisine as it is typically enjoyed in Muslim-majority countries. The truth is Chicagoans can find items all over the area, especially on famed Devon Avenue and suburbs like Bridgeview that have everything from Yemeni to Palestinian food, all halal.

An uptick in vegetarian and vegan options are also accommodating to Muslims who keep halal. But increasingly, halal pepperoni, steak, and wings are available to Chicagoland Muslims as higher-end meat-producers, like Creekstone Farms and Demkota Ranch Beef, are becoming halal-certified. Often, a restaurant won’t advertise that its steak or chicken is halal and it’s up to the consumer to know what questions to ask about meat sourcing. These higher-end beef options are also making their way into chains, like Epic Burger and Dog Haus. It’s also about a growing number of Muslim restauranteurs knowing the Muslim and greater Chicago markets and introducing halal meat to their burger and taco joints. Below, find the most unexpected halal food Chicago has to offer, from the city’s classic thin-crust pizza with pepperoni to the gyro, as well as high-end steaks.

As of August 20, the city has mandated that everyone wear facial coverings while indoors. For updated information on coronavirus cases, please visit the city of Chicago’s COVID-19 dashboard. Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; the latest data about the delta variant indicates that it may pose a low-to-moderate risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial transmission. The latest CDC guidance is here; find a COVID-19 vaccination site here.

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