The holy month of Ramadan is mostly about restraint, reflection and fasting.
But at the end of each day, it is also about eating.
Hundreds of thousands of Chicago-area Muslims will forgo food between sunrise and sunset for an entire month, beginning most likely on Monday (the start depends on the sighting of the moon). But when the sun goes down each night, they will break the fast, usually with a single date or sip of tea.
Then the evening meal will begin.
This usually hearty repast–called the iftar–is often enjoyed with family, friends and neighbors in the home. But whipping up 30 of these feasts in a row could present a challenge to even the most energetic cook. And so Chicago’s growing number of halal restaurants stand at the ready to feed hungry dinner crowds with menus that range from pizza and falafel to chicken biryani and Mongolian beef.
Halal is a term in Arabic that refers to anything that is permissible. Its equivalent in the Jewish faith would be kosher. Certain food products derived from animals and anything containing pork or alcohol is forbidden. And for meats to be considered zabiha halal, they have to be slaughtered according to Islamic custom. (There is not full agreement on exactly how strict those customs must be.) You can usually spot a halal restaurant by a sign in the window that says zabiha or halal.
These 60-some restaurants are catering to a Muslim population in the Chicago area that has grown by between 20-30 percent in the last 10 years and now stands at about 400,000 according to the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.
“We have seen a huge proliferation of halal restaurants in the Chicago area,” says Kareem Irfan, chairman of the council, “particularly in the last three to five years.”
Although most of Chicago’s halal restaurants serve Indo-Pak and Middle Eastern fare, Italian, Chinese and fast-food restaurants have also joined in. The Chicago area got its first halal Kentucky Fried Chicken earlier this year in Lombard.
“The number of these restaurants has really grown,” agrees Abdul-Malik Mujahid, president of Sound Vision, an Islamic information and education company based in Bridgeview. “Muslims and non-Muslims just seem to like them because for some halal just means healthier.”
In many halal restaurants, traditional iftar foods will be given away free or for nominal prices. They are meant for those who have been fasting all day, but proprietors say they are happy to share them with those of different faiths, too.
These Ramadan specials and the festive iftar meals make the upcoming month an ideal time for first-time visitors to explore the spectrum of flavors offered on Chicago’s halal dining scene.
Here are a handful of halal restaurants we recently checked in with. They all serve exclusively halal menus:
Ameer Restaurant, 11136 S. Harlem Ave., Worth; 708-671-1080: Known for excellent Middle Eastern eats, Ameer serves hot, crisp falafel; silky hummos and huge tasty meat entrees on beds of perfectly cooked rice in an inviting atmosphere. Buttery, delicate pastries from Ameer bakery next door are great ways to finish the meal at this south suburban dining spot.
For Ramadan: Ameer will offer free tamar hindi (a tamarind-based drink) and dates. Special Ramadan snack katayef (small sweet pancakes filled with cheese or nuts) will also be available, along with a special daily Ramadan buffet. The restaurant will open in the late afternoon during the month.
Baba Palace, 334 W. Chicago Ave.; 312-867-7777: A longtime favorite of Chicago cab drivers, Baba Palace has been operating for 13 years at various downtown locations. You’ll find inexpensive South Asian chow in a rotating roster of about 12 dishes a day. Curries, biryanis and lentil dishes are rounded out with fresh breads, rice and fried snacks on the menu at this modest River North eatery. The prices are simple: $4.50 for a half entree order (which is plenty for most people) and $7 for a full order.
For Ramadan: Baba will give away free fruit salad, dates, juice and tea. The restaurant will stay open 24 hours as usual during the month.
Italian Express, 6340 N. Western Ave.; 773-761-7700 (a second location is 2041 Bloomingdale Rd., Glendale Heights; 630-705-1605): Although it was opened 20 years ago, Italian Express did not go halal until 1991, when the population of Muslims in the West Rogers Park area reached a critical mass. But even then, says owner Mohammed Ismail, “I lost a lot of money at first because I stopped serving pork and I stopped serving liquor. But little by little I have gotten very loyal customers.” Along with pizza and pasta, Ismail serves American fare and a few South Asian dishes. “The new generation is not interested in our [traditional Indo-Pak] foods anymore,” he said. “So we serve American fast food too.” We enjoyed the slightly soggy but delicious pizza and cheese ravioli. But the hands-down fave here was the zabiha gyros, which comes in mild and spicy. There’s even a popular gyros pizza with special halal mozzarella cheese. Even the pita is special-ordered halal, because, “we look into every itty bitty detail,” he says.
For Ramadan: Italian Express will offer free dates, fruit salad one fried item and tea. Dinner specials will include Italian and South Asian dishes for $7.95.
Jumbo Chinese Restaurant, 2927 W. Devon Ave.; 773-743-0297: While most halal restaurants are run by Muslims, others have simply adjusted to serve them. Ten years ago, Vietnam native Kien Troung opened Jumbo Chinese Restaurant on Devon. “But I didn’t have any business,” he said. “And so the people in the neighborhood said to me, if you want our business you should make your food halal.” So Truong removed all pork items from the menu, started buying halal meats from the Zabiha Meat Market next door, turned up the chili factor and switched to only vegetable oil. Over the years he has built up a steady customer base and learned how to cater to them. But even today, he continues to adjust his food to his customers’ requests. “We recently changed our soy sauce to mushroom soy sauce because the regular one smelled like it had wine in it,” he said. “Whatever the customers ask, we will do.”
For Ramadan: Jumbo’s business tends to slow a bit; no specials are planned.
Pepper & Salt, 2267 W. Schaumburg Rd., Schaumburg; 847-524-1402: Located in a strip mall, this eatery with 10 formica tables and fluorescent lights does a brisk take-out business. We enjoyed the chicken biryani and the fiery frontier chicken but found service a bit slow.
For Ramadan: The restaurant will be open regular hours; a special iftar meal of a samosa, date, chicken roll, dahi barry (yogurt lentil fritter), fruit cocktail and soft drink will be offered for $3.99.
Sabri Nihari, 2253 W. Devon Ave.; 773-743-6200: Considered one of the top spots for South Asian Muslim fare on Devon Avenue, Sabri serves up delectable chicken biryani, brains masala, frontier chicken and its signature nihari (beef shank in gravy) along with tasty breads and snacks.
For Ramadan: Sabri will give away free dates, samosas, chat, pakoras and a special fruity floral drink called rooh afza. The restaurant will open around 3 p.m. during Ramadan.
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Does it tastes better?
Earlier this year, Afzal Lokhandwala opened the first halal Kentucky Fried Chicken in the Midwest (810 E. Roosevelt Rd., Lombard; 630-620-1320). We recently did a taste test to see if we could tell the difference–taste wise–between halal KFC and regular.
– Halal KFC: Much like the regular brand but a little plumper and slightly drier. Plus it has a spicy kick to the batter, even though we didn’t order spicy. (Lombard is, however, one of the few KFCs that offers a spicy version.)
– Regular KFC: A little juicier, but scrawnier than the halal. And the coating was not quite as flavorful as the Lombard version.
— Monica Eng
