On a recent trip to Dubai, a group of Halal foodies were listing the American restaurants they wanted to experience while in Dubai. Many Muslims live in the USA but do not experience American fast food to fine dining due to Halal dietary restrictions.
When the group arrived in Dubai, they went directly to McDonald’s and ordered Big Macs and Quarter Pounders. It transported them back in time to when there were no Halal restaurants in the USA and many American Muslims frequented non-Halal restaurants.
Some History
Long before McDonald’s launched in the UAE, in 1975 Kentucky Fried Chicken (aka KFC) set up shop on Airport Road near Al Bateen Airport. It is still serving up famous fried chicken to this day.
Around the same time, Pizza Hut – the first restaurant to make Halal pizza toppings like pepperoni, started serving its famous pizzas in the region. Pizza Hut and KFC were soon followed by Hardees and Baskin Robbins.
In the early 1980s, exporters like Midamar based in Iowa were among the first USA companies to procure, consolidate and supply franchise concepts with everything from Halal meat and poultry certified by Islamic Services of America (ISA) to standard condiments, paper supplies, and even large kitchen equipment.
What Halal Foodies Want
When 100 American Muslims were asked “What American restaurants would you eat at if you had the chance to visit the UAE?” they responded with the following:
- McDonald’s
- Cheesecake Factory
- KFC
- PF Chang’s
- Olive Garden
- Texas Roadhouse
- Applebee’s
- Chili’s
Some said that it didn’t matter if it was an American concept, they just want to go to a steakhouse or visit any restaurant and order “something that’s not fish”. These days restaurants are offering more vegan options on their menus, like Beyond Meat burgers or meatballs. Some Halal consumers are opting for vegan offerings.
There are not many well-known restaurant concepts in the USA that have Halal food on their menus. The Halal site Zabihah lists them here. Access to Halal restaurants is an issue for many Muslims in America who live in small towns. Some have no options whatsoever, so when they travel to places like Dubai, they take full advantage of the gastronomical choices.
Recommended American Food Brands
According to reviews on TripAdvisor, the customer-rated best American restaurants in Dubai are:
- The Burger Joint
- Buffalo Wild Wings
- Black Tap Burgers and Shakes
- Speakeasy
- Firefly Burger
- Hard Rock Café
- Claw BBQ
- Cheesecake Factory
- Barracuda’s
- The Blacksmith
- Texas Roadhouse
Honorable mention should be given to all the fantastic restaurant concepts in the UAE that are not American food concepts. There are fast food/fine dining restaurants from the four corners of the world. And many locally inspired award-winning Halal restaurants. And of course, no one should overlook the massive variety of local street food. When in the UAE, Halal foodies can enjoy the American concepts they’ve longed to visit and a variety of other delicious cuisines.
Islamic Services of America (ISA) is a leading USA-based Halal certification and auditing organization serving companies, the community, and the Halal industry for over 45 years. Contact ISA at isa@isahalal.com or visit the ISA website for more information at www.isahalal.com
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