London’s Halal Food Wave: Delighting All Palates

In recent years, the availability of halal food options in London has expanded dramatically, transforming the city’s dining landscape. Two decades ago, halal restaurants in the UK’s capital were primarily Middle Eastern or Indian. Now, the options are virtually limitless, ranging from pepperoni pizza to Filipino-accented ramen bowls. As the number of halal dining options has increased, so too has the food’s quality.

The choice to offer halal food has proven financially beneficial for restaurant operators. Approximately 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide spent an estimated $1.27 trillion on halal food in 2021, a figure expected to grow to $1.67 trillion by 2025, according to the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2022. London is home to roughly 1.3 million Muslims, representing around 15% of the city’s population.

The significance of the holiday is growing in the UK and London. This year, for the first time, a privately funded Ramadan light display is illuminating the West End, with London’s Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, in attendance for the lighting ceremony. Many Muslims choose to break their fast in restaurants, leading to increased availability of halal food on menus, as noted by Layla Hassanali, who launched the London-based

Halal Girl About Town blog in 2013. This trend extends to restaurant chains such as Nando’s, which adds more branches serving only halal chicken, Pizza Pilgrims with halal pepperoni, and Honest Burgers, which offers halal chicken at all locations. Michelin-starred restaurants like Frog by Adam Handling can also provide halal meat if given 48 hours’ notice. “It’s nice to be accommodated for,” Hassanali said.

Muslims who have been fasting since the start of the Islamic holy month on March 22—abstaining from food and drink from dawn to sunset—now have more varied options for iftar, breaking the fast. In addition to traditional Indian food in the East End and shawarma around Edgware Road, restaurants like Honey & Smoke, run by Israeli husband-and-wife team Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer, are offering iftar menus with halal meat sourced specifically for the occasion. “We have so many guests that are Muslims, and it felt very natural and important for us to be able to open our doors and share the celebration,” Srulovish said.

Although halal food’s popularity is rising, sourcing high-quality halal meat can be challenging and costly, according to Srulovish. As a result, some restaurants, like Honey & Smoke, offer halal food only during Ramadan, when the demand is highest. Other restaurants, like the Great Chase, which serves a meat-focused British menu, and Guanabana, which specializes in Caribbean-Latin cuisine, have introduced set iftar menus instead of traditional à la carte options.

Indian restaurant Darjeeling Express, helmed by chef Asma Khan, opts for an à la carte approach, providing diners with a wide range of choices. Khan believes that serving halal meat is welcoming and respectful and makes economic sense. “My big tables of young Muslim men who come can eat anyone under the table,” she said. “Their bill is as big as those next to them where people are drinking alcohol, and they’re just eating—and drinking water.”

Popular chain Dishoom, inspired by Mumbai’s Irani cafes, offers à la carte options instead of a set iftar menu. Despite having an almost entirely halal menu, Dishoom has added bacon to some items.