In Long Beach, modern Levantine restaurant Ammatolí is offering a four-course dinner during Ramadan.
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
10 great halal restaurants in L.A. to break fast during Ramadan
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- Observed by around half a million Angelenos, Ramadan is an Islamic holiday that involves fasting from dawn until sunset.
- Plenty of restaurants across L.A. are offering special halal dinners, including a four-course Levantine menu in Long Beach and a Mediterranean buffet in Culver City.
Around a half-million Angelenos are observing Ramadan this month, an important Islamic holiday that involves fasting from sunup to sundown, emphasizing prayer, self-reflection and community. Despite being centered around fasting, food is a significant part of Ramadan. Traditionally, observers eat two meals each day, one before dawn (suhoor) for fuel and a communal meal after dusk (iftar), allowing friends, family, neighbors, and oftentimes strangers, to connect.
L.A. is home to a significant Muslim community, with many following a halal diet. Halal, meaning “lawful” or “permitted” in Arabic, is primarily associated with food but covers various aspects of everyday life including health, hygiene, business practices and clothing. Halal restaurants can only serve certain types of meat that are treated and slaughtered according to strict guidelines.
There are lots of great halal places in Southern California, and halal certification makes it easy to seek them out. This month, as the sun disappears beneath the horizon and you prepare to break fast, reward your patience with 10 delicious halal restaurants and special Ramadan dinner menus from the Valley to downtown L.A. and Long Beach.
Showing Places
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
Ammatolí
Long Beach Middle Eastern $$
Against hanging vines and wall niches with antiques, guests can enjoy chef Dima Habibeh’s thoughtfully curated menu that spans Jordanian, Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian cuisines. This month, all are welcome to try a special four-course Ramadan iftar meal, featuring new items and menu mainstays for $75 per person. The meal begins with Medjool dates, followed by house-made apricot-based amar al-deen juice and tamr hindi, a sweet and sour tamarind drink. The spread includes vermicelli soup, a cheese sambousek mezze plate and atayef for dessert, stuffed with your choice of cheese or walnuts. Ammatolí’s signature chicken or beef shawarma is one of four mains available from the regular menu. The Ramadan iftar meal begins at dinner service and lasts through the month.
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Anarbagh
Los Feliz Indian Halal $$
Nestled among Franklin Avenue’s lengthy strip of restaurants, this cozy halal-certified establishment specializes in North and South Indian cuisines and provides the perfect setting for breaking your fast. Seating is plentiful, with spacious booths for families and groups of friends and intimate tables for two.
Curried chicken arrives in a kadhai, steaming and ready to spoon over rice. Order it mild or spicy if you can take the lingering heat. Come back throughout the month to quell your iftar pangs with chicken korma, tikka masala and a variety of tandoori meats, plus lamb and seafood options.
Curried chicken arrives in a kadhai, steaming and ready to spoon over rice. Order it mild or spicy if you can take the lingering heat. Come back throughout the month to quell your iftar pangs with chicken korma, tikka masala and a variety of tandoori meats, plus lamb and seafood options.
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(Trintee Curcio)
Anwar's Kitchen
Downtown L.A. Mediterranean Halal $
This casual halal spot from food influencer Anwar Jibawi and his mother Amal Jibawi features a broad Mediterranean menu, with many of the recipes passed down in their family for generations. Orders can be placed via a touchscreen kiosk that lists a variety of pita wraps; salads; plates with rice, hummus and your choice of protein; and pistachio or walnut baklava for dessert. After placing your order, grab a seat and enjoy the feel-good music until your food arrives. Everything is made fresh and the portions are generous.
This month, free lentil soup is available between 6:40 and 9 p.m., but only if you dine in. Before you head out, be sure to grab one of the house-made dips from the deli fridge. The beet-infused hummus pairs excellently with the freshly made pita chips.
This month, free lentil soup is available between 6:40 and 9 p.m., but only if you dine in. Before you head out, be sure to grab one of the house-made dips from the deli fridge. The beet-infused hummus pairs excellently with the freshly made pita chips.
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(Camryn Brewer / Los Angeles Times)
Banadir Somali Restaurant
Inglewood Somali cuisine $
In a city with countless cuisines and restaurants, this unassuming Inglewood storefront is L.A.’s only haven dedicated to Somali cuisine. The slow-roasted goat and rice platter is the signature dish, though chicken, lamb, beef, tilapia and salmon are also available. A spicy green sauce accompanies each dish and is not for the faint of heart, but the refreshing vegetable soup that’s served on the side can help subdue the heat. Plates arrive heaped with enough food for two iftar dinners. A small dining room is available to enjoy your selections on site, with sweet chai tea served at the end of your meal.
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(Banana Leaf)
Banana Leaf
Redondo Beach South Indian $$
On Pacific Coast Highway, just blocks from the glistening shoreline, Banana Leaf offers a large front patio and a spacious interior where you can break fast with South Indian favorites. Two Ramadan meal deals are available this month, including one for $19.99 with dates, aloo samosas, chicken biryani and a refreshing rooh afza drink with a sweet, floral taste. The other option for $24.99 features the same beverage and sides with goat biryani. Haleem, a slow-cooked lentil stew, is also available, along with a version made with fish.
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(Omari Allen)
Fatima's Grill
Downey Mexican Lebanese
Experience the best of Lebanese and Mexican cuisines at this cozy halal spot in Long Beach, including enormous gyro-stuffed burritos, beef and chicken shawarma tacos and birria crunch wraps that require two hands to eat. Seating is limited at the Long Beach outpost, but locations in Anaheim and Downey can accommodate dine-in for larger groups. Be sure to grab a container of Lebamex sauce on your way out, available in the fiery original flavor and a spicier Carolina Reaper-infused version.
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Hayat's Kitchen
North Hollywood Lebanese Halal $
Find this gem in a North Hollywood strip mall, where savory sauteed meats perfume the spacious outdoor seating area. The lengthy Lebanese menu is perfect for breaking a fast and includes hummus, baba ghanoush, muhammara and other dips; shareable plates with falafel, garlic wings and spinach pie; pita sandwiches overflowing with chicken or beef shawarma or spicy soujouk sausage; and entrees with kebabs, lamb chops and other meat and veggie combos.
For dessert, choose from several varieties of baklava. You’ll find even more goodies beneath the checkout counter, including crispy, flaky lady fingers, cream-filled kelaj, lokum with rose petals and more.
For dessert, choose from several varieties of baklava. You’ll find even more goodies beneath the checkout counter, including crispy, flaky lady fingers, cream-filled kelaj, lokum with rose petals and more.
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(Eddie Sanchez / HiHo)
HiHo Cheeseburger
Santa Monica Burgers
This burgeoning chain with locations in Mid-Wilshire, Studio City and Marina Del Rey serves halal cheeseburgers with grass-fed Wagyu patties, as well as fried chicken tenders (also available in a sandwich) made in collaboration with Willie Mae’s Scotch House. Customize your burger with a double or triple patty by adding Wagyu pastrami or the house-made Matty sauce that’s comparable to a spicy Thousand Island, and be sure to place an order for the addictive hand-cut fries. Vanilla and chocolate shakes can be swirled with Oreo, strawberry or banana, or finish your meal with Key lime or banana cream pie.
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(Joel Barhamand / For The Times)
Jackson Market & Deli
Culver City Restaurant
This century-old market and deli hidden on a residential block in Culver City is a neighborhood favorite for fresh sandwiches, packaged foods, beverages and wine. Through March 28, all are invited to break fast with a halal buffet priced at $30 for adults and $15 for children under 10. The daily-rotating menu might include cauliflower fritters, yellow lentil soup, hummus, shawarma and sumac chicken, plus zalabieh and knafeh for dessert. After piling your plate, head out back where you’ll find ample seating on the garden patio that’s draped with strung lights. Iftar dinner is served from sundown to 8:30 p.m., and a private prayer space is available by request.
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(Dua Anjum / For The Times)
Simpang Asia
Palms Indonesian
Lush greenery and friendly employees greet you as you walk into this colorful Indonesian restaurant with a second location in Venice. The sounds of street traffic fade away as garlic, lemongrass and sweet soy sauce overwhelm the senses. Plentiful seating makes it an ideal place to break fast with family and friends. Kick the meal off with buttery grilled chicken satay drizzled with sweet and savory peanut sauce, but don’t miss the char kway teow or the signature mie tek tek. Fresh young coconut and a variety of teas and nonalcoholic beverages are available.
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