There is nothing better than a cool road trip and some awesome halal food along the way. The lovely Sumra from Sweet dreamer shares with us her favourite halal food options when travelling to California recently.
If you’re a foodie enthusiast like most of us, and you’d like to stay safe when eating out, then California is the place for unlimited halal eateries that won’t disappoint. We had the pleasure of trying out some great tasting spots in both Northern and Southern Cali on our family trip back in February, and I’d love to share some of them with you…
Falafel Corner – Fremont, CA
What’s not to love about a legit, tasty burger and pizza joint?! This place is just that. It’s a decent sized, family friendly restaurant tucked away in a strip mall, serving up delicious burgers, cheesesteaks, and pizzas. If you’re ever in the Fremont area, this place is a must-have and definitely try the Tex-mex burger! They have a separate prayer area also.
Location: 43450 Grimmer Blvd, Fremont, CA 94538
Opens at 11AM–10PM
Wayback Burgers – Milpitas, CA
Another delicious, greasy burger place that is definitely worth a trip is Wayback Burgers. This place is serving up scrumptious burgers, philly cheesesteaks, and hotdogs with a side of milkshakes and fries. Need a cheat meal? This is the spot. My husband has been here twice on every California trip because once just isn’t enough.
Photo Credit: Wayback Burgers
Location: 1547 California Cir, Milpitas, CA 95035
Opens at 10:30AM–10:30PM
Sala Thai II – Fremont, CA
This restaurant serves authentic and delicious Thai dishes and the best part is a fast service. We had visited this place with our family on a busy Saturday night, and it was packed. But the service did not disappoint. The extensive menu includes all the Thai favourites like Thai fish curry, mango chicken and pineapple fried rice. Be sure to leave room for dessert, their fried coconut ice cream is to die for!
Photo Caption: Salathai I & II & III Thai Restaurant
Location: 44800 S Grimmer Blvd, Fremont, CA 94538
Opens at 11AM–3PM, 5–9:30PM
Al Watan Restaurant – Hawthorne, CA
If you’re ever in the Los Angeles area and require straight up desi food, then do visit Al Watan restaurant for authentic Pakistani cuisine. Mildly spicy biryani and raita accompanied by fresh, piping hot naan make this place hard to resist. It is family friendly but fairly small in size and very simple.
Location: 13619 S Inglewood Ave, Hawthorne, CA 90250
Opens at 11AM–9:30PM
Sultan Baklava – Gaslamp, San Diego, CA
Sultan Baklava is located in a downtown district of San Diego called Gaslamp. It’s a busy, bustling street filled with restaurants and nightlife. This Turkish restaurant serves up dishes like Adana kebab, musakka, and tavuk, but their speciality is their baklava, which has people coming in to buy just that. They have several types of baklava, including their famous chocolate baklava- definitely worth a try.
Location: 770 Fourth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
Opens at 11:30AM–10:30PM
Aladdin – San Diego, CA
For a nice and quick bite to eat for lunch, Aladdin is a wonderful sandwich and pizza spot. They serve shawarma wraps and entrees as well as speciality pizzas named after the infamous characters of Aladdin. We had ordered take out from here and enjoyed their lamb and chicken shawarma sandwiches.
Photo Credit: Aladdin Hillcrest, San Diego
Location: 1220 Cleveland Ave, San Diego, CA 92103
Opens at 11AM–9PM
Nomad – Long Beach, CA
Okay, seriously this place is so, so good. If you’re looking for a nice, spacious, Chinese restaurant for a lovely family dinner, then please do visit Nomad. The place is huge. And it is serving some of the best tasting Chinese dishes I have ever had. The chicken corn soup is served family style in a large bowl, and so aromatic and comforting. And the orange chicken was finger-licking worthy.
Photo Credit: Nomad Asian Bistro
Location: 6563 E Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90803, USA
Opens at 11AM–9PM
Istanbul Grill – Fountain Valley, CA
Lastly, Istanbul Grill is serving up classically yummy Turkish specialities like Kofta kabab and iskender, as well Turkish and Apple teas. Their portions are quite hearty and filling. If you’re looking for an authentic Mediterranean restaurant, don’t forget to try this place out.
Photo Credit: Istanbul Grill California
Location: 18010 Newhope St Suite D, Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Opens at 11AM–9PM
There are a ton more halal eateries in California, and I can’t wait to taste my way through them when I get to visit again. Hopefully, you’ll get to try some of these yummy places! If you have any more suggestions, please do leave a comment below 🙂
Sumra Hassan is a full-time mother of two daughters ages 2.5 and 16 months and lives in New Jersey with her husband. She likes to spend her time having adventures with her daughter, travelling to different cities and countries and blogging. You can visit her blog here: Sweet Dreamer
Fazila says
Love this article! I live in SoCal and am always looking out for the hottest new halal spots in town so I figured I’d share some of my favorites with you to try next time you visit:
(1) HiHo Cheeseburgers in Santa Monica: they have halal WAGYU beef cheeseburgers, def a MUST try
(2) Big Al’s Pizzeria in Maywood: Seriously the best wings in town, favorites are wings with red dragon, jamaican and sweet and spicy sauce. Also, they have the BEST smoked brisket sandwich and smoked brisket pizza NY style.
(3) Fatima’s Grill in Downey: Med-Mex Fusion Foods, way too many good things there.
(4) Famous Tandoori in Lomita/Torrance: BEST chicken 65, zinger burger, nehari. If you like Al-Watan, you definitely have to try this place as well. Hawthorne is my hometown so Al-Watan was a regular for us.
Muslim Travel Girl says
This is great thank you so much. I might add them to the post 🙂