Best Halal Restaurants in Toronto, Ontario

With more than 21,000 Google reviews at 4.8, Karahi Boys is one of the most reviewed halal restaurants in Toronto, and the Queen West branch is the easiest one to reach from downtown. The karahi comes in the wok it was cooked in, thick with tomato, ginger and green chilli. The charsi karahi and the goat karahi get mentioned in reviews more than anything else on the menu, and the garlic naan comes a close third.

It’s open until midnight, which makes it a good call after a late event downtown. Karahi Boys is now a chain with more than 20 locations in Canada and the US, so if Queen West is packed, there’s likely another branch nearer to where you live.

Lahore Tikka House is the best known restaurant on the Gerrard India Bazaar strip, and HMA lists it as certified. The big covered patio is the draw from May to September. Colourful, loud and busy, it feels more like a food street in Lahore than a restaurant.

The menu runs from chicken and mutton to beef, lamb and fish, and the butter chicken and chicken kebabs are what most regulars order. Not every dish gets the same praise, though. A few recent reviews say the lamb biryani is light on meat for the price, so stick with the grills.

Finding a restaurant in Toronto that is halal, serves no alcohol and cooks at this level is rare. Arbequina is Palestinian and Jordanian cooking from chef Moeen Abuzaid, served in a calm room of arches and earth tones. The MICHELIN Guide has picked it, and it holds a 4.9 on Google from about 850 reviews.

The short ribs and the tasting menu come up again and again in reviews, and the mocktail list is a real list rather than a nod to non drinkers. It isn’t cheap. When Toronto Life covered the menu, the Angus rib eye was $98 and the sea bass $50, so plan on it as a special night rather than a Tuesday dinner. Book ahead.

Lebanese Garden is open about where its meat comes from, which is more than most places manage. The restaurant says everything is zabiha halal, with chicken from Al Ahad Foods and beef from The Honest Butcher, both HMA certified suppliers.

The platters are the reason to go. Each one comes with a spread of vegetable sides, which makes it an easy place to feed a group where not everyone eats meat. Portions are big and service is quick, and at 4.8 from almost 3,800 reviews, it’s one of the best rated spots near Kensington Market. The website doesn’t say whether alcohol is served, so ask if that matters to you.

Paramount is the name most Torontonians know. This branch at 253 Yonge sits right by the Eaton Centre, and HMA covers every meal made in its kitchen. The pita is baked in house and the baklava is made on site, and those two things alone put it ahead of most food court options nearby.

Ratings are softer here than at the smaller places on this list, at 4.1. The common complaint is price: one reviewer paid $30 for a lunch salad that came with a few pieces of dry chicken. Stick to the saj wraps and grills and you’ll do fine.

This is halal brisket good enough for the MICHELIN Guide, which lists this small shop in the Highland Centre. The meat goes into custom reverse flow smokers for up to 14 hours, and with more than 350 reviews mentioning the brisket, you know what to order. The Korean style ribs are the other standout.

The room itself is plain. Reviewers love the food but say the service and seating could use work, so many people take it home. There’s a second location in Whitby for the Durham crowd.

Chainsmoker sits on the stretch of Lawrence Avenue East in Scarborough that is packed with halal spots, and it’s on the HMA certified list. Southern style smoking with bolder seasoning is the idea, and the ribs and soft brisket are what people come back for.

It’s a small place, so expect a wait at peak times. At 4.8 from about 1,250 reviews, most diners say the wait is worth it.

If you’re walking the waterfront and want something halal, Blaze Burger is worth knowing. It’s a newer spot on Queens Quay, and HMA certifies every item on the menu. The patties are fresh rather than frozen, and reviewers mention juicy burgers, crispy fries and generous portions.

It stays open until 2am, the latest of any place on this list. With about 380 reviews, it has a smaller track record than the rest, but a 4.4 is a good start.

Uyghur food is Central Asian cooking with Chinese touches: cumin heavy lamb, hand pulled noodles and plov rice. Oguz is the best place in Toronto to try it. The big plate chicken is a large, spicy stew of chicken and potatoes, made to share. The lamb leg with rice is the other dish reviewers keep naming.

It’s out at Finch and Dufferin, a trek from downtown, but with a 4.7 from almost 2,700 reviews, plenty of people make the trip.

Omni was serving halal Chinese food in Toronto long before it was fashionable. The signature is Lanzhou beef noodle soup: a clear beef broth with hand pulled noodles, sliced beef and chilli oil. The meat is certified, and the menu says so.

There are a few Omni locations across the city. The Yonge and Sheppard branch in the Yonge Sheppard Centre stays open until 1am and has a 4.4 from about 1,100 reviews. Check which location you’re heading to, because ratings vary between branches.

Xawaash means “spices” in Somali, and the food lives up to the name: fragrant rice, grilled meats and pitas with a Mediterranean edge. It’s counter service in a relaxed room near Woodbine, and it’s the best known Somali restaurant in the city.

Portions are big and prices are fair, and the fried chicken legs get special mention. The trade off is speed. Several reviewers say service can be slow when it’s busy, so don’t come in a rush.