Best Halal Restaurants in Toronto, by Craving (2026 Guide)

Toronto's halal scene doesn't sit in one neighbourhood. It's scattered: an Afghan kabob room on Yonge, a Pakistani institution out on Gerrard, a French-Moroccan dinner spot in Cabbagetown, burgers in Kensington Market.

So instead of ranking everything one to ten, this guide is organised by what you're actually hungry for. If you're searching for the best halal restaurants in Toronto, start with the craving and the rest sorts itself out.

A quick note on how we picked. Every place below is one we confirmed is open and has a published halal claim, either on its own website or in a halal directory.

Halal practices differ from restaurant to restaurant (some are fully halal, some are not, and certification bodies vary), so treat each one as "listed as halal" and confirm current certification with the restaurant before you go.

We also run a restaurant here, so you'll see us in the fried chicken section, as one option among several.

If you want a proper sit-down feast

Afghan kabobs and rice: Naan & Kabob (Yonge, near Bloor)

Naan & Kabob at 691 Yonge Street describes itself as an Afghan restaurant, and its site states that everything related to meat served there is halal. The menu leans on dishes like mantu, bolani and a Qabli lamb shank, plus tandoori chicken and vegetarian plates, so a mixed table has something to order. Dine-in, takeout and delivery are all offered.

Moroccan dinner: Rayah (Cabbagetown)

Rayah, at 507 Parliament Street, opened in 2025 and serves French-Moroccan food: pastries and a cafe counter in the day, a full dinner service in the evening (couscous royale and a lamb and prune tajine were among the dishes reported at opening). It operates as an entirely halal, alcohol-free restaurant, with mocktails and mint tea instead of a bar.

The owner has said halal is simply part of the cooking rather than a marketing line, and no specific certification body is published, so this is one to ask about if certification matters to you. Hours reported for dinner are Wednesday to Sunday, so check before heading over.

Lebanese and Middle Eastern, right downtown: Paramount Fine Foods (Yonge and Dundas)

The Paramount location at 253 Yonge Street, near the Eaton Centre, is listed as a halal-certified restaurant serving shawarma, kebabs and other Lebanese and Middle Eastern dishes, and is listed with long daily hours. It's the practical answer for a shopping trip or a pre-show dinner when nobody wants to travel.

If you want Pakistani or South Asian food

Lahore Tikka House (Little India, Gerrard East)

At 1365 Gerrard Street East, Lahore Tikka House states on its own site that it is certified by the Halal Monitoring Authority and that it uses a named halal meat distributor. It's a long-standing name in the neighbourhood, and the trip east is the reason to make a meal of it. Go with a group and order for the table.

A fast biryani lunch: Charcoal Biryani (Commerce Court food court, Bay Street)

For the financial-district lunch crowd, Charcoal Biryani at 199 Bay Street (Commerce Court food court) lists its chicken and lamb biryanis as halal. Its listed hours are weekday daytime, so this is a working-lunch stop rather than a weekend plan.

If you want Caribbean

Umi's Kitchen (Dundas East, near Moss Park)

Umi's Kitchen at 346 Dundas Street East is a family-run Caribbean spot listed as halal, with jerk chicken, BBQ chicken and fried chicken among the dishes. Its listed hours are weekdays only and it is reported as closed on Saturday, so check the day before you go.

If you want a burger

Ozzy's Burgers (Kensington Market)

Ozzy's, at 66 Nassau Street, has been written up by Toronto food media as a halal burger joint and also appears in halal directories. It's a good excuse to wander Kensington Market afterwards. Kensington Market has several burger counters, so if you end up somewhere else in the neighbourhood, ask about halal sourcing at the counter.

If you want fried chicken

Fried chicken has two real halal options in the downtown core, and they're different enough that you could happily do both.

The Dirty Bird Chicken + Waffles (Kensington Market)

The Dirty Bird at 79 Kensington Avenue has been serving chicken and waffles since 2015 and is known for its maple-dusted chicken. Halal directories list all of its meat as halal, sourced through a halal supplier.

One detail worth knowing: the restaurant serves alcohol, which matters to some diners. Its listed hours are daily, closing at 8 PM most nights and later on Friday and Saturday.

Cluck Clucks (The Esplanade, King East)

That's us, at 222 The Esplanade, Unit A. Our chicken is certified halal, hand-breaded when you order and never frozen, with six heat levels from No Heat to Cluck You Up.

The Cluck Yeah is the signature (crispy chicken in a jalapeño cheddar waffle with chipotle aioli, dill mayo and slaw),.

Hot As Cluck is the same idea with Nashville heat, and the Fried Chicken Poutine is the Canadian-comfort version.

A Toronto guest, Regina, wrote,

"The chicken and waffles didn't make it to my photos— it was that good."

We're also on Uber Eats if you'd rather stay in.

For more on how we handle halal, see our halal fried chicken page.

What to order at Cluck Clucks, by craving

Since this guide is built around cravings, here's ours. Want something sweet and savoury? The Classic Chicken & Waffles comes bone-in or boneless, and the bite-size Chicken and Waffle Bites are the easy shareable version.

Want heat?

Nashville Hot Loaded Fries or the Nashville Hot Sandwich, and ask for a different heat level if the default isn't your speed.

Want comfort? The Fried Chicken Poutine. Feeding a group? The Family Bundle (two sandwiches, five tenders and a large side) and the Fried Chicken Bucket are built for it.

Everything is on our menu, and a dirty soda is the right thing to drink with spicy chicken.

Questions worth asking at any halal restaurant

• Is the meat hand-slaughtered or machine-slaughtered, and who certifies it?
• Is the whole menu halal, or only certain items?
• Is alcohol served on the premises?
• Are the hours the same on weekends and holidays?

Restaurants change suppliers and hours more often than directories update, so a thirty-second call beats a wasted trip.

If it's late and you still want halal

Late-night halal is the hardest thing to find in any city. We stay open until 11 PM Monday to Thursday and until 2 AM Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which makes the Esplanade a reasonable post-show or post-game stop.

For most other places in this guide, check same-day hours, since several close in the evening. If you're coming from east of the city and want more options, our guide to halal restaurants in Scarborough covers that side of the GTA.

The neighbourhood shortcut

If you'd rather plan by area than by craving, here is how the places above fall on the map.

• Yonge Street corridor: Paramount (253 Yonge) and Naan & Kabob (691 Yonge).
• Kensington Market: The Dirty Bird and Ozzy's Burgers.
• East side: Umi's Kitchen on Dundas East, Rayah in Cabbagetown and Lahore Tikka House on Gerrard East. Cluck Clucks on The Esplanade also sits on this side of downtown.
• Financial district: Charcoal Biryani at Commerce Court, weekdays.

Further out, Toronto's halal map gets denser, and the neighbouring cities have their own guides: see halal restaurants in Mississauga for the west side.

How to choose without overthinking it

• Group dinner, nobody can agree: Paramount on Yonge or Naan & Kabob. Big menus, central.
• Date night: Rayah, if you're comfortable with its published halal approach,.
• Cheap, fast and filling: a biryani lunch at Commerce Court or a plate from Umi's on a weekday.
• Tourist day in Kensington: Ozzy's or The Dirty Bird, then walk it off.
• After 11 PM on a weekend: that's our window at the Esplanade.

One honest caveat about halal in Toronto

"Halal" can mean different things here: hand-slaughtered versus machine-slaughtered meat, certified versus owner-assured, a fully halal kitchen versus a halal menu section. None of that is a reason to avoid a restaurant, but it's a reason to ask. A good restaurant will answer the question without making you feel awkward. Directories such as the ones we used while researching this guide are a starting point, not a certificate.

Visit us on the Esplanade

Cluck Clucks is at 222 The Esplanade, Unit A, Toronto. We're open 11 AM to 11
PM Monday to Thursday and 11 AM to 2 AM Friday to Sunday.

See the Esplanade location page for directions and ordering, or browse the menu first.