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It’s delicious. It’s growing in popularity. It’s: halal.
Halal options are easier to find than ever before in Halifax, with some new restaurants being explicitly halal, and others offering it as an option so practising Muslims can dine there.
But what exactly is halal?
“Halal is just permissible food for Muslims to eat,” says Mohammed Sadieh, the operations manager of Chef Abod Cafe & Catering. “It goes far back as to how the meat is slaughtered.”
Rather than mass-slaughtering animals, meat such as chicken or beef becomes halal when a practising Muslim says, “in the name of God” before performing a quick cut to the neck. The food must also be prepared without using non-halal products, such as pork or lard.
Sadieh says he’s seen an increase in the number of people inquiring about halal foods and diets, particularly for the catering side of Chef Abod.
Chef Abod’s Cafe & Catering has seen more people inquiring about halal options and dietary concerns. (Craig Paisley/CBC)
The growing availability of halal products in the region is being punctuated by the inaugural Atlantic Halal Expo, which launches in November.
Omar Khartabil, a co-founder of the expo, says the variety of halal options has grown considerably in the last 10 years.
“We used to go get our meat from Windsor, right? So we had to drive,” says Khartabil. “But since then, it’s been blooming like crazy.”
Providing halal as an option helps make restaurants more inclusive. Khartabil says there is a big market when it comes to accommodating people’s dietary needs, from halal to kosher to vegetarian.
Restaurants such as Aarzu Indian Cuisine in Bedford are hitting the ground running with this in mind. The restaurant opened at the beginning of August and has already committed to providing a halal menu.
Omar Khartabil says the Atlantic Halal Expo will help to connect business owners and grow the halal industry in the region. (David Laughlin/CBC)
YiLan Chinese Halal Restaurant in downtown Halifax opened in 2023. Alongside the menu, the restaurant also provides a dedicated room for prayer.
Some restaurant owners offer halal food solely as a byproduct of wanting to provide their fully authentic cuisine, like Efes Turkish Cuisine, which reopened a location in downtown Halifax in 2025 due to popular demand.
Zeliha Yahsi, the co-owner of Efes, says her goal is simple: provide good, traditional Turkish food for everyone in the city.
“We are sitting together, we eat together, and it doesn’t matter what your religion [is] or my religion is,” she says. “We are human. We [are here to] enjoy food, enjoy life, and enjoy Canada.”
Efes Turkish Cuisine has one goal: to bring authentic Turkish tastes to as many people in Halifax as possible. (Craig Paisley/CBC)
She says she chooses to sell halal because she wants to, but that it wouldn’t be a sticking point for how the restaurant operates if the option wasn’t available.
Halal products can bring an additional barrier for restaurants and grocery stores in terms of cost. Lack of availability means businesses have to import from other provinces like Prince Edward Island or Ontario.
Khartabil says the goal of the Atlantic Halal Expo is to bring people together and explore ways of making halal more affordable and accessible.
“When I moved here 20 plus years ago, there were barely [any],” he says. “We’re growing, but it takes time here for sure.”
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