These Halal Restaurants Around the Bay Area Are Planning Special Menus for Ramadan

Ramadan begins on Saturday, April 2 and ends on May 2 with the Eid al-Fitr holiday, and the organizers of the Bay Area’s HalalFest have created a restaurant schedule for those looking for a place to break fast at night with an iftar meal, or an early suhoor, pre-dawn meal. “The reason why you’re abstaining from eating and drinking is to realize there are others out there who are not able to have meals every single day, like we take for granted on a daily basis,” HalalFest chairman Ali Malik says. “That’s a huge fabric of Ramadan, and to also give back.”

The Ramadan restaurant schedule will highlight a number of Bay Area halal restaurants that will extend their hours, offer special deals, or host events for customers during the holiday. HalalFest is also the organizer behind Halal Restaurant Week, which debuted in 2020. Malik says the event was organized to help halal restaurants stay afloat. “For us, the main focus, and a focal point is these restaurants surviving and thriving,” Malik says. “Food is an integral part of bringing community together.”

To see the full list of participating restaurants, available hours, and events, head over to the HalalFest website. But here are some highlights from the schedule:

Redwood City

Arya Steakhouse: Arya Steakhouse specializes in Persian food and steakhouse fare, with different styles of kabob made with halal meat, and served with basmati rice, as well as Persian stews. They will extend their hours daily to 9:30 p.m. for the iftar.

San Jose

Chikin Drip Food Truck: This Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich truck will be open from Monday to Sunday from 5-11 p.m. for iftar.

El Halal Amigos: This halal Mexican restaurant will be extending its hours to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays during Ramadan. The restaurant will also be hosting a suhoor event on April 9 and remaining open until 3 a.m., serving items from the menu, as well as specials like a breakfast burrito and crunchy tacos.

Union City

Greens N Grills: Greens N Grills will extend its hours for iftar Tuesday through Sunday, and will be open for suhoor every Saturday in Ramadan, from midnight until 4 a.m., serving Algerian and North African food, as well as American breakfast items.

Santa Clara

Krusti Pizza & Pasta: This restaurant will be open until 10 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. Besides their typical menu, Krusti will have complimentary iftar packages for customers with dates, a small cup of soup, and samosas, and will temporarily add samosas, kebabs, barley soup, and more to the menu during Ramadan.

Cupertino

Masala BBQ & Curries: This sit-down Indian-Pakistani restaurant will be offering an iftar buffet daily during Ramdan.

Fremont

Mirchi Cafe: This Pakistani and Italian fusion restaurant will be open until 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and extending hours to 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights for suhoor. Mirchi Cafe will also host an iftar for youth on April 18 with Ramadan arts and crafts, and games.

YeeShaans Grubb Food Truck: This food truck will be open for iftar from 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. They will offer complimentary dates and iftar drinks — such as Rooh Afza sherbet — for those breaking their fast. YeeShaans serves “halal burgers with a Pakistani twist” such as a burger seasoned with freshly ground masala, plus fries, and falooda milkshake.

El Sobrante

Chicago’s Pizza With a Twist: This pizza spot will offer 15% off any order with the mention of “HalalFest” during Ramadan.

Keep up with updates on the Ramadan schedule on the HalalFest website, and their Instagram and Facebook sites.