MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee restaurants are preparing food according to halal guidelines this week as part of the city's 4th annual Halal Restaurant Week, running through Sunday.
The week, now held in honor of Salah Sarsour, features 10 participating restaurants that may not typically offer halal food. Cuisines range from Italian and pan-Asian to Mexican, American BBQ, and breakfast. Some restaurants brought in different cooking equipment specifically for the week.
Organizers Bushra Zaibak and Sahar Ahmad said halal-observant residents often struggle to find dining options in the city, and the event was created to expand those opportunities.
"It's really giving us an opportunity to go into a restaurant and be able to order something off the menu and not like hesitate, to say, you know is halal," Ahmad said.
"We're getting messages, you know, this year saying hey we'd like to participate next year. So I think to me it's just so beautiful to be, in a sense, kind of heard," Zaibak said.
Halal guidelines govern how food must be prepared and are observed primarily by Muslims.
Walker's Point restaurant Allende Cocina and Bayview's Axolotl Café are among the participants. Cesar Lopez and Yolanda Herrera are the owners of Allende Mexican Cuisine. They've been open for a few months now and are excited to share their food the community. They said they worked with their suppliers to meet halal standards.
"We talked to our providers and all our meats are halal," they said.
Jorge Trejo, owner of Axolotl Café, said the week reflects a broader commitment to inclusion.
"I mean we love diversity to support other cultures is something that everybody should do, especially in these times that we're going through," Jorge said.
Organizers offered several tips for diners planning to participate: check whether a restaurant requires reservations or has a waitlist, and let your server know you are ordering halal so they are aware. After the week ends, people can check out a database of Milwaukee restaurants with halal menu items for those looking to continue finding halal options.
The 10 participating restaurants and their cuisine types are:
- Allende Cocina — Contemporary Mexican
- Amilinda — Spanish and Portuguese
- Axolotl Café — Mexican brunch
- The Bridgewater — Contemporary American
- Momo Mee Asia — Pan Asian
- Mr. B's A Bartolotta Steakhouse — Steakhouse
- Odd Duck — Small plates
- Onesto — Modern Italian
- Smoke Shack — American BBQ
- Sweet Basil — Thai-Lao street food
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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