Chicago’s Devon Avenue is bursting with halal meat options, from the plentiful South Asian options to Iraqi and Lebanese cuisine. But if you’re in the area and are looking for something a little different, Halal Peri Peri Chicken serves  chicken in a variety of ways from wings to a whole chicken in the increasingly popular Portuguese style, with the heat ranging from mild to extra hot. 

Very much your typical burger joint, Slim’s entire menu is halal. Their special — the Slim’s Burger — is an homage to Chicago classics, with a burger patty topped with Italian beef. The dark horse MVP is the gyro: the meat is smothered in a pickle-ey and peppery sauce reminiscent of harissa or shatta, served with a side of tzatziki. Slim’s also has amazing sides, like corn fritters, and a long milkshake menu.

Don’t underestimate this Lincoln Park restaurant. While Tandoor Char House features traditional South Asian cuisine with all the staples most Americans expect, it’s the burgers, wings, tacos — and even pasta with chicken tikka — that differentiates it from the competition.

Headed by Zubair Mohajir, Wazwan is South Asian inspired, but they also serve what’s considered by many to be the best burger in Chicago, made of both Angus beef and brisket served on a brioche bun with beef bacon. It’s currently a pop-up in Wicker Park, but they’re working on getting a permanent location soon, so follow along.

If you’re looking for something extremely upscale, RPM Steak features a filet mignon menu sourced from Creekstone Farms. The Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises restaurant  also stands apart for its extensive sides menu, which is both creative and classic: mushroom mac and cheese, hasselback potatoes, onion rings, and more.

Most Muslims know Creekstone Farms as a major source of halal meat, but Demkota Ranch Beef is also a halal player. Green Street Smoked Meats makes its excellent Texas-style brisket and pastrami from Demkota products, both of which you can buy by the pound or in a sandwich, If you order it by the half-pound, check out Green Street’s creative sides, including its broccoli salad and cole slaw. You can upgrade to brioche for a dollar if you feel like it. Do talk to the management if you’re worried about cross-contamination; they’ve confirmed they will change their boards, knives, and gloves for Muslim customers.

If you’re looking for halal meat options, normally a restaurant only has a limited number of halal offerings. Korean barbecue joint Soju in West Loop however has both halal beef and chicken: try both their bulgogi and their Korean fried chicken. It’s also a great place to take a group for the full grilling experience.

Epic Burger is a Chicago chain — with locations in Skokie and Evanston — whose take is a ‘more mindful burger; they source their beef from Creekstone Farms and you can mix and match with toppings. If you’re around the Loop or the North Side, Epic is your best bet for a good halal burger, especially with their sweet potato fries.

Having recently become a strong addition to Bridgeport’s numerous pizza options, Pizza Fried Chicken Ice Cream is also one of the best halal bites in the city: halal pepperoni  is an optional topping for their thin-crust pizza. Customers had called in a few times to see if halal pepperoni was an option and it was soon added to the menu.  The pepperoni cups are  laid thick upon the wafer-thin pizza, so thick, there’s really no need for any other topping (although you should add giardiniera, which Pizza Fried Chicken Ice Cream sells if you don’t have any at home). Their vegetarian chicken fried mushroom is also a great dish.

Well known for their vegan and vegetarian sandwiches, all of Hyde Park’s Café 53 meat offerings are halal. Although Café 53 has the classics, like the turkey sandwich and the Reuben, they’ve also got extremely creative takes on the deli sandwich, from the meatball and eggplant panini with a sesame dressing to a kufta sandwich.