Alcohol-free restaurants
Every restaurant on this list is fully alcohol-free: nothing served, sold, or brought in from outside. That covers a lot of ground: halal shawarma and biryani, Persian kabob, Uyghur and Xi'an-style Chinese, Gujarati thali, Vietnamese vegan, Syrian, Lebanese, an Armenian rotisserie chain, and a 1919 ice cream parlor.
Most of it stays alcohol-free by tradition or faith rather than by rule, which is part of why the list holds up: these are established places, not concepts built around a menu that might not last. See the exact standard on the About page.
Zankou Chicken
San Gabriel ValleyRotisserie chicken chain founded by an Armenian family in Beirut in 1962 and rebuilt in Los Angeles in 1983, known for its garlicky white sauce, shawarma, and falafel. At this Pasadena location, only select items like chicken tarna and kabobs are halal-certified, not the whole rotisserie chicken.
1296 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91106
Abu Omar Halal (Glendora)
San Gabriel ValleyShawarma and falafel on Route 66 in Glendora, plus hummus, rice bowls and wraps. Halal, and open daily from 11am to 11:30pm.
1808 E Route 66, Glendora, CA 91740
The Halal Guys (Long Beach)
Long Beach & South CountyThe Halal Guys' quick-service counter on Ximeno Ave in Long Beach.
1804 Ximeno Ave, Long Beach, CA 90815
M JOY (San Gabriel)
San Gabriel ValleyHalal lamb from Hangzhou's M JOY, now in San Gabriel. The two signatures are lamb rib and lamb shank, each over rice cooked in the lamb's juices with carrots. Back home it sat on Dianping's must-try list from 2018 to 2023. There's a second location in Anaheim.
301 W Valley Blvd #109, San Gabriel, CA 91776
Sincerely Syria
San Gabriel ValleyHalal Syrian cooking in Pasadena, on Fair Oaks Ave.
21 S Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105
Al Hamra Kabob
South BayChicken and beef kabob, shawarma and hummus at a halal Middle Eastern grill in Redondo Beach.
2515 Artesia Blvd, Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Honest Restaurant
Long Beach & South CountyAhmedabadi (Gujarati) street food in Artesia's Little India cluster.
18600 Pioneer Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701
Verified PartnerOfficial site for Honest Restaurant (opens in a new tab)DonerG (Long Beach)
Long Beach & South CountyDoner kebab is the main event here, with fresh-cut fries and made-to-order platters. Halal Turkish and Mediterranean.
4150 McGowen St, Unit 3, Long Beach, CA 90808
Verified PartnerOfficial site for DonerG (Long Beach) (opens in a new tab)Zaatar N' More
San Fernando ValleyHalal Lebanese bakery and restaurant in Northridge known for manakeesh (za'atar flatbread) and Lebanese pastries made fresh daily. Also serves Lebanese-style pizza, wraps, and traditional appetizers like hummus and salads.
9545 Reseda Blvd, Northridge, CA 91324
Al Noor
South BayLawndale's halal Indian and Pakistani restaurant, with gluten-free-friendly options on the menu.
15112 Inglewood Ave, Lawndale, CA 90260
Pista House
South BayHalal Indian restaurant in Torrance specializing in Hyderabadi biryani and haleem, part of a chain founded in Hyderabad, India in 1997. Known for its slow-cooked haleem and Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani, plus an in-house bakery of fresh Indian sweets.
1255 W Carson St, Torrance, CA 90502
Fosselman's Ice Cream Co.
San Gabriel ValleyAlhambra's ice cream parlor since 1919. Sodas, floats and shakes round out the ice cream, and there's sit-down seating.
1824 W Main St, Alhambra, CA 91801
Xi'an Foodie
San Gabriel ValleyArcadia's Xi'an (Shaanxi) kitchen, halal and running for about 35 years. Known for slow-braised yellow beef and hand-pulled dishes like roujiamo and liangpi.
56 E Duarte Rd, Ste 106, Arcadia, CA 91006
Dolan's Uyghur Cuisine
San Gabriel ValleyHalal Uyghur cooking in Alhambra. There's a second location in Rowland Heights.
742 W Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91803
Rajdhani
Long Beach & South CountyFamily-run Gujarati thali, all you can eat, upstairs in Artesia's Little India. Vegetarian by tradition, and they take reservations.
18525 Pioneer Blvd, 2nd Floor, Artesia, CA 90701
Halal House
San Fernando ValleyFast-casual counter in Northridge for certified-halal gyro over rice, falafel, pitas and hamburgers. Takes EBT.
9514 Reseda Blvd #11, Northridge, CA 91324
786 Degrees
San Fernando ValleyHalal kitchen in Sun Valley that crosses Indian cooking with wood-fired pizza.
8879 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Unit A, Sun Valley, CA 91352
Loving Hut (Glendora)
San Gabriel ValleyVegan restaurant in Glendora, part of the Loving Hut chain. Serves 100% plant-based Vietnamese, Thai, and American comfort food, including pho, banh mi, and mock-meat dishes, plus an extensive dessert menu.
722 S Grand Ave, Glendora, CA 91740
China Islamic (Rosemead)
San Gabriel ValleyOver 30 years of Muslim Chinese cooking in Rosemead: hand-pulled noodles, oil-splash beef noodles and sesame bread, all halal.
7727 Garvey Ave, Rosemead, CA 91770
Buddha Vegetarian Restaurant
San Gabriel ValleyVietnamese Buddhist vegetarian (chay) cooking in South El Monte, with a proper sit-down dining room.
2650 Rosemead Blvd, South El Monte, CA 91733
Verified PartnerYelp for Buddha Vegetarian Restaurant (opens in a new tab)Fanoos Grill
South BayPersian restaurant in Torrance known for grilled kabobs like koobideh and salmon, cooked using traditional Tehran-style techniques without microwaves. Also serves classic sides such as zereshk polo, baghali polo, and ghormeh sabzi.
25336 Crenshaw Blvd, Torrance, CA 90505
Hsi Lai Temple Vegetarian Buffet
San Gabriel ValleyThe Hsi Lai Buddhist monastery in Hacienda Heights runs this all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet. You serve yourself cafeteria-style, then sit down to eat, which makes it easy with a group.
3456 Glenmark Dr, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
The Halal Guys (Rowland Heights)
San Gabriel ValleyRowland Heights location of The Halal Guys, on Colima Rd.
17416 Colima Rd, Rowland Heights, CA 91748