The best halal restaurants in Paris

The halal restaurant scene has come a long way since the days where the only decent halal restaurant was Les Enfants Terribles. These days there are a wealth of halal restaurants in Paris however on our numerous trips we have found that the quality varies greatly between them. Having tried a number of halal restaurants in Paris, here’s our guide to the best spots. One thing we really admire about the halal dining scene in Paris is the use of organic, locally sourced meat in many of the halal restaurants. Below is our guide to the best halal restaurants in Paris.

Le Crystal
On our most recent trip to Paris, Le Crystal stood out as perhaps the best halal fine dining restaurant in Paris. Having been incredibly disappointed by the food at Le 1818, we were hoping Le Crystal would renew our faith in the French halal fine dining scene. Le Crystal did not disappoint! Though the service was questionable, the food was absolutely delicious. Beautifully presented dishes with interesting flavours graced our tables. If you’re looking for somewhere special in Paris, Le Crystal would be our recommendation.

Address: 10 Rue des Acacias, 75017
Halal status: All meat served is halal. Alcohol is not available.
Opening times: Monday – Thursday (7pm – 11.30pm), Friday – Saturday (7pm – 12.30am), Sunday (7pm – 11.30pm)
Le Butcher
Le Butcher is a halal gourmet burger restaurant near the Arc de Triomphe (10 minute walk away). The interior is classy for a burger spot – velvet cushioned chairs, a neon sign spelling out ‘Butcher’ on the wall and seating upstairs too which makes it great for birthdays or private dining. Given its location, you’d expect it to be pricey, however the burgers start from under €10. Steaks, salads, mocktails, milkshakes and desserts are also served. The meat is great quality given it’s also organic, the burgers taste great and are cooked to your liking. Le Butcher is certainly one of the best halal burger restaurants in Paris. Brunch is served on Sundays from 11am – 4pm for €25 per person.

Address: 157 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008
Halal status: All meat served is halal and organic. Alcohol is not available.
Opening times: Monday – Saturday (12pm – 3pm, 6.30pm – 11pm), Sunday (11am – 5pm, 6.30pm – 11pm)
Joe Burger
Less than a 10 minute walk away from the Grand Mosque of Paris is Joe Burger. With seating indoor and outdoors totalling around 20 covers, Joe Burger is a small burger spot with rustic, hipster vibes. Menus are given on a board with descriptions in both English and French as well as being written on a chalkboard on the wall. The restaurant serves up a great burger and for less than €10 you can get yourself a burger, fries, drink and dessert – a bargain! If you’ve been to Fatboyz Diner in the UK, you’ll find that the food and the vibe resembles that restaurant.

Address: 49 Rue Descartes, 75005
Halal status: All meat served is halal. Alcohol is not available.
Opening times: Monday – Saturday (12pm – 3pm, 7pm – 11pm), Sunday (closed)
Cook’n Saj
Cook’n Saj is a Lebanese inspired restaurant serving Saj (a street food found in Beirut), burgers and salads using halal, locally sourced, organic meat. The restaurant has both table seating as well as a sofa area suitable for a quick bite or tea break. Having been there twice now, if there’s one thing we can’t fault it’s the service. The staff and owners who happen to be two brothers are very friendly. You’ll generally find at least one of the brothers in the restaurant as well as their mum in the kitchen. We’d recommend the ‘Saj Chiche Taouk’ which is most simply described as a grilled chicken wrap served in freshly made bread.

Address: 5 Rue Bernard Palissy, 75006
Halal status: All meat served is halal and organic. Alcohol is not available.
Opening times: Monday (closed), Tuesday – Saturday (11am – 10.30pm), Sunday (closed)
Osè African Cuisine
France has a large population of African immigrants – be it from the Maghreb (Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria) or Sub-Saharan Africa. Inevitably, this history of immigration (and French colonisation) has influenced the food available in cities such as Paris. Osè African Cuisine is one of many African restaurants in Paris and this one happens to be fully halal. The concept is simple – choose a base, choose a sauce, choose a meat and then add any extras. Served in a medium or large bowl, the dish is packed full of flavour and textures. Add ons such as grilled plantain add a sweetness to a savoury dish. They also have four different types of chilli sauces to add to your meal – the spiciest isn’t for the faint-hearted. Ingredients are locally sourced where possible and seating comprises of high tables and ordinary tables with around 20 covers. The medium bowl is enough to fill one person up.

Address: 34 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin, 75010
Halal status: All meat served is halal. Alcohol is not available.
Opening times: Monday – Friday (12pm – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm), Saturday (12pm – 11pm), Sunday (6.30pm – 10.30pm)
Asian Touch
Asian Touch is a Thai / Japanese restaurant offering indoor dining and takeaway. Having seen pictures of their food served in a pineapple cut in half, we were intrigued. Unfortunately when we arrived on a Friday evening, they were full but we did manage to order some food to takeaway. We were impressed by the food and the variety on offer. The service was great and we will definitely be back for a sit down meal.

Address: 211 Rue Saint-Maur, 75010
Halal status: All meat served is halal. Alcohol is not available.
Opening times: Monday – Thursday (12pm – 2.30pm, 7pm – 11.30pm), Friday – Saturday (7pm – 12am), Sunday (6.30pm – 11.30pm)
5th Avenue House of Hot Dog
We’re always cautious when it comes to consuming hot dogs. We’ve had our fair share of sausages that have been poor in quality and taste and with that in mind we were curious to see what Paris had to offer on this front. We headed to 5th Avenue House of Hot Dog and tried their classic beef hot dog served with fried onions, ketchup and American mustard. This was a really good hot dog and one that we would recommend. It got us thinking about whether a similar concept existed in London (we couldn’t think of any so if you do know, please pass that on to us!). The restaurant also serves hand cut fries and has a range of dips. Service is fast and friendly and the restaurant is small with space for around 10 people to sit in.

Address: 11 Rue Jacques Cœur, 75004
Halal status: All meat served is halal. Alcohol is not available.
Opening times: Monday (closed), Tuesday – Thursday (11.30am – 3pm, 7pm – 12am), Friday – Saturday (11am – 3pm, 7pm – 2am), Sunday (11.30am – 3pm, 7pm – 12am)
Le Petit Gourmet
We couldn’t leave Paris without trying some traditional French dishes. After a debate as to whether snails were halal or not (given they were listed on the menu at a fully halal restaurant), we decided not to try this French delicacy. We did however try some French onion soup and other dishes at Le Petit Gourmet, an Algerian owned, fully halal French restaurant which was a ten minute walk away from Galeries Lafayette. The soup was exactly what we needed on a snowy day in Paris – a bowl of comfort. The cheese, bread and flavour from the onions worked well in the soup and the beef and lamb dishes were good value for money. The fresh mint tea at Le Petit Gourmet was some of the best we’ve had at any restaurant. Though there was some room for improvement in the dishes, we’d recommend this restaurant for halal French food.

Address: 39 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre, 75009
Halal status: All meat served is halal.
Opening times: Monday – Thursday (11am – 11.30pm), Friday (3.30pm – 11.30pm), Saturday 11.30am – 11.30pm), Sunday (closed)
Gumbo Yaya
Gumbo Yaya is a Southern American inspired restaurant serving fried chicken and waffles. We had mixed feelings about this place when we visited. While the food itself was good, particularly the flavour of the chicken, the service wasn’t great and the sauce bottles on our table looked like they hadn’t been wiped in days. That aside, if you need a fried chicken fix in Paris, Gumbo Yaya is the place to be. The restaurant has around 20 covers making it relatively small and fills up fast. The fries are hand-cut and the interior feels very hipster with hip-hop playing over the speakers. The restaurant isn’t too expensive with fried chicken and waffles priced at €11.

Address: 3 Rue Charles Robin, 75010
Halal status: All meat served is halal.
Opening times: Monday – Friday (12pm – 2.30pm, 7.30pm – 10.30pm), Saturday (7.30pm – 10.30pm), Sunday (closed)
L’Échappée Belle
In the heart of Bastille is one of the prettiest halal French restaurants in Paris. L’Échappée Belle serves a seasonal dishes using organic, halal meat and their ‘secret garden’ downstairs is open in the evenings. With a range of dishes from the grill as well as salads and desserts, the food is well presented, tastes good and service is great. The warm colours of the restaurant and comfortable seating make it feel like an escape within the city. Expect to pay around €30 for two courses.

Address: 7 Rue Boulle, 75011
Halal status: All meat served is halal and organic. Alcohol is not available.
Opening times: Monday (closed), Tuesday – Thursday (12pm – 3pm, 7pm – 10.30pm), Friday (12pm – 3pm, 7pm – 11pm), Saturday – Sunday (7pm – 11.30pm)
Le Tricycle
You may be wondering why a vegan restaurant has made our list of best halal restaurants given the plethora of meat serving restaurants in Paris. Le Tricycle is known as one of the best vegan restaurants in Paris and was recommended to us the last time we were in Paris by the owner of our local bagel shop. Having tried the food, we can see why. The vegan bowl, according to Zohra, is one of the best she’s had. Given Zohra was vegan for the month of January and as a result tried many vegan dishes across London, I would trust her opinion on this front. Their ‘Dogtor Dre’ hot dog is also something worth trying. The space where you order is quite cramped and seating is limited upstairs but we’d recommend giving it a try!

Address: 51 Rue de Paradis, 75010
Halal status: All food served is halal as Le Tricycle is a fully vegan restaurant. No meat is served.
Opening times: Monday – Friday (12pm – 3pm), Saturday – Sunday (closed)
French Home
French Home serves a range of burgers and plates made using organic halal meat. The service is friendly and burgers taste pretty good too. The menu is only available in French so it may take a few minutes of Google translating for non-French speakers to understand the variety of ingredients available on the menu.

Address: 29 Rue Marx Dormoy, 75018
Halal status: All meat served is halal. Alcohol is not available.
Opening times: Monday – Thursday (11am – 11pm), Friday (5pm – 11pm), Saturday – Sunday (11am – 11pm)
 
The following restaurants have been tried and tested. We felt that they were average in comparison to those listed above. We don’t think they are must-visit restaurants but are fine to go to if you’re in the area with no other options.
Les Grand Enfants – previously known as Les Enfants Terrible, this restaurant was once considered one of the best halal restaurants in Paris. Nowadays, it no longer maintains that title. Although the food is good, it’s not great which means it isn’t great value for money.

Le Wok Saint Germain – we weren’t hugely impressed by the food here. The chicken was stringy, the food felt overpriced and the restaurant itself could do with a little TLC. It’s listed in this section as it’s possible we just ordered the wrong things but given the quality of the other restaurants on this list, they need to step up their game to compete.

The following restaurants have been tried and tested. Unfortunately we felt that they were not up to the standards of those above and would therefore not recommend them.
Le 1818 – we paid around £30pp at Le 1818 which we felt was incredibly overpriced for what we were served. We asked for the steak to be cooked medium yet it came well done. When we spoke to the waiter he said that this is how they cook a ‘medium’ steak. The burger tasted like it was made using cheap ingredients – American cheese slices were used in the burger giving it a chicken-shop-quarter-pounder feel.

Address: 2 Rue de Sontay, 75016
Sahil – this Pakistani restaurant initially surprised us. It doesn’t look great from the outside but the inside was actually quite nice. The reason it didn’t make the cut was because we were served what tasted like re-heated food (the rice was definitely not fresh and the kebabs came warm, not hot).

Address: 106 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, 75010
Note: Always check the halal status with the staff at the time of your visit. Opening hours and menus are subject to change.