This Pakistani eatery on what as known as Kenner’s global restaurant row on Williams Boulevard, Desi Kitchen serves fragrant Indian fare, outstanding flaky naan, and fresh biryani rice dishes studded with chicken, veggies, or goat. The chicken korma is especially rich and creamy. Ask about the thali menu, a combination meal that includes apps, veg, a small portion of an entree, rice, naan, salad, and dessert.

It’s not technically a dining destination, but this halal meat market and international food store in Kenner has been essential to the area’s Muslim community since Nabil Kased opened it in 2004. It’s a reliable shop for chocolates, cheeses, pickles, and other specialty — and celebratory — items, and the store’s halal butcher counter sells freshly cut beef, lamb, and goat, most of which come from farmers in South Louisiana and Mississippi.

This halal restaurant in Metairie is one of the best in town, a family-run business that steps up for its community, including with the most recent disaster, the Arabi tornado. Though easy to overlook in its West Esplanade strip mall, it’s a powerhouse, offering flavorful, rich meats alongside puffy, bubbly pita; colorful sides; and excellent sweets.

Metairie’s Shyan’s Kitchen is a Pakistani-Indian restaurant owned by Irfan Khan, who immigrated from his native Pakistan to New Orleans in 2007. Although the two cuisines are similar, they were the same country until 1947. There is beef on the menu, which isn’t served in India. Goat is simmered and sauteed six different ways, and a smoked chicken masala is a specialty of the house. Pakistan is primarily Muslim, which is why all the meats here are Halal. Vegetable samosas and goat with saag gosht are must orders.

Not even two years old, Kabob House came on the scene early in the pandemic, a Palestinian, family-run operation from the founder of Falafel King, which opened in 2015 and now operates under new ownership. Like Falafel King when it debuted Kabob House is an exciting addition, made more so by its all-halal menu. Regular customers gather for traditional dishes, daily specials, and fresh desserts.

Owner Hussain Sheereef takes visible pride in this longtime Uptown cafe and with good reason. Lebanon’s Cafe is consistently good, serving large portions of traditional specialties in a simple dining area and pretty outside patio. The lamb and chicken are halal-friendly, which makes the excellent lamb chops a great option.

Situated on a busy corner of Magazine Street in the Irish Channel, Anatolia is one of New Orleans’s biggest, most centrally-located halal-friendly hubs, specializing in Turkish, Greek, and Middle Eastern specialties. The charming dining room and surprisingly shielded sidewalk seating are both swell options for lunchtime people watching over plates of halal-friendly skewers, wraps, platters, and kebabs.

Being located in the Jetgo gas station on Magazine Street between Louisiana and Napoleon seems to only deepen the appeal of Shawarma on the Go; it’s an in-the-know spot, though less so these days. Here, meat is halal and the falafel is some of the best in the city — all for around $10, for the most part. Go with any specials.

The friendly, family-run Mediterranean restaurant on the West Bank is another gem that’s unassuming from the outside, but is a lovely special occasion destination on the inside; white linen tablecloths, hanging plants, and low lighting make for a cozy space. Cleopatra is particularly known for its halal lamb, thought of by many as the best on the West Bank, if not the whole area.

Not to be confused with Shawarma on the Go, the newer Shawarma on the Run in Terrytown is where some of the area’s silkiest hummus can be found. Co-owner Osama Albassis (who started out at Shawarma on the Go) focuses on beef and chicken shawarma, falafel and spinach pie, hummus and tzatziki, and platters and bowls, served with yellow rice, salad, pita, Armenian pickles, corn, and traditional sauce.