18 Best Halal Eateries to Go During Iftar

The month of Ramadan is upon our Muslim friends, and here are 18 Halal eateries where you can take them to after they break their fast.

Pondok Pantai Timur

Originally located in Changi Village, Pondok Pantai Timur is known for their ayam and ikan penyets which many patrons come for during lunch time. They also serve other Malay fare that is sure to make you say “sedap” with every bite.

The Ayam Penyet ($5.50) is definitely the star of the show here. It is deep fried without any batter. While it looks dry, I assure you that it is every bit tender. Something to note is that Pondok Pantai Timur focuses on the presentation of its penyet dishes! It is certainly a nice touch.

Lawa Bintang

Why break fast with boring old nasi lemak when you can have Lobster Nasi Lemak ($22) from Lawa Bintang?

Each Lobster Nasi Lemak features a whole lobster coated with ground herbs and cheese, a bed of puffy basmati rice, a fried egg, sambal peanuts and anchovies, and a generous dollop of sambal chilli. The lobster meat is sweet and succulent, and the herb blend lends a herbaceous dimension to the flesh. This is definitely a pleasant fusion take on a traditional dish.

Brothers in Fine Food

Brothers in Fine Food (BFF) is truly a diamond in the rough. While their food menu is by no means extensive, BFF boasts creative interpretations of drinks and dishes at affordable prices.

Take, for instance, the Beef Steak ($15). First marinated in salt and pepper to allow the natural flavours of the beef to emerge, the steak is vacuum-packed and cooked sous vide until medium rare. Each slice was tender and juicy, and the steak is served with a beetroot thyme puree instead of the usual mushroom or black pepper gravy.

Chix Hot Chicken

Want authentic Nashville-style fried chicken that is Halal? Then head over to Chix Hot Chicken!

At Chix Hot Chicken, you can choose from 3 levels of spice for your chicken — mild, extra and insane. We got a set of Wings that comprises 3 whole wings ($10.90) at extra level spice along with a side of slaw. The wings were armed with a good crunch, and the crisp skin broke apart to reveal juicy chicken flesh. My only gripe was that the wings were a little small.

Yes! Nasi Kukus

As the name implies, Yes! Nasi Kukus specialises in nasi kukus and nasi dagang, which is red rice steamed with coconut milk.

The Set A Spiced Fried Chicken ($5) comes with a killer fried chicken thigh that is cooked in small batches to ensure that the skin stays mouth-shatteringly crispy. The stall also uses only fresh chicken thighs, which remains juicy and tender on the inside. The lingering flavours of a turmeric, lemongrass and ginger spice mix steeped into the meat itself. However, what stole our breaths was the special chilli sauce. It has hints of Assam which paired well with the fried chicken!

Beef Up

Stop by Beef Up if you are craving for some Halal Taiwanese food.

The signature here is the Beef Noodles ($6.50/$8) which features a thicker variety of u-mian, six decent chunks of beef brisket, some greens and a spoonful of salted vegetables. The aroma of the rich beefy broth was strong and every piece of the meaty beef brisket was tender!

Lemaq

As much as you may not believe it, “delicious” and “affordable” can exist in a nasi padang. And you can get it at Lemaq.

Lemaq serves Sambal Paru Balado Padang (Padang Sambal Beef Lungs) and Daging Balado Hijau Padang (Padang Green Chilli Beef) that cost just $4! Innards are usually infamous for being pungent, but the one served at Lemaq is devoid of that pungency. Instead, the decadent beef lungs in the Sambal Paru Balado Padang were creamy, spicy and had a clear fatty flavour that just shone throughout the dish. The intensely flavourful beef in the Daging Balado Hijau Padang was also a stunner.

Pu3 Restaurant

Nasi ambeng is the perfect dish for sharing. The sets are sold for 1 person ($7.50), 2 people ($29.90) or for 4 people ($50.80). Each set comes on a humongous plate that has up to ten side dishes! Think beef rendang, bergedil, chicken curry and more. The nasi ambeng at Pu3 Restaurant will quell those hunger pangs!

GLC Hao Yun Lai Restaurant

What’s a Chinese restaurant doing here? Ah yes! GLC Restaurant is a HALAL-certified restaurant that is sure to delight your tastebuds!

The Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Dice Rice ($5.80) is one of the best I have ever had! The sauce was packed with all the salted egg yolk goodness and yet it was not one bit cloying. Grab yourself a piece of fried egg, some rice, and a morsel of chicken coated in the decadent sauce, and you have yourself a small piece of heaven!

Che’ Rose Nasi Padang

Che’ Rose, the owner and chef who has more than 40 years of experience in cooking nasi padang, is known for her rendang. She inherited the secret recipe from her grandparents.

The chicken rendang ($3.50/piece) got me hooked with its spicy, sweet and savoury notes. Also, don’t miss the asam squid curry ($4). The tangy curry is so addictive!

Asam Pedas Claypot Super

4-month-old Asam Pedas Claypot Super offers only a handful of items, and the star here is the Asam Pedas Claypot (fish-head or steak).

The Asam Pedas Claypot (with anggoli fish-head, $18) was huge! The fish-head was fresh and fleshy, and we enjoyed it very much. Next, we had the fried chicken ($10). The slightly oily chicken, which was marinated with turmeric and other spices, was aromatic and flavourful. Don’t miss these two dishes when you’re here!

Niu Zou La Mian Muslim Food

If Muslims travel all the way from Woodlands to the ulu Ubi just for this Halal Chinese noodles, you know the noodles must be good. Almost every dish at this stall is worth a try! Note that they only serve beef or mutton noodle dishes.

The Beef Noodle Soup ($5) was pretty fantastic. I’m not a fan of ma la dishes, because of the numbing sensation, so when I saw that chilli oil was ladled in, I was a tad hesitant to try the dish. Thankfully, I gave the dish a go, and I was surprised that the chilli oil didn’t overpower the flavourful and sweet broth.

Each batch of noodles is pulled upon order, and you can watch the chef pull the noodles expertly here.

Yi Zun Beef Noodle 伊尊老字号拉面

Talking about halal Chinese noodles, how can I forget Yi Zun Beef Noodle? The small version ($7.80) was quite sizeable. I love the smooth handmade noodles and the savoury broth!

Another dish worthy of a mention is Xinjiang Big Plate Chicken ($14.80), which is also known as “Da Pan Ji”. This dish is especially famous in Xinjiang, China. I like that it carries both herbal and ma la flavours.

It is quite difficult to find halal Chinese dishes in Singapore, let alone authentic ones. So, be sure to head down to Yi Zun Beef Noodle to try it for yourself!

Burgernomics

A relatively new halal burger stall is Burgernomics, which is managed by a trio of good friends! Burgernomics’ simple burgers come with an Asian twist. Many of the burgers are inspired by the chefs’ childhood dining experiences at fast food restaurants. The soft buns are made fresh daily by an artisanal bakery in Joo Chiat.

The Deluxe Burger ($6.50) is a simple and good burger, with a captivating truffle aroma. The patty was delectably juicy and fragrant. Did you guess that the Deluxe Burger was inspired by the Mushroom and Swiss burger from Burger King?

Another burger you MUST try is the locally-inspired Rendang Burger ($7.50). Burgernomics sears and cooks the Australian brisket for 48 hours. Their patience sure paid off as the beef was incredibly soft, and melted in my mouth. Refreshing cucumber and onion slices provided the extra crunch to the near-perfect burger.

Sedap Thai

As a mookata-lover, I used to be sad that I couldn’t share my love for mookata with my Muslim friends. However, ever since I discovered Sedap Thai, I’ve been bringing my Muslim kakis here for Thai-style steamboat!

Instead of pork lard, chicken oil is used, and mutton and beef take the place of pork. Doesn’t it sound awesome already? There should be more mookata stalls that are halal!

Hurray to finally having a mookata stall suitable for my Muslim pals!

Burgs by Project Warung

Shah, Ridz and Syafiq opened their first outlet last year, and a second one they at Viva Business Park, Centuries Food Court, this year! You can expect top-notch burgers at hawker prices at Burgs.

You can change your thick cut fries to onion rings for $1. Of all the burgers we tried, the Teriyaki Chicken Burger ($5.50) stood out the most. The grilled chicken thigh was juicy, and I liked that there was a sunny side up, and bonito flakes in the burger. The teriyaki sauce complemented the charred fragrant patty really well!

If you’re visiting them in the month of Ramadan, do note their evening shift runs from 5pm to 9.30pm.

Muk-Bang Korean Restaurant

Also located in Viva Business Park, Muk-Bang Korean Restaurant was certified Halal on 31 March 2017. The Budae Jjigae ($36) is good for 2 to 3 persons. Each pot comes with generous helpings of chicken, chicken ham, chicken sausage, Korean rice cakes, baked beans, an assortment of mushrooms, tofu, kimchi, ramen, and a slice of cheese.

For people who love spicy food, this is just shiok! However, the restaurant had received feedbacks that kids aren’t able to handle the level of spiciness, so it has actually offered a non-spicy version of Budae Jjigae. How thoughtful!

Other favourites include Sundubu Jjigae (tofu soup), Samgaetang (ginseng chicken soup) and Bibimbap. It’s best to come here to break fast with a big group of people as most of the dishes are designed for sharing.

Koothurar Nasi Briyani

I kid you not when I say that the stall does not have a signboard. You can identify the stall from the stacks of aromatic basmati rice, meat, and fish sitting near the front of the stall.

I had nasi briyani with mutton tulang ($6) because I knew that the meat nearer to the bone tends to be more tender. And true enough, the meat was fork-tender and I earned myself a flavourful tulang. A pleasant surprise was the tendon-like soft marrow! Loveeeeee it!

The dalcha curry (an Hyderabadi Indian curry made from mutton, tamarind and split chickpeas) served on the side was watery, grainy, and not spicy at all. I actually preferred the mutton gravy with my basmati rice as it was thicker and more savoury.

I love that pandan leaves are used in the basmati rice as it makes the rice mildly sweet, and so fragrant! Head here early to avoid disappointment!

If you happen to bring your friends and family to any of these 18 eateries, do let us know what you think. Also, please share with us your favourite go-to places to break fast this Ramadan!

By Maisie & Adriel