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For many Muslims in the Bay Area, Ramadan is first and foremost a time for religious reflection, prayer with the community, and participation in charitable activities. And one of the most important aspects is to enjoy delicious Iftar dishes and specialties: the break. from the rapids to dusk – and Suhoor, the breakfast before dawn.
But as devotees abstain from food and drink in this holy month, many will also learn of the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, who are suffering catastrophic famine due to the war in the region.
These Bay Area halal food lovers why they think it’s more vital than ever to come online during Ramadan 2024, and their own recommendations for where you can sign up for Iftars and Suhoors in the Bay Area.
Irfan Rydhan is one of the founders of HalalFest, an organization that focuses on cultural events and festivals related to the halal food scene in the Bay Area and beyond. Rydhan is the co-host of the halal cooking podcast Artistic Foodies.
HalalFest is best known for hosting the first of its kind and the largest halal food festival on the West Coast in 2013, which drew more than 10,000 attendees. The motivation behind HalalFest, Rydhan says, was to create more tactics to bring network members together in combination to enjoy halal food, especially Ramadan.
“The thing about HalalFest is the sense of community,” says Rydhan, “when other people from all walks of life and religions can come together and put aside their differences for a few hours while enjoying delicious halal food and smart vibes. “
Every Ramadan since 2021, Rydhan and his team at HalalFest have created an official calendar of restaurants in the Bay Area that offer special Iftar meals and those that are open Suhoor. HalalFest will also host its third annual Suhoor Fest on March 23 at the SABA Center in San Jose.
Last November, Rydhan and his HalalFest team also partnered with more than 60 restaurants in the Bay Area, as well as in Austin, Texas, to raise money for the rest of Gaza’s population. Some of the Bay Area’s halal restaurants participated in this fundraising effort. Last November, Cracked and Battered in San Francisco, Mirchi Cafe in Fremont and Wakatobi Japanese in Newark were included.
“Almost every day throughout this month, other restaurants have donated a safe percentage of their sales to young people involved in Gaza relief efforts,” says Rydhan. Within a month, they had already raised more than $125,000 in donations for relief funds.
This Ramadan, Rydhan is looking forward to spending time with his family and network and bringing other people together to enjoy halal-smart food through events like Suhoor Fest.
“When you see young and old together with a smile on their faces, it’s one of the most productive emotions in the world,” he says, “to help bring that joy to other people in the community. “
Samiha Shaheed is the face of California’s Hungry and Halal, a food vlog that talks about halal food and all of California.
Shaheed says he first introduced Hungry and Halal in 2023 as a “fun food vlog” to introduce halal food to other people. But for her, it’s now “more about educating other people, how they can get away from those big companies. “brands that don’t care about their customers,” he says.
In Hungry and Halal, Shaheed shared videos about how Palestinian restaurants in the Bay Area and halal restaurants participate in the November fundraiser organized through HalalFest. In addition, Shaheed says she is willing to distance herself from corporations and brands that have issued public statements. in the IDF.
“There are corporations that share the same values as you,” he says.
This Ramadan, Shaheed says he’s especially attentive to the community: meeting old and new friends and living the month with them. “We’re all going through the same struggle,” he says. Everyone is hungry and thirsty during the day, and they rejoice and eat dinner at the same time. “
“Ramadan is the most productive time to go to the mosque, meet new people, and build new relationships,” says Shaheed. “It’s the most productive way for us to reach out to our community. “
For Shazad Shafi, author of The Halal Food Reviewer, food vlogs were a way to spread his own wisdom about the plethora of halal food restaurants that can be found in the Bay Area.
“Some creators just need to invent new things. For me, it’s simply about presenting my adventure as a foodie,” says Shafi.
Shafi, the son of a Cupertino grocery store owner, says he started consuming halal food and meat at a young age; however, the position in which he lived his entire life, from Pakistan to Houston, Texas, has also influenced his rise. their penchant for finding the most productive halal food options.
For Shafi, Ramadan is much more than just about food: “It’s more about being more connected to our spiritual selves,” he says. “And in the holy month, Shafi looks forward to doing special prayers in mosques and spending time with his family. “It’s an amazing community,” he says.
Shafi also praised the community’s reaction to the November fundraising efforts organized through HalalFest and the Bay Area’s halal restaurants for the rest of Gaza’s people. “These restaurants were full,” he said. It was really wonderful to see. “
If you’re interested in learning about Iftars and Suhoors in the Bay Area, keep reading the Bay Area halal dining recommendations above.
You’ll find that most mosques in the Bay Area hold iftars on a basis (some hold limited days). Some require a small donation and others may require registration in advance, so be sure to check your local mosque’s website for the latest information.
While most of the halal restaurants listed below are open on iftar hours from dusk, for those who need to sign up for Suhoors at the Bay Area’s many halal restaurants, here is a list of some of those that are open well into the night.
San Francisco:
Peninsula
South Bay:
East Port:
KQED’s Nisa Khan contributed to this story.
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