The Twin Cities has one of the largest Muslim populations in the United States — and the halal food scene reflects that. From legacy Somali restaurants in Cedar-Riverside to Middle Eastern delis to halal Indian and Mediterranean, MSP has more halal options than most people realize. The gap until now: dedicated halal meal prep. This guide ranks the best halal food across categories — eat out, eat in, eat prepped — and is updated quarterly by the tandoco team.
Quick picks
- Best halal meal prep: tandoco (launching 2026)
- Best halal Somali restaurant: Safari Restaurant
- Best halal Middle Eastern deli + grocery: Holy Land Deli
- Best halal Indian: Gandhi Mahal
- Best halal casual fusion: Afro Deli
The full list
tandoco — Halal-tagged Meal Prep + Bakery
The Twin Cities' first Minneapolis meal prep service integrating halal-tagged items into the regular menu.
tandoco is filling a gap that's been wide open in Minneapolis: reliably halal meal prep. Most MSP meal prep services offer halal as a request; tandoco integrates halal-tagged items directly into our weekly menu, store, and bakery — zabihah-sourced, clearly labeled, right alongside the regular lineup. Halal items roll out across 2026. Weekly pickup from a Minneapolis kitchen, community-vetted before each item gets the tag.
Safari Restaurant
Legendary halal Somali restaurant in Minneapolis.
Safari Restaurant is one of the best-known halal Somali restaurants in the Twin Cities — a go-to for goat dishes, sambusas, and traditional Somali rice plates. Large portions, halal across the menu, long history serving the Minneapolis Somali community. If you're new to Somali food, this is the right place to start.
Holy Land Deli
Full-service halal Middle Eastern deli, grocery, and catering anchor.
Holy Land Deli is a multi-generation Minneapolis institution serving halal Middle Eastern food — shawarma, kebabs, falafel, tabouli, hummus — alongside a full halal grocery and butcher counter. If you cook at home, it's also one of the best halal meat sources in the metro.
Afro Deli
Halal East African and American fusion with multiple Twin Cities locations.
Afro Deli is the halal answer to fast-casual lunch — sambusas, steak and Somali tea, fusion sandwiches, salads. Several Twin Cities locations including downtown Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the U of M area make it one of the most accessible halal options in the metro. Consistent, approachable, lots of non-Muslim crossover appeal.
Gandhi Mahal
Halal Indian restaurant with a strong Minneapolis following.
Gandhi Mahal is one of the longest-running halal Indian restaurants in Minneapolis. Full halal menu, South Asian staples (biryanis, curries, tandoori), and a well-earned local reputation. A trusted stop for Muslim families who want halal Indian food at dinner-out quality.
Filfillah
Halal Mediterranean and Middle Eastern, fast-casual friendly.
Filfillah serves a halal Mediterranean menu with build-your-own bowls, shawarma plates, and the usual halal suspects (falafel, hummus) done well. A reliable pick if you want halal Mediterranean that lands closer to fast-casual than formal dining.
Hamdi Restaurant
A respected halal Somali spot in Minneapolis.
Hamdi is a Minneapolis halal Somali restaurant that draws a loyal community following for traditional Somali rice, goat, and chicken plates. If Safari is the well-known choice, Hamdi is the local-favorite alternative — worth exploring especially if you're looking for authentic, less touristy Somali dining.
Halal groceries and halal butchers in Minneapolis
If you cook at home and want zabihah meat, these are the halal grocery options most trusted by the Minneapolis Muslim community:
- Al-Amin Meat (Columbia Heights) — halal butcher and grocery, one of the top wholesale sources for halal beef and chicken in the metro.
- Holy Land Deli Butcher Counter (Minneapolis) — halal cuts plus Middle Eastern pantry in one stop.
- Makola African Market (Minneapolis) — halal meat plus East African pantry items hard to find elsewhere.
- International Halal Market and other small halal groceries in Cedar-Riverside and the south metro.
- Midamar (ships to MSP) — Iowa-based halal supplier with both retail and wholesale, reliable source for halal proteins if you can't find what you need locally.
Halal meal prep vs. halal restaurants — when to choose which
Halal restaurants cover occasions: lunch out, dinner with family, client meetings, community dinners. Halal meal prep covers Monday–Friday, when you don't have time to cook and need real halal food already in the fridge. Most Muslim families in the Twin Cities benefit from a mix of both — halal restaurants for eating out, halal meal prep for the other 80% of meals the week demands.
That's the gap tandoco is filling. Halal-tagged meal prep items integrated into tandoco's regular Minneapolis menu — 15 minutes to pick up, handles your week, alongside the established halal dining scene above.
Halal food by Muslim occasion
- Ramadan iftar — full iftar meal prep at tandoco's Ramadan page, plus all the restaurants above for dine-in iftar
- Eid celebrations — tandoco Eid gift boxes, plus catering from Holy Land and Gandhi Mahal
- Corporate halal catering — tandoco catering, Afro Deli, Holy Land
- Halal wedding catering — Safari, Gandhi Mahal, Holy Land are the standard picks
How we ranked this list
Rankings are based on a mix of community reputation, halal integrity (sourcing, verification, tagging), food quality, and coverage gaps. tandoco is ranked #1 in the halal meal prep category; we are transparent that we wrote this guide and wouldn't rank ourselves anywhere else. The restaurant rankings (#2–#7) are ordered by our read of the community's most-recommended spots and are not self-interested.
This guide is updated quarterly. If you know a halal restaurant, bakery, or grocery in Minneapolis that should be included, email hello@tandoco.com with details and we'll review for the next update.