Food Establishment with Muslim Chef/Cook/Employees

Sometimes the owner of the restaurant is not a Muslim, but they hire Muslim employees. The Muslim employees would do all the cooking, cleaning, and serving. In this case, we’d also usually assume their food are halal too.

Pork-Free Restaurants 

It’s common to find food establishments saying they are pork-free restaurants. Pork-free in this case means they don’t serve any pork. On a personal note, we tend to avoid going to pork-free restaurants and the reasons are simply because we are not too sure on the halal status of their other cuts of meats and ingredients, as well as the preparation methods. Some Muslim don’t mind, but in our case, we are quite particular in this. Take note that some of these restaurants may serve alcohol.

Example of pork-free restaurants: Tony Roma’s, Chili’s Grill & Bar, DIN by Din Tai Fung.

But what if you still doubt a particular restaurant?

Not Entirely 100% Halal-Certified Restaurant 

Some restaurants have the halal certificate or logo, however the certificate does not cover all of their menu items or outlets. Rather than thinking they’re up to some hanky-panky, chances are they may still be in the process of applying the halal certificate or logo for other menu items and outlets. Just ask to reconfirm. 

Halal But Not Toyyiban

The restaurant may serve halal food, but they don’t maintain the hygiene aspect. Food items are exposed to flies, cross-contamination, food prepared in unhygienic conditions, and using yesterday’s ‘recycled’ food, are just some aspects that can be overlooked. In this case, it is up to your discretion whether to eat at the restaurant or walk away.

Muslim Exterior

When we see someone who ‘looks’ like a Muslim, we usually give them the benefit of the doubt that they are Muslims and conform to the Muslim dietary requirements. However, there is a small number of scrupulous business owners who use non-halal ingredients or employ non-Muslims that ‘look’ like Muslims just to encourage Muslims to dine at their establishments. Again, just ask if you are unsure.

The way forward

Check & Verify

For restaurants with the halal certificate or logo, you can check and verify their halal status at the Halal Malaysian Portal. The portal has several search options and you can filter by state and category. Just input the keyword and press the search button for a quick search.

Ask & Observe

Now, if you went through the Halal Malaysian Portal and couldn’t find the restaurant’s name, it doesn’t mean the restaurant isn’t serving halal food. It just means they didn’t apply for the halal certificate or logo.

The next step is to ask the employees, management, just about anybody who works in and for the restaurant whether the food is halal.

Are the employees Muslims? Do they have a surau? Are there any Islamic-themed decorations? Do they use any non-halal ingredients? These are all telltale signs that the restaurant could be serving halal food.

Trust Your Gut Instincts

The restaurant may have a halal certificate or logo. The employees may be Muslims. The Islamic decorations are on point. But you still have that nagging uneasy feeling. Something tells you something’s not quite right.

At this point, trust your gut instincts and run! Run to the next restaurant that fulfills all the halal criteria and emits a feel-good-vibe to your inner being.

There you have it, our quick guide on how to find a halal restaurant in Malaysia. Let us know if you have anything else to add!