New York
The city of the halal cart and the Eid school holiday, where state law backs halal labelling and the human rights law says a restaurant cannot turn away a woman for wearing hijab.
Muslim travel at a glance
Halal Food
High
NYC Tourism publishes a halal guide to restaurants across all five boroughs, and New York State requires anyone selling non-prepackaged food as halal to file the name of the certifier.
Prayer Spaces
Fairly high
The tourism board lists the Islamic Cultural Center on the Upper East Side, with a school, library and museum, and points visitors to prayer spaces in its halal guide.
Muslim Community
Fairly high
The city's Commission on Human Rights describes Muslim New Yorkers as police, teachers, small business owners and neighbours. We found no official head count to cite, so this rests on city statements.
Treatment & Hospitality
Fairly high
City law prohibits discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of religion, and the city ran a public campaign against anti-Muslim rhetoric. Protections on paper are not a count of incidents.
Modest Dress & Hijab
High
The city's Commission on Human Rights says employees can request accommodation for hijabs, turbans and kufis, and that a restaurant cannot refuse to seat a woman who keeps her hijab on.
Ramadan Observance
Fairly high
Public schools close for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and the Comptroller's office has joined Islamic Relief USA to give out over 8,500 halal iftar meals across the five boroughs.
Eat
Where to Eat
NYC Tourism's halal guide opens with the promise of halal restaurants, Muslim history and cultural experiences across all five boroughs, and lists everything from casual neighbourhood favourites to special-occasion restaurants. The Halal Guys' famous food cart still stands in its original Midtown West location, popular with locals and visitors.
Halal here is a legal claim as well as a sign on a cart. Under New York's Agriculture and Markets Law, nobody may sell non-prepackaged meat or food represented as halal without filing with the state the name, address and telephone number of the person certifying it.
Pray
Where to Pray
The Islamic Cultural Center of New York on the Upper East Side is more than a place of worship, with a school, a library, a lecture hall, a museum and a residence for its imams. NYC Tourism says it is also a place for non-Muslims to learn about Islam. The tourism board's halal guide also points to prayer spaces across the city.
Wander
Neighbourhoods
NYC Tourism's halal guide travels by borough, from Greenwich Village and Midtown West to Bay Ridge, Astoria, Harlem, Jamaica and Staten Island, and includes Muslim-friendly hotels.
Midtown West
Where the original Halal Guys cart stands at Sixth Avenue and West 53rd Street.
Upper East Side
Home to the Islamic Cultural Center of New York on Third Avenue.
People
Muslim Community
The Commission on Human Rights says thousands of Muslims with diverse backgrounds call New York City home, and describes Muslim New Yorkers as its police, teachers, small business owners and neighbours.
Ramadan
Ramadan in the City
New York City public schools close for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, shown in the 2025 to 2026 calendar as March 20 and May 27. In Ramadan 2024 the Comptroller's office partnered with Islamic Relief USA and seven local organisations on weekly Iftar on the Go events, handing out over 8,500 boxed halal dinners across the five boroughs.
Before you go
Practical Tips
The city's human rights law covers public places. It is illegal for restaurants, businesses and other public accommodations to refuse service because of a person's religion, and a restaurant cannot refuse to seat a Muslim woman because she will not take off her hijab. Employees can ask for reasonable accommodation to wear turbans, hijabs, headscarves and kufis.
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