Halal London: three days from Whitechapel to Soho

The East End is where London's Muslim story is easiest to walk. In the 2021 census Tower Hamlets had the highest share of Muslim residents of any local authority in England and Wales, at 39.9 per cent, and on Whitechapel Road the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre post the start time and congregation time of every prayer for anyone to follow.

Baraka Eatery sits inside the London Muslim Centre, gives its hours as noon to eleven every day of the week, and is listed as certified by the Halal Monitoring Committee. Down the road, Original Haji Nanna's Biryani at 14 Whitechapel Road is on the same register, so a first morning can be a mosque, a biryani and no planning.

The East London Mosque offers free tours, and says that individuals who arrive without booking should ask the Visits Team or reception about a guided tour, depending on staff availability. Shoes come off before the prayer halls, sleeves should reach below the elbows, skirts, dresses and shorts should reach below the knee, and women should cover the head and chest with a scarf, with headscarves available if needed.

Start under ten pounds. Tikkas in Fitzrovia lists tikka bowls and wraps at £8.95 to £9.95 on its own menu, says it is fully halal and alcohol-free, is on the Halal Monitoring Committee's register, and opens at 11:30 on weekdays and noon at weekends. GUGSU on Whitechapel High Street lists rice boxes at £7.99 to £8.49 and says all its food is halal.

For a proper sit-down dinner, Penang City in Forest Gate lists wok, curry and traditional dishes from £9.99 to £17.99 and Samarkand in Stoke Newington lists Uzbek mains and grills from £13 to £20, and both are on the Halal Monitoring Committee's register. In Soho, Masala Zone lists curries at around £17.50 to £19.00 and says it is also halal, and Berenjak states that it serves halal meat at all its London restaurants.

When the occasion is bigger, Mahdi in Hammersmith lists grills with rice from £19.90 to £28.50, Babel Grill House on Brick Lane lists charcoal-grilled mains from £18.95 to £29.95 and calls itself a Lebanese halal restaurant, and Salloos in Knightsbridge lists most main courses at £28 to £36, with its signature tandoori chops at £44, on a menu it describes as halal.

Two more halal names worth knowing: Souk near Covent Garden says its food is 100% halal and HMC certified, and Al Arez on Edgware Road carries a halal label in the main navigation of its website.

The London Central Mosque Trust and Islamic Cultural Centre lists a prayer timetable, a restaurant and café and visits on its website, and East London Mosque posts the start and congregation times of each prayer. Plan the day around those and you will not need to search for a place at the last minute.

Heathrow keeps a multi-faith prayer room in every terminal, open to everyone, with wudu facilities listed, and the Elizabeth line connects its terminals with Central London and East London.

The British Museum has free entry and opens daily from 10:00 to 17:00, until 20:30 on Fridays, and advises booking a free ticket in advance. The V&A in South Kensington has free admission too, though some exhibitions and events carry a separate charge.

Trafalgar Square is where London celebrates. The Mayor's free Eid in the Square festival reached its 19th year in 2024, and in Ramadan 2025 the Mayor partnered with the Ramadan Tent Project on a free, ticketed Open Iftar there.

Pay as you go with a contactless card or phone, touching the yellow reader at the start and end of each Tube, DLR, London Overground and most National Rail journey. Visit London says the daily spending cap of £8.90 gives visitors staying in central Zones 1 and 2 a useful guideline for the most they will be charged for Tube and rail travel in a day.

Visit London's guide to halal and vegan iftar spots starts light with Imad's Syrian Kitchen in Soho, takes in Roti King's Malaysian dishes at Battersea Power Station and The Halal Guys in Earls Court, and reminds readers there are hundreds of places to break the fast across the city.

When you are back in your own kitchen, our recipes for chicken tikka masala, chicken biryani, Uzbek plov and lamb karahi bring back the flavours of the tables above.