It's not The Five Days Of Meat in Detroit without Halal, and while it's available throughout the city and in Metro Detroit, Hamtramck has lots of variety in a small geographic area, and Eater Detroit's Hamtramck expert Serena Daniels has it covered.
Conant Cafe & Grill. [Photo: Yelp]
Hamtramck is known as Detroit's melting pot, with influences that literally span the globe. That's certainly no exception when it comes to the food, in which great respect is paid to the city's burgeoning Muslim community, where Halal-prepared meats are the rule. Halal, by definition, is any object or action deemed permissible to engage in, according to Islamic law. The term can be applied to all manner of activities, but is most often referenced when talking about the preparation of food. Specifically for meat, Halal means the animal was slaughtered by a Muslim, who precedes the slaughter by invoking the name of Allah. All that aside, Halal meat in Hamtramck is decidedly diverse, with Halal-friendly cuisine prepared Bengali, Middle Eastern, American and even Chinese style.
For a taste of a little bit of everything, head over to the carry-out only Desi Halal Pizza and Gyro, which is said to serve up cheap, but legit New York City-style street food. Think chicken tikka pizza, New York gyros, Halal Coneys and Chinese fried rice. This no-muss, no-fuss joint is open late too.
For pizza, the critically acclaimed Amar Pizza on Bangladesh Avenue (otherwise known as Conant), has captured a national, if not curious, following for its pies, with flavors like naga (chicken, red onions, cilantro and naga sauce), tandoori and ghost pepper. Now serving up halal franks with the same sauces.
On the other side of Conant, Yemen-owned Conant Cafe offers a more American-style take out and delivery menu (delivery being somewhat of a rarity in town), including burgers, pizza and chicken wings, kind of the perfect spot to grab those last-minute snacks for any number of Detroit sporting events. If picking up the order, not a moment of the game will be lost as Conant Cafe's got a huge flat screen on the wall and almost has got a game on air.
Lastly, for those who crave a Detroit-style deep dish square pizza, but whose religious or ethical concerns (a lot of folks who go for the whole grass-fed, humanely raised meat go for Halal meats as an option), Jets Pizza now offers Halal pepperoni.-By Serena Maria Daniels
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