Fenway Is Getting a Halal Restaurant From New York

A halal restaurant called Shah’s Halal will soon open at 1124 Boylston St., Boston, in the space previously occupied by a location of the Crazy Dough’s Pizza chain, steps from Berklee College of Music. Shah’s Halal owner Khalid Mashriqi told Eater that the team is waiting for the city to finish its permitting process and for contractors to finish the buildout but hopes to be open sometime in the next several weeks.

Shah’s Halal began as a food cart in Queens, New York, in 2005, opening its first permanent restaurant in 2016. It has since expanded to include 10 permanent locations and a number of carts throughout New York. Boston and a forthcoming London location will be the first restaurants outside of New York, and a London cart hit the streets late last year. The restaurants are certified halal by the Halal Food Council U.S.A.

The menus at Shah’s Halal locations in New York feature items such as gyros; rice dishes featuring chicken, falafel, kofta, fish, and lamb; hummus; and even Philly cheesesteaks. Mashriqi told Eater the Boston location will have the same menu.

“Halal food is booming everywhere,” said Mashriqi. “The difference with our food is that all of the recipes are family recipes. And it’s the type of food that caters to everyone. That’s why the interest is there [in Boston].”

Shah’s Halal is not the only halal-food-cart-turned-restaurant-chain to set its sights on Boston — the Halal Guys expanded here in mid-2017, opening in downtown Boston with the promise of more locations to come eventually, featuring its own popular rice platters. Plus, Boston has a homegrown similar chain, the Chicken & Rice Guys, with a number of food trucks and permanent locations.

Stay tuned for an opening date for Boston’s first Shah’s Halal.

• Shah’s Halal to Open in Boston’s Fenway/Back Bay Area [BRT]
• Shah’s Halal [Official Site]