MILWAUKEE — Grab your friends and bring your appetites because Milwaukee's Halal Restaurant Weekis back!
"We are super excited," said event organizer, Bushra Zaibak.
Zaibak says last year's first-ever halal restaurant week was such a hit, returning for a second helping was a no-brainer.
"The restaurants were just packed, they were selling out every single day, "said Zaibak. "A lot of the folks that participated ended up being halal permanently."
18 different restaurants from around the city are participating in this year's week-long event. They'll offer a specific menu full of food choices that strictly adhere to the halal diet.
"Halal means permissible in Islam. Our main restrictions are pork and alcohol. The meat products that we eat should be slaughtered in a specific way, where it's done humanely, there's no suffering, and the blood is drained properly," said Zaibak.
Devin Eichler's restaurant, The Crafty Cow, is one of the new businesses on the halal dining menu this year.
"We are really excited to do something different than what we normally do," said Eichler. "We use Creek Stone Farm beef, which is certified halal. We've added products to be able to do our fried chicken, a lot of our appetizers."
Meanwhile, Vita Fugarino, the owner of the Wauwatosa-based coffee shop, Cuppa Tosa, says it was an automatic yes when she was asked to serve up her specialties again.
"The culture itself is so family-driven and family oriented, so it is really beautiful to see the mothers and fathers and children coming to have lunch, breakfast, and dinner," said Fugarino. "Being in a restaurant, you have gluten-free, and you have vegan, and you have vegetarian. So, really the halal market is just another way of including another community into your restaurant."
Halal restaurant week begins on Friday, July 7, and will run until Sunday, July 16. To see the full list of participating restaurants and learn more, click here.
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