Update: Since writting the origibal post, ive been back a few times and have been dissapointed with the food, something has chnaged and its not the same anymore, i actually prefer MunchBox in Upton Park now. 13/09/2019
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There has been a lot of new Halal places that I have discovered and blogged about, but none in the years I have been blogging have gone Viral and created as much hype as Bims. Bims is a fast food style burger joint that’s recently opened up in the Walthamstow area.
After posting about this place on my Instagram account, I was blown away with the popularity of my discovery and the way it spread. The next day after I posted there were queues of people waiting to try the food. So why is there so much hype?
This place does a £1 cheeseburger that tastes EXACTLY the same as a McDonald’s cheeseburger. When I first took a bite it reminded me of the classic McDonalds taste that I remember having when I’m aboard in places like Dubai, Malaysia, Turkey or other Muslim counties.
They have 2 styles of burgers as well, McDonald’s grilled and flame grilled Burger King style burgers that cost a bit more. The place is small and similar to a chicken shop
These burgers are the closest thing you will find to eating McDonald’s halal in the UK (I think) I believe the beef is from France, no certificate available, status confirmed by owners.
Be Ready to Queue
When I visited for the first time, I walked straight to the till and ordered, waited a while and got my food. The next day and since then, the waiting time is an average of 1 hour, there is also a limit to 2 burgers per customer. I was told by Bims themselves it was a direct result of my post!
Before I Discovered…
After I Discovered…
When I visited, there were tables for seating, now its take away only. At the time of writing the venue is working on reducing wait times.
Why so Popular?
I think the fact that you can buy up to 5 burgers for the price of a typical Gourmet halal burger is a massive factor. It’s Cheap and it tastes like a McDonalds, granted, I don’t think its the quality of a burger that features in my top burger list, but people want something different. Is this a start of a new trend?
At the time of writing, there is a limit of 2 burgers per customer.
They also have exclusive drinks (with old pre-sugar tax levels of sugar) like a 7up Mojito.
Single, Double and Big Mac!
Awesome Drink!
So if you want to experience what a McDonalds burger, then head over to Bims to check it out!
I first visited this American styled Burger restaurant in Leyton when they opened a year ago, upon that visit, it wasn’t a good once, food was below average and not great. I went recently and glad to report that’s the food has dramatically improved.
MENU
I went with the family and both mum and dad loved the food. I also have to agree, I really liked everything, especially the Mak fries, which are French fries served with delicious pulled beef
I tried the classic cheeseburger and this was definitely an improvement compared to my last visit. They now use 28 day aged Aberdeen Angus steak in all burgers and have kept the price the same. Its similar to a big mac in terms of taste. Gets a 8/10 from me .
Ideal for families with kids and it’s fully halal no alcohol served or allowed. I was invited, meal was complimentary
Another epic year for me in 2018, I ate loads! This year started with one of the best meals I’ve ever had at The Frog E1. It was a year where I ate more Vegan food in an attempt to cut down on the amount of meat I eat.
I ate out nearly 150 times this year, with over 70 new restaurant visits this year alone!
My score is an overall score based on my experience on the day, you will notice that some restaurants appear more than once, that is a repeat visit – score can change depending on the food or service that day.
New restaurant visits are marked with a *
Not everything is halal on this list, some might have all halal, part halal, pre-order halal or no halal options at all. If you decide to visit any of these places please double check menus before you visit.
If there’s one type of cuisine that’s hard to find that is Halal, its authentic Mexican, I’m talking about food cooked by real Mexcian chefs using ingredients actually from Mexico. Well, I Bring you Mestizo who serve up some authentic Mexican food and have halal chicken and beef.
The menu is large and there are loads of options.
MENU
Drinks
Starters
I got some Flautas which are rolled corn tortillas filled with chicken or potato & cheese, (Vegetarian) deep fried then topped with shredded lettuce, green tomatillo salsa, sour cream & topped with queso fresco ranchero.
See that red and green block, if you need service you put it green side up.
Mains
Filete Arriero
Filete Tampiquena
For mains, I went read meat crazy and got Filete Tampiquena, strips of finest beef fillet, accompanied by a chicken enchilada, guacamole, and rajas con crema and garnished with queso Fresco ranchero. £24
Also got Filete Arriero, three beef medallions on a base of sauteed potatoes with a sauce of chopped garlic, onion, chile Verde & chile guajillo, served with steamed vegetables. £19.50
Sometimes when I go out to eat, I order with my followers in mind – I think what would they like the most, here I went a bit red meat heavy here, in retrospect, I would have prefered to order something that felt a little more authentic.
Dessert
Pastel de Queso y Coco a baked cream cheese and coconut cheesecake, in a pool of fresh mango sauce, £3.60
I saw only after I left that they had Tamal de Dulces, I wish I got that.
Definitely, recommend this place for groups of friends as its something a bit different, the vibe here is like a party and lively, booking is essential. Service and staff are very helpful and friendly.
New Halal Chicken Joint in Essex. OMG Babes it’s totes amaze! Wing Shack Co has been open for a few months and offers a halal menu. All chicken and beef are halal!
MENUS
The only way is…. chicken! Okay, enough Towie references, but I really liked the food here. I recommend the Chicken tenders, so tender and juicy with great flavour.
Wings
I tried all the different flavours, I recommend the BBQ and the Honey and Soy. The flavours were well balanced and tasted great.
Burger
The chicken thigh burger is also awesome. Juicy, tender and the batter had a great crunchy texture. Chicken burger i’ll give it an 8/10. I also tried the beef burger, but I don’t think it was that good. 5/10 for that one.
I also tried a few sides, in particular, the halloumi fires where very good and I definitely recommend getting that. The mac n cheese wasn’t to my liking.
There’s a small amount of non-halal as a side on the menu, but it’s handled and cooked separately in the kitchen.
When it comes to reviewing Turkish restaurants I don’t get excited much, pretty much all the Turkish restaurants now follow the trend of serving up lightly marinated meats that have been grilled over a charcoal flame.
It tends to be the same for me, it is partly down to my ordering options which normally consist of mixed grills but also that Turkish food I find is very similar wherever I go. You can put a mixed grill from 5 different Turkish restaurants next to each other and chances are they will all look and taste very similar.
So when I was invited to check out one of Green Lane’s oldest Turkish restaurants I wasn’t expecting much. If you haven’t heard of Green Lanes in Harringay then it’s like a mini Turkey, with loads of Turkish restaurants. It’s my usual place to go if I need a Turkish fix. My normal restaurant of choice used to be Gokyuzu, but recently I have found the standards have fallen so going to a new place came at a good time.
Menus
Anyways, As I was invited, in contrast to how I normally order I allowed the manager to pick a few dishes for me, as well as picking a few for myself.
We started the evening with a selection of different mezes. Now, I don’t normally bother with mezes, I go straight for the meat! However, I’m glad they gave me a good spread.
Gonna be honest with you, im writting this reivew months after I visied and I can’t remember the names of every dish below, but i’ll my best…
Zeytinyagli Fasulye, £5.50, Runner beans braised in olive oil with tomatoes (top left)
Cacik, £4.50, Strained yoghurt mixed with diced cucumber, garlic and herbs
Cig Kofte, £5.50, Raw minced lamb cured with Levantine spices, bulgur wheat, parsley, onions, garlic tomato paste and olive oil.
Icli Kofte, £5.90, Minced Lamb and nuts in a deep fried bulgur wheat crust
Antep Kofte, £4.95, Ground lamb and bulgur wheat koftes, served on yoghurt and spinach
I was impressed with most of the dishes. Really fresh flavours and ingredients. I enjoyed my selection of mezes. I don’t actually know the names of what they ordered for me,
Mains
The usual routine normally is me ordering a sharing platter but I decided to go on what they picked for me. Side note, the price for the sharing platter was very expensive compared to others I’ve had from other restaurants.
Ali Nazik £14
It was refreshing to visit a Turkish restaurant and try something new for the first time. It is made from smoked and spiced eggplant, grilled and then pureed, topped with seasoned and marinated sauteed lamb.
Sogan Kebab £14
Sogan kebab is listed under signature dishes, with chargrilled pieces of minced lamb kofte and sweet shallots served in a tangy and tart pomegranate sauce. Wrapped up in a piece of bread, with a spoonful of sliced onions from the salad, this was certainly very tasty. The fresh flavours came together beautifully.
Sample Small Mix Grill (off menu)
Iskender Kebab
We then popped over next door to Antepliler Doner where we tried the famous Iskender Kebab, The dish consists of döner kebab prepared from thinly cut grilled lamb topped with hot tomato sauce over pieces of pita bread and generously slathered with melted sheep butter and yoghurt. Tomato sauce and melted butter are generally poured over the dish, at the table. Easy to say that this was epic.
Kunefe
They have their own dessert cafe for Kunefe. Kunefe is a dessert that has a layer of mild stretchy homemade cheese sandwiched in the middle and topped with a dollop of kaymak (like clotted cream). It is served warm and covered in crushed pistachios. Antep pistachios have a natural brilliant colour. They are small but tender and sweet, with a wonderful flavour. The Kunefe was deliciously decadent. Best Kunefe in London.
KUNEFE…………………………………………………………………£5.50
KAYMAKLI KUNEFE (Cream)……………………………………£6.50
SPECIAL KUNEFE (with Extra Pistachios inside)……….£8.00
Overall, with so many Turkish restaurants feeling all the same, this place does stand out from the crowd, they use very good quality meat ingredients and put care into the food.
Eating out is a passion of mine, but it’s an expensive one and I’m always on the lookout for a meal deal or special offer. When it comes to deals then my trusty Tastecard that I’ve had for years comes into action.
Not only have I save 100’s of pounds over the years I have also discovered and eaten some great food! The tastecard basically gives you massive discounts off your final food bill.
How does it work?
There are loads of places to choose from and each restaurant has a different offer, some give 2 for 1 for 2 people, meaning if you get a total of 2 starters, mains and desserts you only pay for 1 and some give a sweet 50% off the whole food bill for between 2 to 10 people. Any day apart from Friday and Saturday.
My savings!
You get the card, search for a place you want to go to, check the rules, normally you have to call and book but some places you don’t need to like Pizza Express or Banana tree, show your card when you ask for the bill, then sit there with a smug look on your face as you count the money you saved!
So I have decided to make a list of some great restaurants that offer halal food and also are on tastecard.
Because I use this card so much, the people over at tastecard are offering readers a special offer.
Special Offer
I’ve teamed up with the people at tastecard, who are offering:
90 Day Offer
£1
For First 3 Months
Followed by an annual fee of £34.99
Initial 90-day trial membership
Cancel anytime
Digital & physical tastecard
£34.99 for 12 months
Free Bluetooth Speaker
Usual price £79.99
Digital & physical tastecard
Complimentary tastecard+
Up to 40% off cinema
Up to 55% off days out
Worth £29.99
Contemporary Mediterranean Kitchen located near the Bethnal Green/Haggerston area. The style of food is modern Turkish in Spanish style tapas. There are only 2 meat dishes on the menu, pictured is the Free Range Chicken Thigh, delicious crispy skin with Middle Eastern spices. You can get 2 for 1 for a group of 6 people
148-150 Bethnal Green Road, Bethnal Green, London, E2 6DG
Hankies Cafe
Amazing that one of my favourites places to eat gives you 50% all food. I’ve been 10 times here, including one time when I just went in for a single lamb chop and shamelessly used my tastecard.
2 for 1
67 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 6EX
Banana Tree
Another one of my favourites, serving up amazing South Asian food with 4 locations over London. I once went in and got 2 for 1 on a chocolate fondant, a brilliant dessert. The great thing is you can just walk in and use the card without needing to book ahead. Banana Tree now offers halal in ALL locations.
2 for 1
020 7221 4085
21-23 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 4UA ( other locations as well)
The best of the rest
There are a lot more places than what’s on this list, but I have been to all of the ones below. Each place has slightly different terms, you can check more on the tastecard website or app.
I visited Beef and Birds recently to check out their food and see what that had to offer. Its been open for about 7 months, I was going to visit it then, but felt that all I was eating at the time was burgers, but it’s been a while since I’ve had a burger so I thought I’d pay a visit. Located in the curry capital of town Brick Lane, not where you would expect to find a burger joint.
The food on the menu is focused around beef and chicken burgers. Beef used in the burgers is 28 day dry aged.
Starters
I tried a few different items like the chicken wings, which included the chocolate BBQ wings, Cauliflower wings and the cheese balls, nothing here was worth even taking a picture of! Didn’t really like the starters.
Mains
Beef
Chicken
I tried a lot of items on the menu, pictured is the Vintage Cheese Burger (£8.95). Now if you have never had a BigMac before this is what it tastes like. When I took my first bite it took me back to eating Big Macs (halal of course) so I liked this burger, simple in flavours, but tasted good. I’ll give it an 8/10.
My friend tried the chicken burger, he gave it a 6.5/10. I didn’t try it.
I also tried a few other items like the Beef Short Ribs. Although the meat was tender, it lacked depth and body in flavour, the taste got boring very quickly, its best to share this dish.
The burger I had was nice, it was the closest thing to a Big Mac you can get in London for sure, taste wise. There is still room for improvement on other dishes, but its a place that’s worth a shout for a burger if are in the area.
There are decent options here, but it’s not the best in terms of the London halal burger scene if you are in the area then its worth a try, for the beef, if you want a chicken burger I’d head to Mother Clucker which is nearby.
Rabbit Hole Cafe is a newly opened cafe in Holloway, they have loads of things on the menu. Food is simple and very cheap.
MENU
There is a MASSIVE menu as shown below. Full English Breakfasts, Lasagnas, Pies, Shakshuka, Burgers, Sunday Roasts and loads more food that you couldn’t eat when you were a kid. But just in case, they have a chicken curry too.
For drinks, me and my friends tried some smoothies, these are actually really good, and probably the best smoothies I’ve had.
With the large amount of food on the menu, it was tough to pick what to eat, but me and my 2 friends got Full English Breakfast, Lasagna, Shakshuka and Chicken Escalope.
The portions are very generous and the food was good and simple.
I get a lot of messages from my followers and readers of the blog asking me of places that don’t have alcohol on the menu. Heres a list of Halal restaurants in London that do not have Alcohol on the menu and also do not allow customers to Bring their own.
![Beef and Birds [Permanently Closed]](https://i0.wp.com/halalfoodguy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/BeefnBirds_6.jpg?fit=1919%2C933&ssl=1 "Beef and Birds [Permanently Closed]")
