ramadan toronto

Ramadan in Toronto for 2016

Ramadan 2016 is almost upon us. This year it's projected to start on June 6. Ramadan, of course, is a holy month for muslims where they fast from sunrise to sunset every day (no food or water). Many mosques and restaurants throughout Toronto accommodate muslims who are unable to make it home in time to break their fast for the evening meal (Iftar).

Here's a round-up of places to go in Toronto when breaking the fast for Ramadan this year.

HALAL RESTAURANTS
You won't encounter any of the food and drink considered forbidden (haram) at these spots. They're also excellent places to go for good food and big portions. Please note that some of these restaurants' schedules are subject to change from regular hours during Ramadan.

Indian Biriyani House
This Indian restaurant near Dundas and University serves up a variety of meats and vegetable dishes from tandoori to aloo palak. They do discount catering prices for Ramadan based on the amount of people ordering and sometimes have special biriyani dishes donated to mosques.

Pizza Land Halal
This Lawrence Avenue East mainstay serves up a wide selection of pizza, wings, sandwiches and kebabs. While they don't offer any special deals for Ramadan, they do have discounted prices on Mondays and Thursdays for orders that exceed $25 and $30 respectively.

Hamdi Restaurant
Bananas are a cultural staple here, but you'll also find lots of rice and pasta as well as chicken, beef, goat, camel and fish options at this Somali restaurant in Rexdale. For Ramadan, they have special deals that vary depending on the size of the order and the type of dish.

Pasha's Authentic Turkish Cuisine
On Overlea Boulevard in East York, this Turkish destination offers different kinds of soups, salads and kebabs plus a whole lot more.

Istar Restaurant
This Somali/East African restaurant near Dixon and Islington is the place to go for sambusa and bur-shub-shub (stuffed and sweetened breads), chicken and beef suqaar (meat cubes mixed with vegetables), sandwiches, pasta, rice and all kinds of different meats. Ask for their special discounts during Ramadan.

Naan and Kabob
This Afghani restaurant on Lawrence East in Scarborough is a very affordable option for salads, kebabs (with and without rice) and a variety of meat dishes.

Hakka Garden
This Overlea Boulevard restaurant has an Indian and Pakistani take on Hakka Chinese food. Expect lots of rice, rolls, wontons, dumplings, soup, different kinds of chicken, noodles and vegetarian options.

Al Madina Halal Pizza & Bakery
This Danforth East restaurant is where to go during Ramadan for pizza and wings. They also offer Ramadan discounts.

Lahore Tikka House
Toronto's most famous Pakistani restaurant in Little India cooks up samosas, veggie wraps, kebabs (chicken, lamb and beef), biriyani dishes and more.

MOSQUES
Mosques typically offer Iftar services during the month of Ramadan. Many of the ones listed below have been known to hold some form of Iftar in the past. Please call and check in advance to confirm plans for this year.

What did I miss? Add more suggestions to the comments.

Photo by Saman Aghvami in the blogTO Flickr pool.


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