A guide to eating halal in the dining halls
What halal options do the dining halls offer?
The dining halls work with several different halal vendors to stock 27 different certified halal meat proteins, featured in recipes across all of our dining halls. Examples include different cuts of chicken, beef, and lamb, as well as items like deli meats, beef bacon, chicken sausage, and chicken and beef pepperoni.
Every dining hall will feature at least one entrée featuring a halal-certified animal protein during lunch and dinner. In addition to these halal entrées, there will also be vegetarian and/or vegan entrées that often align with halal practices. Check the Illinois app for daily menus and halal options in our dining halls and retail locations.
Some examples of recipes include:
- Halal pepperoni pizza
- Halal jerk chicken
- Halal lamb barbacoa tacos
- Halal beef stir fry
- Halal chicken tikka masala
- Chicken wings
- And many more!
Other ways we have increased halal offerings at the dining halls include using alcohol-free vanilla in our baked goods and using vegetarian cheeses, meaning they do not contain animal-derived rennet. Therefore, most baked goods and cheeses in our dining halls are considered halal.
During Ramadan, the dining halls will offer a few options for meal plan holders such as providing to-go boxes or offering reimbursement for missed meals during fasting periods. Iftar stations are also set up outside the retail spaces at this time to provide students a space to break their fast as needed. Be sure to check for updates from University Housing each year to know when and where Ramadan resources are offered.
How do I know if an item is halal?
In the dining halls, menu cards will include the word “halal” in front of the protein’s name and will also have a halal symbol as shown below. This means the item is made with halal-certified meats and has been produced carefully to avoid cross-contamination with non-halal food items.
On our web-based menus, a halal trait is added to all menu items that have a halal-certified meat, which allows you to filter for them within the Illinois app and EatSmart website. When you select a dining hall to view their menu, there is a food filter option. When you click this, you can select to filter for halal.
What about food items that aren’t animal proteins? How can I make sure they are halal?
You’ll notice the halal filter on the app only filters for meats. Other items like rice, pasta, vegetables, fruits, and baked goods do not have a designated halal label. To search for these items within the Illinois app, you will uncheck halal on food filters applied; you will then check other filters that fit your needs such as no pork, alcohol-free, vegetarian, etc. This will populate what other halal options are available during the selected meal period.
If you ever want to know the exact ingredients of a dish, you can visit the EatSmart website. When you visit the website, you can select the dining hall specific to that food item, the micro-restaurant or station serving the food, then the meal period and date served. You then select the food item of interest to see its nutrition information and ingredient list.
Other resources
If you’re ever unsure about a food while navigating the dining halls, don’t hesitate to reach out to an employee or chef. Everyone deserves access to safe, nutritious, and culturally relevant foods, and we’d love to be able to assist your specific situation. You can also contact nutrition@housing.illinois.edu with any questions or concerns you may have.
To view your options on how to navigate periods of religious fasting in the dining halls, visit the Nutrition and Dietary Considerations page on the University Housing website. Religious observances and holidays recognized by the university can also be found online.
Kayla Lammy is a graduate student in Food Science and Human Nutrition with a concentration in Clinical and Community Nutrition. She will be graduating in December 2026 and is planning to pursue a career as a registered dietitian.
