Green street or Southall for desi food and shopping?

[IAJ]

Dear friends,

I have been to Southall many times, but never to Green Street in East London. This is also closer to the airport I usually use, Stansted. Is it a good substitute to Southall? What I am looking for is good desi food and shopping opportunities.

If there is some other place near Standsted where you can get these stuff please inform me, thank you.

 

[Musakhel]

Southall is green street or ilford lane on steroids, but any of the 3 will work out for you.

Ilford lane, green street more Pakistani centric, southall more sikh centric.

 

[IAJ]

Southall is green street or ilford lane on steroids, but any of the 3 will work out for you.

Ilford lane, green street more Pakistani centric, southall more sikh centric.

Thanks bro, I plan to travel with a couple of childhood friends and one is from Morocco and he loves pakistani food so Ilford lane or green street will be good it seems.

 

[Bewal Express]

Come to Birmingham.

 

[minamino]

Go to Bradford. You would think as if you’re in Gujranwala or Jhelum or even worse than that

 

[Kroll]

I was in Southall recently and agree agree with above [MENTION=142623]Musakhel[/MENTION] that Green Street and Ilford is better if you're looking for Pakistani/halal food unless you're after a Papri chaat or something.

Though I'd strongly recommend opening up a wider area in the east end starting from Whitechapel through to Green Street which is in West Ham. Whitechapel area has a few good Pakistani restaurants. Green Street didn't particularly strike me as anything special probably cos I'm used to the curry mile in Manchester.

Another thing I found strange was that restaurants shut relatively early on Green Street, around 10pm. So just be wary of that as well when taking your plans into consideration. I'm assuming you'll be using the Tube/public transport as its easy to get around London, then you potentially split your/food shopping if one place doesn't cater for all your needs.

 

[IAJ]

Come to Birmingham.

Thank you bro. I have been to Birmingham once and really liked it, but this time we are just staying in Greater London area.

Go to Bradford. You would think as if you’re in Gujranwala or Jhelum or even worse than that

Haha, I know, I have many relatives in Bradford. But the destination this time will be London.

 

[IAJ]

I was in Southall recently and agree agree with above [MENTION=142623]Musakhel[/MENTION] that Green Street and Ilford is better if you're looking for Pakistani/halal food unless you're after a Papri chaat or something.

Though I'd strongly recommend opening up a wider area in the east end starting from Whitechapel through to Green Street which is in West Ham. Whitechapel area has a few good Pakistani restaurants. Green Street didn't particularly strike me as anything special probably cos I'm used to the curry mile in Manchester.

Another thing I found strange was that restaurants shut relatively early on Green Street, around 10pm. So just be wary of that as well when taking your plans into consideration. I'm assuming you'll be using the Tube/public transport as its easy to get around London, then you potentially split your/food shopping if one place doesn't cater for all your needs.

Wow, thank you very much for the detailed information, much appreciated. And to be honest the most important for is that the food places are HMC certified, so it seems quite obvious that green street will be ideal.

We are not exactly spoiled with variety here in Norway as only a couple of restaurants in entire Oslo are certified by an institution a la HMC.

 

[Bewal Express]

Thank you bro. I have been to Birmingham once and really liked it, but this time we are just staying in Greater London area.



Haha, I know, I have many relatives in Bradford. But the destination this time will be London.

Most of Birmingham looks like bomb site but the food is nice.

 

[IAJ]

Most of Birmingham looks like bomb site but the food is nice.

When you are used to live among mostly goray for 30+ years any desi environement will be gold

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I was in Southall recently and agree agree with above [MENTION=142623]Musakhel[/MENTION] that Green Street and Ilford is better if you're looking for Pakistani/halal food unless you're after a Papri chaat or something.

Though I'd strongly recommend opening up a wider area in the east end starting from Whitechapel through to Green Street which is in West Ham. Whitechapel area has a few good Pakistani restaurants. Green Street didn't particularly strike me as anything special probably cos I'm used to the curry mile in Manchester.

Another thing I found strange was that restaurants shut relatively early on Green Street, around 10pm. So just be wary of that as well when taking your plans into consideration. I'm assuming you'll be using the Tube/public transport as its easy to get around London, then you potentially split your/food shopping if one place doesn't cater for all your needs.

Yeah, I have only been to Green Street twice, and I got caught out by the early closing. Ended up eating at the only place which was open and the food was not great. There used to be a relatively small restaurant/cafe type of place which had a name something to do with Pakistan's mountain regions. Either Khyber or K2, something like that. That food was some of the best Pakistani food I've eaten in England, and it was busy so evidently other people had the same view.

 

[Kroll]

Yeah, I have only been to Green Street twice, and I got caught out by the early closing. Ended up eating at the only place which was open and the food was not great. There used to be a relatively small restaurant/cafe type of place which had a name something to do with Pakistan's mountain regions. Either Khyber or K2, something like that. That food was some of the best Pakistani food I've eaten in England, and it was busy so evidently other people had the same view.

That could be Himalaya which was still around. I've tried a place called the Grill Corner just a bit further up which wasn't that great.

 

[Robert]

Hounslow West Tube?

 

[Bewal Express]

When you are used to live among mostly goray for 30+ years any desi environement will be gold

Alum Rock Road, Stratford Road, Ladypool Road and Coventry Road will look like heaven to you.

 

[IMMY69]

Hounslow has some fantastic places none better then Taste of Pakistan.

 

[Knight_Rider]

Bab e Khyber in Hounslow is the only good place i know. Southall is better IMO, as it has developed into more of a proper food street. Wattan resturant in Southall is good for Bbq stuff

 

[IAJ]

Hounslow West Tube?

Hounslow has some fantastic places none better then Taste of Pakistan.

Bab e Khyber in Hounslow is the only good place i know. Southall is better IMO, as it has developed into more of a proper food street. Wattan resturant in Southall is good for Bbq stuff

Thank you very much. Me and my friends are meeting this evening to finalize the trip and book a hotel. So will also take Hounslow into consideration.

Boy, the hotels in central London are quite expensive, I am not surprised though.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

That could be Himalaya which was still around. I've tried a place called the Grill Corner just a bit further up which wasn't that great.

Yeah I think that was the one, although it's been a few years since I was there. They were closing last time I went and directed me to their larger place down the road, and that food was pretty ordinary.

 

[Technics 1210]

Southall and Hounslow East/West.

 

[Mamoon]

As a general rule, any restaurant that spells kabab/kebab as ‘kabob’ should be avoided.

 

[Pakistanian]

As a general rule, any restaurant that spells kabab/kebab as ‘kabob’ should be avoided.

You basically mean Afghan/Iranian restaurants lol

 

[Saj]

For food, it has to be Wilmslow Road in Manchester.

 

[topspin]

Dear friends,

I have been to Southall many times, but never to Green Street in East London. This is also closer to the airport I usually use, Stansted. Is it a good substitute to Southall? What I am looking for is good desi food and shopping opportunities.

If there is some other place near Standsted where you can get these stuff please inform me, thank you.

Also have a look at Nawabs in Wembley (in West London), which has the best Pakistani buffet in the UK.

 

[Saj]

As a general rule, any restaurant that spells kabab/kebab as ‘kabob’ should be avoided.

American thing which I noticed in Florida.

 

[IAJ]

For food, it has to be Wilmslow Road in Manchester.

Will remember this next time I am in Manchester. Last time I was there was in 2008 I think.

 

[IAJ]

Also have a look at Nawabs in Wembley (in West London), which has the best Pakistani buffet in the UK.

Lovely, will check it out. We have already booked a rental car so it will be easier to move from one point to another.

 

[topspin]

Lovely, will check it out. We have already booked a rental car so it will be easier to move from one point to another.

This place has a huge car park, so you won't have any trouble parking up there.

 

[Pakistanian]

American thing which I noticed in Florida.

Cause we have a lot more middle eastern people here so their spellings dominate

 

[minamino]

You basically mean Afghan/Iranian restaurants lol

Kabob is Arabic I think. Kebab restaurants in the UK are overrated really.

 

[Knight_Rider]

Kabob is Arabic I think. Kebab restaurants in the UK are overrated really.

Hmm, a bit of generalisation i think. In last 15-20 years UK has become more multicultural with people from various parts of the world. Outside Pak, i ve had some of very good BBQ food in the UK.

Persian/Afgani kobeida Kabob, Lebanese Kafta and Mehshwi and Pakistani Pathan style namkeen boti & Karhai, all available in the UK (not just in London). Tbh, i dont think you’ll find this much variety anywhere else in the world not even in the glitzy Dubai.

 

[Major]

My friends family owns a shahi nan in southall. How is it? Is it a good eatery?

 

[DeadBall]

Kabob is Arabic I think.

No it isn't. It's a Persian/Afghani pronunciation and used mostly in the US.

 

[Uzi]

Lovely, will check it out. We have already booked a rental car so it will be easier to move from one point to another.

Just be wary of the times that you will be driving as London traffic is bad generally, but in peak times it is especially bad and you won't be getting anywhere fast, especially if driving from one side of town to the other.

Tube is a safe option to avoid the traffic if needed.

 

[Knight_Rider]

Also for those new to London, the lane management can be very confusing. Many of the main roads are very narrow and you need to be in the correct lane well in advance before reaching the junction. Places like Hanger lane round about can be very confusing for those new to the city. Only use the car if you need to get to somewhere outside London.

 

[King-Misbah]

As a general rule, any restaurant that spells kabab/kebab as ‘kabob’ should be avoided.

You do realise that kebabs originate from Turkey? And they call them kebaps.

 

[Pakistanian]

Hmm, a bit of generalisation i think. In last 15-20 years UK has become more multicultural with people from various parts of the world. Outside Pak, i ve had some of very good BBQ food in the UK.

Persian/Afgani kobeida Kabob, Lebanese Kafta and Mehshwi and Pakistani Pathan style namkeen boti & Karhai, all available in the UK (not just in London). Tbh, i dont think you’ll find this much variety anywhere else in the world not even in the glitzy Dubai.

I can think of many cities - Toronto, New York, DC, Chicago, Philly, Boston , Bay Area, LA, Houston, Dallas, Detroit and Vancouver come to mind.

 

[King-Misbah]

I can think of many cities - Toronto, New York, DC, Chicago, Philly, Boston , Bay Area, LA, Houston, Dallas, Detroit and Vancouver come to mind.

Food is much better in the Uk then USA/Canada. There is so much more variation here and halal food is readily available.

 

[Knight_Rider]

I just came from Philly last week and am on my way to Devon Street in Chicago (literally in 10 mins). Been to Bay area and LA and didnt find them too exciting Halal food wise. I am a foodie, so Trust me these are No way close to what we have available in the UK.

 

[Pakistanian]

Food is much better in the Uk then USA/Canada. There is so much more variation here and halal food is readily available.

Lol not really, UK food is boring and lacks variety plus the Pakistani food there also lack variety, many UK Pakistanis on here have even admitted to have never eaten beef while over here Pakisani-Americans consider beef a big part of cuisine, i think it's cause of the rural vs urban divide. Daal must be the preference in England lol.

 

[Third_Umpire]

I just came from Philly last week and am on my way to Devon Street in Chicago (literally in 10 mins). Been to Bay area and LA and didnt find them too exciting Halal food wise. I am a foodie, so Trust me these are No way close to what we have available in the UK.

Bro, if you were in LA, Bay Area and Chicago and went back thinking halal food is better in the UK, then you wasted your time here state side.

 

[Ronaldo7]

Lol not really, UK food is boring and lacks variety plus the Pakistani food there also lack variety, many UK Pakistanis on here have even admitted to have never eaten beef while over here Pakisani-Americans consider beef a big part of cuisine, i think it's cause of the rural vs urban divide. Daal must be the preference in England lol.

Which Pakistani have you talked to who hasn’t even beef? Lol

Beef is a MAJOR part of the Pakistani cuisine here

Peshawari kebab, chapli kebab, seekh kebab for example

 

[King-Misbah]

Lol not really, UK food is boring and lacks variety plus the Pakistani food there also lack variety, many UK Pakistanis on here have even admitted to have never eaten beef while over here Pakisani-Americans consider beef a big part of cuisine, i think it's cause of the rural vs urban divide. Daal must be the preference in England lol.

What are you on about? I just had a double beef burger last night. I dont know who you have been speaking to. Halal food is so readily available in the UK, literally, roads full of only halal food. We dont have to travel miles like in the states; neither do we have to compromise our religion by eating non halal meat, like in the states. You need to exit your American bubble, a big world exists outside it.

 

[Pakistanian]

What are you on about? I just had a double beef burger last night. I dont know who you have been speaking to. Halal food is so readily available in the UK, literally, roads full of only halal food. We dont have to travel miles like in the states; neither do we have to compromise our religion by eating non halal meat, like in the states. You need to exit your American bubble, a big world exists outside it.

You can find halal meat here easily, people that only eat zabiha have no trouble sticking to an only zabiha diet however we a lot of middle eastern and african muslims who don't follow zabiha, it has nothing to with availability of meat - it's just that our Muslim community is very diverse whereas in the UK, Desi Muslims are the vast majority and their preferences take priority over the other cultures.

 

[IMMY69]

You can find halal meat here easily, people that only eat zabiha have no trouble sticking to an only zabiha diet however we a lot of middle eastern and african muslims who don't follow zabiha, it has nothing to with availability of meat - it's just that our Muslim community is very diverse whereas in the UK, Desi Muslims are the vast majority and their preferences take priority over the other cultures.

We have halal Afro Caribbean restaurants, pan Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, steal houses, burger joints, chicken joints, you name it the UK has it...

 

[Knight_Rider]

Bro, if you were in LA, Bay Area and Chicago and went back thinking halal food is better in the UK, then you wasted your time here state side.

More the case of you never been to London or else you would know that there is no comparison.
Southall alone is twice the size of Devon Street in Chicago (Desi food street) and there are plenty more asian/ethnic Food streets in London.

True, that i cant claim to be an authority on the topic but I ve been to these places a few times and in my observation:
LA was in such a run down state, that i wouldn’t wanna spend much time there anyway. San Francisco is smaller and on the harbour side food area, i dont recall seeing any Desi/middle eastern eating outlet. Even outside in actual Bay area, there were only a few scattered here n there. England has a much higher population density and many different types of ethic areas are right next to each other. Even in lesser known areas of London like Tooting, Croydon and Ealing, you will find much more diverse food than anywhere in North america.

 

[Knight_Rider]

Which Pakistani have you talked to who hasn’t even beef? Lol

Beef is a MAJOR part of the Pakistani cuisine here

Peshawari kebab, chapli kebab, seekh kebab for example

Its true that atleast in UK Pakistani cuisine, beef is not easily available. This is because majority of Brit Pakistanis are kashmiris & Punjsbis and mostly prefer Mutton/Sheep. I am from Karachi and there we eat a lot of Beef but its not always easy to find in the grocery shops either.

Non-halal beef would be easier to find, as the local Angrez like eating it.

 

[saeedhk]

Having lived in the UK, I would say outside Muslim-majority countries, the UK has the most number of quality halal restaurants. Halal is everywhere!

Gifto’s in Southall is a good one. Top-notch food!

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Lol not really, UK food is boring and lacks variety plus the Pakistani food there also lack variety, many UK Pakistanis on here have even admitted to have never eaten beef while over here Pakisani-Americans consider beef a big part of cuisine, i think it's cause of the rural vs urban divide. Daal must be the preference in England lol.

You've obviously never been here. Even the smaller cities have dedicated desi food streets now, there is every type of food available, from the standard Pakistani stuff, then you have all the Arab, Turkish, Iranian places as well, not to mention all the fast food outlets doing chicken, chinese and whatever else you can think of.

I keep deciding against a holiday in the US because I guess you would be stuck eating pizza or pasta every day unless you knew where to look for the halal places.

 

[imrankhannsu]

I find the food and environment better Tooting or East London, not to mention parking.

But I have always found the food better in Green Street compared with Southall. Dont get me wrong, There is always good restaurants in these places. The only reason I come here is during wedding time of close family relatives.

 

[Knight_Rider]

You've obviously never been here. Even the smaller cities have dedicated desi food streets now, there is every type of food available, from the standard Pakistani stuff, then you have all the Arab, Turkish, Iranian places as well, not to mention all the fast food outlets doing chicken, chinese and whatever else you can think of.

I keep deciding against a holiday in the US because I guess you would be stuck eating pizza or pasta every day unless you knew where to look for the halal places.

Yes exactly. The only US city comparable to London (in terms of population) is NYC and even there, the Desi/Halal food scene isnt very exciting. I once went to Jackson Heights near Queens (i.e. the Desi area of NYC) and remember being underwhelmed. In the main NYC areas like Manhattan, the only halal food you can find are those ‘Food Trucks’ like The Halal Guys, selling pre-processed and cheapo takeaway stuff.
Last year i was in Edison, NJ which apparently has a large south asian community and even there the food street lacked any buzz and variety.

US food scene lack sophistication and real variety. Its full of generic ‘international’ food like Pizza Hut and the Panda Express in those countless strip malls.

 

[Knight_Rider]

I find the food and environment better Tooting or East London, not to mention parking.

But I have always found the food better in Green Street compared with Southall. Dont get me wrong, There is always good restaurants in these places. The only reason I come here is during wedding time of close family relatives.

Parking is bad in Tooting and East London is further away from the rest of exciting places (in and outside London). From Heathrow it takes almost same amount of time to get to East London, as to Birmingham.

Dawat resturant in Tooting has very nice food though.

 

[Third_Umpire]

More the case of you never been to London or else you would know that there is no comparison.
Southall alone is twice the size of Devon Street in Chicago (Desi food street) and there are plenty more asian/ethnic Food streets in London.

True, that i cant claim to be an authority on the topic but I ve been to these places a few times and in my observation:
LA was in such a run down state, that i wouldn’t wanna spend much time there anyway. San Francisco is smaller and on the harbour side food area, i dont recall seeing any Desi/middle eastern eating outlet. Even outside in actual Bay area, there were only a few scattered here n there. England has a much higher population density and many different types of ethic areas are right next to each other. Even in lesser known areas of London like Tooting, Croydon and Ealing, you will find much more diverse food than anywhere in North america.

Lived in London for two years. We can agree to disagree

 

[imrankhannsu]

Parking is bad in Tooting and East London is further away from the rest of exciting places (in and outside London). From Heathrow it takes almost same amount of time to get to East London, as to Birmingham.

Dawat resturant in Tooting has very nice food though.

From my experience I always get parking in Tooting on the off roads near the restaurants. East London is trickier but not as bad as South Hall especially if you somehow manage to park in the large building car park where it takes ages just to get out of. I wouldnt say where Needos or Tayaab's is located really out of the exciting place, and IMO itself an exciting place in its own right. The OP doesnt mention what mode of transport or what kind of shopping so difficult to tell, but near East London you have Westfield.

Yes Dawat is a really good restaraunt. I used to go to Giftos but standard has dropped. Lahore Spices is quite nice in Tooting

 

[Pakistanian]

We have halal Afro Caribbean restaurants, pan Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, steal houses, burger joints, chicken joints, you name it the UK has it...

That's not unique to the UK lmaoo, you find all of that here. You even get halal korean bbq, halal pok-e, halal mexican, halal chinese etc

 

[Pakistanian]

Its true that atleast in UK Pakistani cuisine, beef is not easily available. This is because majority of Brit Pakistanis are kashmiris & Punjsbis and mostly prefer Mutton/Sheep. I am from Karachi and there we eat a lot of Beef but its not always easy to find in the grocery shops either.

Non-halal beef would be easier to find, as the local Angrez like eating it.

They're not Kashmiri, they're Paharis (Mirpuris) and their cuisine is different from Kashmiri food. Also most Pakistanis here are Punjabis and we have a lot of people from Azad Kashmir and people with actual Koshur heritage, in fact I have relatives that run ethnic Kashmiri restaurants.

 

[Knight_Rider]

So being ethnic kashmiri is some sort of Medal or what?

The context here is what food ppl prefer to eat. You may be getting carried away a bit for unknown reasons.

 

[King-Misbah]

You can find halal meat here easily, people that only eat zabiha have no trouble sticking to an only zabiha diet however we a lot of middle eastern and african muslims who don't follow zabiha, it has nothing to with availability of meat - it's just that our Muslim community is very diverse whereas in the UK, Desi Muslims are the vast majority and their preferences take priority over the other cultures.

I have been to the United States, in fact New York. The halal, Asian food does not stand up against the UK. We have people here comparing London; I tell you what the food up North in England is even better. We even have popular western franchises that serve halal here.

 

[Pakistanian]

I have been to the United States, in fact New York. The halal, Asian food does not stand up against the UK. We have people here comparing London; I tell you what the food up North in England is even better. We even have popular western franchises that serve halal here.

I think Toronto easily blows London out when it comes to halal food

 

[Pakistanian]

So being ethnic kashmiri is some sort of Medal or what?

The context here is what food ppl prefer to eat. You may be getting carried away a bit for unknown reasons.

It's not something to brag about, I was correcting your incorrect assertion that the Asians in the UK are "kashmiri" and that their cuisine predominated, most of them wouldn't be able to name like 3 koshur dishes without googling them. That's like me calling Iranian food, Lebanese. It's inaccurate.

 

[King-Misbah]

I think Toronto easily blows London out when it comes to halal food

Ive not been Toronto but yet again, I still believe that's an exaggerated claim.

 

[Knight_Rider]

It's not something to brag about, I was correcting your incorrect assertion that the Asians in the UK are "kashmiri" and that their cuisine predominated, most of them wouldn't be able to name like 3 koshur dishes without googling them. That's like me calling Iranian food, Lebanese. It's inaccurate.

Who cares about Koshur dishes? Never heard or seen anyone mentioning them.

Also you jump at every opportunity to correct ppl abt calling British Kashmiris as real Kashmiris. Regardless of what you would like to believe thats the commonly accepted colloquial used in Britain (and elsewhere) to refer to people belonging to the State of AJK (pre partition).

If you are really that much interested in discussing this topic, i suggest open a new thread. You will soon find out if people are interested in having a conversation.

 

[IMMY69]

That's not unique to the UK lmaoo, you find all of that here. You even get halal korean bbq, halal pok-e, halal mexican, halal chinese etc

Whats the lmao for???

Look at your post which I replied too and explain why you feel the need to “laugh” at my reply?

 

[Pakistanian]

Who cares about Koshur dishes? Never heard or seen anyone mentioning them.

Also you jump at every opportunity to correct ppl abt calling British Kashmiris as real Kashmiris. Regardless of what you would like to believe thats the commonly accepted colloquial used in Britain (and elsewhere) to refer to people belonging to the State of AJK (pre partition).

If you are really that much interested in discussing this topic, i suggest open a new thread. You will soon find out if people are interested in having a conversation.

Well you're not from Punjab like you said so you wouldn't know about Koshur dishes anyways, there more popular in Lahore and other cities where kashmiris settled. That's like saying who cares about vietnamese food just cause you can't name more than two dishes.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

Lol not really, UK food is boring and lacks variety plus the Pakistani food there also lack variety, many UK Pakistanis on here have even admitted to have never eaten beef while over here Pakisani-Americans consider beef a big part of cuisine, i think it's cause of the rural vs urban divide. Daal must be the preference in England lol.

When i went to UK, i noted that the Pakistani restaurants serve lamb for the same dishes like Nihari which here in US we would have as beef. I think its more due to the restaurants wanting to attract Hindu and Sikh customers as well, than a rural urban divide.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

What are you on about? I just had a double beef burger last night. I dont know who you have been speaking to. Halal food is so readily available in the UK, literally, roads full of only halal food. We dont have to travel miles like in the states; neither do we have to compromise our religion by eating non halal meat, like in the states. You need to exit your American bubble, a big world exists outside it.

The problem in the states is that our halal food is mostly Pakistani, Indian, Middle Eastern. We can eat that only so much. In the UK you have the advantage of getting other types of food as Halal, like you have a Halal Nandos. We don't have those options here.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

Which Pakistani have you talked to who hasn’t even beef? Lol

Beef is a MAJOR part of the Pakistani cuisine here

Peshawari kebab, chapli kebab, seekh kebab for example

When i went to London i noted that the Pakistani restaurants only served lamb. It was granted a small sample size though. Do Pakistani restaurants mostly offer beef? Maybe it was just bad luck on my part that the restarunts i went to that served lamb.

 

[Pakistanian]

The problem in the states is that our halal food is mostly Pakistani, Indian, Middle Eastern. We can eat that only so much. In the UK you have the advantage of getting other types of food as Halal, like you have a Halal Nandos. We don't have those options here.

You can find halal fast food all over America, of course the big chains only got halal food stores in NYC and Toronto but there are are brick and mortar halal restaurants that serve Classic American, Hispanic, European and (East) Asian food.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

Yes exactly. The only US city comparable to London (in terms of population) is NYC and even there, the Desi/Halal food scene isnt very exciting. I once went to Jackson Heights near Queens (i.e. the Desi area of NYC) and remember being underwhelmed. In the main NYC areas like Manhattan, the only halal food you can find are those ‘Food Trucks’ like The Halal Guys, selling pre-processed and cheapo takeaway stuff.
Last year i was in Edison, NJ which apparently has a large south asian community and even there the food street lacked any buzz and variety.

US food scene lack sophistication and real variety. Its full of generic ‘international’ food like Pizza Hut and the Panda Express in those countless strip malls.

As someone who lives in the US, but who has family in UK and has been there numerous times, I agree that our Pakistani food is not as good as the UK food. However the reason that we don't have as much variety in Halal is that 90% of the Pakistanis at least our willing to eat non Halal food.

And i disagree on the last part. Plenty of nice restaurants here. However if you are deep in the suburbs then you will see the generic restaurants, you need to be in the city, or close to it to have the variety.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

You can find halal fast food all over America, of course the big chains only got halal food stores in NYC and Toronto but there are are brick and mortar halal restaurants that serve Classic American, Hispanic, European and (East) Asian food.

Yea but we don't have as many as UK does. And here the population is more spread out. London is 12% Muslim. No US city, with maybe exception of NYC has anywhere close to that population. Toronto is different in 10 years it might have more variety than London.

 

[Knight_Rider]

As someone who lives in the US, but who has family in UK and has been there numerous times, I agree that our Pakistani food is not as good as the UK food. However the reason that we don't have as much variety in Halal is that 90% of the Pakistanis at least our willing to eat non Halal food.

And i disagree on the last part. Plenty of nice restaurants here. However if you are deep in the suburbs then you will see the generic restaurants, you need to be in the city, or close to it to have the variety.

US city centers are ghost towns outside office hours (bar few touristy places and maybe NYC). As mentioned, I ve checked out Jackson Heights in NYC, Devon street in Chicago and also Gerrards Street in Toronto (albeit 10 - 12 years ago). Can it get more ‘city’ than this?

 

[Pakistanian]

Yea but we don't have as many as UK does. And here the population is more spread out. London is 12% Muslim. No US city, with maybe exception of NYC has anywhere close to that population. Toronto is different in 10 years it might have more variety than London.

Idk dude the UK obviously has more muslims however it's predominately Desi and even their Asian and African communities lack the diversity and variety we have here, which is why I can easily find a dozen Halal Thai, Chinese and even Korean BBQ places in my city, I can find halal Italian restaurants run by Albanians, halal Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants run by Hispanic Muslims (a growing community in the South). In the UK besides maybe halal fast food, their halal offerings are entirely Desi and Middle Eastern, like outside of Shawarma, Doner Kebab, Mantu and Nihari they don't have much else.

 

[Pakistanian]

US city centers are ghost towns outside office hours (bar few touristy places and maybe NYC). As mentioned, I ve checked out Jackson Heights in NYC, Devon street in Chicago and also Gerrards Street in Toronto (albeit 10 - 12 years ago). Can it get more ‘city’ than this?

That doesn't take away the fact that you can find all these restaurants in a metropolitan area, driving from one part of town to another is no big deal here. Also halal restaurants generally congregate in certain areas so it's not that spread out.

 

[Knight_Rider]

Idk dude the UK obviously has more muslims however it's predominately Desi and even their Asian and African communities lack the diversity and variety we have here, which is why I can easily find a dozen Halal Thai, Chinese and even Korean BBQ places in my city, I can find halal Italian restaurants run by Albanians, halal Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants run by Hispanic Muslims (a growing community in the South). In the UK besides maybe halal fast food, their halal offerings are entirely Desi and Middle Eastern, like outside of Shawarma, Doner Kebab, Mantu and Nihari they don't have much else.

You dont know London too well. Its much more diverse than what you think.
And its more densely packed together, so you dont have to ‘hunt for civilization’.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

US city centers are ghost towns outside office hours (bar few touristy places and maybe NYC). As mentioned, I ve checked out Jackson Heights in NYC, Devon street in Chicago and also Gerrards Street in Toronto (albeit 10 - 12 years ago). Can it get more ‘city’ than this?

Jackson Heights and Devon street are desi areas. I have already admitted that our Pakistani food is not as good as the UK one.

Times have changed alot of people want to live in the city now. And because of this influx there are alot of nice spots in the cities now. No shortage of good food there.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

Idk dude the UK obviously has more muslims however it's predominately Desi and even their Asian and African communities lack the diversity and variety we have here, which is why I can easily find a dozen Halal Thai, Chinese and even Korean BBQ places in my city, I can find halal Italian restaurants run by Albanians, halal Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants run by Hispanic Muslims (a growing community in the South). In the UK besides maybe halal fast food, their halal offerings are entirely Desi and Middle Eastern, like outside of Shawarma, Doner Kebab, Mantu and Nihari they don't have much else.

Thats a lot more variety than i have seen. I guess with the population growing choices are increasing. Since i dont mind eating non halal, i have not really checked in years to see what restaurants in my area are offering halal. Will have to check it out.

 

[OhTwadi]

Nothing can beat Jalebi Junction, Southall.

 

[Pakistanian]

You dont know London too well. Its much more diverse than what you think.
And its more densely packed together, so you dont have to ‘hunt for civilization’.

We like our wide open spaces and freedom to drive around

 

[IMMY69]

When i went to London i noted that the Pakistani restaurants only served lamb. It was granted a small sample size though. Do Pakistani restaurants mostly offer beef? Maybe it was just bad luck on my part that the restarunts i went to that served lamb.

You will be hard pushed find a desi, Persian or Lebanese/Middle Eastern halal joint that serves beef.
It’s overwhelmingly lamb /mutton.

 

[Knight_Rider]

Lol, my small town on the edge of London is more urban in feeling than Chicago down town. The concept of a city is very different in UK and US. Australia is even stranger, i was once in Perth during the office rush hour and it felt like some kind of Zombie apocalypse.