Cheesesteak nachos, Uzbeki samsa, and more at Philly Halal Food Festival in Phoenixville

For over a year, Noor Bowman wondered what a food festival celebrating Philly-area Muslims would look like. Sitting in her parents’ West Philly home a month ago, she decided it was time to find out.

The 22-year-old Drexel student contacted community leaders and founders of Khair Community Center in Phoenixville. She knew they would be enthusiastic and ready to collaborate, having hosted other large events at their facility in the past. Then, Bowman tapped Tabish Hoda, who runs the popular Instagram account @phillyhalalspots, and recent Temple graduate Najah Siddiq to help organize the Philly Halal Food Festival.

“The vision for this festival is togetherness — togetherness that comes with eating food,” she said. “This festival is for Muslims and non-Muslims alike who are interested in learning more about all the amazing cultures that [the Muslim community] comes from.”

From the World Halal Food Festival in London to the Houston Halal Food Fest, festivals showcasing halal food celebrate the diversity of the cuisine. On Oct. 28, Philly will have its first halal food festival with 25 to 30 restaurants and vendors offering halal, or food permissible in Islam, at the Phoenixville mosque.

The aim is to highlight Muslim-owned and halal-serving restaurants and businesses in the Greater Philadelphia area so that one day “we could have a halal restaurant week and inspire non-Muslim vendors and restaurants to cater to the Muslim population,” said Bowman, who wants to get more halal options on Drexel’s campus and make dining out in Philly “more accessible for everyone.”

“We want [the festival] to start a trend — this is going to be, Inshallah, the first event, but the goal is to organically grow it and make it bigger every year,” Hoda said.

Bowman chose the mosque outside the city to bridge the gap between Muslim folks in the city and in the suburbs.

“This is a prime place because many people in that area don’t have access to really good halal food, and I was like, we can change that,” she said. “We can introduce some of the suburban communities to the inner city brands and vice versa.”

Bowman, Hoda, and Siddiq plan to have a plethora of dishes at the festival, from Uzbeki samsa, similar to a samosa, to Philly cheesesteak nachos. When it comes to halal cuisines, “there’s so much more than just chicken and rice,” Bowman said.

The festival is noon to 8 p.m., on the grounds of Khair Community Center with tables and tents set up nearby. There will be bounce houses for kids, and the mosque will be open for prayers and restroom use.

Tickets are $5 in advance online and $7 at the door for entry, plus it’s pay-as-you-go for food and drinks.

There are over 25 food vendors signed up for the festival so far. There will be soul food like fried chicken and candied yams from Sy’s Palace in Northwest Philly, savory and sweet baked goods like chicken pot pies and chocolate ganache cake from Bilal’s Bakery in Jenkintown, water ice from Siddiq’s in West Philly, Ethiopian favorites like injera platters and sambusa from Salam Cafe in Germantown, and much more.

The organizers are still looking for vendors. Interested restaurants can email phillyhalalfoodfestival@gmail.com or direct message the Instagram page @phillyhalalfoodfest to request a vendor form. Expect to pay $175 to be a food vendor and $75 for dessert and beverage.

🚇 If you’re headed from City Hall, there are two routes: the Manayunk/Norristown Line and 99 bus or the 124 bus and 99 bus. You’ll arrive at the Oaks Shopping Center, where you’ll have to hop in a rideshare (5 minutes) or walk (about 27 minutes) to the mosque.

🚗 Drivers, take I-76 W from John F Kennedy Boulevard to US-422 W and follow Egypt Road/SR 4002/State Route 4002. There’s a parking lot at the mosque for free parking.