Can a Muslim Eat in a Restaurant That Serves Pork Too?

Muslims living in non-Muslim countries or Muslim visitors to these countries often face a dilemma. Does Islam allow them to eat in a restaurant that serves pork and alcohol too apart from serving Halal or permissible food? The answer to this question is important for millions of Muslims living in non-Muslim majority countries.

`Abd al-Fattah Idris, professor of Islamic jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University, said If you know that the meat or any other food that is originally Halal for Muslims but is cooked with fats or oils extracted from pigs, then it is haram (prohibited) to eat this food.

Similarly, if the food is cooked where pork was cooked, e.g. in the same pot or pan, it becomes haram to eat it too, because the impurity and defilement of the pork will then be transferred to the Halal food being served as well.

Permissibility of Eating Food in the Restaurants That Serve Pork Too

In Japan, we have seen a lot of mainstream restaurants that serve Halal food dishes apart from serving their regular food (haram food) to their mainstream customers. Should you eat in those restaurants? That may depend on a lot of factors. You may want to confirm the following issues before you make a decision.

Do They Use Separate Utensils?

Personally speaking, we cannot eat there as the smell of pork being served is too much for us to bear.  But, we cannot issue any fatwa on this. You also need to verify whether they use separate utensils to cook and serve Halal food.

How Do They Store Their Food?

Food storage is another important factor to look at when deciding whether to eat at such restaurants. Do they use the same refrigerator or freezer to store Halal and haram foods? The best option for them would be to use separate fridges. If they can’t do so for whatever reasons they need to store Halal food over and above haram food so that Halal food does not become contaminated with the haram one.

Do They Keep Halal & Haram Foods Separately?

Another related question to ask them is whether they make a conscious effort to keep Halal and Haram food separate when cutting and preparing food. Or do they wash their hands etc. properly when preparing Halal food?

The most important reason for confirming these things is that you do not want any cross-contamination of food. Whether cross-contamination happens or not depends on the circumstances and conditions of each restaurant.

So if you have to go to these restaurants, you should eat other types of food that are not cooked in this way, such as fried fish, vegetables or the like. Alternatively, there are many other restaurants in the area that are Muslim owned and serve Halal food. You should try these instead.

However, if you have no other choice, the best thing to do is to check all their cooking procedures before ordering any food at such a restaurant.

There is another reason to choose a halal restaurant over those where you are not sure what you will be served. You should support those restaurants that are Muslim owned and serve 100% Halal food.

You may find it difficult to find such restaurants in your area. However, trying to find these types of restaurants will also give you peace of mind that most of us do not have.