How to read our listings

01 We list what a place provides item by item

In the “What this place reports” section, we list these five items separately:

Pork and pork-derived ingredients, alcoholic drinks served, cooking sake and mirin, separation of cooking equipment, and prayer space.

For example, some places do not use pork but do serve alcohol. With the items listed separately, you can decide by looking only at the items that matter to you. Items left blank are not shown on the page.

02 For certified places, we add the certification body, scope and expiry date

We use the “Halal-certified” label only for places whose certification we have been able to confirm. We also list the certification body and the scope. We list the certificate number and expiry date when the business has given them to us or the certification body publishes them. Otherwise, we link to the certification body’s page, where you can check them.

For places listed from a certification body’s published list, we show the date we checked that list. If the list does not show an expiry date, we have not been able to confirm that the certification was valid on that date.

Certification does not always cover the whole place. Sometimes it covers only some dishes or products. Look at the scope and the expiry date together with whether the place is certified. We explain how in “How to read certification details”.

03 Sources and the date last confirmed

We make clear whether each piece of information came from the place itself, from documents we checked, or from our own confirmation. Each place’s page shows the source and the date the information was last confirmed.

Listings based on information provided by the business carry an “Information from the business” label and the note “This listing is based on information provided by the business.” For listings without this label, our editorial team compiles information published by the business itself, including on its official website, or by certification bodies and others. We include links to the source pages.

Menus and suppliers can change. If the information was last confirmed a long time ago, please check with the place before you visit.

04 “Not confirmed” means neither yes nor no

If we have not been able to confirm the basis for an item, we mark it “Not confirmed”. “Not confirmed” does not mean that the place provides it, or that it does not.

If an item you need is not confirmed, the surest way is to ask the place before you visit. We explain how to ask in “Is It Halal?” Is Not Enough: How to Ask When Checking at a Restaurant.

05 We do not use the “Muslim-friendly” label

This term means different things depending on the organization or local government that issues it. If we used it with our own meaning, readers could not check what it covers. So we do not put a “Muslim-friendly” label on places. We explain why in What Does “Muslim-Friendly” Mean? How It Differs from Halal Certification, and Standards That Vary by Who Uses the Label.

06 Reviews and shared experiences are kept separate from place details

We show users’ experiences in a separate section from the place details. A shared experience is the poster’s own experience, and does not guarantee what the place provides. To check what a place provides, see the place details above that section.