Mohammad Ayaz, owner, at Crispy Halal on N. 2nd Street downtown
Harrisburg soon will welcome a new Halal restaurant downtown.
Crispy Halal, located at 209 N. 2nd St., will open as soon as the first week of June, according to Mohammad Ayaz, who owns the business with his father.
“There weren’t any spaces like this one in Harrisburg,” he said, of why they chose to open the location in the city. “There were other foods, but the halal, in the terms of a restaurant, per se, this is the [only] one that is here.”
The spot, last home to BurgerIM, will be Crispy Halal’s third restaurant site. The family currently operates locations in Allentown, opened in 2022, and Bethlehem, opened in 2025.
They entered the restaurant business after moving from New York City to the Lehigh Valley where they struggled to find authentic halal.
The restaurant serves Halal and Mediterranean food with some American options. The menu boasts platters of chicken, lamb, or falafel over rice as well as various gyros. Loaded fries, cheesesteaks, and chicken tenders are also on the menu.
Ayaz said the portion sizes are big enough that, for around $11 a meal, customers sometimes say they can get enough for both lunch and dinner.
“I want to give them food that’s worth their money,” he said.
The restaurant will be open seven days a week and stay open until 3 a.m. on weekends, Ayaz said, in order to offer a late-night food option for downtown’s bar crowd.
“They want to have something to eat,” Ayaz said.
Two partners will be managing the store alongside Ayaz’s family.
He said the Harrisburg community has been welcoming thus far.
“Just earlier, some guy came in, he was like, ‘Good job, you guys brought something new to the place,’” Ayaz said.
Mohammad Ayaz, owner
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