Halal food in Artesia, CA is easy to find once you know where to look and what to ask. The Pioneer Boulevard Little India district has South Asian restaurants, sweet shops and grocery stores, and on Norwalk Blvd, a short drive away, Ribs 'n' Kabobs serves HFSAA-certified, 100% Zabiha Halal BBQ and kabobs. Halal standards vary from one restaurant to the next, so this guide also covers how to check.
Ribs 'n' Kabobs is a family-owned, HFSAA-certified, 100% Zabiha Halal BBQ and grill restaurant at 18925 Norwalk Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701, serving Los Angeles County, Orange County and the rest of Southern California since 2014.
Where is the halal food in Artesia?
Artesia is a small city in Los Angeles County, close to the Orange County line and near the 91 and 605 freeways. For halal food, two streets matter. Pioneer Boulevard is home to the Little India district, where South Asian businesses sit side by side for a few blocks. Norwalk Blvd is where our restaurant is.
The two are a short drive apart, which makes it easy to shop on Pioneer and eat on Norwalk, or the other way round. If you are planning a whole visit around the boulevard, with what to do first and when to eat, our Little India visit guide covers that in detail. This page sticks to the food question: where to find halal meals in Artesia and how to know they are halal.
What kind of halal food can you find in Artesia?
More variety than most people expect from a small city. On Pioneer Boulevard you will find South Asian cooking, sweet shops selling mithai by the box, and grocery stores stocked with rice, spices and frozen snacks. It is the place to go for a South Asian grocery run or a box of sweets for the house.
Ribs 'n' Kabobs opened in 2014 and added something different to that mix: American BBQ that a halal family can order without asking questions. Today it describes itself as one of the very few halal BBQ houses in Southern California. So the honest summary of halal food in Artesia is this: South Asian food and shopping on Pioneer, hickory smoked BBQ and lava rock grilled kabobs on Norwalk.
Is every restaurant in Artesia halal?
No, and it is better to know that before you sit down. Some restaurants serve halal meat throughout, some only in certain dishes, some rely on a supplier's word with no certificate, and some are not halal at all. There is no single legal definition of halal in the United States, so a sign in the window is not proof.
Three questions sort it out quickly:
- Is all of the meat halal, or only some dishes?
- Who certifies it, and can I see the certificate?
- Is there pork or alcohol anywhere in the kitchen?
Ribs 'n' Kabobs answers all three the same way. Every item is 100% Zabiha Halal and hand-slaughtered, HFSAA-certified since 2014, with no pork and no alcohol on site. The HFSAA standard is public at hfsaa.org. We do not speak for other restaurants, and we would rather you ask them directly than take our word for it.
What halal food can you order at Ribs 'n' Kabobs?
The menu has two halves, and most tables order from both.
From the smoker. Beef Back Ribs and Short Ribs are smoked over hickory, low and slow, and served in Hickory Smoked BBQ, Korean BBQ, Spicy, Spicy BBQ and Tikka sauces. Brisket gets about 12 hours in the smoker and comes out as Brisket Burnt Ends, Loaded Fries, the Drip Beef Sandwich and a weekend special. The smoking process is explained on the Our BBQ page.
From the grill. Beef Seekh Kabob, Chicken Koobideh with sumac and saffron, Chicken Malai Kabob and the Grandma Recipe Lamb Seekh Kabob, all cooked on a lava rock grill, plus Lamb Loin Chops with a choice of Moroccan, spicy or jerk sauce.
Around those sit the things a mixed crowd wants: a Nihari Burger, tacos, wings, Chicken Biryani, Goat Curry, and daily specials such as Taco Tuesday and Tandoori Thursday. Desserts run from gulab jamun and kulfi to a loaded brownie, with mango lassi and chai to drink. The whole list is on the menu.
If BBQ is the reason you are searching, our post on halal BBQ in Los Angeles goes deeper on the ribs, the brisket and the sauces.
Is halal food in Artesia close to Cerritos, Norwalk and Lakewood?
Yes. Artesia sits among several cities in southeast Los Angeles County and northern Orange County, so halal food here is a short drive for a lot of people. Guests come in from Cerritos and Norwalk next door, from Lakewood, and from Buena Park across the county line, and many from Long Beach and the rest of Southern California make the trip for ribs and kabobs.
Catering delivery covers Artesia and nearby cities including Cerritos, Norwalk, Lakewood and Buena Park, with at least 24 hours notice for any order. Guests from farther away usually come in to eat or pick up.
How do you find Ribs 'n' Kabobs in Artesia?
Ribs 'n' Kabobs, 18925 Norwalk Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701. We are a short drive from the Pioneer Boulevard Little India district, near the 91 and 605 freeways. Directions and the catering request form are on the contact page.