AL SALAM RESTAURANT — Restaurant in San Juan

One of the only all-Halal restaurants in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately they do openly sell alcohol/wine, which is a red flag for any Muslim who dines in an alleged "Halal" establishment. The servers are able to communicate ok in English, the entire menu is middle-eastern/Arab-based. We had the kibbeh, which is like fried chickpea dough with meat inside, and lamb curry. It comes with pita bread and/or rice. The rice was nice, very mediterranean-esque in my opinion. The portion sizes are small and the place is upscale/pricy, but they were nice enough to accommodate us when they were about to close down their kitchen. The water here is also given in tiny portions and we had to tell them multiple times to refill our water. They also took quite some time to process our payment, so the service here is a little slow. The aesthetic is really nice, lots of Quranic/Arabic inscriptions as well as famous sites in the Middle East. The music is good too. And given how it's one of the only completely halal restaurants I can understand why it can be a bit upscale. There is also parking available...

I was on my way to eat some chicken wings near the area, when we spotted this restaurant and decided to eat there instead. Best decision made.

The place is spotless, the service was great and food is amazingly tasty. Covid protocol is practiced, we were asked at the door for our VAX IDs, and dispensed alcohol for our hands.

I've eaten Mediterranean food, but I can tell you that I have never tasted flavors like these. The waiter, although kind, was unexperienced , albeit they never let my cup of water empty but they couldn't really comment on most of the dishes, and I uknowingly spent a bit more on appetizers that my main dish could have included, although I . The owner eventually stepped in, and she was sweet, attentive. Showing how much she cared for us as customers and the quality of the food.

The food was delicious, and portions were big. The lamb I had was cooked to perfection, and the spices were a medley of what makes authentic Mediterranean food. Will definitely...

The food was solid, very good and came out pretty quick (which is pretty rare in island culture where everyone takes their time). Honestly would have been 5 stars for me but there was a slight transparency issue. The bill and the menu prices were a bit off, which I can understand during these times of rising pricing. They just need an update. Another minor bill related surprise was the surcharge for a side of hot sauce (I asked for it, and got a tiny spoon worth of hot sauce on the side with my lamb). Wasn't expecting a dollar added on bill for that. Again, not really a big deal, just lack...