This Beaverton Egyptian and Iraqi restaurant serves an expansive, eclectic menu that covers classics from both countries — Lamb shanks arrive both as the fall-apart tender, braised quzi ala timman, an Iraqi preparation served over rice, as well as a take on fatta, an Egyptian dish with rice, pita chip-like crisps, and garlicky, tomato-y sauce. However, it’s hard to skip yet another preparation of lamb shanks, which caramelizes them with pomegranate molasses and a fragrant blend of saffron and cardamom. The Egyptian-style roast chicken, with beautifully browned skin and a biryani-esque rice laden with raisins and nuts, is another winner.

Marrakesh is a Portland institution, known for its belly dance shows and prix fixe dinners of bastilla and tagine. Marrakesh sources halal meats for its dishes, from its chicken-prune tagine to its chicken-topped couscous. For a special iftar feast, bring a group and splurge on Marrakesh’s mechoui, a whole lamb cooked on a spit over a charcoal fire.

Positioned between the Portland Art Museum and Keller Auditorium, this colorful halal cart is a fun spot to refuel while bopping around downtown. Visitors will find generously stuffed gyro and saj, as well as plates stacked with kofta and squares of honey-sticky baklava.

This Old Town Moroccan cafe serves nuanced tagines and powdered sugar-dusted chicken bastilla alongside shiny metal pots of mint tea. Kasbah sources halal meats for dishes like Moroccan kefta or the house-made Merguez lamb sausage, available as a tagine or a sandwich. The bastilla here is a must-order, flaky pastry giving way to a well-spiced chicken core.

Portland’s most famous Iraqi restaurant, Dar Salam serves its doughnut-shaped falafel and queema, a lamb stew with chickpeas, on both sides of the river. At its Alberta outpost, families eat slow-cooked lamb shanks accompanied by jammy eggplant stew or pickled mango salad. All of Dar Salam’s meats are organic and halal; with its various celebratory dishes, it’s a strong option for iftar.

This Southeast Powell food cart, in the John’s Marketplace pod, stuffs lightly blistered flatbread with well-seasoned halal lamb or little balls of falafel, joined by lettuce, tomato, pickles, olives, and tzatziki. The wraps are available with thinner saj or thicker pita, depending on the diner’s ideal bread-to-stuff ratio; regardless of the choice, these wraps are gargantuan with nice attention to detail, balancing zippy sauces with plenty of pops of brine or pickle. For dessert, an order of pistachio baklava is a must.

Montavilla neighbors are all long familiar with Ya Hala, which has served Lebanese food on Stark Street for more than two decades. When looking to eat halal at Ya Hala, lamb is your safest bet — all of the lamb Ya Hala sources is halal — available as shawarma or kabob. The restaurant’s lemon chicken is also halal, which arrives juicy and tender with hummus, toum, cabbage salad, the garlicky potato dish batata harra, and grilled pita. Plus, all vegan dishes on the menu should be halal as well, which means meals can begin with Ya Hala’s lovely hummus or baba ghanoush.

Located within the Eastport Food Carts, Taste of Afghan does explore a wider breadth of cuisines from around the region, but its best dishes stick to the country referenced in its name. The cart adorns tender mantoo dumplings with tomato, yogurt, and mint sauces, which diners devour to reveal their core of beautifully seasoned beef. Pair them with the kabuli pulao, an Afghani rice dish that derives its layers of flavor from whole spices like cardamom and cumin and the subtle sweetness of raisins.