Abu Omar Halal has swapped its food truck window for a full storefront in Webster, opening a new Mediterranean street food restaurant at Bay Area Plaza, 105 W. Bay Area Blvd. The brand now counts 19 locations across Texas, and the Webster shop keeps hours that stretch well past midnight, daily from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. and until 3 a.m. on weekends.
The move marks the chain's shift from operating out of a food truck to a brick-and-mortar location, according to a city social media post cited by Community Impact. The menu at the new location includes chicken and beef shawarma, lamb gyros, falafel, kabob platters, rice bowls, loaded fries, shawarma quesadillas and arabi meals, per that same city post. Abu Omar Halal's Clear Lake location is at 580 El Dorado Blvd, according to Voyage Houston Magazine.
The brand traces back to June 2011, when Jordanian immigrant Mohammad Altawaha — known as Abu Omar — founded it in Houston as the city's first dedicated halal food truck. It originally ran as “Abu Omar Taco” before pivoting entirely to Middle Eastern street food and shawarma, according to QSR Magazine. Altawaha had immigrated to Houston in 2008 for graduate studies before entering the restaurant industry.
A Launching Pad for Houston's Halal Scene
Since starting as a single truck, Abu Omar Halal has grown into a multi-state brand with more than 25 food truck and storefront locations spread across Texas, Florida, California and Oklahoma, per the company's own account. Ahmad Kilani founded halal hot chicken chain Clutch City Cluckers in 2021, according to Clutch City Cluckers' own company history. Juicy Joint launched as a food truck concept in 2024.
Bay Area Blvd Becomes a Halal Dining Corridor
Abu Omar Halal isn't the only halal concept setting up shop along the Webster strip this month. Juicy Joint, the Wagyu burger chain founded by Kilani, has its own Webster opening planned at 1806 W. Bay Area Blvd this month, turning the corridor into a hotspot for fast-casual halal competition.
Abu Omar Halal is open until 2 a.m. daily and 3 a.m. on weekends.
Riding a National Halal Growth Wave
The Webster opening lands amid sweeping growth projections for halal food nationally. Market research firm IMARC Group valued the U.S. halal food market at $733.6 billion in 2025 and projects it will top $1.62 trillion by 2034, driven by a U.S. Muslim population of roughly 3.5 million as of 2024 and rising demand among non-Muslim diners seeking halal-certified products, according to IMARC Group.
Separate industry analysis from Technavio projects the U.S. halal food market to grow by $23.83 billion between 2025 and 2030.
Abu Omar Halal's Webster location is open daily, with menu details and hours available at www.abuomarhalal.com.
