Is IHOP Halal?

IHOP is a breakfast chain with more than 1,800 restaurants, most of them run by franchise owners ^[1]. Its US menu is built around pancakes, eggs and breakfast meats, and many classic combos include bacon, ham or pork sausage.

As of November 2026, IHOP does not publish a halal policy for its US restaurants and names no halal certifier. HMS, a US halal certifier, says it has neither certified IHOP nor inspected the suppliers behind its meat ^[4]. With no certificate and no official statement, the chain-wide answer is "not certified."

That does not mean every item has pork. Pancakes, waffles and eggs have no meat. But they are cooked in kitchens that also handle pork, often on the same griddle. Some pancake batters and toppings may also contain ingredients that some Muslims check, such as gelatin or vanilla extract. Ask the branch if you are unsure.

Because most IHOP restaurants are franchised, a few owners have chosen to make their branch halal.

• Totowa, New Jersey. The branch on Route 46 launched a halal menu for Ramadan in 2023 and then made it year-round, according to local news citing the restaurant's own posts. The restaurant said halal orders are cooked at a separate station, with turkey bacon in place of pork. No certifier was named ^[5]. Customer reviews on IHOP's own location page also mention the halal menu ^[2].
• Southern California. NPR reported that franchise owner Mohammad Ashraf started a halal menu at his IHOP back in 2009 ^[6].
• Tujunga, California. A halal restaurant directory reports that this branch began offering halal menus for suhoor in 2022 and is now fully halal ^[3].

These are decisions made by the franchise owners, not by IHOP as a company. A halal IHOP in one town tells you nothing about the IHOP in the next town. Before you order, ask the branch who certifies its meat and whether pork has been removed from the kitchen.

IHOP has restaurants in Canada, Mexico and several other countries ^[1]. In the Gulf, the franchise group Alshaya began opening IHOP restaurants in 2012, and IHOP now operates in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar ^[1]. When the first Dubai branch opened in 2012, IHOP's parent company said its meats there were halal-certified turkey ham, veal sausage and beef bacon ^[7].

We could not find a current published halal certificate for these branches online. If you want proof, ask the restaurant to show its certificate.

In Canada, we found no official halal statement for IHOP branches.

If you travel, treat each country separately. The company that runs IHOP in one region picks its own suppliers, so the halal answer can change at the border. A branch in Dubai and a branch in Toronto may buy their meat from completely different sources.

Use these steps before you order:

1. Ask if the branch is halal. Most US branches will say no.
2. If they say yes, ask for the certificate. Check the certifier's name and the date.
3. Ask about pork. A halal branch should have removed pork bacon, ham and sausage. Ask whether they use turkey bacon or beef bacon instead.
4. Ask about the griddle. At a regular branch, pancakes and eggs are often cooked near pork.

For other breakfast and fast-food options, compare Dunkin' and McDonald's.