Asian Taste 86

Asian Taste 86 in Long Island City is a halal Chinese restaurant serving the Muslim community of Queens with the familiar pleasures of pan-Chinese cooking prepared within Islamic dietary guidelines. The menu features a broad range of Chinese classics: crispy aromatic chicken, salt and pepper preparations, sweet and sour dishes, beef in black bean sauce, General Tso's and sesame chicken in halal versions, fried rice and lo mein in various permutations, dumplings, and the usual supporting cast of soups and appetizers. Everything is halal, from the meats to the stocks and sauces, which opens up the full experience of Chinese-American dining to Muslim customers who might otherwise have to navigate menus carefully. The dining room is informal and welcoming, suited to quick lunches, family dinners and takeaway orders. Long Island City has a substantial Muslim population of diverse origins — South Asian, Arab, Central Asian, West African, Afghan and more — and the presence of halal Chinese restaurants like Asian Taste 86 reflects the breadth of the community's dining preferences and the responsiveness of local restaurateurs to Muslim demand. During Ramadan the restaurant sees steady takeaway traffic as families pick up iftar meals, and the dining room welcomes groups of friends and families breaking their fast together. Eid weekends bring celebratory bookings. For a traveler in New York, a meal at a halal Chinese restaurant is a pleasant reminder of how varied the American halal dining landscape has become. Chinese cuisine is beloved across the American palate, and Muslim New Yorkers have the full pleasure of that cuisine thanks to restaurants willing to source halal meats and adapt their menus. Chinese Muslim heritage itself — the Hui and other Muslim communities in China have maintained their own halal cooking tradition for over a thousand years — gives halal Chinese food a deep historical resonance. Order across the menu, share dishes, and enjoy a meal that sits easily at the crossroads of Chinese culinary creativity and Muslim American life. The Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged gratitude for every meal, and a shared plate of good Chinese food carries that spirit well.