A man in a Warriors jersey holds a burrito in a takeout carton.
El Halal Amigos owner Hisham Abdelfattah shows off one of his restaurant’s burritos. For the Warriors’ Muslim Heritage Night, the burritos will be the first halal dish served inside Chase Center. (Courtesy of El Halal Amigos)
It’s been a month of milestones for the Golden State Warriors, who in recent weeks have seen Steph Curry swish his 4,000th three-pointer and then, just two nights later, watched as Steve Kerr became the team’s all-time winningest head coach.
Later this week, the Chase Center will mark another, more delicious breakthrough. For the first time ever, Warriors fans will be able to purchase halal food inside the arena — hefty, well-packed burritos from San Jose’s El Halal Amigos, to be specific. The halal-friendly burritos will be featured during the Dubs’ game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, April 4, which the team has designated as its fourth annual Muslim Heritage Night, in collaboration with food festival organizer HalalFest.
“It’s a big step right now in a most vital time — to be a Palestinian, to be a Muslim, and go into a very popular, brand new stadium and be recognized,” El Halal Amigos chef-owner Hisham Abdelfattah says.
In addition to the food, the event will also include official Warriors-branded Muslim Heritage Night T-shirts, opportunities for kids from local Muslim communities to high-five the players as they’re coming out of the tunnel, and a designated prayer room.
Fans cheer and dance on the jumbotron at Chase Center during a Warriors game.
Young Warriors fans cheer and dance on the jumbotron during the 2024 edition of Muslim Heritage Night. (Meriam Salem, courtesy of HalalFest)
Getting to serve halal food to young Warriors fans at the game feels particularly meaningful to Abdelfattah, who says he often felt left out as a Muslim kid growing up.