Omar’s Xinjiang Halal Restaurant

The. Best. Meat. Pie. Ever. Ever. Ever. Especially if you like lamb. And even if you don’t like lamb, you’d like this! Yes, it’s greasy, yes, it’s oily… but trust me, your arteries won’t be angry with you.
The flavors of the meat pie are perfect. The ground lamb is tender and juicy. The vegetables mixed inside with the oils makes this the perfect, slightly sweet flavor combination. I am daydreaming about this as I type!
We also ordered the hand pulled noodles. They are legit hand pulled. You can WATCH the lady make those noodles in the kitchen side! This dish was really good in flavor, and a bit oily… so if you’re a health freak, let this be a cheat day for you. This place is wrth it!
This place is Cash Only, so make sure that you’re ready. Also, parking can be a pain… there should be street parking available if their 4 car lot is full. Can’t wait to come back here and indulge in lamb meat pie heaven!!!

This is one of my favorite places to eat at when I’m in the LA area. There is not a ton of variety and the food is definitely not low calorie, but it’s a nice treat! I love their hand pulled noodles and my husband loves their lamb dishes. They only take cash and I don’t think there is a public restroom, which are things I hope they work on in the future.

Wow! This place is so good. Authentic Xinjiang food through and through. The da pan ji was wonderful, and the rou bin was good too — not to mention the lamb skewers. Omar’s simply hit the spot. While a bit on the pricey side, we were very pleased with the food and the friendly service. Looking forward to going back (and trying the lagman next time)!

Authentic Uyghur all the way around: from the décor, the micro-​scale of the operation, to having kiddos on school break taking orders, and, of course, the food.
The Big Plate Chicken steals the show despite Omar’s being a lamb specialist. It’s a double portion of a thick curry soup with potatoes, bone-​in chicken pieces. The hand pulled noodles were thick & chewy and requires scissors to serve them. Big plate chicken is loaded with coriander seeds, has lots of salt, and star anise. The price more than reflects the double portion. I believe it was $ 23.99 at the time of writing which is very expensive for any Asian chicken noodle dish in this neighborhood regardless of double portion.
The lamb skewers (4 in an order) were very flavorful, but each skewer was a bit puny and it tasted simply like Lawry’s seasoned salt (paprika salt) was sprinkled all over it. I would Pass on this dish.
The lamb noodle soup had deep, smooth, clean lamb flavor without being greasy at all. But it had only the smallest flakes of lamb in it. The noodles were hand pulled, but were thin as to not offend the delicate flavor of the soup, which is definitely the point of the dish, only I wish there was more lamb in the dish.
The meat pie is quite original, fried, flat, piroshki-​like, bursting with lamb flavor, but skimpy on the meat. It’s a little dribbly in oil. But in the oil is also the ground lamb juices and thus the flavor as well. The verdict: Worth getting this dish again.

Seems like a nice cozy place. They serve halal food.
Their main theme is lamb and they have a very small menu. No beef dish.
I think it’s menu suits mostly the Chinese community. I found the lamb not fully cooked and the prices were relatively high as well. U cannot find dishes like mangolian beef etc here.
There are some chicken dishes.
I found their Artesia branch better.
Also they only take CASH

step into this restaurant and you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to some part of western china. the décor is definitely ethnic? doesn’t seem like the cleanest place. the condiments had dust all over it. very small parking lot.
the food was not very memorable.
had the meat pie, lamb noodle soup and the lamb kebabs. i’ve definitely had better lamb kebabs and the meat pie was not crisp. there wasn’t much meat filling and it was pretty expensive for the size. the noodle soup was a bit bland and smelled funky.
i don’t think i’d want to return to this place!

I actually love this restaurant for its food! Their lamb kebabs are juicy and flavorful. Their big plate chicken is really huge and filling. I’ve been coming here for their authentic Xinjiang cuisine for years and I’ve recommended this place to so many people.
Why the 1 star review then?
During my last visit, I witnessed one of the waitresses drop a piece of dough that she was going to use to make noodles on the floor and just picked it up and put it back on the kitchen counter without rinsing or cleaning it, and continued to use that piece of dough, that was dropped on the floor, to make noodles. I was so shocked and disappointed! Now I know why so many Unilocalers reported that this place was closed for awhile. I don’t think I’ll be coming back again. It sucks because this used to be a hidden gem on my list. The owner really should be stricter on their waitresses. The waitress who did this was a tall slender middle aged lady.
I know it’s unfair that I actually saw this myself and maybe this kind of act happens in the kitchens of many restaurants, but this is something that cannot be unseen. I just can’t trust the cleanliness of this restaurant again. It makes me sad to have to leave such a harsh review, but it is what it is.
P. S. The food quality has also consistently gone down.
P. S.S. Don’t ever expect good service from this place. Cuz you’re never gonna get it never gonna get it. lol~

So finally got to try this place out when relatives wanna to try it a few weeks ago. One first comment is, this is a lamb eaters heaven. Why the 3 stars tho… here’s why
Service:
As a very observant person, the lady (think is the owner) was not very nice. Never smiled. You order and that was that. Then when i others who speak her language walks in, the attitude changes. She smiles and chats a few more words. I was interested in the décor and amazed watching them make the noodles fresh as you order by hand. Although i felt a bit uncomfortable when she kept looking back at me with this look of «what you looking at? Gotta problem?» kinda expression. Oh well. Maybe its a cultural thing. Not going to judge much on that one.
Cleanliness:
It’s a hole in a wall kinda place and a very small one. So don’t complain if its old and dirty since you know what to expect walking in. Same if you have to wait since they probably have no more than 8 tables.
Food:
Almost everything is lamb and/​or chilli. So if you can’t eat those items, this is NOT for you. If you do, this is indeed lamb heaven. Their lamb dishes are full of flavors and homemade noodles are delicious and cooked el dante. Their kitchen is wide open to seating area where you can literally see your noodles and meat pies being made.
Although i dont care too much for lamb, i truly loved their din-​din noodles. Very flavorful and saucy. Their meat pies were juicy and has mixtures of veggies in it. Love their fresh goats yogurt. Which is tarty and just a hint of the gamey-​ness is noted. Good enough for me. The hot milk tea is salty version and its not bad. Just make sure u drink it fast because it doesn’t taste very good cool.
Cost:
To me, it’s extremely pricey for what you get. Portion not too bad but not worth paying almost over $ 12 per dish for and especially for a hole in the wall place. To me, your pretty much paying for their specialty and their made to order noodles.
Definitely a place to try but not good enough for me to be a regular.

Get dat Big Plate Chicken with the knife cut noodles! Homemade hand stretched noodles right after you order. It’s one continuous noodle so they give you scissors to cut it to your liking. The noodles are flat, broad, and chewy; the perfect noodles. The flavor of the Big Plate Chicken is intensely aromatic with cumin, red chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns that numb your tongue when you bite it on contact, tons of garlic and packed with spices that tickle your taste buds. The chicken is chopped in huge chunks with bone on for more flavor. The sauce that comes with the plate had a curry flavor but a lot thinner in consistency. I highly recommend this plate and it is their house special. Can’t forget the meat pie with ground lamb, veggies, and tons of herbs and spices packed in a nice au jus. I’m not a huge fan of lamb but this dish was delicious. Plus, like every or almost every Chinese restaurant, they provide condiments on the table; you must put the chili oil on everything. You shant regret it. Our last dish was the cumin lamb; lots of flavor and the meat wasn’t gamy. It was very tender and had a beef like texture. My friend and I ate in silence; the food was much too good for conversation to take place. The service was very friendly and welcoming. The server made sure our waters were filled and checked in on us to see if we needed anything else. I’m glad we came on an off hour because I heard they can get packed and it is a small restaurant. After we were done eating, we still had plenty left over to take home! Be prepared; cash only, like any old skool Azn restaurant. But, totally worth the inconvenience of going to an ATM to pull out some dough. I need to go back to try the other noodle dishes! This place serves Halal food so no pork because the people living in the Xinjiang region of China are mostly practicing Muslims. So, the food is fusion but every dish is very familiar and very tasty! Hidden gem! Go!

Savory lamb kabobs and meat pie. Excellent thick chewy hand-​pulled noodles. Nice staff.

Okay lol this is weird as hell… I’m at the restaurant right now writing this review. I have been here for 5 mins now and everybody is just ignoring me… Lol I don’t even know why… This place is so small too, only a few tables… Maybe I should just walk out :/​this is so weird, I don’t even know how to feel about this lol
Okay I finally decided to just walk out. It was like I was invisible lol receiving bad service would be better than this lol I’m so shocked that I’m not even mad lol just funny

The one star is for the most impatient staff (I hope she was not the owner otherwise the restaurant won’t survive long). I understand that the place is close at 3 pm for lunch shift; called around 2 pm asking them if it’s okay to get there by 2:50. She informed me to order first, I told her I would call later because I need to look at menu and everything.
When I called again by 2:40, she says she doesn’t have this chicken dish, so I assume, okay, then I will
Order something else; after I ordered everything, she asked: when will you be here? I told her again right before 3 pm.
She started yelling saying: u can’t finish ur food in 3 mins!!! We close at 3 pm!!! Everyone is tired. We can’t just wait for u to eat!!! Etc…
Okay… I get it, u close at 3 pm, then why did u take my order? Couldn’t u tell me ur restaurant is closed by 3 pm not the kitchen?
Confusions occur very often when u are making phone calls, but HER ATTITUDE!!!
When I said: okay, I understand, I don’t want to argue. «she KEPT GOING like crazy, wouldn’t stop yelling even by the time I hung up!!!
I was Very amazed; sure u had the energy to yell at me but no patience to tell me: sorry can’t take the order, everything closes at 3 pm.
Anyways, it’s a long ass review, but I WAS PISSED

I always say I’m on a diet. And majority of the week I am, unless when I need to go see my chiro who is located near most of my bookmarked places.
And that is my solid excuse for trying this place which, by the way, I’ve had on my list for over a year now.
What a surprise inside. It’s like walking into my grandma’s dining area/​kitchen. Very unpretentious. I instantly felt weirdly at home even though I don’t speak Chinese.
Meat pie (5 stars)
Not as huge as the other meat pies I’ve tried but the flavor is good. I choose quality over quantity any time.
Lamp skewers (5 stars)
I cringed as I ordered this considering most of the lamb dishes I’ve tried from restaurants were always too gamey but the risk paid off. Great seasoning, love the spiciness and perfect with rice.
Salted soy milk (3 stars)
This, I say, is an acquired taste. Not for me.
Just another day of fatty misadventures.

Wow this place is amazing. Only in LA can you get something obscure like Chinese Halal fusion food. The décor inside feels like a hippie house mixed with Chinese Islamic art.
My sister and I shared a big plate chicken which they told us ahead of time it would take 30 mins. The noodles are all hand rolled while you want and the chicken is tender and flavorful. The portion is also huge! Eat the noodles and take the rest to go. You can put in more noodles at home and make another bowl of soup with it.
The lamb skewers are very good. It’s one of the best I’ve had in LA and possibly anywhere. (The street vendor ones in China have too much fat and not enough lamb.)
We also got the yogurt which has a consistency that is between the 99 Ranch Beijing yogurt and plain greek yogurt. It’s definitely interesting and worth a try.

Came here for lunch. The lamb meat pie was delicious — I definitely recommend it. The Big Chicken Plate was good too; I really enjoyed the sauce. The Big Chicken Plate takes a while though, so be prepared to wait.
My friend ordered the salted milk, but I had to finish it for him. I think that one’s definitely an acquired taste.
The service was alright, nothing particularly stood out about that.
Overall, a pretty good restaurant for trying this unique cuisine.

Came here a while back for a late night dinner with my friend. It’s my first time having this type of cuisine and was very unfamiliar with the menu. Thankfully the waiter was very kind and gave us his suggestions.
We ended up ordering two things to share, per the suggestion of the waiter,. a giant dish of hand pulled noodle with chicken, and a lamb ribs dish (without bone).
I wish i can remember the names of the dishes, but I can’t. However, overall the meal was very pleasant and delicious. I’m normally not a big fan of lamb, but with the spices and seasoning used on the lamb, it was very good and mask some of the gamey/​lamb flavor that can be overwhelming sometimes.
The portions were substantial and way too much food for two people. The noodle dish was quite saucy and complimented the drier lamb dish.
I would come back. They have small parking lot with limited seating inside. Good intro to Chinese/​Islamic fusion/​Halal cuisine. Different than what you’ll usually get in 626

Omar’s is a small restaurant that has a very homey, hole-​in-​the-​wall feel. They have a small parking lot in the back or you can opt for street parking. The menu is not extensive and based on the Unilocal reviews, it’s apparent what dishes seem to be popular. Of the workers, only one lady spoke English and she seems to also be a chef, among other roles.
The lamb skewers were good. They were heavily spiced, which I felt took away from the lamb. It did have a nice, spicy kick to it! I loved the meat pie. It was very flavorful and yes, greasy. When I took a bite out of the meat pie, a stream of hot oil shot into my brother’s ear. While it was hilarious, I write this to heed caution to future diners. Oh, and don’t come here wearing white. You may end up with grease stains and splashes of sauce on you. The ox tripe was lightly deep fried and pretty good! I don’t like ox tripe but this dish was surprising. It comes tossed with a slightly sweet and tangy sauce.
The big chicken plate takes longer to come out. They hand pull the noodle. It is topped with a bunch of peppers so it is spicy. There is plenty of sauce on the big plate. I thought that the noodles would be chewier considering it’s homemade. However, it was a bit harder and had a bite to it. I had to eat with my face close to the plate because sauce was just splashing everywhere.
So my favorites ended up being the ox tripe and meat pie. The big plate chicken is worth trying out but it didn’t blow me away unfortunately. Service was a bit lacking. I felt as if every time I asked for something, I was being an inconvenience. Glad I tried this place out but don’t know if I’d return anytime soon.

In the San Gabriel Valley, there is a plethora of Chinese cuisine. But, how about Chinese ISLAMIC cuisine? How about TASTY Chinese Islamic cuisine? Well, this is definitely the spot! Now, if you’re expecting Chinese food, you can just forget it and go elsewhere. There are plenty of those joints in the SGV. BUT, if you want to feel as though you’ve been transported somewhere along the Silk Road, you and your caravan can enjoy a great meal here. :)
Located about two blocks south of Valley Blvd, on the southwest corner of New Ave and W Ralph St, Omar’s is a non-​de script looking restaurant from the outside. Actually, it’s almost easy to miss. Once you do find it, you will be happy to know there is a modest sized parking lot in the back. And if you can’t find parking in the lot, no need to worry! There is plenty of parking along Ralph Street.
This restaurant is simple, consisting of a few booths, a few detached tables, many colorful doppas or skull caps, decorating the walls, along with scriptures from the Qur’an, and a few tapestries depicting images along the Silk Road, all under unflattering fluorescent lighting. I LOVE it!
Several times in the past, I have traveled to Central Asia. And trying to find places that serve this distinct cuisine is REALLY hard to come by in LA, which is surprising since we have almost every food imaginable! I do remember that there was one Uzbek restaurant in Hollywood, conveniently located near Mashti Malone’s, where everytime I’d eat there, other patrons would stare at me and even stop me, asking if I was Uzbek. I used to get that a lot, especially when I traveled to that part of the world. I do look ethnically ambiguous. Good for traveling. Anyway! I digress! That place has since closed. Boo! But, thankfully, there is Omar’s. This place and their food definitely reminded me of my time in Central Asia: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan. Don’t ask me why I was there.
The cuisine here distinctly comes from the Uyghur people, an ethnic minority group of the Xinxiang province of western China, where almost all are followers of Islam. Peace be upon them! And so, knowing that they are Muslims, their meat is going to be halal. Treating animals with dignity before they are consumed, as God intended, makes me want to «halal»!
Like I said before, this is NOT Chinese food, per se.
Now, before you start ordering food, you should definitely first order HOT TEA. Believe me, you will need it later!
The showcase item at this place are the hand-​pulled noodles. People usually order the big plate chicken pulled noodle dish, but we decided on ordering the lag ma (very popular and traditional dish of Central Asia). It is a stir fried dish of lamb, veggies such as celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, and cabbage. And while we waited, it was fun and amazing to watch that guy pull those noodles like nobody’s business! Think freshly made udon noodles.
When we got our lag ma, we COULD NOT stop eating those noodles! They had a wonderful slippery chewy texture, again like udon noodles. The combination of lamb and veggies was so comforting. It definitely brought about feelings of nostalgia, taking me back to my days in Central Asia. And for a moment, I had forgotten that I was still in LA. It’s amazing how food can do that to a person! So many memories. :) The dish was very flavorful (most likely because of the fat used, which left a thin film at the roof of our mouths – hence the need for hot tea!)
The other item we ordered were the lamb kabobs. They were four well seasoned skewers – definitely could taste the cumin (a very popular spice in this type of cuisine as well as for the rest of the Islamic world). They definitely added to our lag ma.
The other item we ordered, which happens to be their most popular dish – the meat pie. This «pie» visually looks similar to a large round empanada, but tastes nothing like an empanada. It is a lovely and very filling billowy concoction of mutton, and minced veggies (once again, with that delicate cumin seasoning). After one bite, you’re not gonna wanna stop! This stuff is addicting! It’s probably all that fat. Oh, one thing about Central Asia culture – they love their animal fat! And you know what? They aren’t plump or obese people. Hmm… They also aren’t sedentary people, but historically are nomadic. That soft, flakey, fatty meat pie is heaven!
And after a while of eating that meat pie, the roof of your mouth will develop a thin film of solidified fat. It’s kind of gross, but it comes from eating foods from this part of the world. It makes for a more authentic experience. Can’t bear it much longer? Well, thankfully, drinking hot tea does the trick for removing that film of fat!
This is very delicious food that, in my opinion, is best enjoyed during the cooler months and is best shared for the food can leave one feeling «heavy». It’s definitely not everyday food, but definitely a treat for once in a while!

Omar’s features the cuisine of East Turkestan which is in central Asia inhabited for thousands of years by the Uighur/​Uyghur, who are a Turkic ethnic speaking people. From about the 1^st century to about the 9^th, they created great centers of learning for Buddhism which originated in northern India, but since their land lay along the Silk Road for trade, starting with the 9^th century, they converted to Islam & again started centers of Islamic scholarship.
The Silk Road, which was a series of trade routes that linked the Mediterranean region to the west & Eastern Asia was the conduit for trade, goods, culture, religions, philosophies, & technologies as well as diseases. These routes were so effective in disseminating trade that objects from India, Iran, Greece, Rome and Egypt from around the 8^th century are stored at Sho-​so-​in imperial warehouse built around 756 CE in Japan.
Omar’s looks like a take over of a former Mexican restaurant w/​a mishmash of decorative elements: mismatched frilly embroidered table cloths & curtains, posters & tapestries depicting Uighur festivals, religious sites, pill box hats, musical instruments. It’s homey like a place your Uighur aunt would have in a comfortable home in Kashgar. The dining area has tables & booths, but the small space is not ideal for large groups. There is an «open kitchen» area where if you are angled right, you can see the hand pulled noodles being made.
1) Garlic Cucumbers are crispy, cool, juicy Japanese cucumbers cut thick dressed w/​pungent, pureed raw garlic; nutty, aromatic sesame oil; possibly sea salt & dash of ground cumin. Refreshing yet full of satisfying Umami leaving a sharp funky, sharpness from the raw garlic. This would pair well with the following meat dishes.
2) Lamb Kabobs on a skewer were cooked to medium well, but turned out moist, inflected with a touch of fattiness & good chewy meat texture. There was a slight gaminess, but the salt & powdered cumin overpowered any strong wild flavours. Good introduction to the meal.
3) Meat Pie reminded me of a thinner version of the Chicago style Stuffed Pizza. There is oven heat bubbled, golden brown dough crust above & below crimped together at the outer edge to form an intricate rope pattern w/​a thin stuffing of sautéed seasoned minced lamb meat & vegetables sandwiched in between. Better to eat this quickly since the crust does get soggy. The crust is substantial yet has a lightness & touch of sweetness. I saved the ropey part to dip into the red oily sauce that came with the «Big Plate Chicken w/​Noodle». If you’re into excellent empanadas or pasties, this meat pie is for you.
4) Big Plate Chicken w/​Noodle was GINORMOUS w/​hunks of oil fried, browned, meat-​that-​came-​off-​the-​bone chicken, boiled potatoes, carrots, barely cooked garlic cloves, green onions, whole red chiles, & sheets of thick, chewy, wide ribbons of flat pasta which became even more flavourful & silken as it soaked up the red oil tinted meaty brown sauce.
The red chile added an immediate warm. tolerable heat, but as you keep eating this delicious stew, the Sichuan pepper kicks in w/​an aromatic, tongue numbing, anesthetic effect that seems to heighten & at the same time dulls the mind into a languid torpor. I would suggest saving this dish for last since all the taste buds are overly engaged to tackle any more flavour sensations for the average eater. This will serve up to 6 people if ordering other items or take it home since it will microwave beautifully.
1−4a) I bought a good Cabernet Sauvignon/​Zinfandel blend that I thought would marry well w/​the lamb & spicy notes & brought my own wine opener & crystal Bourgogne glasses, but when I asked if it were ok to open the bottle, the waiter phreeeeked w/​eyes wide open. OK, I get that Muslims don’t conventionally drink alcohol, but I was not planning to offer it to them, & I would not ask them to wash my crystal. We would have ordered the Milk Tea anyway which turned out to have a luscious warmed milk scent of lactose, but the flip side was that to me, it was too salty. I guess in East Turkestan, working on a farm or riding a horse for hours makes for salt loss, but it may be too much for us LA urbanites who don’t do such hard labor.
5) Home made Yogurt was listed as a «drink” — Not. But it made for a nice dessert at the end to cut the salt & overall garlic & aromatic spice intensiveness.
Service was perfunctory yet efficient. Food was very good, & from a part of the world that most of us are not aware. 4– Unilocal stars. Big Thanks to Elite Unilocaler Lady Isobel for a great introduction to Central Asian fare.

Omar’s, I adore everything about you: your cozy flair in decorating, how it takes forever to get those home-​made noodles to table, the savory broths, the hot salty yogurt tea, the cucumbers that zing you with a garlic blast the minute they touch your tongue, the meat pies, the smile on the server’s face when he saw how we adored his food.
This is not fast food. This is very slow food. You can watch your noodles being individually rolled and twisted and cut before they’re thrown on the stove. Then, you really must give your noodles even more time when they get to table to soak up the delicious broth they will be served in.
Things to order while you’re waiting:
Garlic cucumbers
Hot salty yogurt tea
Lamb skewers. (Must order!)
Meat pie (like a pizza with a crust on top)
What you’re waiting for:
Big Plate Chicken with Noodles
CASH ONLY!!!
Small parking lot, street parking available.
No alcohol. No corkage (or beer bottle toppage) allowed. Don’t even ask. Trust me on this.