Football Pizza — Restaurant in Minneapolis

As a teenager, I remember this restaurant as Crescent Moon. I was delighted to discover they have consistently remained at this location after so many years despite changing their name to Football Pizza. However, make no mistake about it, this establishment is a local Central Avenue institution in northeast Minneapolis.

I believe the old Crescent Moon owners bought the building, I could be mistaken which leads to another minor observation: despite the new name, there is an upstairs area called: Crescent Moon Event Hall/Banquet Room. Perhaps you could host a conference or wedding there?

Back in the day, during the mid-2000s, they offered an iftar buffet featuring Middle Eastern foods during Ramadan. I am unsure if the new restaurant has continued this tradition. Perhaps I am stating the abundantly obvious at this point, but Football Pizza specializes in halal foods.

It is no secret, finding trusted sources of halal dining options is few & far between in the Twin Cities, but Football Pizza will not disappoint on a halal diet. In fact, Football Pizza is one of the top 5 restaurants I would personally recommend for halal Twin Cities dining. So, rest assured, if you observe a strictly halal diet, Football Pizza will deliver & satisfy.

Although the pizza is phenomenal, I would also recommend trying their kabob or gyro plates after your first visit. Football Pizza also sells frozen premade pizzas at this location.

My message to the owners is this: keep up the great work! You should try getting your frozen pizzas sold at local grocery stores like Cub or Byerly's after figuring out franchising, marketing, & logistical details.

There is no reason why Football Pizza cannot gain regional distinction as the leading go to brand for halal pizza for Muslim families in a growing community. I am confident the...

I visited the Crescent Moon Bakery with a few family members right at noon on a Monday in Aug. I have have been reading how popular this place is but when we got there, there was only other person in the store. This left me curious because I knew we should waiting in line or at least fighting for a table. I didn't even look at the rest of menu we just ordered the large Football pizza which I think is a good place to start. Just so you know this is more then enough pizza for at least 3 hungry adults and maybe even 4 if every doesn't pig out. We grabbed our seats and waited for the pizza. It took about 10 mins for our food to arrive, when it did I ran up to the counter to pick it up. I was really surprised at the amount of meat on the pizza, plus the onions were cut just how I like them nice and big. Both of my boys who are 3 and 5 really liked the pizza. They had to wait a little bit to start eating but that is true with most pizza for them.

After we were done eating I got up to check out their selection of items in the cooler and freezer. They had some Crescent Moon frozen pizzas and also some of their different flat breads for sale. As I was looking at the freezer items the Owner came up and we talked for a bit. I finally got to the bottom of the empty restaurant. Turns out it is the Holy time for Moslems called Ramadan. For this holy time they do not eat any food until the sun goes down. He said they have a big prayer time, and then a buffet afterwards around 8:30 at night.

This place is the real deal and should be checked out ASAP. Be sure to start with the...

After many times of trying food from their menu, I finally have remembered to make a review!

I first tried their food several years ago at a catered event. There was a variety of Afghani food including rice, chicken and beef shawarma, and salads. I absolutely love everything I've tried and it's all packed with flavor.

However, to me, the star of the show is their pizza. It's created on fluffy but thin dough reminiscent of naan. I've tried the meat lovers and the house special and both are amazing! There is a perfect ratio of meat, veggies, cheese, and sauce.

My favorite part about their pizza is their green dipping sauce. It's slightly tangy, slightly spicy - and pairs perfectly with the pizza. It elevates it to a whole different level.

I love their food so much that I actually ended up catering their food and booking their event room for one of the days of my south Asian multi-day wedding functions 4 years ago. Everyone had nothing but good things to say...