The metro area will soon have a new option for halal pizza.
Mizan Halal Pizza (15523 Manchester) is slated to open this Saturday in Ballwin.
Here’s what to know before you go.
The Menu
Owner Fuad Khalil and his partner, Mahmoud Abualizz, have designed the menu in line with their Middle Eastern heritage. “The recipe for many pizzas comes from back home,” says Khalil, who moved to St. Louis from Jordan in 2004. “Palestinian and Jordanian flavors are pretty much the same, which is what we have put on the menu.”
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The Gyro pizza—with gyro meat and Tzatziki sauce—is among the standouts. Khalil also recommends the Chicken Shawarma pizza, topped with a rich garlic paste and pickles. It’s brimming with flavors from As-Salt, Khalil’s hometown in Jordan, an UNESCO World Heritage site. “I come from As-Salt, where I learned the recipe for the chicken shawarma,” says Khalil. “Now we are offering that shawarma as a pizza topping. We have delivered the shawarma pizza to various schools and colleges, and we have received good feedback.”
Those who prefer more traditional U.S flavors might try the American Hot (with roquito peppers and halal pepperoni) or the Buffalo Chicken. Customers can also create their own pizzas or order one-topping options, with such halal toppings as turkey ham, bacon, and sausage, in addition to veggie options.
The pizzeria also serves halal chicken wings, calzones, and burgers, along with baklava in traditional, pistachio, chocolate, and, strawberry flavors. The hours are Mon-Sat from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. and Sun from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The Background
For years, Khalil has wanted to open a halal pizzeria in St. Louis. “At community gatherings, we would regularly want to order pizza, but there weren’t a lot of halal options out there,” says Khalil, who’s worked at various restaurants and other businesses in St. Louis. “So I thought I should start a halal pizzeria for the Muslim community of St. Louis.”
Mizan is the third pizzeria in St. Louis to offer halal pizza. Masala Pizza (13431 Olive), inside Spice Market, offers its own fusion recipes, featuring chicken tikka masala and butter chicken, as well as a wide range of veggie pizzas with paneer toppings.
Pizza Twist (15 N. Euclid), a California-based chain with a halal menu, recently celebrated its first anniversary and also offers Indian fusion flavors, including such options as Bombay BBQ Chicken Pizza, Lahori Tikka, and 3 Idiots Pizza. “We draw inspiration from how flavors can be fused to break boundaries and create unique combinations,” said Ramya Patibandla who runs Pizza Twist’s St. Louis franchise along with her friends Ambika Ture and Laxmi Chidri.
Where Bombay BBQ Chicken Pizza and Lahori Tikka brings flavors from cities of India and Pakistan respectively, 3 Idiots Pizza, named after a popular Indian movie, brings a touch of Bollywood to the pizzeria as well. “Just like the trio of characters in the film, this pizza brings together three distinct chicken flavors—Garlic, BBQ, and Spicy—each with its own personality. Together, they create a fun, flavorful experience that’s both unique and memorable—just like the movie itself,” said Patibandla.
As halal pizza options grow in St. Louis, devout Muslims can enjoy a range of pepperoni, ham, sausage, and other meat toppings. And for those who do not follow Islamic dietary laws, the pizzerias offer scrumptious flavors from the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
