steel wheels pizzeria

the atmosphere is... well... it's interesting and a little hard to describe. if you were to mix street art, grease and paper plates as far as the eye can see, that's what steelwheelsis like. it's pretty strange and i wouldn't recommend going if you're completely sober. that said, the pizza is really tasty.

so, last night i went to steelwheelsto grab some pizza before heading home. this was my first time ever trying their pizza sober, and i can say without any exaggeration that this was the worst pizza i've ever eaten in my entire life. previous trips to steelwheelshave been during the blackout phase of the night.

steel wheel's pizza is worse than little caesar's "hot 'n ready". it's worse than 7/11 pizza. it's worse than the pre-made pizzas they sell at the deli at save-on-foods. it's worse than pizza pops. this is the pizza i would expect a pair of ten-year-olds to make in a cooking class on their first try. this is the pizza i would expect to get while on vacation in a country whose food culture has no history of pizza whatsoever. it's $4 for 2 slices, but even at that price, why are you eating terrible pizza?

the place itself is a dive, but kind of cool in a "punk" way or whatever. the dude at the counter was polite, so that was a positive. people seem to like this place due to irony or nostalgia. irony stops being cool once you turn 25 and if you want nostalgia go listen to some old records or go hang with the old timers at blues on whyte or something.

anyways, there are plenty of places open 24 hours where you can get better food. mcdonalds. 7/11. that orange market place opened up on whyte recently and i think they serve pizza too. if you're so drunk that you're considering going to steel wheels, just go home and microwave some pizza pops.

this place is a whyte ave. staple!
it is the furthest thing from fine dining...and that is fine!
it's been many years since my drunken days on whyte. closer to 15 than i'd care to admit...
but as i drove up, a hazy memory of stumbling in here came to mind. steelwheelshas been here for quite some time. and what a unique little anomaly it is. the fact that they are still going is testament to the sheer volume of buisness they must get on any given night. i can imagine a long line of revelers looking for a late night snack.
as i stopped in at 7:30 on a week might, there was no one else in the place. this was great as it gave me ample opportunity to appreciate their one of a kind decor.
graffiti...everywhere. it is litterally the patrons who have scrawled their presence onto every surface they can reach. i have heard a rumor that every few years they paint over everything and start fresh...but i can't confirm this. as for complaints i read about the cleanlines...well...it is "painted" with permanent market...so what does anyone expect!
at $4 for two slices (which many a "light eater would suffice), the value is second to none. i myself indulged in 4 slices. two of their famous bulgoki and two pepperoni . topped off with a bottle of water (which at $1...is almost unheard of), total was a mere $9.00. fantastic value!
pizza is as simple as it can be. the crust is a unique bread which was quite good, but not "crusty" at all. sauce...minimal. a few pieces of meat respectively...and i mess of cheese. that's it.
to sum it all up.
this is the perfect place to come if you are one who finds themselves hungry on whyte after...or during an evening...or even morning...of good times.

if only these walls could speak...

everyone knows about steelwheelspizzeria – it’s a staple when you’re out late on whyte ave and want something greasy to soak up all of the alcohol that you’ve consumed during the night. i’ve been here a couple times now (never by choice, haha) and it’s simply what you’d call a grungy, hole in the wall hangout. the booths and walls are lined with graffiti and doodles. it definitely has character, i’ll give them that. this is the spot if you want to pre or post-drink and get late night eats (open 6:00pm to 3:00am err day).

lets be honest people, the only reason anybody thinks steelwheelsis good is because they are drunk when they eat here. late late hours, cheap as free prices, and a ramshackle punk-rock interior/vibe have cemented steelwheelsas a runaway fave nightcap destination for the bar stars, and other such late night darlings of our beloved whyte avenue. the pizza though, not actually any good. really none of the food is any good. and the entire restaurant feels like it will give you dysentery. but that's not what steelwheelsis about, and i would be lying if i said i didn't just love going there at the end of a long night of getting dragged out to the bars. its not where you want to go for date night, or for after work drinks with the coworkers, but there's just something that feels right about a cheap, dirty pizza place to wind down a late night out.

steelwheelspizzeria is an interesting restaurant to say the least. when you enter, you will immediately have one of two reactions: you'll be charmed by its uniqueness or completely turned off. the "decor" consists of booths with wooden benches, and there is not a single surface without graffiti or just plain doodles from previous customers. i have a feeling that whatever restaurant preceded, steelwheelsjust left the charming decor and built around it to save some money. it's not for everyone, especially neat freaks or germophobes (i'm sure steelwheelsisn't actually dirty, but it sure gives off that appearance). if that describes you, you'll be pleased to know that steelwheelsalso offers up cheap beers to help you care a bit less about your surroundings.

steelwheelswas one of tge worst pizzas i ever had. the mozza on the pizza was just melted not even browned, they use cooked ham for the ham and there is so little toppings it only tahes 5 min to make your pizza. i would rather eat a store bought frozen pizza.i would never order from steelwheelsagain.

best pizza in town. i just moved away from edmonton and steelwheelsis one of the places i miss most! maybe even the single place i miss most.

it's by far the best place to go out with a group of friends at about 2am after a hard night on whyte. of course, having a few beforehand will improve the flavour of the food, but phil knows how to make the best pizza around. i have no idea how they can charge so little for it; $3 for two slices (it's been that way since at least 2004), with delicious crust, and heaps of cheese. there's one review that says there wasn't much cheese... i can attest to the fact that in all the times i have been to steelwheels(at least 30) i've always had tons of cheese. bulgogi (korean bbq) and hawaiian are my favourites, although they have a huge menu and everything is delicious. oh, and i think the beers are still $3.50. so instead of funky pickle (which is one giant slice of pizza with almost nothing on it for $5) you can get two slices with more toppings plus a beer for $6.50. all prices include gst, which makes it much easier for drunk people to pay cash.
phil repainted all the graffiti a few years ago, but it's all back, and while sometimes the really drunk people can be a bit much if you visit at 2am while sober, if you're in the right state of mind it's like a little slice of urban heaven.
try it!!!

urban perfection. steelwheelsis a marriage between multiculturalism and urban personality. the owner, phil, runs this restaurant with his daughter, kelly, and his wife, bona. i personally have been frequenting steelwheelssince i was 15 years old. the pizza is fantastic despite what other reviews say. in the 5 years that i've been a regular at steel wheels, only 3 times i have been unsatisfied.

all three times i've told phil, and he gave me free food to compensate. he's great.

i am happy that recently, a lot of korean (students mainly i think) people come and occupy the restaurant. it's really friendly with this crowd. at 3 in the morning, it's usually filled with drunken students.

anyways, if you go, get the dumplings. he steams them when you order them (v.s boiling), which makes all the difference in flavour. takes him about 10 minutes, and guarantee that you will agree, it was worth the wait.

also, he is going to be upgrading the store even more during the summer of 2011.