Peel off the hype!

Melissa Jensen

4859 days ago.

I have driven by this place at least 100 times, always saying “we need to go and eat there.” When the time came to choose my birthday dinner I demanded we all try Peel in Edwardsville. The lot is always full and the menu online looked intrigueing. (For those wondering A Peel is “an usually long-handled spade-shaped instrument that is used chiefly by bakers for getting something (as bread or pies) into or out of the oven.” ~ Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Despite arriving to find an hour wait for a table I still insisted we stay, it was my birthday after all. The people leaving assured us that it was well worth the wait. My dad does not enjoy crowds or waiting so after several sarcastic comments from him, and opening my gifts in the waiting area, we were finally seated. The menu was beautiful, copper and leather. We ordered some hummis, starving at this point, and the Ratatouille pizza (zuccini, squash, eggplant, roasted garlic, tomato and fresh basil.) As always we had them leave off the cheese. The hummis was really bland but the foccaici bread was amazing. The ceasar salad would also rank as bland to me. The pizza’s arrived, the crust was thin crispy and good, the sauce was nothing memorable and the toppings were sparse. I will say the pizza’s with cheese had a heavy dose of cheese which may hide that they were short on toppins for those cheese and meat eaters. The dining area was really small, which is what contributed to the long wait more than a true crowd of people.

All in all, I would try them again. It’s not worth the wait so it would probably be a lunch stop and I would make sure to ask for extra toppings. The atmosphere would be good for enjoying a glass of wine with friends, but I would’t choose it if I was in the mood for a meal packed with flavor, everything was on the bland side. I will stick with Whole Foods vegan pizza for the best St. Louis pizza.

If you’ve tried it, let me know what you thought.

Melissa Jensen

Melissa is a native of the Greater St. Louis region. She is addicted to anything Google, and cannot understand why motion activated paper towel dispensers never see her hands.