Gooey, cheesy pizza!

The Stone & Wheel Pizzeria is easy to miss. But, I’d bought a Groupon on a whim as an excuse to try a new place, and my boyfriend and I went in search of it. We showed up at the eatery on a Sunday afternoon to find that it’s a tiny spot with just four seats.

No one greeted us. We simply waited. While we hung around the till, I pulled a menu off of the clipboard that was hanging from the kitchen’s glass partition, and the two of us reviewed the options.

Side 1 of the menu.

Side 2 of the menu.

The features are listed on the wall.

Eventually, the woman working that shift came out from the back and offered to take our order. We needed a couple more minutes though. She went back to busying herself prepping some shredded cheese before returning to help us.

Our choice was the large (14 inch) Garlic Chicken house pizza ($21). Our voucher covered everything except the taxes on the bill. We were short on coins, and she wasn’t able to provide change on a larger bill, so the woman graciously told us not to worry about the difference. Feeling bad about it, we decided to pop into Square 1 Coffee, a roomy cafe, that was situated next door.

The two establishments actually share the same owner. Therefore, purchasing a cinnamon knot (delicious, by the way) from the cafe really ended up benefiting the same people. Regardless, we had been told that the pizza would take about 15 to 20 minutes to prepare. As such, we chose to bide our time on a comfy couch in the coffee shop.

The interior of the establishment.

When we returned to the parlour, our order was nearly done. As the woman readied everything, we let her know of our appreciation by dropping off a tip. It was the least we could do considering she let us off on the GST earlier. Honestly, I think it put a skip in her step because she was extra nice to us the rest of the time we remained there. Once our pizza was finished baking, she asked if we were staying or going. Since we opted to eat in, she sliced up the pie, put it into a to go box (in case of leftovers), got us some paper plates, napkins, and a serving utensil, so we could dig right in.

A large Garlic Chicken house pizza! So many toppings!

A single slice of our large pizza. Just two pieces and I was full!

The Garlic Pizza is a combination of white cream sauce, roasted chicken breast, bacon, mushrooms, roasted garlic, feta, and mozzarella cheese on a soft, puffy crust. A bit crispy on the bottom, but fluffy on top, it was my idea of the perfect pizza dough. Best of all, The Stone & Wheel Pizzeria did not skimp on the toppings or the cheese. Sure, it was a somewhat greasy, likely due to the latter ingredient. Yet, every inch, almost to the very edge, was covered with something tasty; the practice of skipping the crust as is so often the case with other pizza joints need not be repeated here. I devoured my portions completely, and after just two slices per person, we were both full.

We tossed out our used plates, returned the cutlery, and packed up our remaining food to take home.

Overall, I’d say that our experience was alright. At first, the service almost seemed to border on disdain towards the customer; however, as we stuck around, the demeanor of the employee got better. Well, she treated us nicer.

Still, the business could work on further training of their front of house. While we ate, we witnessed a family of four or five people who tried to come in for lunch. Instead of welcoming them in, the woman simply told them that the cafe was around the corner. She didn’t even fathom asking if she could get them a pizza. As they left, we overheard the mother tell her children that she’d find them a spot to eat their pizza, so clearly that’s what they had come for. If I was the face of the business, I would have checked with Square 1 Coffee to see if a table was available there. Then I would have arranged to have the family pick up their pizza to eat over at the cafe. It would have been a quick solution to their lack of dining space, and it would have shown that they cared about their potential patrons.

Putting all that aside, the pizza itself was fantastic. For that alone, I’d return to The Stone & Wheel Pizzeria in a heartbeat. For about $20, it’s enough sustenance to provide two filling and flavourful lunches or dinners for a duo. The only thing is, it’s not a place conducive to lingering over a meal, which means I’ll likely just stick to takeout at this location from here on out.

Their logo emblazoned window.