Peels on Wheels Pizza Garage

During my lengthy hiatus in writing this blog, there are places I visited but didn't review, on the blog at least (I occasionally posted reviews elsewhere). One such is Peels on Wheels Pizza Garage on Culver Road. Peels on Wheels started as a food truck in 2019, and opened a brick-and-mortar location in 2021. 

In 2025, the owners of Peels on Wheels put it up for sale. That never resulted in a deal, and they have decided to remain open. 

When Peels on Wheels started, they were shooting for a cross between traditional Neapolitan and New York style pizza. They have now modified and expanded their offerings, as I discovered on my recent visit. Pizza options currently comprise NY style, Sicilian, Grandma, and Detroit. All are baked using flours and oven temperatures appropriate to the particular style. (Read more about that here.)

On my visit, all of those were available by the slice, as seen in the photo, but I had previously ordered a large NY style pepperoni pie, which was plenty enough for me.

While waiting for my pizza, I looked around a bit, and was impressed that the slice stack had a list for each pie stating what time it came out the oven and what time it should be discarded. I also could see that the five employees were all hard at work, at various stages of preparing various pizzas.

I got my pizza to go, and it took me about 30 minutes to get it home.

Overall impressions:  very thin overall, especially in the center, with a rather thick cornicione. I would've liked a little thicker interior throughout. To me, a classic NY pizza is not super-thin, but should have enough thickness to give it some chewiness and visible air holes, and the cornicione should be just thick enough to hold in the toppings and make for a nice finishing touch. But stylistic concerns aside, the crust was good, with some crackling and charring underneath. The cornicione, thick as it was, was crisp but chewy, and I could appreciate the results of their use of naturally leavened dough, with its more complex flavors and good gluten development.

So much for the crust. Let's move on to the toppings.

The individual toppings were good, although for my taste the pie could've used a little more sauce. I don't want my pizza slathered with a heavy layer of sauce, but this pie struck me as a bit dry, with just a few dollops on top of the cheese. And when the sauce is on top, it's going to evaporate more in the oven. Great pizza, of whatever style, is about balance, and this seemed a little out of balance in that regard.

Having said that, the cheese was very good, with a combination of processed and fresh mozzarella, and a little Parmesan. The trio made for a nice blend of flavors and textures.

I wouldn't say the cup 'n' char pepperoni was sparsely applied, but this pizza was certainly not blanketed by pepperoni. That was fine by me, as I like the occasional bite of pepperoni rather than pepperoni in every bite. If you're a pepperoni lover, I would ask for extra when ordering.

Lastly, the few shreds of fresh basil were a nice touch, and added some visual appeal and subtle addition to the overall flavor. 

I enjoyed this pizza, even if it had some minor shortcomings in my opinion. The pluses certainly outweighed the minuses. And I would like to try their other styles, for sure. They are clearly dedicated to their craft, and Peels on Wheels will remain on my to-do list for a future visit.

Peels on Wheels Pizza Garage

1157 Culver Rd., Rochester NY 14609

 https://peelsonwheelspizza.com/

 Wed.-Sat. 11am - 8 pm