Budget-Friendly Bites: Steel Wheels

In Sketchville, Edmonton (i.e. Whyte Ave at night), there is a little place across from the Armoury called Steel Wheels (10307-85 Avenue) run by an old Korean couple and opens daily from 6:30pm-3:00am. A shady, hidden gem. Not many people know about it, and it's not your typical eatery. The walls, seats...everything on the inside are made of wood, and the owners allow patrons to bring sharpies, pens, and paint to basically graffiti the interior of the place at their own will. On the tables, the seats, the walls...the whole deal!

Why would I come to a sketchy place like this? Well, because P took me there, and I love haunted, creepy, spooky things, but frugality comes first. You can get two slices of freshly baked pizza for $3! Seriously...where have I been hiding? Part of the reason why it's so cheap is that their dishes are all disposable, and you come to the counter to pick up your orders, but sooo worth it! Similar concept to IKEA, but much better tasting. The best is the Bugoki pizza, not that there are many places in Edmonton where you'll find that anyways.

Initially, P took me to try their Bugoki pizza, but since I already had some dairy that day, I just had one slice. There are different kinds of dipping sauces you can put on your plate...before going to Steel Wheels, I had never dipped my pizza in anything. It just wasn't done. But...in the spirit of trying new things (since I already came to the place), I tried a little dab of this sort of sweet and spicy stuff, and as usual, shook some chili seeds on top. First of all, the pizza itself was pretty interesting. A flavour I'm not exactly used to - whole wheat pizza dough, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and...Bugoki beef?...then add the sweet, spicy dipping sauce. Oddly enough, it tasted amaaazing, and I will. Be back.

Second trip, I was determined to have my own 2 slices. I don't know how much I miss cheese until times Iike this. This time around, I took a good squirt of the sweet, spicy sauce, some ranch, and again with the chili seeds. My habit of adding chili seeds to pizza is like how I now always add hot sauce to my sandwiches at Subway. It's that whole "once you go black, you never go back" mentality.

So spooky and sketchy from the outside...can't even see the sign properly with the haphazard lighting - just my type of place to go ;P

Interior of Steel Wheels near the entrance and ordering counter. Note the pizza dipping sauce selection, and graffiti everywhere :) Super cool beans.

Interior of Steel Wheels...I've never seen anyone sitting there before. Looks like a deserted bar from here.

Interior of Steel Wheels by the big graffiti wall. You will find things from love triangles to memes to mutant animals.

From the first visit, my lonely slice of Bugoki pizza. So. Good.

Visit #2 = Double happiness! Even better! Loaded up on chili seeds, sweet/spicy sauce, and ranch too for the heck of it.

Sweet urban atmosphere...awesome for a nighttime stopover if you don't mind the graffiti and sketch front, but come on. $3 for 2 slices of pizza?? Do it. 

They also have a Bugoki-Kimchi pizza for $15 where they give you all 8 slices, and kimchi substitutes for tomato sauce. Will update on progress...

-M