Niles Peacock Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Edmonds

Serkan TEMEL – A Real Critique from a Professional Neapolitan Pizzaiolo:

As a professional who has dedicated years to the soul of authentic Neapolitan pizza, I am writing this review sincerely and responsibly. Because behind the “pizza championship” label, there is, in reality, a system operating with an industrial production mindset. Unfortunately, this is a serious injustice to the true art of pizza.

The owner of the establishment, Niles, may be someone who works with passion. However, the manager at the helm, Oscar, lacks both the sensitivity to hygiene and the understanding of professional kitchen management. This situation not only deteriorates the work environment but also leads to a rapid erosion of product quality. Hygiene issues, a lack of work ethic, and the absence of professional management are the main reasons I decided to leave.

Customers are greeted with a warm welcome and a smile. The service staff and the workers behind the bar deserve much praise, and there is much to be appreciated in this regard. However, it is disappointing to see how everything else is so far removed from the real pizza understanding and authenticity.

Now, let’s talk about the pizzas...

The pizzas made here have no connection to championships, tradition, or craftsmanship. The dough is shaped by machine rather than carefully hand-stretched — this is not just an aesthetic difference, but it changes the texture, rise, and mouthfeel of the pizza entirely. While a hand-made pizza dough has a soul, the products coming out of these machines are lifeless molds.

The majority of the ingredients are industrial. That is, the contents of the pizzas are far from natural, made up of chemically-enhanced products. Yes, these may “make you happy” — because they are designed with additives that trigger dopamine in your brain. But this happiness is fake. These chemical flavor enhancers, aromas, and processed products create an illusion in your mind, not on your palate.

The most painful part is the complete lack of quality control in the pizza ingredients, not just with the vegetables, but across all pizza toppings. I witnessed seven instances within a month where spoiled, rotten, or expired products were used. The fact that these products were still approved for production clearly shows how far the business is from natural ingredients and how obsessed they are with cutting costs.

In an environment where everything is run in an industrial manner to save labor costs, the naturalness, craftsmanship, and character of the pizza have been entirely lost. True pizza mastery has been sacrificed for fast production lines.

The sole reason for writing this review is to highlight how these types of businesses manipulate people by using titles like "pizza championship." Yes, the bite you take may make you happy — but that bite is not a symbol of naturalness, effort, or health. It is a symbol of chemicals, artificial flavors, and fast production.

For those who know real pizza, this is just a fast-food imitation. And choosing it knowingly is one thing; falling for the “champion pizza” label is another.

As someone who loves true pizza, I write this review out of respect for my profession and to stand against the manipulation of consumers. The choice is yours: real taste or flashy labels? ( Thank you...

I offer this experience in case you are unaware and would like to retrain or correct deficiencies. Our first and highly anticipated visit since the previous pizza place there closed was a hot Friday night at 6:00pm. First impression was that the unskilled, untrained hostess and servers botched it completely at this limited menu PIZZA place. Sad. We asked for an indoor table or four seats together and we said we would wait as long as it took, were told it would be a 30 minutes and we'd get a text. Great! We said we'd wait next door at BRIGIDS instead of hovering over seated guests, and after 40 minutes we returned because we had not heard anything only to be told that they called us. We were fifty feet away and the phone never rang, we were waiting for a text. OK, let's start over, there were now vacant seats and tables inside and out at about 7:00 pm. The hostess was clearing and seated us outside next to the front door, uncomfortably close to a waitress station, in a high traffic area. When we asked again if we could wait for inside seating she abruptly said, NO! At that moment ten customers go inside and sit down. We were brought water, and then nothing happened. We sat a lot longer and finally our order was taken in a haphazard fashion. We were all please, thank you, and happy smiles waiting for the good stuff to begin. We waited an uncomfortably long time and BAM two small salads hit from the far end of the table with a thump. So much for seat maps or sequence of service. We wait awhile longer and then just start on the "LARGE" ceaser salads, and before we were finished the staff was agressively reaching in trying to clear the table. After a few more unexplainably long moments, surprise!, our long lost first round of drinks and an appetizer clumsily and finally arrive. Moments later the pizzas were dumped on the table and by then our drinks were filled with swarming fruit flies. We were still eating pizza and trying to fish scads of fruit flies out of our drinks and the aggressive table clearing begins again, never were we asked if we wanted a second round of drinks. With so many top shelf F&B options...

Can't say enough about this new gem of a gathering place in Salish Crossing. Outstanding creative, bold cocktails, salads & artisan pizza -- crafted with care & steampunk edge. It's all because of award-winning mixologist, the imaginative artist behind the fiery, magical, sci-fi shows. You come here to feel welcome, to celebrate, to just find honest human connection.

Niles is always thinking up ways to outdo himself & please you. He'll take requests. He goes out of his way to make sure you're happy. He's a rock star.

His craft cocktails are strong, but deeply flavored, and balanced...usually presented with Hollywood flair. Highly recommend ANYTHING from the drink menu, especially Netflix & Chill, Bee's Knees & the Manhattan.

But his pizzas -- small & large, gluten-free available -- are THE BOMB! Don't sleep on that handmade crust! He accommodated our special request for half-pepperoni/half-cheese, even when slammed. The dough is tasty with nice, large puffy pockets and the tomato sauce should be bottled. I also love that they use little pepperoni. The My Hot Date pizza is also a great savory/sweet option, pairing dates with cheese & a swirl of Balsamic.

He's planning to add more menu items, as he & his staff get the restaurant going. He told me he's learning more about improving the pizza dough from Sourdough Willy's in Kingston -- & that guy uses an over...