The Turning Peel Pizza — Restaurant in Portland

Update, May 2024 -

It appears I'm not the only one who thinks The Turning Peel is a great place for lunch. Since my last review, I've made a couple of visits, and find weekday lunchtimes to be increasingly busy. My hope is that they have enough business to be wildly successful, but not so busy that I can no longer find lunch there without a reservation. In past visits, I've always had an indoor table, but I've recently treated myself to the patio - a perfect spot for a nice day. The covered arbor keeps patrons protected from sun and/or rain, so temperature is really the deciding factor for future visits. And the food - it remains spectacular. I'm already looking forward to my next visit.

Update, February 2024 - The Turning Peel did a lovely fixed price dinner for Valentine's Day. Fondue with 3 types of mushroom, broccoli, red potatoes, pizza bread (made from their sourdough pizza crust), fried gnocci, apples as a first course. A special pizza for the event, a second pizza of the customers' choosing, drink (alcohol or not), and tiramisu for dessert. Reservations were spread out, so they could seat newcomers promptly, stagger the service, and have tables reliably opening up for the next customers. For part of the time we were there, they didn't have music playing, and when it began, it was a low key, low volume affair, making the restaurant a pleasant place for couples to enjoy the evening. I can't remember the last time I tried to brave the crowds on Valentine's Day. The Turning Peel made it totally worthwhile.

Oh, my! The pandemic times have largely taken away the option to have pizza for lunch. 4:00 PM now seems to be the standard opening time at most places. Happily, The Turning Peel is currently doing lunch Mondays through Fridays, and serves dinner Thursday and Friday nights. I'm not sure how their hours may change as they exit the soft opening phase, but my fervent hope is that they remain a lunch option. Turning Peel occupies the old Portland house that was formerly Malka, and it's totally charming - eclectically mismatched chairs and silverware, wireless audio housed in vintage wall speakers that look like they came from a 1930's high school, and a glorious patio area that makes me look forward to warmer weather. Getting any pizza at midday is a treat, and the Margherita here is divine - sourdough crust with perfect amounts of chew, char, and a bit of crunch. The sauce is tomato essence, crowned with perfect amounts of cheese and basil. The zandwich is like a deconstructed cold pizza, in pita bread made from their crust. My biggest hope (totally selfishly) is that this restaurant is wildly successful, but manages to avoid having lines out the door, just so I can visit on a...

I have only written two other reviews on google before, but my experience was so poor that I thought I should warn anyone interested in coming here. To start, my boyfriend saw this place on Tiktok and wanted to surprise me for my “golden birthday” and bring me here. The scenery is right up my alley and the garden seating is beautiful. However, we figured we would be inside due to it being in January (and 34° outside). We arrived at 6:30 definitely expecting a wait, but we weren’t expecting an hour wait time. It was fine, we waited. But once we were called, the staff right away was just short and rude with us and rushed us to our table. No one introduced themselves or had any pleasantries, or even made us feel welcomed. We passed 6 open tables inside the restaurant, but were then seated outside (which had some heating, but it was still very cold). The hostess sat us quickly and explained the QR menu, then rushed off. My boyfriend was expecting to pay around $40-$60 for the dinner due to scenery and quality, but I must say that this place was EXTREMELY over priced for the quality. My boyfriend and I both ordered the pepperoni pizza and two drinks (one soda and one beer). The pizzas arrived quickly, but were extremely charred. To the point of some of the crust being just uneatable. There were also a few bites where the pizza tasted like soap. Both of the pizzas came to a total of $34 alone and a small side of parmesan being an additional $1.50, along with drinks bringing the total to $43. My boyfriend mentioned that maybe we should get a tiramisu as a little birthday cake, but that was before we knew how small and how expensive ($10) it was. Finally, the entire time we were just let down by the costumer service. The staff was quick and we felt like we had to rush through our meal and out of the restaurant. And for just a QR experience, the prices just don’t match. For a birthday dinner it was definitely a bit disappointing and I definitely don’t understand why this place got as much hype as it does.

Quick Edit: It is the day after my birthday dinner and I had an extremely upset stomach, so the food definitely did something a bit negative. Just a...

I saw this place on an Instagram reel that I sent to my friends in Oregon. Look, sourdough Pizza! Doesn't that sound delicious? Turns out, one of my friends hates sourdough. And yet despite her misgivings, when they planned a surprise trip to Portland for my birthday, they put Turning Peel on the list.

A delightful gem of a restaurant, Turning Peel feels cozy and tucked away. As reviews indicated we should arrive as close to opening as possible if we didn't have a reservation, my friends and I lined up outside shortly before they opened at five. A line had already accumulated outside the restaurant and with the limited seating I definitely would echo the sentiment that you wanna be there to get in line before they open.

Maddie took us to their heated outdoor seating area. Boasting an abundance of charm in its decor, the outdoor seating was just as much a vibe as it was inside. Despite the cold day, we were comfortable outside thanks to their heaters, though it helped a lot when they turned a second heater on near our table.

Ordering is done online using a QR code at the table or you go to the cashier at the front to place your order. I ordered a Tomato Cheese pizza and a ginger beer. Both provided an excellent dining experience, though I will say I was slightly disappointed in the pizza.

For me, the pizza's size sat right in the Goldilocks zone and the bites with cheese and sauce were delicious. The crust was a bit disappointing at times due to how burnt portions of it were. Additionally, I would say that it was often hard to taste the sourdough. The whole table agreed, much to the delight of my friend who had been planning to suffer through a sourdough flavor that she did not end up experiencing. As the sourdough was what drew me to the place to begin with, this was a bit of a let down.

However, all in all I had a lovely experience here. Staff were very friendly and helpful. It was still good pizza, even if it wasn't what I was expecting. We all walked away fed and we had a good time in the space. I will remember my time...