Tucked away in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul, west of Snelling and north of University is a little gem of a pizzeria, Eden Pizza. Having lived in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area my whole life and living in Saint Paul for many of those years I had only found out about Eden Pizza until recently.
They’re on the corner of Aldine Street and Lafond Avenue, surrounded by homes and inside it’s split in two: kitchen on the left and seating on the right. There’s three tables and a selection of old board games and neighborhood newspapers. Although there was only one person taking orders and making pizzas and I was the only customer sitting in, Phish jamming over the speakers kept the place upbeat.
Although they are only open for lunch on Fridays, I ordered their “lunch special” on a Saturday: an 8-inch personal pizza with two toppings and a soda for $6.50. I chose pepperoni and Dr. Pepper. I noted that their ingredients and specialty pizza list is extensive — a lot to explore later.
In about ten minutes I received a beautiful pepperoni pizza, sharply cut into 6 triangle slices. My eyes were drawn to the crust, which was rolled in a way I haven’t quite seen before on pizza (the see photo). Biting in, the cheese tasted very fresh and stringy. Pepperoni was meaty and there was just a nice, small layer of sauce for base. The crust was crispy at the edges albeit a bit on the floury side. Overall a very satisfying and tasty pizza. Not too greasy either, especially compared to their more trafficked neighbors a few blocks away, Checkerboard Pizza.
With their friendly service, great pizza, extensive menu and home delivery, Eden Pizza is a real treat in this neighborhood. I’ll be back soon — it would be convenient before a show at the Turf Club, a St. Paul Saints game or an event at Hamline University.
Eden Pizza
629 Aldine St
Saint Paul, MN 55104
651-646-7616
Comments 10
We live about two blocks from here and have yet to make it, though it is on the list.
I called them, and while they don’t have beer or wine, they said you can bring your own, so we plan on bringing a cooler of beers with our neighbors some day.
I thought we’d make it there before you, but I guess I was wrong
Posted 06 Jun 2009 at 18:01 ¶Sweet, my wife works just a few blocks from here so hopefully she’ll be picking some up for dinner soon. Looks really good.
Posted 06 Jun 2009 at 20:16 ¶is “pepperonis” a word? I would think that noun works similar to corn, i.e. you would not say corns.
Posted 08 Jun 2009 at 07:33 ¶gophers- Random House Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary agree with you. American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition doesn’t. I updated the post. Thanks. To be honest, I wish more people proofed my writing.
P.S. Go eat this pizza!
Posted 08 Jun 2009 at 07:41 ¶hahah thanks for the update. I’ve also pondered what the plural of grass seed is? I.e. do you go to the Home Depot to purchase grass seed or grass seeeds? What comes in the bag? Seed or Seeds?
Posted 08 Jun 2009 at 10:09 ¶They also have the best chicken wings in town, IMHO:
Posted 08 Jun 2009 at 13:02 ¶http://www.metromag.com/0p174a2652/wing-quest/
Pepperoni? A pretty boring choice, given Eden Pizza’s inventive selection of toppings and specialty pizzas. My favs are their Thai Chicken and Blue Hawaiian.
I also live a couple blocks away — this is, without a doubt, among the best pizza joints in the Twin Cities.
Posted 12 Jun 2009 at 09:22 ¶I have been there before! The pizza is atrocious!
Posted 23 Jun 2009 at 19:38 ¶Wow, now I have no idea what to do. I’ve tried Eden Pizza – ordered it for delivery with high hopes. The menu looked good! We had few options. It didn’t live up to expectations at all, though. And, in fact, it was bad enough not to even merit a second chance. (This with NO good pizzerias delivering in the area, so you know it had to have been a sub-par experience.)
But now you’re saying it’s good. I’m totally at sea. My world has been shattered. Maybe I give the another shot. Still, that’s like $15.
Posted 24 Jun 2009 at 20:39 ¶wtf did you get on pizza that made it ‘atrocious’?
Posted 17 Aug 2009 at 00:53 ¶Post a Comment