By giving Bricks Pizza a 3-star rating, I don't mean to imply that everything about this place is 3-star worthy, so allow me to break down the rating as follows:
Pizza: I've had nine different specialty pizzas here so far, and overall they are tasty and made with high-quality ingredients. The crust is very thin, but puffy and soft at the edges. Taste-wise, there is a hint of smokiness infused into the dough from the wood-fired oven. There aren't many fast casual wood-fired pizza places in the area, so Bricks has an added advantage in this regard. Next, the sauce tastes fine, however the runny consistency of it combined with the bit of oil coming from the cheese often results in the entire layer of cheese sliding off of the slice while taking the first bite. As for the cheese itself, I commend Bricks for taking the road less traveled and using imported buffalo mozzarella despite domestic cow's milk mozzarella being a more economical and common option. The difference isn't big, but the cheese here is softer and more robustly flavored than your average mozzarella. In summary, the pizza earns a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
Dining experience/service: Inside the restaurant, the style is rustic thanks to elements such as the coarse wood tabletops, brick veneer and wood accent walls. The interior also has a clean look thanks to the restrained amount of miscellaneous wall decor. Also, the staff is friendly, and they bring the pizzas to your table when ready. My only complaint is that the tables and seats should be cleaned more often. The crumbs easily blend in with the color of the table such that they'll look deceptively clean at first glance. So, the experience/service receives 4 out of 5 stars.
Price: I wanted to give Bricks an overall rating of 4 stars, but I only see myself getting pizza here when I have their coupons. Without a coupon, their specialty pizzas are around $13-14 each, while their current coupons are essentially a buy one get one free offer. I wouldn't mind if the pizzas cost moderately more than their competitors because I think the ones here taste better and are made with better quality ingredients, but $13-14 each is pretty steep, especially for a personal-sized pie. So, I give a rating of 2 out of 5 stars for the pricing. Now, even though many chains like the Domino's and Papa Johns nearby have similar practices, I'm sure Bricks is aiming to be a higher-tier pizza place than those, and am thus holding Bricks to a higher standard as well.
Doing the math giving equal weight to each category, we obtain an average score of 3.3 out of 5, which rounds to 3 stars.
And finally for some recommendations: of the 9 specialty pizzas I've had, the following are my rankings from most to least favorite:
1. Prosciutto and Baby Spinach - Everything about this is done well. I can't come up with any suggestions on what there is to improve.
2. The Bricks - This one comes in a close second. Compared to all the creative specialty pizzas on the menu, The Bricks uses traditional American pizza toppings that you'd normally order at other chain pizza places. It's "comfort food" pizza!
3. Very Veggie - Pizzas without meat are boring, right? Not this one! The veggie pizza not only was brightly colored, but had a bright taste as well. The various toppings were sliced n' diced to the perfect size. Also, this one felt nearly as filling as the other pizzas.
4. BBQ Chicken & Smoked Gouda - The sharpness of the red onions provides great contrast to the sweet barbecue sauce. However, due to the comparatively basic amount of toppings used, the pizza more quickly became boring after a few slices.
5. White Arugula - Good choice when you're in the mood for white pizza. I ordered this to go and plenty of fresh arugula was provided in a separate container.
6. Classic Margherita - The sauce was too watery/runny and the basil was dry, but overall it was delicious.
7. Sunny Side Up - I enjoy trying new pizzas as this review would suggest, but am not a fan of the eggs on top; I think eggs pair much better with sharp cheeses than soft/mild cheeses. But regarding the pizza, it's not at the bottom of the rankings because I liked everything else about it.
8. Italian Sausage & Peppers - The first few slices were tasty but then the following slices became boring comparatively quickly. Both the sausage and the peppers were mild, so this pizza was asking for some hot sauce to be poured on it.
9. The Big Piluski - Good choice of ingredients but the artichoke chunks are too large. As a result only some slices contain artichoke, but the ones that do are overwhelmed by too much of it. read more