Delicious burger that I had in a while. Beautiful place to hang out with family or friends it also has a nice view of the park. Great customer service . read more

Brickmakers Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

Chef Dennis Charlton did an outstanding job organizing a birthday luncheon celebration for my girlfriend. When We arrived the table was already set up with lovely white chairs. We ended up with 17 girls in attendance and were seated on the patio overlooking the Occoquan River. What a gorgeous day it was. The brunch is overwhelming delicious! Plates overflowing with scrumptious food. Some of my favorites are the Pecan French Toast and Crab Eggs Benedict! I think I died and went to heaven! Anyways from a food critic.......I rate them 5 stars on the Sunday Brunch. A definite must visit!!!! read more

We have eaten here several times and our grandchildren simply love their food. We like the outdoor patio, the view is nice, and we can bring our dog with us. I have never ordered anything that wasn't fresh, hot and delicious. And it's very affordable. The servers are all very nice. We ate here one day and were told they were out of fries. But, lo and behold, a food delivery truck pulled up while we waited, and we got our fries after all. They took care of us and made our day. Definitely a family favorite! Try the hot chocolate during winter. It's the best. read more

Came here with the family expecting an amazing brunch bc if all the reviews. Let me spare you from the waffle. It's soggy. Not crispy at all and had 0 flavor. French toast was better, but again soggy. Hash scramble was also meh. Could've been great had it not been overloaded with onions and peppers. 2 egg breakfast. Also meh. Only thing that was on point was the biscuit. They have iced coffee on the menu but that's really just hot coffee poured over ice. Fail. Then the atmosphere is weird. All of the staff wears gloves. You order your food at the register where a whole bunch of them are just standing there. The cashier couldn't really answer questions about the menu. They pour your drinks at the register. We ordered OJ and the cup was 3/4 full. Plenty of room for more, especially since there's no refills on OJ. They then bring you your food to your table. Great presentation except the gloves. What's with the gloves? The tables are for 4 people, unless you put the 3 square tables together. So if you have a bigger family, this sucks. It's a small dining space that doesn't really give water views. They do have a nice patio area that would be great on a nice day. Overall not what I expected from all of the glorious reviews. read more

What a great hidden surprise. GPS had a hard time guiding me here. Just enter the Occoquan Regional Park and keep going until you see the big brick kiln. Food was above average and the riverside view is charming. Glad we stumbled on this, while 25 miles from home. Thanks, Yelp. read more

Great location, go for a walk along the river before sitting down for a light dinner or happy hour. Food is good and cheap. Beer and wine are also a good selection for cheap. This is better than any public park grill I've been to. The views from the outdoor seating are awesome. read more

The managers Bryan and Robert ( Bobby) higher from an outside company named QCS. (Quality catering service) His name Luis when I was at this place the person spoke to my son who is under age in a very inappropriate manner. (Sexual content) I put it in writing to the managers who did nothing. Bobby told me how much he loves working with Luis. It took over 1 month for a manager form a different Nova Park to do anything. His name is Dennis. Luis has a very bad temper and would yell at people that worked here and the customers. Luis also would speak sexual about the kids that attended parties at River view also. Luis has a daughter that works upstairs at River view. (Brooke) Please be careful with the managers at Brickmakers Cafe. The other employees are amazing very polite. read more

We absolutely loved this place! The food and view are amazing. I had the fried turkey sandwich and buffalo chicken loaded fries.... delicious! My fiancé had the southwest wrap and the pulled pork fries..also very yummy. The food is very fresh. We will definitely come back! read more

See all

Wow! This place really surprised me. TBH, want expecting much, just "park fare" but this was really amazing. Nicely done interior, delicious looking menu, reasonable prices. The patio overlooking the river was a beautiful place to eat. My friends split a chicken BBQ sandwich and fries, which arrived divided on to two plates without them even asking. They said it was really good and the sauce was excellent. I went with the shrimp BLT and it was fantastic. Huge shrimp cooked tender, fresh lettuce and tomato, crispy bacon, mayo. Wonderful. The Coastal Fries are the thin skin-on style which are my preferred. The chicken BBQ came with fries, my sandwich came with potato chips but I spent the extra buck to get the fries instead. Nice touch was real plates rather than paper. Plastic utensils though. Liquor license coming next week. I can definitely envision sitting on that patio with a beer!! read more

Traveling from N.C. to N.Y. my wife found this cool little spot on Yelp. It was a perfect break/stop. Great views from the outdoor seating area and the food was pretty good. I had the cheeseburger, my wife had the fish n' chips and my two year old daughter had the chicken fingers (tenders?). The fries were a little soggy, not the best but the burger hit the spot nicely. The chicken fingers were delicious and my wife found the fish n' chips crispy and tasty. Overall a very nice place to grab lunch. read more

Brickmakers Cafe - View of the lake from the outdoor seating area. - Cafes Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

This was my second time at brickmakers. The food was, yet again, amazing. Seriously. The first time I had the fried turkey sandwich which was huge and delicious. The ingredients tasted so fresh. This time I ordered the BBQ pork fries. Let me tell you...this is entree sized. What really surprised me was the quality of the pork. The pulled pork was on par, if not better, than pork I've had at other BBQ restaurants lately. Definitely making this place a regular stop for lunch/dinner. read more

Brickmakers Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

See all

We sat outside for 15 minutes while staff were clearing tables surrounding us. No one bothered to say we must go inside to order. There were at least three people aware of our presence and none of them said anything, despite us eagerly watching their every move (several were taking pictures of an entree for advertising or something). After going inside we found out how things work. Imagine how much a 'please order inside' sign would do... Ordering experience was fine. Food was slow to arrive, and when it did it was underwhelming at best. Shrimp salad was 3 shrimp mixed with mayonnaise, no veggies or seasoning at all, served on a croissant that looked like the ones Burger King makes breakfast sandwiches on. Completely inedible, so it went back. Replaced it with a Bacon Cheddar Dog. Sliced Fried Turkey Club was an unremarkable cold cut turkey sandwich. Not sure what the fried part is (certainly not a crispy fried turkey fillet or anything resembling fried whole turkey sliced for a sandwich). A few reviews down is a photo of the turkey sandwich. Special of the day was a French Dip style sandwich that was pretty decent. 40 minutes after returning the shrimp salad sandwich the Bacon Cheddar Dog showed up. We were all laughing when they brought it out as everything had been gone from our table for 15 minutes by then. Ironically, it was the best tasting thing we had, and we cut it into several pieces to share since no one was anywhere close to being full. They have some decent draft and bottled beers and some other flavored drinks. Fountain drinks are refilled behind the counter (for free). General impression is no one that works here as any real idea what they are doing. Staff aren't rude, they just don't understand how interacting with a customer is as important as the food. I suspect the menu is developed by someone upstairs at the event center and they do not oversee what goes on in the cafe. Brunch seems to get better reviews. Drive another half mile in Occoquan and you'll find a better lunch for the same money after you find a parking spot. read more

The view of the lake is beautiful and the food prices are good. However, the food does not taste like anything special. There was a lack of seasoning on everything that I ate. Biscuits were basic and potatoes generic. read more

Brickmakers Cafe - Fried chicken Benedict - Cafes Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

See all

Was NOT expecting a park cafe to be so good. It was delicious and the view is waterfront greatness! Prices match a Panera but this place is way better..the seafood is under $20! Amazing place read more

Good if you want to be near water. Located in the park, food doesn't stand out but people are nice.

This place is awesome! First time checking it out today and I was was a happy camper from the time I came in till the time I left. The lady behind the register is super sweet, friendly and gives prompt customer service, definitely use her as a model when hiring other employees :). I ordered the southwest chicken wrap with fries and an ice tea, absolutley delicious! The chipotle ranch that comes with the wrap is yum yum good. They give you a big portion size too, might I add (I had to take a togo box for half of the wrap, lunch for tomorrow (winning). The atmosphere was clean, modern and right on the water. The prices are modest and the food is very fresh and made to order. Will definitely be revisiting again. read more

Brickmakers Cafe - Love love love!!! Southwest chicken wrap, delicious fries and chipotle ranch sauce - Cafes Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

Wish they had more vegan options from the look of the menu, but the place looks so good. Love the atmosphere and outdoor eating area. read more

Brickmakers Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

Great food on the water. Quick yummy. Very filling meals at a good price! Also the GPS takes you to the road it's on so just keep following the road down and you'll see the cafe it's cute:) read more

Brickmakers Cafe - Chicken and waffles - Cafes Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

Quaint sand which and salad place next to the water. Quick and friendly service. Delicious southwest chicken wrap!

I think the northern Virginia parks authority has done a really good job with this restaurant. My family of four was here in the afternoon on Sunday enjoying a lazy day overlooking the beautiful Occoquan River and eating inexpensive but tasty food. read more

See all

Great food & Great Prices on everything but I highly recommend NOT coming on holidays. (i.e. Fathers Day) They don't plan well with the amount of food, I couldn't order any sides with my meal. Which really sucked and the wait in line just to order was ridiculous. But, the times before then, we're great experiences and great times. Great Sunday brunches and good staff. read more

awesome spot with great views. We ate here before we went kayaking. Order inside and eat inside or out. Very clean, great pricing and a lot of options to choose from. Will be back read more

Very nice location overseeing the occoquan river. The fish and shrimp we ordered were cooked perfectly. The fries that came with each meal definitely filled us up. Meals could use more flavoring though. Somewhat bland. One family member wasn't crazy about their vegan burger. For one thing there was a chicken piece in his fries. Normally that would be enough for him to toss the meal altogether. The burger had avocado which was great but the burger itself was way over cooked. I really hope Brickmakers brings back more menu items. Choices were very limited probably due to COVID. The egg and steak options from old menu look great. read more

I enjoyed the scenery more than the food, but my wrap was pretty good. Smallish menu with mostly lunch items- sandwiches/wraps, salads, etc. Everything comes in a to-go container due to COVID. There are nice tables outside with a good view of the Occoquan marina and the river. read more

My first review was deleted because somebody flagged it saying that it looked like my review was biased as it seems like I might've worked there before. I didn't respond to the Yelp representative in time and my first review has now been lost to the void. So as a matter of principle, let's recap why I gave them 1 star. The place presents itself well however the workflow process needs some attention as each employee while we were there seemed to have secondary and sometimes tertiary responsibilities which take them away from their primary role. For instance, the line was to the door when we were there for Sunday brunch. The cashier not only had to man the register but also (re)fill, mix, or open drinks. When there's a group of people, she would take a few minutes to do all the drinks as the line gets a bit longer. The kitchen is quasi open concept since we don't see the actual cooking process. However we do see the staff put in final touches and the ever growing queue of incomplete dishes. Having an open concept design is pretty cool in a cafe but the staff have to almost put on a show. If they start losing their minds, we see that. We saw the girl who was overwhelmed by the incomplete orders run her hands through her hair, pray to God for strength, and went straight back to work, handling our food. We saw the girl kick the door open with frustration and probably some satisfaction because her hands were full with orders. We saw the employee pull out her phone to call for help or seek words of encouragement. We were there when they ran out of food. We saw a bunch of other stuff too but hey, someone asked Yelp to delete my review because they thought I worked there and wanted to talk trash. Nope. Sorry. Your staff needs training and the workplace may need a redesign. TL;DR: This place was a freaking circus. Bring a bag lunch and watch the chaos unfold. read more

I will say that the food is decent, but the time which you receive it (if at all) is impractical. My family and I have been going for brunch for the past month and every time we've gone has gotten progressively worse. Today was the straw that broke the camel's back. Not only did it take 50 minutes for us not to get our food, it took them 30 minutes to tell me that what I ordered was not on today's menu. Then we waited the next 20 minutes for my husband's chicken and waffles (which he shares with my one year old) watching people behind us get served. This included someone else receiving chicken and waffles. At that point we decided to cancel our order and leave. This would take another 10 minutes while they figured out how to refund our cash order. It's sad because we really like the setting and the convenience, but we'll be finding another brunch location. read more

Cafeteria style lunch with typical salads, sandwiches and burgers. Outdoor tables overlooking parking lot with some tables having river view. read more

Friendly staff and good service, nice views. We enjoyed sitting on the patio and talking while looking at the incredible views. Wait time for our burgers was alittle longer than normal. read more

Come to the park often to walk my dog and always stop by here before leaving. My favorite thing on the menu is the hot dog. French fries are also good. If you're taking your dogs (s) out for the weekend, I highly recommend coming here, as dogs are allowed on the patio area. Not to mention there's a nice view of the river. Definitely check it out. read more

First time to this new restaurant. Finding it was the most interesting challenge. It's in the new building inside Occoquan Regional Park overlooking the boat ramp and river. Quaint location. We had Sunday brunch and found the menu perfect for what we were after. I had the artichoke heart quiche which came with a fresh salad with apples slices, feta cheese, and walnuts. My wife had the waffles which were topped with whipped cream and strawberries and came with a plate side of hash browned potatoes. The service was very friendly and professional. Being a new building, everything was clean and neat. The seats were hard wood and the place was a bit chilly. There are a number of outdoor tables on the sidewalk outside. They serve a nice variety of wines and beers including a few on tap. This would make a great dinner or drink stop after an outing on the river. (Note to self for date night) read more

See all

My husband & I decided to enjoy lunch by the water on Sunday, September 1st. We arrived around 10:30 and as soon as we walked unto the patio and walked in the door, we walked back out and to our car. The music playing on the patio was WAAAAAYYYY to loud. In addition, the music selection was that type of annoying, repetitive music. Being that this location was in the park, by the lovely water, we felt instrumental music or perhaps no music would have been more suitable. read more

I so much wanted to like this place! It has a beautiful setting with a outdoor patio, but our food order was not good. I had the fish and chips ($12), and asked the server about the portion size. The plate arrived 35 minutes later with 2 pieces of overcooked fish instead of 3 on top of a generous helping of cold fries. Each piece was smaller than a poker playing card. The wife had the southwest chicken wrap, ordered without beans. It arrived without avocado (which she wanted) and extra black beans (which she didn't!) Two boys had the kids chicken fingers which came with 3 tenders and more cold fries. The third boy had the kids grilled cheese which came with a huge slice of tomato. I've seen adult grilled cheese sandwiches come with a tomato slice... but NEVER on a kids meal! Needless to say, it didn't get eaten. It would've been nice if we were advised about the sandwich contents.. especially because it wasn't identified on the menu. When we asked them to remake the grilled cheese, they replied that the kitchen was already closed. Which means we were stuck with 4 plates of cold fries. Finally, we ordered at 7:17pm. The food came out at 7:52pm. Then one of the servers came through the cafe at 7:57pm and told the three tables dining inside that they were closing at 8pm! By the way, the only reason why we left our patio seating to come inside was the incredibly annoying toy poodle that barked continuously for the 20 minutes we were sitting there! Not necessarily the fault of the restaurant, but the pets owner did absolutely nothing to soothe this seething animal. By all accounts, this was not a good experience at all. We won't be back. It's too bad! This place has great potential if someone would pay just the slightest amount of detail to their job. read more

Tasty food, Belgian Ale on tap and great service! Plus the waterfront dining area is dog friendly with water bowls everywhere. Odin, our Great Pyrenees, loves going here where he gets lots of attention, leftovers and then a nice walk on Occoquan Park's trails! read more

We stop here whenever we're walking the dogs in the park. On weekends, during lunchtime when the weather is nice, it gets busy and thus service is slow. However, the food is not too bad. I got the Southwest chicken wrap, which consists of chicken, mixed greens, cheese, corn, black beans in a tortilla with chipotle ranch dressing. I think my wrap was missing the ranch dressing so it was a little bland but it was good nonetheless. My husband got the Brickmakers burger and seemed to have enjoyed it. It was a double patty with cheese, lettuce,tomato and chipotle ranch. It looked a bit dry to me but he didn't seem to have any complaints about it. We liked that there's an outdoor patio so we can enjoy it with the dogs. read more

This review isn't about the food, which is really, really excellent - fresh-made and delicious. Last Thursday, I brought a group of senior citizens to Brickmakers for lunch. I ordered for the entire group, and was surprised to find that the corporate credit card didn't go through, and my personal card didn't either. I pay my personal card in full every month, so I assumed the problem was with their card reader. A crowd of customers gathered behind me while someone found the manager, who treated me as though I was committing a crime. Refused to accept a check ("if your cards were declined, what makes you think I'd trust your check?") and told me that if we couldn't pay, he'd throw the food away. I appealed to him to help me solve the problem so these elderly customers could have lunch and he just shrugged. Called American Express and they said my card's good and they had no record of a transaction going through, so it must have been a blip on the card reader. I asked them to run my card again, and it went through just fine - the manager handed me my receipt without comment. I told him I'd like an apology, and he said "I didn't run your card the first time; this is not my mistake," and walked away, muttering things about me. One person got the wrong salad, and another got the wrong shrimp dish, and one person waited twenty-five minutes for his food to arrive (after checking three times and being told it was just one more minute. The third time I checked, the woman got an "oh s***" look on her face and told me she'd get it started right away.) I'll give this place one more try because of the food, but that was the worst treatment I - and the elders I brought with me - have experienced in a long time. Boo! read more

Love this place. Although there's a risk that this awesome review will bring in the masses, I won't hold back for that reason. Super cheery staff, excellent variety, prompt service, reasonably priced. Did I mention water view? This is NOT your typical park food joint. Be prepared to be pleased. read more

I love this new addition to the park!! They have generous portions. Brunch on Sunday's. You can get a beer or some wine after your hike :) BUT the reason why I give 4 stars instead of 5 is because they play the worst music !! When I come to the park I want to relax and listen to sounds of nature, not crappy pop music :( so I end up taking it to go and eating elsewhere in the park. Hopefully they will change it to playing only inside or something! read more

Great food great prices and great location. I really wish brunch was served Saturday but lunch is pretty good too. Their French toast is the best in town. I've had better shrimp and grits but they have the largest portions and great flavor. Also had the sausage breakfast and it's yummy. Can get a little crowded on the weekends and the staff could use some help with cleanup. They tend to be so busy with orders they don't get a chance to bus tables. Sit outdoors if the weather is nice enough. Will be back read more

Greaaatttttttttttttt place for a bite to eat and/or a drink if you're in the park or just finished up some water activities.

The best part of this cafe is it's location and view. The food and service on the other hand are at or below average. The drive up to this cafe is picturesque. You drive for a few minutes through the Occoquan Regional park and then you come to a very architecturally beautiful building which overlooks the waterway. There is sitting outside and inside. The inside of the cafe is very modern and contemporary. I ordered the brick master burger and my wife ordered the Cuban sandwich. My burger was very good in flavor but excessively greasy. My wife's sandwich was dry but yet somehow greasy. Oddly the wait for our food was about 20 minutes from ordering which is kind of long when there was only a handful of people in the cafe, majority of them waiting for their food. Would I go back, possibly if I'm looking for a really good view while I ate my food. read more