Brick Road Pizza ups its game
The first time I ate at Brick Road Pizza, I was disappointed in the lack of service and the long wait times. The food was great, but the overall experience overshadowed the fresh, organic ingredients that I had on my pizza. But sometimes restaurants have an off day, and that’s when it’s time to give them a second chance.
I walked in with two GR Grub colleagues earlier this week for lunch. The lunch scene was quite different than the Sunday dining experience I originally had; we all went towards the lunch buffet instead of ordering directly from the menu. We were promptly greeted by our waitress, who took our drink orders and invited us to the buffet when we so desired.
Our drinks were brought promptly to us, and we were able to go up and pick out our favorite selections from the buffet. The buffet was basically a miniature version of the usual menu, and included four different types of pizza, a salad bar, soup, breadsticks and cookies. It’s what you’d expect from a typical lunch-time buffet.
I opted for two slices of pizza and some breadsticks, while my colleagues got a salad, some soup and pizza. The breadsticks were just as I remember them — buttery, fluffy and full of goodness. The marinara sauce was unique and was a great dipping sauce for the breadsticks. Likewise, my colleagues’ soup and salad were fresh and full of flavor.
But what about the thing that really matters? I was disappointed in the selection of pizza — they seemed to be pretty common (pepperoni, vegetable, meat and another I can’t recall). There wasn’t anything that really jumped out at me as “unique.” Despite that drawback, the pizza was good and full of flavor. The crust seemed to be cooked perfectly, and was a delightful surprise with the fresh ingredients that were on the pizza. Still, I would’ve liked to see some different types of pizzas available that I couldn’t get at my local Domino’s.
And as a great conclusion for our meal, the chocolate chip cookies were soft and gooey, and full of chocolate. It made for a great ending to our experience, and made me remember the great cookies that mom used to make.
To my surprise, the restaurant wasn’t too busy for lunch. Mind you that it was a Wednesday, but I still expected the restaurant to be rather busy. The lack of people dining in made the restaurant great for conversation, and allowed our waitress to check up on us more frequently. Drink refills were brought without having to wait, and our server was prompt at bringing us extra silverware and answering any questions we had. Compared to last time, the service seemed to finally be getting the attention it needed.
All in all, while Brick Road Pizza still isn’t number one in my book, I do appreciate the fact that they’ve worked towards improving their service. The prices are reasonable, and the fresh, local ingredients add something to the menu that you can’t find everywhere. It definitely puts Brick Road Pizza in a good spot.
Brick Road Pizza Co. (Rating: ★★★ 1/2)
Where: 1017 Wealthy Street
Hours: Mon.-Thur. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m to midnight, Sun. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Ambiance: Sustainable pizzeria
How much will it cost you: Pizza and sandwiches start at around $7, with pasta starting around $12.
Credit cards: All major
Alcohol: Yes
Smoke-free: Yes
Reservations: No
Contact: (616) 719-2409
Online: http://www.brickroadpizza.com
