Restaurant Review – Brick Pizzeria

Brick Pizzeria in New Bedford has gotten a facelift and is looking better than ever. The dining area has been expanded to include more tables and new windows make the place feel bright and airy. Veterans of Brick will remember going up to the counter to order, but will now be greeted by a friendly waitress who will seat you and actually hand you a menu. This might be old news since I hadn’t been to the place in a while, but I can’t be the only person surprised by this change. During a recent visit, I spotted several fellow pizza patrons barge in the front door and make a beeline to the counter before their error was politely corrected by the waitress. I suppose this is an attempt to make the place feel more classy, but honestly I felt it made the experience a bit more stiff compared to the relaxed, seat-yourself-wherever atmosphere of the past.

Rest assured though, that the food has not changed. The pizza is still handmade right in front of you by a couple of hip dudes who are continuously pumping out one gorgeous pizza after another. You can watch as they knead lumps of dough into flat canvases on top of which they create their artwork of flavorful tomato sauce with super fresh ingredients of your choosing. The entire thing is thrust into the 800 degree brick oven that is the restaurant’s namesake and emerges a mere two minutes later, a golden-crusted wonder ready to be devoured.

Brick pizzas have a soft, chewy sourdough crust that is not too thick, though not thin enough to be crispy, that gives them a distinctive taste. On my last visit, I had a classic Margherita pizza ($8.59) which came with fresh mozzarella, basil, and parmagian. It was doughy and light and thoroughly satisfying for a late lunch. Brick has an impressively varied list of ingredients that not only include the typical pepperoni, olives, and (since we’re in New Beford) linguica, but also sophisticated, grown-up toppings such as gorgonzola cheese, capers, and wood-fired wild mushrooms. You can pick among their classy topping combinations or create your own mix and match pizza. Brick also offers “white pizzas” with no tomato sauce, which go beyond the everyday alfredo cheese pizza and have the same amount of interesting variety as the red pizzas.

The calzones are humongous, and are basically a large pizza folded over on itself to create somewhat of a gourmet, generously filled hot pocket. We ordered one and were impressed by the steam that bellowed forth when cut into and the tastefully spiced, meaty interior. The salads are also enormous, as I observed while gaping at my dining neighbor’s behemoth mountain of greens. Also available are flatbread sandwiches, cannoli, and a good selection of craft beers to wash it all down.

Brick’s major selling points are its fresh, fresh, fresh ingredients and relatively cheap prices for such high quality artisan pizzas that are filling and satisfying. It’s located in downtown New Bedford also, which means there is plenty to do in the area after your meal, and on AHA! night, it’s definitely a swanky place to go.

Brick Pizzeria is located at

163  Union St., New Bedford, MA  02740

508-999-4943

http://www.pizzeriabrick.com/

Hours
Monday-Friday  11-9
Saturday   11-9
Sunday – 11-6