It may seem like there’s a restaurant everywhere you turn in Williamsburg. From Tribe Square to the deli options, finding somewhere to eat is never really a problem. The Brickhouse Tavern, the latest addition to the restaurant scene that recently opened on Scotland Street, may seem like just one more place to grab dinner or spend a weekend night. However, the Brickhouse Tavern’s enticing atmosphere and the quality of its food set it apart from its competition.
The Brickhouse Tavern is part-sports bar, part-restaurant, and it takes advantage of its location right across the street from the College of William and Mary. Paintings of the Griffin and football players in green and gold line the walls, and the huge televisions lining the walls are perfect for broadcasting Tribe sports. In addition, the restaurant’s interior is much bigger than it may seem from the outside, and there is seating available both at tables and at the bar. There’s also outdoor seating and a balcony overlooking the street, where it’s nice to eat on the rare day that the sun is out and the humidity is low. The Brickhouse Tavern’s casual atmosphere makes it a place to eat with your parents or with your friends.
The signature dish seems to be pizza, but the menu has a wide variety of options, including salads, pastas and subs. Although the three meals we sampled — the chicken alfredo pasta, the meat-lover’s pizza and the Philly steak sub — all contained meat, there are also vegetarian options, like a veggie calzone and a variety of salads. The chicken alfredo’s creamy sauce and perfectly cooked chicken definitely made it the best of the three meals we tasted, but we were impressed by the sub and the pizza as well. Even though the sub contained a lot of meat, it wasn’t too dry, and struck a good balance between cheese and steak, with the green peppers for extra flavor. The pizza was completely loaded with toppings, including sausage, pepperoni, bacon and ham, making it slightly difficult to eat but extremely flavorful, especially if you do, in fact, love meat.
The prices are reasonable and are comparable to those of other local restaurants. Sub prices range between $6.95 and $7.95, and an 8-inch pizza, which can be split between two people, is only $8.50. Appetizers and drinks are also relatively inexpensive, so eating on a college student’s budget shouldn’t be a problem. The portions were also big, so diners definitely get their money’s worth and can bring leftovers home; the owner swears that the food is at least as good — if not better — when it’s reheated.
For 21-and-over clientele, the Brickhouse Tavern features a full bar and serves inexpensive beer. Open till 2 a.m., the restaurant is a good place to meet friends for drinks on weekends. At the same time, the Brickhouse Tavern isn’t a bar primarily, so younger patrons won’t feel out of place.
While the thing that stands out the most is the food, the friendly staff was a huge selling point for us. A waitress greeted us when we walked in and introduced us to the owner. As we ate, she continued to make conversation even though she was not the one bringing out our food. The owner was also extremely warm and eager to help us, hence the three huge plates of food we found in front of us.
Our experience at the Brickhouse Tavern was definitely a positive one: We were happy with all of the food we sampled and we felt comfortable in the friendly environment. We know we will be returning soon to try the calzones, which, we are told, are enormous and best when stuffed with meatballs. Although there is no shortage of restaurants around campus, the Brickhouse Tavern is certainly a welcome addition to the deli scene.