La Torcia Brick Oven Pizza--thin crust pizza, breadsticks, dips, pasta, salads, quesadillas, nachos, wings, and sandwiches for everyone

La Torcia Brick Oven Pizza or as most locals refer to it "Brick Oven" is my favorite pizza place in Abilene. The restaurant is a small chain with locations in mostly in Arkansas, Texas and one in Missouri.

 

I like them not necessarily because I prefer thin crust pizza, which I actually do not most of the time, but because of the variety of pizzas they make. I am a fan of the Mediterranean pizza. Again, not because I usually get chicken on a pizza, but because the combination of flavors on that particular pizza with the feta, cheddar, green peppers, red onions, tomatoes, green olives and, yes, chicken on a crispy brick oven baked crust with olive oil instead of tomato sauce just works for me when I want something different. Usually, my pizza choice would a classic traditional crust pepperoni and mushroom or a deep dish supreme--if I feel like going for it in the pizza game. Brick Oven also makes a taco pizza which is unusual and another called the favorite which has artichoke hearts and turkey among several other traditional and specialty pizzas. You are also welcome to create your own with what you like the best. 

I am also a fan of their Mediterranean salad ($10 for a full size, $7 for a small) and get it on occasion instead of pizza when I want to be "good." They use crisp lettuce which I like because of the crunch.

 

Brick Oven is not especially big but has a lot of tall four person booths along the walls which feel cozy and there are tables in the middle. Televisions are around playing sports but it is not generally obtrusive. You will see lots of families eating together. There can be a wait during peak times, so feel free to order carry out. However, I do not recommend using Door Dash or some other delivery service (since the restaurant itself does not deliver) because it tends to arrive less than hot and shaken up in in my experience. I have almost always experienced good service, if a bit slow on occasion, but will acknowledge that some people have have issues in that area in the past though I have not heard any complaints about it recently. Like many places staff shortages happen so tables can take a while to get cleared or refills on drinks.

I eat at Brick Oven about every six weeks or so and have for a number of years so not sure why it has taken me this long to actually write a review. On my most recent visit, I had a Sunday lunch with my mom and my brother. We ordered some bread sticks ($7)) for an appetizer with ranch dressing instead of marinara sauce. Four of them come in the order and they arrive cut in half.
Their ranch dressing tastes homemade but does cost extra if you want some to go with your pizza order. The bread sticks come with garlic butter melted on top. They are the soft kind similar to what you get at Olive Garden. There are several other appetizer options including several dips and nachos. I ordered a small Mediterranean pizza ($9), my mom got spaghetti and meatballs ($11.50), and my brother had a Pork Paradise calzone ($9) which had pulled pork, mozzarella, cheddar, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and was topped with barbeque sauces, ranch dressing, and banana peppers and came with sides of more barbeque sauce and ranch. My mother's spaghetti and meatballs had 5-6 good sized meatballs but she thought they were under seasoned and came with two piece of garlic bread. The portion size could have been larger for the price. The pulled pork in the calzone was good but there could have been more meat inside. The crust to meat ration was heavy on the bread side. I was pleased as usual with my pizza but there did seem to be slightly less toppings than in the past. Perhaps inflation is hitting them on the supply side though I did not notice a significant rise in the cost of the pizza itself compared to the past. For three adults to eat out for less than $40 plus tip (we all had water to drink) is pretty good nowadays.

 

My recommendation is stick with the pizza style options or perhaps a sandwich. I have never been with anyone who tried the wings, quesadillas, or nachos.

 

Without question, I will be back again. There is comfort in consistency, a fair price, and good pizza.

 

La Torcia Brick Oven Pizza
4714 S. 14th St.

Abilene, TX

325-691-5303
https://www.brickovenpizzacompany.com/

Hours: Sunday-Saturday 11am-10pm

No delivery