Brick Oven Pizzaria
www.858brickoven.com
Last verified 4/11
Reminder: Gluten free menu items reported by restaurants should only be considered as a starting off
place for choosing items.
You still must take the responsibility of being vigilant and always reconfirming
the GF status of a menu item each and every time. It is also important to discuss any possible cross-contamination issues.
The Brick Oven, owned by Ali Torabi, offers a gluten-free pizza crust that they make themselves. The GF pizzas are prepared in a separate area and baked in a separate oven from the regular pizzas. It is recommended to call first to confirm they have the GF pizza crusts available on the day you plan to dine there.
They don't appear to have a website, just a PDF of their brochure, which includes the menu.
The manager, Shawn Neely, reviewed the menu on 6/20/10. He reported the following:
- None of the Appetizers are GF
- All of the Salads are GF (without croutons on the Caesar salads)
- All pizza Toppings are GF except the meatballs, eggplant, and skinny fries
- All of the Gourmet Pizza toppings are GF except the Chicken Alfredo
- None of the Entrees are GF because they all contain pasta
The Brick Oven is a small restaurant, with four indoor tables for four persons each, and four outdoor tables for two persons each.
Carol S., 6/10
"I’m pleased to say I had a very delicious gluten free pizza at the Red Brick Oven in Poway, in a shopping center right off of Poway Road. The crust was so light and fluffy, I was sure I had been given a “regular” pizza. I called the owner to double check, he confirmed that he’d made it, and that it was gluten free. It is the best GF pizza crust I’ve had.
Very conveniently, two doors to the left of the Red Brick Oven is a bakery, Swedish Royal Bakery. There are several gluten free pastries and cookies to choose from. Everything I bought was very delicious. GF cakes are “special order only” at this time, but the bakery does plan to offer them regularly this summer. The owner did caution me that other flours are used in the bakery. The gluten free items are scattered among the “regular” items. I ate the pastries and fortunately, had no “gluten” symptoms."
Roxie in 6/10
"I finally was able to try the Brick Oven Pizza I had heard so much about. It did not disappoint. Their homemade GF crust is really declicious! And with the Swedish Bakery just two doors down, it certainly makes for a great GF meal."
Dennis L., Joshua Tree, CA, 7/08
"I work in SD and my Girlfriend is a Celiac and was in SD with me for the week. She hasn't had a restaurant pizza in 3 years and was excited when I found this website and that Brick Oven had Gluten free, so we took the trip to Poway. When we walked in we immediately realized it was a family run operation. Our order was taken by the cutest, Smiley, articulate 10 year old Girl you'll ever meet. Within 10 minutes our Pizza was ready and my Girlfriend had the biggest smile on her face as the pizza was brought out.
The Gluten free pizzas only come in a medium size. The seating might be a concern on a weekend. Three tables inside and two outside. I am not a Celiac and we shared the Pizza and to be honest I don't think I could tell you there was anything different about this pizza and it was some of the best I've had in some time. My Girlfriend was in heaven and couldn't stop talking about how awesome it was. I highly recommend this place and will be back."
John C.,
Sabre Springs, 7/08
I just tried my first take-out gluten free pizza at Brick Oven in Poway and I am very impressed. This is not just great gluten-free pizza. It's great pizza. I think the biggest reason this pizza is a success is that somehow the chef has managed to get air into the dough. Anyone who's tried a frozen GF pizza knows what I'm talking about. Sorry, Amy's (frozen), you've got your work cut out for you now.
Debbie, Poway, 6/08
"Their GF pizza was great! It is even good re-heated, and since it is made to order you can get what ever you want on it. Make sure you call ahead, since it takes longer to make. They normally sell out on Fridays & Saturdays. The owner said you can call a day or so in advance, so they know how much dough to make for the next day."
Anita B., 5/08
"The gluten-free pizza at Brick Oven is one of the best pizzas in San Diego county. My family loves it. I recommend calling ahead to order, as it could take almost 40 minutes before it is ready. The place is tiny, so it is probably best to do take-out."
Jeff C. to San Diego ROCK group, 5/08
"Not sure if my wife has had a chance to email you yet but I wanted to tell you about a pizza place in Poway that is serving GF pizza...and it does not taste anything like a frozen crust...it tastes and looks hand tossed. My son, who is not a Celiac, actually preferred the GF pizza to the regular...owner wasn't sure how he felt about that...
The man who was there was very knowledgeable about being GF and was incredible about cross-contamination. He said at this point they are only doing GF cheese pizzas because of the fear of cross contamination on the toppings...they hand throw their pizza dough. However, they are already working on a separate GF station for the kitchen so that they can offer the same toppings for the GF pizzas as for regular pizzas.
Anyway, we wanted to let you know so that you could spread the word around SD ROCK. We were sad to see Mountain Mike's turn their backs on us...Brick Oven is there for us. My Celiac daughter walked out of the pizzeria with a pizza box and it made her day."
12222 Poway Road Suite 19
Poway, Ca 92064
858-274-2568
