BRiX Wood Fired Wine Bar

For me, this place really made a good impression. Let me set the scene:
Enter, cozy little bar, nice selection of vino out for you to peruse, and a bartender that is, among other things, easy on the eyes. Sold!
I parked myself at the bar, admittedly a bit peckish, but more thirsty than anything. I was hesitant to get too excited, as it is my theory that the further you get from California wine grapes, the more likely you are to be, as we in the biz say, let down. But then, something caught my eye– Lebanese wine! I know very little about Lebanon outside of it being a historical site of the Crusades and geographically near Nazareth, the birthplace of Jesus, my homeboy. Turns out the French invasion has had some impact and the Lebanese really turn out a nice bottle of wine.
We sat and enjoyed the ambiance, and tasted more reds than whites, and tried some samples and I have to say, they have a selection worth noting. On my second visit, we took a table, and our experience was equally pleasing. I have yet to truly explore their menu, but I would say the fish tacos look the most enticing. The presentation was enough to catch my eye, and I am known for my discerning taste.
I would say this place is great for both a local and an out of towner, wine enthusiast or not.
If I were to really break it down, I think what I found most charming (other than the waitstaff) was that Brix is a modern day good-​guy versus the world story. Talk to the staff and you’ll get the lowdown on how they really are trying to make it happen in this up and coming neighborhood and you’ll really be impressed with what they’re pulling off. If Brix can continue to rock this Casbah, I think that they will go down in North Side modern-​history. I wish them well, and humbly offer my unsolicited advice to head on over to Brix whenever my fellow Golden State buddies head to the city of Bridges. Viva la Brix. Amen.

I gave Brix a solid 1 star for the location (it’s near my house), lighting (it’s not bright like Ritters or Eat N Park), and fireplace. It’s a trendy place that will be closed within 6 months. The wine list is good… but so are the lists at about 50 other restaurants. I’ve eaten here 3 times and each time it was worse. The last time, I advised them to stop serving food and just be a bar. Here’s my favorite part: The waiter had the audacity to debate w/​me! RULE #1: THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT. If I said my food sucked, it did. Period. The fish tacos were burned, the soup was runny, the mac & cheese was disgusting, and the pizza was more crust than actual pizza. If you want to be disrespected by a waiter, eat piss-​poor food, and are not welcome anywhere else in town, you should go here! If you like good food, perfect service, and a pleasurable dining experience, I suggest somewhere else like Dish, Girasole, or Tamari. If you just feel the need to go to the NorthSide because you heard it’s the hip place to go & you need to get out of the suburbs, go to the place right across the street — The Modern Café. It’s not as fancy, but the drinks are good and the food is consistent. And the waitstaff doesn’t pretend they’re in New York or talk back.

I am so glad that there is a new place on the Northside! I used to frequent Brix location years ago when it was the 900 hundred club. I must say it has really transformed for the better. My friends and I would consider ourselves new vine enthusiasts and we were really impressed with the selection. You are able to order 2oz for tasting. The apps were phenomenal! The poached pears and goat cheese were one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. And we frequent most the popular restaurants in the city. Go try it!

As others have mentioned, they have different sized pours. The part that I haven’t seen mentioned is that you don’t pay «more» for a small pour; so, 2 oz is $ 2.5, 4 oz is $ 5.0, etc. I usually don’t try a bunch because you’re indirectly «penalized, but that’s not the case here. (Okay, the penalty I guess is that you try *too* many & your head hates you the next day…)
Regarding the «wood-​fired» concept. the space used to be a restaurant, so when they bought it they modified the kitchen to fit their needs. As it turns out, the previous establishment never had their place zoned for a restaurant… long story short, they had to completely disassemble their kitchen & rebuild it in the basement, and in the process they’ve lost their wood-​fire oven. TBD on when it’s returning. I can’t imagine the expense that has gone into moving things around to make a stodgy inspector happy, but such is life. (I have dealt with these inspectors before… public safety blah blah, IMO it’s a way for the city to make $$ and make normal people absolutely miserable.) Based on that… support this place!
The food was good but not great, but given their early issues, I think they still have a good chance of succeeding. It’s definitely worth at least swinging through a few times over a few months to see how they’re evolving.

When a restaurant advertises that they’re specializing in their drinks as much as their food, I always worry they’re going to be stronger in one category and weaker in another. Not here my friends, it’s the whole package!
I love the wine set up. Much like their sister restaurant in the East End, Toast, you’re able to choose from a 2 oz pour to a full glass and everything in between. I love this option because you’re able to sample lots of different wines you may have been wary about trying. Almost like a wine flight at a nice winery. I’ve been so obsessed with the Malbec recently so I had to go with this one. Although the bartender told me this choice was much less peppier than the South American Malbec’s that I love, I thought this still had a nice little kick to it!
So me and my friend split the Brie Brule and Local Beets salad. Both were divine! The brie came in two big triangles with pears and honey drizzled on top and bread. It was so delicious, honey really adds to a dish… especially a cheese dish. The beets were as promised, farm fresh and nice and crisp with honey goat cheese on top (honey strikes again!).
For the main dish I ordered the acorn squash with shrimp and polenta. As many times as I’ve tried to make acorn squash, it’s never come out with the perfection like this one did! The presentation was just beautiful! The squash was cut into a generous sliver with the polenta and shrimp laid on top. The polenta was creamy and rich, I only wish it was seasoned a bit more (I’m not a big salt person… but it just seemed like it needed a tad more salt n’ pepper perhaps?). I thought the shrimp was just enough to satisfy my seafood cravings.
Low lighting and warm wood tones make it good for a girls night (like mine) or a super romantical date night. I’ll be back for both soon!

A couple friends and myself wanted to check out this wine bar since I just got an apartment within walking distance in Manchester. We got there a little after 5 on a saturday and it was pracically empty unfortunately. The décor was interesting and the bar looked very nice. I liked the barrel they are using as a host stand.
We ordered a bottle of wine for 27 dollars and shared it. We each got something to eat as well. I had the rib entrée for 20 dollars. It was decent and very filling. I did not know they had a pizza oven that is out of service until reading reviews on here. I think the menu is very nice even without the pizzas.
The wine list is extensive and the service was also very good. I guess it should be considering it was not very busy. Everyone seemed very friendly however and I look forward to going back.

As a northsider, I was super excited to learn that Brix was opening within walking distance (stumbling) distance from home! I’ve been following Brix on twitter and have been enjoyed being in the loop with the happenings at the restaurant.
We stopped in the other night for a late dinner. I was aware that the pizza oven was out of commission so I knew what I was getting into. Hopefully the city of Pittsburgh doesn’t make them jump through too many hoops an they’re up and functioning again soon!
We started with the Brie bruele. I’m a cheese lover but wasn’t impressed with the charred-​borderline burntness or the three small pieces of bread. On a positive note the pears that came with the brie were delish!
We then moved onto the blue crab salad with mustard greens! Amazing!!!
Dinner was acorn squash with shrimp and polenta. Great flavors all around here, I’m a sucker for polenta! The shrimp were tiny… but there were a lot of them, so I guess this balances out?
Loved the wine list and ability to sample and taste in varying sizes! We had the pecorino, which was perfect for an evening of dining outdoors. I will also mention that i hated the chairs at the outdoor tables. They weren’t really conducive to eating.
I’ll definitely be back and am looking forward to sampling some of their pizzas! Excited that another great restaurant debuted in my neigorhood!

My first experience with Brix was at a private USBG event that they were hosting. As a long time regular of the previous establishments that had once occupied Brix’s new home I was excited to check it out!
When I walked in I was blown away immediately but the complete change around. That the bar is downstairs now was the first thing I noticed and loved about it. Such a smart decision on their part. I wandered out on to the back patio which had always been my favorite spot and was simply mesmerized. The curtains were the best addition in my opinion. Then there is the waterfall, the fountain, and all the fresh herbs and plants growing everywhere you look. The feel is lush and exciting. Back inside I notice that they had converted this little area going down the steps towards the kitchen into a lovely little seating nook which is directly opposite of a two-​sided fireplace. I love it all if you can’t tell!
The food was delicious. We sampled a bunch of different pizzas which were all delightful. I really didn’t try much else that night even though there were plenty of other offerings for us.
I have since been back multiple times and am consistently pleased with the food. I love the Baked Brie with honey… yummy. Perfectly melted goodness that goes so well with the Brut Rose.
Whether I am there for a quick bite or an after work cocktail the staff is always polite, knowledgeable, and attentive. I will definitely go back.

The wood-​fired oven, which was the main draw for me, was out of order, alas. We had some wine and beer with our meals. The wine and beer were delicious, and the selection offered was great; many locals. The space was very lovely and comfortable; it was a nice day and we sat in the front of the restaurant with the large front windows open to the lively street outside. I believe there is seating out back as well. The food was not very exciting. We started with a cheese and portobello «fondue» that had the grainy consistency of a tapenade, served with 4 small slivers of bread — not enough to eat it all with. We moved onto sandwiches that were passable — I had the roasted vegetable, and it was a mass, cold, of vegetables that were fine enough, yes, but served on two slabs of cold bread with a few hunks of goat cheese inside. All elements were quality, but the combination did not transcend its individual components.
I will try this place again once the oven is in order. It’s a great space and I’d like to think they can do a better job.

It’s a great concept and I think it has a lot of promise, but it doesn’t seem as if they were really ready to open. Pizza is not consistently available, prices seem to change daily, and the service seems to be stuck on the «first day» pace. I’ve tried it 4 times now because I want to love it, but I think I’m done.

I was really looking forward to having dinner at Brix. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. The wood fired ovens were not working therefore there were no pizzas or entrees available. The only dinner choices were sandwiches. The brie appetizer was just ok. The 2 small hunks of brie were sort of silly looking in the appetizer plate. The crostini was not crusty at all and was soggy. The sandwiches were just average at best and totally not worth having. So, my recommendation is that if the pizza oven is not working, leave immediately.
On a positive note, the beer and wine lists offer really nice choices for your drinking pleasure.

Great atmosphere, great concept, and great food. I really hope this incarnation of the 900 Western Ave. slot sticks, because it’s a winner.

I’ve been wanting a place like this since I moved to Pittsburgh two years ago. In the simplest terms: It’s a lovely spot to have a few glasses of wine and share delicious snacks with friends. It’s located in a tidy little neighborhood just north of Heinz Field and has so many things gong for it. Let’s start with their core offering: wine. They have a great selection of reds and whites in a number of sizes with pricing that encourages you to try new things. There are also a number of wonderful things in the menu. We all agreed there is something really special going on with their pepperoni pizza. I also liked the beef carpaccio and the baked brie. The servers were knowledgable and attentive, the lighting was good, and the background music that struck the right tone of trendy but not overbearing. We didn’t sit in the outside area but it looked like a place I might like to spend some of the waning days of summer. Brix, Pittsburgh is a better place because of you.

Annie and I have been waiting for this place to open for a while and I’m happy to say that Paul and the gang were able to navigate the ridiculous rules and regs’ of local government to get this place going’. This review will need to be updated because the menu will change after this «soft» phase and I’m being just a touch generous in my initial review due to the joint being only open for a few days and the fact that I’ve been out of the review game for a while now. «Brix» is owned by the team that brought you «toast» on Baum. I’m a huge fan of toast and pleased to say that some of the most enviable attributes of that restaurant have translated to Brix. Brix is a wine bar. It looked to have a great selection of wine at multiple price points with different serving sizes that allow you to sample many items… Let’s call it a «wine buffet» if you so choose. This is wonderful and I wish other restaurants could copy this idea. The space is very nice and I so hope it will be successful because this location has been the demise of so many multiple restaurants. The most recent being «cassis» which was not to be long for this earth, with its dungeon like interior and multiple personality menu… but that’s another story. They re-​arranged this place a bit. The interior is pleasant with a large bar in the main dining room with high ceilings and plenty of room to move around. The outdoor seating was wonderful. They did a great job with the lighting, music and accents on the space. It was one of the few times in recent memory that I really enjoyed eating outside. The weather being perfect helped. We arrived at about 730 PM on a Friday and there were no tables available. This is a good sign for the place being it just opened, however this also meant they didn’t really have a system set up for seating and even though we arrived first a couple tables were seated ahead of us. I’m not too concerned about this; because I’m sure they’ll have a system resolved for this shortly. The guy who greeted us at the door, Troy and Michael who ultimately sat us were both pleasant and professional. Mathew was our waiter and he’s served us before multiple times at Eleven. This place had more than a couple big burrito alum’. My dirty martini was perfect with just enough dirty and no garnish. The menu is a much simplified I hope version of what the full menu will be. It seemed to me to be more of a lunch menu, but Michael assured me there will be entrée’ features in the future. The prices were more than fair for the food. We started with a charcuterie and cheese plate. We really enjoyed this and Will was able to explain each meat and cheese. There was a large selection of some common and not so common (beef tongue) charcuterie and a better than pedestrian sample of hard and soft cheese. We followed this up with a $ 5 personal margherita pizza. The crust was okay… I was hoping for it to be a bit crispier and texturally satisfying given the brick oven. The tomatoes were delicious and actually tasted like tomatoes and the cheese was restrained, which is a good thing with this type of pizza. Annie then had the prime rib sandwich and potatoes salad for her entrée’. This was served with a jus. The potatoes salad was very good and had some type of herb I couldn’t identify that added to a complexity of flavor that surprised me. The jus was bland. I think maybe a little seasoning or longer reduction would have aided the flavor. I liked the beef, but Annie couldn’t eat too much of it. It was very rare. This is okay with me, but a no no for the lady. I had the stuffed pepper. It was stuffed with a lamb sausage and served with a roasted sauce. It was okay, but again suffered a bit from lack of seasoning. There were no desserts on the menu yet. Overall the space is beautiful and the service good by competent highly trained professionals. This is a good new addition to the area and I’m sure some of the small misses will be rectified. I believe this will be part of our rotation and I look forward to a bit more of an expanded menu. Paul, Chet and the rest of the team deserve a shot at your business.