the bricks of ybor

​thebricksof ybor is an experience you just won’t find elsewhere in town… especially if you gulp down the liquid heroin coffee too quickly (which was a bit tooo sweet for my taste, so just be sure to note your sweetness preference to the chill barista). the cool staff, good music, and artsy, skatepark of tampa-inspired décor makes up an edgy but chill atmosphere that’s hard to leave. whether you’re in it for the locally roasted coffee, creative bites, or the full bar, the abundance of options will not disappoint… among the exceptional amount of vegetarian options is a blackstar bean burger with “bricks mayo” that can satisfy the tongue of carnivores like myself… but only when able to resist the flavor-packed pulled pork and chicken options. and don’t stress over side selections because they’re all delicious. go out back even if you don't smoke cigarettes and read the bathroom walls!

after seconds of throwing out ideas, thebricksof ybor was on the table and we all were ready to go! it was early in the afternoon on a sunday during the world cup, so the assumption was that we may have to “indulge in libations” while waiting for a table. twist our arms why don’t you? but, to our surprise, this was not the case at

love to go to thebricksfor lunch especially for some casual meetups with people and to get some work done outside the office. the service here is good, consistent and accommodating. glad ybor hadbrickswith a great atmosphere and excellent selection of food, coffee, beer and wine.

nice and tasty. we first noticed that the atmosphere is very nice and the place is clean and inviting. service was quick and attentive; the service was excellent. the bird and pig, a signature sandwich, was delicious. chicken, bacon, brie, and apples made this a unique and delicious surprise. order it, you won't be disappointed.

the pulled pork sandwich was good...not great. the "slaw" on the pulled pork had a sauce that was definitely a peanut butter base. it was a bit dry, but making it any wetter would soak the bun and make it mushy. the potato salad was fresh and tasty.

service, price, and tasty food make thebricksof ybor a definite revisit in the near future.

always a good time. cool space with local art on the walls and local beer on tap. the regular menu is always satisfying, and the daily specials are always a treat. movie night is a fun chance to check out some old school favorites, and the full liquor bar makes it a great spot to just get a drink with some friends. thebricksis always a good choice.

my friends were right!. i had heard from several friends that the next time i'm in tampa i should try the bricks. people that know me seemed to think that this is the kind of restaurant that i would love, so on my last visit i made a point of it to see if they were right.
the atmosphere… bar/ restaurant/ coffee shop located on 7th avenue in ybor city with local art on the walls and live music on certain nights.
the service… our server was courteous and helpful, and our food arrived in the proper amount of time
the food… they offer a wide variety of beer, coffee and tea to sip on while you enjoy one of their unique appetizers, salads, or sandwiches that are made up of an interesting combination of ingredients. they also serve "specialty" peanut butter and grilled cheese sandwiches.
there were three of us and so for an appetizer we decided to get the "taste of the bricks" (house-made hummus, house-made salsa, house-made black bean dip, vegetables, tortilla chips, pita slices - $12). everything on this platter was fresh and delicious, and just the right amount for three people.
then when it was time to order i had a ginger peach tea ($2 - delicious) and the pacific rim pulled pork (ponzu and coffee marinated roasted pork, asian slaw, hawaiian sweet bread - $8) and my side was the roasted potato salad. there were several other sandwiches that sounded good, but i'm glad i tried this one for my first visit. the pork was tender and flavorful and made for a really nice sandwich. however the star of the show might have been the potato salad. i normally shy away from mayonnaise-based potato salads, but this was a sour cream base, served cold and mixed with bacon, cheese and chives, giving it a loaded baked potato flavor! it was quite memorable! i would definitely go back to thebricksand try some of the many other intriguing menu items.

it was quite memorable! i would definitely go back to thebricksand try some of the many other intriguing menu items.

not bad. thebricksoozes a hip trendy vibe that allows for an all around enjoyable (granted comical) environment. it does feel like they try to hard to appeal to the hipster (perhaps in food thats not such a bad thing) crowd. ambiance aside, i'll move to the more important factors i.e. the food. the menu descriptions were very tantalizing (coffee ponzu sauce? you caught my attention) but the actual flavors did not fully deliver. the hawaiian pork sandwich tasted very good, but the unique flavor combinations the menu hyped were simply unfound. i also sampled the italian sandwich and it was very delicious albeit not too original. thebricksis a fun place to hang out with your friends but if you are looking for something different, you might want to search elsewhere

sub-par sandwiches, uber-hipster vibe. the atmosphere -hip city meets casual skater hangout - is awesome. from the art on the walls to the art on the servers' bodies, it was all very funky and fun. the drink specials and the djs spinning - all fab.

the sandwiches and service, however, were less than spectacular. first of all, maybe it was time of day (a sunday afternoon), but the service was slow, sporadic, and the servers seemed very...self-absorbed in their minutiae. secondly, the sandwiches, although made with quality ingredients and conceptually a wonderful paring of meats and cheeses, fell short in their execution.

the bird and pig sandwich was a good attempt, if not underseasoned and dry. the pulled pork sammy was definitely dry (it had no sauce to accompany it) and the slaw, meant to dress the pulled pork, also leaned towards the dry side, making the sandwich eater longing for their glass of water, which lay empty thanks to the waitress, the potato salad side, although deliciously pungent and garlicky, was made with hard potatoes - did they even bother to boil them, i wonder? perhaps the best sammy was the kids pb&j - so simple, even they couldn't mess it up.

i may go back, to give thebricksanother chance, but it was no special experience...especially for the price.

that could be why this was my second lunch outing at the bricks. hubs and i tried it a few months back. he wasn't thrilled, since he's more of a tampa bay brewing company kind of guy. that's not to say thebricksdoesn't have beer. this place morphs into a bar scene at night. but before the vampires and ybor city night stalkers come out, it's a coffee shop, breakfast and lunch venue that occupies a red-bricked corner space on the west end of east 7th avenue.

a great addition to ybor. i went to thebrickslast weekend for the first time and was impressed. the whole restaurant has a great vibe and the staff was ready to please. top it off with good beer and great sandwiches and you've got a winner. try it out.

great lunch spot. really excellent lunch spot with sophisticated food in a casual atmosphere. much better food than your typical ybor city fare. great prices -- we love the breakfast all day menu too! this is an ideal lunch spot but the dinner experience leaves much to be desired. namely, poor service at dinner time is a let down. there is a young female server there with bleach-blonde hair that can't seem to take a drink order let alone keep glasses full. we have been several times with a group of people and the restaurant could have made a significant amount more off of us had she only been around once every 20 minutes or so to replenish our adult beverages and clear the table of empty bottles! she even asked one of the people in our party why they didn't tip. he had tipped but combined it with another person's tip. just rude! i didn't care much for the dimming of the lights in the evening, as the place is not formal enough to justify a barely-lit candle-light atmosphere. turn on the quirky disco ball in the back corner (whoch makes you dizzy and it impossible to see inside the place) and it negates any effort to make the place formal anyway. also, on one visit, i ordered a cappuccino and got an espresso. odd! big ups to thebricksfor an excellent menu. you must try their bruschetta with a delicious mushroom/parmesan sauce. their pork sandwiches are missing some sort of sauce, as their hawaiian roll is very bready and dry -- perhaps bring some special bbq sauce to the table as an aside? also, the hummus chips are good but don't need the fancy "hummus" sauce with them -- how about some real hummus? the asian slaw is mild, not for every palate. they do keep vinegar on the table to give it a boost. with that said, we still frequent thebricksand love the place. the food is a notch above the rest that is offered here in ybor in an unpretentious atmosphere. oh yeah, and the artwork, games and friendly / knowledgeable daytime staff are great too. and the peanut butter creations are ingenius -- try the elvis.

very enjoyable. my family took me to thebricksfor a birthday meal and i really enjoyed it. they use peanut butter in all sorts of interesting way. i liked it on apples and bananas. the nachos were very good as was the hummus. all the sandwiches were good and the service was perfect. when we arrived the music was very loud and although we did not ask, they turned it down very shortly after we were seated. there are so many items on the menu that i want to try, i'm sure i'll be going back soon. nice find for the new year. oh and extremely vegetarian friendly.

not a skater, but.... we tried thebricksthis week and liked it. we lived in ybor for years so when we come back to tampa we like to see what is new on 7th. thebrickshad a fun menu, and seemed to have a wide range of beer available. we went during lunch so i missed the music, but drove by later and the place was full. good "sandwich place" - pretty unique and interesting ideas on the menu- i had "the italian brick" and the pesto spread made it worth it! overall i liked it- we talked to the owner before we left and he seems to have a pretty good plan, i hope thebricksmakes it.

waiting and hungry. when we arrive at the brick this past sunday we walked in and stood next to the bar in hopes someone would come by and greet us. 2 minutes later our wishes were granted however my companion and i were able to have almost 30 minutes of conversation without anyone asking for a drink order or even acknowledging us after we were pointed to a seat. so my awaiting hunger forced me to walk down the street to gaspar's where i know i would be treated respectfully. its unfortunate because due to this i doubt i'll be and will advise others not to even be bothered. for right now thebrickssits on thebrickswith me.