“ My 13th review of 2025 is to get Yelp's "wine bar" recognition badge, which led me back to Bear Brick Oven Pizza. And 13 is an unlucky #, which the 1st of 2 visits here was kind of a bad date. However, pizza & service was great here, so was worth me coming back 5.5 months later. Thursday, December 1, 2022: Five days prior to this on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, I met this one chick at a games Meetup. She was flirtatious with me at the Meetup, and I had found her intriguing. I also had tickets to an event on Sunday, December 4, which I thought would be a cool date. So, I mentioned this to her, which she expressed interest, and got her phone #. We texted, and I saw an ad (maybe on FB or somewhere) about Thursday night trivia at Bear Brick, plus I had heard from someone that this place was good. I texted suggesting this for that Thursday if she wanted/could go, which she agreed to. I also knew she lived in Olney, not far from Cloverly, and I don't even live that far from Cloverly. I drove the 12 miles from home to Bear Brick on this very cold Thursday night. The pizza was very good, and we even got wine too. We split a mushroom pizza and maybe another topping or two. Server was very nice as well, and server/staff were efficient. Trivia was fun, although the place is not all that big, and can be pretty loud with the trivia questions being read. Did the 2 of us win trivia or even get top 3 places? No. Tough to place, when it's just 2 people. This is 1 of 4 examples where I did a trivia date. First was in 2016 in Arlington (I had given the place 2-stars in 2013, but I think liked better a couple of other times), 2019 in Flower Hill, MD (I had written a 4-star review, but that place is out of business now), this time in 2022, and my girlfriend in 2024 in Baltimore City (could maybe give that brewery a lukewarm 3-star review if I get around to it). Regarding our Bear Brick date, the first hour or so of the date was pretty good, nothing to write home about. What was to write home about?! Where the date turns south to the end. So, she mentioned that she had recently broke up with her boyfriend. I asked how recent, and she said Thanksgiving. I politely exclaimed, Thanksgiving...that was only 7 days ago and we just met 2 days after. She acknowledged I know in a slightly guilty way. She also added that she was still in his house but was living in the basement. They were together 3 years, and she moved to MD from LA with him as he had a job here about a year earlier. Although this was all a red flag for me, perhaps the biggest negative was that she said she misses LA, doesn't have friends here, and is going to try to apply for jobs back in LA. This was not at all promising with her. At the end in the freezing cold parking lot, I half-heartedly said you still want to do this event on Sunday. She said maybe but see I could find someone else, which I responded I understood. Incidentally, on that Sunday, I took another 1 & done date (I guess one might say I was desperate), but it was someone who I was friends with, the date was significantly late like 45 minutes to lunch, which was very annoying. Monday, May 15, 2023: It was warm, beautiful sunny day. That afternoon my work computer was dealing with an IT issue, and I couldn't do much work until it was resolved. I had already planned on a late afternoon Meetup walk around Cloverly. As a result of this computer issue, I ended up taking my own walk nearby at a golf course. The Meetup title was: "Nat'l Pizza Party Day @ Bear Brick Oven Co. (Cloverly) w/ opt. Walk". Walk was nice learning the Cloverly neighborhood more. I was enthusiastic about going to Bear Brick again. They have a nice outdoor patio area, where we sat on that nice day. The pizza was just as good as I remembered. Server was very good like last time as well. And frankly, this was a more positive memory with this group, than that dreaded December 2022 date. Another Fun Fact & Conclusion: In addition to my December 2022, I was here on a date nearly 6 years earlier in February 2017, before it was Bear Brick here but a Buffalo Wing place. We had gone on a few dates that Winter, but ultimately, she would later marry my friend and now divorce, but they were better suited for each other (at least for a while) than we were, and I dodged a bullet. In conclusion, I want to return to one day with my girlfriend to enjoy a great local pizza place. ”

“ A spacious and casual restaurant specializing in brick oven pizza. The menu is simple, with signature and build your own pizzas as well as salads and sandwiches. Service is polite. What is nice is that plant based cheese as well as sausage is available. We ordered the Ashton pizza (large). It has mushroom, red onions, green peppers and sliced tomatoes. We were able to modify it by swapping the regular mozzarella cheese with the vegan cheese. We also added vegan sausage. The substitution and addition was just a modest surcharge (we were okay with it). Pizza came with a thin and chewy crust. It was very lightly and perfectly charred. The toppings were generous but not too densely packed. The sausage was well flavored links cut into slices. The sauce was the right amount of tangy and savory. Happy with the pizza, will be back. ”

“ I want to support this veteran owned business. I like their pizza. My husband likes their steak and cheese. ”

“ I was very impressed by the taste of the dough, the sauce was a little sweet, and the cheese was good. Definitely will order from here again when in the area. Next time I will call the restaurant and order the pizza as I went through an app to order and it cost more than what their prices are online. ”

“ Food: good quality for a brick oven pizza, toppings and cheese were evenly distributed which was nice to have toppings in every bite. The bathrooms need a changing table, but overall clean. Service was great, dispute there being a large party that needed lots of attention the server was very patience and was helpful for us. Nice atmosphere with an outdoor seating area that is covered and has heating. I would definitely be back if in the area again. ”

“ My wife and I ordered a pizza on DoorDash with mushroom, vegan sausage, jalapeño peppers, and pineapple and loved it. Also love the fact it is named Bear! ”

“ Heard about this place so decided to check it out. Was a bit of a drive but it was worth it. Called in a Spencerville (pepperoni pizza). Crust was PERFECT...light, thin, and crispy with a great yeast flavor! Loads of pepperoni and cheese. Service was great. There's a nice dining room also where you can see them make the pizza while you wait. See you again soon! ”

“ This was our first time here after seeing many reviews about how great the pizza is. So, browsed the menu beforehand to decide whether there were selections of interest & appealing. Tonight was the night. We each ordered a 14" pie so we could bring home leftovers. I ordered The Peachwood (Chicken & Pesto, red pepper & onion), my husband ordered The Robin Hood (Pepperoni, Feta & Mushroom). Both were very good down to the dough. I will say the ratio of dough to topping extended nicely to the edge. I would say the flavorings of each pizza, nice combinations, and toppings did well together. Only constructive comment for The Robin Hood would be better if feta was more evenly distributed around the entire pie but still a great combo. Service was excellent, we had a very attentive waitress, place looked clean and comfortable. Take out was a big business tonight as we watched people continuously coming in for pickup via the side door. They do have a nice covered outdoor area with quite a few tables. The only unfortunate thing tonight was not knowing there was musical entertainment (every Friday & Saturday), which tonight was NOT the best and was more a distraction and too loud for the small dining room and to have any conversation. We have nothing against local talent, but for such a small venue, it needs to be lower level for a dining establishment and, in this case, better talent. We definitely will be back as it's nice to know a good pizza place not too far from our home. ”

“ Decided to get a bacon cheesesteak from here. I ordered online and food was ready within minutes. The cheesesteak was pretty delicious and had a good amount of meat on it. Probably one of the top 3 cheesesteaks I've tasted around the area. Service was good as well. Amole parking is available and the restaurant has several food options! ”