Red Brick Restaurant: just about as plain as its name
by Tim | February 27, 2008 | 9 Comments
(votes: 6, average: 3.67) 
Loading ...The Red Brick Restaurant is located at 701 N. Hudson in downtown Oklahoma City. Call them at 405-232-6300.
PLEASE NOTE: The Red Brick Restaurant is no longer open.
I first heard about the Red Brick Restaurant in Oklahoma City’s Downtown Magazine. The photography of the food at this place was over-the-top spectacular, plus the write-up was very favorable, so I was excited to check it out. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Red Brick is a decent restaurant and I give them credit (as I always do) for bringing it to downtown, but I found their menu offerings about as plain as their name.
Red Brick is in a red brick building right across the street from the new federal building downtown. It’s a quaint little spot, which even has a free parking lot to the south (always a welcome surprise in downtown). The interior of the building is interesting. The funny thing is, I can’t remember too many specifics about it. I remember it being brightly lit and sort of reddish. It feels clean and new, and a bit nicer inside than the exterior would suggest.
But let’s talk about the food. I guess my main complaints are that the options are so limited, and not-so-healthy. Their lunch menu pretty much consists of a hamburger and a chicken-fried-chicken sandwich. That plus the buffet, which stands right in the center of the room. The buffet appeared to be a limited selection of southern-style “home-cooking” type foods. The day I was there, fried chicken was the only meat option, then there were a couple types of beans, mashed potatoes … etc. I think perhaps the buffet changes from day to day, but it seems to be centered around the southern-style (and not very healthy) cuisine.
I didn’t get the buffet because I know that an all-you-can-eat serving of southern-fried foods would leave me feeling like I swallowed a boulder. But, as I scoured the menu for something a bit lighter, I came up short. I did see a couple of salads (chef and garden) on the menu and asked about them, but the server told me they were pretty much just iceberg lettuce with a few other “salad things” mixed in. That didn’t sound all too great.
So, I opted for the burger. I know, not very healthy either, but at least it wasn’t all-you-can-eat burgers so there would be a limit to the amount I could take in. Plus, with the burger and fries I could get out for a couple dollars less than the buffet which runs $6.99. At least two waitresses came by and told me how good the burger was, so I figured it was a good bet. I really did hope it was good because it seemed they were pretty much dependent on it with such a limited menu. The verdict? The burger was pretty good. It was extremely greasy, though. I got mine with grilled onions and cheese. The grilled onions were a bit thick-cut for my taste. Onions and cheese are the only two options you have on the burger. Of course, it comes standard with iceberg lettuce, tomato and pickle.
So, they have a decent burger. I’ve had better any number of places. If you like all-you-can-eat southern-style buffets, then perhaps that is good as well. But, the bottom line is, this place isn’t putting anything out there to really stand out — that is, other than their location. And that might just be the most unique thing about the Red Brick Restaurant. I don’t know of any other southern-style home cookin’ places in the downtown area.
One final thing that I found odd. The pricing on the “combos” and the burgers is very strange. Usually, when you get a combo, you expect to save a bit of money off of what the individual components would cost when purchased separately. But, in most cases at Red Brick, you don’t save anything. In some cases, the individual prices are actually less than the combo price. Just be sure to check the pricing carefully before you order.
Bottom line, the Red Brick restaurant is bringing something new to downtown, but I’m afraid they’re not quite hitting on all cylinders. I would like to see a few “healthy” options on the menu, plus the use of more quality ingredients (like an interesting and actually “green” salad). In general, a few more menu options, and more consistent pricing across them would help this place take things up a level. If they can implement some changes like these, I would give them another shot.
We want to hear from you!
So far, 9 people have responded to this article. Won't you join in?February 28th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Glad I could be your lunch companion on this one, Tim. You gave it three stars…too generous I think. If 2 1/2 is average, then this one gets no more than that, and probably deserves just underneath average at 2 stars. Oh well, it was worth the try. Next time, we’ve got to go back to Brasil!
April 4th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I thought the burger was great. I eat there regularly and will continue to do so. They did some remodeling last month and have added a full salad bar and the buffet has become a plated special where you still get plenty of food.
They also have a unique dessert that I absolutely love. It is homemade tres leches cake and it is extremely popular.
The menu has been completely redone and the pricing is now consistent. Tim & Ben you need to give this restaurant another shot.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
I’d have to agree with Daisy on this one. If you didn’t find anything unique, you obviously didn’t try the tres leches.
My wife had heard about the onion burgers at Red Brick, so we decided to give it a shot after visiting the bombing memorial (right around the corner). The onion burger was excellent (and huge). Even though my wife and I both had to get doggie bags for our burgers, the waitress said our visit wouldn’t be complete unless we tried the tres leches. We decided to split one slice, and that went so quickly we decided to split another slice. It was amazing. Since I work downtown, I decided to pick up a whole tres leches cake one day when we had pot luck at the office. My wife got so many compliments and recipe requests, I couldn’t bring myself to tell them where I got it.
Next time we do pot luck, I know where I’m going.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Daisy and William, thanks for sharing your thoughts. It’s always good to hear other perspectives. That’s what makes this stuff fun!
Thanks also for the info on the tres leches. I didn’t see that on the menu when I was there. From what you’ve said, it sounds like they’ve been making a few improvements so perhaps I’ll have to give it another shot sometime, though I still have reservations based on my first experience. We’ll see.
April 5th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
I love The Red Brick. I have eaten there twice now. The tres leches is out of this world. I had the Chicken Fried Steak Sandwhich the first time. It remind me of being in high school and eating Chicken Fried Sandwhiches for lunch from the local dinner. The secound time I eat the stuffed chicken. It was good also. I highly recommend it.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
The Red Brick didn’t make it through the summer. It’s closed now. The restaurant operator did a lot to renovate what was Allen’s Cafe, but couldn’t compete with the memory of what was, by many accounts, a better menu and better food.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Thanks for the heads up, Steve. I’ve been driving by this place in the evenings recently trying to figure out if it’s still open. Didn’t look like it. Good to have confirmation. I’ve made a note at the top of the review.
September 4th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Has this place gone out of business?
September 4th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
@Brian, yes, the Red Brick is now closed.
Please tell us what you think.