Raw Brick Wine Bar

Kilburn High Road has a lot going for it. For example, three betting shops and two Poundlands! Plus a casino and a Greggs. However, we were not there looking for low priced goods or to put a flutter on the ponies (is that the right terminology?). We were looking for a romantic dinner spot. We passed by McDonald’s, KFC and a Thai place that only took cash and really seemed like more of a Chinese restaurant, judging by its menu. Honestly, as far as restaurants go, Kilburn is the desert.
However, we happened upon the number one date spot in all the land, it would seem! Raw Brick pizzeria! What a bargain of a place, pizza or pasta for £5! I don’t care who you are, that’s just good value. Perusing the menu, I went for a prawn cocktail salad and a chicken and avocado salad. I was aiming for something healthy and those seemed the only carb-​lite options. My boyfriend ordered a pizza and a bottle of wine.
As we sat there, listening to the 80s power ballad soundtrack, we got the keen sense that Raw Brick might have started its life as an Asian restaurant and the owners were kind enough to leave the décor behind. I’m not sure if it were all the elephant statues, or the plethora of Buddhas sprinkled or maybe the lizards on the wall and the Thai pictures in the bathroom, but it made for interesting conversation.
Deciding that the best course of action was to get drunk and just enjoy the Air Supply and Journey on the stereo, I decided to order a ‘Screaming Orgasm’ in addition to my wine. The waiter was literally beside himself with joy to tell me how much this was his favourite drink. He was just adorable. Loved him.
Let’s be real here, the food isn’t great. But it’s also not expensive. I should have ordered a pizza as they are huge or a pasta so my choice of salad (I actually got given a chicken caesar and not the one I ordered, but whatever, I was blissfully tipsy at this point) was probably a poor one anyway. But I kinda liked it. I found the waiter charming and very weirdly sweet. Sometimes it’s better to get the wrong thing but be treated very pleasantly than have the right food but a shitty, rude server.
There were loads of couples in there, clearly it’s one of the only decent places in the area. The only thing I didn’t like was that the not-​great bottle of wine was £25, so our meal was £50. Ouch. I also tried to ask how to give a tip and apparently it automatically goes to management so we tried to give it in cash instead. I hope he got it. He was adorable.

Should be avoided. Service was minimal and unapologetic when we pointed out that the food was not as described in the menu. Pizza was average — you could get the same or better at Pizza Hut.
We were also struck by how much effort had gone into the décor but none of it gelled into creating a welcoming atmosphere — a candle on the table that went unlit, wall decorations that left you wondering if the restaurant was middle-​eastern, persian, or indian (instead of Italian) and horrid 80’s music that didn’t go with anything else. It just didn’t make sense.

Terrible! The food is awful, the service is worse and the owner is very rude! When we complained about our slow service she told us it was our fault for not recognizing that she was understaffed. She was very very rude and clearly has no concept of customer service, best to avoid this place.

I tried to ignore the negative reviews here when a friend suggested meeting at Raw Brick for a pizza. I had been past the parade of shops Raw Brick is part of on many occasions and never even noticed it was there. This end of Kilburn High Road is stil a bit run down and more Poundland than romantic dinner.
Once inside you are in for a pleasant surprise. The restaurant is furnished with rustic wooden tables and chairs and beautifully decorated with interesting lights — no stainless steel and formica as is so often the case with affordable pizza joints.
What a shame though that the table allocated to us (admittedly, we hadn’t made a booking) was tucked away in the furthest corner by some doors leading to a small balcony for hardened smokers — not exactly cosy and I can think of better views than council blocks. The ceiling lights don’t reach to this part of the restaurant and the windlight on our table was rather dim, then died altogether.
While we were waiting for our order several earlier diners finished and left. We asked if we could move to another table and were told this wasn’t possible — a typical case of «computer says no» as this would have involved reentering our order under a different number. As it is, no new diners arrived (the place was almost deserted by 9pm) — the administrative effort wouldn’t have been prohibitive.
But it was less the facts that made the experience so disappointing than the attitude of the waitress who served us. She seemed to hate her job and by the end of the night, us — ignoring us altogether. It’s embarrassing having to go up to the bar to ask for another drink and for the bill at the end of the evening.
What a shame, the food is OK (pizzas are massive and thincrust, just a bit too salty) and very good value — they offer a special deal of a pizza and drink for £6.95! I would happily pay a little extra if service was a bit more friendly. We would probably also have stayed on a little longer for another glass of wine rather than leaving for a pub to continue our night out.

My husband I recently moved from Washington, D.C. to London and passed this restaurant while walking around. We decided to try it. The restaurant was empty and it was only 9pm (which is not a late dinner time to Americans). I ordered a Hawaiian pizza. After living in DC we were lucky to have many delicious pizza restaurants owned and operated by many nationalities. The waitress was very kind but she did not speak any English which meant explaining I had a mushroom allergy proved to be extremely difficult. So I went with the Hawaiian pizza. Much to my surprise the pizza was incredibly large. However, it only had 5 small slices of ham and 8 pieces of diced pineapple (that was from a can, not even fresh cut). We will NOT be going back. If they are going to only put so few toppings on a pizza they should make the size smaller so it’s at least proportionate.

Their cheap prices come at a price. Employees are paid half of the minimum wage and the management is keeping their tips. Avoid.

Up until this week I would have recommended this place for all occasions. Unfortunately I now have a friend with a broken hearted 10 year old. Heart broken by the owners wife refusing to allow them to hold her daughters 10^th birthday there. It was not a party, just 16 kids eating Pizza with friends and family on the decking. The owner had cleared it all over a month ago, even said that he would close the area for them (not necessary) and now with only days to go his wife says NO to the kids. Not against the booking, but the fact that it was for children. Glad that their business is obviously flourishing that much that they can afford to turn away so much business. I am now one of the 15 families that will not dine at this venue inthe future.