Then the food arrives at your table, and it's all you can do not to shout, "This is the best damn pizza I've ever eaten." It's that good.

When Jay McBride purchased the Brick Oven on 35th in September of 2000, he knew he had found something special. Unlike its other Austin brethren, this Brick Oven was a small, neighborhood eatery located in a converted tea room. McBride's goal was to make the restaurant an absolute destination spot for lovers of Italian food, fine wines, and comfortable dining in a friendly, low-key atmosphere.

Of course, McBride's franchise agreement with David Forbes - founder of the original Brick Oven on Red River - came with a couple of stipulations. Chiefly, the recipe for the wheat dough, from which all the restaurant's breads and pizzas are made, couldn't be tampered with. But one bite of the Melted Mozzarella Garlic Bread appetizer, and you're forced to wonder why anyone would even dream of tinkering with the ingredients.

“Most of the recipes were in place when I bought the restaurant,” McBride confirms. “Which is not to say we haven't added a few, or that chefs haven't put their own spin on them.” But the dough, along with the blend of Southern-style spices the restaurant uses for its dressings and marinara sauce, remain as they always have, and that suits satisfied patrons just fine.

“Roughly 80 percent of our business is repeat business,” McBride says, “and we do all we can to keep new people.” That means McBride is there six and seven days a week, working just as hard in his managerial hat as in his chef's apron. With a staff of less than a dozen, he depends on his employees to provide the friendly, knowledgeable service and delicious meals that keep people coming back time and again.

The oven that gives the eatery its name is largely responsible for its distinctive dishes. Lasagna, of course, is available with all the classic ingredients, but the Rosemary Chicken Lasagna is a flavorful alternative, and the Spinach Artichoke Lasagna consistently proves one of the restaurant's most popular offerings. And the pizzas? The menu politely implores, “Even if you don't like pizza, please try ours.” With a large variety of hand-crafted specialty pizzas - from perennial favorites like the Margarita and the Hawaiian, to the exceptional Chipotle Pesto or Artichoke Alfredo - odds are you'll like pizza just fine by the time you leave.

A variety of pasta dishes make wonderful entrees as well; the Spaghetti features generous meatballs, rolled on-site in crumbs of the signature bread. For those whose palate tends toward the spicy, the Chipotle Penne - tossed in a piquant cream sauce with tomatoes, mushrooms and garlic - builds to a peak of flavor that will have your eyes watering as much as your mouth.

From business lunches to romantic dinners, from catered events to small private parties, from crayon-friendly tablecloths for the kids to patio dining for first dates… the Brick Oven on 35th offers amazing food in a comfortable and inviting neighborhood setting. Come see why it's the quiet little place that's really worth shouting about.