Dough & Brew — Restaurant in Warwick

"Meets Our Standards" I want to preface this review by stating Dough & Brew is... was..? my favourite restaurant. If I had been asked to write a review before tonight, it would have been a glowing 5 star review. I don't get to eat out often because finances are tight, so it's been a couple of years since we've visited Dough & Brew.

Tonight though:

I quite literally could taste nothing about my pizza because of the soot. The pizza base was covered in it. It was so unpleasant that after one slice I couldn't handle it despite being ravenously hungry for my favourite pizza dough. I rather reluctantly complained and - without asking - the waitress instantly asked the kitchen to make a new one. FIne, hopefully round two would improve things, right?

Well, if the first pizza was a 0/10 the replacement was a 1/10. Marginally less Sooty (reckon the oven is in dire need of a Sweep). Well, whatever I thought and continued to eat, because I really was starving god damn it and the toppings and dough - though tasteless because of the soot - were at least pleasant in texture.

At this point it's worth speculating why this soot was such a problem. Perhaps it was because I had ordered the 'JR' pizza (chicken, peppers, sweetcorn) with a tomato instead of the bbq base? My wife's 'Winston' (pulled beef, caramelised onions, Stilton) was as delicious as ever and though just as burnt and sooty on the base, wasn't ruined or overpowered. Perhaps the heavier flavours helped?

The kid's pizzas were also charred and sooted, but they were also ravenously hungry past their bed times and would have eaten a cardboard box as long as it had some cheese and bacon on.

In comparison to previous visits, this was nothing like what we've had before. I wish I had thought to take a photo so you could see the difference between the lovely golden brown pizzas in other reviews and the flame blitzed replicas we received. I can only speculate the oven was too hot (and also perhaps needed sweeping) that the flour on the base charred too quickly.

But really the reason for leaving this review isn't because of the bad pizza, it's because of the response given by the shift or kitchen supervisor that didn't come out to talk to me.

Apparently that second pizza - which was really not distinguishable from the first in looks - "met [Dough & Brew's] standards". No, it really, really didn't. Unless something has changed in the past couple of years since I've been, in which case by God your standards...

My husband and I are regulars at Dough & Brew for one main reason - THE PIZZA 🍕 we consider ourselves to be devotees of the Neapolitan-style pizza, and have frequented most of the local independent pizza joints, as well as some further afield. We happen to be based right up the road from Dough & Brew - lucky us! And it is our go-to eating spot when we have visitors staying with us.

The pizzas here are insanely good, and the selection of varieties and tasty topping combos are brilliant. If you are expecting Italian style toppings, D&B may not be for you. Their topping combos are more eclectic, creative and fresh - you'll see items like brie, buttermilk chicken, crayfish, pulled pork, caramelised onions and Mediterranean vegetables among others, with regular tantalizing specials that change every few weeks.

My husband has tried several of their pizzas, but his favourite is the Sir Winston. I always opt for the Cary, and have never once been disappointed! They have stiff competition in the form of RHM nearby and several Pizza hotspots in Leamington Spa....but somehow D&B remains in our top 3 pizza places in the whole of the UK (and we've eaten A LOT of good pizza).

Their dough has a perfect sourdough tang, whilst never being overpowering, and it's always cooked to perfection. D&B are generous with toppings and you know you are getting high quality ingredients as they source everything from the flour to the meat locally. I can't comment on the beers, but my husband always finds a pint he enjoys! He enjoyed their red and pale ales, and they're always good with recommending a good brew. We haven't tried many of their other food offerings (pizza devotees!) but our friends have raved about their burgers and brunch options.

The only thing we think that could be improved is that the seating on offer isn't always the greatest - sometimes you have to enjoy your meal from a barstool, which is not ideal! If you want a prime spot (esp on the weekend) you'd be wise to call or book online. They are definitely kid-friendly, and we've always found the staff to be chilled, friendly and accommodating. Ordering for collection or online has also always been straightforward for us, and they've always called us up if they expect delays on our order. Also, if you have a special request for a sporting match, they will do their best to set it up for you on their projector screen.

We highly recommend at least one visit to Dough & Brew if you are in the area, you won't...

Hi,

-I visited the restuarant yesterday evening and it was my first time. I was sat down outside on dirty table that i asked for it to be cleaned. So question 1: do you set down your guests on dirty tables then you clean it after? the lady who cleaned the tables was havinga poker face all the time. she didn't clean the table properly. She put the fork and spoon on a dirty side of thr table, cleaned the table around them, then didn't clean under them and left quarter of the table dirty.

-I ordered hot chocolate with creama and marshmello on top. She brought it just warm but not hot. She brought a small spoon for the topping. Firstly, the spoon was too small. Secondly, she was holding the spoon directly in her hand, not even in a napkin tissue or on a tray with the mug of the drink. Her hand was just holding the towel and cleaning the tables few minutes ago. The spoon was so dirty with brownish stains. She put the spoon directly on the table. The dirty spoon holded in a dirty hand that was just holding a dirty towel .. I should use it to eat! I am asking what is the infection control policy you are following? Has covid finished yet? I am a doctor and I can tell you that Covid still exists, gastroenteritis exists, infectious diarrhea exists! I asked another staff member if they consider this spoon clean? she didn't even look at my face or apologise, and all what she said is: it's just a water stain! and she tok it to change it. Surprisingly, the same first lady brought the same dirty spoon to me again without any change.. the same spoon, the same brown stains. When I tried to remove the stains, they were removable... so propably a quick wash could have sorted it!

Kindly see the attached photo of the spoon.

No one checked on me if everything was good or if the food and the drink were ok.

I can see that you are one of the top rated restaurants. I am not sure why I was horribly mistreated that way. Is this a kind of racism against a migrant muslim hijabi woman. I have been living in the UK for three years and was never trated with superiority and neglect by staff members in any other place.

Thank you anyway for ruining...