The Brickyard Downtown — Restaurant in Chandler

We decided to order a bunch of appetizers, to have a tapas dinner at home. Wow, we were not disappointed! We tried their great happy hour special, 4 appetizers for only $30! Great deal. We couldn't stop there, had to add the yummy Hamachi, and of course the gourmet Mac-n-Cheese. Candied Pancetta is not to be argued with when it wants to be eaten... The Pork Belly, Sliders, Cauliflower, Banh Mi Tacos, Hamachi, Mac n Cheese, all spectacular. And then there were the sauces. Every sauce that they prepared had its role in the play on our tastebuds. I couldn't tell you any of their names, but I can tell you that they each turned up the flavor to 11. Each appetizer was amplified by the addition of the matching sauce, we tested that scientifically with our tastebuds. On to dessert. We got the campfire cheesecake. Its a s'more, and a cheesecake. Graham Cracker, chocolate cheesecake, marshmallows on top, and a sauce that tasted like toasted marshmallow custard. Ohh, yeah, did I mention that the marshmallows were perfectly toasted?Wonderful is the superlative that comes to mind. And now the drinks! HOORAY! They have the absolute best presentation of drinks in the entire quarantine-i-verse. They are prescriptions. In so many ways, this is perfect. It was certainly just what the Dr. ordered. Actual prescription bag, brown tinted medicine bottle, signed prescription for preparation, garnishes carefully prepared in separate containers, a run-on sentence here, salt for the rim of the glass, ph-adjusted ingredients to prevent flavor-spoiling oxidation of the medicine. Just amazing before you even taste, and then they get better(and so do you). All-in-all, a fantastic way to wrap up a long week! Many thanks to he Brickyard for creating such wonderful food. We certainly need experiences like...

When the opportunity came to take in happy hour with the hubs, we decided to try something new and check out The Brickyard Downtown (downtown Chandler that is - as we are from Indy, “Brickyard” has a different connotation to us 😉) Here we met the delightful bartender Henry, looking GQ in his bow tie and vest, and serving up some delicious craft cocktails with flair and class. We sat at the bar and were entertained as we watched Henry artfully create his beverages with skill and flair, as he told us the special touches he gave his regulars because he remembers their preferences.

And then there is the food. Props to Executive Chef Aaron Rickel for creating a food concept of small and large (tapas) sharing plates, designed to encourage conversation. It was delicious, and upscale while staying casual. We tried the Mini Bricks, which is the Brickyards take on a classy Big Mac, slider style, and comes with fries that also are reminiscent of those addicting McD fries (IMO the best thing McD does). However, it is MUCH better than its inspiration (sorry McDonalds). In fact, my husband ordered a second plate. We also shared the Bahn Mi tacos, which are pork street tacos topped with Pickled Carrot, Daikon, Jalapeno, and a cilantro cream sauce. Sooooo good; I was an instant fan.

The wait staff was friendly, professional, prompt and knowledgeable - which is as important to me as the food and beverage. The design and ambience is classy, warm, and upscale casual. I love that they kept the old exposed brick from building’s original purpose of housing the ‘Chandler Arizonan’ newspaper, and gave a nod in the name. We will be back to sample more of Henry’s craft cocktails and share some...

4.7-5 stars

First time here so we'll have to see about the consistency... But WOW! It's the best dinner, all around, I've had in a long time. I paid $300 for a steak dinner not long ago and it wasn't even close to being this good.

The dishes are tapas, meaning they're meant to be shared. We had the pork belly skewers, loaded potatoes, some fries, and the braised short rib. Everything was absolutely perfect and better than I expected.

The service was awesome. Attentive and she had a great personality.

The patio was such a nice and comfortable space. We sat against the wall, which I think was a great spot! The night was perfect!

Fries were crispy and hot!

The pork belly was crispy and flavorful, but watch out if you don't like the fat cap.

The loaded potatoes were fingerling cut in half and tossed with sour cream and chives. They were AMAZING. I couldn't stop eating them.

The short rib was as it should be: tender and flavorful. Honestly, the pear they paired it with was the game changer and it was cooked perfectly. It's been a while since a flover amazed me.

Everything was amazing that when she asked if we wanted desert I said absolutely... We had the churros and they were, you know it PERFECT. Crispy outside and tender/gooey inside. Not sure if they were filled honestly... The white chocolate raspberry sauce as great pairing.

I was expecting to pay twice what we did. Guess it could be because we only had one beer and a soda... But still, for the quality and experience, I expected to pay more. Haha I also guess it could be because our last date was terrible and it was...