The Brick Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Sterling

My friend has been raving about The Brick for years. We frequently travel across the country, so we're constantly trying new restaurants - particularly Mexican restaurants, as it's a favorite fare of both of ours. This restaurant is literally his litmus test:

"This can't even compete with The Brick" "The Brick is 10 times better than this" "This was good, but it's no Brick"

So after hearing so much about it, I finally gave it a go. And WOW - now I see what the hype is about!

I foolishly decided to get takeout on a Friday night, as I was warned that the place is usually mobbed. And it was. It's a tiny hole in the wall with an understandably large customer base.

Side note: it's CRAZY loud. Between the bumpin' music and the chatting diners, it's damn near impossible to hear. When I called in my order, the woman on the phone had a hard time hearing me. We proceeded to engage in a very Laurel and Hardy-esque series of miscommunications: "What's the name?" ... "Tiffany." ... "Piffany?" ... "Tiffany" ..."How do you spell that?" ... "T-I-F-F-A-N-Y" ... "P-I-F" ... "No, TIFFany" ... so on, so forth.

When I got there, the place was absolutely packed. You love to see it. One small gripe, and I know they are working with limited space so there's not much they can do, but there's no waiting area. You kind of just have to awkwardly cram into the corner next to the door with 5-10 other people. There is also no designated host stand, so after asking one employee who was near the door where I pay for takeout, I was told to wade in the sea of diners and hunt down another employee. I wish it was a bit more orderly and seamless.

The gentleman who was in charge of takeout was so, so nice. The wait wasn't too long.

My husband and I both got the Colorado Burrito with a side of yellow rice (cause I heard it was bomb). Everything was hot, fresh, and accounted for when I got home. I was shocked by the size of these burritos - they are MASSIVE. Like "I will get 3 full meals out of this" massive. I feel like I got a ton of value for the money!

I understand now. I can totally see why my friend is so obsessed with this restaurant. This food is freaking amazing. The short ribs are soo tender, the sauces are bursting with flavor. The rice was so tasty. Every bite was heaven.

I am now a member of The Brick Cult.

I keep hearing that they're opening a second location down the street from me at the old Train Stop in Berlin and I fear for both my waistline and bank account, as I will most assuredly be eating there multiple times a week.

TLDR - Amazing, authentic food. Huge portions at a reasonable price. Extremely busy restaurant with a small amount of space. Really chic and fun vibe. The loud & overcrowded environment may be too much for some folks, so plan accordingly by either getting takeout and/or going early to beat the dinner rush. An absolute gem of...

Tried to eat here on Cinco de Mayo last year. Thought that it would be OK since we went very early. I got there around 5:30PM and was the first party in line for a table. I told the hostess that I was waiting for my wife and she said that we would get the next open table. I asked her where the restroom was and went to wash my hands. In under 5 minutes a party must have left and another one came and was seated. When I asked her why she didn't hold the table for me she said that she thought I left. No big deal, she said we could have the next one.

My wife arrived and sat with me at the bar. Soon after the hostess sat another table. I asked her why she didn't seat us and she said that she thought we were eating at the bar. I reiterated that we wanted a table. Soon after, we noticed her seating another party. Again, asked her why she didn't seat us and she said that she thought we were happy at the bar. Again asked for a table. Again she sat another party. At that point we had been waiting for a table for close to an hour and were done. I asked the bartender (owner?) for the bill for my beer and he asked why we were leaving. I told him, even though he was right in front of me the whole time and should have known the reason. He encouraged us to eat at the bar which we declined. Then, acting incredulous that we didn't want to stay, he told me the beer was on the house. That is the reason they get 2 stars. Also, the food smelled and looked good.

I spent a couple of days trying to figure out (to no avail) what I did to this hostess to warrant her actions. Even after she repeatedly slighted us we were still very calm and kind to her. I have never experienced anything like it in my life. Maybe the hostess was overwhelmed on a busier than normal day, even though it wasn't busy when we first arrived. But, the bartender was right there for all of it. He is either very inattentive, or just doesn't care. I am writing this now almost a year later because this experience...

Visited on Cinco de Mayo. I tried to make a reservation for 5 people 2 days prior to our visit and was told becasue of the holiday they were not taking reservations (but they usually do?) We decided to go anyways and endure the wait. One member of our party arrived early and put his name on the waiting list to be seated. When the rest of our party showed up another large party walked in without waiting and was seated before us because they knew a waitress. This was unprofessional, seeing as the wait times were long and they weren't taking reservations (allegedly).

After waiting a while longer the floor manager informed us she would be seating our party at 2 high top tables pushed together, which was fine, but at that time there was only one available. She tried to cram a party of 5 at a hightop table meant for 2 while waiting for the table next to us to finish. This made the party next to us feel rushed and uncomfortable, and in turn made our party uncomfortable. We tried to tell the floor manager we would just wait till both tables were clear but she was very insistent (borderline argumentative) that we sit at the one table while we waited for the other party to finsh so we could push the tables together.

The restaurant itself is very cramped and was very loud to the point you couldn't even carry on a conversation with the people at your table.

Despite that, the service was amazing. One of the bartenders, David, noticed what was happening and came over and offered our party drinks while we waited to be seated. Our waitress was very attentive and friendly as well. She gladly turned the very loud music down a little bit upon request.The food was delicious. Huge portions, served hot.

The Brick fills a niche market and could do very well in Sterling. I would suggest they handle their wait list and seating parties in a more professional manner, and tone down the loud music. Still I am likely to visit again, or at the very least get takeout.

The churros were the best...