Tastes of Victoria: Brickyard dominates pizza

Columns June 7, 2023

Let’s be honest, if anyone asks about the world’s most famous dish, pizza would be a popular answer. Maybe because of its practicality, because of its adaptability to both time and space, or maybe because with enough creativity and imagination, anyone can make a perfect new combination able to reach the hearts of the public.

Tastes of Victoria is a food column appearing in every issue of Nexus (photo by Pablo M. Romero/Nexus).

With pizza, anything is possible. There’s no need to explain why it’s always a hit in any situation. So, with pizza on our minds, let me tell you about an incredible place called Brickyard Pizza.

Brickyard has been active since 1992, right in the heart of downtown, at 784 Yates Street. This particular pizzeria is known around town for its various pizza options and toppings. It presents monthly special features fresh-made with local ingredients that you can pair with one of the many local beer, BC craft cider, or wine options.

Brickyard is by far my favourite of all the pizzerias I’ve visited on our beautiful island. When I went, I found myself in a very comfy atemporal place filled with the pleasant and well-mixed aroma of pizza right out of the oven and local beer on tap. From its creative menu, I got to try the Cheeseburger pizza, which is made with extraordinary house-cooked ground beef, double-smoked bacon, cheddar, and mozzarella, topped with garlic dill pickles, all on a barbecue sauce base.

I’ll admit it: pickles as a pizza topping doesn’t sound good. Nevertheless, it was one of those rare cases where it’s so strange that it works perfectly. And the way that the melted cheese danced with the crispy bacon as it met the ground beef was like a lullaby composed by the barbecue sauce flavour; the pickles were the reset button that made me realize my place just in time to fall all over again in that delightful daydream. The sour, the salty, the mild, and the smoky were employed perfectly. And, for god’s sake, the fact that it’s freshly made is impossible to ignore, making this pizza distinguishable from others. 

I want to celebrate Brickyard for its effort to demonstrate that pizza can be more than just a cheap, bland, fast food (like the kind found at international chains); it can be a decent and fun culinary experience.

Brickyard has all the necessary features to be an ideal option to be the place you would like to visit with your friends, family, or significant other.