Bitter Brick

Was not impressed at all I went a month ago. Is it a bar or a coffee shop? Staff was not very friendly

I love, LOVE this place. In its old location, it had a very urban but still southern vibe. My go-​to choices were either the Pimento BLT or the tuna sandwich (it has a more lively name, my memory is failing). The staff was very friendly and very attentive. I really hope they reopen!!! There aren’t enough original restaurants in Columbus and Bitter Brick is definitely unique and I thought set itself apart from all the chain restaurants that overcrowd the city. PLEASE REOPEN DOWNTOWN! :)

Nice concept, but inconsistentcy in food and service from it’s original opening. The quality hasn’t quite recovered since losing their original cooks. Prices slightly high, and yet corners are being cut in bistro ambience… for example… coffee used to be served in nice mugs, now it’s served in paper cups (isn’t that what Starbucks is for). Keep ordering same dishes, and presentation changes every time. No longer a frequent place to stop. Hopefully they can turn it around.

In town visiting from Dallas and I loved this place! Very metro and modern. I had the Muscogee Mocha (iced) and a piece of delectable pie that tasted like a fudge brownie in a pie crust. Sooo good!

I have been here twice so I am far from a regular.
Both times was in the evening to enjoy coffee, dessert and live music. I love the atmosphere in here! Its a bit romantic, cozy and modern. The coffee menu (specialty drinks) was quite overwhelming but the waitress was patient and had several recommendations.
There is some drink that we ordered called «Muscogee…» (cant remember the full name) and it was way too sweet! I cringed as I sipped it thinking about all of the calories that I was taking in… but then I saw the dessert cases. Throwing caution to the wind, we ordered a lemon tart and a chocolate cake. Fabulous.
They serve wine and beer that was priced very reasonably. I studied their breakfast and lunch menu which looks great. Although the prep space looked awfully small to accommodate a breakfast/​lunch crowd. Lots of innovative combinations with great flavor. This place reminds me of a small shop in the highlands (Atlanta) and I will be back!

Are you kidding me? Just leaving this place. Came with family because last time we came we saw the HUGE sign that says, «BUTTERMILK BISCUITS» and all wanted to return to try them.
Where to start… Snotty blonde ponytail employee (male) said the following things while we placed our order: I asked if they have sugar free syrup– «short answer, we don’t believe in that.», «I can’t make a recommendation, I don’t eat here», «oh take your time, there are only 30 people behind you…»
After everyone placed an order that included biscuits, my entire order being just biscuits, food started showing up on stale croissants. We thought it was a mistake but when we asked we were told they were out of biscuits. How do you not express that when someone places an order for BISCUITS? Took 30 minutes to get our food, it came out at least 10 minutes apart– missing sides that didn’t show up until entrees were finished.
Another highlight was when I ordered apple butter for my «biscuits» and my croissant showed up covered in a chopped up apple. Literally. Just. A. Chopped. Apple. ??? Now we are all just left confused and craving biscuits. Never again.

Strolled in after dinner and had the French silk pie and a perfectly paired Zinfandel recommended by the server. This place is amazing. Like I mentioned in a Facebook post the only thing that isn’t perfect here is that my wife isn’t with me. This is the kind of place we could sit for hours and lose all track of time…

I visited Bitter Brick for lunch on March 7 with some friends.
Pros: Lovely décor and ambiance. Relaxing, upscale, chic. Delicious sandwich (I had the Italiano). Beautiful desserts and a wide array of boutique wines that would make great gifts.
Cons: At lunchtime, my friends and I (4 of us) ordered sweet tea. The young woman behind the counter said that they hadn’t made any sweet tea yet. We said that’s ok; we’ll wait. So when our sweet tea was delivered to our table, it was hot (ice cubes melted almost instantly). When our food was served, she got our sandwiches right but all 4 of us got the wrong sides. Napkins weren’t delivered to our table with our food, so I went to the counter to find some napkins. The container was empty. I asked the young woman behind the counter for some napkins, and she looked embarrassed and said they were out of napkins, so she offered me a few paper towels from the kitchen instead. After we finished lunch, I went to the restroom, and when I washed my hands I noticed that the restroom had no paper towels and no hand dryer. I then went back for more paper towels from the kitchen. The young woman working behind the counter apologized over and over.
Based on this experience, it appears that Bitter Brick isn’t managed very well. Good food and lovely décor, just inadequate management and lack of prep before opening for lunch (that would be no sweet tea prepared and no napkins for customers).

Not bad, but not as amazing as it was when it first opened. Somehow the quality went down. Anyways, their Reuben and turkey pesto are pretty tasty, and I’ve never had a complaint per se, so 4 stars.

Great atmosphere and great coffee. They were out of a few different flavors, but I was able to get the latte I wanted and sat in the shop working for a few hours. Great music too. They also have a few different alcohol options and baked good/​chocolate.

This place is a hidden gem… Staff is super friendly and the coffee here is great. I love the Muskogee Mocha. The Lots of character really charming atmosphere can’t wait to go back. Only reason I gave it four stars is because they were out of biscuits, granted it was 2 pm on a Saturday but if its on the all day menu I just think you should have them all day.

Sooooooooo dissappointed in our experience today at the bitter brick! My family and I recently felt like we discovered a great coffee shop/​bakery, and have been several times… Well, today was our LAST time… Due to the following :
1. The young lady who took our order wrote it wrong, so our food didnt come to us correctly.
2. We had to wait 10 minutes for black coffe that was pumped out of the canister. When we finally did get our coffee, it was served in paper cups (no mugs??), and it tasted horrible!
3. The counter we sat at was dirty, and had dirty cups sitting in front of us, all while the counter girl walked by several times… Looking at all of this, not offering to clean them up or wipe the counter.
4 our food came incorrectly… Which, when it was addressed, was whisked away to be «fixed «, but no one ever asked how we «actually» ordered it. Additionally, when it was «fixed», it tasted worse.
5. On that note, dont ever order the oatmeal or bkack coffee.
6. And dont ask for almond milk, because they seem ti be out– a lot! be prepared if you cant have dairy or soy, to drink your coffee black.
7. For the bad experience, bad coffee and bad food, it is wayyyy overpriced.
I normally only write nice reviews, but this establishment has been getting feedback and has done nothing about it. Hence, and sadly, we will take our business elsewhere.

⁶⁄₂₀₁₅ Update: Sadly, Bitter Brick is now closed.
Original review:
Bitter Brick is great!
I love the concept. It’s basically a coffee shop that also serves wine and beer. And Its got the vibe of a cool coffee shop rather than a bar.
We were looking for a coffee shop after dinner and found this place on Unilocal.It’s in the corner of a strip mall (I think everything in Columbus is in a strip mall) and it’s unlikely you’ll find this place unless you’re looking for it. This is what makes Unilocal great; I never would have found it otherwise.
Inside it’s nice and looks and feels like a coffee shop not a strip mall. It’s not huge but there are some tables outside. They have craft beers and select wines. You won’t find Budweiser here. We didn’t have any food (they have sandwiches and such as we’ll as breakfast items) so I can’t comment on that. We did have wine, coffee and dessert. All were very good. All the cakes and pies and such are made on-​site and not brought in from somewhere else. Same with the chocolates. I wasn’t expecting that.
As the place emptied out we chatted with the owner and everyone who worked there was very nice. Prices are reasonable.
I think this is a good concept well executed and I wish we had something similar here in Connecticut. I hope he’s successful. Only downside is that the place isn’t easy to find.
Check it out if you’re in the area.

I was happily exposed to Bitter Brick at the Columbus Civic Center during a Columbus Cottonmouths hockey game, believe it or not! They set up a cute stall and and I told my hubby to surprise me with something chocolatey. He returned to the stands with an amazingly scrumptious and rich brownie which tasted like mom or grandma baked. Yay! When it was time for me to make my rounds, I needed to visit the stand myself. There I met the owner and general manager. They were so sweet! I bought a cheesecake brownie for my husband and a coffee and grabbed a punch card for coffee/​espresso drinks and vowed to visit within the week.
Fast forward to five days later after a day wrought of frantic gift shopping and returns, I knew I needed to go to Bitter Brick. When I walked in and saw the cool décor and took in the music, all of which I expected of a place I would find in a hip place outside of Boston or maybe Atlanta, I was so excited to actually sit down and have my meal.
My questions were answered and I ordered a chicken pimiento BLT and chose the coconut curry kale soup as my side. For my drink, an eggnog latte to keep the holiday spirit alive. The soup was so deliciously good and piping hot. The sandwich was fresh and complex in taste. The bacon was crisp and the bread was soft. Absolutely perfect.
When I was done, I went back to chose dessert. They have an array of brownies, cakes, truffles, and macaroons. I chose the dark chocolate peppermint truffle and a chocolate macaroon. The truffle was great, while the macaroon was ok. Next time I will stick with the brownie since it was so heavenly.
Bitter Brick has live music during the week on certain nights as well as wine tastings! They also have a selection of craft beers and sangrias. A very fun place for everyone, however it is an intimate place, so not for a big crowd.
I can’t wait to get back here for another meal. They also serve breakfast! For the military community, 10% discount!

Nothing amazing. I went in based on some of the Unilocal reviews.
Bread was dry. Sandwich choices are limited/​decent. Coffee is ok.
Probably won’t come back. Good to check off the bucket list though.
Don’t let me discourage anyone else. Place is fine for what it is. A coffee shop with a few goodies

4.5 stars
Yo, I wish this place was available in Northern Virginia.
It has a very city feel, diverse menu, and serves wine/​craft beer along with coffee and food!
I’ve been here for one of their wine tasting events and it was pretty awesome as well.
It’s normally not super busy (in the weekday mornings, at least), making it a great place to coalesce for small groups of people, or work alone. The staff has always been very friendly and accomodating.
There are some outdoor seats as well if the weather is nice outside. :)
Also, a note: I had a hard time finding this place the first time I came here. It’s in the corner of the Petland shopping center, next to Weight Watchers (lol)

Such a super cute location. This was like the only place in Columbus that I can find which sold macaroons and I had to let my family try them. The staff was very nice and educated on the macaroon. I can’t actually remember the favors but one was sooo sweet that I couldn’t continue eating it. I can’t wait to visit again so that I can spend more time here and really try out the menu.

Really nice décor, desserts and coffee, but the customer service is sub-​par and leaves me questioning whether I should give them my business.
On my first visit, I went for lunch and had the chicken salad sandwich. It had good flavor, but they could have been a bit more generous on the amount in the sandwich. What I really took issue with was the customer service. There was no friendly greeting, and it seemed like I was bothering her by placing an order. No smile, and very dismissive.
Wanting to give this place another chance, I went in yesterday morning for coffee. It took about 30 seconds for the man behind the counter to pull himself away from his friend he was talking to and acknowledge me. After saying ‘sorry, one second’, he went back and finished his conversation, leaving me standing there waiting to place my order for another minute.
I’ve worked at a coffee shop in Seattle, and customer service is what keeps people coming back. You get to know their drinks, ask them how their day is going, and that equals repeat business. I’m not going to pay $ 5 for coffee if it comes with an attitude. It’s a shame because this place has a lot of potential, but the staff needs some serious training.

Great local business. The coffee is roasted locally, the chocolates and lunch items are made in-​store, and they even brew their own beer. The customer service was very professional, the desserts were delicious (I tried the tiramisu and the French silk pie) and the interior was very clean, bright, and eclectically decorated. I’ll definitely be coming back next time I’m in Columbus.

I stopped in on a Friday evening for dessert and was pleasantly surprised. This type of establishment reminds me of something you might see in an area of Atlanta (Virginia Highlands or Old Fourth Ward maybe?).
They have live music Friday and Saturday nights. As far as desserts, they have a wide variety of dessert coffee combinations, a treat window with different cakes, macaroons, and other treats. They also have a chocolate only display with a nice assortment of different chocolates you can buy. If you are looking for a cute gift they had some nice picnic baskets along with other trinkets/​gift type items.
My only complaint would be the prices seemed a bit high and there really isn’t a lot of seating. I would definitely recommend stopping in for a dessert and some live music (but maybe not with a large group)!