🍕🔥 Proper Brick Oven & Tap Room: Where Flavor Meets Fire in Downtown Pittsburgh 🔥🍕
Written by Zhenru Yan
Tucked right in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, Proper Brick Oven & Tap Room is the kind of place that makes you want to cancel your afternoon plans just to stay a little longer. It’s got that cozy-but-cool vibe, complete with a real, wood-burning brick oven that anchors the entire space—and trust me, you can smell the goodness the moment you walk in.
Famous for their handmade pizzas (seriously, if you haven’t tried the pizza here, are you even living?), Proper turns up the heat with beautifully blistered crusts, thoughtful toppings, and that unmistakable touch only a real wood fire can give. But the menu goes beyond pizza, and that’s exactly what I came to explore.
🥩 Beef Brisket Sandwich
This isn’t your average brisket—it’s a slow-braised beauty. Deeply savory, fall-apart tender, and glazed with Proper’s house-made BBQ sauce that brings smoky sweetness without being cloying. Add in tangy pickled red onions and punchy banana peppers, and the whole thing sings with contrast. It's messy in the best way, and every bite feels like a little celebration.
🥗 Amalfi Salad with Chicken (GF)
To keep things balanced (and to pretend I was being healthy), I ordered the Amalfi Salad with grilled chicken. Bright and fresh, this salad has baby arugula with just the right peppery bite, juicy heirloom cherry tomatoes, briny Kalamata olives, and glorious shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. The lemon-shallot vinaigrette brings everything together with citrusy zing. It’s light but satisfying—and with the added protein, it absolutely holds its own.
Whether you’re there for a pizza night with friends, cocktails and craft beers, or a solo lunch like mine, Proper makes you feel like you’ve found a spot worth coming back to. Food made from scratch, ingredients that shine, and a vibe that’s warm and unpretentious. Proper’s the real deal.
