I can’t recall how I heard about Brian’s, located at 924 E. Rawson Ave. in Oak Creek, but I think it came up in a Google search and was highly rated by its customers.

I was told the restaurant has had several names over the years, but it became Brian’s around four years ago when current owner Arian Abazi took over.

Brian’s has a family restaurant feel to it with diner-style counter seating and a dining room filled with booths and tables featuring green vinyl chairs and benches, contrasted by a patterned, burgundy carpet.  

The menu provides something for everyone, including chicken, seafood, pasta, sandwiches, burgers, comfort food, pizza and breakfast – which I found interesting considering they don’t open until 11 a.m. every day.

A white board next to the host stand listed the specials for the day – such as shrimp risotto, barbecue pulled pork, Ole burger, penne porcini, and chicken parmigiana – ranging from $7.50 to $8.95, plus soup and fries or garlic bread.

Brian’s pizzas are available on a "thin and crispy" crust or a "thick and crispy" crust. Crust sizes include 10, 12, 14 and 16 inches, as well as a 16x32 party pizza. Cheese pizzas range from $6.50 to $20.95 for the party pizza, while additional toppings range from $1 to $3 each.

Regular toppings include broccoli, jalapenos and anchovies, in addition to the more common offerings. Specialty toppings include chicken, shrimp, bleu cheese, fresh basil, double crust and double cheese.

Specialty pizzas include the supreme, meat lovers, garden pizza, gourmet pizza, chicken alfredo and the chef’s special, topped with sausage, mushrooms and onions.

We started with a side order of homemade meatballs, and I’m glad we did because we waited almost 40 minutes for our first pizza. The side of meatballs was only $1.49 and included four meatballs around an inch and a half in diameter, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and sitting in a bowl of delicious house-made marinara sauce.

Our server made it a point to share that all of the food is fresh, and the pizza dough and sauce is made in-house. He also asked the chef and shared with me that the sausage and pepperoni are sourced from a local meat purveyor.

There were only five or six other diners in the restaurant, and I didn’t see any carry-out or delivery orders go out the door, so I’m not sure what the delay was with our order. My friend thinks they mixed up our order and had to start over. I think the ticket was dropped, and our server likely reminded the kitchen that an order was missing. Either way, I felt the wait was excessive for an empty restaurant, and I was relieved when the first pie arrived.

The first pizza we ordered was the meat lovers pizza on their "thin and crispy" crust. It was topped with sausage, pepperoni, bacon and ham. The sausage and pepperoni provided a nice flavor and were somewhat spicy. The ham wasn’t overly salty and complemented the other toppings well. Brian’s uses real chopped bacon, and while it didn’t stand out with flavor, it was real bacon, and that was good enough for me.

While I would have liked more sauce on the pizza, I did enjoy its slightly spicy flavor and thick texture. Like most pizzerias, Brian’s starts with a canned base and adds its own blend of seasoning to it.

The crust had potential. It was very thin but not crispy. Five more minutes in the oven would have provided the desired crispness. It may have been rushed out, since we waited so long for it.

The second pizza we ordered was the gourmet pizza on their "thick and crispy" crust. This one comes topped with gorgonzola, fresh basil and slices of fresh tomato. The pizza looked appetizing when it arrived.

I thought they made a mistake with the order because the crust looked pretty thin for a "thick" crust. Our server our assured me that it was indeed the thick crust. My friend started with a slice while I continued tasting the meat lovers pizza.

He stopped and waited for me to try it to see what I thought. As I reached for a slice, I noticed a dark gray spot on top of it. I looked at the sides of the slice and confirmed that the dough wasn’t fully cooked. That was what he wanted me to see for myself. He noticed it when he bit into the slice.

I called the server over and pointed out the problem. He apologized and took it to the kitchen. Five minutes later, the same pizza came back. The dough still wasn’t fully cooked. I sent it back again. Five minutes later, the crust was very crispy underneath, as it should have been the first time, but the top half of the crust was still not done.

The server told us that the chef blamed the sauce for discoloring the crust. I wasn’t buying it. It wasn’t just the color that was wrong. Compared to the white and somewhat flaky lower half of the crust, the top half was gray and "mushy" looking.

I could not figure out how the crust, which wasn’t that thick, could still be raw. I gave up. I asked for the check and left the pizza mostly untouched on the table. By this time, our server’s shift was over. Yes, that’s how long we were there.

The new server apologized and took the pizza off the bill, which I did not ask for, but I appreciated the gesture. It was the right thing to do.

I did scrape off a small portion of toppings from the slice I cut up, and I will tell you that the toppings and sauce actually tasted pretty good. The sauce had an alfredo flavor to it. I believe I would have enjoyed the pizza if it was properly baked.

I know there are fans out there of Brian’s pizza, and I hope they continue to support the business. If you decide to try the pizza, I recommend sticking to the "thin and crispy" crust and asking the kitchen to bake it long enough to make the crust crispy. I think Brian’s pizza has potential to be pretty good with a few adjustments.