Chicago Brick Oven CBO-500 Review: The Compact Option That Still Cooks Like the Big One
By Ash · Published August 2026
The Chicago Brick Oven CBO-500 is the smaller brother in the CBO lineup, and after fielding a couple years of customer questions about it we can say the short verdict up front: if the 750 does not fit your patio or your budget, the 500 is the real deal, not a compromise oven. Same refractory dome, same UL-listed hardware on the gas versions, same 900 plus degree ceiling, same authentic Italian-style bake. What you give up is a single pizza worth of hearth space and roughly $800. For most homeowners cooking two to four pizzas at a time, that trade is fine. What you do not want to do is buy the 500, decide six months later you want to feed a birthday party, and wish you had spent the extra. This review walks through the honest tradeoffs.
What the CBO-500 Actually Is
The CBO-500 is a DIY brick pizza oven kit, not a finished oven. Chicago Brick Oven ships you the refractory dome, the hearth, the insulation blanket, the door, the flue, and the gas burner if you chose that configuration. You (or your mason, or your outdoor kitchen builder) supply the base, the enclosure, and the finish stucco, stone veneer, or tile.
The oven itself sits on a 39.5 by 39.5 inch footprint, so it is designed to drop into a standard outdoor kitchen island bay or a purpose-built base. It is not a portable countertop oven and it is not a fully assembled turnkey oven. Understanding that up front prevents 90 percent of buyer disappointment.
“The CBO-500 is not a compromise oven. It is the same physics as the 750, just sized for a normal patio and a normal family.”
CBO-500 Specs at a Glance
Cooking area: 27 inches wide by 27 inches deep, roughly 550 square inches of hearth. Dome height: 15 inches at the peak. Max temperature: 900 to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit with wood, 800 plus on gas. Weight: approximately 445 pounds fully assembled with the refractory kit (your enclosure adds more). Fuel: wood-only, gas-only, or hybrid dual-fuel. Gas burner: 40,000 BTU. Warranty: limited lifetime on the refractory dome. Made in the USA at CBO’s Illinois facility.
Two pizzas at a time comfortably, three if you rotate. One large roast or a couple of Dutch ovens for low-and-slow work.
The CBO-500 hits 900°F+ and cooks a 12-inch Neapolitan pizza in about the same time as the bigger 750 — same refractory physics, just fewer pies per bake.
How It Actually Cooks
This is where the CBO-500 earns its keep. The refractory dome and 2-inch hearth store real thermal mass, which means once it is up to temperature it holds heat the way a serious pizza oven should. Neapolitan-style pizzas cook in 90 seconds to 2 minutes at full temp. Bread bakes clean at 500 degrees for hours after the fire dies down. Roasts, whole chickens, cast-iron sides, all cook the way they do in a proper wood-fired oven because the physics is the same as the bigger 750, just in a smaller chamber.
The knock we have heard from a handful of owners is that a smaller dome means slightly less rolling flame overhead compared to the 750, so leopard-spotting on the top of the crust takes an extra beat. Real, but small.
CBO-500 vs CBO-750: Which One Should You Buy?
The 500 gives you a 27 by 27 hearth. The 750 gives you a 38 by 28 hearth, roughly 60 percent more cooking area. On the 500 you fit two 12-inch pizzas at a time. On the 750 you fit three, or two plus a side dish. Price delta is about $800 on the base configurations. Weight jumps from 445 pounds to around 700, which matters for your base construction. Footprint jumps from 39.5 inches square to 53 by 42 inches, which is the real deciding factor for most patios.
Our honest guidance: if you entertain groups of 8 plus regularly, buy the 750. If you cook for a family of four to six and the occasional dinner party, the 500 is the right oven and you will not miss the extra hearth. If you are on the fence about footprint, measure your space twice before committing.
Gas, Wood, or Hybrid: Pick Honestly
Gas-only is the easiest to live with. Push a button, 20 minutes to temperature, cook, done. No wood to store, no ash to clean, no fire tending. The downside is you never get the specific smoky char that wood delivers.
Wood-only is the purist’s choice and produces the best pizza, full stop, but it is a 45 minute warmup, an hour of active fire management, and a real cleanup afterward.
Hybrid is the version most of our customers end up choosing. Gas assist gets you to temperature fast and holds it, then you can add a wood log for flavor when you actually want that char. Hybrid costs more up front but you use the oven more, which is the whole point. If you are trying to decide between gas-only to save money and hybrid, we lean hybrid every time.
Pair the CBO-500 with a matching Bull built-in for a complete outdoor kitchen — the two most requested picks.
Installation Reality Check
The CBO-500 kit assembles in a day for an experienced mason and a weekend for a determined DIY-er with tile-setting skills. Chicago Brick Oven includes step-by-step assembly instructions and video support. The dome comes as pre-cast pieces that mortar together.
Where people underestimate the job is the base and the enclosure. Your base needs to carry 500 plus pounds of oven and stand up to outdoor weather forever, which typically means a reinforced concrete slab or a purpose-built CMU stand. The enclosure has to leave clearance for the insulation blanket and the flue and give you access to the gas connection if applicable. This is why most CBO buyers pair the oven kit with a matching pre-fab enclosure from CBO’s Package lineup, or drop it into a custom outdoor kitchen build. Budget for the enclosure. It is not optional and it is not cheap.
Pros and Cons
Pros: authentic refractory dome that reaches real pizza-oven temperatures, made in the USA, limited lifetime warranty on the dome, gas or wood or hybrid options, footprint that actually fits normal patios, roughly $800 less than the 750.
Cons: it is a kit and requires a real install, the enclosure is a separate line item, only two pizzas at a time, dome height is modest so tall roasts do not fit, gas hybrid version pushes the price closer to $3,000 before enclosure and base. It is not a plug-and-play oven and CBO does not pretend it is.
The Verdict
The CBO-500 is the right pizza oven for the buyer who wants a real wood-fired or hybrid oven, cooks for a household not a wedding, and either does not have the patio real estate for the 750 or would rather put the $800 savings toward the enclosure and a nicer stone veneer. It is not the right oven for someone who wants to take it out of a box, plug it in, and cook that afternoon. Buy it eyes-open on the install and you will love it for 20 years. Try to shortcut the enclosure and you will fight it forever.
Frequently Asked Questions
CBO-500 vs CBO-750, which one is worth it?+
Should I get wood, gas, or the hybrid?+
Is the CBO-500 too small for a real household?+
Can I install a CBO-500 myself?+
How long does the CBO-500 take to reach pizza temperature?+
Does the CBO-500 need an enclosure or can it just sit on a stand?+
What is the warranty on the CBO-500?+
Where is the CBO-500 made?+
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Ash — Ash writes the buying guides at FirePits.com — years of specifying fire features on residential installs, from urban patios to mountain properties.
