Big Daddy’s
3.5 Stars
Big Daddy’s
Grammercy
239 Park Ave South
New York, NY 10003
212-477-1500
Upper West Side
2454 Broadway
New York, NY 10024
212-677-2004
Today’s review features a special guest appearance by long time friend and guest critic, Mr. Ed.
We arrived at Big Daddy’s diner at about 2 PM on January 2, 2019. Big Daddy’s is a diner, a place to go for a casual meal. It is not for fine dining. The menu consists of sandwiches, burgers, salads, and breakfast foods. It is not a very large menu, but the food they do have is excellent.
Big Daddy’s website says, “Big Daddy’s filled the gaping hole in stomachs everywhere by giving this great city and authentic hip 80’s-styled restaurant where massive burgers, crispy tots, and thick milkshakes reign supreme.” While some of this may been an exaggeration, the tots are indeed crispy. I hear the mac and cheese is also something special. If you are in the mood for a retro style diner with good food and a warm atmosphere, give Big Daddy’s a try.
Big Baby says:
Atmosphere: 6 Cleanliness: 1 Food: 8 Service: 6
Overall Score: 5.25
I was in the bathrooms and I saw my cats’s bathrooms are cleaner than that! There were words spray painted on the bathroom door and the mirror. I saw they had made an effort to erase it that had failed disastrously. There were also puddles all over the floor. It just had a very non-clean feel to the bathroom. The rest of the restaurant was a little bit cleaner.
I had the “Give Me S’more Waffles…Please”. I thought the portion was a little small, and I was still hungry after eating it, even though that was their portion for a grownup, and I am a not even 10 year old kid. While small, it was amazing. They used real toasted marshmallows, chocolate syrup, and sugar on top. The waffles were graham cracker waffles. The waffles also came with syrup and whipped cream on the side.
The décor was nice. It was a nice color. There were nice pictures on the tables. The menu was colorful. It was a little bit loud inside Big Daddy’s.
The service wasn’t great. There were a little too many tables for the server to go to. They asked what we wanted within five minutes of getting there, and they didn’t get anything wrong. Someone came back to check on us after we got our food.
I suggest dining in or doing take out, although take out would be more efficient because the food was the best part of the diner.
Mr. Ed Says:
Atmosphere: 10 Cleanliness: 9 Food: 9 Service: 9
Overall Score: 9.25
I enjoyed spending time with my fellow critics. The company was excellent.
Mama Foodie Says:
Atmosphere: 6 Cleanliness: 5 Food: 8 Service: 8
Overall Score: 6.75
We waited about 5 minutes for our table, having arrived when the restaurant was full, but several tables were in the process of checking out. Once we were seated, it was another five minutes before someone came and took our order. I ordered “It’s Greek to Me” with a side salad. I asked for my omelet to be well done, as I cannot tolerate runny eggs. Mr. Ed ordered the tater tots with a side of blue cheese dressing.
Once we ordered, our food arrived fairly quickly. I was pleasantly surprised at the speed and accuracy. My omelet was perfectly cooked. The eggs were fluffy, and the feta cheese was creamy and soft, and not spongy at all. The dressing on the salad tasted like a strange combination of catalina and balsamic vinaigrette. It was not at all unpleasant, just unusual. The tater tots looked crispy and were not greasy.
I love the retro décor of the restaurant. My absolute favorite thing was the brightly colored table tops. They reminded me of the counters in my grandmother’s bathroom, which was designed and built in the 1950’s. The various memorabilia on the walls reminded me of my childhood in the best possible way. I was much more in tune with pop culture then than I am now. The restaurant itself was loud, but we were there at a busy time. The music was at an appropriate level, and we didn’t have any trouble hearing each other. We even had a little time to read some of the questions on the Trivial Pursuit cards that were in a box on the table. The floor could have used a sweeping, and the memorabilia was, in some cases, a little dusty, but the tables and booths were clean. I did not visit the bathroom, so I really cannot comment on that.
I recommend making a visit to Big Daddy’s. Next time, I think I may have to break my no sugar rule and try one of those classic milkshakes.