Big Daddy’s

LOVE– is how I feel about this place. Great food, strong drinks, lots of fun. Menu is fantastic and I highly recommend the crawfish et tufa, which I’m sure I spelled wrong. If there is a wait, stay, well worth it, have a hurricane at the bar.

Beyond disappointed tonight. I have been bragging to my husband for years how much I used to Love Big Daddys and couldn’t wait to bring him there. We live an hour away but tonight took the drive and brought some friends with us and met other friends there.
I could write a long detailed review about the night and how terrible the service and inconsistent food, but instead I will just say that at the end of the night my husband said «Thank you for wasting 5 hours of my life.» Used to be a great place to go, but tonight all attitudes and food was a major waste of time and money.

I hosted my sisters baby shower here and it was wonderful. We were very pleased. I must say Tommy and his staff are awesome!, they were very patient and accommodating, they ensured that everyone was happy and comfortable. Food was excellent, very flavorful and fresh! I’ve eaten here a few times before and I’ve always been impressed. I would definitely recommend big Daddy’s to everyone I know!

Something about oil changes that really makes me hungry I guess? Ryan and I dropped his car off at Mavis and moseyed on over to Big Daddy’s. It was 1pmish on Saturday so I was surprised when we walked in to a near-​empty Big Daddy’s. This place is normally always slammed with limited parking. We sat at the bar and ordered some drinks. I went with the Andygator bottle, not as great as it is on tap but hey, what beer really is? Ryan got a mescal margarita and was in heaven. We shared the pulled pork po’boy. The meat was cooked perfectly as were the fries. We kinda ate around the bread, it’s understandable that you can’t get true po’boy rolls in NY just like you can’t get a good bagel in FL. The bartender was super sweet and friendly. We left very content, great spot for families and brunch.

We were in the area today and searched Google maps to find a restaurant close. Big Daddy’s was the first to pop up, and had some great reviews so we decided to give it a shot. Let me just say, I’m glad we did!
Walking in we were seated immediately. The restaurant staff and waitress/​waiters were all so attentive and friendly. After placing our order, it wasn’t too bad of a wait for the food. Everything was fresh and tasted great. I would definitely go back to Big Daddy’s and recommend it to friends and family.

Second time Coming here. 30 minute wait (not bad for a Friday night) British girl served us she was nice but not too attentive. I started with the gumbo. It was very good and nice and spicy.
We had the ribs and chicken for entrees. Personally I have had better ribs elsewhere but they were alright. The chicken was kind of small and very fatty. Vinegar is a main ingredient in pretty much everything. The price is a little steep for what they offer. Rack of ribs $ 28 and you can’t substitute fries for something? An extra $ 5 for fries. That’s why I gave this place my 2 stars. Don’t nickle and dime us. $ 2.50 for a half of a glass of unsweetened ice tea and then the waitress forgets the refill. Sorry but even though the food was ok I wouldn’t come back because there are other places I can get a better meal at a better price.

For years this is one of my favorite restaurants on Long Island and I can’t believe I’ve never reviewed it. Honestly, in terms of Cajun/​Creole — New Orleans-​style cooking, Big Daddy’s is hands down the best of its kind anywhere on Long Island.
The menu is frequently morphing to reflect the changing agricultural seasons here on the island yet always retains that underlying NOLA flair — and SPICE! BD’s menu features all of the usual Crescent City suspects but also presents originally creative dishes, and usually run the gamut from moderately spicy to lethal levels. Ask for their special homemade hot sauce created from fresh chilies and habaneros. My Lord!
Their Sunday jazz brunches and happy hours are epic. Order the «deluxe» made «Pat O’Brian’s» Hurricane and don’t forget to bring a wheel chair. If you’re a fan of this type of cuisine I highly recommend checking Big Daddy’s, but be warned if you go on weekends, you WILL be waiting around for a long while for a table as there are NO reservations accepted on weekends — so get there early if you don’t want to wait. Atmosphere and energy level is eclectic, LOUD, and crazy. Did I mention LOUD? Do not go here for a quiet night out. DO go here for an amazingly fun time and to catch some pretty spectacular live acts.
Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Solid southern charm on the south shore of Long Island! Came for the lives blues band this past Sunday night and left with a very satisfied full stomach. Started with a Bourbon Black Cherry Lemonade (not on the menu) on recommendation from our excellent/​enthusiastic waitress, Lauren — a delicious buzz for $ 9! Followed up with flavorful (!) mango habeñero wings and blackened gator. Entrees ordered were the andouille sausage po boy and classic mufaletta. Substituted my fries for jalapeño cornbread and received a generous two slices — ask for the herbed butter!

Saturday night dinner got their at 6pm seated 45 minutes. The place gets packed early. I ordered the Catfish which was pretty delicious seasoned just right spicy pan fried served over bed of rice accompanied with a very tasty cream mushroom sauce. Nice portion two slices and was fresh. Pecan pie for dessert tasted home made was good served with ice cream. The service was good but I get it they want to turn tables I felt a little rushed. Busboy taking plates away while people are still eating not cool. I get it wait staff and bus boys want to make money, I do tip extra when sitting longer so I can understand.
Highly recommend this place food has lots of flavor and for a restaurant to be packed early evening like that has to indicate good food. Look forward to trying other entrees. Nice Job Big daddys

One of our favorite restaurants! Definitely a go to for all the locals. Great place for a drink when they have live music. The food never disappoints!

So while trying to figure out where to eat, Dave Matthews Band — Alligator Pie came on. CG said there was a spot we may be able to try some not too far from where we were. 10 minutes later, we strolled into Big Daddys!
What a fun spot! Whole place is purple, yellow and green. The live jazz band was awesome. Very kid friendly too — every other table had a tot.
Didn’t see any alligator on the brunch menu but no loss, there was a ton of interesting dishes to choose from. I settled on the grilled shrimp poboy and CG had the shrimp and grits.
I haven’t had many poboys before but this one was excellent. Roll was nice and toasty. It came with a tangy, crunchy slaw and a chipotle salsa that had a nice kick. The shrimp was also grilled perfectly and there was some in every bite. #win The cajun fries that accompanied were very sad though. So soggy. Each one I picked up bent over. Boo.
CG has never had shrimp and grits and ended up loving it. I tried some and it was definitely delicious — comparable to the plates I had in Charleston. Texture was there and it was so cheesy and good.
I’d get either of these dishes the next time I come back, since there will be a repeat visit. Or alligator. .looks like there’s some on the dinner menu!

This is me and my husband’s favorite restaurant!
No, it is not a romantic date night setting, but it’s definitely a let’s-pig-out-tonight and have great drinks spot!
Big portions, full of flavor & spices (people who do not like spicy food beware), friendly and very laid back casual atmosphere.
Unique menu– unlike any other restaurant I’ve experienced on the island. Soul food in an understatement.
Parking could be an issue, but there are plenty of parking around the restaurant by the train.

Decided to order drinks at the bar while we wait for our table. The bar keep seems busy with only 4 other patrons at bar. After making our drinks, he doesn’t serve it to us he just lets them sit there, while he goes about serving others.
We finally sit and someone is quick to take our order. No name, no hello. We give our order. Chicken and ribs and pig out.
The chicken in both meals are undercooked and dry. The ribs still have a pulse, red on the inside. The beef and pulled pork are ok. Sauce on meals are masked with plenty of black pepper.
I would not recommend this place to anyone unless you like rare chicken and pork then go ahead and be a patron.

I’ve been here at least 10 times and keep going back. The food is always awesome, the atmosphere is fun, and the service is great.
The big pig out is good to split between two people with a few sides. It has four different meats including BBQ chicken, ribs, sausage, and brisket.
The blackened catfish over rice is delicious and SPICY. Get ready to feel the burn.
Speaking of which there is one drink in particular that will melt your face off. The Choking Doberman. It’s a margarita with habanero infused tequila. I get it every time I go but make sure you can handle extremely hot food if you order it. The other drinks are amazing too including their Bloody Mary’s and Hurricanes.
Even the butter is amazing. I think it’s made with roasted garlic or crack. Probably both.
When they have oysters on the menu grab them because they’re always fresh and delicious.
The cheesy grits are the bomb. How do you like your grits? Creamy, regular, or al dente?
The atmosphere is fun and noisy. On the weekends there is usually a live band.
Big Daddy’s always satisfies but if you can’t handle the heat it’s probably not for you. Most of the dishes are spicy.

You will not be getting a quiet dinner at this Massapequa Park Cajun/​Creole restaurant. It’s extremely loud and, unfortunately, very kid friendly. Started with the crab cakes, two lump well seasoned crab cakes accompanied by a tangy coleslaw that went well with it. Grilled alligator was tough as expected but served with a sweet, painfully hot pineapple habanero sauce. Ordered the shrimp etouffée, jumbo shrimp over rice with peppers, onions in a sweet, sour brown gravy. Tasty and the shrimp was well done. The blackened cat fish was burn your face off hot and served with a cream sauce to ease your pain. Well grilled and very fresh. Service for quite a crowd was fast and friendly. It’s pricy, $ 100 dinner with tip for two but the portions you get are huge and the quality and service is very good. Worth the slight splurge.

Bonnie G and I revisited Big Daddy’s Saturday night for dinner at 9pm and were surprised by the sparse crowd… not really a crowd at all… But we got right in and sat right down and were attended to by a wonderful waitress. I got my Cajun Martini which is always a treat and Bonnie G. got a special with infused tequilla… dont know name but she liked it. Obviously the summer time hurts attendance at alot of restaurants and its the perfect time to go to normally crowded venues cause you can get in now. For Appys we ordered the smoked Meg’s chicken wings and the gumbo… both really good but gumbo could have been hotter and spicier. For mains BG got the Tiki Toms Scallops with Grits which was very good with nice size scallops and goat cheese grits which are always great. My entre was Creole Jumbalaya xtra spicy and thats how it came and was delicious.
The real Cajun Mojo of yesteryear will never be recaptured… but what we have here is a wonderful restaurant serving great Nola/​cajun vittles. We will continue to visit this mainstay and like it!

Visit Date: July 21, 2015
Even though this isn’t really the best place for a vegetarian to eat, there’s still some options and it’s still a good place. Just some quick notes! If you can’t handle spice give the server a head’s up and ask what dishes aren’t very spicy or see if they can make a dish with no spice. If you’re a spoiled brat and you want to have your meal made standard to your preferences do not come here. My friend who I ate dinner with who loves and knows New Orleans culture very well pointed out that eve though most restaurants will accommodate you they will not in New Orleans type restaurants.
The atmosphere is great, we went on a Tuesday night so it was toned down but I can picture this place getting very much like a drunken mardi gras on Thursday to Saturday nights. The décor makes you feel like you stepped into New Orleans for a meal, restaurants that bring me on a mini-​vacation for two hours are the ones I love most.
They give you a standard chunk of bread with sweet butter before your meal. The sweet butter is pretty interesting, it has a slight tangy and sweet taste to it but it’s not overpowering and it doesn’t make your butter taste like sugar.
For a meal I opted for the one vegetarian dish they had which I don’t even think is on the menu, only vegetarian sides are on the menu. It’s a pasta dish with vegetables in a cream sauce. The waiter warned me it would be spicy but I tried to be macho anyway. After a few bites of pasta my mouth was on fire. Luckily the waiter bought my dish in the back and they cut it with more cream sauce to take some of the spice away. Next time I go I am asking them to go easy on the spice.
Overall it was a good meal, our waiter was awesome and the experience was good.

Good drinks, and awesome Cajun pasta that was free during happy hour. Free is for me! Especially when it’s delicious! I’ll be back!

As I write this review, I’m still in awe of this place. I can’t believe it took me so long to visit such an amazing restaurant! I’m still mad at myself for waiting so long! Ok… I’m done venting, let me get to the juicy details.
I walked into Big Daddy’s after a long day and all I wanted was some good food to lift up my mood and kill the hungry beast inside of me.
As soon as I walked in the mood of the restaurant itself was uplifting. It was packed and everyone looked liked they were having a good time. I was sat immediately and my waitress came along cheerfully to take my order. I ordered the Gumbo to start and Shrimp & Grits as my main dish.
The Gumbo tasted great with just the right amount of spice. Let’s just say I regretted ordering a cup instead of a bowl. I was pissed when I reached the bottom of the cup but I managed to keep my composure.
A few minutes later my Shrimp & Grits came out and MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS! I almost busted out in a foodie’s rendition of Rihanna’s «Where have you been.» It was that serious! My brain wasn’t ready! The Grits… omg…the GRIIITTTSSS must have been made by the god of Grits! They were melt in your mouth creamy and so smooooooooovvvvee! The Grits are HANDS DOWN the BEST Grits I’ve had in NY. The Shrimp were the perfect size and plump and that saaaauuucccee… It was tomato and garlic perfection! I lost count of how many shrimp were in the dish. Which is rare nowadays. It was definitely a generous portion of food. Shockingly, I had to ask for a to-​go box. (Right now my #1 spot for Shrimp and Grits in NY)
Just when I thought the awesomeness was over I messed around and ordered dessert (The Banana Foster to be exact). All I have to say is my life was complete after tasting it and I’m not even a dessert kinda gal. It was… I can’t even explain the way it made me feel. Just order the damn thing! Especially if you like Bananas.
Don’t be like me and wait so long to visit Big Daddy’s, visit today and save a life.

God I love this place. I used to come here frequently but for whatever reason, its been a good ten years. I was lucky enough to meet up with some friends for a bite here last week. They’ve only gotten better over the years.
Ribs were amazing. Pork poboy was perfect. Even tried some Alligator and wings that were both delicious. The gumbo was alittle thicker then I prefer but had good flavor. Everyone seems to make gumbo differently, even down south.
Drinks as always were great. Love those cyclones. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a southern fix.