Big Ed's Pizza

Big Ed’s Pizza

Yes, Beardy, Smalls, and I eat quite a bit of pizza. I make a lot of pizza at home, and it’s often pretty high up on the list when we go out, too. On a recent Friday night, Smalls and I met Beardy after work at Big Ed’s Pizza in Huntsville. Big Ed’s had been in Huntsville since the 1960’s, and its current location is near the intersection of University Drive and Memorial Parkway. We’ve been there before, but I don’t think we’ve ever been there with Smalls. At least, not since she’s been able to sit up at the table with us and sample real food.

We arrived at 6:00. The seating process is a little awkward because there’s no host or hostess holding down the fort; it’s just stand around and grab a table when you can. All the tables were full when we got there, so we stood by the door, eyeing tables of people who looked like they were ready to leave, empty beer pitchers and to-go boxes in front of them. Soon enough, someone left, and we pounced on their table. There were plenty of highchairs, and we pulled one up for Smalls. A waitress came to clean the table, and took our drink orders. Because we had our own sippy cup for Smalls, I don’t know if they have any toddler-friendly cups. I’m guessing no, so bring your own.

We ordered an appetizer of cheese bread and a pizza. I got the cheese bread mostly for Smalls, because it sounded like something she’d like. She ate some of it, dipping the tiniest corner of the bread into the tomato sauce. She usually ended up getting about two molecules of tomato on each dip, but that entertained her pretty well. Smalls ended up eating a little of that bread, and the grapes, cheese, and cherry tomatoes that I brought from home. There’s no kid’s menu, so if your toddlers don’t like pizza or cheesy bread, you should bring food for them. But for adults, the food is great. We got a 12” pizza with pepperoni, black olives, and jalapenos, and it was $10.95, which I think is a good deal for dining in at a lively restaurant with a pretty good atmosphere and local beer (http://www.straighttoale.com/). They do carry-out pizzas, too.

To recap, this is a great, very casual local restaurant with good pizza. But bring your own food and sippy cup for your toddler, and get there early so you don’t have to stand around and wait for a table.

Toddler friendliness ratings:

Atmosphere: 3.5 out of 5 booster seats. It’s a very casual atmosphere, and there were several other small children there when we went. Standing around for a table was a little awkward, though, and the waitress didn’t bring Smalls a plate at all.

Food: 2 out of 5 booster seats. No kid’s menu, and no fruit or veggies.

Big Ed’s Pizza

903 Memorial Parkway NW

Huntsville, AL 35801

(256) 489-3374

http://bigedspizza.com/