Big Ed's Pizza — Restaurant in Huntsville

When you’re half-starved as you clock out in Rocket City, what’s better than picking up a good pepperoni pizza and some locally brewed beers to end the day? Nothing, in our opinion, and Big Ed’s delivers. This pizza joint has been around for more than 60 years.

We sat near the windows, enjoying the natural light before the days got shorter and shorter. The place was busy but not overcrowded—you can definitely have a pleasant conversation with your friends or even a romantic date without needing to shout to be heard.

Eating at Big Ed’s Pizza

We didn’t have to wait long before a member of the waitstaff approached, taking our drink and appetizer orders. I recommend a classic pepperoni or sausage, but really, you can’t go wrong with any of the pizza options on their menu.

We started with the fried mushrooms, which are such a treat. Rich, earthy mushrooms with a golden-brown crust keep the hanger pangs away while you wait for your made-to-order pizza—and trust me, it is worth the wait.

Our mushrooms arrived piping hot and crunchy on the outside, and their homemade dipping sauce brings a tangy flavor you just might double-dip for.

Then, the main course. We ordered two pizzas: a classic pepperoni and their barbecue chicken pizza—a house special and a classic dish. We wanted to get the full scope of the place, how they handle the old standards everyone loves, and what fresh new flavors they bring to the table.

First, the specialty barbecue pizza. This is a much sweeter pizza than usual, with its barbecue sauce base. This adds that sweet, savory warmth you don’t get with a traditional marinara base. For those who prefer their savory without the sugar, this may not be the pizza for you, but if you like a little barbecue sauce on your slice, check this one out.

The red onion balances the sweetness with its sharp, almost spicy presence, though they blend pleasantly with the rest of the flavors as they are cooked into the pie.

When getting a pizza with chicken, you often risk getting a slice with dry chunks of meat that are better picked off than protein. Not so at Big Ed’s—each bite of chicken was still tender and juicy, bringing all these flavors together between stretchy, melted cheese and a fluffy crust that almost steals the show (at least, it does for this pizza lover, who never skips the crust).

Their house-made marina base is everything you could want in a quality pizza sauce. Well-seasoned and made with fresh ingredients, these components are the perfect base for a quality pepperoni pizza. Take your time savoring the texture range of their crust, the complex flavors of the sauce, and of course the classic pepperoni. While their specialty pizzas pack a punch, their simpler pizzas give you a chance to slow down and savor the complexity.

Big Ed’s has been serving Huntsville since 1961, and we hope they have more decades ahead to serve our city. While we’re still working through their many menu options, we haven’t found a single slice or sandwich that didn’t delight the whole table. Take a moment to enjoy this little slice of Huntsville history and walk away with a full belly (and, likely, a box of pizza...

I've been meaning to do a review of Big Eds for some time. I've been coming to the establishment for over 2 decades since my parents took me there back at the old Oakwood location almost 30 years ago, coming 2-3 a month when on North Memorial, and every Saturday since there current location on Pratt this year. In my opinion it has some of the best pizza in the Tennessee Valley, and while there is a wait and might be pricey, it has always been worth it.

Though with that said, lately I feel that something has been lost since the latest relocation, the quality and consistency. I pretty much order a calzone every week, though since the move to this new location the size of the calzone keeps getting smaller and smaller, with less filling and more bread. At the North Memorial location, and starting out at the Pratt location the calzones were still large enough they almost filled the box they came in, and usually have a 2-3 pepperoni's tossed on the top for flare. This and the sauce made them easily beat every other establishment's. Though as stated the size has continued to shrink or just lack consistency. Lately enough to fill half the box, similar to most pizza joints, okay fine I can live with that.

Though the last two weeks the quality was disappointing and unacceptable of my take out orders. On 11/23 the entire bottom of the calzone was burnt, and staff forgot to bring out my appetizer of fried mushrooms. This week on 11/30, the calzone had more end crust than I have ever seen, little filling, and overcooked. On top of that the order of friend mushrooms weren't even prepared. On the phone staff had even said the wait would be 15-20 minutes cause they were "dead" business wise so I'm not sure why the food was overdone or completely forgotten, where as during busier times with 45min - hour wait everything is usually perfect. So then I have to wait another 10 minutes for them to make the other part of my order, fine... the issue is there was no apology for the mess up and delay, no comp discount for mess up, heck not even offer of a drink while I wait for the issue to be fixed. At least do something to recover on the customer service side of things.

With these reoccuring issues, it's become harder for me to recommend the new location to people and has made me consider it's time to part ways and find a new place to unwind my...

Third Strike

I gave the new Big Ed's three tries, but tonight was it, I am done. The food is still as good as the old location, but the service, or lack there of, is horrible. Who ever manages that place has no idea how to organize and run a business. You walk in and nothing, no hostess, no sign, no sign up sheet, nothing. Last week I tried to call for 45 minutes to order a take out but nobody answered. After I drove there and walked into a half empty restaurant I ask the two workers if the phone was broken and she said "no, we don't answer it because we are too busy". Tonight I had 4 different people wait on me and none of them knew anything about what the others had done. My food arrived nice and hot, but my date's food was nowhere to be found, as was our appetizer! When my drink ran dry I waited see if anyone cared, no one did, so I went to the bar but the woman there was too busy on her phone to pay me any attention. A worker from the back came in and got herself a Dr. Pepper and I ask her to refill my drink but she said she could not help me. Finally I walked behind the counter and was going to help myself which is when the telephone girl decided to hop into action. It really is sad, they had a good thing going a the last location, but all the staff are new and just don't seem to care. I give it less than a year and as regulars like me will stop going and it will go the way of the dinosaur. Five Points has other good restaurants with more coming, so I suggest you don't waste your time...