Big Spring Cafe — Restaurant in Huntsville

Average because of quality issues. Staff is very friendly.

I want to like this restaurant a lot, I really do. This is the type of food that younger people should be going crazy for right now, but it is just executed so badly here. Why are you not cooking and assembing burgers fresh on your flat top? I watched an employee cook about 50 burgers, while there were maybe 15 people in the restaurant, use his entire body weight to push any remaining juice or flavor out of the burgers with a spatula, and then drop them into a big pan of what I am assuming is water and beef base? (I'm not entirely sure of what the mixture was). So when I order a burger, I get a once grilled, and now poached, sponge of meat that has no traces of any seasoning left on it what-so-ever. The assembly line for burgers is so unnecessarily complex it is laughable.

I watched as 4 different employees (including the grill guy) were required to assemble one little burger! One lady takes my, at some previous time (nobody knows how long burgers have been sitting in the murky water), grilled meat patty and puts it on a not toasted bun, with raw onions (you can't taste these because they are so finely minced and so little onion was actually on the burger, a slice of cheese, and a tomato. Then another employee takes these burgers and puts them in a sort of panini press, for 5 seconds, then someone else comes and hands me my burger. So what I am actually getting is a burger with a not freshly cooked meat patty, raw onions, not melted cheese, and a slice of not seasoned tomato that is the same size as the burger patty itself (tomato burger maybe?). I also ordered chili-cheese fries, which were again, just OK. The fries were fresh, but they were not seasoned at all, so they were bland. The chili had a nice spice to it, but it was sort of bland too and it looked like a pile of poo when presented to me.

The execution here is just so... lazy? It seems like someone wanted to take a bunch of shortcuts and get food out as quick as possible, they forgot that people are willing to wait (and pay more) for quality.

I spent 12 years in kitchens and I went to culinary school, I have opened and closed more restaurants than worked at ones that stay open (nature of the business), and this place could be so great. The burger patties are small, why are you not cooking them to order? At most this would take 2 minutes to cook. Why are you not grilling your onions to order? Why are you not melting the cheese on your flat top, on top of the freshly grilled burgers? Why are you not toasting your buns in butter and excess oil from all of this, on the flat top, to order?

Sure you guys are an old restaurant and millennials be damned, you'll do it your way.... I asked the staff why things were done they way they were doing it, the response was always "Well, we have been open since 1922 and we have always done it this way!". What happens in 10 years when your older custom base is gone and younger people have to walk through your door? How many new customers a day do you think walk through your door? I'll tell you it isn't enough to sustain a business.

Again, I want to like this place, I really do. The meal I had here was not terrible, but it was nothing to recommend to others... Just a run of the mill place that caters to an older clientele. Please, please, please, improve your quality and I will gladly come back...

Stopped by here to try a burger when the Rocket City Burger Battle at Campus 805 proved too crowded for our speed. I believe Big Spring Cafe is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Huntsville. They moved into a new building (the current one) a few years ago.

My dining companions got cheeseburgers, fries, and onion rings. I'm super, super picky about my burgers so I went the safer route and got a chicken tender plate (though a little voice in my head told me I shouldn't, and that the burgers would be better).

Well, I should've listened to it. While there was nothing super bad about the tender meal, it was just..meh.

One GREAT thing about this restaurant is that it's pretty dang cheap...with one notable exception. You can get a cheeseburger, fries or onion rings, and a soda for around $7.50. However, the tender plate was a touch over 10 bucks. It didn't include a drink, but it did include fries, a side salad, and a roll. That sounds like a decent deal but when you look at what you get...I dunno. The side salad was served in a small bowl and consisted of nothing but super finely shredded lettuce and chunked tomatoes. It mostly tasted watery. And the "roll" was legitimately just a hamburger bun. The fry portion was the same my other dining companions got. And I got maybe 4 small chicken tenders. It's not a terrible deal, per se, but compared to the rest of the menu, it seemed a little high.

Anyway. Like I said, the salad and roll were disappointing. The fries and tenders were both decent but I'm pretty dang sure they were frozen and then fried. Low on flavor, low on crispiness. Just really forgettable.

On the bright side: the restaurant was really clean (100 health rating, too) and the service was friendly and nice. Also, we really enjoyed the onion rings, and the burgers were pretty dang solid. Yes, they're pretty small -- I'd recommend getting a double if you're hungry -- but they were juicy, cooked nicely, and the buns were warm and toasty. And, I feel, priced very reasonably.

Bottom line: come for the hamburgers and onion rings if you're down for that. Absolutely skip the chicken tender plate; it's not worth it for what you get. I have other places I prefer for hamburgers, but I'd consider returning if I was in the neighborhood. It's definitely worth a shot to experience a slice of...

As I walked into this Cafe, I couldn't help but notice the cozy old style 60s vibe. It was super cool and instantly took me back in time. The interior design was simple yet charming, and it felt like I was stepping into my grandma's house.

I ordered the burger and was blown away by how amazing it tasted. The flavors were on point, and I could tell that the ingredients were fresh. The bun was small, but it was made with so much love and care that it added to the overall experience. It was like having a burger made by your Nana.

I appreciated the fact that this place didn't try to be a fancy 5-star restaurant. Instead, it focused on what it did best - making delicious burgers that transported you to a different era.

The price was right, and I felt like I got my money's worth. I had a great meal that was fresh and not frozen for a year, unlike some other fast food chains. It was evident that the staff put their heart and soul into every dish, and it showed in the final product.

Overall, I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a nostalgic dining experience with delicious food. It may not be the fanciest spot in town, but it definitely delivers on taste...