Big Hammock Brewery & Bites — Restaurant in Ocala

I can’t say enough about this place. Originally, it was initially suggested we go by a colleague at work. We headed down on a weekend, and did have trouble finding parking. After several rounds through the street, we decided to park in the free parking garage one block away. The parking was not full and easy to park in, and at no additional charge.

We walked into the front door and I realized quickly why the place was such a big hit. They had individuals standing and willing to wait for a table as we watch the food and beer be delivered to tables. We got a good idea of what we were gonna order when we sat down. We did get a table within minutes of walking through the door when a large group was getting up to head out. It was around 2pm or so.

We were greeted by our waitress and taking a look at the special bruise on the wall. I went with a tactical melancholy, and my husband went with the coconut. Both were amazing, the tactical melancholy tasted like a watermelon starburst. Not like a beer at all.

We ordered the bow buns to start, they were absolutely phenomenal with the pork belly. There were three of them, and I probably could’ve eaten 50 to be honest. We ordered our food and it came out within 15 minutes.

My husband ordered the Ramen with broth and I ended up with the Ramen minus the broth. The portion sizes are perfect! I lived in Japan for several years and it was just as good as anything that I had ever gotten served at a noodle bar there. It easily could go for twice the amount of money they are asking for it.

The service was amazing, we had a very friendly waitress. The place is clean, I did not use the restroom so I cannot speak to the condition of that. It’s not too loud, it’s not really bright and the music is not intrusive. It is an absolutely amazing place to go, we saw families, other couples and even a few people hanging out at the bar just for a quick brew.

In my overall review, five stars is not enough. It was absolutely amazing, we had a great time. Filled our bellies and paid a reasonable price. I highly recommend going and trying this place. We are headed back down there again today, because they are closed Sunday and Monday, but we’re excited to have our second meal and try...

We are not from Ocala, we traveled from Lake Mary to check out a kayak and horseback riding tour over at Zip the Canyon which is about 15-20 min away from this spot. Our kayak tour guide, recommended we check out Ocala Square in between tours to grab lunch. A quick google search revealed Big Hammock Brewery & Bites as having one of the highest rates for reviews so we decided to check it out.

Don’t let the menu fool you- it might look simple from the way it’s printed but the flavor and quality is anything but. Our server recommended the scallion pancake with roast beef. Jaw dropping. It doesn’t even need the sauce, the cheese and the onion and the meat packed all the flavor I needed. The consistency of the scallion pancake, crispy, flaky and flavorful. I was hanging on every bite. I savored the taste in my mouth even after the meal was done. Not many menu items I can say have given me that experience but it was that good. My fiance ordered the rice bowl with chicken. He’s a big sauce guy and LOVED the sauce on this one. It hit. The chicken was juicy and not overcooked and he couldn’t get over how fresh the rice seemed. He’s not a veggie guy but he ate the peppers and some of the broccoli without complaint (he’s been trying to eat healthier which is why he left the dish as is) the bowl was basically inhaled.

He even tried some of my dish and was amazed in agreement at how good it was.

The vibe is lively. Service was great. We don’t drink so I can’t comment on the beverages. Super cute spot with a menu that is worth way more than the price. It was the perfect compliment to an already incredible day.

Thank you! If we are ever in Ocala again, we will not forget this place! Keep up...

We decided to walk to Big Hammock with our dogs. We sat outside on high top tables. I'm 5' tall, so it's not my best choice, but that's the only kind of seating they had. It was noisy, of course, but we are eating next to a busy street, so that's what it is. People walking by and loving on our dogs was a bonus!

Our server, Andrew, was excellent. He's one of the beer brewers. My husband ordered a lager that Andrew suggested. My husband said it was crisp and refreshing.

Andrew also helped us out on choosing from the menu. We ordered crispy pork belly bau buns to start. They were delicious. My husband was suffering with a cold, so he ordered chicken pho, not the kind of chicken soup his mother made. And that's a good thing! He got the spicy broth that helped clear his sinus'. There was plenty of chicken, noodles, and veggies.

Andrew suggested I try the curry special. It was with pork medallions and I'm proud to say that I ate it with chopsticks. I didn't spill any until I was transferring the leftovers into a container with a fork! One of Andrew's coworkers came out to see our dogs and gushed over them. That's the way to our hearts!

The dogs enjoyed the meal too. Andrew brought them a bowl of water and some pieces of chicken. They sampled my pork and they heartily...