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First off, GO GATORS!
Now for the review. This place is a down-south icon. It is definitely a top-five Miami Pizza joint. Their garlic rolls alone are probably responsible for my belly fat when I was in highschool. I miss my bellyfat. Anyway,if you are near Dadeland, and if you are in the mood for some good cheap comfort italian, look no further.
This is by far one of the best pizza joints in Miami.
The pizza is awesome and best of all, cheap. The garlic rolls are always delicious and so is the lasagna.
The restaurant is also great for kids thanks to it's cozy atmosphere.
You must the Big Cheese before you kick the bucket.
Great Food. The place takes reservations and has a back room that accommodated about 30ish people, comfortably.
Location: Don't try to map it... it gets a little confusing when you do GPS and maps online... But it's off of highway 1 and 67th street. make a right onto 67th from highway 1, and then its on the left side.
The pizzas are great. Good crust, and they can make the pizzas with whatever toppings you choose. with our group there was a mix of flavors... so we tried:
- bacon and onion - pretty good!
- sausage, mushroom and onion - yum!
- veggie
- deluxe
and then of course typical toppings.
The garlic knots were good too! And if you aren't into super garlic, they have regular rolls you can eat with butter.
The Waiters are very attentive, keep the pitchers of beers flowing, and sodas and water as well.and was a great place for a big group.
Good food, good people, good prices. The Big Cheese is a local Miami staple. Don't expect high end cuisine with 5 star service because that's not what you'll find here. What you will find is good comfort food in large portions, (you'll almost always leave with a doggie bag) Pleasant service, usually from local college kids and a few long timers and a great relaxed atmosphere.
Friday and Saturday nights here can get crowded with people outside on the benches waiting to be seated. They used to give out little pizza dough balls to the little kids to play with to keep them busy. I don't know if they still do that. Lunch time can also get pretty busy here. People keep coming back for years because they know it's a good thing. An alternate if you just don't have the time is to get take out. This is also a good alternative, because parking can be a little difficult during their busy times. There are booths and tables inside and a smaller room off of the back that would be good for groups or a small party and there is also patio seating.
They occasionally add new items to their menu, but always have their staples. Their caeser salad is one of the best. Whenever I am in town I must always eat here and order it. When I used to live nearby they didn't have the fried oyster caeser that they do now, so I would get an order of calamari and put it on my caeser. The full size can easily be split between 2 people or take the rest home. The 1/2 order can be split between 2. If you really like garlic, throw a little of the garlic roll sauce on the salad. Their pizzas are good and their entrees are nothing out of this world, but are great for comfort food quality.
The Big Cheese is a local favorite and has been around for over 25 years. They must be doing something right.
Garlic Knots, enough said.
LOVE this place!
I have been eating at Big Cheese since the mid 90's! Stop trying to figure out my age. Never been disappointed with anything I have eaten there. I introduced the place to three of my friends on Saturday and they all had good things to say!
Now I am hungry!
We've been back to the Big Cheese for lunch more frequent in the last months than ever before even though it is a pilgrimage because we have to trek it from Coconut Grove.
I have been loving a slice with grilled eggplants, it's best when topped with some of that garlic that goes on the roll, Parmesan and red pepper flakes... fantastic!!!!
Of course, you can never go to the Big Cheese without have those delicious rolls...
I hadn't been to the cheese in a long time, I had forgotten about the wonderful garlic rolls....… Read more »
I agree with the garlic rolls, they're pretty good, but that's about it really. There's nothing special about their pasta sauces, I've had better out of supermarket cans, and they always drown the pasta in it. The prices are good, and its always a good time if there's a UM game on, but the service is absolutely awful. Also 2 of the times I've been there one of the people in my party had some sort of crazy hair on their dish....c'mon now! once, okay an accident, it happens... but twice? I don't go there that much...gross!
Do you love garlic? Well i do and this place had the most amazing garlic rolls in the world. Yes that is a hefty statement to make but oh it is so true. This is not a place for a date unless you and your date love garlic.
The food is good, reasonably priced, and largely portioned. My fave lu-nner is a half or quarter chicken caesar salad with garlic rolls. The pizza is a so-so for me, if you want a slice with a topping its kinda like an afterthought. never really tastes right for me unless its a whole pie made to order. The calzones are great and the salads are big. Everything is pretty much ok and full of garlic.
Big Cheese is always there in a snap, so its always a nice backup plan for something very casual and garlic-y.. just remember to stock up on the mints as you leave.
1. Garlic
2. Cheese
Be prepared for a lot of both. A hangover will ensue. No, not an alcohol hangover. An "I ate way too much cheese and garlic so now I smell like a musty pizza box" hangover.
It was well worth it though. Garlic rolls will generous amounts of minced garlic and butter on top. Garlic on the side of my grilled eggplant pasta with mushrooms and artichoke. Minced garlic inside the pasta. I was surprised I wasn't drinking garlic-infused water. It sure felt like I was by the end of the dinner.
That said, my pasta was delicious. I loved that they didn't skimp on the artichoke either. The portion was easily big enough for two meals. Highly recommended if you're hungry and are craving for some garlic-y goodness.
Ive been coming to the big cheese since I was a little kid and its always been a family favorite for casual food. However, I went the other day and was horrified by my experience. We were seated by the kitchen window and I noticed our server tilting a plate over the trash to get rid of excess juices (mind you, this isnt in the kitchen, but out where everyone can see). I used to work as a server and this is something people eating dont want to see. I guessed it meant that they microwaved the sauce to get hot and the excess oil was making it too watery. Imagine my horror when he walks over and presents the plate to me...Gross. a good 5 minutes later, the person I was with got her plate...By this time my food is lukewarm. She takes one bite and says its ice cold. I try it and sure enough, it tasted like it had been in the fridge for an hour or so...guess they forgot to microwave hers. We complained (nicely) and he said hed get a new dish for us...He brought the same dish back out slightly less cold(I guess they put it in the microwave for 15 seconds) . Not to mention that, you would think something would at least be comped or offered for the mistake, dessert maybe? nope. Instead our waiter went out of his way to ignore us the rest of the night. Ive always loved the big cheese but now i am not going to be coming back.
Perfect place to grab a slice and a drink, and just chill with friends in whatever you feel like wearing. Garlic rolls will leave you brushing your teeth and chewing minty gum for days on end.. so make sure you're definitely in the mood for them. We always order a basket, or two... and love it.
Lots of plentiful pasta dishes on the menu, but lately I've just been ordering slices. Great prices.
The UM stuff *everywhere* is part of it's charm... but the Gator in me could do WITHOUT it - ha!
I know some people might think I'm nuts for giving The Big Cheese 2 stars. There are some hardcore fans of their pizza, and honestly, I don't understand why.
Before I took it upon myself to find bigger and better pizza out there in Miami, I used to frequent this place a lot. Once I found the pizza pot of gold, however, I realized how truly overrated the Big Cheese is. I also think the quality of their pizza has gone downhill- that may also have something to do with it. Last time I ate there the cheese was sub par, and the mushrooms were CANNED mushrooms. GROSS. I need my toppings to be fresh, please!
The only thing saving this place from a 1 star rating is their garlic rolls. They're decent.
This is a great neighborhood restaurant. It offers large portions, great prices and good food. Their pizza is not my favorite, but it's still pretty good. The pasta dishes also good, but not out-of-this-world good. The garlic rolls, on the other hand, are to die for!!! I promise you won't be able to eat just one!
Yelp saved the day. I was home and hungry with no clue as what to eat. I had forgotten that the Big Cheese was a handful of blocks away. I called in a half Veal Parm Sub on whole wheat, with some fries. When I get there, I remembered GARLIC ROLLS !!! I couldn't resist so I got three. When the total came out to less then nine bucks I was elated.
The food was great and price was even better. I satisfied many cravings at once. Veal which I don't remember the last time I had eaten, garlic rolls for which I am a junkie of, and fries the greatest American junk food. Ate the fries at home with some seasoned salt, and was happy.
If you're in the area you can get a great lunch for under ten bucks which to me is a steal.
i'm a regular at the big cheese & i absolutely love this place.
laid back atmosphere, casual. service is good, quick.
the pizza is so good and so cheap & the garlic rolls are awesome!
good food at good prices- you can't beat it!
I rarely give 5 stars but I love The Big Cheese and Italian isn't even my favorite but The Big Cheese may be the exception I have been going since i was a little girl. The place is always packed to the gills except during rush hour traffic so if your tired of sitting on US1 turn on Ludlam and stop here till the madness has passed. If not you will need to wait in the madness and its very worth it . The food is awesome and the servers are usually fantastic. Some of these servers have been at The Big Cheese for years.
The place is filled with UM paraphernalia everywhere so Gator and Noles fans beware! The servers even wear the UM logo on the back of their shirt
I always get the Cesar and steak platter (half order). For a half order its huge and I can never quite finish it. The salad is fresh and has excellent Cesar flavor .The steak is cut thin and sauteed in onions and mushrooms. Which is awesome I love it. For the Salad with the steak order of rolls they give you for each table and a cherry coke I payed under 10 with tip it was 10 and I tip these folks well. I have been known to order other things like their Ziti and their chicken Alfredo and of course their Pizza. All of them fantastic I will tell you this though Do not order the Calzone unless you want a giant cheese empananda with very little to no meat in it., The garlic rolls here are also awesome and a definite must. especially if you like garlic. you can get these plain as well The big cheese is a Miami classic and a definite must so you can decide for yourself.
Its great food at a fantastic price. I mean its been their for years . the servers from 15 years ago are still their and the place is always packed .They must be doing something right .and they are in my book.
Went here for many pasta fests in college...back in the day I would get the baked ziti and was in a cheesy pasta food coma. I always felt way too full after eating here...was it worth it? maybe, but I wasn't really sure. The rolls were amazing, garlicky yummy...nomnomnom, but the pizza and pasta, I guess I could take it or leave it. It's one of those places I really want to like, and for what it is it's good. But it's not my fave.
The BIG CHEESE is awesome!
Let me start with the garlic rolls or knots they are exquisite OMG they are drenched in garlic and butter it the best lol... The portions are BIG I mean 2 people can eat from one dinner plate... I have never had any problem with he service they are very friendly and the food usually is fast. Very good pricing and they rock!
Vampires beware.
Big Cheese's biggest bang are their garlic rolls- Little pillows of heaven with bits of garlic baked in and drizzled with oil and chopped garlic.
The service is great and their servings are large enough to feed a family of 17.
I have been going to Big Cheese since I was little, my mom used to work across the street. If you love Pizza, I think it's one of my favorite pizza places, besides Pizza Uno (in Orlando, FL). Not only are the slices big, but you can get any topping you want and it's still delicious!
The calzones here are also very big and filling, if you like cheese, get the calzone. Can I SAY GARLIC BREAD! The garlic bread here is always a winner, I'm not a huge fan of bread but this bread is always so good. Now they serve the garlic on the side, which is actually a smart idea, because if you don't like too much garlic on your bread you can add it yourself, and if you like a bunch on your bread like me, you can add as much as you like.
The caesar chicken salad here is also very good, the chicken has flavors that make the salad more than a salad.
The pastas in my opinion are good, but not great. I prefer those small restaurants that look like a whole in the wall but it's truly good home cooking from Italy. This is my only complaint really, otherwise I would have given it a 5.
Overall, I recommend you try it.
When we first got there, we could smell the food from the parking lot, which just got me even more hungry. We gave our name and waited outside because there wasn't space inside. We were seated in less than 15 minutes and our waitress was super nice and helpful. She brought us garlic bread which was pretty hard to swallow because of how much garlic was on it. I flinched a few times because of how strong the garlic taste was... I'm not exaggerating. Our food was on the table before we finished the garlic bread. I ordered fettucini alfredo with shrimp and my dad had mushroom pizza. Both were delicious!!
The only thing I really didn't like is that it didn't seem very clean. I mean the tables were clean but I just felt like everything was greasy. Very much a college kid place where this type of thing wouldn't matter.
On the bright side, we each had a beer with our food and our bill was less than $20!!! I thought maybe she had made a mistake, but no mistake.
I would go again because of how GREAT the food and service was :]
It's the Big Cheese, what else needs to be said. Great pizza, pastas, subs, and awesome garlic rolls that are pretty much dripping in garlic and butter. YUM!
If you want to dine there, you better pick some non-peak hours, or the wait can be outrageous. It's best to go on a random weeknight, or at a really off meal time. I always used to call in my order and go pick it up, but even then, there was usually a bit of a wait. But then again, I always knew that my food was made-to-order and piping hot!
The decor is very Applebee's/Friday's-esque, as in pics of the local sports teams, articles, etc. Big Cheese mainly celebrate UM, which is cool, since I went to school there - but all you 'Noles & Gators might not be so happy. Parking can be a challenge, but if you go at night, you can usually find a spot in the U-Haul lot across the street. Oh, and don't forget to hit up Wall's for some ice cream afterwards. That is, if you have any room in your tummy - the Cheese's portions are HUGE!
Another must-stop for me when I'm in the Miami area. To avoid long waits I suggest early arrival for peak hours. This establishment brings you back to the days of corporate-less, chain restaurants.....Pizza Hut who?!?!? It's the neighborhood pizzeria, down to the red and white checkered table covers, I love it!
Although, you may not want to go here on a date, their food is full of garlic and onions...yummy!!!!
Overall-
Cleanliness: A
Food: A
Presentation: A
Prices: A
Service: B
----------------------
Grade- A
Stumbled upon this place while looking for a store in an industrial area around the corner from Dadeland Staton across the freeway ramp, kind of across the way from the elevated subway tracks. You get the picture. Not the kind of place you would expect to find a popular neighborhood pizza joint.
There I was driving around this deserted warehouse disctrict. I rounded the corner and suddenly --- a million cars and a sign saying "Pizza." Naturally I had to stop and check it out. I could see immediately why the crowd had gathered. Sometimes places just smell right!
Found a really good, very New Yorkey type family pizza and pasta place. Obviously very popular judging by the line out the door. And open late, too.
If you've ever had that perfect slice of New York style pizza, this is as close as you are going to come without leaving Florida. Tasty crust, not too thick, not too thin. Nice sauce, just the right amount of good quality cheese. Loved it.
Got my pizza "to go," but if I had eaten there I certainly would have made a foray across the street afterwards to the little ice cream stand (separate owner, I think). Sigh. Could have been the perfect night out.
Can't wait to go back to try some other dishes like chicken marsala, or to get a sub. Very reasonable prices on subs.
Good greasy fun food. I highly recommend the chicken parmesan sub. The pizza is good but ultra greasy. Go with the subs. The pasta is ok. I'm serious about the hot subs it's the best.
I had not been to this wonderful place in a while, and as Cindy said I just woke up with a garlic hangover from the rolls, they are sooooo good! I believe if you put your nose close to your screen you can smell the garlic coming off of me! Pizza and Caeser salad was also as good as ever and always a wait.
Stayed at the nearby Hampton Inn and decided to give the place a try. It was difficult finding parking on a Tuesday night. I got seated quickly and service was immediately at my table. I had the Ziti and it was awesome. Generous portion for a good price. I'll try the pizza next time. Kind of a noise place so don't expect a quiet Italian dinner here. Inside and outside seating plus they deliver. One cool thing is if you get takeout, they have an honor system to drink some wine while you wait. I think it was about $5, which is pretty cool.
This wasn't a bad little place. I went here on a visit to Miami with friends. It was packed. The wait for an inside table was long, but the wait for an outside table was nil, so we opted to sit outside. The service was fast. I ordered the Caesar salad with steak. The steak and the salad were both good on their own, just not together. The steak seasoning with the onions and peppers tasted more like it came from a Chinese restaurant. Again, it was good on it's own, but weird on the salad. The portions were very generous. I only ordered a half salad, but it was about the size of a whole salad at any other restaurant. The garlic rolls were delicious. We ordered the butter garlic sauce on the side. A good idea because it looked artery clogging good, and had enough garlic to give you bad breath for days. My hubby had pizza and said it was very good. I'd go back again, I guess.
Hands down, this is ground zero for UM students to go to for decent, fill-ya-up Italian-American food. This Mom-and-Pop place attracts alot of families, young couples etc. with its low-maintainance, comfortable atmosphere (check the UM memorabilia on the walls -- The Rock (an alum) has an autographed photo in the backroom + also see the red pleather booths). Pizza here is served New York style and the garlic rolls pack a lethal punch for garlic lovers (you'll wake up with a garlic breath hangover the next day). Good dishes to try are the ravioli and the manicotti with pink sauce.
The garlic knots are amazing! The pizza is great and stays that way no matter what topping you put. The environment is cool and puts you in the mood for a coca cola classic, but the place is always busy.
Fontana Presto Pranzo
Coral Gables, FL
Wine & Lunch Specials!
Miami, FL
Coral Gables, FL
Category: Pizza
Miami, FL
Category: Pizza
Miami, FL
Category: Latin American
Miami, FL
Category: Italian
Miami Beach, FL
Category: Pizza
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