Favorite pizza place in Omaha!! Great onion rings, too, and my grandma loves the pork tenderloin. Been a family favorite since the 70's. Only complaint is the bar service tends to be extremely slow on a consistent basis.
I have been going to this place for years and have never had a bad meal here. Today, I had lunch with a friend and we ordered a medium hamburger and cheese pizza and an order of garlic bread. The garlic bread came out quickly and was done very well. Our pizza took a little longer, but it was worth the wait. The thin crust was done to perfection, the sauce on it was slightly tangy, the large amount of hamburger was cooked perfectly and the cheese was melted nicely. I really like their pizza. Not my favorite pizza in Omaha, but definitely in the top ten. Service was very good and they can accommodate large groups. There are many TV's and a large bar also. Give this place a try. I do not think you will be disappointed.
Big Fred's is another Omaha staple. As a kid, I remember seeing Big Fred himself sitting at the end of the bar. The grandson now owns and operates this restaurant.
Goonie Roonie (sp?) is their unique Italian pizza dish. Must try.
Salads used to be great, but now they are just a bunch of iceberg lettuce.
If you are an Omaha local, you'll run into all your family friends here as it's a well established joint that is well run in the most part.
Make sure you buy some of their Italian dressing on the way out...
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Their pizza is what I call "homemade style" in that it's not NY Style or Chicago Style, but is that style that seems to be unique to privately-owned pizza places serving up their family's recipe. Pizza is square cut. Crust is tasty. Not too thick, but not thin crust either. Sauce is good. Toppings are standard. They give the option for mozzarella or romano cheese. I usually tell them to mix them. Overall, very tasty pizza. Similar in style to Mama's Pizza.
Onion rings are very good. They could use some salt, but I suppose that's on the table if you want it. They're battered instead of breaded and that's how I prefer them.
They have a double-crust pizza they call the "Goodie Roonie Pizza" which my wife loves, but I cannot stand. For me it's just too one-dimensional. It's like someone dumped a ridiculous amount of hamburger or sausage into a pizza crust and called it good. YMMV.
They're privately-owned, so you're not going to get national chain prices in here. You're going to pay a little more because they pay a little more for their ingredients (economies of scale, people). So, don't expect Pizza Hut or Dominos prices.
There can be a crazy wait to be seated on busy nights and their parking lot gets pretty full too.
This pizzeria is certainly popular with the older crowd. A decent chunk of the diners are the over-50 crowd. They're probably coming here out of habit and for nostalgia.
They're in the process of doing some renovations and are supposed to begin offering draft beer (it's been bottles only up until now).
Yum Soooo Goood!. The double crust pizza is to die for. All the meat and cheese melt together and make the pizza juicy and delicious! It may take a bit longer to cook but patience is needed for good food.I recommend the wings, salad, chicken tenders (yum specially battered, must dip them in the wing sauce and ranch), and the fried green beans. Also can't leave without trying the onion rings. I've read a few comments about bad service but every time I have been in there the wait staff was polite and my food has always been good. Overall an absolute favor of mine in wonderful Omaha!!
Absolutely love the hamburger mushroom pizza.
I've been eating here my whole life, so its about time I write a review. I only eat their pizza. And I always get romano cheese only instead of mozzarella. I don't like their pizza with mozz chz, but with romano, I think its a great flavor combination with the zesty tomato sauce & the fresh baked thin crust. Big Freds is a family tradition, & we all love its pizza with romano cheese.
Old School Pizza Parlor. I enjoy the experience of the casual old school pizza parlors. Come as you are, bring friends, bring the kids and enjoy pizza with the hundreds of others with the same idea on any given night. This is not artisan pizza, nothing trendy here. A simple menu with quality food. The pizza is what I would call "Omaha style". Heavy on meats and cheese, a substantial knife and fork pizza somewhere in betwen the extremes of New York style and Chicago style.
On my last visit, we had the onion rings and the combination pizza. The service was excellent despite the heavy crowd. The crust was crisp and chewy without a hint of the greasiness that other reviewers have mentioned. The toppings were generous and the flavors pleasant. Overall, the pizza is well above average and worth a return visit.
Another Omaha Icon. R.I.P Fred.
This place will never be as good as it was when Fred ran it from his perch at the end of the bar.
The service is average, the pizza is average. It's practically an Omaha landmark, and I still love it.
Amazing pizza and pasta!! We always order a pepperoni with mozzarella cheese only and always comes out tasting fantastic!! The mostaccioli is quite tasty as well!! The chicken strips are fine…it’s a nice option to get a side of onion rings! Friendly staff and great service!
An old friend recommended Big Fred’s when I mentioned going through Omaha on a roadtrip. Ordered ahead of time and received great service and even better pizza. Might need to make this a tradition. Thanks Omaha!
I got it to go. Price is good. Quality is good. The bottom could have gone longer.
My family used to eat here all the time in the 90s and it’s exactly the same. Arcade is a little weak.
Would recommend. Keep it local!
We stopped for lunch @ Big Fred's, our first time there. We were seated right away and given time to peruse the menu after our drink orders were given. The service was speedy, the food out of this world good, prices not bad. The portions are HUGE, everyone at our table took enough home to have another full meal later on. There was a good mix of patron ages, from families with young kids, to Gen-Z, to retired folks. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves as was evidenced by the volume of their conversations. There were several TV's with a football game playing but I don't think the volume was even on, if it was it was too low to hear. All in all it was a pleasant experience and we'll probably return when we find ourselves in Omaha again.
Had the light portion of "build your own pasta". Comes with their great house salad and a generous portion of pasta with either red sauce or Alfredo sauce. Also comes with a side like cheese bread or soup. More than enough food all for $6.95. Super bargain and really good food. I go there at least every two weeks and usually get the same thing. Can't beat the pizza either.
One of the Omaha original Pizza joints. Big Fred's quality is the same today as it was 20 or more years ago. You will always get exactly what you expect at Big Fred's a hot fresh cheesy pizza. There are some unique flavors and something unique about the style of Big Fred's Pizza. Please click like on my review if you found it helpful. I will post even more photos after my next visit.
Always a great pizza pie.
Busy at times. Classic salad
Onion rings extra crispy
Would have been higher but when we ask for our pizza to be cooked well done it never is. We always have to take it home to reheat to get cheese cooked the way we want it. Been going here for 40 years
What an amazing landmark! So what I’ve been told this place has been around a very long time. They do have a large area so if you have a lot in your party they have room. Pizza was amazing! In fact I liked it better than some other older pizza places in the area. The reason I marked it down was the Bloody Mary that I got was terrible 😢. No olives & NOT enough tomato stuff lol. I do feel that it could be cleaned up more, for example the fork that was laying in the walkway & many tables were dirty. Would I recommend?? Yes maybe order out notice the pizzas come in a very nice boxes.
The food is always good. The service, for the most part, is pretty good. It just depends on who you get. I recently called in for an order to go, and the person that answered the phone left the impression that I was vothering them. When I arrived at the restaurant, the girl that rang me out was very friendly.
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