Big Lou’s NY Style Pizzeria

I wish I could give half stars because this is definitely a four and a half. Big Lou’s is your classic New York style pizza. We came here on a Wednesday evening for a bite to eat. The ambiance is casual and we ate on the patio which looks out to downtown Gainesville and has cute umbrellas to sit under. Our servers were quick and attentive. We both ordered one of the specials — a slice of pizza, salad, two rolls and a drink for $ 8! The salad and rolls came out first and they were very good. The rolls were fluffy and super buttery/​garlicky. The salad is great too. The pizza is a little plain tasting and I wish the sauce and cheese had more flavor. Other than that I recommend Big Lou’s as a quick dinner or lunch option!

I work close by so I have lunch there all the time! Great pizza and awesome customer service! :)

Ordered fries, eggplant parm sandwich and calzone. Sandwich was amazing (according to my wife), fries were crispy (they are curly fries) and the calzone was banging. Everything was a little on the pricey side which was a bummer but it’s downtown so it is what it is. Ordered through Unilocal and the food got here exactly when the app said it would, pretty awesome. If the food was a little cheaper it would be 5 stars!

⁴⁄₅ times this restaurant has some quality pizza. But then there’s today. I ordered a pizza at 4:00pm for pick up, not even delivery. I was told 20 minutes. Great, right? Wrong. It took them 50 minutes to make a medium cheese pizza. That’s not even possible. I could make 10 pizzas in that time. Not to mention the lady at the front counter was extremely rude and condescending to me. Entirely unprofessional and not even an apology.

Not the best but not the worse.
The pizza is alright. Nothing to boast about but not a bad option for pizza either. I find myself only getting food here since it is close to my office. When I’m not at work, I don’t eat here.
I recently tried a salad. It was terrible. It was all the worse parts of the lettuce and did not taste fresh.

Perfectly forgettable. We had a white pizza with spinach. It was kind of soggy and bland, I think they forgot the garlic. The place overall was cleanish. The staff were polite and courteous. It was a serviceable lunch but I doubt we will go back.

I showed up with a small group and we were told to have a seat and the waitress would be right with us. During our very long wait, two other groups showed up and were waited on before us. By the time our food arrived, the other groups had almost finished theirs. The salad and coffee were surprisingly good. I’m accustomed to shitty coffee, but theirs was pretty bold. But we came for the pizza, and we were not impressed. The sauce was pretty bland. Overall it was pretty low grade. I would go again just for the coffee, but I’d rather get pizza anywhere else.

I have been going to this place for years and I can easily say that Lou’s has gotten better with time. I wish I ordered more adventurous items but I always go there for the same thing: the meatball park sub. It’s probably the best in town. They toast the sandwich in the oven and cut the meatballs so they don’t fall all over you. I love a few jalapeño peppers on there to kick it up some but I have never been disappointed. I suggest a large sub as it will be two meals easily. Tell Jack Bailey he’s the man if you see him!

80s retro music and décor. Feels like a lower middle class pizza joint in Brooklyn. Service was friendly.
Garlic rolls were not fully cooked and doughy. Marinara sauce was a little sour.
Side salad was large, but lettuce had some brown spots.
Small pizzas looked great until you tried grabbing a piece and folding it — the dough was so thin in the middle it collapsed and wasn’t crunchy like the edge.
Vegetarian pizza should drop the broccoli as it overpowers the other ingredients. Tempeh pizza didn’t have any other toppings… wasn’t what we ordered.
Adding some herbs and olive oil would go a long way to increase flavor.
$ 40 for 2 people seemed overpriced for the quality.

Delicous food, good service. They have very good specialty pizzas and tons of toppings selections. The large calzone is so big it can easily serve four people. They have a good drink selection too. Better than Satchel’s in terms of food, prices, location, but not better atmosphere. Parking can be annoying. Definitely give Lou’s a try if you haven’t been before!

This is my favorite place in Gainesville for pizza. Antipasto and greek salads are great! And the pizza is thin crust, the cheese tastes like cheese, and the toppings are fresh and legitimate.
If you order pick-​up, CHECK THE BAG! A few times I got home and thongs were missing. And expect ling waits for pick-​up orders. Once it seemed they just forgot! But they are good, and have coupon-​ed us when these things happen.
Just go there and eat in…

Most menu items are great, staff is super sweet! PIZZA BY THE SLICE is what you want to order and not a whole pie! The whole pies are made differently than the slices! I’m from NYC and this is good pizza! They don’t sell the slices as a whole pie thus ⁴⁄₅ stars
There can be a bit of a rush at lunch but the staff do the best they can!

Perfect NY style slice. Clean. Eclectic beer selection. Special orders are precise and completed quickly! The staff is full of personality! Definitely one of «our spots»!!!

This is a little hidden gem located in downtown Gainesville recommended by some of the people of Starbucks a few blocks over. It’s in a great location and the décor is just adorable with an outdoor patio available.
The service is fast and the food is pretty solid. Yes, HUGE PORTIONS. I recommend just getting a slice of cheese extra crispy with a side salad and garlic rolls with marinara. You really can’t go wrong with that. It’s plenty.
Great little lunch spot that’s inviting, unpretentious, super simple and reasonably priced in a college town that’s very family friendly. Definitely would go back. :)

Description:
I vaguely remember going to Big Lou’s my freshman year to watch a Gator football game with my roommates. I say vaguely because honestly, it wasn’t much of an experience at least from what I can recall. But boy have things turned around. I went to Big Lou’s a few days ago for lunch and the place was pretty packed, definitely a good sign. Since I went by myself, I was able to get a seat at the bar to avoid waiting. I had an excellent experience and because of that I want to share why.
Food & Service:
Service was quick. I sat down and was immediately greeted by the bartender for something to drink. A few minutes later, a waiter (possibly the manager?) came to take my order. Something that stood out to me was his genuine nature. I was really adventurous and asked for two slices of pizza and a half dozen garlic rolls. Maybe it’s because I’m a pretty slim guy, but he told me without hesitation that I didn’t need to order that much. It speaks volume in my opinion especially when I’ve been in situations where I almost feel pressured to order more. I settled on a slice of sausage and basil pizza along with the garlic rolls and a side of marinara sauce. Food came out reasonably quick and he wasn’t kidding, the portions are pretty big. I thought my pizza was delicious. It wasn’t the best damn pizza I’d ever eaten but it was very satisfying. The garlic rolls were pretty yummy too. I will say that I thought they were a little dry but I have sources that tell me it’s usually baked to perfection. For that, I am giving them the benefit of the doubt and blaming the noon lunch rush.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, awesome experience. Whenever I’m craving pizza, I’ll know where to go. Plus with football season around the corner, it’ll give me more reasons to come. Prices were very reasonable for the portions, especially the garlic rolls and their attentive and helpful service made me leave very satisfied. Keep doing you, Big Lou’s!

Review is based on location and vibe mainly, as their crust is not technically vegan (so sorry I asked) so I never order anything but beer here. Fries usually come with parmesan cheese, so ask they hold that.
The 10″ gluten free crust is vegan (and quite good) so thats the only way to get a totes vegan pie here. They use daiya if you’d like nondairy cheese. Stellar option if you are looking to accommodate a gluten free vegan, or just want to eat with your pals in a chill atmosphere like a normal person.
Now that’s out of the way. Big Lou’s is one of my favorite places to see a friend at and stop by to have a beer while they eat. The outside patio is really chill, and a great place to people watch from as the sun goes down. Something about drinking a beer and sitting back in a patio chair downtown makes my gainesville senses tingle.
What would make me happier? Well, vegan crust, but Im not holding out for that. Theyre a staple downtown, and Im glad that they aren’t dominos or some bougie QSR.

The husband and I were in town for a program at the library and had some ideas of where to go for lunch, but when the library offered us 20% off at Big Lou’s as part of a promotion with their program, our plans suddenly became pizza! :) We wandered the couple of blocks over and found the neat little building tucked away on a quiet corner (well, probably quiet only because it was the middle of the afternoon, on a Saturday).
Once inside we found a simple, quiet dining area and a standard pizza menu, from which we ordered the protein-​powered and probably heart-​attack-​supporting Lotza Meatza. The pizza came out quickly, piping hot, and delicious. I was worried when I saw «meatballs» in the description, but there weren’t any giant spheres of meat, just lots and lots of spicy meaty goodness. And the crust was my absolute favorite kind, the oddly soft-​yet-​crunchy thin crust, with enough crust on the outside to make a good handhold. Even without our discount, that pizza would have been a steal at the regular $ 20; we had enough to eat for lunch and a little extra for dinner later. This will definitely be on our go-​to list for future Gainesville adventures!

They now have vegan and gluten free options :)
The vegan pizza is delicious! I think they use melt-​y daiya cheese?
The gluten free one is also confirmed good, by a normal person who eats wheat products so yay for my celiac buddies who can now join us in grease heaven.

Holy Crap! This is dayum good pizza!
Folks, there’s no jesting you here. This place is perfection. I can always tell when I’ve found a keeper; if the food is so good that I go two nights in a row, then it’s kismet.
The place is easy to get to whether your form of transportation be a foot, biking, or car riding/​driving. Plus, there is delivery, score!
I’d recommend the Jai Alai IPA, for all my beer lovers. The white pizza. Lastly, the greek salad — a small is fit for two!
Portions are huge, prices are small, smells are free, and the food is good.
The End.

There’s a magic here.
It took approximately 4.2 seconds to feel totally comfortable, relaxed on the spacious patio, perusing a pizza heavy menu of carbs, garlic and red sauce. Maybe it’s residual from the ghost of Mellow Mushroom, and the scruffy but loveable chipster gap it left behind. Maybe Lou’s just owns its own simplistic, «casual is an understatement» vibe. Maybe pizza.
Lunch specials stuffa you face with slices, salads and unlimited soft drinks for $ 5-​$ 9, depending on total topping count and whether or not you can stomach two slices or the suggested one.
Let this be your guide:
Typical slice = v
This slice = V (copy, paste, highlight, increase font size to 32, make bold)
Snagged the daily special — grilled chicken, goat cheese, roasted reds, spinach, and garlic on a pesto base — with a big, crisp «side» Caesar, and an iced tea for $ 8. This isn’t a steal; it’s guilt-​inducing grand larceny. How do they make money? My only gripes are minor: the raw bulb on the garlic rolls dominates with a vengeance, and the pizza crust was a bit over baked.
Otherwise, the food’s solid, the attentive staff balances the refill/​quality check to unbroken conversation ratio well, and dat patio. Great spot!