The Big Cheese Of Miami

Ive been a customer for over 20 years. The food and service here is as good as it was on my first visit. Hands down the Best pizza, pasta or subs for your buck !

I’ve been coming to the big cheese since I was a little kid and the food has always been on point. Pizza is not one of my favorite foods so every time I come I explore around the menu checking out new things. My top 2 suggestions besides the pizzas which they are well known for are the following:
If you come for lunch grab a sub, their subs are fresh, big and flavorful on a soft hoagie roll and with a good dressing to put on them. My favorite sub here though is the cheeseburger sub if you haven’t had it def check it out.
The following suggestion is if you are looking for an economic date night idea. Order the seafood pasta and ask them to split it into two portions. The pasta is in a creamy Alfredo sauce and chock full of clams mussels and shrimp. The portion is huge so splitting it between the two of you is more than enough food along with the amazing garlic rolls; and comes out to 21 bucks with tax and tip.

What can I say, an institution of good American Italian comfort food!
The garlic rolls are to die for, sausage and peppers with linguini would make Paulie from goodfellas cry with delight, amazing lasagna and fresh crispy Caesars salad was deelish… service was outstanding and very attentive. previous visits have resulted in pizza heaven. highly recommended and always great, hearty food. well priced too… love it :)

I was there with my 2 tweens and their dad. Food was ok. I got the veggie salad and just wished it was romaine instead of iceberg, kids got hamburger and spaghetti. Both were good. Dad got fried shrimp and they were nice and big! The best part however was our server Alex! He was so efficient and attentive and made our experience better than in prior visits! I hope Alex is appreciated and rewarded for his excellent service!!!

I’m giving this place 5 stars because of its consistency. I have been going here for 7+ years and the servers are always nice, easy going, friendly and the food is always good. Very inexpensive, extremely large portions, and always tasty. Most Italian restaurants over price. The big cheese keeps it real!

I have been to big cheese several times and I have always thoroughly enjoyed the food as well as the portions.
It was the night of a big nba playoff game so we assumed they would be busy but we were stuck at home so we ordered delivery anyway. We ordered a large pizza as well as chicken wings and garlic rolls. The person on the phone could barely hear me and hung up on me while I was trying to order and I had to call back and finally was able to get the order through. They said it would be about 45 minutes. Well, one hour and twenty minutes later our food still hadn’t showed up so I called and they said it was out for delivery. He finally arrived about 10 minutes later and by the time we got the food, neither of us were hungry and it was barely warm. The chicken wings were not good and the pizza had already cooled down quiet a bit. Overall, we were disappointed because we usually have a great experience when we dine inside the restaurant.
I would stick to eating at the restaurant and definitely not order delivery on a busy sports night because you may be waiting a while.

Let’s just say I live over 30 minutes away from this place and yet anytime I think of pizza I think of this place. My fiancé has been going here for the majority of his life. The pizza is amazing. The Garlic bread is solid and so are the wings. I never have any complains. The people who work there are always friendly.

I ordered takeout from the big cheese. I ordered a deluxe pie. I’ve had better pizza out of the frozen products
family and I didn’t even have more than once slice, it was that bad. I do not recommend the pizza

A favorite of mine now for almost 30 years. I started going to The Big Cheese when they were in the small place across the street from the present location.
What can one say without 1^st mentioning those always AWESOME garlic rolls. They are almost worth a visit all by themselves. Smothered in a garlic sauce that is a special blend (that never changes) by the restaurant. My favorite dish is the Lasagna, it’s a classic. It’s a very well made blend of cheeses and their famous sauce, and VERY generous portions. It’s primo tasting ! 2^nd I can definitely recommend the Chicken Marsala, it’s perfect everytime. Lots of chicken, they don’t skimp, and pasta, but the generous portion of mushrooms too, make this dish a winner. 3^rd recommend is their pizza, which is always hand-​tossed right in front of you, made to order. No cardboard pizza crust from this place. It’s the real deal.
The one con about The Big Cheese, is the noise level. Sometimes it can get very loud in the full restaurant. That does take away from the atmosphere. I wouldn’t bring a 1^st time date or someone you want to spend a romantic date with. This is, and always will be a «Family» restaurant. There are lots of kids and families around, which is usually a good thing.
So there you go… I heartily recommend the Big Cheese, just be prepared to wait sometimes for a table, especially on a Friday night or Saturday almost anytime of the day.

Great pizza!!! We ordered a large with ricotta, spinach, and garlic. It was amazing! The garlic knots were a bit greasy, but worth it for the amazing flavor. I would highly suggest ordering from here.

I realized something important about myself after this experience eating at The Big Cheese: I do not like all cheeses. True, the pizza was tasty; true, they put a lot of cheese on our pizza. But I only thought it was… okay…and that was specifically because I didn’t like the combination of cheeses on our pizza – something that was supposed to be the highlight of the experience. (They even have written in their menus that they only use «the finest and most expensive cheeses in the region.») But the combination of cheeses wasn’t very appealing, and it even made me gag a little after the pizza cooled down more and the cheese went from gooey to more solidified.
The reason I’m not giving this review fewer than four stars is because every other component of the experience was delicious: the «pink sauce» on our manicotti was delectable, and the garlic rolls at the beginning of the meal were goddamn delicious. And actually, the big winner of the night was their marinara sauce. I don’t know that I’ve had better marinara than that. Seriously.
But I learned that «the more cheese the merrier» isn’t actually true for me. Perhaps you may agree.

ENORMOUS portions, very saucy and cheesy. It hit the spot for my Italian craving perfectly! The garlic rolls were also perfect. It made me wish I have a bigger stomach so that I can eat more!

The food was great and the people were VERY accommodating.
My GF and I were getting food to go and as we were leaving, I decided I needed to add some cheese and peppers to my slices. I stopped at the neatest table.
As I sprinkled some cheese on my pizza, I noticed nothing was coming out. Before I could put the cheese down and look for another, the LADY BEHIND THE DESK, had come from behind the desk, grabbed another shaker and laid it on my table.
The food was flawless. One of my new favorite places to eat.

Great experience at The Big Cheese of Miami this past weekend! Even on a busy Saturday evening the service was fast & on point!
Menu is extensive — they have everything from salads, subs, calzones, pizza, pasta entrees, desserts and beer/​wine. Garlic Rolls are a must, but beware you will have garlic seeping through your pores well into the next day. Cesar salad was huge and definitely shareable. Pizza was some of the better pizza I’ve had in south Florida. Made fresh, cheesy and plentiful on the toppings — not skimpy like some places can be. (Sidebar: I have yet to find really good pizza down here, so if you know of any secret places that are hiding delicious pizza please share!)
Definitely can’t take any credit for the discovery, but you should ask for Eggplant Parmesan Pizza. I know, sounds a little weird but it’s definitely worth a try!
If I had more of an appetite I would have gotten Chicken Parm — guess that means I’ll be back to check this place out again if I’m in the area.

It had been over 20 years since I visited this place! I was definitely not disappointed. The ambiance is laid back family style. Server Nick was a sweetheart, friendly, and on top of his game! Food was fresh and absolutely delicious! Prices are very reasonable. Their menu is so extensive though that now I definitely have an excuse to return and work my way through. A place that has been open this long has got to be doing something right!

I absolutely love this place, their pizzas are truly delicious. Their pastas are good too, we had the ziti Parmesan pasta and it was delicious. I had it with the red sauce and my friend had it with the pink sauce. Personally, I liked the pink sauce better.
I do have to say, the service here is not that great! Our server was an old man and he looked like he had no desire to be there. Once we needed our check he was nowhere to be found and to our surprise we saw him outside smoking…
This place is a must try, however, if good service is your thing then I’d suggest you go somewhere else.

The Big Cheese Miami is a south Miami and Coral Gables staple and institution. Having only been around since the early 80s, it though feels like it has spanned generations. Well decked out in University of Miami Hurricanes Orange and Green, this hot spot for students, alumni, faculty, coaches, players and all others in and around the school can be seen almost all the time when you enter. Not to say it does not have a huge following of its own regulars from near and far. It does.
With entrée choices to go nuts for. From huge platters or lazagna to pasta dishes with or without meat, to seafood and salads and subs, The Big Cheese caters to all paletes. I am of course a picky, non-​red-​meat-​eater and the chicken salad wrap or tuna wrap is fantastic. The veggie or vegan wraps or subs are just as great — I have had each.
One great thing to also mention is how you will quickly feel a part of the Big Cheese family while dining. Multiple servers usually help each other in making sure your beverage is refilled and the sides and fixings are a plenty. The garlic rolls are surely a must and the side salad one that comes with an entrée is sizable for all. There is so much more to say, but just stop in and see for yourself. Whatever you do — do not wear garnet and gold! (I kid!)

Excellent service provided by server Alex. Very attentive and friendly.
The prices are great and the food is delicious. Try the pizza and the fried calamari basket.
Our go to for pizza date night.

Excelente lugar súper recomendado, él Calzone es insuperable! Definitivamente vuelvo pronto y se lo recomiendo a todo el que quiera ir, el staff súper amable, 6 estrellas!
Excelent place, super recommended, Calzone is Awesome! Unbeatable! Definitely coming back very soon, and i will recommend it to my friends, the staff was great! 6 stars!

This place is AWESOME!!! Excellent food, large portions, good prices and great service.

Our favorite local pizza joint, and the only one I go to where I truly just want a plain cheese pizza. There’s something about the Big Cheese’s version of mozz, sauce, and crust, that stands out from the rest. And you can’t come without getting garlic rolls (garlic on the side please), plus a Caesar salad if you’re really hungry. The place is jammed on the weekends, so we usually order and pick up. I honestly haven’t ordered another dish on their menu, but why would you?

I’ve eaten at a few different pizza places but this takes the cake as far as freshness and service. I’ve eaten at the big cheese in homestead and it doesn’t even come close to this location. First of all it’s literally down the street from college town THE U.
My wife and I went with one of her sorority sisters, she was craving pizza and we were craving food. Our waiter was so chill it was worth being there even if it wasn’t for pizza. We had the garlic rolls but placed garlic on the side. We order a whole pizza, half cheese and half pepperoni. We weren’t sure that we could but our waiter assured us it was fine.
So, on to the pizza. The pizza was extra cheesy and oh so sinful. Loved the garlic rolls btw. I couldn’t stop eating, the cheese was melting in your mouth and the pepperoni was so fresh. The entire place was very friendly and comfy. Yes, it’s mainly for testosterone driven college kids after a late night party, but it’s worth eating there.

So it turns out that the garlic rolls are very literal. They are rolls. And they have garlic on them. Lots of garlic. And nothing else. No seasoning. No cheese. Just… Garlic. Maybe there’s more to them normally, but that’s what we got in our delivery order. So… I guess if that’s your thing, great… But I dunno, I was a little disappointed, especially considering how many Miami Unilocalers recommended said garlic rolls. I like garlic and all, but even a little bit of salt would have done wonders.
As for the pizzas, we ordered The Deluxe, and The Big Cheese Hawaiian. The Big Cheese Hawaiian lived up to the «Big Cheese» name, and was quite delicious. No coconut shavings to be seen or tasted though, and the pineapples were giant square-​shaped chunks that fell off the slices, but all in all, a very satisfying pizza. The Deluxe was good with plenty of meat, but the cheese was a little chintzy (I’m guessing only the pizzas with «Big Cheese» in the names are loaded with cheese).
Overall, the pizza was pretty good, and I probably sound like i’m nitpicking a little, but at $ 22+ per pizza, it should be more than pretty good (in my humble opinion). It’s not [*][*][*] but it’s not [*][*][*][*] either; still, I’m rounding up and all (because rounding down is mean).
Also, the place is stupidly noisy. Trying to place an order over the phone began to border on being like a weird comedy sketch, because everything needed to be repeated like… 4, 5 times. Example: «I’d like to place an order for delivery. Phone number is XXX, YYY, ZZZZ. Yes. No, the phone number is… XXX… YYY… No, the area code is XXX… Yes, that’s the area code. No, no, the area code is XXX, and then the rest of the number is… Hello???» Then the same thing happened when trying to give the address, and then the actual order.
Total to feed 5 people (minus tax + tip): Approximately $ 50.00.
Was it worth it? Yeah… Mostly…

One of the best pizza in Miami and my favorite spot for pasta! My favorite is the chicken francaise. They also have really good subs like the steak sub. Everyone should come here at least once.

Big cheese. it’s like going to your mothers to eat. You feel welcome and the food is outstanding. Four days after my son was born. We just had to go there to celebrate and share our new member of the family. Been going there for 24 years. They start your experience with garlic bread. I suggest you ask for the marinara on the side. Good stuff. Don’t forget go Hurricanes!!!

They obviously use great ingredients, and do not skimp on quality. This is also conveniently located to marnas in South Miami, so, I like to stop by for take out, to enjoy a good meal on my boat. If you don’t own a boat, no worries. A fine selection of local Miami charter boats may be found at

This is a landmark. Head to toe! Garlic rolls w Ceasar dressing is a must!!! Subs, pizza, and the Ceasar salads are easy go to. Landmark location with great food. Takeout or dine, still never had bad meal. We still order baked ziti for kids party’s too. Really clutch go to spot for American style Italian goods

The place has a family atmosphere and very laid back. The pizza and pasta dishes are very good and flavorful. They also have delivery which is quick and hit the food. I truly recommend eating here great place.

Now that was good pizza. Not fancy. Not fast. Just the best cheese in the world and plenty of it. Sauce was good. The Italian sausage was very finely chopped, cooked to a little crispy. The green peppers weren’t cut last week or frozen. You could tell they pulled one out and chopped for our pizza. The crust was thin and just crusty enough. Try their garlic rolls. Never seen anytGTITGVhing like it. Fresh chopped garlic and oil over something like a batch of cloverleaf rolls. This was the best pizzeria meal I’ve ever had.

The big cheese is a great pizza place!
Located in Coral Gables this little spot has big flavor! I Ordered a large cheese pizza half pepperoni and mushroom and the size of 8 slices was great. The size of the pizza was worth it for 4 people and that’s us being stuffed
Not being able to even finish our second slice. My favorite part was the COMPLIMENTARY aka FREE garlic rolls! Half a dozen on the house, which not to mention are warm and so delicious.
Every check in also covers one complimentary 16oz soda. This little Coral Gables spot is very worth it & reasonably priced.
This place must be great For a Friday night football game it’s great place to come with family and friends!

I was here as part of a party of 125 for my son’s field trip. They knew we were coming but were not fully prepared for us. Anyhow they turned it around really quickly and were able to sit everybody and make arrangements for the kids to eat and drink. The pizza was delicious and the staff was very friendly. The Manager was always around to ensure everybody was getting served.

This restaurant has been here forever! Traditional delicious NY style Italian pizza. The place may not be the cleanest or the most sophisticated, but the service is good and the pizza is phenomenal! The cheese, the sauce and the dough are simply amazing… the pasta, the stuffed ricotta shells and the baked ziti are amazing. I simply love it.

This spot has been here forever! I love the atmosphere and of course all the U decorations and theme throughout the restaurant. Now the service is awesome, they are always asking if you need anything and usually bring a refill before I even ask. Oh and for the food… by far this is the best tasting cheese in Miami. The cheese on the pizza always tastes fresh and just different. Like they just made the mozzarella this morning taste!

My fav pizza place! They are amazing! Their pizza and garlic rolls are awesome. Extra cheese is not necessary! They give plenty!
Chicken Alfredo is awesome too!

The Big Cheese is every Cheese Lovers DREAM!!! My family and I ordered a half and half pizza. Half of the pizza had extra cheese and spinach while the other half had Italian sausage, mushrooms and pepperoni. I’ve finally found a place that understands what I mean when I say extra cheese! It was so much cheese on the pizza that I had to literally cut away the cheese as I pulled the pizza from the pizza pan. The pizza was not to thick, not to thin, but cooked to perfection! We also ordered garlic rolls. They were very good! I could tell that they were fresh and homemade. I probably would get garlic on the side the next time. The entire meal was very filling. I appreciated how pleasant the staff was during our visit. I think I’ve finally found a new pizza place!

I’m a regular for their takeout. Not that the inside isn’t fine; but they’re not very quick, the place is usually jam packed, and I live down the street. (Lunch during the week is quick though and a great price)
They have great pasta dishes, subs, wraps, and salad. My personal favorites are the Caesar salad, (which has red onions and great croutons. I swear it’s better for takeout bc the lettuce sits in the dressing longer), and the chicken francaise. I recently tried their Crispy Chicken Ceasar and it’s phenomenal! I expected it to be a little soggy for takeout but it was absolute perfection; I think about that chicken all the time.
They are also great for catering, via delivery or pickup. The only thing is that one time they lost my order so it wasn’t ready on time which made me late to a lunch presentation for 25 people. I didn’t like that. I won’t use them for lunch catering anymore since they open at 11 and it’s not enough time to make sure they didn’t lose or forget my order, but I will use them for dinner catering.

I usually don’t give 5* to pizza places (in the U.S.), since I have been spoiled by the most amazing pizzas in Italy, Brazil, etc. But Big Cheese was a great experience overall, thus under this angle I decided to bestow it top honors.
But let me start with the Garlic Rolls. We love garlic, I mean, we REALLY love garlic, so besides getting the rolls with garlic infused olive oil we asked for an extra side of the soul lubricant on the side. It was garlic heaven, soo good.
If you follow my lead and decide to indulge on garlic rolls with extra on the side (i.e.: drenching), then let me give you three warnings:
1) If you have any past relatives from Transylvania, even if it was 10 generations ago, don’t order it, otherwise it is guaranteed that you will explode into a fiery ball or convert into ashes in a second;
2) If you plan to get lucky that night… forget it. That amount of garlic (for sure illegal in at least 37 states) is the best birth control ever. No sane person will have sex with you. The smell is like a chastity force field. Plan on a solo night. Make that 3 nights.
3) If you decide to take home the leftover drenched garlic rolls be very very careful. if they tip over and spill INSIDE your car you will have garlic perfume forever. Trust me, it happened to us… back seat… we washed the inside like 5 times, windows open under the Miami sun for more than a month… no help. We even left the car overnight with doors unlocked in a sketchy Miami neighborhood hoping that it would get robbed and we could collect insurance… to no avail. next day we found the car in the same spot with a note that said «screw you too!». We ended up incinerating the back seat.
But now let’s focus on the pizza… we ordered the «smaller» size (14″), half cheese half ham… it it was very good. The ham was smoky and tasty, and cheese was plentiful. Still not to the same level of the pizza you get in Sao Paulo (Brazil), but great for the taste and value.
The ambiance was very casual, lot’s of UM kids, but service was great and prices are very fair. Portions are big.
I’m coming back to try the pasta and salads.
Recommended!

Great local staple for pizza and pasta! Their shrimp linguini pasta in pink sauce is amazing! I also love their New England Clam Chowder! Plus they have the best sweet iced tea!
Today I had a pick up order of a couple of slices and half a dozen garlic rolls and although it took a bit longer than I anticipated, Sean at the pick up window made up for it! He was really sweet and very friendly! Even complimented my hair! Lol, thanks Sean! :)
Love coming here for a quick bite and indulge in their delicious garlic rolls! Sometimes I even go just for the rolls if I’m cooking pasta at home! They complete my delicious meals every time!

Garlic OVERLOAD!!! Oh that’s not a negative thing. I mean as long as you’re not trying to kiss anyone afterwards by far all means, enjoy it. I couldn’t get enough of that addicting garlic rolls. Their pizza is pretty good too. Let me tell you, they are not stingy with their ingredients. I like to add some paper flakes and call it a day.
I’ve never tried their pasta dishes. Maybe some other time but have to make sure I didn’t it the whole day. I saw a plate past me and had that, «man i should of ordered that» look. I didn’t want to clog my arteries and add more to the menu. The pizza itself was enough. Good food and good service, def come here again when I’m in that Cheese mood.