Big Lou's: Big Hit or Miss

Big Lou's
5 SE 2nd Avenue

2.5 thumbs up OR zero thumbs up.

Menu Highlights: the pizza can be pretty good. So can the chicken parm sub or eggplant parm sub

Price Range : a meal for one is going to cost about 8 bucks. They have several specials which combine slices, sodas, and salads.

Big Lou's is a mystery to me. It's the first bi-polar pizza joint I've ever been to. Some days, the pizza will be pretty darn good and on others, it will be really bad. The same goes with the rest of the items on the menu. The dishes can range from totally tasty to indigestion inducing items of ineptitude.

The only explanation I can think of is the sauce. They either make it on a schedule that invariably results in you getting varying degrees of freshness or their recipe isn't precise, resulting in unpredictably varying levels of spices.

It is somehow a bastion of the courthouse lunch crowd, and people seem to enjoy the food beyond mere convenience. I honestly don't understand why no one else realizes how variable the food is.

I've ordered the eggplant parm sub on several occasions and have either marveled at its crispy bread and tasty texture or left with indigestion worthy of a Tums commercial. I just don't get it. Maybe the chef is manic depressive and his affliction manifests itself through his food. Who knows.

All in all, Big Lou's can be a pretty good place to eat, but don't bet on it.