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    Big Man's Cafe

    4.5 (163 reviews)
    Open 6:00 am - 6:00 pm
    Updated 2 weeks ago

    Big Man's Cafe Southern Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    BIG MAN'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Big Man's Cafe

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    Reviews With Photos

    Breakfast menu
    Simone M.

    I was looking for a Southern/Soul Food spot in the Gainesville area, and stumbled upon this gem in Ocala. I was in Ocala to get my car serviced, so I had to stop in. I stopped in around before 5pm to place my order for myself and parents. I didn't get her name but I believe she's the daughter of the owner, she was very helpful and checked on me as I waited. I will say the Southern hospitality here is a 5 star! I also spoke with the owner and his friend as I waited for my to-go order and they were very friendly as well. I was excited to eat my food as the smell filled my car during my ride home. So I ordered the 1/4 chicken platter that comes with two sides, which were green beans and yams. Also, based on the reviews ask for the cornmeal pancake as it comes with your meal. The chicken was huge and the meat was juicy. A lot of times, I order dark meat because it's juicer however this did not disappoint. The green beans were good and seasoned. The yams were not cooked to my liking. The sweet potato was still firm and I preferred them to be cooked down more to be softer. The blueberry pie was my little sweet treat to end my meal. The blueberry filling was really good as they have real blueberries through the piece of pie. The crust is buttery and strudel on top was the chef's kiss. The filling layer in between the blueberry and strudel was a bit too sweet for my liking but overall it was a nice treat to end with. Overall, I love the amazing service and this satisfied my soul food cravings. I look forward to stopping in for their breakfast dishes like biscuits and gravy and the spicy sausage.

    Shawn L.

    Stopped in for lunch during a recent visit to the area. The reviews were good and we love southern cuisine. I got fried swai with collard greens and fried okra. Everything was delicious. They offer fresh pies on the weekends and we got a slice of peanut butter and another slice of peach pie. Both were a generous portion and delicious. I certainly do recommend this little spot of deliciousness if you are in the mood for some good southern comfort food.

    Grit bowl and Salmon breakfast plate
    Stephanie S.

    Amazing menu options for breakfast and lunch. Coffee was the smoothest, and I even asked what brand it was. I had the loaded grit bowl with a side of tomatoes. My friend had the salmon patty breakfast plate with potatoes, eggs and toast. I was intrigued by the Oxtail plate. The waitress said it was flying out the door this morning. I wanted to try it (Oxtail virgin here) but, I was so hungry I opted for the safer, grit bowl. My friend and I have decided to stop for lunch on the way back through town...lived our adorable waitress, she gave lots of recommendations. Hope we see her in the way out of town! I highly recommend this soul food based restaurant. Don't be intimidated by the "soul food" highlight. They have plenty of the basic food plates we all are use to. I'm gonna try the Oxtail

    Stew meat with collards, Lima beans, and southern dressing.
    Angela H.

    1. The service was amazing. So personal and friendly. Their motto is once you walk through the door you are family, and we felt like family!!! 2. The food was SO good. True southern style home cooking. Two in our party got the liver and onions. They raved about it being just like momma made. My son said the fried fish was better than any he ever had. It was moist on the inside but crisp on the outside. My stew meat was melt in your mouth. The sides were amazing too! All of them reminded us of thanksgiving at grandma's house. 3. The red velvet cake! I'm not a big fan of it traditionally, but we saw 4 slices sell while there. My son tried it and everyone was fighting over this slice. It was moist and delicious. Not dry. Not overly sweet. Just perfect. We will be back next time we are in town. Just make sure you get there before 6 pm!!!

    Breakfast
    Nirely C.

    We have been twice and can't wait to return. Service and food is just like being at home with family!

    Steak omelette
    Aida A.

    Family owned operation. Owners, their daughter and granddaughter were working! So friendly and attentive. The restaurant design is simple but comfortable. The food was incredible especially the dollar cakes- best pancakes I've ever had and the family agreed. The biscuits too! We had omelettes and all were excellent. Mine was vegetarian and still delicious!

    Breakfast menu on 6/7/2025
    Julie L.

    We came here for lunch. There was a party of 14 that was seated ahead of us. I was impressed that they had plenty of room for that large party and the restaurant was filled with other patrons and they still had a table for us. Service was fast and the food was good. I got a bowl of their chicken and sausage gumbo and a side of Mac and cheese. The gumbo was good and I was happy that they had Crystal hot sauce that I could put in it to make it a little spicier. The roux could have been made a little darker so that it would be more full flavored. It was not the deep mahogany color that you find in New Orleans, but it was still tasty. The Mac and cheese was just okay, but it was forgettable. I was hoping for something that tasted more homemade. It wasn't bad, but I would not order it again. I got a slice of their peach pie to go. I really enjoyed it. The crust tastes like the crust I make for pies except it was saltier than mine. The peach pie had a lot of cinnamon in it and I really enjoyed it. Overall it was a good experience.

    Cheyenne S.

    Killer breakfast at excellent prices! The staff is so friendly and service was great. Located in a plaza, so lots of parking. The interior was fresh and modern. The owners even took the time to go table to table to make sure the experience was up to par. It was a nice touch. We ordered the pork chop breakfast, one grilled, one smothered. Both were devoured in minutes. Excellent lunch menu, with all the southern fixings. Looking forward to returning real soon!

    Chili dogs was good but it had BEANS in the chili.  I get u dont want to make 2 different chilis but U need 2 INFORM people there r beans!
    Adam H.

    Friends and Family and reviews said great food. Service was a little confusing with the waitress but it got fixed. Ordered a chili dog with onion rings. Wife got the grilled ham and cheese. She said hers was ok. I hate beans and the texture of them. I am picky. as you can see since I picked every bean out of my chili dog that should not have beans in the 1st place. If I had known there were beans (as this is not normal for the majority of chili dogs served) I would have ordered something else. I get it you have tasty chili with beans but it does not belong on a chili dog. chili served to a judge in a contest does not have beans. that is a clue that beans should not be on a chili dog unless it is printed on the menu. dog was pretty good but I was put off by the beans. If someone else wants to go there in my group I would go back and try something else. But my 1st time was not good. I eat out every week. I try to eat at every place in my town and other towns when I am visiting. Wife keeps track on new places opening

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    2 years ago

    The food and service was excellent. The owners are very nice checking on you all the time.We wil be going back real soon.

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    2 years ago

    Food and service is EXCELLENT!!! The breakfast is great and they are one of the very few restaurants that has beef sausage and grits!!

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    2 years ago

    Food was fantastic, hardy and delicious. Biscuits rock! Service is warm, makes you feel like family. Highest recommendations

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    3 years ago

    Business owner information

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    Winena C.

    We pray that your visit/date is enjoyable!

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    3 years ago

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    Winena C.

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    Food and service is topnotch...I had smothered porkchop and I forgot to take a picture

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Haven't been there yet but do see good reviews from people that have eaten there. Always a lot of vehicles there.

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    3 years ago

    Food was delicious and servings were large. Very friendly and wonderful service. Highly recommend.

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    4 years ago

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    Winena C.

    Thank you for coming in and thank you for a great review!

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Absolutely incredible southern food. Everyone is extremely friendly. I can't recommend it enough.

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    Page 4 of 5

    Ask the Community - Big Man's Cafe

    Do they have catfish? If so, how is it?

    They have Baisa, which is in the catfish family. Trust me it is amazing. I've had it the last 3 times I've been.

    Do you offer brunch?

    I'm not sure when they stop serving breakfast to start lunch but whether you're there for breakfast, lunch or dinner you will not be disappointed.

    How is the fish?

    My husband has ordered it both times we have been here, and loves it! His exact words were "it's perfect - fresh, fried but not greasy at all, and the best I've had."

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    So much looked good on the menu it was hard to choose. Also all the food that was coming out looked…read moredelicious! Got the pepperoni pizza. It was nice and fluffy, crispy on the edges. Would definitely get another flavor to try next time. Got the honey chicken sandwich. It was big and flavorful. Not spicy. The fries are yummy. The burger had nothing special on it and tasted like there was no seasoning - only downside. Want to try their grits and fried green tomatoes next time!

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    First time there for all us 6 women. Cute place, love the decor and the food was good. However,…read moreour server was not pleasant at all. Never talked, smiled and even pointed to the menu instead of answering a question. Never came and asked any of us how our lunch was during or after our lunch today!

    Fantastic! Our waiter was so personable, helpful and even if the food hadn't been stellar, it…read morewould have been a good experience. But let me be clear: the food IS DELICIOUS! I do apologize, looking up something her on Yelp I realized I never wrote a review at the time, and I feel bad, as when you get great "homemade" quality food that is prepared fresh and perfectly seasoned, the restaurant and its staff deserve recognition. It's been about 5 weeks since I was there - sorry! Met a couple other ladies for lunch there, for 2 of us, it was our first time. The lady who was a repeat customer raved about their cheddar broccoli soup and I had to have it. I got the bowl, because I was really hungry. It's a big bowl and the soup was soul satisfying. They had peanut butter pie on the menu and I was too full to eat it then, so took it home. I had a great piece of peanut butter pie when I was in my teens on a trip with my folks. I've been searching over 50 years for another that would be as good. I've had a lot of bad one, so-so and delicious, but not quite as good. Later with a cup of tea, I tasted the peanut butter pie from Depot on Magnolia and - home run, be still my heart it was absolutely delicious and what I've been looking for all these years. It's very rich and a generous slice that could easily be shared, but I wouldn't want to :). I was glad to enjoy mine over the course of 2 days, could have been 3 - but on day 2, I went back for the rest that evening. I don't have pictures of our food at the restaurant, but later, I took a picture of half of the slice I took home - my holy grail of peanut butter pie

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    Braised Onion - Onion fritters.  Love bang bang sauce!

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    I took my wife here for our 1st experience here, ( late Valentines dinner) Sunday February 15,…read more2026. The ambiance was wonderful, not too dark, not too bright! Chatter noise was low enough Iwe could reasonably talk together! She started with a french onion soup, steamy and thick, obviously homemade!! I had a lobster bisque with baquettes. She then chose the chicken fried steak with mash potatoes & green beans. I had the braised short ribs Mirepoix, garlic mash potatoes & csteamed carrots with short rib reduction! We topped the night off with a delightful PRINCESS DIANA'S Taste of Ocala award winning Bruleed Bread Pudding w/ fresh berries & Amaretto , Almonds!! Btw, the Chicken fried steak is offered every Sunday. Our server, Joanne, was excellent and very knowledgeable!! The only downside was about 3 items unavailable due to heavy traffic on Valentine's Day on Saturday. The tables were candlelit, clean, and seating was comfortable. I wont mention our coke & tea, we just dont imbibe in alcoholic drinks. But it appeared they had a wide assortment of choices!! I recommend THE BRAISED ONION!!

    My family of 6 came here to eat dinner with my brother in law and his wife . We had a reservation…read morefor 5:00. There was one other table with people when we got there. We got sat right away and greeted by our server. Our server was nice and helpful with the menu. We ordered fish n chips, Hawaiian salad, pow pow chicken, and chicken picatta. The salad came out with fresh ingredients and the dressing was delicious. The rest of the food was not good. The pow pow chicken was mostly breading and no chicken. The few small pieces of chicken we did have were way over cooked. The fish and chips had the same problem - mostly breading and no fish. Also, they don't have tartar sauce. I've never been to a place that sells fish n chips that doesn't have tartar sauce. The dining area is an open concept. There were some plants spread around the place is clean. Over all, the server was nice but the food wasn't very good. I wouldn't recommend eating there. We will try someplace else next time we are in town.

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    We visited in December '24 and have this on the top of the list for our 2025 visit! The brews are…read moreinteresting and delicious. The staff are super chill and the food is amazing! It was packed when we were there, but we were able to find 2 seats at the bar, which was perfect. We got to watch the short order magic happening in that tiny kitchen. Because we got to watch the food prep, we ended up ordering several dishes to split. I'd call it Asian fusion. We had a ramen bowl, some bao buns. It's a nice vibe. Murals on the wall, and doors that roll up for inside/outside service when the weather is nice. They do offer food takeout, so if you can't find a seat, have a beer while they put your food together to eat at home.

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    Food was tasty and plentiful. The service was quick and met every request. The place reminded me…read moreold diner where everybody know your name..

    Continuing with our effort to try out different breakfast joints after church service on Sunday…read moremornings, I suggested Northgate Diner to my wife after expanding our search north of our church. Northgate wasn't on her list of restaurants to try out but we were intrigued by the positive reviews. From the outside, Northgate was showing its age. The menu indicated they opened in 2002 and it probably needs some updating...including the prices on the menu. The parking lot was quite full...a great sign! Our first impressions were that service was friendly and there seemed to be quite a lot of regulars who dine here as we heard a lot of conversations indicating familiarity. We were told to sit anywhere and we chose a booth. My wife and I ordered coffee and water to start out...their coffee mugs are quite big and they are attentive with refills. I ordered the Western Omelet with home fries and wheat toast and my wife ordered the Farmer's Omelet with tater tots and wheat toast. Breakfast was good with generous portions...both of us took home leftovers which was still good the next morning. All in all, a very good breakfast place (they also serve lunch) that we would likely return to. We thought the value was there. Lunch for 2 less tip was just over $30. They have a surcharge for credit card payments.

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    Big Man's Cafe - southern - Updated May 2026

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