While visiting in Mobile, wanted to have some southern home style cooking. In spite of arriving at the busy dinner hour, we were seated and waited on immediately. I was impressed by all hard-working staff. Also, thank you Shelby for taking a minute with my hubby and me to make us feel welcomed. Thoroughly enjoyed their roast beef. Couldn't resist taking a delicious milk shake to go! read more

Wonderful food! Great service! Everyone is always friendly and welcoming. Like having a home cooked meal without having to cook.

Best place ever for real home style southern food, I travel the country and this place is always one of my favs. Try the peach cobbler, yum yum.... read more

I'm a bit of a health nut so Te Big Time Diner was very accommodating. I was pleased to see a large selection of vegetables on the menu including French fries and onion rings (actually in the vegetables section). I feel my cholesterol dropping already! So glad good wholesome healthy veggie options exist even in the south. 10/10 would recommend for the health conscious. I got the Chicken Philly, the chicken was nice and moist, if you have read my previous reviews, you know moistness has a warm, moist spot in my heart. I also got the green beans which were nice and packed with sodium. The staff was very friendly, took very little time to be seated. They were also good about refilling my water which always makes me giddy. read more

Atmosphere is that of a 1950's diner. Best place in mobile for a home cooked meal. The seafood is not bad either. They have the best milkshakes around. Lunchtime is always packed so try to get there before 12 if you don't want to have to wait a few minutes. read more

I eat here all the time and I absolutely love it! Everyone is very friendly and the service is fast. I love the macaroni and the sweet tea is always good. A must try! read more

This is one of my favorites in my hometown of Mobile. There will probably be a wait so either go early or go during those random hours between lunch and dinner if you can do a late lunch. Big Time's gumbo is maybe the best gumbo I have ever eaten and I have eaten gallons of it from all over the gulf coast. Of course people's gumbo taste can be varied so just give it a try for yourself. I love the mac and cheese here. It is the typical southern style mac and cheese but it tastes so good, one of the best I have had. I normally get the philly cheesesteak sandwich and get them to add tomatoes when they are grilling the peppers and onions. Probably the best cheese steak sandwich I have had. Milkshakes and malts...save room because they are great too. They have a great carryout service as well. Just call in your order and you will have a delicious meal to take home in just a few minutes. I go to Big Time almost every time I am visiting Mobile and Im looking forward to my next return! read more

Definitely not a buffet as suggested by Yelp. They have no fried chicken, WTF? What kind of diner in the south does not have fried chicken. Anyway, the chocolate shake was really good, the cream of chicken soup was also good. As for the main dishes, I don't have good remarks. The chicken tenders, fries and onion rings were bland, my wife offered the chopped sirloin and that ended up being a burger patty. I originally rated this a 4 star but it really doesn't deserve it. Staff was friendly. read more

How is this not #1 in Mobile? Great real home cooking, great staff. It is the real deal southern home cooking. Trust me I know. If you saw my suit closets you would understand. #1 in Mobile. If anyone says anything else they are competitors and jealous. read more

Just good Southern food. Soups are delicious as are the big salads. Great basic hamburger and onion rings. Don't leave without having a Blue Bell ice cream shake! That itself will bring you back. read more

I get the same thing every time. Chicken Philly, onion rings, and the best sweet tea around. This is one of only a couple restaurants that I've been in the kitchen and will still eat at. The owner Mitch is an awesome fella. The young ladies and guys working there have never been anything but pleasant. Been eating here since they opened and look forward to my next visit. read more

The place is generally busy which is a good sign. Expect to wait a few minutes for a table during lunch time, but they turn tables pretty quickly. We have never had a bad meal in the whole time we have been patrons. They close on Sunday's, so check the calendar before you fight Cottage Hiil Road Traffic. read more

Fantastic restaurant. Old school diner atmosphere, great service and the food was exceptional. You get a large plate and a great price for it. Oh and if you like dessert, the banana split is huge and you can definitely "split" it with your significant other, or the whole family, unless your a sumo wrestler, it's just the right size :p read more

We have always loved to eat here but are hesitant to come back or recommend after the staff claimed our 20 dollar bill was counterfeit. They said there had been a lot circling around Mobile yet admitted to not even knowing how to use the detector pen(which has the directions on the side). Not only was it embarrassing to stand in the middle of a restaurant while they passed around money like we were crooks, but it was handled poorly. I totally understand protecting your business, but it needs to be handled much more professionally and legitimately. Although apologetic, they offered no solution and were poorly trained on how to handle the situation. read more

This is a happening lil' diner! I enjoyed the Philly cheesesteak! Will definitely come back again!

Great food at such great prices! The milkshakes are $4 and make two shakes. The mac and cheese and onion rings are so good. Our server (forget her name) was amazing! Would totally go again! read more

The chicken tenders are lightly seasoned. Not as seasoned as Foo's, but are still delicious. The mashed potatoes are awesome! A little lumpy, like homemade mashed potatoes should be! They have a grilled shrimp po-boy that is super tasty. The service is extremely friendly and accurate. They don't serve alcohol, but who cares?!?! Their location is insanely easy to find. It can be hard to get a table. I know why they are closed on Sundays but I wish they were open right now! read more

Consistently very good food and service. You really can't beat Big Time for meat and three type food or gumbo but you've gotta get there early because they are always busy! read more

Have been eating here for years. Have never had bad food or service. Prices are remarkable. Atmosphere is family oriented and friendly. They seat you quickly even though they are always busy. And if you've never had the milkshake, you don't know what you're missing. My only complaint is that they need to replace carpet flooring with a hard surface. There is a mildew smell that hits me as soon as I walk into the door. It has gotten progressively worse over the past couple of years to the point where I have to rub menthal under my nostrils just to go into the place & then I'll ask to be seated as far from the door as possible. I love this place but am to the point where I can't go in. PLEASE fix this!!! Then I'll be able to add the 5th star. read more

Place is very neat & clean. All the servers that I observed were great. My personal server checked on me several times, including after I finished my meal to see if maybe I wanted some dessert. My meal was very good. My sides were served up in portion bowls along with my one fish filet on a plate. Total for meal was $13.42. The tables are bused & wiped off by someone from the back, so customers do have clean tables. I would recommend & return. read more

I only gave them 1 star because I couldn't give zero. I've been here a few times because of the hype. It's not all it's cracked up to be unfortunately. I worked in the food service industry for quite a few years so I know how things should be done and how long it should take. That being said I believe I am very patient and understanding because I've been through it all. The service was extremely slow and unorganized. The wait is understandable because they're always packed, but to make us move after being sat at 2 different tables for a party of 6 is unnecessary. The food took way longer than it should have because even though they wouldn't dare admit to it, but the waitress forgot to place our order. When 4 other tables of 3-4 people each sat, ordered, and left before we even had any resemblance of food is rather ridiculous. I understand that all the food needs to come up before they bring it out, but the longest item that should have taken to cook was a medium rare ribeye that shouldn't take more than 7-10 mins to cook doesn't come up until 40 mins later is insane. I think we saw our server 4 times during our visit and that was because we had to get her attention from the back, she didn't even have another table for us to stop her during her rounds. The manager was less than helpful and an apology was BARELY muffled let alone a discount of any kind to be offered. Of course we still tipped our server, even though it was not deserved. Just to say the least I won't be coming back to be disappointed a third time. If you're looking for comfort food then I would suggest going to Neighbors in Tillman's Corner or Cracker Barrel. read more

Stopped in for lunch at almost 1pm. The place was very busy. Walk in and was seated quickly, ordered the Club Sandwich and french fries with a glass of tea. Cut the sandwich in half instead of quarters which I like. Everything was quick, hot and tasted good. I especially liked the sweet tea. read more

For years, I have driven near Big Time Diner and felt rumbles protesting my passing. On the way to the post office, their familiar retro 50s style and enticing aroma have begged for my patronage but I am sad to say I did not stop by until this fateful 9/11 anniversary. I dare say, it was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. Located just off Cottage Hill, it sits in its bold chrome plated glory in a neat little corner of heavenly smells. The parking was ample and the wait staff friendly. I sat down on a chromed chair at the bar, just to be closer to the action and I could not have been better waited on. The owner personally walked by and introduced himself as I went over their menu of delicious down home Southern food. The choices were what you would expect from a classic style diner. Fried green tomatoes, okra, and gumbo all took their prominent spaces but what really shines are their basics. I had completely forgotten what a real burger was supposed to be like until the waitress put brought me that slice of heaven. Simply seasoned, tender as a cloud, and well topped, the burger was unlike anything I have ever had from a fast food joint. I ordered a strawberry milkshake to wash down the massive plateful of fries and was full before I was halfway done. Their generous portions and timely service was beyond compare. The best part was when I got the check. For a paltry eleven dollars I got to have a wonderful meal at a place where the workers actually look like they enjoy working there. A large combo meal at McDonalds and a large shake would come out to ten dollars plus tax and at Big Time Diner I got a free refill on my milkshake. Overall, I would strongly recommend going to Big Time Diner for the great food and low prices. With a large staff of friendly waiters and a lively 50s atmosphere, it is a must visit for anyone that loves Southern food. There was not a single thing I would change about my visit or any faults to be found. Come on by and try one of their amazing shakes, featuring the highly recommended Elvis shake which is chock full of nostalgia read more

I ate here one time and the food was horrible. They were out of at least one ingredient from every dish I tried to order. To top it off my waitress was an airhead. read more

Great burgers, fries and shakes. I love the service and the atmosphere. Been there many times and will be going again.

I've frequented BTD over the past years. It's pretty decent food for a fair price. Enough said.