Big Al’s

Love Big Al’s. The best burgers and fries in town and don’t forget the fry sauce. Yum! They also have good Mexican food. Fast service, great milkshakes. Overall great place to grab a bite.

Went to this place because my wife is a Happy Days fan. Ordered a Jalapeño Burger and I was not disappointed. The jalapenos were sliced lengthwise and was very spicy, just the way I like them. My wife had the Pastrami Burger, while my little girl had the ¼ lb cheeseburger. No complaints, everyone was quite satisfied. The staff were very friendly and the store was nice and clean. If you’re ever in Ashland, please give this place a try, especially if you like big, juicy burgers!

this place is super good! everything was cooked perfect and quick, not greasy. pretty cheap too!

Big Al’s is my favorite burger in town. My husband and I frequent Big Al’s and have for the last 6 years since moving here. My favorite thing on the menu is the Ortega Chicken burger with Avocado and my husband gets the garden burger. We share a french fry and sometimes a shake.
The burgers themselves are huge– everything is huge– but this doesn’t necessarily mean the quality is lacking. Everything is always consistent and tasty and made fresh to order + in a reasonable amount of time. I have never tried the Mexican food, though Al himself is Mexican and my brother said it’s REALLY good, so I believe that!
The shakes and malts here are excellent, better than anywhere else in town. Friendly– quick and always ready when they say it’s going to be ready– which is HUGE in my book.
Loves ya! ^_^

This place is really good. Everyone is super nice here too. Inexpensive and delicious!:) and good music!

Solid joint for throw back cheese burgers, krinkle fries and chocolate malts blended to perfection. My husband is a vegetarian but loves their enchiladas which seems odd in an old school drive-​in menu, but his platter is smothered in cheesey goodness every time so we’ll eventually check out their Sunday Mexican menu and report back. Owner is super friendly and still greets every customer upon entry with a smile.

We almost didn’t stop here by the looks, but we were hungry and figured we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. We were pleasantly surprised! While the menu is not super elaborate by any means, it was quite tasty — and I would recommend. The folks here are very nice too. If you’re swinging through, swing by!

I envy the folks who can frequent Al’s on a regular basis. My first visit was just a few days ago and I cannot recommend it highly enough!!! Especially — the Mexican Burger — ooooo la la!!!

Friendly owners is the plus. Fish and chips were no good. The fish was not tender it flakey. The tamale and enchilada is standard fare.

I only rate the milkshake I bought at Big Al’s. A root beer shake fashioned out of something «like» ice cream but «was not» ice cream. I think it was goop that simulates ice cream. I would have expected Big Al to use real ice cream.
At Big Al’s where you order food is a photo of a team of girls who worked there in the early 70’s. All hotties! Head turners! I said to the server — a young man maybe 20 years old, «Bet you wish those girls were back here working with you!» He smiled and said they return once in a while. His smile made me think. Those «girls» are now retirement age and are may not be the «head turners» I saw in the photos.
Big Al’s needs a good cleaning and some pride in the food they produce. Sofie said she saw one of the patrons take a bite out of her sandwich and didn’t touch it while her companion ate his food. It seemed to take a long time to make that shake. The place was quite empty. I got the feeling I was in the shadow of something that was once a great place.
If you go to Big Al’s, take a look at the photo of the girls — but skip the shake.

Ashland is weird in the fact that it is a college town but still primarily driven by tourism… Which means a ton of good places to eat, but not necessarily the college student budget friendly places you see in other college towns… Big Al’s fills part of this void… Look, it’s not an elegant dining experience, it’s a good size meal at pretty low price that happens to be pretty darn good!
The older Hispanic owner is a funny dude, smiling and having just a great time with his customers! Again, it’s not elegant but it blows away those missing cooperate chains that you won’t see in Ashland… and honestly you don’t need em anyway while Big Al’s is filling bellies from the richy rich people up on the hill all the way down to the broke college students from SOU and everyone inbetween!
I’m rating Al’s a high 3… The burger was pretty basic, the cheese needs to be a little more melted before hitting the dining room but was good, the veggies are good, the bacon was spot on, the bun was good, and the condiments are pretty basic… The fries and tots are extra crispy and golden like you would expect, and the fry sauce was legit! The wait time was a little long, but there were people ahead of us…
Bottom line is, Big Al’s is worth hitting! I’ll be back soon to try the onion rings, Al!
***Eat Local***

It absolutely fills me w/​giddy happiness to see Big Al’s, still plugging way, finding a way to prosper in the modern era, being as it is from so remote a galaxy of origins as the early 1970s…
All the classic, diner-​style menu items are here (read: burgers, fries, and even tots and onion rings as well!). THere’ s also some spiffy menu items like the jalapeño burger for chili heads like me. There’s also a lovely Mexican menu– co-​habiting the dwelling. I’ve never had a bummer of a burger nor an experience at Big Al’s. Maybe if they learned how to master the machaca burrito and actually put it on the menu, that’d be the elusive fifth star factor.
In English, Espanol, or any other idioma you can think of, much love and long live Big Al’s!

Solid selection. Everything from burgers to Mexican and even things like fish and chips. Prices are decent, especially for Ashland and they make good fries. Not the fastest, but very friendly service. BlackBerry milkshake — seriously you better get one if you go.

Cheeseburger and french fries with fry sauce are delicious! I think their prices are a little too high. Almost $ 10 for a cheeseburger, fries and a drink. The people are always nice and friendly.

This place was recommended to me by a friend from Ashland, so I was expecting more. Don’t get me wrong — my cheeseburger was good, but not great. And my fries were just okay. Overall, not a memorable meal, but not bad at all either. That’s why I’m giving this place three stars. A-​OK seems to fit the bill.

Zac says: «I had high expectations for this joint for dinner after eating a very disappointing lunch. I was sadly mistaken. First, my order was wrong while my twenty classmates and chaperones were poking at their meals. When my order arrived, it was still incorrect,
But I rolled with it.»

Great Mexican food and incredible burgers (try the ortega burger with a chicken or veggie patty:)). But what makes this place is the service. Arturo is practically family to me. He is an incredible guy and makes every trip worth it.
I would strongly recommend Big Als to anyone who likes food and/​or people

Arturo and family are terrific member of the community. They wait on you hand-​and-​foot; not your typical hamburger joint!
Their eclectic menu mix of Mexican and hamburgers is fun and tasty.
They are fairly priced, quick, and insist on bussing tables for customers. We’ll be back again and again. rs

— My first visit to Big Al’s was laced with hopes and my fingers crossed that it would be good, since it is so close by our house. The actual first impression I had, however, was that upon entry the building was more than a bit Smokey. Enough to make my eyes burn a little, after eating there awhile.
— We have consistently been greeted by who we think is the owner, Arturo. I don’t think Big Al, the person, is there any longer, but Arturo (who is not very big), is there to greet customers cheerfully. We really liked that he seemed to genuinely care about his customers by coming out and engaging with the crowd and making sure everything was done right. I like how he develops rapport with the clientele.
— Big Al’s has a number of different choices, and perhaps therein is one of the highlights. Whether you want a burger, mexican food, or a deli sandwich, you have several choices to make.
— My recommendation would be to lean toward the Mexican food, or one of the burgers. That seems to be the sweet spot at Big Al’s, based on the several times we have visited.
— Once I did order the Pastrami sandwich, which has to be one of the biggest you’ll ever eat. But, size is not really an indicator of being the best. The meat was a little stringy, and it was hella messy (do people still ‘hella’? No? Well, I’m bringing it back then), but the quantity was definitely there if that’s your thing. For me — stick with the Mexican Food.
— I think other reviews have dinged the fries, which seem to be of the frozen krinkle-​cut variety, a la Ore-​Ida. I agree that this is a lowlight here, even if the quantity is plentiful.
— We had a shake at Big Al’s, and I can say that they do that right proper. Yes — perhaps the optimal meal here is Mexican Food with a Shake.
I probably net out at 3.5 stars. It’s important to stick to the right menu items here.

Hands down, Big Als makes the best freshly made burger in Ashland. These burgers are the real thing– wickedly delicious and available in a variety of styles. They also make outstanding handmade malts and shakes that are to die for: thick and perfect and huge in size; a must-​have. A small is plenty, trust me!
The fries are the weakest menu item here which is unfortunate. They are limp and appear to be the frozen kind, which is standard for restaurants, but they should probably switch to a new brand. If they could improve their fries, this place would be unbeatable.
I love the vibe here– it’s a throwback to places from my youth, as though it’s withstood the test of time and changes in the world all around it. I love that. Big booths, kitschy seasonal art painted on the windows, über-​casual, and very friendly staff make this place a gem. And those burgers and shakes – oh my! (insert dreamy sigh).