Big Daddy’s Of Lake Norman

The seafood was pretty good and they are able to grill, blacken, or fry it all. The hushpuppies and onion rings were delicious! But coleslaw and salad bar left much to be desired.

Awesome seafood! I used to live in Maryland so I know a few things about crabs, but Big Daddy’s crabs were by far the best I have found outside of Maryland and the staff were awesome!

Catfish! We have been craving some good small ones. Well, we found them as well as some perfectly steamed oysters. Been a couple of decades since I had dined here. Big Daddy’s remains a legend for many reasons. Friendly, comfortable, excellent service and quality eats.

Favorite place to eat in Mooresville! Everyone is so nice and friendly. Weeknight specials are great! Try Oyster night every Monday!

I now have a «don’t go back» list. This is on the list. Very disappointed in food quality.

Best seafood in Mooresville! We have lived here for over 5 years and I can’t believe that we never checked them out before. Heard it was too pricey. It is not pricey IMHO. We love love love their salad bar. The hush puppies are delicious and the buffalo butterfly shrimp are scrumptious. I like a little spice but not too much and the buffalo sauce they have is a perfect combination of butter and hot sauce. The baked potato was cooked perfectly and the service was great! This is now in our rotation of restaurants every week. The table next to us had crab legs — they were really huge crab legs — we will definitely try that next Thursday. Our friends had raw oysters and enjoyed their meal as well. Great atmosphere.

Big Daddy’s is a solid place to eat around the Lake Norman area and I would rate it 3.5 stars.
I’ve had several of their dishes including the flounder and catfish, but I usually go for the oysters. The oysters are always great and served with all the usual items like cocktail sauce, melted butter, and horseradish.
Service can be lackadaisical at times, which seems more common if you aren’t seated in the bar area. They have great oyster specials on Monday nights, but unfortunately they won’t let you order oysters by the peck if you aren’t in the bar (which oftentimes has a very long wait). You have to order by the dozen or half dozen if you aren’t in the bar, which is disappointing.
The salad bar is another highlight of Big Daddy’s. If not for the issues mentioned above, Big Daddy’s would be a solid 4 stars.

I hadn’t been to Big Daddy’s in a few years and decided to stop in and eat with my wife last. In the past I had always had the oysters but this time I decided to get something off the menu. I ordered the shrimp and grits with steamed vegetables and my wife had the coconut shrimp with sweet potato. My shrimp and grits were OK but nothing special. The grits were not very creamy, as they should be, but the shrimp were fine. The entire dish didn’t have a lot of flavor. The steamed veggies on the other hand were horrible. It was evident they came directly from a microwaved bag with some sort of awful seasoning sprinkled on top. They were tough and dry. My wife coconut shrimp had an almost soggy consistency with little flavor as well. Not sure if these were microwaved from frozen or what but were definitely not made from fresh ingredients. I only mention being made fresh because for the price charged for these dishes I would expect a lot more. We have no problem paying a premium price for good food but that is not what was served last night. The food quality is something I would expect from a Capt D’s or Long John Silvers. Frozen and microwaved food should never come from the kitchen of a place like Big Daddy’s. We were not impressed and will not be back. I would only return for the oysters but unlike in the past there are plenty of places that serve oysters with a much better atmosphere.
On another note, folks rave about the salad bar so we decided to check it out. We decided not to add it to our meal since it is really not that special and for an additional $ 4 it was definitely not worth the extra cost. Ruby Tuesdays salad bar puts this one to same so I’m really not sure what the big deal is with this one.

I have never had a bad meal at Big Daddy’s and I am VERY picky so I love being able to make my own salad without having to ask for this and that on it. However, the last time we went there they had changed their lettuce to the «frilly-​flowery» lettuce and I did not like it! I want plain old ICEBERG lettuce in my salad. PLEASE change it back — that lettuce is terrible!

Big Daddy Oyster Bar and Grill
Is a excellent choice for a night out I would highly recommend it

I have eaten at Big Daddy’s a number of times. The salad bar is always terrific. I always enjoy it. I had the filet mignon the other night. It was very tasty. My husband had the scallops and he said they were a little salty. I have had the scallops a number of times and they have always been great but I had to agree with him. I tasted his scallops and they were salty. We didn’t get any hush puppies either. I thought they were a standard. If you’re bringing a family with kids, the place is very kid friendly. I will be going again and again.

Sorry but they were just «okay». The sides were fair and the burgers were good but the Mellon collie service did not make up for the price. We might come back…

Most excellent prime rib — We’d special and ½ price bottle of wine! LOVE the oyster &salad bars! Great local place!

Pros: I like this place a lot. I think the ambiance is great and the food is tasty. Everyone always raves about their salad bar and that they have great specials: Monday-​oysters (with a really cool oyster bar), Tuesday-​shrimp, etc. They also have a cool gift shop, and crayons and coloring paper for kids. Oh, and my husband said their Yuengling on draft was exceptional.
Cons: I’ve eaten here since I can remember and always normally came for the steamed oysters. Recently I went on a Tuesday and got the crab dip and crab cakes cause I’m not a huge fan of shrimp. Well I have to say, the crab dishes were terrible. I could barely eat them. My husband and friends split the boiled shrimp as an appetizer. I had one and that was enough because they were over cooked (but perfectly seasoned). My husband accidentally ordered his seafood platter fried and it sucked.
I feel like we ordered the wrong things. But it also is unacceptable to serve so many poor dishes. The only person that was happy was my aunt who ordered the flounder.
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Food: 3 stars (oysters and salad bar 4, everything else 2)
Service: 5 stars

Went last evening for the first time… WHAT AN AWESOME PLACE… cute, cozy and the food is GREAT… Between the Company and Big Daddys’ I can say that I rate this place 5+ … The FRIED LOBSTER is to DIE FOR…

I have eaten at Big Daddy’s a number of times over the years, and in fact I have a nostalgic appreciation for the place because my mother (who passed away several years ago) used to really like going there. But after my visit tonight, I realize that the food, while not bad, is certainly not extraordinary and not really worth the price. And in looking back, I realize that my fondness for place in the past was based on that nostalgic feeling, which enabled me to overlook certain things.
I am not sure if the seafood here is fresh or frozen. It’s kind of bland and lifeless, and not very well seasoned. It leads me to think that at least some of it is frozen. I had a broiled seafood platter. The flounder was ok. The shrimp were extremely small. The scallops were decent. The oysters were pretty good. Kind of boring.
The salad bar, which is included with the broiled seafood dinners, was rather pedestrian.
I also ordered the oyster stew– a large cup– and it was pretty good.
The corn on the cob I chose as my side was tasty.
The price tag was a little high.
Overall, kind of a blah meal.
I am not suggesting that you don’t try the place. There is a large menu and I’m sure that some things are better than others. The server was pleasant and efficient. The atmosphere is nice too.
I just think the place is a bit overrated and overpriced.

About a week ago, I went to Big Daddy’s with a group of 5. I can honestly say it was the first time I’ve ever had to cut my lobster with a steak knife! I was very disappointed, especially since I paid over $ 40 hoping to enjoy it. The prime rib that came with it wasn’t very good either.
We ordered the calamari to share and it was disgusting, not something I would have expected from a seafood restaurant.
However, the hush puppies were great. The clam strips and shrimp that my husband ordered were excellent. The service was alright, again, not the best.
We will try again in the future. (The very distant future).

You can tell it is a local, family owned restaurant the moment you walk in (which is great!). I couldn’t believe how large the restaurant was-​there were a ton of tables. Despite being so big, it still has that small hometown feel. The hush puppies are GREAT! Our table couldn’t get enough, and we probably ate 2 full baskets by the end of the evening. I had the grilled crab cake meal. The waitress said they were great and made in house, so I was excited. They were very disappointing, due to the large amount of filler used. The steamed vegetables were the best steamed veggies I have had at a restaurant. There was a mix of squash, broccoli, zucchini, red peppers and onion… with NO BUTTER SAUCE (yay)! My friend had the mahi mahi for her main dish, one filet was cooked perfectly, where the other was very tough and chewy. My boyfriend had steamed oysters for an app, as well as the salmon for dinner. The salmon was cooked well. Unfortunately, he came down with food poisoning that evening. That being said, we wont be back.

You know… this is the place… A local, family-​owned joint. Libby Hill done large and in charge.
Big rooms, friendly staff, good drinks, great seafood and lots of it cooked any way you like.
A neighborhood gem, so to speak.
I’ll definitely be back.

As usual, the food, service, and atmosphere was outstanding! One of our favorite places.
I had the senior Shrimp panned in Butter Sauce, while Dianne had the Senior Fried Flounder Fillet. Both were prepared well, served hot, and just the right portion.