Big Ed’s Pizza

This place is iconic, not because of the pizza, but the many champions and patriots who have eaten pizza and spilled beer here. The trophies, pics, and memorabilia on the walls are historic.
Now, the pizza– In the era of every new place on the block has a ‘wood fired oven’ and ‘their own organic herb garden’, Big Ed’s has been cranking out handmade dough and using solid ingredients to make a delicious pie that is cut by scissors for decades. Nothing fancy. I’ve probably had better, but this is more authentic than most gourmet places out there. Good solid, old school pie here. Nothing fancy but made with a lot more care than those new places which will be Ethiopian restaurants next month. A small but decent beer list with several microbrews. The ambiance is kid friendly manly. Lots of families, some of the military shooting teams featured on the walls might be there after a match, next to the local elementary school’s girls soccer team. It’s rustic, laid back, and casual, but completely authentic. You can take a date here and feel relaxed. Try it.

This place is iconic. If you want to get to know the Oak Ridge townsfolk you need to come here. A popular pit stop for the local sports teams from pee-​wee to high school to the ultra-​competitive rowing teams… you are sure to see a jersey at every table. The walls are stacked with memorabilia and quirky mementos. Even a portrait of Big Ed himself hangs on the wall. The interior has this dark 1970s dusty feel but in a down-​home kind of way. It has the kind of wear and tear every trusty hangout spot has.
The pizza is meh. They make their own crust so expect to wait a while when it’s baking. The taste is fine. Can’t say it’s the best I’ve had. When you get take-​out they don’t serve pizza boxes. Your pizza is on a plate and covered in a paper bag. Hey, I guess it’s a good way to mop up all the grease at least.
But you don’t come here for the pizza. You come here for the high fives.

My wife and I liked the pizza. It was good in sort of all American, small town, white bread and mayonnaise kind of bland non ethnic way. The pizza crust was very good, chewy and cooked well. The sauce obviously canned, more sweet than spicy. The cheese was plentiful but on the bland side. The mushroom topping was canned and the red onions were fine. Don’t get me wrong it was good but it’s still so far from good New York, Chicago, Philadelphia or even Antico Pizza in Atlanta…

The pizza here is over priced for what you get. Its good pizza but I could get it for half the price at one of the other 6 pizza places around Oak Ridge. The service is always good and the pizza always comes out very hot just not my favorite style of pizza for the price. Big ed’s has been a staple in Oak Ridge for a very long time and has a gret nostalgic atmosphere maybe that’s why they get away with such steep pricing.

We had their Pepperoni Pizza and it was delicious. The special is kinda bland. Place is okay, as it’s an old place with nostalgic feel. It’s dark inside like a bar though. Overall I would say it’s worth driving to Oak Ridge for this.

Ok, I’ll start with an honest disclaimer — I’m a pizza snob. I’m from New Haven and therefore my heart will always be with New Haven style Pizza (similar to New York, but thinner with a delicious well done crust and amazing mozzarella and toppings). But, I digress!
After moving to Tennessee several months ago I’ve been on the hunt for a decent pizza. I didn’t expect to find a good New Haven style pie, but maybe a New York that was passable. Unfortunately, I didn’t find it here. If you are from an area with authentic New York style pizza, be forewarned — this will definitely not pass for that.
I do have some positives, unfortunately the negatives were too big a deal to me to give more than a two star review. First, the service was good. Our waitress was pleasant and we had no issues here. Second, the sauce had good flavor. The undercrust was thin, but the edging crust was too chewy and undercooked for my liking — not bad, just not to my taste. The cheese that they use had a very strange texture that I couldn’t get past — although piping hot when it arrived, the cheese stayed congealed rather than a nice stringy consistency… you could not take a bite without pulling all of the cheese off the slice or holding it on with your hand.
I had two major complaints during my visit which will likely stop me from trying them again in the future. The first being the prices. There is an open kitchen, so you can watch the (MANY MANY) employees make your pizza. There was seriously about one employee for every two customers during our visit — which must be astronomical in terms of overhead cost — and the customers are paying for it. (There were about 30 customers in the restaurant and about 15 employees working the kitchen.) We visited during dinner time on a Monday evening with about ¹⁄₃ of the tables filled. We did see several walk-​in customers for take out as well, but they looked more like they were staffed for a Friday night crowd. I only mention the large number of staff because the prices were outrageous, many of them had little or nothing to do at one time, and the kitchen was in excusably dirty.
I am accustomed to paying $ 18 — $ 20 for a large pizza, and I’ll do so without complaint — but, not when that «large» pizza is only 14″ and there are barely more than two small pieces of topping per slice. We ordered one large sausage, and one large bacon with hamburger meat and along with 3 (non-​alcoholic) soft-​drink beverages our bill totaled almost $ 45. Again, I wouldn’t mind paying that amount had the large actually been a large, or if the toppings weren’t so sparingly applied, but in my opinion they are seriously overcharging for what they’re delivering… taste preference aside.
The second and most major complaint was that the kitchen was absolutely filthy. We were seated directly in front of the walkway into the open kitchen where we were treated to a view of piles of garbage from discarded napkins, plastic forks, pieces of food, (trash literally piled on the floor, pushed into the back corner behind and under the work table, all over the walkway…) as well as a floor which was caked in dirt — not just an old floor which is stained, but actual visible piles of dirt which employees continually walked through and ignored. As food was prepared and crumbs were dropped, it was left to join the rest of the trash and ignored. The stainless steel over and around the ovens didn’t look like it had been wiped down in months (I’m being generous in guessing months rather than years). My husband was up most of the night with an upset stomach following our meal, (which in fairness may not be related as my daughter and I both felt ok) but based on the state of the kitchen, which they choose to make visible to the public and obviously they didn’t see a problem with although they were very well staffed — I will not be returning for another meal. I can understand and look past some things, but piles of dirt and garbage in the kitchen just isn’t one of them.
I can only hope that they’ll take some of that extra staff and teach them to use a broom, a mop, and a sponge in the future.

OMG. If you want Pizzeria Pizza this is your place. If you want a place that looks like it has been around forever —– This is it. LOVE IT. Don’t try looking for anything other then Pizza on the Menu– except beer. You want Great Pizza? GO There. MMMMMMMMMMMMM

This pizza is delicious. A must visit if you are in Oak Ridge. The cheese must be the secret ingredient because that was incredible.

You’ll have to look very hard to find pizza better than this… this place is great! Well worth the drive from Chattanooga to Oak Ridge. You can build your own, but I love the special (ham, sausage, mushroom, onion and green pepper). They used to be cash or check only, but now they take Master Card and Visa. That and the BBQ chicken pizza are the only things that have changed since I was a kid; the pizza is as great as it was when I was little. A must stop if you’re in Oak Ridge.

There’s really nothing to say here other than, it’s Big Ed’s. There is no greater pizza anywhere, and this place should be the standard that all 5 star reviews are measured against.

Big Ed’s pizza has changed over the years. It’s still delicious, but it’s no longer traditional NY/​NJ style pizza.
The crust is buttery and thick, and the toppings/​cheese are heavy. This pizza cannot be folded in half anymore.
It’s a yummy crispy crust with lots of cheese and minimal sauce, so I love it. But there are probably other places for more traditional style NY/​NJ pizza that I have yet to discover.
Also to note – and I find this strange – their entire menu can be found online. A shortened version is available in the restaurant. Why not make the entire menu available to all your customers, Big Ed’s? You can order whatever you like… but you need to dig around online to find other options.
Friday night had a 1 hr wait for a table of 4. People outside and hanging in the aisles… If you decide to wait, order your food before you sit down. It takes them approx 30 minutes to make (1) 12″ pie on a busy night!

A staple of oak ridge and THE place locals go for premium pizza. Great food. Nostalgic atmosphere.

I’ve been spending time in Oak Ridge for about a year and a half and moved here in May of this year. Since I started coming to Oak Ridge people have been asking me whether I’ve eaten at Big Ed’s. My boyfriend and I really love the pizza from Billy’s Time Out Deli – hard to beat the quality for the price and size – so going to Big Ed’s hasn’t been a priority. Like some of the previous reviewers, I’ve heard mixed reviews about Big Ed’s but I have to say that I was quite impressed.
I called an order in for pickup one rainy Friday after work. The weather was terrible but Big Ed’s was packed! Easy to see that it’s an institution, given the local memorabilia on the walls and the wide variety of ages seated at the tables. I thought it was quaint that take out orders are packed in a paper sack with a cardboard round for the pizza to sit on. It did make it a bit difficult to carry since it was raining, though.
We didn’t eat right away which can sometimes ruin the quality of a pie, but that certainly wasn’t the case here. We reheated it on a crisping pan and it was perfect. The crust was crisp on the outside but tender on the inside. There was no shortage of toppings and they were all of good quality.
Bottom line: we’ll eat here again; hopefully in the restaurant this time so my boyfriend can see what a neat place it is.

This had everything I love in a local place. Character, good food, and good drinks.
Character is best described as divey and dark. This is an old school establishment, with appropriate furnishings. If you are looking for fancy, frou frou pizza, look elsewhere.
Food was solid. not the best pizza in the world, but pretty darn good. I loved that you could get a «personal» size pizza (not the Pizza Hut standard, but a serious eater’s size personal sized).
Nice drink selection. Although i was here for a biz lunch and couldn’t drink, it had a nice mix of local and national micros.
definitely will be back.

Nostalgic items along the walls and an open air kitchen allowing the guests to see the army of staff whipping out pizzas as fast as they can are two highlights of an evening spent at one of their tables. It has the comforting feel of a local joint with equally pleasant service.
As far as the food goes, it was pretty standard pizza fair. A very simple menu of the usual topping candidates. So decent pizza, nothing that stands out though. So if your in the mood for a basic pizza but with the community feel swing on by though don’t be expecting any unique pizza twists.
Thanks for dinner!

I’ve heard a lot about this s place since moving here from the north. I’ve been told it was super greasy. I’ve heard it was overrated.
After two years of living here I tried it and it is very good. I’m used to New York style grease and this was not even close. The crust tasted the best but if I could give one big recommendation I would say order a pizza with bacon.
Every other pizza place uses bacon bits. This was cooked in a pan bacon and tasted great.
Best pizza I’ve had while staying in the OakRidge area which isn’t saying much because all there is is papa johns and dominos.
Cheers, and enjoy!

So this is what all the hype is about for the residents of Oak Ridge. This place was the first place I heard of when I moved here, and walking in it have a feeling of the good ol’ mom and pop shop with a ton of neon lights all over the place as well as nice old school placard signs and advertisements hung around the walls. Supposedly Big Ed’s has a history, especially in Oak Ridge. If you don’t know it, I’m sure someone would love to explain it because they’re proud of it.
What did I think of Big Ed’s pizza? It was not bad. Especially with a good couple of pints with the pizza. I’ve heard things about this pizza as far as it being soaked in grease. It honestly wasn’t too bad. The service wasn’t bad, our waiter was very kind and kept our pitchers full. I think that the price of the pizza wasn’t so welcoming, but I enjoyed my lunch here and I’ll come back for more pizza and try out a different one!

This place hasn’t changed in years and it doesn’t have to. I was a kid the last time I ate here and when I walked in, it was just as I had left it.
Great, hand-​made pizza with quality ingredients. You can watch the pies being made! Be sure to ask for some cheese. This is a unique establishment that has such character. Big Ed was a big part of the character of this place, may he rest in peace. I am glad to see nothing has changed. Those ovens are seasoned with so much history and flavor that no other pizza can imitate the flavor or goodness.
Don’t be put off by the divey first impression. Just enjoy the ambiance, paper plates, and pitchers of beer or coke. My childhood is still running rampant in this place with a handfull of cheese!
My sister and I actually drove from Greenville, SC to eat lunch here. I will do it again.
Go here if you even remotely like pizza.
And this place deserves the 5 Star rating solely based on the pizza. I did not include any stars for sentimental purposes. If I did, I would break Unilocal

I’ve been eating at Big Ed’s for about 30 years through 3 generations of owners (I went as a kid when Big Ed used to sit at the end of the bar and drink beer while doing paperwork). I made sure to take my wife here after we married and every time we’re in TN, we make sure to stop by for some of their pizza. We love the place.
The atmosphere is amazing. The pizza is warm and you can never eat enough. The beer is cold and served in frosty mugs. You can’t ask for a better pizza joint.
Recently, they’ve made some exciting changes. They actually upgraded from paper plates to smaller plastic ones. They now have a huge selection of tap beers to choose from (at one point the place two selections and one was always Michelob Light). They have a few more specialty pies to choose from. They now take credit cards too.
The bathroom is still scary… ha. Reminds me of the cellar from the movie, «Saw». Not so bad for the guys, but this is the one thing that does upset the ladies in the family.
Edit* My wife wanted me to add that the bathroom reminds her of «The Worst Toilet In Scotland» from the movie «Trainspotting» and not «Saw.»

Good honest thin crust cheesy yummy pizza… I’ve heard about this spot over the years from my former colleagues, and it’s all
true. They don’t call it NY style, but it sure does taste like it, and I love a good NY style pizza. Big Ed’s has the hole-​in-​the-​wall feel, and they serve it up right. Highly recommend this spot if your in the area…