Big Daddy’s Soulard

This is a fun historic building with decent food and decent service. We have been coming here for years, as it’s always a nice option for large groups of friends.
As with many neighborhood pubs, the waitstaff has a tendency to cater to the «regulars». We were just here on New Years Day (2016) and the bartender spent over half her time sitting on her boyfriend’s lap and hanging out with the girls at his table (I’m assuming off-​shift employees). We had to flag her down several times for drinks. In fairness, there have been plenty of other visits in which the bartenders are friendly and attentive, just not this time around.
The nightlife atmosphere can be a little crazy and crowded, so come early to get good seats especially if you’re with a large group. They have an awesome DJ on Saturday nights and there’s an upstairs, downstairs, and patio bar so there’s never much of a wait on drinks even when it’s crazy busy.
If you’re looking more for a classic Soulard «pub crawl» experience, this bar isn’t a good place to start because there really aren’t many other bars in walking distance. For a true pub crawl, you’ll need to be north of Russell.

Food is super good. However the service was mediocre. She was a «one thing at a timer.» make sure you let them know you have a Groupon. They won’t honor their specials if you have one.
Also they have a crap ton of bugs on their patio. Something has to be done. I spent my entire meal swatting. Didn’t finish my food because it became infested. Don’t have that problem at area patios. Invest in some citronella.

Nice patio with great service. Cold beer and mixed drinks consistently made by a lovely lady by the name of Casey. Had the quesadilla dish and it was very good. Will defiantly return.

Went here for the first time the other night. Very standard bar, didn’t eat. Patio is large and has a very Soulard feel to it. I did thoroughly enjoy the fact that this bar had a special on a Friday, though. $ 3 Bombs, nonetheless. That’s a winner in my book. The bartenders were also great. They had a good sense of humor and were really quick to pour drinks and run tabs! Hard to find that sometimes.

Great food and great drinks. Staff is super friendly. It was the first time I’ve been there and I will definitely be back! Only thing I didn’t like is around 9 pm they turned the lights down, it was very hard to see and bumped into people as I was leaving the restroom.

Always a great atmosphere. Friendly wait staff and bartenders that remember name. Good bar food and a great patio.

Came here for a 3 hour all you can drink happy hour… well, came here 4 separate times for a 3 hr all you can drink happy hour (groupon). All great experiences. Waitresses were incredibly attentive (Ashley is the best). They also have a great patio out back perfest for the summer.
Pros: great patio, cheap beer, good service
Cons: only one 1-​person bathroom on 1^st floor.

I’ll keep this short, since this isn’t the most positive review. Big Daddy’s is right down the street from my work, and I’ve gone here a few times on Friday nights with my coworkers. The last time I was here wasn’t the best experience, but I will say that I have had more pleasant experiences with smaller groups, so it may have just been the fact that on this particular evening, our group was so large.
We were in a group of 10 or so, and we sat outside on the patio at some tall tables. I had maybe 4 drinks. Of these 4 drinks, I had to get out of my seat and go to the bar to get 3 of them. Now, I’m not so lazy that getting up is a big deal to me, I just expect tthe waiter or waitress to continue to serve me when I am eating and drinking in a restaurant. I was just a little dissatisfied with their customer service, which has never been very good on the nights we went there, which was usually a Friday.
Finally, it seems to me that they don’t know how to cook wings. I have ordered wings on more than one occasion, and you have to tell them to fry them hard if you want them to be fully cooked. Otherwise, they come out a little under done, and the meat is watery and slippery. Now, they’re not so under-​done that they’re going to risk a health scare, but I guess I just like my wings cooked a little longer. Call me crazy, but I want the meat on my wings to be firm.
In summation: while I have had not-​so-​positive experiences here, I have also had some not-​so negative experiences here, and I wanted to let everyone know that I edited this review because I recently went out with the same co-​worker who caused my original review of Big Daddy’s to be so negative, and I figured out that the common denominator in these situations was her, not necessarily the restaurant. I also added a star. I wouldn’t mind going back without this coworker to see what kind of experience I have.

Big Daddy’s has been a mixed bag for me over several past experiences. On the 4-​star side:
1. I love that I can easily walk from home! This is especially convenient after having had a few cocktails.
2. The outdoor patio is spacious with lots of shade and seating.
3. The shuttle to the game is large and well maintained with A/​C for those midsummer scorchers.
4. Drink specials are varied and generous.
5. They have decent private party space for reasonable rates. Great for a casual birthday or game day celebration.
6. Since it’s off the main Soulard drag, it gets a good crowd for events, but usually isn’t crazy packed.
A few things that merit 2-​stars that round out my overall score:
1. Since the game shuttle is so big, they wait until it’s mostly full before they leave instead of making many trips like neighboring bars that have a smaller cargo van. I sat there last game and watched the Trueman’s shuttle drive back and forth 4 times before we left. If there isn’t a big enough group to warrant an additional run, you could be SOL.
2. The servers can bring a new level to the Soulard stereotype. I stopped in one afternoon while out walking my dogs to verify that above mentioned shuttle was still even an option for game days. I was told that there wasn’t a game that day. Thanks, knew that, was wondering if there was a shuttle on game day. «But there isn’t a game today.» Oh my. Eventually her manager stepped in to translate for her, which elicited some giggles in response. This should have been a much easier conversation!
3. The food is very basic bar food, lacking in quality and character.

$ 2 you call it’s
I personally love Big Daddys patio, and drinks.
Not to mention those plastic cups that you get to take home… :)
They normally have pretty decent happy hour specials, and while I’ve never had a «real meal» from here, last week i did order the grilled chicken salad, which is pretty hard to review since its so basic, but it was good and fresh.
i cant complain.
On wednesdays its $ 2 you call its which satisfies my happy hour buddies since we all drink something different and switch it up often.
This is my 3^rd time at this location, and it will remain on our happy hour visiting list!

Last Saturday was a complete mess of girls’ night shenanigans. From what I can recall, a fantastic time was had by all at Big Daddy’s Soulard.
I had never been to this location, since the one and only time I went to the one one the Landing, it was for a bachelorette party… and that place is a complete meat market of date-​rape drugs and nip-​slips.
We were carded heavily, which at my age is pure bliss. Keep out those minors with their fake ids and let us grown folks have a good time! The door man was nice, and readily handled our b.s. and ridiculousness. The bartenders were my favorite! I wish I could remember their names… they were sooo much fun. The music typical pop-​hip-​hop and everyone was having a great time.
I will definitely be back for another girls night. Thanks BD.

Road trip landed this BBQ guy in good ‘ol STL. The Gateway to the West. After a trip to the Arch it was time to relax for a minute and enjoy the alleged «Best Burgers in Town.» The prime real estate boasting such a claim is Big Daddy’s on the Landing, Laclede’s Landing. This was a loft style place, perfect sport’s type bar, a stones throw from the Arch and from the mighty Mississippi. I was there during the early afternoon but this is for sure a place that looks like it could be hopping on any given night. There is no draft beer available due to the lack of keg storage but you can get a Colorado cool aid pint can for $ 4 and a burger for $ 7.50. I chose to live it up a little and go for the Big Mamajama burger. Weighing in at ½ lb it wasn’t huge but it had character. Topped with Maull’s BBQ sauce, cheddar, and bacon this was right in my wheel house.
Burger– ****
Price– ****
Service– ****
Overall– ****
A great place to stop in if you’re in the area, surly won’t disappoint! Tara was our lunchtime waitress and she treated the four year old corn dog loving travel buddy of mine like gold! He gave the mini corn dogs a perfect five stars, just FYI

To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of Big Daddy’s but it’s gotten the job done for me a few times when my friends and I wanted a casual night out. We decided to go over there last night for the Super Bowl because a) there was tons of available parking, and b) they were offering a $ 25 dinner/​all you can drink deal. I usually go to my grandpa’s SB party but wanted to stay closer to home since I’d have to navigate some snowy roads to get to his house.
I guess the biggest thing that sticks out was that there was hardly anyone there! Some of the tables were full but I expected a fun crowd, and there just wasn’t one. The party carried on regardless, and our waitress seemed on top of everything and kept bringing people new drinks (which I’m not ever going to complain about!) For dinner i ordered the Cadillac which was basically a french dip sandwich one garlic cheese bread (hey, it was the Super Bowl) along with a pile of fries. It wasn’t a bad choice but I definitely felt like I was eating a meal of grease. It’s bar food though, so it was somewhat expected.
Overall we had a great time but I am pretty sure I died a little on the inside when the main TV went out during Beyonce’s halftime performance. It just kept going to black and was really, really frustrating. That being said, I wouldn’t object to coming by this place again for a quick drink or when I’m in the mood for some wings.

One of the hardest things for me to do is review a bar based on one night in the place. I need a bigger sample size and when it comes down to it, these places can be different on just about any night you go. So, here goes my night at Big Daddy’s.
Initially, this place is pretty tight, and incredibly small. Getting to the bar was a little difficult, but the bartenders were quick and the prices on those bottles wasn’t bad. The crowd was extremely riddled with your selection of douchebags and jersey shore girls. Let’s face it, we’re in Soulard. It’s a step up from the Landing. Luckily the place opens up into a patio that is open all year round. There’s a bar out there, so you could easily spend the rest of the night in this make shift tent. And, if you’re looking for a little more space, find the stairs and make your way to the upstairs bar. Same prices and a little room to move around in.
All around, this bar just isn’t special. There isn’t anything there that I would tell someone to go visit. However, people love to go there and booze it up with their friends. So, you’re not going to be alone if you decide to go and hit this place up on a weekend. Just don’t expect for them to have anything more than booze and some live DJ spinning the top 40.

Cool Bar/​Restaurant near the Budweiser brewery in St. Louis. Service was awesome. Not just our server but pretty much every employee in the place was amazing. Friendly hellos and «is there anything I can do for you» rang out from every worker.
I got the pulled pork nachos. Good stuff. Not ordinary «bar» food.
This is a place I would go back to when visiting St. Louis again.
The server told me that the owner reads the reviews so I want to tell him thank you and we’ll see you again.

There’s definitely some mixed feelings about Big Daddy’s Soulard.
My visits are tallied at four after last night, and it’s a good thing that I waited until the final visit to make an evaluation on it. The misses and I first visited BD a few years back, and the overall visit was pretty decent. We’ve been back three times since the move to Soulard, and the next two experiences were mediocre at best. The waitresses were indifferent, sometimes openly irritable, and the food was average at best. Also, we weren’t allowed to sit inside, and the air outside reeked, making it next to impossible for my wife to enjoy her meal.
Last night we met a couple that work there. They were receptive and pleasant. The food still wasn’t all that great, average I would say, but with a little kindness and decent service, our patronage to Big Daddy’s was saved for the time being.
BD does have some quality specials and a nice bar area (when allowed to sit there). Monday nights they offer half price appetizers, and Tuesday is half price burgers.
I haven’t given up on Big Daddy’s yet, mostly because it is in walking distance and reasonably priced. However, it’s not my first choice for a night out.

This is where the south city kids have their reunions. If you’ve lost touch with someone, they probably will end up at this bar the same night you came in. The place sports 3 bars, an outdoor patio that they cover and heat in the winter and probably some of the smallest bathrooms ever conceived.
One thing that sucks about this place is that they pack you in like a sardine. So if you have any qualms about violations of personal space, this place is not for you after 10.
Another thing, minimums on bar tabs. BOOOOO.
If you are looking for a crazy stop while on a bender, check the place out, just bring cash so you can move up the street if need be.

Went here for the first time to meet some friends for Monday Night Football. Despite the Rams wasting everyone’s time as per usual, the place was quite full. They had the game on with sound (this is key for football fans).
Pro’s: Waitress was nice, pretty (hey, let’s be honest) and attentive. Fries were large and freshly done (crispy; not luke-​warm mush). Cheap drink and bucket specials, which are hard to find these days.
Con’s: Worst Buffalo Chicken sandwich I may have had in town. Two deep fried chicken fingers? Really? Talk about mailing it in. My buddies had some wings and they were huge, however. Maybe stick with the appetizers? Kind of dingy, but that’s what I expected.

Well, you can’t win ‘em all. Unsure of a good sports bar near my new apartment, I did some hunting around and landed on this place as my destination for the last Cardinals game of the year. Since this game was a pretty huge deal, I was expecting a fun experience amidst a packed house full of rowdy Cardinals faithful. What I got was a major disappointment ALMOST the whole way around.
First things first, I got there at 6:30 (30 min before gametime) because I figured I needed to be early. Wrong. I was literally the ONLY person in the bar when I walked in. There were people outside on the patio, but there was only one TV out there… wasn’t going to work for me.
Next, and this is one of my biggest service industry pet peeves… snotty BITCH bartender. Right from the getgo I knew I was in trouble… her face just said she didn’t want to be there and she didn’t care who knew about it. I asked her what the drink specials were and she rolled her eyes at me like I had just asked her what beer was. Not only did she not smile even once the entire night, she was damn near scowling.
Only half of their TVs are in HD. Maybe I’ll come across sounding spoiled here, but if you’re even a little bit of a sports bar, your freakin’ TVs need to be in HD. They had the game audio on, but they had it up so loud I had to practically yell in my friend’s ear all night. I can’t tell you how many times I had to have her repeat herself.
All this BS aside, the bar did finally fill up with Cards fans about halfway through the 2^nd inning, and they were having a dinner special of steak, mashed potatoes & gravy, and vegetables for $ 7. The steak was decent, but the veggies were BRUSSEL SPROUTS. *insert Sideshow Bob stepping on a rake noise here*
This story has a happy ending, as the Redbirds won the wild card in the most exciting night of baseball I’ve experienced since I was at the world series clincher in 06. =D
But yeah, won’t be back to BD in Soulard any time soon. I should have gone to The Post. *facepalm*

The loyal to StL neighborhood bar & patio (all A-​B or Schlafly beers except Stag ?) that people during the week keep showing up and making a «Party Bar»
The restaurant has been upgraded. The burgers are Angus & the buns are fresh, soft & just thick enough to hold together. This creates a dilemma between burgers & the «Cadillac» in-​house roasted beef on garlic cheese bread w/​au jus (except ½ price Tuesdays). I read they even have a steak night on Wednesday to go along with $ 2 U-​Call-​It drinks…
I still do not like the chips so I pay more for another side. The salads, while large, are just iceberg lettuce based. The need on the crowded weekends is still there for more restrooms… I am not a fan of the port-​a-​potty next to the alley.
For the true diehard Saint Louis experience of a bar Soulard Big Daddy’s, after a Anheuser Busch tour, for happy hour till 7 & a free ride to Cardinal, Ram or Blues game is impossible to beat.