Saturday, August 31, 2013
Upper West Side- Big Daddy's
OK, really mixed again, I wanted to publisha LOT of reviews for you to mull over but system cut me off--all the reviews omitted were highly favorable ones, by the way
Big Daddys
Categories: Diners, Breakfast & Brunch, American (Traditional)
2454 Broadway(between 90th St & 91st St)
New York, NY 10024
Neighborhood: Upper West Side (212) 677-2004
- Nearest Transit Station:
- 86 St. (1, 2)96 St. (1, 2, 3)86 St. (A, B, C)
- Hours:
- Mon-Thu, Sun 8 am - 11 pmFri-Sat 8 am - 12 am
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Price Range:
- $$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Breakfast, Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
140 reviews for Big Daddys
Review Highlights What's this?
"And excuse my caps, but - BEST TATER TOTS EVER." In 24 reviews
"it makes you feel like a kid again and happy." In 3 reviews
"...would totally recommend the Barbie milkshake, even for the guys, its..." In 15 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
139 reviews in English
Review from Kirsten J.
New York, NYUpdated - 6/24/2013
Okay - I'd never been to brunch here before, but DANG. Like, DANNNNNNG.
Screwdrivers were plentiful (& strong), hash browns-whatever-that-potato-thing-was was two thumbs up, and everyone loved their own dishes. No one from my table left unhappy in the slightest. I admit, I was not expecting to be this happily satisfied, but ... DANG.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/6/2013A fun diner with http://bomb.com milkshakes (HIGHLY recommend the key lime). It's pricey, but I… Read more »
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6/6/2013
Review from Eric C.
Manhattan, NYI like this place, no the fastest service, not the best burger in the neighborhood but always dependable for great tater tots and the place is great for kids. Decent beers on tap doesnt hurt and the Fried Chicken is delicious.
So, to sum it up, come if you have a big-ish party, they have big tables, come if you want perfectly made tater tots that stay crunchy even 40 mins after delivery, come if you want perfect fried chicken.
If you're looking for the perfect burger, look elsewhere, theyre good, but not amazing.Review from Anne J.
New York, NYThis is a good dinner for PANCAKES! only that, the french fries and burgers have nothing special, but the pancakes are amazing! They serve huge portion and taste delicious. You have different kind of pancakes on the menu.
Otherwise, I like a lot the decor, and the service is average.
If you are craving for a big amount of pancakes, that's your place!Review from Eileen R.
Manhattan, NYDon't fall for the Fried Chicken Fridays here. It's only a basket, not a bucket, with only a half-chicken. And it wasn't even good; I didn't like the breading. I like a lot of other things here like the breakfast dishes, burgers, sandwiches, boozy brunch. Just have your fried chicken somewhere else.Review from Sarah S.
Manhattan, NYBreakfast was fine. Service was horrible - not only slow and unapologetic but also included elements such as bringing coffee in shockingly dirty (i.e., used and unwashed) mugs. This, after 20 minutes of waiting for said coffee and having had to remind the waiter of our existence. In a nearly empty restaurant.
I went in with low expectations. Just not low enough.Review from Howie A.
Manhattan, NYI want to like Big Daddy's more than I do. The food is actually pretty good, but they are grossly overpriced for what they are, and the service is disappointing. Could be a serious UWS staple...if they got serious about what they're doing.Review from Karen S.
Manhattan, NYEh. Big Daddy's is alright. The best time to come is on Trivia Nite. But since I don't have friends in the area, I'm usually there all by my lonesome.
I had the Dude burger while watching groups of people have all kinds of clean fun. I also had the onion rings and a Creamsicle shake. The shake was meh. The onion rings were... oniony. But the Dude was pretty good and sloppy.
I do like the kitschy decor. Lunch boxes & celebrity photos line the walls. I've never had problems getting seated, because it's just me... by myself... depressingly eating onion rings dipped in ketchup. Crying into my milkshake.
::Goes home and takes meds::Review from Al O.
ASTORIA, NYBig Daddy's needs some help from their Daddy/Owner. The service is borderline terrible and the food isn't that much better. I don't expect much from a diner but this place definitely fails in providing quick and decent food.
Overall a bad experience.Review from Gail Anthony T.
Jersey City, NJMy son and I spent the afternoon at the Children's Museum on 83rd St this past weekend. So I thought it would be nice to hit up a spot somewhat close by with a theme that both my son and I would enjoy. I found Big Daddy's - which was 8 short blocks North of the museum, and decided this place would satisfy our hunger needs.
Big Daddy's reminded me of a bigger Johnny Rockets with a bigger menu, an adult beverage selection, and a better Motown playlist. I opted for the turkey burger with tater tots, and my son (as usual) got the mac n cheese. The turkey burger was decent; the burger itself was juicy, but the bun couldn't hold its own with this patty. It would've been nice if they toasted it so it wouldn't fall apart like it did. The tots were BANGIN'. I can't recall the last time I had tots - elementary school perhaps? If I can remember though, those had that nice 'soggy note to them. These on the other hand were cripsy and tasty. They probably were used in the movie 'Napoleon Dynamite', and was the reason why Napoleon stashed the tots in his pocket.
The mac n cheese was good. I liked the nice bread crumb browning on the top of it. My son thought it was OK. I think his mind was preoccupied by the Mister Softee truck he saw on the corner as we were walking to Big Daddy's. He was worried that the truck would leave by the time we finished our lunch. It was a good day overall. I got a satisfying lunch, and he ended up getting his vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles..... 3.5 stars in my book....Review from Joanne L.
Manhattan, NYBig Daddy's is a great place to go if you're nostalgic for an old-fashioned diner--colorful furniture, bright decor, and trivia!!!!!! Walking in will put a smile on your face!!
The service, however, is extremely slow. I came with a party of 5 on a Saturday morning and we were quickly seated (the restaurant was only about 30% full). We waited what seemed like forever for the waitress to deliver our drink orders (5 waters and a Coke). We then waited an additional 35 minutes for our food orders. Does it really take 35 minutes to cook eggs and pancake?? They were also slow with the check and running our credit card later on...
Big Daddy's is a great place to go if you're craving a little of everything. I ordered the Easy Rider (my go-to), which has eggs, bacon, pancakes, toast, and fruit. The pancakes were light and fluffy but my over easy eggs were overcooked. My dish was lukewarm too, which was disappointing.
We also ordered a side of tater tots to share. They were delicious! The best thing we had at Big Daddy's. They came out piping hot and were very crisp.
My friends all liked their breakfasts, thought the plates could have been hotter.
Overall, below average for brunch on the UWS.Review from Amanda J.
Newport, KYThe store front is what originally drew me to Big Daddy's - I'm a fan of diners, and I was very pleased with this one!
The service was great, and while I originally thought that the prices were too high for what I was ordering, I quickly understood when the food arrived. The portions were huge, the food was delicious, and the decor in the restaurant was fantastic.
It has a very feel-good vibe, good music, fantastic food, and memorable service.Review from Lavalle W.
Manhattan, NYNote: This review was written yesterday on my phone and I am just able to post...
I use to love this place, but I am totally over it. I say this to you all as I am still awaiting my food to come and everyone else is eating.
First issue: We are seated and 5 -7 minutes later, another table is seated. After more time has passed, I noticed something odd...Why are they served before us? I mean, I had to get up and go to the front "desk" and tell him that we were not served! He said he would get the waiter. If I am paying, I should not have to chase anyone down for service.
Issue two: Our waiter comes over and takes our order. I asked for the drink special and a small mac and cheese. What comes out?!?! NO DRINKS and a large Mac and Cheese. Ummm, this is NOT what I ordered. Had to send it back: along with my cousin's onion rings, which were luke-warm, and the second order of mac and cheese. Yes, the new order was luke-warm. Shouldn't it be hot? Especially since it was made to order.
By the way, this warranted a trip to the manager to explain all of this: no drink, wrong order, and to top it off, NO UTENSILS!!!
I was able to eat the side of Turkey bacon because, seriously, how bad could you really mess that up.
Long story short, I had to speak to to the manager, who took off my meal, gave a discount on my friend, and gave me a $5 Daddy Card for my next visit. Unfortunately, as nice as the manager was (I think she handled the situation well), we will not be back anytime in the near future.Review from Kelly C.
West Chester, PAThe staff was really awesome and nice! The only problem was that the service was pretty slow and it wasn't even that busy and the prices are a little high. But you should expect that in NYC! Either way I've gone back several times.Review from Paul C.
Staten Island, NYI have been to two locations of BD and this is the only one to visit. we had burgers the burger was good the sides were OK. Overall it was good. However it is overpriced for what it is.. In a city of what seems to be a million burger joints you can do much better. for two people it was almost $40 for burgers and fries...I am a life long New Yorker and completely understand what it cost to eat in this city but BD is no bargain..
Ciao-Review from Charlotte R.
New York, NYCute place, clean, and good service. I had a delicious turkey burger. My chocolate shake was just average. I tasted my friend's fried chicken and it was A+. Main downside is the price. It is ridiculously expensive here, even for UES Manhattan. $14 for a standard burger and fries? Criminal.Review from Tiffany M.
Bronx, NYGreat food & Great service. I highly recommend the Barbie Milkshake!Review from Amy S.
Manhattan, NYLet me preface this by saying that this is way overdue. My previous review was met with a 25 dollar gift card, and a revisit to the restaurant. I took my parents to Big Daddy's. I got a Cotton Candy Smoothie and a grilled cheese. Frankly, I can't recall what they got, but I know it was delicious. The service was fair but I suppose you don't go to a restaurant like that for excellent service.
The food was good, the atmosphere was fine, if that, and the service was just up to par. I won't be rushing to return but I won't oppose it either.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/26/2012The service was terrible. The waitress was kind of flaky, and she forgot a lot of things that we had… Read more »
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8/26/2012
Review from La B.
Bronx, NYi've come to Big Daddy's twice already and plan to return. It's a good location near the 1 train on 86th or 96th St stops. It is a *very* kid friendly location so if you are NOT into being around children keep that in mind. This location does not always have someone at the front waiting for you to be seated. You are expected to wait to be seated by the server who will work with you, so keep this in mind if you find yourself waiting a few moments. I discovered this when I was waiting on a fairly slow night and seated myself.
The server working with us was nice and allowed us to be seated in an area where there were no children. On our first visit we ordered the tater tots and chili as an appetizer. It's a nice option, nostalgic of the elementary school lunch days, but not worth $9. As an entree i ordered the standard Big Daddy burger with fries and both were pretty good. Nothing exceptional to report. What my two friends ordered were the pancakes with bacon (batter has bacon bits) and they were overjoyed. Another friend also ordered a burger and a margarita which they enjoyed for the most part.
My second time there I split the banana pancakes (banana in the batter) and we ordered mozzarella sticks as an appetizer. The mozzarella sticks were great. The dipping sauce that accompanied them was fairly standard, but the freshness and cheese was great. Our pancakes were ok. I've had better banana in the batter pancakes, but they were tasty and we enjoyed ourselves.
They offer a ton of different variety milkshakes and my next time back I plan to try one of them for sure! They also offer a frequent meal card where your 10th meal is a free entree.
Upper West Side- Hotel Newton
Let us see...Good grief, almost all good ( a couple VERY good) --but some real sour apples too. Ran a whole bunch of reviews, hope the one complaining about bed bugs is in here too..
Hotel Newton
2528 Broadway Ave
(between 93rd St & 94th St)
New York, NY 10025 (212) 678-6500
(between 93rd St & 94th St)
New York, NY 10025 (212) 678-6500
- Nearest Transit Station:
- 103 St. (1)Cathedral Pkwy (1)103 St. (A, B, C)
- Price Range:
- $$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Paid
23 reviews for Hotel Newton
Review Highlights What's this?
"It's in a great location, about 5 blocks from Central park." In 3 reviews
"walking distance to Whole Foods." In 3 reviews- "comfortable bed." In 6 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
22 reviews in English
Review from Kent F.
Manhattan, NYWe recently got married and needed to secure about 8 rooms for guests from Colorado and United Kingdom. We actually live in NYC, about 3 blocks from the hotel. I contacted the staff and they gave me a tour of several different styles of rooms.
I CAN SAY WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY THAT YOU WILL NOT FIND A BETTER PRICED, CLEAN, SAFE HOTEL IN NEW YORK CITY THAN THE NEWTON. Period.
Clean, Well maintained, comfortable, and wonderfully friendly staff. GREAT!
The hotel is in a great location - right across from the local and express subway (1,2,3). You can get to Times Square in about 8 minutes via subway. The neighborhood is extremely diverse and a great cross section of New Yorkers - young, old, hip, ethnic, professional, you name it. Highly desirable, SAFE neighborhood.
There are lots of great restaurants, stores, delis, drug stores, cleaners, banks in the immediate area.
The staff is AWESOME! We had a glitch in one of our guests flights, and the front desk staff was professional, personable, and extrmely helpful in making it all work out. Excellent customer service.
We will always send our guests here in the future.
Highly recommend.Review from Mark O.
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NYI recently got married in the area, and my wife and I referred our out-of-town wedding guests to Hotel Newton. We wanted a place that was nice, yet affordable. Hotel Newton proved to be the ideal choice. Our family members (all of whom are from the Midwest) raved about the quality of the rooms and the quality of the customer service. We couldn't have been happier with our decision.Review from Jerry Z.
Malvern, PAThis is a relatively inexpensive hotel right at 96th street, close to the 1,2, 3 subway express stop. It is clean, which is our first criterion. Rooms are tiny but adequate. Air conditioner old and noisy. Single elevator excruciatingly slow. We paid $200 for a double bed and private bathroom. The lower rate has a clean single bath at the end of the corridor ($175). We got this because it is close to the NYC Triathlon starting point. Plenty of places to eat, especially a terrific diner next door for breakfast.Review from Kenny N.
Garden Grove, CAPros:
- Very close to the subway.
- It's in a quiet neighborhood.
- Close by to an organic food store that's open 24 hours. Similar to whole foods market. Also, next to a 24 hour drug store.
- Front desk is knowledgable with the subway system. Explained it once and I had it down.
- Room has a fridge and microwave.
Cons:
- The room is tiny. I'm assuming since it's New York I should expect a smaller room but I didn't expect it to be this small. I'm 5'7 and it was cramped for me.
- Be warned. If you're in room 914 the shower floor will sketch you out and make you want to do a double take before showering. The shower FLOOR heats up before the water heats up. I kid you not. Towards the back of the shower the floor is elevated. You'll see steam coming out of it. You won't be able to stand there for long. It will burn your feet. Don't believe me? Ask for room 914 and try it out.
- At night you have to wait for hot water? Turn on the water for about 3-5 minutes before it goes from cold, to lukewarm, then to scorching hot.
- $5 a day for some wifi that can't load anything? 56k status. My phones Internet is faster and more reliable. iPhone 4 on 3G Internet.Review from Vivek V.
San Ramon, CAclean room, reasonably priced internet, close to subway, near coffee and cocktails...priced right for NYCReview from Robin K.
Hayward, CAThe hotel is in a great location. Quiet neighborhood, great diner next door. Close to the subway, walking distance to decent restaurants, banks, etc. This is where the good stuff stops.
The elevator is super scary. It made wierd noises everytime we used it. The staff is somewhat helpful, but a little creepy. Weird looks and awkward stares.
The worst part was the size of our room. When we walked into the room, I opened up the door, and I literally a couldn't walk one step without bumping into the bed. I remember my wife telling me to get in, and i had to tell her, "I can't even move, because the bed's in the way. The room is not small, it's tiny. I had to rearrange the room so that we could have enough space for our luggage. The bathroom was also just as small. We didn't have nearly enough space to put all our toiletries. I would not recommend Hotel Newton to anyone.
For the price we paid, we should have just subleted an apartment for a week.Review from Benji J.
San Francisco, CAGood location right by the 96th st subway station. Relatively cheap rates for NYC (I paid $170, which was pretty reasonable)
Bed was adequate.
Issues with the place: only 1 elevator, which can get bogged down.
Shared bathroom. I highly suggest you shower and get your business done at night before the morning rush.
There's a coin locker for luggage storage, but it's just a lock once system for $5
The AC wasn't working super great when I was there
Overall, for a budget hotel in NYC, this got the job done. It's easy to hop on the subway and get to most places quickly.Review from Brien M.
Ballston Spa, NY3 stars not because it's bad but because it's not a luxury or near luxury hotel. I would give a more expensive, more luxurious hotel 4 or 5, but I was looking for affordable. For NYC in a good area this hotel is reasonable.
We stayed there the end of Feb. 2008 so I don't know the air conditioning situation. Our room was "well" heated, however. We keep our home cool so the room was too warm. I finally turned off the valve on the radiator and the room was better the last night. No heat thermostat. We had no air conditioner. Don't know if it was removed for the winter or what. We had a control but no unit.
This was the least expensive, fair quality hotel I could find. It turned out to be in a good part of the upper West Side and about a block from a subway stop. Although not ritzy, our room was furnished very nicely and it was very clean. Room was small but not too small like some of the horror stories I've heard about NYC hotels. Had a small fridge, a microwave, and HD flat panel TV (no movie channels). Bathroom was small but very nice, updated with new fixtures and tile, and absolutely spotless. Second room for my daughter's family had two beds (2 kids and 2 adults) and that made their room too tight. We had a single queen bed.
Didn't use it but I think Internet in room is $5 from noon to noon. Two Internet computers in lobby were frequently in use - they take a credit card for per minute charges.
No gym or restaurant or other special facilities.
Customer service on the phone and at the desk were polite and helpful.
They seem to do a lot of international business. Hotel was full of Germans the days we were there.
Key West cafe next door was wonderful for breakfast. Loved a Tapas and wine bar that was about 2 blocks away. Nice wine store almost across the street (Gotham).
Our stay was fine. Would go back but only to a room with one bed.Review from Stephen S.
Brisbane, CAI booked through the hotel website directly. The value was one of the best that I could find for the location. The room was small but it served it's purpose in providing a CLEAN place to sleep and freshen up. (room with private bathroom) I am not saying this is a 4 star hotel but you get the best value for your money. If I planned to come to NY just to stay in a hotel all day then I would have invested more $ in another.
Although check-in was at 3 pm, we had a room at 12 pm upon arrival.
TV, air-conditioning and a refrigerator was also provided. If the microwave is unplugged, do not plug it in and use it. (or it will blow out the fuse). The hotel staff was able to quickly restored power to our room.
Convenient location: right next to Duane Reed convenience store, subway station and many bakeries.
There is only 1 small elevator (but I don't expect much since most of the NY buildings are old)
Service was quick, efficient and helpful.
Room
hallway
Review from Cindy S.
San Jose, CAConsider this more of a 2 and a half star rating (I'll give them a little bit more since we had a bathroom and it was more affordable than other NY accomodations). My hubby and I went to NY around January 2008 for vacation. We actually got a good rate on the hotel when I went online. But this also got me nervous since I've never been to NY, and I've never seen this place. It was close to everything, even to a subway station, and is located on the Upper West Side. They had a good breakfast place next to it, and a good Thai restaurant nearby.
As soon as we entered the hotel, it had that hostel vibe and was an old building (but we ignored it since most buildings in the city are old anyway). The lobby seemed nice from a distance, but when you look closely, the furniture is mis-matched and dirty! The staff was courteous to my hubby so that was a plus. We rode the elevator and it was those really old-school lifts! Scary if you ask me, then again, I enjoy those in old SF buildings too. I just don't want to get stuck. So far that didn't happen. Whew!
We went to our room and as soon as we opened the door, it stunk! Smelled like pee and it was very, very small. I've seen hotel/motel rooms with bigger sizes for the same price. And this hotel is not even on Times Square! I kept telling my husband to upgrade or request for another room, but he just sprayed the room all the time and it was bearable, hahaha! We had a fridge, microwave, dresser, an lcd tv, a small closet, and a bathroom, so it wasn't too bad. Am not sure about air conditioning since it was cold in NY when we were there, sometimes snowing.
I was also able to use the internet via wifi, but you have to pay $5 a day for it. We were there a week, but I only used the internet for 3 days. One time, the connection was so bad that I got a refund of the $5 bucks. On other days, it was pretty good. Overall, it was a good bargain but you definitely get what you pay for. Maybe I'll spend a couple more bucks for better accomodations next time I'm in town. But if I'm in a hostel budget, I'll probably go back here.
our room
Review from Chantelle H.
Milwaukee, WIThis is becoming my go-to hotel when I travel to NYC.
It is a very good value for your money. The location is convenient and the neighborhood offers many conveniences.
I have stayed here twice in the last year and have another upcoming visit next month. The rooms, and more importantly the bathrooms, are very clean. While the bedspread fabric/design may be somewhat outdated, I'm not really too concerned about that.
Only cons are that during my June visit the window air conditioner, "just barely" kept the humidity out of the room. And the internet charge of $5/day is a nuisance, but not enough to keep me from coming back.Review from Pourina R.
Charlotte, NCTook a last minute trip and didn't have many resources to find a hotel.
iphone was acting up so I called priceline. They said this place had decent reviews and the price was good at $150 ($175 after taxes) a night. So we blindly booked it.
One important necessity was having our own bathroom. After asking, it seemed many hotels in upper Manhattan cheaper than $150 all had shared bathrooms and we didn't want to pay 200 + a night.
Nothing fancy, not too shabby and gets the job done. It's in a great location, about 5 blocks from Central park. The subway is also right across the street. They offer parking in the Hertz parking lot for $27 a night.
Since we spent very very limited time in our room, this was perfect. If you only need a place to nap and freshen up, you can't go wrong here. If I had more time though, I would have done more research. Hotel kinda smelled like curry too. Must have been the restaurants next door.Review from John V.
San Jose, CAI will definitely return to this hotel when I visit New York City.
We were on our NYC-Provincetown-Boston trip and my friends were trying to plan out a place to stay at that wasn't outrageously expensive. We chose Hotel Newton because the rate was reasonable and was just a half-a-block from the 96th Street Station (Lines 1, 2, 3). It was extremely convenient getting to Times Square and all the parts of Manhattan. The room was very clean with a decent-size LCD television. Overall, I enjoyed it.
The biggest downside to Hotel Newton is that it doesn't have complimentary internet and the elevator is so slow.Review from Ya Ya C.
Glendale, CAVisited NYC for 10 days to work on an art exhibition. This hotel is in good value comparing to other hotels in NYC.
No bed bugs, room is nice!
Upper west side location is very convenient, close to many wonderful restaurants, whole foods market, subway/bus station right outside the door.
Rooms are clean and good price for NYC hotel rooms with bathroom.
We went to NJ to visit a friend for 2 nights, they allowed us to leave 3 suitcase in their storage room.
Front desk has been helpful.
Only drag is that wifi costs $5 a day. But I will come back and stay here again during my next visit!
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