Big Willy Style's All In It

Our 2-minute Review takes us to the southwest corner of town, where we found a great new lunch special.

As my buddy Jake and I walked into Big Willy’s Bar & Grill (2767 W. Republic Rd., 417-883-4100), I couldn’t help but feel like I’d been there before. After a second, it hit me why. Big Willy’s bought all the old furniture from Rasta Grill! We couldn’t help but chuckle out loud about it as we plopped down in our bright purple booth.

Big Willy’s is separated into two different areas, though it is still a fairly open floor plan. One section is home to a horseshoe-shaped bar and a couple of high tops; the other section is just for people to eat and relax while watching TV on one of the many flat screens.

As we gazed over the fairly small and standard menu, one thing jumped out at me: Big Willy’s is proud of its burgers. Even though the one I saw pass by our table—inducing a very serious, almost embarrassing, stream of drool—looked awesome, I opted for one of their awesomely affordable lunch specials instead. I ordered the Little Nate, which is a sliced brisket sandwich served on white bread. Jake ordered the chicken fried steak. Both dishes came with fries and cost only $3.99, which was awesome because I had just spent $80 gassing up my car.

What made me even happier was that for $3.99 both of our dishes were good. The brisket was sliced paper-thin (which I love), and the fries were big, thick-cut steak fries that had a light dusting of what tasted like seasoned salt and pepper. The chicken fried steak was still crispy and not soggy from the gravy. If I had one suggestion for the chefs, it would be to toast the bread on the Little Nate—it got a little soggy toward the end. Our waitress was great, and we noticed Big Willy’s even had a Nintendo Wii up on a shelf. (So I would assume they have some serious shred-heavy Guitar Hero battles.) So, if you are looking for a quick cheap spot to make your regular lunch stop, Big Willy’s is your place.