Walking through downtown Oakville, you would be forgiven for missing Big Papa’s. It’s fairly inconspicuous and admittedly it was only after living in Oakville for 2 years that my family and I were paying enough attention to notice it. It was then another year or so before we decided to actually take the time to open the door and see what was on the other side of the mystic curtain. We’re glad we did.
The decor inside is fairly rustic, attempting to throw you back to some Italian trattoria… oh yeah, it’s an Italian restaurant if I hadn’t already mentioned it. Although the restaurant is fairly narrow it goes back quite a way with windows down the entire length of one wall. Unfortunately the windows only overlook the passage between Big Papa’s and the building next door but the wall opposite is decorated with a bunch of posters featuring stereotypical Italian scenes, e.g. a little old Italian looking woman is spreading pizza sauce over hundreds of pizza bases with a tagline saying something like “Everyone Get’s There Own Pizza”. It actually creates a very pleasant atmosphere and although the windows face a brick wall, they make the restaurant feel surprisingly airy.
The Big Papa staff are tremendously friendly and accommodating. They offer crayons and a colourable menu (and tablecloth) for the kids and high chairs and booster seats for the adults to keep the kids in their place. Service is swift and the wait staff keep on top of clearing away used dishes and refilling empty glasses. In addition, the kid conscious server’s were quick to offer to take the little one’s order first so they could get them eating while we continued perusing the menu.
The menu itself is just about the right length, enough choice to satisfy most tastes but not so much that it would leave you spending all evening trying to decide what to have. Typical Italian dishes are featured and there are no real surprises. An assortment of different pasta dishes, pizzas, and meat and fish dishes are complemented by a handful of daily specials (typically a meat dish, a fish dish and a pasta dish).
My wife and I had bruschetta to start while the kids gnawed on some homemade garlic bread. My wife asked if the bruschetta was as good as the kind she makes and I respectfully indicated that hers was “nice in a different way” although I’m not sure I could define which way that would be unless I was held at knifepoint. The bruschetta was very tasty and obviously fresh. The toasted bread that it was on was perfect, not too soggy and not too crunchy. The best part is you order by the piece so you don’t have to order a table full when you only fancy one piece.
My wife will agree I can be a little awkward when ordering food and very often go for something that’s not on a restaurants menu. My latest visit to Big Papa’s was no exception. In the UK, where I’m originally from, a seafood pizza is fairly commonplace but here in Canada it’s as rare as a comedy winning an oscar! They do however have a seafood pasta (spaghetti frutti di mar… excuse my guesswork on the Italian!) and were more than happy to make me a pizza with the same stuff (minus the spaghetti of course). The result was a damn fine pizza topped with shrimp, crab, calamari and mussels (don’t think I’m missing anything!) I even managed to restrain myself from eating it all so I had a couple of slices to take home for a midnight snack. My wife had the gnocchi, she wasn’t “wowed” but then again it was gnocchi… how exciting could it be? The sauce was tasty and there was enough of it. The kids (2 and 3) shared a cheese pizza of which they each ate one slice and then played with the other, somewhere in the messing about knocking over a cup of milk. A fairly normal meal by their standards. The wait staff were quick to come over and clean up the spilled milk, no point in crying now is there? They even replaced the half cup of milk without being asked, which kept my son happy and was instrumental in ensuring the rest of the meal wasn’t ruined.
The thing that keeps us going back to Big Papa is the entertainment. I don’t know whether this is the same every night but every time we’ve been there, the resident musician has also been there. Wandering around the restaurant strumming his guitar, crooning what I can only imagine are Italian classics and occasionally resting by a table to give a private performance, you really get a sense of being somewhere authentic. He’s very entertaining and my kids love him, occasionally getting up from their seats to have a little dance together while clapping along to the music. Eventually I have to get them to sit back at the table and quieten down as my 3 year old daughter tries to out-croon him with her own rendition of the “La-La-La” song. The only thing that keeps them in their seat now is the ice cream with a cherry on top! My wife and I didn’t have any dessert this time but in previous visits we’ve enjoyed cheesecakes and explosions of chocolate delight and of course the obligatory tiramisu.
Finally we come to the bill. For the four of us it was a few pennies under $80 including taxes but excluding tip. I had 3 shandy’s which added considerably to the bill. For the uninitiated amongst you, a shandy is half beer (in this case Stella) mixed with either ginger ale or sprite. It’s about as refreshing a drink as you could hope for especially on a hot sunny day (not that this visit was on a day that was either) and since it’s half and half, you only get half the alcohol which means you can drink twice as much… I’m sure that’s how the logic works. How the logic doesn’t work (and this is true pretty much everywhere I go) is you get charged for a full beer and a full pop, where’s the sense in that? I often ask for a glass of each and then do my own mixing at the table, much to the dismay of the restauranteur.
Overall
Whether you’re a young family or a couple of swinging hipsters (not really sure what they are but it sounds right for this article), Big Papa’s is great for everyone. It’s definitely a favourite of my family and is sure to be a hit with yours. The staff create a friendly and enticing atmosphere and although the food is not too fancy, it’s good and hearty and reasonable value for money. With entertainment while you eat you can easily imagine yourself sat in some Tuscany trattoria. Maybe we’ll see you and your family there again soon!
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Location
Address: 149 Lakeshore Road East
Telephone: 905-338-5880
Hours: Open seven days
About the author: Rikki Wright
Rikki is a Chartered Accountant and Can Partner is his accounting and consulting practice based in Oakville. With associates specializing in Taxation, Payroll, Budgeting and Reporting, Can Partner is well placed to meet all of your finance and accounting needs including bookkeeping. Rikki is also a Certified Quickbooks Pro Advisor and an Excel guru, contact him to arrange training or something more advanced including setup of accounting systems (QB) and development of financial plans and models (internal reporting through Excel).
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