Last updated: April 7, 2023

In the Weeds

by Travis Mullis

The glory days of the fish camp are long gone. Yet, there are still a few places keeping this North Carolina culinary tradition alive, and none better than Big Daddy’s in Mooresville. Calling Big Daddy’s a fish camp doesn’t give it the full credit it deserves. For one, the best thing they do are the oysters they expertly shuck by the hundreds every night, and secondly, there’s not another fish camp out there doing steaks and prime rib at anywhere near the level of Big Daddy’s.

Situated close to River Highway in Mooresville, you can’t miss Big Daddy’s stockcar-bedazzled roof. It would be an added bonus if the restaurant sat directly on Lake Norman, but the mashup of old school fish camp and sophisticated ’70s basement interior design more than make up for this lapse in geography. The navy blue popcorn ceilings go a long way in evoking both the ocean surface and the star studded beach sky just before dawn creeps above the horizon. The wood paneling and gas log fireplace in the center of the main dining room are kitschy in the best possible way, harkening back to when the restaurant first opened its doors in 1974.

It doesn’t escape my critical faculties that most of my thoughts and feelings for Big Daddy’s are wrapped up in nostalgia. It’s the last restaurant my mom ate at with my grandmother, Ila May, before she died in 1977 from complications due to Parkinson’s. It’s where I’ve been eating with my mom and dad and uncles, aunts, and cousins my whole life. It’s a go-to date night spot for me and my wife now that we live in North Mecklenburg. When you visit you can often see two, three, or even four, generations of families sitting down to dinner together at a place they’ve been coming back to for decades. That type of consistency is inspiring — something that every restaurant should aspire to.

If you come on a Monday night, be sure to ask to sit at the oyster bar that runs the perimeter of the main dining room. Mondays bring half off oysters, and it’s best to be seated near the action so you can look on as the staff shuck their way through what seems like thousands of oyster shells. Shucking oysters is an artform and a laborious one at that. You’ll work up an appetite taking in the spectacle and you’ll need it because the oysters at Big Daddy are large, sometimes the size of a fist. I’ve always preferred my oysters raw; I think you lose some of the briny essence once they get that steam bath, but Big Daddy’s is happy to cook your oysters however you’d like. I also like to keep things simple when it comes to toppings: a light shower of lemon juice and just a dash of tabasco is all you need to really make an oyster sing.

Even if you’re less interested in the oyster bar portion of Big Daddy’s, I’d still recommend starting out your meal with their oysters Rockefeller. This classic appetizer of broiled oysters topped with butter, parsley, and breadcrumbs is especially rewarding at Big Daddy’s because their oysters are large enough the oyster meat doesn’t get lost in all those toppings. After you’ve finished the oysters Rockefeller, it’s time to head up to the salad bar and load up your bowl with a little bit of everything. I thought my love of salad bars, a fish camp staple, might have waned since the pandemic hit. I was pleasantly surprised that my mind felt at ease as I peered through the sneeze guard at the vast array of vegetables and other less healthy toppings and myriad vats of dressings.

Here, you can’t go wrong with fried seafood, especially the fried shrimp and fried lobster tail, a dish I haven’t seen at other fish camps. Their seafood has the classic fish camp taste brought on by simple seasoning and a deep fry that imparts flavor and that beautiful golden-brown hue. Red meat lovers needn’t worry. Big Daddy’s does above average steaks and prime rib that any steakhouse would be proud to serve and they let the broiler create a nice char on the outside and top it with a large, crispy onion ring. You can add shrimp, scallops, snow crab, and lobster to any steak if you’re in the mood for surf and turf.

I am somewhat disappointed by their wine menu because red wine is my preferred beverage when enjoying a steak. Their list has some reds but none of which rise above middling taste and quality. However, the cocktail list is cheap and varied enough to make up for this deficiency. You can get a well-made dark and stormy or bloody mary at half the price of what the drinks would cost in Charlotte. They also have Red Oak on tap, a beer I find that goes well with seafood.

On one recent trip to Big Daddy’s, I found myself waiting for long stretches for my food to arrive. I also noticed that the shrimp and flounder had spent a little too much time underneath a heat lamp while my busy waiter ran around tending to too many tables at once. These things happen. As the dust continues to settle from the pandemic, restaurants are going to continue to have to deal with labor shortages.

Though these lags in service and quality did take some of the shine off Big Daddy’s, my thoughts turned warm again as I headed to the exit and found myself strolling through the small store that sits at the exit. Like all the best fish camps, Big Daddy’s has a wide selection of candy for purchase before you leave. I was transported back to my youth when my grandfather, E.P., would let me and my brother Justin pick out whatever candy we wanted to take home with us. Big Daddy’s commitment to this fish camp tradition reinvigorated my love for the place. Nostalgia can go a long way in forming your opinion of restaurants, but Big Daddy’s is still delivering the goods all these years later. I just wish Ila May and E.P. were still here to enjoy it with me.