If you should ever find yourself in downtown Burlington in need of late night nourishment, Big Daddy’s Pizza, located at 177 Church Street is the place to go. Open from 11 a.m.- 2 a.m. seven days a week, with a laid-back and welcoming atmosphere, Big Daddy’s is an excellent choice for affordable comfort food.

The interior decor of the restaurant is creative and riddled with humor. The walls are covered with a fun cartoon painting made up of the city of Burlington in which cheerful characters with pizza limbs roam the streets.

If you decide to eat in, there are plenty of comfortable booths or bar style seating to choose from. A large bay window similar to that of a garage door looks out on the street, which opens in the summer, contributing to a pleasant dining experience. Painted above the main entrance is the message “Be Nice,” which gives you a good idea of the environment inside.

Big Daddy’s specializes in pizza, however, there are many other tasty options including a variety of wings, burgers, subs, salads, sweet treats and deep fried delicacies all for a reasonable price.

On this particular day, in addition to a small “tree hugger” pizza, I ordered an eggplant parmesan sub and also tried their meatball sub, each for $10.49. This may seem a little pricey until you see the serving size. Their subs and everything on the menu come as a hearty serving often perfect for splitting with a friend. This rich eggplant sub consisted of a warm fluffy breaded exterior filled with thinly sliced crispy eggplant and oozed with a generous amount of melty mozzarella cheese.

My only criticism of Big Daddy’s subs is that they could use more filling within the sandwich. With the basic, yet satisfying components of thick bread and generous amounts of mozzarella Big Daddy’s subs could greatly benefit from a more generous amount of eggplant and meatballs to match their robust exterior.

Being that Big Daddy’s is a primarily pizza oriented, they make a large variety of pies ranging from simple classics to topping heavy options such as the “carnivore” or the “tree hugger.” From my experience indulging in the tree hugger, I found their dough to be on the thin side yet still maintained a fluffy satisfying texture. Settled on top of, again generous amounts of mozzarella, were crunchy green peppers, fresh tomatoes, sauteed onions, mushrooms, black olives and vibrant broccoli – all of which contributed to an almost overwhelming mix of flavors. .

Perhaps the pie could have used a bit more sauce, and could have been cooked a few minutes longer; however, I was happy with the serving of a 14” pie for $14.75. You can also get a 16” pie for $17.99 or 20” pie for $22.00.

By far though, my favorite on the menu, and what keeps me coming back, are their jalapeno poppers, which top all others I have tried at every restaurant in the area. For $8.49 you can get an 8-piece appetizer order that will not disappoint any popper lover. The breading of these poppers is not uniform, giving them a homemade appearance consistent with their flavor of fresh cream cheese and zesty jalapenos; perfect if you are looking for a mildly spicy kick.

More notable aspects of Big Daddy’s Pizza are that for one they serve breakfast all day, and secondly their delivery service runs right up until they close. You can’t find very many places that are open until 2 a.m. and deliver in the Burlington area that late.

Another quality to Big Daddy’s, which I touched upon earlier, is their unique approach to the business with a spectacular sense of humor. For example, In their dessert list, which is quite extensive, you can buy a “420 brownie” for only $2.70. Although it is merely a normal brownie they have put a comical spin on its title giving the establishment that much more character.

The employees who work at Big Daddy’s, even nearing the end of their late night shift, are friendly and professional. It only took about 10 minutes to get my order and their delivery service is also reasonable, never taking more that 30-40 minutes.

I would recommend Big Daddy’s Pizza to anyone looking for a good, warm and filling meal in a unique yet comfortable atmosphere at a reasonable price. And don’t forget their sense of humor, which is evident even on their menu, from the “tree hugger” pizza to the 420 brownie.