Want to score a Super Bowl party TD? Order the biggest pizza in Lexington.
When Big City Pizza opened in 2014, the owners hoped their restaurant would be a hit. But they had no idea how big a hit one particular pie on the menu could be.
What they came up with is the Big Bambino. At 28 inches, it is easily the biggest pizza in Lexington.
Co-owners Brittany and Curtis Gordon of Richmond and Brooke and Johnny Hunt of Lexington opened their first Big City Pizza building on years of experience at pizza restaurants.
When they decided to go out on their own, Curtis Gordon thought up the restaurant name and theme, which alludes to New York and Chicago since they have both hand-tossed and deep-dish styles.
Johnny Hunt began testing dough and sauce recipes. He’d always wanted to do a really big pizza. So the Big Bambino, the nickname for Yankees baseball player Babe Ruth, was born.
“If you’re going to do it, try to do it as big as you can,” Hunt said. “Feed as many people as you can. That’s what we’re here for.”
The first location opened in Nicholasville in 2014. In 2016, they added the Lexington location on Chinoe Road, and in 2020 they added locations in Richmond in February and Danville in October.
Since COVID hit in March 2020, demand for takeout has increased and dining in for restaurants remains limited or closed, as is the case at Big City. Despite the pandemic, or maybe even because of it, business “is going great,” Brooke Hunt said. “It was easier because we were set up already for takeout and delivery.”
On weekends, it isn’t uncommon to see a half dozen or more customers waiting patiently (or not so patiently, depending on how hungry they are) in cars in the Chinoe Center Shopping Center parking lot for their pizzas to be ready.
And several times a week, someone is there to pick up a Big Bambino or two. Big City sells at least one of the giant pizzas a day, said Johnny Hunt. Some locations sell 15 a week, depending on season. And it’s always a bit of a moment.
“We’ve never had anyone see it come out and say, ‘oh, I thought it would be bigger,’” he said. “That don’t happen.”
For comparison, Goodfellas Pizzeria, which is also known for its big hand-tossed pizzas, tops out at 22 inches. A large pie at a typical pizza joint is around 16 inches.
So how big is 28 inches?
Big enough people often have to clean out their trunk to fit it in the car. Big enough that it can feed at least 10 adults. Big enough that Big City has to special order a box for it.
“Any bigger and it won’t fit through the door,” Brooke Hunt said.
“Back when the dining room was open, every time we carried one out, everyone would go quiet or everyone start laughing when they’d see how big the pizza would be,” Brittany Gordon said.
Once, Curtis Gordon said, someone showed up to pick one up in a two-seater. A Big City delivery driver offered to follow her home instead.
So come prepared: When we ordered one, the box took up most of the trunk area of a mid-sized SUV. It definitely takes two hands to carry and maybe two people. And expect to have to tilt it to get it in your house.
They cut the Big Bambino into 3-inch squares to make the pieces manageable and easier for a crowd. And unless you’re feeding a Little League team, you will have leftovers.
By volume, the pizza is more than twice as big as two 14-inch large pizzas, so it takes more than twice the dough, sauce, cheese and other toppings. It’s price is $34.99 per pizza, and $4.99 per topping.
But that’s a lot of comfort food. Which makes it a popular right now.
“I feel like during COVID we have been selling a lot more than we did prior to COVID,” Brittany Gordon said.
Making the Big Bambino is a bit of a challenge, requiring a lot of dough stretching. And it takes up the entire pizza oven for a good 10 minutes while it bakes.
So Big City prefers people order in advance so they can schedule around it.
If they have to make two or three in a row, that creates a bit of a traffic jam, Curtis Gordon said.
The biggest season for giant pizzas is pretty much right now: “The Super Bowl, New Year’s Eve and Halloween are our biggest times of the year,” Johnny Hunt said.
Big City Pizza
Where: 1060 Chinoe Rd, Suit 128 in Lexington, with locations in Nicholasville, Richmond and Danville
Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday in Lexington (hours vary by location)
Call: 859-554-7343
Online: Bigcitypizzaky.com; Facebook.com/Bigcitypizzachinoe
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
