OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Big Hammock Brewery & Bites merges history, passion and Ocala charm for a unique dining experience on the Ocala Historic Downtown Square. They have been serving the Ocala community for seven years, since opening in May of 2019, bringing their own twist on Asian-style dishes to the area. The name of the restaurant was derived from the Timucua people who knew Ocala as Ocali, which is believed to be translated to “big hammock.”
The restaurant and brewery tie plenty of Ocala history into the rich atmosphere, bringing a comfy and fascinating feel to the interior. Although the interior was inspired by history, Big Hammock brought new flavors to the area. Inspired by travel, owner John Delaney, shared that they began as a noodle shop, bringing a flavor to downtown Ocala that wasn’t established at the time.
“We kind of started our menu with ramen as our base for that menu. We didn’t really have a noodle shop downtown,” Delaney said. “When we were in the planning stages, we also were not real sure what we wanted to do and then we were talking about, kind of, what we always end up doing when we’re in another city. Drinking somewhere and you go find a noodle shop and you slurp on some noodles.”
Although their origin began in noodles, Big Hammock now offers a varied menu including, but not limited to, an array of Eastern-inspired flavors. Appetizers include hot pretzels, gyoza (pot stickers), bao (steamed buns) and cong you bing (scallion pancake). Meals include rice bowls, ramen bowls, broth-less ramen, salads and sandwiches. Along with meals, sides include Mandarin coleslaw, vegetable medley and bags of chips.
“We have a few people that come in, they’re kind of surprised when they see the menu, but it works. All of our stuff, especially ramen, it’s not a traditional thing where you think, ‘I’m going to do ramen and beer,’ but it works. It’s that salty-sweet thing, all those things play together.”
Big Hammock features weekly, almost daily, specials beginning with Tortilla Tuesdays and continuing with Wiener Wednesdays, Impromptu Thursdays and chef specials on Friday and Saturday. Wiener Wednesdays incorporate hotdogs into the menu, Impromptu Thursdays feature special items conjured by a Big Hammock chef and chef specials change weekly, offering new items. This weekend, they will feature smash burgers for the chef special where they will be sourcing grass-fed, hormone-free meat locally from Fort McCoy Ranch.
“We kind of lean into the Asian thing just a little bit.” Delaney stated, “but I always tell people that, you know, our style of food is just delicious food because we do a little bit of everything.”
The interior of the restaurant has a variety of seating with the upper level featuring regular seating in front of large windows and bar seating across the way with an open kitchen. The lower level features high-top seating in the center and booth seating against the back walls. The restaurant is themed to the roots of downtown Ocala as a brick city with wood walls and tables along with brick accents. Delaney shared that the wood is made from cypress and pine trees while interior decorations are inspired and borrowed from Silver River Museum due to the restaurant’s connection with Ocala history. Although the restaurant sees plenty of regulars, the decorations allow new patrons to learn more about the area and the roots that tie into Big Hammock.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” Delaney stated. “We don’t look like a noodle place, right? So, when you come in, try stuff. I think you can extend that to the rest of our downtown, it’s not a giant downtown, but there’s a whole lot of little, cool places to hang around here and I hope that everybody thinks that we’re one of them as well. But that’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to add to that.”
Big Hammock also supports local nonprofits such as the Marion County Literacy Council and Ocala Outreach Foundation through events like Wiener Wars. Wiener Wars is a culinary battle and fundraiser where participants gather at the Ocala Downtown Market and create dishes for guests and judges to vote on. This year marked their fifth event on April 20; they raised more than $30,000 for the two nonprofit organizations. Throughout the five years of this competition, Big Hammock has taken home four of the five Judges’ Choice awards.
Up next for Big Hammock is a collaboration with Fort McCoy Ranch for their monthly farm tour. On Sunday, July 19, anyone who takes the tour will have the opportunity to try out Fort McCoy Ranch’s beef cooked by Big Hammock. The tour will take place at the ranch from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. for $48 per person at 19798 NE HWY 315, Fort McCoy.
Big Hammock is open Tuesday-Thursday from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. The restaurant and brewery is located at 103 E. 1st St., Ocala. To learn more or contact Big Hammock, give them a call at 352-877-8176 or visit their Facebook page here.