This is a cool place to hang and get a drink. It looks like they have live music being performed here. The crowd that hangs here is young and hipster types are about. I thought the hipster thing was long over but..... read more

The Big Chill Bar - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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I'm gonna do it, first 5 star review of the Big Chill. Honestly, this is my favorite bar so far in London and if it was in LA I think I would go quite often. The Big Chill is located on the awesome Brick Lane, a street overflowing with energy. The Big Chill is the same way. It always seems to be full. The Big Chill attracts a lot of young, hip kids from the shoreditch area who like good drink and good music. Inside it has some of the coolest art/wall design I have seen for a bar. Reminded me if some one took alot of drugs and drew stream of conciousness what they saw at Bestival Music Festival on the Isle of Wight. Check out http://www.bestival.net/ for a taste. Some psychedelic stuff. The Big Chill always plays great music(probably helps they are located right by Rough Trade East) and they often have live DJs and music. They have relatively cheap drinks with a good selections of beers on draft and in bottles. Many times they have great deals like 4 bottles for 10 pounds. Also they just added burgers to their menu and they are more than decent. One of the better burgers I've had in this city. Another big plus is that there is plenty to do in the near by areas. During the day stop by the brick lane or spitalfields markets or enjoy some quality indian food. At night The Big Chill can be a wonderful stop to any night out in Shoreditch. So as of now after more than a couple visits, The Big Chill remains my favorite bar in London. Even if you don't make it to this bar, no trip to London is complete without experiencing Brick Lane. read more

The Big Chill Bar - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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In three plain words: This place sucks. First of all just because we (myself and friends) didn't see the stupid bouncer, he hollered wildly at us to come back so he could check our bags. The grimey looking staff behind the bar weren't very helpful at all. We tried to order some drinks, we started naming some beer brands of the top of our heads, only to be told no bottled beers left just the taps (bare in mind this is in the afternoon on the weekend). The place had a 'wet old rag' stench to it, and to top it all off, I ordered a Mexican Burger which didn't include all the ingredients listed on the menu. They changed the avocado for some 'watery salsa' instead, and guy that served us failed to inform us of this change. Avoid this s**thole like the plague! read more

The Big Chill Bar - The Mexican Burger (No Avacado, they ran out)! - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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Two things you must order from the Big Chill: Fried squid (calamari) with mayo and Sweet potato fries with sweet chili sauce. and possibly get a deal on their happy hour. read more

The Big Chill Bar - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Big Chill is just off Brick Lane, serves up great beats and great drinks in one of the hottest spots in the City. There's lots of outdoor seating out the front which is fabulous in Summer, and there is always a crowd here, no matter what the night. The food here is pretty great - not super-cheap but tasty, and they serve some of the best bar nuts around! Oh, and they have free wi-fi too! Compared to the other, cosier venues around Shoreditch, I think the Big Chill lacks a bit of vibe, and to me isn't the kind of place I'd want to spend a night. But it's a great place to meet with friends, and cool for a couple of drinks to get the night started. Keep an eye on their website for the hottest new DJs that play regularly, and the many events that are run by the Big Chill family. read more

The Big Chill Bar - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

I only stopped in here briefly as I was gagging for a pint after strolling along Brick Lane market and curry land. It was a sunny day so there was only one table left outside, a high table with high chairs that weren't the most comfortable. I was drawn to this place because they had lanterns strung up above the top of the outside seating area which made it look pretty and I'm a girl obvs. We originally just came for a refreshing pint but we happened to be sat directly opposite a food menu on the wall which we saw had on it "Three Mac n Cheese Balls" which we had to order. While we waited, we debated whether this meant it was made with three different types of cheeses, or whether there were three balls. Turns out it was the latter and it was amazing. We'd seen a video a couple of months before of someone American making these and we're intrigued so I'm glad I've finally got to try them - I'd recommend, but don't agree to share them as I foolishly did! read more

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Ugh hate this place! Went on a Saturday night for a friend's birthday. Went to the bar to get a drink for myself & the bday girl and waited 30 min to put my order through. The bartender didn't know how to make drinks and kept looking at paper sheets to see how it's done. He was also sooo slow. His other bartender friends weren't great either, everyone was slow and there was only 3-4 of them working a full bar on a Saturday night. What's worse is their manager (short, blonde girl) was just standing there not helping and yelling at them to take shots instead!! If it wasn't that I promised to get the bday girl a drink, I wouldn't have ordered anything. By the time he FINALLY finished making 3 drinks after 30 min, I told him he is going to take my order next. That's when he told me his manager told him he needs to go to the other side and I can follow him if I wanted to. Absolutely not!! I gave him a word and told my group of 12 girls to leave. Absolutely hate this place and the managers for taking "big chill" too far read more

After the success of The Big Chill Festival, the festival organisers somehow decided the next logical thing to do would be to open up a bar back in London. No clue why they did it, but it was an instant hit and an obvious place for meeting up with friends before taking on Shoreditch or Brick Lane. A few years down the line and now, just like with Spitalfields - it's been slowly taken over by The City and their excesses. It's still a nice place but don't expect it to be cheap or alternative. It's just a loud bar with good music and far far too many people in. Buyer Beware: Claustrophobia TOP TIP: Despite the horrendous crowds the best time to come is on a hot summer's eve. Arrange to meet here but make sure you stop at an offie on the way and bring your own booze. That way you can sit outside with the crowds but drink at one fifth the price. Nice One. read more

Sadly i was only visiting London for the weekend (This review is based on a busy Friday night). My brother had been in here before, and knowing i loved everything House, Post-Dub and funky he had to take me here for some really good music and ridiculous trendiness. I did not want to leave! The beats were amazing. The crowd was like a UN convention for todays youth dressed my Paul Smith on speed, and the prices of drink were bearable too. The setting is perfect... No frills, chairs and tables to the side, but importantly room to sway and dance everywhere else. The bar staff however were slow, and the draft beer ran out. I don't know how that can happen in a 21st century bar. But you come here for the ambiance and great tunes primarily, so i could live with the negativities and only having a bottle instead of a pint. If your more Dan la Sac than Scooter, Public enemy than 50cent, then this is your pub! if not... well your in brick lane so i'm sure you'll live... read more

I went there with friends on Saturday night (we were on Brick lane and we were thirsty). The place was quite busy when we arrived and a lot busier when we left. The decor inside is quite interesting: one of the walls has a big scenery / painting on, the floor is just concrete. One of my friends thought that the bar was just opened and that they hadn't had time to finish work inside. The bar prices are clear thanks to the blackboards on the wall above the bar and menus on the bar. I wasn't super amazed by the range of beer (bottles and tap) nor by the range of cocktails, but the prices were average for a London place. We went outside as some of us were smoking. It was actually packed there and some seats were quite difficult to access due to the number of tables and benches almost all stuck to each others. There were bouncers at the entrance and we observed them checking people's bags and ID and also rejecting some clearly very drunk young men to keep everyone in a good mood inside. All in all, I thought the place was OK, maybe a bit young and too cool for me but I may want to try it again when I am not as exhausted as I was on Saturday so I can actually try a few of the cocktails or maybe even go there during the week and enjoy the happy hour! read more

Some people are kind of harsh about the big chill, but being from LA I feel pretty at home in this cozy east end spot. The place doesn't lie, it's a great spot to chill. the drink list is pretty simple, the food looks pretty standard, and the music is quite alight. The crowd varies depending on the day, but it usually draws a young hipster demographic. It is definitely somewhere I will return to again during my three month stay in London, especially if i'm feeling a little homesick. read more

Great space and great location. Lots of couches and comfy lounging space and the burger was good, too. The bar is long and, when I was there for their birthday party, all hands were on deck making the wait time almost nonexistent. Three of the four staff members I interacted with were excellent (the other one was a low-talker, which is not conducive to a bar/club environment). I would definitely return. read more

Big Chill Bar is cosy and cool, with plenty of seating and a great range of drinks - and some pretty sweet looking bar snacks (bacon and maple syrup popcorn anyone?). I've only ever been for drinks, but I am definitely looking forward to partaking in some food next time around. And really, where else could you expect to be treated to a random pop-up performance complete with saxophones - plural and a rap solo? Oh and a special mention to the DJ, he may have been 60+ but he was easily the coolest person in the place. read more

I wouldn't say this would be the first place I'd go if my intention was to have a 'big chill'. Whether the namers of this bar meant that to be the case, I'll never know. But it is somewhere I'd arrange to meet friends before a curry again. It was packed last night, and it's easy to see why. One of a few bars on Brick Lane, it's a good place to meet friends after work on a night out. It's dimly lit and is more a dingy hang-out than most of the pubs I frequent, but it's well located within the curry houses and serves a decent selection of beverages. I've yet to go in a quiet period. Either because they don't exist or I have a job. Probably the latter. read more

I always used to come here when I first moved to London. My love for this place slowly fizzled out. Mainly because its just way too crowded to ever be fun anymore. You are constantly being pushed around and hit by people..... Its nice on a weekday as you can actually have a seat ouside and 'Chill' but in the evening it is anything but chilled! Saturday night forget it! Still - they do play good music - soul, funk, motown, old school hip hop mostly. Nice cocktails and some good wines on offer. The bar snacks are quite nice too. The falafal is super yummy and the sweet potato fries are delish! Just too crowded and full of drunken tourists to be any fun for me anymore..... go on a Monday or Tuesday eve or weekday if you can. read more

I actually really like this place, it's very "chill" you can be inside or outside, lots of people though...drinks are nice, too much ice in my mojito though :( nice dj, the crowd is very umm hipster/artsy. I'm down to come back again. read more

Oohh I like this place more every time I go. Previous visits were; a busy Saturday night, a hungover Sunday afternoon and a post-work Friday night bender. Upshot from those visits? Yeah, what you expect; Busy, CHILLED and manic for those three jaunts, respectively. Stumbled (literally) back here last night on a Thursday. The music was juicy yet refrained and the clientele was jumbled yet eager to have fun. A healthy mix of suits, shoreditchers and students combined with the DJ being let of his leash further and further as the hours passed resulting in some crazy tie-round-head dirty dancing with a random. Space for dancing I hear you shriek! Yes indeed! Thursday night affords you a little more breathing room but the same thirst for looseness as a Friday. Happy days. (Sore head today). read more

Hipster, kooky, crowded, a little strange, and maybe a bit excessive on security (a card-scanning machine that takes your picture at the entrance, and bouncers trolling through the bar throughout an average Friday night? Full-on, if you ask me), Big Chill Bar is admittedly a place I only go to if I'm on Brick Lane and can't be bothered to get any more creative/adventurous/further away from my flat. Drinks are London-priced, cocktails are pretty strong, there's a good variety of draught beer, and the hundreds of empty glasses laying around here are never left on the floor for more than five minutes (wanna know why? Because the bar makes the people training for jobs here/the new people once they've gotten the job pick them up continuously throughout their entire first few shifts here. I almost worked here...and this is what made me change my mind. Good job, guys, you are troopers). Anyway, I digress. Big Chill Bar is fine, there's no cover, the music's pretty funky and good, and it's...well...chill...to chill here on the picnic tables during warm summer weekend days. read more

I am a big fan of the Chill Bar. Ok, sometimes it smells a bit like wee and there's not enough room to spin a budgie let alone a cat, but every time I've been here I've had a great night. Cocktails are delicious, beers reliable and they have a half decent wine list to boot! The music in the Big Chill is always loud and always 'chillleeeed'- heavy soul beats and mo town classics. Food is generally pretty decent although the tapas is overpriced for what you get. During the week though there is a pretty good £5 lunch deal (meal and a soft drink) which makes it all a bit more worth it. I'm most likely to head to the Big Chill for a few early drinks before heading somewhere else as sometimes it does just get silly busy here. Generally however, I like buzz, I like the booze and I like the big chill. read more

This place is a bit too hipster for me, but the drinks are good, the servers nice, and on a sunny weekend day - it's one of the best places to sit outside under the awning and people watch for the afternoon. Whenever I've been here it's been in relatively large parties and people are nice and accommodating there - though there might not always be benches or plastic bucket seats available. The place gets quite crowded mid-to-late afternoon, so be ready for a crowd (a bouncer shows up as well). The drinks are unique and tasty, and even though I'm a manly drink kind of guy - you might have spotted me with a non-manly drink a few times, because they sounded damn delicious and they bloody were. Overall not a bad place to spend a sunny weekend afternoon of boozing. read more

Fun and vibrant! This bar is the ultimate place to be most nights of the week. An interesting line up of DJ's through the week. Friday and Saturday nights are packed with people filling the whole inside and outside of the venue. Huge big wooden tables and benches surrounded with big gas heaters ensure warmth and comfort during the winter months and endless sun worshipping during the summer months. Mulled wine is served from now until after Christmas aiding in the festive spirit! The food is perfect for both sharing with delicious nachos, calamari and chips and also individual meals include bug tasty burgers and chips! Perfect for a first date, leather sofas indoors but open space so the atmosphere is relaxed and chatty. Also for after work drinks or just a big night out with friends - caters for all. To top it off the staff are very friendly! read more

The Big Chill Bar is the sister of the larger Big Chill House located in King's Cross. It is also the child of the Big Chill record label and, of course, the Big Chill festival. Big Chill seeks out, and largely accomplishes, to do exactly what it says on the tin by bombarding its clientele with comfy chairs, comfort food and relaxing beats. Walking inside past the outdoor seating (very nice on summer nights with the patio heaters) it takes a little while for ones eyes to adjust to the dark red glow which lights the majority of the large, open-plan layout. Directly in front of you sits the DJ booth which features a host of talent from the record label (remember this is the label that launched Zero 7) and better yet is continually occupied meaning that more often than not you're gonna here something you've never heard before. Behind the booth is the bar where drinks, whilst being quite expensive, are many and varied and which serves, also expensive, but delicious food. If your pockets are a bit light you may not want to linger for long but the Big Chill is worth a visit for the music alone. read more

I went here today for the second time and had a lovely lunch. Last time I went it was sunny and we sat outside which was really nice but it was raining inside so we had to go indoors. This is a cool place for drinks but inside smells really strongly of beer so doesn't really feel like you're in an eating establishment. It was pretty empty when we arrived at 12 but by the time we left at 2pm the place was jammed with Sunday drinkers. I had a falafel pitta which was served with a few chips and salad. The falafel was delicious but half of the chips were cold which was annoying. Also it was kinda pricey at £6.50. The staff are efficient but I found them a little irritating; they were too cool for school and we were really getting in the way of their fun. However, the music was cool and although the service was mildly annoying, it is all part of the Big Chill theme of not giving a damn i suppose. I'd probably go again, but its not the best of the Brick Lane establishments. read more

The Big Chill Bar - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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The Big Chill is good. It lives up to its name by being very relaxed and providing a laid back atmosphere to chill out in. In the summer when it gets busy there's a great atmosphere and people spill out on to Dray Walk mixing in with the Café 1001 crowd. In the winter they have heaters to huddle around outside if you can't find space inside. The food is pretty good, good burgers and sarnies and they have the usual selection of drinks but the Big Chill offers nothing more than your standard good bar. I'd rather spend my time and money in the bars that offer something a little extra like Café 1001 or Vibe Bar around the corner. I don't want to give it a bad review because it is a nice place and the staff are pretty friendly and welcoming but there are more inventive and unique styled places in this area that offer more in atmosphere, music, food or interior decor. read more

Came here with some friends when I was traveling to London, but I really wish that I had come here before while I was living in London! We had a great time. We went on a Thursday night, and it wasn't too crowded, just the right amount of people. The music was house style but we didn't feel like dancing much and were able to snag some of the couches for our group. There was a decent beer selection, but it could have been cheeper, then again it's London. The bar staff was alright, the first beer I had wanted on tap needed to be changed and since it was all tiny girls at the time and they were having a hard time lifting the barrel, she gave me a free one which was really nice of her. That night there seemed to be an interesting crowd including a guy that looked like he was dressed up at Santa, but no beard and was skinner and was there a month and a half early. Very tendy and hipster otherwise. Had a really nice time, when I come back to London I would definitely try to check it out again! read more

Super cute Barrrrr with amazingly comfy couches. The djs are great and so is their drink options. They have more drink options than food options. Come prepared to chill, sip and dance. read more

The Big Chill, more like the Big Squeeze which requires the Great Escape by the time you've barged your way past oodles of beer-starved Ditchsiders ogling the totty and circumnavigating the (lack of) space for a comfy recliner on which to look cool. This is my least favourite offering on the Dray Walk drag, the cocktails are over priced and watered down and the Sunday roast is rather average, in comparison to the increasingly high local standards. The long tables opposite open booth facing seats also wobble lots, so get ready for a beer shower if your reflexes aren't as sharp as Navratilova's. More swagger than social, go on a weekday when you can breathe freely and saunter at ease. read more

The Big Chill Bar - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

The Big Chill Bar is seen by many East Londoners that I know as a handy place to know about if you want a lively, almost 'clubby' bar environment, but without having to deal with the long, boring queues and entry charges that come with getting into popular clubs. There are always twice as many people outside of the bar as inside, thanks to a very generously sized veranda, covered by a huge red awning to stop revellers from getting soaked in the rain that is an inevitable part of living in England. Note to those who are not from east London and want to take the cab all the way over here for a night out: The Big Chill is a useful litmus test for what the rest of the East will be like on a given night. If this bar is quiet, it'll be a ghost town by time you get to Dalston, complete with eerie sounds and tumbleweed. I always forget the fact they have a good range of white beers here; it looks like one of those lager bars and I did it again last night, ordering from their wine list (which is actually quite reasonable. Some predictable staples, like Chilean Merlot but I also recall a decent Muscat and a Sangiovese too) when I could have had half a pint of Erdinger. Last night the music was folksy, strange and curiously un-danceable, but don't let that put you off; they usually have very bouncy accessible house music playing at full volume. If you work near Brick Lane it's the ideal place to go to get ready for the weekend. read more

Do you like Bloody Marys? I do. If you do too, then you might like the ones served up at the Big Chill. Seriously, they are not my favorite drink. Why anyone would want tomato juice and vodka seems silly to me. But add all the fancy spices and veggies and I'm in. For some reason, the one thing I crave when I think Big Chill is... I.WANT.A.BLOODY.MARY.NOW. Strange. So the vibe is good, the seating can be a bit hard to get, but it's a fun crowd. I prefer Sunday afternoon stops while I'm out at the market, but evenings and weekends are good too. read more

Doesn't exactly do what it says on the tin here. Was here 2 night in a row recently. A Saturday night (loud kind of house music) and Sunday (loud Reggae music) so chilling out was not on the agenda. I think it should be re-named the "Broken Glass". Every couple of minutes somebody was breaking a glass on the plain concrete floor. Not for the sandal or open toed footwear wearing patron. Clientele seemed friendly and people were chatty. Prices seemed reasonable and special offers displayed on chalk boards up at the rear of the bar. Sectioned off smoking area at the front. All in all a small bit grotty but maybe that's the look they are going for and oh yeah the sound and feel of broken glass. Might be back but would depend on who was with me and if they wanted to go there. read more

I've eaten here a handful of times, mostly while doing work round the corner at Interxion. Decent quality burgers, pretty reasonably priced too. The sweet potato fries with sweet chili sauce are quite good as well. My favorite is the Smokey, but skip the relish and onions. Nice spot to stop for a pint and a burger. I expect it's quite loud in the evenings, but then again, I'm not into the club scene there... read more

A couple of colourful tacky chinese lanterns are not going to distract me from the sticky floors and aggressive DJ. I went on a Saturday Night, but I've heard its much nicer during the day. It's not expensive in general, but for those prices you could afford to go somewhere nicer. In a city full of places to go, it didn't really catch my imagination. All the staff were lovely, the drinks were full of extra sweet nothingness and if you're not careful they will fill your entire drink with ice, but at least the alcohol portions are somewhat generous. The level of hygiene is not great, but what do you expect really? It's not incredibly upmarket, more hipster grimy; it brought back flashbacks of scummy student unions and cheap bars I used to visit underage. The bouncers are okay, but at a certain time they actually close off the street, so if you leave it's almost impossible to get back in. We were there for a friends birthday and had to walk a different drunk friend home, and coming back they were NOT letting us through. We eventually got back in after some begging from the Birthday Girl but it was a bit of a downer to say the least. I don't want to totally slate this place- at the end of the day, it is what it is- but if you're gonna spend that kind of money on drinks, go somewhere nicer, if, like us, you stick to the cheap drinks because you can't afford it, go to Spoons. If you want to get completely wasted and dance to early noughties music; this is your place! read more

Sister bar to the bigger Big Chill House in Kings Cross, the Big Chill Bar is substantially different to hold it's own head high whilst retaining the brilliance of it's comrade. The bar is long so service is quick, the drinks menu is great and their are tables to dine which is recommended if you get a chance. On weekends, especially Sunday day, this place is crammed with people listening to the cool DJ's and it is one of the best venues in the East End. GRab a large group and go! read more

The only thing going for this place is the music. And thats probably because youre so intoxiated, you dont care what you dance to. Arrived there just after 10pm, so had to pay the £10 entry fee. There were no queues when my friend and i got there so we just went straight up to the door. However, as it was raining, we wanted to step under the little verranda before showing ID. But the bouncers didnt like that at all! The place was really rammed out once inside. The only bar was the downstairs one, which was useless as the crowds were huge and the staff were slow. At times they didnt even know what a malibu was! The toilets remained unkempt and by the end of the night there was loo roll everywhere! Overall, not a great night, and wouldnt go again. read more

The big chill bar, a very cool spot on brick lane. Love the laid back vibe you catch in the area which continues inside. The decoration and lighting works well at night and day in the summer and winter. Easy come easy go with tables and seating and dance floor and food. But I have to say I wasn't happy with the kitchen closing before 9pm. When I'm surely not the only one with food requests. None the less check this place out incredibly cool music for all. read more

The Big Chill Bar - Tunes like this on, you know it's a good vibe - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

when i first moved to london, my friends form uni and i were walked in and saw the gold lame celling and the comfie seating. the one thing that got me at this place was the burgers! ah, good burgers for 10quid. the drinks are not bad either. the rum-n-tign is good and this other cocktail that my friend and i always get, but i seem to forget the name. its made with fruit and champaign. yummy! but... the downside, is that it gets packed around 5-6. since its liverpool adjecent the office wrokers pack into this little bar. its a good starter to a good east end night out. so its A-OK! haaahhahahaa read more

Great spot for day time drinking well into the evening. Great location off Brick Lane, good music and a nice crowd. It can get crowded at peak times but that is generally true of alot of good bars in London (or any big city). So recommend at more off peak times (week days, early afternoon). read more

Big Chill is the place where all the homies come to wet their whistles a bit before heading out on the Shoreditch trail. It is a mix of sceansters and city types at the gate to the east end. A must visit if you are out brick lane way read more

drinks : absolutely perfect area: very spacious with couches and quirky drawings all over the walls - lovely outdoor area area (full of smokers) service: well you can't call it service but bar men/women were really nice, attentive and suggesting good drinks atmosphere: cool DJ that seems to be changed every day with different theme in general it's a nice funky place as a change from hotels lounges, traditional pubs and bars enjoyed my sunny Sunday there read more

As a New Yorker, I really enjoyed myself here. It's a really big bar with tons of attractive young people. I felt like I was back in Williamsburg. This really gave me a good impression of London's nightlife. The cocktails weren't bad. This is probably the most popular bar on Brick Lane (from my one night of checking it out). read more