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    Big Chill Surf Cantina

    4.2 (63 reviews)
    ModerateBars
    Open • 12:00 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)
    Updated a few days ago

    Big Chill Surf Cantina Photos

    BIG CHILL SURF CANTINA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Live music
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Big Chill Surf Cantina

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    Lower Case Blues and a message from the universe, well, Jeopardy.
    Janet P.

    Well, chill IS in the name. Great music in this small quirky favorite spot. Plenty of locals. With a pub license, 21 and up only, food is from a food truck (or bring something from a nearby eatery). Sporting a few local brews on tap, the mixed drinks feature the crushes and margaritas but nothing weird and fluffy or smoky. The waitstaff hustle the drinks, just go to the bar and order. Open air places are popular with the smokers and it's easy to mingle between spaces. Tiny parking lot, so extra spots are across the road behind Pat's.

    people sitting at tables
    Elizabeth C.

    My family and I traveled to the Deleware shore with our dog. We were very happy to see so many planes being dog friendly. Big Chill Surf Cantina went the extra mile to make our dog feel welcome and just as important as us! So many stafff members approached and asked to pet our dog. You can tell everyone is super chill there and welcoming. The food truck, Reho Taco was excellent quality and presentation. Get the loaded fries! We will def be back next summer with our dog, Koby!

    2 drinks.  Cheap!
    Nisha B.

    A Chill ass spot. For adults. Dogs allowed. There were some large games to play (Jenga, Connect 4 etc.) No food here, but there was a popular food truck right on the lot (which was sooo good!!) . Drinks were reasonably priced. Good 90s music. Great time! Come here!

    Great bar
    TJ B.

    This is an awesome bar! It is warm, well decorated, a great space to hangout inside and out, and they make a pretty earnest attempt to provide good food considering the limited resources at their disposal. First, the bar is awesome. The kind of place you want to hang out. Plenty of stools, some tables, a comfortable sitting area and games to enjoy. Decorated with signs, boards, bumpers and surf memorabilia. Then, if you go outside, you find two gorgeous sitting areas that also have plenty of greenery, space to sit, and comfortable seating. You can easily forget that the bar is right next to route 1. The bar is 5 stars (they also have a solid list of good local music entertainment) and the food is 3 stars, although they are making a really good attempt, considering everything is prepared by the bartender in a small space. I had 4 small things, I'll go over them briefly... The tacos are about $4 each and served on a small flour tortilla. They are kind of small for the price and don't come with anything but a small amount of toppings. They could even top these out with more cabbage, salsa, a lime, some chips, etc. that would make them seem more filling and worth $4. The pulled pork taco was awesome. Up there with the best smoked pulled pork BBQ that I have had. Really good flavor. The fish taco was a solid attempt, but was a bit bland. I guess that is good for fish (it was NOT fishy! nor fried) but didn't have a lot of flavor. More spices or condiments would kick this up. All that said, the fact that you can get some fresh made unique tacos after a day at the beach and enjoy them with an ice cold Pacifico? That's solid. Nicely done. I also got a small plate of chips and guacamole. The guac sucked. No way to sugar coat that. It was smooth instead of chunky and didn't have a lot of flavor. It tasted like mass produced quac you'd get from a jar, but I suspect it was just made in a food processor or blender. More salt and lime would do wonders...and some avocado chunks, but maybe that's just my preference. Not worth the price, try the salsa out. The chips were unique. Crisp but not crunchy. A change from what you usually get so that made it nice. A little more oily than your average chip, though. Anyway, it is the kind of place you want to hang out and wish you had closer to home. I will most definitely be back. Give it a try!

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    3 months ago

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    5 months ago

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    Christian C.

    Thank you for the 5-star review!

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    27 days ago

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    10 months ago

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    Christian C.

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    4 months ago

    We love this place. Great service, fun atmosphere. Great place to hang out, have a meal, listen to live music.

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    8 months ago

    Always fun here! Like the vibe it's very chill good for a couple of drinks. We've been to listen to bands and to play trivia.

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    Christian C.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Bloody Mary is awesome with some Old Bay Mix!!always great service and you can bring your dog and hangout in a cool calm atmosphere

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    5 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

    I always have a ball when I go to cantina. Drinks are good. Staff are cool. Great spot for the locals. Highly recommend

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    6 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    5 years ago

    First time there this week. Friendly place. Fantastic service. Band was Lower Case Blues and they were great. We'll be back.

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    7 years ago

    Love this place but they really need to replace the outdoor couch cushions. Then it would be five stars.

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    Tom L.

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    7 years ago

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Big Chill Surf Cantina

    Review Highlights - Big Chill Surf Cantina

    “Definitely stays true to their name Big Chill!!”

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    The Local Bootlegging - The Pablo!

    The Local Bootlegging

    4.4(101 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    •$$

    What a fantastic evening at The Local Bootlegging Company Speakeasy in Rehoboth Beach! The food was…read moreoutstanding, the drinks were incredible, and the service was second to none. A special thank you to Peter "Pan" for making our night so memorable. Not only were the cocktails delicious, but watching him craft those amazing bourbon creations was an experience in itself. We will definitely be taking an Uber next time so we can fully indulge in even more of those exceptional bourbon cocktails! Thank you for a wonderful evening. We can't wait to come back!

    **in response to the owners comment, we never met you. We didn't send food back nor did we request…read morenew food, and you, nor anyone else EVER brought me any additional drink on the house. I only had the one I paid for. There's no need to lie, bad days happen. This is not a speakeasy, this is a restaurant cosplaying as a speakeasy. That may be a bit harsh, it's a speakeasy in training. Sure, it's got all of the speakeasy decor, blackout curtains over the windows and doors, and a big selection of pedestrian liquor but it's not quite there. We went in on an early evening on Wed and there were maybe 5 other patrons in there. Our waitress was nice and brought us water to the high top. She brought us two food menus, and a specials menu. I asked for a bourbon list and she brought it; no prices on the list. Annoying. On the specials menu there was a small section of manager recommended drinks and one was a Willet. The way it was written was confusing because it said it was both a 4 year and 14 year for $52, so I asked for clarification on the age statement. She took the menu to the barkeep, who confirmed it was a 14 year so I said yes I'll have that. A drink was brought to me, but I could tell from the taste that it was not what I ordered. I asked the waitress for the bottle, she asked the guy behind the bar for the bottle and he pulled down a willet pot still bottle (pot still is the entry level Willet and at best a 5 dollar pour, no where near what I asked for). I told her that I was given the wrong drink, then she approached the bar and between her, and the male and female bartenders they had a weird back and forth conversation. Then, finally they pulled down the bottle that I asked for, that was advertised, and gave me a pour of it. I asked to see the bottle and the waitress brought it over but held it instead of putting it on the table (it was a 13 year Willet, Paper Trail). As we were about to order we were told that they reset the menu the very day before, with the focus of putting more love and care into the food. Feeling good about that, we ordered the French quarter catfish and the bourbon braised short ribs. The corn that came with the short ribs tasted straight out of a store bought steamable pouch, and the "ribs" weren't ribs at all, just sliced meat. The only redeemable thing about the catfish dish was the aioli; the rice had no flavor, the corn was cold and hard, and the catfish was mostly breading. We both took a few bites and resigned. I have been to many speakeasies around the US, and there are common themes: a much better selection of liquor; 95% of the bourbon were low tier bottles you can find in any liquor store for around $50. Also, when customers ask for the bottle, it isn't because we plan to steal it or drink from it, its because we're genuinely interested in the information on the labels. The quickest way to get people to stop spending money is to make them feel as if they can't be trusted touching a bottle. Perhaps it was an off day for the staff and this wasn't a typical experience, but I won't go back.

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    The Local Bootlegging
    The Local Bootlegging
    The Local Bootlegging - The Local Bootlegging Company

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    The Local Bootlegging Company

    Purple Parrot Grill - French fries were good (they are potatoey). I think I'd like a little more crisp to them, but personal preference.

    Purple Parrot Grill

    3.3(630 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    •$$

    Two things I have to plug at this vibrant dive bar: - They…read morehave fresh squeezed citrus! Grapefruit, lime, orange Couldn't be better with some Casamigos! - Their crab soup comes as a cream based option. Most places around here only have Maryland crab soup, which is red/broth based. Here the Creamy Crab Soup is rich and creamy with nice lumps of crab. So good!!

    We popped into this restaurant for a Sunday evening meal and happened to arrive about an hour and a…read morehalf before a drag show was scheduled to start. We were seated in a split booth setup in the corner of the restaurant. It felt a little tight walking between the tables, and the seating itself wasn't particularly cushioned/super comfortable. We thought the decor with personalized dollar bills covering the walls was definitely creative, and the low lighting added to the overall dive-bar atmosphere. The bathrooms were gross. The trash was overflowing, and there was an unpleasant smell. Those could definitely use some more cleaning. I only used one of them the single stall rooms but I felt bad because it looked like some of the performers were using the bathrooms to get changed before the show. If the other bathrooms were similar, I wouldn't particularly enjoy having to get ready in there. There were lots of unique mixed drink options that matched theme of the bar. I ordered the "Blueberry Lemonade," which I enjoyed. Some people at our table ordered the "Mudslide" and felt it could have been more chocolate rather than tasting primarily like cookies and cream. The food was actually pretty good. I ordered the "Parrot Burger," while my partner got a Cheesteak. The presentation was nice when everything was brought to the table, and the plates and utensils appeared clean. The only minor note was that someone at our table noticed a gnat taking a swim in her drink at one point, although that could have come from anywhere. The standout item for us was definitely the chicken tenders we ordered as an appetizer. When we recapped the meal the next morning for the people who hadn't gone, those were the item we all agreed were the best! We also listed it as one of the best food items we ordered the whole trip. Everything came out in a timely manner, and the appetizer was served appropriately before our entrées. Service was generally helpful. Despite the restaurant being loud, the servers spoke loudly and clearly enough that we could understand them. However, after finishing the meal, we ended up waiting a while to flag down our server for boxes and to pay the bill. Overall, this is a fun dive-bar experience, especially if you're interested in a late- night spot or the local entertainment, but I wouldn't come here expecting a polished sit-down dining experience. The food was solid and the drinks were vibey.

    Photos
    Purple Parrot Grill - Inside area

    Inside area

    Purple Parrot Grill - Old Bay Wings

    Old Bay Wings

    Purple Parrot Grill - The inside-- the walls are dripping with money

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    The inside-- the walls are dripping with money

    Big Chill Surf Cantina - bars - Updated September 2026

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