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    Big Chill Surf Cantina

    4.3 (62 reviews)
    ModerateBars
    Closed 12:00 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)
    Updated 2 months ago

    Big Chill Surf Cantina Photos

    BIG CHILL SURF CANTINA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Live music
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups

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    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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    2 months ago

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    Christian C.

    Thank you for the 5-star review!

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    7 months ago

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    Christian C.

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    28 days 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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    5 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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    1 year 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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    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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    4 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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    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

    The Local Bootlegging

    The Local Bootlegging

    4.4
    (69 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    Overall had a great experience here and would suggest people stop in for themselves…read more We walked in a few nights before Christmas and it appeared to be just finishing a huge rush. Sat relatively fast and our server (forget his name) gave us a heads up that the kitchen was behind. We ordered then expecting to wait but the food came out very fast. Everyones meals were excellent, from the pork belly appetizer, burgers, seared fish sandwich, huuge hot dog, and nachos. Our server was very attentive and got us everything we needed quickly. Overall a very good experience and would go again when in town.

    **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.

    Photos
    The Local Bootlegging
    The Local Bootlegging
    The Local Bootlegging Company

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    The Local Bootlegging Company
    Freddie’s Beach Bar

    Freddie’s Beach Bar

    3.5
    (30 reviews)
    2.3 mi

    My burger was good. The patty was hand made and nicely seasoned. The fries were fresh and lightly…read moreseasoned. My husband had the margarita flatbread, which he liked. It was crisp though he sort of wished the cheese had melted a bit more (it was fine, imo). The waiter was reasonably prompt, though definitely not pushy or hovering. Service undoubtedly has its ups and downs in a vacation town and this guy, while a bit inexperienced, took his job seriously. The settling was meh. We were seated in a lonely table at the edge of the dance floor. We just lacked having a spotlight thrown on us. The Barbie theme was well done. The location is excellent, one block from the beach and next to the center drive.

    I used to come here all the time to enjoy a queer atmosphere with my partner but the management and…read morestaff turn around is insane. We have seen staff touched inappropriately with nothing done about it, servers and bartenders have been rude and hard to track down, and it gets so packed during drag or any event that it is hard to leave or even move. I have seen countless people get sick as well from being over served. The food is fine but is pricey for bar food. It has been a let down time and time again and now it is labeled as a straight-friendly queer bar? Will not be returning and we are locals which is a shame since we are queer and want to be going to queer establishments. Please do better with staff and service. Thank you.

    Photos
    Freddie’s Beach Bar
    Freddie’s Beach Bar
    Freddie’s Beach Bar

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    Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats

    Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats

    3.9
    (1.5k reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    We were told this was THE place to try in Rehoboth and I can only repeat the recommendation! We…read morecame for lunch on a chilly drizzly day and the tomato soup was deeply comforting and a huge pile of cheese on top. Service was quick and personable which is really not that common anymore. Pickle chips were super tasty with a good sauce. We aren't beer drinkers but the warm cocktail was also delicious and another blanket of comfort. We both had sandwiches and both barely finished half, the portions are worth 2 regular or 3 small meals! The chicken could have used more seasoning but it was plenty. The salmon burger was also huge and perfectly cooked. What everyone knows to be true is- you want to be fed well and have a great time trying new drinks, definitely check out Dogfish.

    We were here for an early lunch on a May Monday. Nice casual interior decor. Dogfish Head…read moreconsistently delivers good beer. The food and service were just okay. I had the Rhinestone Cowboy burger, which was seasoned well and medium rare, but it was dry, especially around the edges. The bbq sauce was delicious. The fries were ok but not crispy. The other one had Korean tacos, which were also just okay. We tried the Coconut Etiquette beer, which as very refreshing and not as fruity as expected, which is a good thing; very subtle coconut notes. Wouldn't go back.

    Photos
    Great open area
    Great open area
    Another shot of the shrimp tacos!
    Another shot of the shrimp tacos!
    Lovely flight

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    Lovely flight

    Big Chill Surf Cantina - bars - Updated June 2026

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