So it's really sad. I went there earlier today and had an amazing experience with the bartender Amanda. So my buddy and I came back tonight with the bartender name Marhria we were there for several hours. We met amazing people we met their puppy that was there and their cat. Was there name, Frankie. We hung out there for an hour and we met amazing people while we played pool. We The bartender pretended to be our friend when I left my bill was 328 fucking dollars. So let's get to Straight. I bought a few rounds for some people a few beers for some people but my friend and I only drank Coors light bye-bye and I had a few bullet bourbons. Can you fucking believe that their bullet bourbons were $30 apiece? The bartender totally ripped us off because we were not locals. Let me ask you a question. When have you ever been to a fucking dive bar with a charge $30 for a double bullet bourbon? My wife and I travel all over the country and we've even been to California and just never been more than $18 for a double of bourbon. This fucking place ripped us off and she laughed about it as we left . My bill was $328 for two guys to drink. There's no food included in that. Keep in mind we were there twice earlier during the day and the bartender Amanda did not rip us off. This other bartender fucked us so bad. I can't even imagine all the places I've been to with my wife even in California our bill was never $328. So when I confronted her, she laughed and she had her boyfriend a mix Hispanic black guy behind the bar who said well that's our price. Like are you fucking kidding me. Do not go there. I'm actually calling my attorney because I'm bringing them up on charges for ripping me the fuck off I don't mind paying for my drinks, I expected a $220 bill. I did not expect a $338 fucking bill. So needless to say if she was a human being and treat us good I would've given her the $90 tip but she wanted to stick it to us and play scumbag games. She got a $20 tip on $338. And we are not like that. Do not go to this bar I repeat do not go there. I can't say enough do not come here go to pelicans 2 miles down the road and they treat you so much better read more

Get the Buddha! I'm sad that I didn't realize the front patio was the happening place. I came in the back and just hung out on the back patio the entire night. Good vibes and cheap beer! read more

Just moved into the area went to find a good place to go....this is not it by any means. Way to expensive for a less then average experience...I will keep looking for a place to go on a regular basis read more

i have been coming down to this area from NJ 8 years now and loved this place. Always come by 3-4 times during my -3 week stay. always bragged about it back home. Based on the recent reviews i can see i am not alone. WTF happened to this place??? Some guy pissed about $12 shot o Buff Trace. Well what about $12 for a microscopic plastic shot of Margaritaville Silver Tequila you can get for $1.25 and $7.50 for that same size Fireball half the size of the 100ml bottle you can get for $1.95 next door at the ABC store? Staff wasn't tat cool either. I love supporting the locals but this is beyond robbery. Lost a customer today. Suggestion: Change the name to "Greedy Buddha". read more

Nice folks, but $12 for a shot of Buffalo Trace is straight-up crazy. Whoever owns this place does a disservice to their friendly staff by making them charge such outrageous prices. I was looking forward to being a regular, but hell no. Way shoot to shoot yourself in the foot, son. read more

Draft prices are 9$ they don't tell you until it's too late! Neat inside but overpriced beer! read more

Service was terrible, bartenders were very rude. Then the worst part was they overcharged for drinks that I did not even order, and added their own tip in without my permission. I reported them to the police, this is a horrible establishment. read more

Wow us ladies x3 had 2 drinks crown blackberry and lemonade bill was over $65 .00 this was bit ridiculous. Those were not doubles. Guess they think a lot for the drinks. read more

THIS IS A SCAM BAR THAT WILL OVERCHARGE YOU IF YOU ARE NOT A REGULAR!!! Avoid or you will be screwed. THEY ALSO ADD A 20% AUTOMATIC GRATUITY. Paid $32 for a VERY WEAK double titos with cranberry that was served in a Styrofoam cup with a straw and an IPA pint. Insane. Complete and utter ripoff for a dive bar. Maybe they thought we were tourists and screwed us. We live 45 mins in NMB. Don't blame the "beach" for insane prices, which they tried to do. BS!! The owner is a Jersey/NY guy and probably learned his business ethics scamming tourists in Times Square. Guess what? I'm from NY and can smell your filth. ABSOLUTELY AVOID AT ALL COSTS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!! Complaint to the Better Business Bureau in the morning. read more

Before you go here ask yourself some questions. 1. Are you fun? I mean do you enjoy talking to other people at a place and making friends? Or would you prefer to sit at a table with "your" group? 2. Do you enjoy a bit of diveyness, or must your surrounding be perfect? If you are fun and like a dive this place rocks. It seems to be a local hangout but we felt very welcome and enjoyed a number of interactions with other patrons. We had a great time. 1 Star off for the bartender. Just not good. Sorry. read more

The drinks are extremely expensive! I'm wondering if there's a different option for locals.

Horrible service! Dive bar for locals wasn't acknowledged when we walked in . I'll go elsewhere

Gave it a try today, first impression wasn't good when the young girl bartender never even acknowledged me when I sat down at the bar, with only two other regulars sitting there. Then she disappeared for 4-5 mins. Came back and still never asked me for a beer, I had to prompt her for one. Unbelievable, get a new bartender people ! read more

Just moved here and liked chilling outside. Unfortunately one bartender killed it for me today and j hope she's enjoying her nasty cigs as I take my business elsewhere read more

Went there today with 8 other golfers. We left the Pelican just to try it out. We were warned however not to go there until after 7 because the daytime BT was not so nice. So just out of curiosity went to validate the claim. Sure enough Mallory(aka Anna) she uses this name so any yelp reviews that come though they can say Anna was fired. Anyway, we had to mention our names in front of anyone as we were not members. The entire time she was rude and belittled guests. A guest even left and went back to the Pelican because she was so rude. We both left and went back to the Pelican, aside the other 6 people it was just convenient to have a cold beer which was the only thing going for this place. Hit up the Pelican and have Tessa and Chelsea take care of you!!! read more

You'd think having 9 guests walk into your bar on a Saturday night would warrant some kind of positive attitude to make money but No. Our friends who brought us there had been a few weeks before and it was fine but for some reason tonight they "required" memberships and demanded phone numbers which we weren't okay with sharing. Membership fee sure, but the need for a number is whatever. After getting questioned she accused our friend of having an attitude about it and snapped at her very rudely and out of pocket. I highly doubt unless you're a regular you'll receive any kind of decent service. Don't recommend. And the one drink they got had barely any alcohol anyways. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. read more

I came one day, and thoroughly enjoyed myself, the locals were very friendly and the bartender was great! I was drinking shots, Schnapps mostly, and had to keep switching to get a shot that tasted right! Came back another day, new bartender, made horrible drink, this time a mixed drink! I could have bought a bottle of whiskey for what she charged including the extra shot to make sure the drink was palatable! But for sure the bartender definitely was the biggest bummer not friendly at ALL!! I know they won't lose their local crowd, but I am more than happy than sure they will look se business if they don't correct some things!! Being that I have moved here permanently, I will definitely call to see who's working before I return! read more

Stopped here because we like local dive joints. Was not dissatisfied and actually met new friends that were here from VA! What can I say if you want a beer before you get in your plane to fly off to other regional places come here. No DYI checkpoints on the local runway! read more

Stumbled into this place. Glad I did. Didnt want to deal with all the uppity tourists. Had no problem getting a beer. Shared quite a few laughs with locals actually. Some people aka reviewers here need to stop thinking they are better than. read more

Extremely rude staff - spoke to my friend in a completely inappropriate way which was not warranted - will not ever be returning

Absolute worst bar I've ever been into, the woman who was bartending acted like she didn't even want me or my friends at the bar. Terrible bar. Terrible service. wish I never even went. Definitely never going back. Would never recommend to anyone. read more

The Buddha has undergone some major changes over the past 2 years. New floors, extended bar, added big deck out front, more televisions for all sports options. The older pictures are definitely OLD. If visiting Ocean Isle, it's a great spot to stop, grab some food from Antonio's deli next door, and wait out the traffic. Or just come watch your favorite team. Judge it for yourself. read more

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Me likey. Dive bar on the runway strip at Ocean Isle Beach. Foosball and a pool table, poker machines, popcorn and pretzels. Very nice employees and patrons. A civilized way to spend an afternoon, with a red eye out of the heat in an air conditioned bar. Ommmmmm. read more

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Not too impressed with the staff here. Really just a beer bar, with alcohol. But I must tell you the bartenders/servers are pretty much non-responsive to females. Kinda ride to say the least. Loved hanging/meeting people, as we are new residents to the area. If y'all can take it with a grain of salt, more power to you. Moving on to the next bar.. read more

Nasty doesn't begin to describe our experience at this place. My brother took me here on Thursday 3/3/21 after a long day out. He frequents it often and said they had good specials. I sat at the bar while he signed us in. They offered 4 draft beers. That's it. $7.00 for a draft beer seems a bit steep but ok. I asked what types of beer they were (IPA, lager, etc...) and the barmaid gave me a look like I was putting her out. We spent 20 min in there and it was 20 minutes too much. I couldn't believe how rude she was! Both our beers had quite a head on them. My brother's was at least 1/3 of the beer. He said something and she said, that's because it was the end of the barrel. No "sorry about that" or "can I get you something else?" And for 7.00 a beer you at least want it full! I told him send it back. My brother usually doesn't complain about anything but When he said something again she sarcastically said "well I already took it off the bill" (really? Then why didn't you say something?). He thanked her but then she said "oh, now that it's free it's good enough for you?" What? Was she really that rude? Yes. She was. When we asked for the bill she was stocking beer right in front of us. Again. Her attitude was unbelievable. "When I'm done with this" and went back to her work. 5 minutes later we got our check. We are usually good tippers being in the industry but I would have left her nothing. Her attitude was beyond anything I've ever seen in the hospitality business. He might go back but I'll opt for the next place we went to and spent our money - in Holden Beach. read more

Everyone is different so my review is purely objective. First off they have a $1 membership which I believe is because of a loop hole that allows there customers to smoke so this is a smoking establishment. It isn't a very big place with the front section having only seating at the bar and the rear of the bar with some tables. The food was good but is not prepared in house but next door at Antonio's we had Wings and garlic knots. They do have a Touch Tunes Juke Box and staff and local customers are pretty friendly maybe a little rough around the edges so this probably isn't the place you wanna bring your kids. read more

When I go to Ocean Isle I always love going to the CHUBBY BUDDA. We live in Raleigh and have a weekend get away place. The last time we went we unfortunately had an extremely RUDE bartender JULIE. Hateful and condescending . I will never go back! Julie needs to chose another profession!!! read more

Tried to support this establishment. In a coastal community. We own rental property nearby and wanted to support. The minute the "owners daughter" bartender heard we weren't local her attitude turned. She put almost no alcohol in a mixed drink, and when we questioned the lack of alcohol she charged us full price for another shot. It was the best $13.00 mixed drink WE ever had at Ocean Isle Beach. Even the customers agreed she was not nice. Do NOT RECOMMEND. However, WD DO recommend Pelicans on the island. read more

Had a great afternoon playing pool and a couple of drinks. Everyone, the bartender and customers were all very friendly and welcoming. Several people came up and started a conversation. Normally don't get far off the Waterway but will definitely visit again read more

The Buddha is quality food and polite friendly staff with a old school tavern atmosphere. I've tried the wings, the subs and the pizza, all good quality and fair price. Bartenders are attentive and overall experience and quality is top notch for this area. I have been recommending it to tourists and they have been happy to find the place. read more

ABSOLUTELY TOTALLY RUDE!! Again I repeat RUDE! While the owner was very nice. The bartenders (with the exception of Wednesday night 7/6/16). Are down right rude to anyone who isn't a regular. They let you stand there while they flirt with the locals and play on their phones. When they finally notice you there they are not nice on asking what you'd like, then they put minimal alcohol in the drinks. If you dare to put money in the jukebox (which wasn't playing on any night when we arrived) they all hit next on their selections so you are unable to hear yours. Did I mention RUDE earlier? I'm sorry we bothered you during your "social" time, I assumed since you were behind the bar you were working. We have been coming to Ocean Isle for 4 years and CHUBBY BUDDAS was one of the things we looked forward too - not anymore ! read more

Worst bar in the whole county. For so many reasons. Go some where else. You dont want to be the type of person that hangs our here regularly. Thats not to say anyone who frequents this place is a bad person because not everyone is! Lets just say a majority of the crowd that hangs around isnt the best. read more

Went there with my good friends Sweets and Bea,had a blast ,employees were great, was bought round of drinks by ECU fan names Lizzy even though we were gamecock fans(most of us anyway)I was kissed on the head by a local shella and still hearing about it.Beers cold/music great read more

If you're looking for a simple bar with local flavor, this is it. Love the staff. The Italian place beside it even delivers to the bar. Really good food. Also only place in area with pool tables, other than Planet Fun which is more kidsy. Also foosball and outdoor sandy area with corn hole games. read more

This is a completely debaucherous dive bar located kinda in the middle of nowhere but close enough to the NC / SC border shores to draw a combination of local yokels and drunken travelers. Upon entering the bar with a group of people, I went to buy a round of drinks and was asked to sign a "sign in" sheet because it's a "private club." This was surely to get names of those who need to piece together the previous night on the next day as I think we were down a cell phone, a wallet, and a person (yes, we lost a person) after leaving. They were nice and posted on facebook to the person who left their phone. They did not disturb people playing tonsil hockey in the parking lot. They have an internet connected juke box and a pool table. The pool table doesn't return the cue ball if you scratch, but you will definitely be too drunk to care and can use the 8ball as a suitable replacement. The owner is a Mets fan from Brooklyn, so its the perfect Yankee hang in polite-ville. You won't remember the bulk of your time here, but sometimes that's just what you need to get a vacation started. Leave the kids at home and try to be quiet as you sneak in home later. read more