The Big Chill Bar

The Big Chill Bar es un bonito pub en plena zona de Brick Lane. El lugar es enorme y con bastante onda, todo con un estilo mega hipster, súper moderno y con espacios muy cómodos para poder sentarse y tomar unos tragos.
Hay que decir que el lugar está bastante bien, tomé una IPA que estaba rica, aunque por lo que pude chusmear tenían una carta interesante de tragos y cervezas que seguramente valga la pena probar.
Los precios no son de los más económicos, pero sí son acordes a la zona y al lugar en sí y –como dije anteriormente– los productos que ofrecen son bastante buenos. En fin, me pareció un lindo barcito para pasar el rato.

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!

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!

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…

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 décor 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!

This place reminds me of a festival! The bar feels very open (and therefore quite cold when the sun is hiding) The beer is ok but I wouldnt say it blew my socks off! One for the east end students I think!

I like this bar.
Yes, it’s hipster, yes it’s weird, yes you sit on uncomfortable plastic rubbish bin like bucket seats outside that are semi-​uncomfortable, but so is the joy of this bar. There’s a good selection of beers, the cocktails are strong and the staff don’t seem to hate you like they do at other Shoreditch bars.
The space is funky with concrete ceilings and artwork down the walls. It’s a big place too so unless you’re there at the truly packed time, you should be able to find a place to sit.
Now, I’ve only been here post-​work for a nice drink. I’ve never been here at night when apparently is can be crowded and crazy. But in the day, for a quick and easy and light drink, this is a really nice spot to stop in.

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.

Went here for a quick brunch with some friends before they got a train from nearby King’s Cross, and was thoroughly underwhelmed. It’s not bad — the sweet potato fries are in fact rather good — but the menu is limited and boring, the food average (some standard burger combinations, and really dull, not to mention stingily portioned breakfasts) and slightly high prices given the serving sizes and variety. Given the foodie revolution sweeping the area, I’m surprised they’re happy to coast along like that.

Funky Balkans-​influenced music and packed at night. It’s a pity they close so early around 1AM though. Security was reassuringly tough.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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.

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!

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.

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.

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).

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
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.

Un tit coin bien sympa à visiter pour ceux perdus dans Brick Lane et qui veulent voir du pays. C’est un bar que je trouve très typique de Londres. L’endroit est très vaste et accueillant, avec des canapés, des tables basses, des chaises partout et même beaucoup de place pour discuter debout si toutes les places assises sont prises.
La bière est à des prix corrects, la bouffe relativement bonne, et l’ambiance du tonnerre.
On m’a dit qu’il y avait des petits concerts de temps en temps et que c’etait vraiment sympa ainsi que des DJs qui viennent mettre le feu à la baraque.
Cool aussi, la terrasse extérieure pour les accros de la clope et ceux qui n’ont pas peur des températures négatives. Le smirting est de mise.