It’s a festival, a club, a record label and, in Bristol, a bar tucked away on Small Street opposite the Crown Court, occupying the site which was once Native.
The former nightclub has been transformed into a place that is open all hours and you can make it what you want it to be, a trendy café by day, and a bar and restaurant by night that as the hours tick by then becomes a place to dance into the wee small hours.
The Big Chill Bar has soon become one of the best places to go for a night out in the city centre, and one of the best things about it is that there are never any admission charges, not even at the weekend.
Obscure album sleeves cover the walls, and when I was there last Friday night to celebrate a friend’s birthday, the DJ was playing a selection of Northern Soul classics. Very cool.
Not having eaten, I had a couple of selections from a menu with dishes from across the world. On my last visit, I chose the Peruvian speciality ceviche, and sticking to the South American theme, this time I had some hornado de chancho from Ecuador, pork skewers marinated in a maize brew.
A group of us squeezed onto a long wooden table, helping ourselves to each other’s food, before getting into the party spirit at one of what is most definitely one of my favourite bars in Bristol.
The Big Chill Bar, 15 Small Street. 0117 930 4217
I love the Big Chill bar. My name is on their wall and their pecan pie is one my favourite dishes in Bristol. Just wonderful.