New Barefoot Landing restaurant offers sunset celebrations, island vibe. A look inside

Ben Morse
·4 min read

Barefoot Landing’s newest restaurant looks like a trading post mariners would have stopped at on their journey along the Intracoastal Waterway during centuries past.

The theme of the stately two-story building with a small greenhouse in front is meant to evoke the styling of the Caribbean islands. It offers sunset celebrations where patrons hear people blowing into a conch shell and receive specialty sunglasses.

The atmosphere is all part of making visitor’s dining experience relaxing and chill.

The Big Chill Island House, located at 4736 Highway 17 S, opens in North Myrtle Beach at Barefoot Landing May 1, 2024. La Vida Hospitality Managing Partner for Marketing and Development Josh Grapski said the restaurant is supposed to simultaneously evoke the spirit of the Grand Strand and the Caribbean.

“It’s really about kind of that sense of adventure and being able to tell a story from a different world,” he said.

Grapski said it’s the third Big Chill restaurant — the other two are in Delaware. Work began on the Big Chill Island House in 2022, and the restaurant cost $6 million to complete, he added.

The company also owns the Crooked Hammock Brewery at Barefoot Landing.

The restaurant has an eclectic interior design

The Big Chill Island House is preparing to open in Barefoot Landing. The Intracoastal Waterway fronted restaurant will feature island inspired food choices. The combination of inside, outside and rooftop dining rooms, bars and lounge areas are designed to take advantage of the sunset and waterfront views. April 10, 2024.
The Big Chill Island House is preparing to open in Barefoot Landing. The Intracoastal Waterway fronted restaurant will feature island inspired food choices. The combination of inside, outside and rooftop dining rooms, bars and lounge areas are designed to take advantage of the sunset and waterfront views. April 10, 2024.

Once you step inside the Big Chill Island House, you immediately notice the interior design. It is maximalist, with different nuances and details throughout the eatery. A mural of birds is on the wall, and the walls have unique wood designs. Tables on one of the second-floor patios are made from tree roots.

Rebecca Fluharty helped design the restaurant and said she wanted a more eclectic aesthetic, with the restaurant featuring “hundreds” of individual pieces.

“Things are tending to gear more towards the eclectic sort of like layered on (look) and less simplicity,” Fluharty said. “Every time you look around, you can see something different.”

This approach applies to nearly every inch of the restaurant. The foyer, which serves double duty as the gift shop, resembles a general store where mariners would stock up on supplies before continuing their travels up and down the Intracoastal Waterway.

On the second floor, live plants and flowers are installed onto the walls, and an irrigation system keeps the flora fresh.

The Big Chill Island House is preparing to open in Barefoot Landing. The Intracoastal Waterway fronted restaurant will feature island inspired food choices. The combination of inside, outside and rooftop dining rooms, bars and lounge areas are designed to take advantage of the sunset and waterfront views. April 10, 2024.
The Big Chill Island House is preparing to open in Barefoot Landing. The Intracoastal Waterway fronted restaurant will feature island inspired food choices. The combination of inside, outside and rooftop dining rooms, bars and lounge areas are designed to take advantage of the sunset and waterfront views. April 10, 2024.

In the entrance and gift shop, a chandelier, one of many different styles in the restaurant, is made out of a ship’s steering wheel, blue beads, dock rope, gold chains and driftwood. Where the phrase “less is more” is widespread, Big Chill House’s aesthetic is firmly planted in the “more is more” category.

Big Chill also has three bars, and patrons will see something different depending on which section they dine. Each setting has a different vibe. The restaurant has a capacity of 370 people.

The main dining area looks like a beachside restaurant; Grapski added that the restaurant is adding live plants to the dining area.

Patrons can sit outside underneath a large oak tree and comfortably listen to live music or watch the boats go by on the Intracoastal Waterway. Couples on a romantic date can visit the Carolina Lounge at the back of the first floor, which offers a more upscale date-night experience.

The Big Chill Island House is preparing to open in Barefoot Landing. The Intracoastal Waterway fronted restaurant will feature island inspired food choices. The combination of inside, outside and rooftop dining rooms, bars and lounge areas are designed to take advantage of the sunset and waterfront views. April 10, 2024.
The Big Chill Island House is preparing to open in Barefoot Landing. The Intracoastal Waterway fronted restaurant will feature island inspired food choices. The combination of inside, outside and rooftop dining rooms, bars and lounge areas are designed to take advantage of the sunset and waterfront views. April 10, 2024.

Patrons exhausted from a day of boating can go to the dockside bar and enjoy a drink next to the boat slips, and Grapski said that more docks will be added. The upstairs bar is more for nightlife and fun with friends, as the doors allow summer air to flow in. Conversely, a secluded dining room is also upstairs for a more intimate dining experience.

“Everything is oriented towards the sunset,” Grapski said. “This is designed for viewing the Intracoastal boats going by.”

Seafood and tequila tasting are on the menu

The Big Chill Island House is preparing to open in Barefoot Landing. The Intracoastal Waterway fronted restaurant will feature island inspired food choices. The combination of inside, outside and rooftop dining rooms, bars and lounge areas are designed to take advantage of the sunset and waterfront views. April 10, 2024.
The Big Chill Island House is preparing to open in Barefoot Landing. The Intracoastal Waterway fronted restaurant will feature island inspired food choices. The combination of inside, outside and rooftop dining rooms, bars and lounge areas are designed to take advantage of the sunset and waterfront views. April 10, 2024.

With two kitchens, one on each floor, Big Chill Island House intends to serve a menu that blends world flavors.

Island-inspired, the menu — with 12 entrees, sandwiches, and poke bowls— is seafood-heavy with items like lobster bisque, two ceviches, popcorn shrimp, and fried oysters. Grapski said the restaurant also has a flat iron steak, surf and turf po-boy, chicken sandwich, Kalua Pork, peri-peri chicken and other typical menu items for a more “approachable” offering.

One specialty that the Big Chill Island House will feature is a tequila and rum tasting program, restaurant General Manager William Morris said.

The eatery offers 20 tequilas in 1-ounce pours. Morris said he wanted to apply the bourbon-tasting trend to rums and tequilas, which matches Big Chill Island House’s vibe.

“Definitely didn’t overload too many people, but definitely wanted them to sit outside and enjoy what Myrtle Beach is about,” Morris added.

The restaurant has many different cocktails and beverages, referred to as libations at the eatery, from which to choose.

“We tried to blend things that are classic drinks, kind of new drinks,” Grapski added. “I wouldn’t say we’re mixology focus, but as a bar team, we’re focused on providing a great kind of classic cocktail.”

People can call to schedule private parties or events, and it is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 11 a.m. to midnight on weekends.

The Big Chill Island House is preparing to open in Barefoot Landing. The Intracoastal Waterway fronted restaurant will feature island inspired food choices. The combination of inside, outside and rooftop dining rooms, bars and lounge areas are designed to take advantage of the sunset and waterfront views. April 10, 2024.
The Big Chill Island House is preparing to open in Barefoot Landing. The Intracoastal Waterway fronted restaurant will feature island inspired food choices. The combination of inside, outside and rooftop dining rooms, bars and lounge areas are designed to take advantage of the sunset and waterfront views. April 10, 2024.