The Big Bamboo Cafe

Had the pleasure of eating at Big Bamboo Café. Really nice atmosphere. Ordered the new shrimp and crab after our waitress Alicia suggested it. So glad she did it was absolutely amazing. This is a must place to stop if you’re ever in Hilton head!!!

I recently went on a business trip to Hilton Head and had the pleasure of dining at the Big Bamboo Café. I don’t typically recommend places, but this place stood out! Our waitress, Alicia, went above and beyond to make my experience there remarkable, such a sweetheart. The new shrimp and crab dip was absolutely amazing and the live music topped it all off. This is a must place to visit if you are going to be in the Hilton Head area!

2 adults 1 child. Walked in at 5pm on a Friday. Not really that busy. Seated quickly. Sat there for ten minutes while 4 servers walked by and paid us no attention. I finally walked to the bar and the bartender happened to be the mgr. Got us a round of drinks and chips and salsa on the house. I’m a craft beer fanatic and there was a good list… however most things weren’t available yet. Disappointing! Veggie burgers were very large and pretty good.

We went because it was convenient but what a nice surprise. Service was fast and not overbearing. Food was really good. Had the grouper and loved it.

Much of the food here, like the coconut shrimp and ‘Carolina fireballs,’ (spicy crab) tapas is excellent. The curries are authentic and first rate (the Vindaloo is majestically hot). Can’t speak for all the menu – probably above average bar food. The service is pleasant and welcoming (polished, no — this is a bar). There is often live music, often good, and sometimes terrific reggae.
I am 73 with a cane and a very bad knee. I get up (and down) those stairs easily. So much for ‘handicapped access’ complaints. As to ‘strollers’ why would a baby want to go to a curry reggae bar anyway.
I like this place!

I had to quickly decide a restaurant on the spot so I picked the loudest and busiest one. Usually a good method. I’ll say it wasn’t boring bc of the live music (pretty good voice).
The food was at best average. The steak and frite ($ 13.50) was a little pricey for the quality of cut I got. It wasn’t tender even at medium and the meat didn’t impress. The Mahi Mahi tacos ($ 14.50) were just okay. It came with some thick pieces of mahi but otherwise bland. The coconut shrimp app ($ 8.50) was decent.
The place is pretty big. It keeps going in the back. Probably a jumping place during peak session. The service was pretty friendly and helpful. They have some good stuff going for them but I didn’t enjoy the food much.

Nice place for music and drinks on the outside patio. They have live music in the early evenings, which is lots of fun. They have a full menu but we have not tried it. They have a great selection of drinks available at the bar. Staff is gregarious and enjoy what they are doing.

We usually eat here 1 time per trip to HHI (every year). However this time with only a party of 7 we had to wait for over an hour to get our food. The server checked on us infrequently. Then when we got our food ½ was cold or the buns were hard as rocks. I probably break our 15 year tradition of eating there on the next trip.

We really enjoyed the atmosphere and the band. The food was delicious and the drinks were beautifully crafted and affordable. We will definitely be coming back when we visit Hilton head again!

We have eaten at The Big Bamboo in the past and found the food to be OK.
On this occasion my wife and I decided to try a place we had not visited for sometime. We ended up at The Big Bamboo.
We sat at the bar as it was a slow night and the we did not see any wait staff. The bartender asked what we wanted to drink. We requested a list of beers on tap. She stated that they did not have one. The beer taps run up and down the bar and we could not see all they carried. I asked her if she could tell us what was on tap. I also requested that she not go too fast so that I could hear what she was saying. After an eye roll she told us that she did not have all day (it was 7:00 on a very slow evening, maybe six other customers). We said thank you and went to New York City Pizza.
We live on Hilton Head Island. We are the people who keep you open from October through March. Maybe you should have all day for customers.

We were here on a sat night, they had a reggae band that night, band was good and played long. Will was our server and he pleasant and efficient. Food seemed ok, average burger and fish and chips, affordable though and that counts too! Decent place, would probably go back

Grouper sandwich was decent but over priced. Nice big piece of fish and cooked right but a little bland. Really good seasoned fries. The clam chowder is terrible. It looks and tastes like it came from a can.

Food was okay. And I tried a sample from all my friends’ orders-​tacos, pork loin, salad. All was «OKAY». Even according to a friend native to the area. Some of the diners were kinda snooty and rude, borderline racist but the servers were nice.

We had just arrived in Hilton Head on busy Labor Day weekend and were walking around looking for a place to eat that we could get into without waiting long. Lucky for us, this place had a spot for us so we were seated right away.
We ordered our drinks – really good pomegranate margarita for me and a martini for my husband. He later switched to a margarita because mine tasted so good.
Having been on the road for 4 days, decided it was time for something somewhat healthy so I ordered the arugula salad with dried cranberries, pecans, goat cheese and a wonderful lime vinegaretta. Feeling the need for protein I had grilled chicken added to it. It was a delicious salad in every way! The goat cheese was somehow little lightly fried round, almost mushroom cap size yummy pieces of deliciousness. Having goat cheese served this way was new to me, but oh so enjoyable. The whole presentation of the salad was delightful and even though the greens were very lightly tossed with the dressing, there was extra dressing on the side. The grilled chicken was a huge portion and grilled just right. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my salad.
My husband ordered one of the fish taco selections that were served with rice and beans. He said the tacos were wonderful, but the sides were just ok.
Our waiter was great. Attentive and checked on us.
We enjoyed our meals and would return if we had time.

I’ve never tried the food, but I always try to stop in for a drink when I’m on the island. It has a very cool atmosphere. Love the South Pacific décor. Decent drink prices, and I hear the food is good.

The atmosphere was a bit crowded, and there was only one air conditioner working, so was a bit warm sitting inside. Waiter was on the slow side. But the food was above average! Went with a party of 11 and everyone who got burgers thought they were great! I tried the curry and it was tasty but HOT! Even the mild is hot, so be aware.
Good place… but there are plenty of better places on HHI.

Served my husband watered down Patron. Really? Not cool.
Atmosphere was ok until got bombarded by 21 year Olds. Not much else to do walking distance right there so… Go before midnight if want to see band or get seat at bar. Reggae band was fun (June 3,2015)

May sound trivial, but the key lime vinnegarette salad dressing is what drew us. Had it a few years ago during a previous trip and really enjoyed it. WISH I could finagle the recipe.
Tonight we had the expert attention of Evan who was wonderful. Got everything right and made good suggestions.
Our favorite dish was the Ahi tuna… could not have been better; fresh and expertly prepared. Fried shrimp was plentiful and delicious, not a dish I usually order but would definitely do so again when the hankering hits.
Be aware, if you want hot spicy go for the fiery Mahi taco… too hot for us.
The accompanying Cole slaw is tasty… the fries nothing special, basmati rice well-​prepared. A very nice choice is the snow pea vegetable.

The live music is what sells this place. The atmosphere was ok, but it seemed dirty and had a weird smell. I thought it had a faint smell of cigarette smoke, although the restaurant is non smoking. I know we should have left when We first walked in, but the wife and kids were hungry and didn’t seem to notice what I was seeing.
I ordered a regular hamburger, medium, came undercooked and wasn’t anything special. Wife ordered the sirloin, and she was not impressed. Kids had kids meals, but you really can’t go wrong with a microwaved pizza in their eyes.
Don’t get fooled by the what you may think is a cool atmosphere and live music being advertised. There’s seems to be a good pick of other restaurants, I suggest stay away unless, you are there to have drinks and listen to reggae.

Just cruising looking for a good local place to eat & stumbled upon «Big Bamboo» in Cologny Plaza! AWESOME FOOD & FUN ATMOSPHERE! We had the Arugula & Goat Cheese Salad which was large enough to split! The Crab & Shrimp Sandwich was to die for! My future daughter-​in-​law had the Wahoo fish Tacos with rice & black beans that was melt in your mouth good! After a day of shopping this was a wonderful treat! We’ll definitely be back & maybe even bring the guys along next time! !