Award Winning Catering
New England
Service area
AWARD WINNER (1X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
Chill Catering is based in Portsmouth, NH, and we have been catering all over New England since 2001. No wedding or event is too big or too small for us, we can cater for 10-10,000 people. We customize menus to fit any budget or theme, with opinions including BBQs, lobster bakes, pig roasts, and more.
In addition to new standard catering menu items (and unlimited ideas based on exactly what you’re looking for), we now have our own 100-person function room and 150-person ballroom, connected directly to the Best Western Wynwood Hotel, just off I-95 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Visit our website to find out more, or contact us directly to start planning your special day.
No business details yet
No team details yet
Details
Cuisine
American
BBQ
Italian
Mexican
Seafood
Dietary Options
Dairy Free
Gluten Free
Vegan
Vegetarian
Food & Catering
Buffet
Catering Delivery & Setup
Chef Stations
Menu Tastings
Passed Appetizers
Servers
Awards and Affiliations
Any questions?
Reviews
4.8
out of 5.037 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Chill Catering in Portland Maine receives rave reviews for their wedding catering services, particularly highlighting the exceptional service provided by Meg and Jessica. Reviewers praised the delicious food, flexibility in menu planning, and professionalism of the staff. Despite weather challenges during events, the team remained accommodating and efficient, leaving guests impressed. Highly recommended for any catering needs with compliments for their communication, attention to detail, and overall quality of service.Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 2
Isabella C
Highlighted review.
5.0
10/06/2025
Chill catering catered my wedding in Portland Maine and it was fantastic! Their team (specifically Jessica) are so kind, friendly, and easy to work with. They were really flexible ...
and helped me make a menu that fit all of my guests' needs. The food was so good that I had to come visit the Roundabout Diner after my wedding to have those steak tips again!
m H
3.0
11/19/2025
EVERYTHING is ala carte. I am taking ice for beverages, serveware, servers for water. When all included the price is not an advantage over full service caterers. The food was avera...
ge, communication average, service average. Not accomodating normal requests and not disclose clearly. I would not use them again. Made it harder than needed.
Response from Chill Catering on 11/19/2025
Hello!
I am so sorry to hear about your negative experience with us. We would greatly app...
reciate your feedback. Please email jess@chillcatering.com if you are willing to provide us with some more information to help us improve going forward.
Any questions?
Mary M
3.0
7/27/2025
We hired Chill catering for our wedding of 45 guests under a tent at my in laws backyard estate. In comparison to other caterers their prices and selection were very reasonable. We...
paid a deposit in November for a July wedding. But come January the prices increased and added hundreds to our contract. Meg was great to work with so polite, responsive and helpful with suggestions. . We ordered 2 appetizer stations and 3 passed skewers (buffalo bites, meatballs, veggie dumplings). They were outstanding. We also had a taco bar and Mac and cheese. The food was excellent and warm and our guests loved it. But I highly recommend a tasting because the ground beef option was very dry and sandy. We went with pulled pork and chicken instead which was great. The 2 wait staff and 1 bartender made sure my husband and I were served drinks and food during our cocktail hour. Our signature margarita drink was cute and tasted amazing. The bartender was so personable to everyone. And our guests commented how nice and hard working the staff was. However, I have a few complaints. At our tasting with Meg, she showed us photos of how she would decorate our buffet table with vines decorative platters and elevated stations. We also paid for a lemonade and water dispenser and we provided the tables. But none of the tables were decorated. I assumed Meg would come to decorate or at least advise her staff how to do so. They were clean and nicely displayed but I would have added decor if I knew this. The staff never used the lemonade table and displayed pitchers on the bar even after we requested to move them. I also discussed having iced canned drinks displayed in a wheelbarrow next to the bar to match our garden theme. It remained empty all night and the drinks stayed in coolers. We had extra ice and would have been happy to help. Meg also requested a floor plan and itinerary which I provided but the staff kept asking my mother in law, the contact person, what time each thing should happen and where, which I was frustrated by since they should have a copy of the schedule. Lastly, they cut our top cake tier without asking. I paid $2 pp for cake cutting service. I thought they would walk around and ask each guest which flavor they wanted.. But they cut our whole entire cake (including the top) and left all of the pieces on a buffet table and left. We had no idea the cake was left out there and that it was all cut, we had to throw most of it away since we bought a big enough cake to save half of it. The next morning we looked everywhere and couldn’t find the top tier. They gave us leftovers of the buffet but why would they do this to our cake? I tried emailing Meg to ask what happened to the top layer but I never heard back . At the very least they should have said goodbye to us and made sure my husband and I got a slice served to us. . I went through every single little detail with Meg. I had so much fun at my wedding that I didn’t notice these issues until the next day and I was very disappointed that for the cost and time spent reviewing every detail, these things fell through.
Kaitlin M
5.0
6/24/2025
We used Chill Catering for our wedding welcome party and loved working with them. Meg was great to work with, making sure that the package we chose fit into our budget. We had the ...
BBQ and all the food was delicious. We ended up last minute adding servers, and the two girls that came were awesome. Our intent was to be outside, but due to the rain we had to squeeze a lot of people into a house, and they went right along with us. The rain created a lack of space for them that you couldn’t even notice. They were running in and out of the rain to restock the food trays, and cleaning up the tables. Plus, they left tons of takeout containers for us so people could take food home, and left us in great shape with hardly anything to clean at the end of the night!
Taylor M
5.0
6/02/2025
Chill Catering catered my wedding day and they did an amazing job! Communication with Meg was great and everyone was raving about how good the food was! Would highly recommend them...
for any catering needs you may have!
Heather B
5.0
11/03/2024
Meg and her team did a wonderful job catering our wedding. They were a pleasure to work with, and added many fun details to make our event special. I highly recommend working with ...
Meg, and Chill Catering!
Kiara T
5.0
7/24/2022
We hired Chill Catering for dinner at our wedding and we still haven't stopped getting compliments from guests about the food! Not only is their menu great for everyone, but Gary a...
nd his crew were absolutely wonderful to work with! We highly recommend Chill Catering for your event!
Dana W
5.0
7/20/2022
We hired Chill Catering for our breakfast on the day after our wedding. Mary and Joey were great to work with! The food was delicious, and the food was amazing - particularly the b...
acon! We'd definitely recommend working with them :-)
Daniella C
5.0
6/14/2022
I used Chill Catering for my parents 40th anniversary party. Gary made planning easy and painless! He replied in a timely manner with helpful information and suggestions to make th...
e day perfect for my parents. In the end the food was affordable, on time and absolutely delicious. If I could give them 10 stars, I would. No doubt that I would use them for a wedding or rehearsal dinner caterer!
Devon E
5.0
6/08/2022
Gary was so amazing to work with leading up to our wedding day. He really knows what he is doing and offers guidance if you ask for it but is also ready to roll with your vision. T...
he staff that was at our reception were so lovely and they genuinely seemed happy and excited to be there! Loved working with them and we will be seeking them out for any future event we host for sure!!! The food was out of this world too!
Stephanie B
5.0
5/11/2022
Gary is fantastic to work with! He is super communicative and helpful. Chill’s BBQ was outstanding!! We had many of our out of town guests saying how delicious the food was! And Ka...
thleen was an absolute gem (she seemed to be the one in charge on our wedding day). She was so attentive and unbelievably nice!!
Katherine B
5.0
2/17/2022
Chill Catering is AMAZING. We used them for our August 2021 wedding and the food was so good! They were so easy to work with, the tasting was fantastic, and they even gave us advic...
e on other parts of our wedding. They knew our venue (Birch Hill Farm) well, which made it that much easier on us! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Karen P
5.0
7/12/2021
Scott is AMAZING! We used Chill Catering for our wedding at Birch Hill Farm in NH in June 2021. We had passed appetizers (clam chowder shooters, spanakopita, bacon wrapped scallo...
ps, and Caribbean jerk chicken wings) and for dinner a bbq buffet (steak tips, shrimp, pulled pork, Mac and cheese, grilled veggies, cornbread and Caesar salad). The food was delicious, our guests could not stop raving about it. Scott was a dream to work with, he helped our upscale backyard bbq come to life! We have been to many weddings and never had a bbq, our guests were pleasantly surprised with the delicious bbq options. All the food was great but my favorites were the clam chowder shooters, bacon wrapped scallops, and cornbread. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND USING CHILL CATERING FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT.
Amber R
5.0
1/15/2021
We used Chill catering for our wedding in August 2020. Gary and the Chill catering staff were wonderful to work with. Guests still talk about the delicious food served from the app...
etizers to the entrees. The portions from the buffet were very generous and our guests loved having the option to try everything. The Chill Catering staff was extremely flexible, particularly as we faced many changes during the wedding planning process. The serving staff were organized and extremely professional - they worked very well with our the other venue staff to make for a smooth reception and dinner for our guests. We enjoyed working with Chill Catering and would do so again in a heartbeat.
Kirsti B
5.0
8/06/2020
*We weren’t able to get any catering because our wedding has been cancelled for now but I will definitely use Chill Catering if we decide to do something next year. * Gary was amaz...
ing throughout this whole process. When we went to the tasting we tried steak tips, pulled pork, spring rolls, bbq chicken, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, corn bread, and green beans. And not just little bites- it was a whole dinner! We literally had leftovers. The steak tips and Mac and cheese were some of the best I’ve ever had!!! Gary answered all of our million questions with honesty, experience, and kindness. I think anyone in the NH/MA/ME area should use Chill Catering if you want to have an easy time working with an experienced caterer and delicious food for your wedding.
Taylor C
5.0
1/26/2020
We can't imagine getting married without Chill. Gary and Steve are a dream, and they know everything about putting on a flawless event at the Seacoast Science Center. They recommen...
ded the perfect dessert baker (Lisa Parker of Cakes for All Seasons), and they knew every one of our wedding vendors, which gave us peace of mind that the day would go smoothly. The food was spectacular, and we received so many compliments. They packaged up our remaining food for us that evening - a treat to actually eat the next day when we were feeling far less overwhelmed! We were even able to save some cornbread and froze it for Thanksgiving dinner months later, and it was still delicious. :)
Chill's bartenders were the real MVPs of the evening. They were incredible - making sure that our wedding party had drinks throughout pictures, taking pictures that they shared with our friends to send to us, and saving the last bottle of champagne for me. We had thought about alcohol late, but Gary was able to procure my mother's favorite wine and a surprise of White Claw, which was a hit at our reception. Our signature cocktails, suggested by Chill, were delicious.
Brittany B
5.0
10/10/2019
Gary and his crew were absolutely amazing throughout our planning and the day of our wedding. We met with Gary for a tasting and he was so nice and funny! The food was SO good! We ...
made a couple of changes to the menu up until the week prior to our wedding and he was super flexible. The day of, the staff were so nice! Our guests told us that the food was excellent!
Michael C
5.0
9/04/2019
I can't say enough good things about Chill Catering! Right from the start Gary was on the ball. He is quick to respond to emails and very easy to work with. We made a lot of change...
s to our menu leading up to the wedding as well as requesting that a burger be made for my autistic brother who can be a very picky eater and Chill Catering kept right up with it, always sending a revised menu to show what we currently had.
On the wedding night they showed up early and truly shined. They adjusted their setup to best suit our table arrangements, asked a few questions about the finite details and remained friendly and flexible throughout the entire night. The even got us out of a tight spot when a different vendor sent us salad plates instead of dinner plates. And all through the night they would go out of their way to make sure my wife and I were being taken care of (at one point literally when a server tracked us down a few hundred yards across Odiorne State Park to bring us and the photographer food in case we were hungry). Chill Catering certainly goes above and beyond to provide exceptional service and I can't recommend them highly enough! Just use Chill Catering! You won't regret it!
Randy H
5.0
7/24/2019
Expectations exceeded!!!
Gary and the team at Chill Catering went above and beyond servicing our dinner needs for our wedding. We went in looking for a Buffet and came out with a ...
five star meal with five star service. We fell in love with the menu at our tasting, and were blown away by Gary’s knowledge, advice, and expertise. There was no competition or second thoughts. Gary was responsive and flexible to our needs 100% of the way. The food was incredible and even better than we remembered. His team really represented the face of his business standards. Anyone who is looking for an effortless experience and a high class meal should look no further! The aromas of the delectable dining will fill the air at the wedding or event of your dreams like it did for us! We can’t thank Chill Catering enough for being a part of our special day and having a huge hand in making our dreams come true!
Sara S
5.0
6/30/2019
Gary and the rest of the Chill staff was great. We had a tasting early on in the process and after meeting with Gary, we knew it would be a breeze if we used Chill. We used a buffe...
t to serve steak tips, chicken, potatoes, vegetables, salad, and corn bread. Everything was prepared just as ordered and served hot. The service staff was smiling and worked hard to make our event run smoothly. Highly recommend!
Holly H
5.0
6/24/2019
They did an awesome job, made plenty of food for our guests, and it was all delicious!
Kate R
5.0
6/10/2019
I picked Chill Catering for my wedding because I wanted exactly that - a chill and non-stressful event, and Gary delivered! Gary is amazing to work with and so much fun - he’s a gr...
eat person and extremely knowledgeable and helpful. He gave us awesome advice and made the day very special by being able to recreate my Dad’s peach French toast. His staff is just as amazing too! They were super attentive and kind to us. Everybody raved about the food and I was thrilled to have many days of leftovers. I highly recommend Chill Catering and would absolutely hire them again! In fact, we now go to the associated Round About diner - our new fave place to eat!
Brigid B
5.0
11/19/2018
My wife Mattie and I booked Chill Catering for our wedding at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye. Gary and his team were great! The prices were good, and we got to work with him an...
d choose what we wanted. His staff was great and so nice and so professional. We loved our signature cocktail (the "Brooklyn Mule" - big hit with our guests). The staff cut our cake for us too and did an amazing job! Very good experience.
Leslie M
5.0
8/19/2018
We just attended my sister's wedding and were very impressed with Chill Catering. The food was amazing and the staff were very professional and friendly. I would highly recommend...
them for your next event!
Meghan G
5.0
8/18/2018
Gary was a dream to work with! Chill Catering did a fabulous job with catering our August wedding. We had guests with a variety of dietary needs and Gary did a fantastic job accomm...
odating. As a vegetarian bride, it was important to me to have a delicious vegetarian option. Chill Catering totally delivered! Gary was very friendly and detail oriented. He was also quick to respond to questions and helped us consider all options. Order the cornbread for sure!
Olivia A
5.0
7/06/2018
We had the Chill catering at our wedding a few weeks ago. We have so many great things to say about Chill, I'm not sure where to begin. First, Gary was wonderful to work with leadi...
ng up to the wedding. He helped us with picking our menu, working out the logistics of the cocktail hour and dinner at the venue, and figuring out our table setting and what we would need to rent for it. He almost always answered my emails within an hour. I had several phone calls with him leading up to the wedding and I always felt a hundred times better about the wedding after talking with him about any details I was worrying about. Second, the food itself was delicious. We had a BBQ buffet for dinner that was grilled on site and our guests are still talking about how good it was. Our personal favorite was the mac-n-cheese and steak tips (they basically melt in your mouth they're so tender!) but our guests have also been raving about the pulled pork and cornbread. Another great thing about Chill catering is that they were very accommodating of dietary restrictions and had a gluten-free crackers at the cocktail hour for the bruschetta and cheese and had gluten-free mac-n-cheese available at the dinner. The staff on the day of the wedding were great and everything ran smoothly because of their hard work. The buffet line was really fast and they cleared plates quickly afterward so people weren't stuck sitting at a table with dirty dishes. We're incredibly happy with every aspect of our experience with Chill catering and are SO glad we chose them for our wedding day!
Jessica S
5.0
7/02/2018
Gary & his team were excellent to work with and the food was outstanding. We chose to do a BBQ buffet and our guests were raving about the food. Gary knows the wedding industry w...
ell, he will steer you in the right direction and provide excellent guidance throughout the entire process. We got married at Moody Mountain Farm and Gary was able to give us first hand advice on a lot of aspects of the wedding aside from the catering - overall, he was excellent to work with and the food was amazing! Thank you again!!
Deb B
5.0
6/07/2017
We were totally pleased with Chill Catering, from the planning stage to the actual wedding itself. Gary was wonderful at helping us through the process, and went above and beyond ...
adding suggestions on timing of things that we would never have thought of. The food was really good, and the service excellent: friendly, engaging and professional staff throughout with positive attitudes. Loved them.
Samantha W
5.0
9/06/2016
I used Gary and Chill Catering for our backyard wedding reception over Labor Day Weekend in Portsmouth, NH. Gary is extremely accommodating and understands weddings on a budget. He...
is so easy to work with and his staff were amazing on the day! Not to mention the grilled chicken and pulled pork are so delicious... we have lots of leftovers and I'm not mad one bit!!!!!
Amanda D
5.0
6/28/2016
I cannot say enough good things about Gary and his staff! He is more than just a caterer... he is like a wedding planner! Not to mention the food was out of this world good. My gue...
sts couldn't stop raving about it.
Laura M
5.0
10/16/2015
We had hoped for plated service, however our venue did not have a full kitchen. So if we had to go buffet, why not go BBQ??!! Chill served the yummiest pulled pork, smoked chicke...
n and brisket along with corn bread and mac & cheese that were divine! They topped it off with a super fun s'mores bar over a fire pit. The service was top notch as well!
Derek B
5.0
9/22/2015
My husband and I had a 50's diner themed wedding. So, when it came to booking food, it was obvious that we had to book a diner. We found Chill Catering online and booked a tasting....
When we showed to the tasting at the Roundabout Diner, Gary and his crew provided us with all the 50's food we could imagine. There was heaps of food, not little tiny bites that you get at other tastings. The food was delicious. My husband and I decided on burgers, hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, truffle fries and waffle fries, veggie burgers, and appetizers, as well as a popcorn bar.
After we booked our food, Gary meet with us a second time. There, he helped us with all the details of the wedding. This was not a service we paid for, but he did it out of the kindness of his heart, and his love of weddings. He talked to us about making a photography list, walked us through a timeline of the wedding, and recommended a couple of other ideas for us. He was so personable and so helpful.
Gary answered all of our millions of emails and updated order as it needed to be. Gary was able to keep our costs within our budget. As said, he was extremely helpful.
The wedding was great. Gary's staff was very attentive to all of our needs. His staff made sure everyone was getting feed during pictures and during dinner. His staff was friendly, and made sure we were having a good time. We got a lot of compliments on the food.
I would highly recommend Chill Catering to anyone looking for good food at a low cost!
Kelly G
4.0
8/11/2015
The food was great and our guests were very happy with the BBQ. Many compliments on the food, especially the steak tips. The staff at the wedding were very nice and attentive. Had ...
a few frustrations with the catering manager (lack of suggestions or solutions offered for issues that arose). Overall experience was good.
Janet D
4.0
9/29/2014
Gary and the Chill Team provided delicious food and great service! They worked well with the wedding venue and provided just what we needed, a low-key BBQ dinner that all the guest...
s raved about! Gary worked closely with us to identify our needs and helped us to identify ways in which we could save money!
I would highly recommend.
Angela W
4.0
10/21/2013
We just had our wedding this past weekend, and used Chill Catering for our buffet style dinner. The catering & bar staff was wonderful! Super friendly, helpful, and very attentive ...
to me and my husband, as well as all of our guests. The nice woman (forget her name) that was "assigned" to make sure we got some snacks while away from cocktail hour was AMAZING! She not only made sure we were fed and had drinks, but she somehow managed to track us down in the huge mill building to make sure we got the food, and didn't need anymore drinks.
The food was great, especially the cranberry stuffed chicken and the house-made salad dressing, and I really enjoyed working with the catering team of Gary & Alanna. They offered me their expertise, without being pushy. They even made special arrangements to ensure that me and my husband's favorite beverages were accounted for in the bar setup.
Great value, and what a great team! Thank you Chill Catering for making our wedding day a success!!!
~Mr. & Mrs. Erik Strom
Hollie W
5.0
10/06/2013
We had Chill Catering provide the food for our rustic/barn wedding this past September. The food was great and the employees were awesome. We had pulled pork and smoked chicken... ...
It was SO good!
Gary, was very easy to work with, he responded quickly to emails and was available to talk or meet in person when needed.
We would HIGHLY recommend this vendor to anyone looking for great food and great service.
Suzanne S
5.0
7/01/2012
These guys were INCREDIBLE. The food at our wedding was the most delicious comfort food ever--mac &cheese, roast chicken, roast beef. All were fantastic! More than that, Ala...
nna, and the team at Chill/Roundabout were so accommodating and helpful. They also were VERY responsive--they responded to my emailed questions at all hours. They ended up doing both our catering and bar and were very flexible and professional. Working with them was an awesome experience!
Service area & Contact info
New England
Typically included in the starting cost
Want to book a visit?
Start the convo
*=Required
Use this secure form to reach out and share your wedding vision.
- Messaging our verified vendors on The Knot is free, safe and secure.
- Conveniently track vendor messages and planning details all in one place.
- Our mobile apps make it easy to stay in touch with vendors while you're on‑the‑go.
- For personalized pricing and package details, sending the vendor a message is the fastest way to get info.
By clicking "Request quote," you accept our Terms of Use and agree to The Knot creating an account for you. Your messages may be monitored for quality, safety, and security according to our Acceptable Content Policy. See our Privacy Policy to learn how we handle your data.
Typically responds within 24h
Wedding vendors in Portsmouth
Chill Catering
Why use The Knot to message vendors?
Messaging our verified vendors on The Knot is free, safe and secure. Conveniently track vendor messages and planning details all in one place. Our mobile apps make it easy to stay in touch with vendors while you're on‑the‑go. For personalized pricing and package details, sending the vendor a message is the fastest way to get info.