THIRSTY’S BAR AND GRILL: LAID-BACK AND TASTY,
I have always enjoyed spotting the comical characters painted on the windows of Thirsty’s Bar & Grill in Waterloo. The decorations regularly change, often keeping with the season, and never fail to catch my eye.
Behind the windows Thirsty’s often appeared quite busy. Earlier this summer I noticed that they added a sign advertising an award-winning garlic burger, so I was looking forward to visiting.
The first thing I noted when my husband and I walked in to the restaurant on a Thursday evening in July was just how small it is. There is a central bar area surrounded by bar stools, and about a halfdozen tables along the two window walls facing the parking lot.
The well-worn tables are bare but clean. The room is minimally decorated with humorous signs, sports memorabilia, and a large television over the bar.
When we arrived every seat at the bar was taken but there were some tables available. After we seated ourselves our server came over to take drink orders and deliver menus.
We were welcomed warmly, especially when we said that it was our first visit. For drink options there were several varieties of beer either in bottle or on tap, a full liquor menu, and Ontario white or red wine. We each chose a beer to drink while we read the menu.
I ordered a premium bottle of beer ($4.74) and my husband had a 16 oz. draft ($5.80). My beer was delivered without a glass, which is in keeping with the laid-back style at Thirsty’s.
Their menu contains the typical pub type items: burgers, sandwiches, fried seafood, along with salads and several appetizers. They also offer East Coast donairs and daily and weekly specials.
Unfortunately, my physical menu had items scratched out and prices changed with a pen. That does dampen diners’ confidence. However, our server highly recommended the burger, as well as a couple of other menu items so we were able to order with some knowledge. She also warned that the servings were very generous, so I took that into account and didn’t order an appetizer.
I chose the Garlic Burger ($5.95) with cheese ($1.50), and substituted a side of fries for the potato chips ($2.45). My husband ordered the starter Caesar Salad ($4.55) and 20 Wings ($17.50) with hot sauce.
The Caesar salad arrived first. The romaine lettuce was tossed with a house-made dressing which was very tasty. It was well seasoned and not too heavy on the garlic. It was a good sized salad for a starter and came with croutons and bacon bits.
By this point I realized that our server was in fact the only employee on the floor. She handled hosting, bartending, serving and bussing tables all by herself. Despite being so busy she greeted everyone with a smile and we never had to wait long for her to visit our table and check in.
When my burger arrived I was impressed with the number of fresh toppings, and the extremely generous side order of fries. The meat was very nicely flavoured with the promised garlic, but again it was not overwhelming. The tomato, lettuce and onion along with relish and pickle were good additions.
The wings were excellent. They came without breading, and were perfectly cooked and flavoured with the spicy sauce. There was extra sauce on the side, as well as the typical carrot and celery sticks with blue cheese dip.
Given the size of the serving we were able to take some home as leftovers. Thanks to other helpful family members they disappeared before the next morning.
Oddly, there are no desserts available at Thirsty’s. That would make it a less appealing option for families with younger children.
Although we enjoyed our visit to Thirsty’s it definitely felt more like a bar than a restaurant. But the meal we had demonstrates their commitment to providing tasty food to accompany their beverages. Assessing food, atmosphere, service and prices, Dining Out restaurant reviews are based on anonymous visits to the establishments. Restaurants do not pay for any portion of the reviewer’s meal. Sandra Waldeck can be reached at swalneck22@gmail.com.