Thirst Wine Bar & Bistro

I would highly recommend stopping into Thirst Wine Bar & Bistro in Portland. Not only do they have a vast selction of great wines....the food is absolutely amazing! This is not ""bar"" food, or small plates - it's unique and amazing dishes that you cannot find at other places. The atmosphere is classy and relaxed and the staff is knowledgeable and helpful. You should so stop by, it's worth the trip! Pros: Great food, Great Wine, Great atmosphere!!! more

the perfect locale to be with friends to celebrate a big birthday - comfortable, beautiful - the staff was attentive without being overbearing and the food was excellent Pros: decor, view, staff, food, fireplace, so comfortable more

I went here last week and wanted to rave about the duck dish I had and the wine it was paired with since both were outstanding. Duck falling off the bone with crispy skin and a sauce that had port in it and I think raspberries. Some delish potatoes were served with it. Would have been great on its own - but the wine the waitress recommended made it even better. It was a blend but mostly Petite Syrah. Rich and velvety. My girlfriend had the scallops and she loved them. Thanks! I'll be back for more! Pros: Wine, Food, Place more

I'm getting married have been looking for a great place to have my rehearsal dinner and had heard a lot of good things about Thirst. I stopped by after work to check it out and enjoy a light dinner and some wine. I asked the girl who was standing in the doorway if I could sit outside and she said ""sure."" (one couple was already sitting outside and the only other customer in the restaurant was sitting at the bar - with me that made a total of 4 customers). I took my seat and the waitress went inside and NEVER CAME BACK! After about 15 minutes I went inside and asked the bartender if I could get a menu and inquired about the waitress. He assured me he would send her out. I ordered a glass of wine from the bar and took it and the menu back out to my seat. The wine tasted like it had been open for quite some time and the flavor was awful. The girl that had seated me finally came out and went straight to the other couple and ignored me completely!! So I sat and sipped my terrible wine for another 15 minutes without ever having anyone inquire about me or take my dinner order. Finally after wasting 40 minutes of my day, I got up and left. If this place cannot handle serving 4 people at once there is no way they can properly handle a party of 70. I do not know what anyone sees in this place other than the view. What a waste of a great space...and a total waste of time! Pros: View Cons: Everything Else more

This was my first time down at Thirst and it was one of the better restaurant experiences I have had in Portland. Aside from waiting for a table (which in hindsight I should just make a reservation in the future) everything was great. Our server was really informed about all the food and wine on the menu and was able to make a great recommendation for me when I asked for a wine suggestion. My date opted not to have wine but had one of their bourbon flights instead which he loved! It was also great to be able to experience wines, liquors and dishes that truly highlight all the wonderful local options we have in the PacNW. I will certainly go back to Thirst, but this time with a reserved table! Pros: amazing views, yummy food, exciting wine Cons: waited for outdoor table more

I have visited quite a few times and was pleasantly surprised that this great wine bar also now has cocktails!! Really unique ones too. I had one that was finished with a splash of champagne and had passion fruit in it. We sat our on teh patio, staring at the river and shared fondue - so delicious and really creative items accompanied it. We tried one of their burgers and it was delicious. I've also had their tasty gnocchi a few times and a really good cheese dip. Another great thing is they allow dogs on the patioand are very dog friendly, even giving ours his own water dish and doggie snack. We'll be back to dine, enjoy the views, sip on some geat wine and definitely for that delicious cocktail!! Pros: Food, Wine selection, now have cocktails more

habe den abend dort wirklich genossen. nette bar mit guten cocktails und freundlichem personal. gerne wieder more

My husband and I received two restaurant. com gift certificates to Thirst from a friend last summer. In July we went to the Lake Oswego location looking forward to a nice evening. We each ordered a wine flight and then awaited our food. We ordered the crab dip to start followed by the fondue. I enjoyed the crab dip, but my husband felt it tasted a little too fishy. We waited for our fondue to come and low and behold they brought us another crab dip. They took a while righting the situation and then our fondue arrived. The menu mentioned bread, sausage, tomatoes, and apples to accompany the fondue. When the order arrived without apples, my husand asked about it. The manager said that they only include seasonal fruit with the fondue. My husband said, When aren't apples in season?"" The manager said that they weren't in season in JULY! The sausage that came with the fondue was terribly overcooked, but the cheese and bread were good. W\r \r We had to ask them to turn down the music as it was too loud and hardly wine bar soothing music you'd expect. We also noticed that we had to keep swatting at fruit flies that kep landing on our plate. \r \r Despite the bad experience we were willing to give the resaturant another try. We headed to the Portland branch hoping it was better than the Lake Oswego branch. We walked in and whom was there but the manager at the LO branch. Just our luck! \r \r We told the waitress that we had a coupon and the manager said she would not honor it with alcohol purchases so we would have to spend $35 on food in order to be able to use it and then pay for our wine above and beyond. We were there for a late lunch and were hoping to not spend dinner prices. We bit our lip and ordered. \r \r The merlot was tasty, but the Riesling tasted like it had been open for a couple days as it had a higher acid taste. We ordered the fondue which we notice now said, ""accompaniments"" instead of apples. When we got it, again only the cheese and bread were good. The olives were from a can, the cherry tomatoes had bad spots, and then they included cold articoke hearts and cold brussel sprouts to dip in the cheese which was not good. We also had to get two new forks because ours had food leftover on them.\r \r Next we order the olive oil and basmic vinegar flight and the waitress said they were not serving it that afternoon. Instead we order the tomoato crab bisque and the meatballs with roasted potatoes. The bisque, which is suppose to be a creamy soup, was very acidic and had not noticeable crab pieces. The meatballs were overcooked and served with brussel spouts and cooked spinach. When my husband asked where the roasted potatoes were the waitress said that the chef made and substitution and asked, ""Is there a problem?"" We ended up pouring some of the bisque over the meatballs to make them bareable. \r \r Our feeling is that if you want to provide good service to your customers, you tell them of any substitutions or items that can't order ahead of time...not after. \r \r My husband and I believe that a tip is something that is earned. When restaurants provide good service we leave a handsome tip. Unfortunately, my husband and I were so disappointed that we left without leaving a tip this time. I would highly recommend skipping this restaurant and buy a bottle of wine to have at home. Pros: Pretty View, Parking Validating Cons: Service, food more

I attended a 35th birthday party here a few weeks ago - and was blown away by the food, wine, service and atmosphere. The bacon-wrapped scallops are the best I have ever had. Bacon crispy with the scallops tender inside. The Chicken Satay was so delicious and I appreciated a passed appetizer that you know came right from the oven as it was hot. Our hosts selected their house red to serve and it was one of the best red blends I have ever tasted. The space itself is gorgeous - warm and beautifully decorated. We were having so much fun and the owners let us stay past their regular closing time, which was really nice of them! Our servers were attentive and super-friendly. We wanted them to join the party! I can;t wait to go back for wine and dinner here - I'll be back soon! Pros: Great party space, excellent food and wine - stellar service more

I have been here three times now and love Thirst. I think it has one of the best happy hours in town. I definitely get full for not a lot of money. Each time I have been there I was able to try a different set of wines at happy hour for only $2 a taste. It's like creating your own flight of wines! I was disappointed when they said they didn't have their crab dip that they had been known for anymore - but I had a delicious cheese, caramelized onion dip that was rich, creamy and perfect on a cold night. This is the best place in town to get Salumi Salami (from Seattle, and the bomb!) and their portions of it are very generous. The staff is very friendly and is able to tell when you feel chatty or want to be left alone to visit with your dining mates. I ask what I think are probably pretty basic questions since I am newer to the world of wine, and I am met with genuinely friendly and believable answers! The pinnacle of our last visit was when they brought out complimentary house made chocolate truffles (it was my friend's birthday). These were awesome and definitely unique. One even had candied bacon in it! thought I wold hate it - but loved it! I think I have found my favorite new spot in Portland for wine, food, fun and friends. Pros: Food, Service, Wine - Truffles!!! Fabulous Happy Hour - Great Music too! Cons: Nothing! more

Wow - this is the worst wine bar in Portland! \r I wouldn't recommend it to any one. \r \r There was no place to park, and getting to Thirst was difficult. Once inside, I could hear what anyone was saying because the place was so loud. The walls and floor are cement, so sound reverberates off every surface! \r You'd think the wine would at least be good - but there were so few choices by-the-glass that I simply picked the least offensive brand. There were no choices under $8. Ouch! When I finally got my glass of wine - which took forever - it tasted like wine made from grape syrup concentrate. Yuck! \r \r Thirst failed to have enough staff (or enough compotent staff) on a night when they had a small holiday party in their side room. It was obvious they need more wait staff and kitchen help, when our fondue took over 20 minutes to get to our table. Fondue! What were they doing back in the kitchen???!!! Same thing with my bowl of soup. It was ridiculous. \r \r Not only was the kitchen slow, the food was not notable. My butternut squash soup tasted like cream-of-nothing. The fondue tasted alright, but they gave us olives, artichoke hearts and other odd things to dip into the cheese. While that might sound good on paper, it was not tasty in reality. \r \r When I finally got the bill, after trying to flag down the waitress several times, they had overcharged us for the soup and for some of the wines. It was a pain to get it changed to the correct price b/c the manager is the only one who knows how to do it. There were no apologies. \r \r I would not recommend Thirst to anyone. In fact, I recommend you steer clear of Thirst at all costs. \r Cons: loud, overpriced, unremarkable food, bad service more

I love going to Thirst for a glass of wine with my girlfriends. I don't know that much about wine, but the staff is always helpful in guiding me towards a selection that is exactly what I am in the mood for. If they ever have Sangria-get it! They aren't using Carlo Rossi here. It is complex, flavorful, and refreshing. We always get a cheese plate or the antipasto platter, and have never been disappointed by the rotating selection. Overall, Thirst is a great place to enjoy good food, good wine, and good company. Pros: great selection, helpful staff, sangria more

We had an event at Thirst last week and it was absolutely amazing! The banquet room is lovely with modern decor and local artist work. The art is really interesting and makes for great conversations! Leslie and Gary the owners did such a great job with planning the menu and wine choices and this made it easy for me, as I am very busy but wanted this to be perfect. The food was so good! Loved the fondue and the hot crab dip! The service staff was friendly and did not miss a beat and made sure we were well taken care of. My business partners were very impressed and I will definantly be scheduling more events with Thirst in the near future! Thank you for the referral Jodi, you are right this place is great and I can see why you and Pete love to have dinner there! Pros: Wine and Food are amazing more

We had a wonderful time at Thirst Wine Bar. The staff was friendly and gave us excellent service. The wine selection is a very nice array of local wines with some from further afield. The pricing here is excellent too - most wines are about what you would pay in any retail location. That's why it got the five stars from me. It's tough to find a place that is not charging up to four times the retail cost of a bottle, but here it is. The scallops and shrimp were delicious and had a lovely chili sauce drizzled on the sides of the plate. They come on skewers wrapped in bacon sitting on a bed of fresh greens. The cheese trio was also delicious and we ordered another one which made it perfect for the five of us. If anyone should wonder where to go for a nice bite and a great bottle of wine - this is the place for you! It would be remiss not to mention that you can also enjoy the best river scene in the town while sipping and savoring. more

The location for Thirst is great, and offers a great opportunity for people watching and enjoyment of the river. I recently discovered that on Wednesday nights you can ""make your own flight"" of wines, which gives you the opportunity to sample whatever wines by the glass you choose. Other nights occasionally feature wine tastings showcasing a specific winery. On the regular menu, there are usually about three flights of wine that you can choose from if you are looking to sample the selections on the menu. This wine bar seems to make an effort to showcase great local wine makers, even from local wineries that are not yet widely known to the average local wine consumer. I have been to Thirst several times when the service was less than stellar, but this seemed to be because Thirst was so busy, not because the waitstaff were rude or intentionally inattentive. When the weather is good, the patio is usually packed, and it is very difficult for the servers to carry in and out multiple glasses for all of the diners - many of whom are drinking wine flights, not just single glasses of wine. I waited to write a review until I sampled the food, which was fine, but not divine. For a wine bar, I do think that the selection of appetizers is limited, and a little boring. My friends and I tried the trio of appetizer dips - including the crab dip and the tapenade, and found them a little disappointing. On the upside, the gnocchi was good. Pros: Local Wine Selection, Wine Flights and the Waterfront View Cons: Limited Food Selection more

We were walking on the riverfront last weekend and spotted Thirst's cute tables on the sidewalk and stopped to check out the menu. Then we smelled the delicious burgers and decided to try one. OH-MY-GOODNESS! To die for. Flavorful, cooked perfectly and came with delicious caramelized onions and other fun goodies! Service was stellar, friendly, and fun! You can tell the manager likes his job since he was really interested in whether we were enjoying our time at Thirst and what we thought about the burger since I guess this is the first Summer they've had them. Wine was great - try their house red, one of the best wines I've had in a long time! It was a delicious meal at the perfect place with gorgeous weather - who could ask for more? Pros: BURGERS!! Wine, Atmosphere, Patio, Serivice and Friendliness! more

Although this wine bar has a favorable grouping of wines, the owner disrespects his surrounding neighborhood. Good wine bars associate themselves with others in a friendly manner. Thirsty has no such talent. Thirsty would be my bottom choice when attempting to support a local business for wine. Try The Little River Cafe, down the way. They may not have as much wine inventory, but they at least don't push you away. more

I frequent this great bistro / wine bar frequently. It has wonderful food and wine, perfect ambiance and the owners are some of the friendliest and most genuine people I have ever met. The review from a few days ago is ridiculous and unwarranted. I was by myself sitting right across from this particular table of 'ladies' and witnessed the entire situation. I NEVER write reviews, and never visit Citysearch, however I decided to monitor some of these amateur 'review sites' after the ladies loudly vowed to pepper this place with bad reviews. It is unfortunate that some people come into a restaurant just not wanting to be happy, no matter what. That was the case here. They were grouchy about everything, loud and impolite to the staff. When the owner inquired at the as to what was going on - the ladies were impolite. I don't think I could have been half as tactful as the owner asking these 'biddies' to leave! Good for you Thirst for standing up for your employees. I will be back time and time again - for food, wine and camaraderie! Pros: All around best wine bar in Portland more

It was a wonderful summer evening in Portland. Me and 3 of my girlfriends were strolling the Waterfront and decided to stop for a cool glass of Sangria at ""Thirst"". It was, after all, listed as the drink special of the evening. I stuck my head into the bar to ask about outside seating. I was told it would be awhile, as they were quite busy. We told them we would wait and sat patiently on the bench outside. A few minutes later, one of the waitstaff told us it would only be about 5 minutes and we were soon seated.\r \r We requested 4 Sangria's and ordered the appetizer ""Trio"". We were told they were out of ""Sangria"", so we ordered wine all around. The wine came promptly, but about 15 minutes later, they served the guy at the table next to us a long cool glass of ""Sangria"". Curious, we thought, but we didn't say anything and let it go. It was about 7:30 when we were seated and by about 8:15, we had still not seen our appetizers and we were almost finished with our wines.\r \r Now this is where it gets REAL good. One of my friends asked one of the waitstaff to talk to the owner. The owner walks up to the table, totally indignant and starts off by YELLING at us. Telling us how rude we were?? In about 30 seconds, the conversation deteriorates to the owner ASKING US TO LEAVE AND NEVER COME BACK AGAIN!!! Just what had we done? Ask about where our appetizers were? Four girls, kicked out of a wine bar . . .I have NEVER!!! Everyone was watching and quite bewildered!\r \r Once the owner left, our waiter approached, looking at us about as confused as we were and asked us to give them ""ANOTHER TRY"". Only if there were NEW OWNERSHIP, would I give this place another try!!! And with the viciousness of the current owner, I'm sure that will be soon! Pros: Location, location, location (in the Summer) Cons: The Owner is rude and unprofessional more

I love going to Thirst on a nice sunny day to sit outside, people watch and drink some good wine. Just beware that the food is a major disappointment. I've tried the crab dip and it was runny and gross. Then once I tried the spinach dip, and that was a JOKE! It was essentially cold cream cheese with a few peices of spinach and artichoke mixed in served with cold unbaked bread slices. This is NOT a SPINACH DIP PEOPLE! Just beware that the food will most likely be a disappointment from what you would expect to recieve. Other than that, enjoy it for the view. more