Thirstys

Food was decent, nothing fancy. The place is an average bar with average food. I was not disappointed. It is a spot were it seems everyone knows your name. You could tell that people knew each other. It was almost a family type of gathering. I would not mind visiting again.

The charm of Thirstys is that it is a dive, they know it, their patrons know it, and they play the part perfectly.
Beer on tap, friendly service, food is subpar for sure, standard bar menu, but an acceptable «go-​to» on a weekday night.
On Thursday they have 50 cent clams and wings. It’s nice to throw back a couple plates of those with a cold beer after a day’s work. TVs at the bar, chit chat with the locals, I think you’ll manage… give it a shot.

This place seems to be confused about it’s own identity. On the one hand, it looks (from the outside) like your run of the mill crappy dive bar. On the other hand, they have a higher end menu (clams, london broil etc). The wings are pretty good, if a bit on the small side… the steaks did not look great (saw them, but didn’t order one myself). Bar pies look like your typical bar pies.
Piece of advice — if you’re ordering beer from the taps, stick with the common stuff. This is not a craft beer environment and the guiness that I had initially (and yes I’m aware that’s hardly a craft beer) tasted EXTREMELY old. Much happier switching over to Sam summer as it seemed like that was a big enough seller that the keg wasn’t so badly aged.
Lots of «regulars» at the bar… felt a little bit like the Springsteen song «Glory Days» as they all sat around talking about the «old times». Seems like the location all the local softball teams and whatnot go to after their games. Decent environment for a beer or two as local pubs go… not quite divey enough for dive bar fans, but not really «upscale» enough to be anything else. If you’re a «good» beer fan, they have a few pseudo decent beers in bottles, but just common stuff on tap — and your best bet, if you’re the type that can tell when beer has been there too long, is to stick with the American macro-​brew type stuff (wouldn’t go with anything more obscure than sam adams).
UPDATED ¹⁰⁄₈
So you know those bar pies I was talking about? They’re awful. Really, REALLY bad… and whatever the hell the stuffed mushroom was, it was more of a salad than stuffed mushrooms. I’d say it’s an alright place to go if you stay with wings and simple beers. For my money I’d rather go up the road 10 minutes to Jake’s, or 15 minutes up 22 to Nik’s Wunderbar.

Great place for family, friends and everything in between. I strongly recommend that whether you’re local or just visiting, if you’re looking great food, great service, and s great a great place, this is the place .
Did I mention that the bartender, Dee is the best!!!

Great place to grab a drink… regular stuff.
Food is decent and a good sized portion.
Wings are great. Love the steak sandwich!
Fun times always!
I can’t wait to buy and own this place!

I came here on a whim from some friends. We were seated immediately. The waitress took our drink order. I ordered an Arnold Palmer. (half ice tea, half lemonade.)We were given a lunch special menu along with the regular menu. There were many interesting selections to choose from starting with for appetizer, buffalo style calamari that one of my friends asked to be specially made. The owner liked it so much it’s on the regular menu. There were chicken franchise, chicken piccata hoagies. Fresh ahi tuna grade sliced over salad, burgers, fish sandwiches or steak sandwiches, salads and pasta too.
I chose to try the ribeye steak sandwich with peppers and onions. My waitress asked how I would like it cooked. (med– rare of course .)It was served with French fries.
When my steak sandwich arrived it was cooked perfectly. The steak was very tender. The peppers and onions added to the flavor. The french fries were crispy. My Arnold Palmer drink was good too. I could taste the fresh lemonade along with the ice tea.
My waitress Dee was very friendly. She even customized one of the burgers for my friend and subbed in fresh veggies for french fries, and left off the bun.
This place is very casual nothing fancy. It seems like a lot of local people from the area come here. They all seem to be on a first name basis. There is free parking in their lot. It is centrally located on rt. 202 in Branchburg. They have a nice bar with flat screens. This place isn’t big but definitely worth a try.

As most of us know, I am into the whole dive bar. This place is like a dive bar/​diner. It was alright. The crowd was a little odd, mostly regulars I think. Service was alright however, my vodka tonic glass was cracked. Oh well, what can you expect? I ordered the buffalo wings, they were pretty tasty.

Solid 3, a place as divey as this really needs cheaper beer prices. Ok, so it’s a bit cleaner than a regular dive bar but the fellow customers help give it that push into dive status. We had old men re-​living days gone by to our right and a bunch of 20-​somethings fresh from the office to our left. Didn’t order any food, so this review is only for the atmosphere and beer. A pool table and trophies in the back with some clean bathrooms. They have free WiFi and a big sign to announce it.

Thirsty’s is a bar and diner that is popular with the locals. This very casual place and its staff look a little rough around the edges, but don’t let that keep you away. Much of the food is good. We especially like the salads and the French Onion Soup. Husband likes the steaks. Don’t come here expecting fancy service. Food is a good value as is the place’s loyalty card program.

If you are on the road and want a dive bar dinner and beer, then stop here. Keep your expectations nice and low and you will be ok with your meal and slow service.
I went there to get a steak and a beer b/​c I was in the mood for it and happened to be passing this place I see all the time. Service took a while, the food was Eh at best. I would go back i I was starving and didn’t feel like driving 15 minutes + to a better place.
Well I have only been here twice in 8 years, so that tells you something. I would say if you are starving and you are stuck in that immediate spot, then give it a shot but do not expect much, so if you do get something decent then you will be like wow, his two star review is low, I think this place deserves 3 stars. If you keep your expectation nice and low you will be pleasantly surprised.

SERVICE WAS HORRIBLE. My boyfriend and I went there the other night around 930 we walked in and waited 5 mins before asking to seat ourselves. We sit down for ten mins and a waitress comes up and says what do u want to drink. Thought it was a rude way to ask but brushed it off waiting a few more mins for our drinks. She then brought menus over and waited what seemed like forever for her to come back meanwhile she was at a few tables down chatting. We got soup for a app and half of my soup was on the plate underneath. We got out entrée and after finishing she came over and said are you full? I said yes and before I could say I want it wrapped she threw napkins and utensils on there and did the same to my boyfriend who has a good amount left on plate. Was so annoyed with the service. I don’t know waitress’ names but she had brown hair, glasses and thin. I suggest if you go try not to get her because food is excellent but I cannot stand rude service!

Thirsty’s is a classic neighborhood pub, with a few real surprises on the menu. The steaks are an especially good deal, and the dinner salad that comes with most entrees is much better than you might expect.
For some reason the Unilocal data currently shows Thirsty’s as a $$$$ establishment, rest assured that $$ is much closer to the mark.

I’ve been coming here since I was 3 years old, so for as far back as I can remember. My parents came here before I was born. When I was little, being a child, I would always get the chicken fingers, which were great, and then I would go play pinball or one of the other old video game/​arcade machines that I do not think they have anymore (it changed a bit over the years). I started playing pool in 3^rd grade because of the pool table they had here. I was very outgoing and would ask old men who I would now be creeped out by to play with me and a friend or two.
Thirsty’s was always accommodating to my parents and my ailing grandparents, as they had to have walkers and sit at special tables throughout the years when they aged. I would often run in to kids from the local school here and their families. Years later when my dad was away a lot traveling for work, Thirsty’s would be great to my mom and I and we frequented it a lot, probably at least once or twice a week. We often did and sometimes still do go on a Sunday, for the all you can eat pasta night. I used to be able to eat at least two helpings of ravioli and then some, and it became our running joke with the servers. We would even bring my ailing grandparents here, and they were always great about accommodating them, even with walkers or wheelchairs.
The servers here are very very nice. Some have come and gone over the years, but a few of the bartenders have been here since before I was born. Thirsty’s kinda reminds me of Cheers-​even though for the last few years I’d say we probably only come about once a month or every other month, the bartenders wave at us or one of the staff. When I was 11, I saw the final episode of Seinfeld here. And that year the owner turned 50 and a huge party was thrown for him and we were there. He is a very nice man. The food quality has always been decent, though not spectacular. I feel bad about Jackie’s experience but maybe she should give it another try as that seems very strange. The menu has changed slightly over the years but I’ve probably tried everything on it and it always is on the mark.
–*Edited Update* – 12/​7/​11: My parents went to Thirsty’s again this past Friday night (they usually go on a Sunday) and they were seated by the owner himself, who got to speak with them for a bit. He is a nice man who is almost always there and had a lot in common with my parents. He doesn’t live too far away from my parents’ house either. :)
Also, a cool tip: I basically learned how to play pool as a little kid here, and my other friend from high school has recently acquired the skill from hanging out with her boyfriend in Park Slope in Brooklyn, so while we were at a creepy bar on Route 57 between Philipsburg and Washington a few weeks ago, we decided to ask some guys to play pool with us and it went very well, we *almost* beat them! Aw so close, but they got the black 8 ball in before us. Even my friend who is almost done with her 5 year PhD at Penn State who was home visiting (she is from Washington, poor soul, there is not much out there and the area never changes) was decent at pool. So, in my roundabout and indirect way, I attribute our doing well in pool to Thirsty’s!

I went there a while back with an Entertainment book coupon and a desire to support a local business. We went for an early dinner around 4:30pm but there were only a couple of people at the bar and no one at the tables eating — that should have been our first clue, but we decided to give it a shot anyways. I got the cordon bleu with mashed potatoes. The cordon bleu was still frozen in the middle and I kid you not that the mashed potatoes were so hard that I could flip them over on my plate without them even budging. The food was so disgusting that I couldn’t even get past the first couple of bites. Thirsty’s is clearly more of a drinking hole than anything else. They should probably just keep it at that and not serve food at all. I definitely won’t be back.