Thistle

Part 1, anticipation + drink
I anticipated going to this restaurant for some time since I had scouted a place for 4 out-​of-​towners visiting wine country. The reviews and food pictures looked wonderful, I liked the farm to table philosophy surrounding the restaurant and thought the website to be fanciful & different. With MUCH excitement, we arrived and waited about 10 minutes for our table at the bar. The drinks we had at the bar were delicious and crafted with care. I explained what kind of drink I was after and the skilled bartender created me something I loved (and with gin, no less — I’ve never been a big fan of gin but may soon become one).
Part 2, starter
The menu was quite small, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It was explained to us by the waitress that most people get an entrée and an appetizer as the portions are on the smaller side. That’s fine and all… so long as the food is spectacular and prices reasonable. I did not find that to be entirely the case with our meal. Taking advisement, we each ordered a starter and an entrée. The rilette of cooked down pork was just ok. I felt like I could have easily bought some pork butt or shoulder, thrown it into a crockpot with s&p, let cool down, packed into a cutesy ball jar and voila!, provided the same thing. It just didn’t impress. I tried the rabbit liver parfait. It was fairly strong and funk, as livers can be, but I enjoyed it for the most part, even if I found it to be a tad overwhelming. The bread & fat is worth getting (it’s only 2 bucks).
Part 3, dinner
The sturgeon was prepared very simply and it was a meatier fish than I expected (I sneaked a bite of my S.O.‘s). He thought it was good, but nothing to write home about. The portions were indeed small. My brother in law ordered the steak. I was surprised to see that it came pre-​sliced and then sort of layered into a mound atop the starch. The meat was cooked to perfection and the serving size would have been ample enough for me. I ordered the gnocchi and this is where I feel the dinner just nose-​dived for me. A small pile of gnocchi arrived tossed lightly in a lemon vinaigrette. There was some nicely charred broccolini mixed in. At first bite of the gnocchi, I just felt disappointed, The large potato dough stuck to the top of my mouth. Can something be both chewy moist AND dry? if so, this gnocchi was it. The flavor just wasn’t there, the vinaigrette perhaps just too light. Loved the broccolini, but that does not constitute a dinner.
finale
Perhaps the thing that got under my skin in the end was how different this place tries to be in its food and dining approach and in that, perhaps relies on it’s uniqueness to override noticing the high prices and small portions of only decent, not spectacular, food. The crazy dim lighting with a single chalkboard menu, the varied china dinnerware, the prohibition era bar, and quirky waitress — yes — that’s all dandy — but it isn’t a truly amazing experience without everything else falling into place.

Have eaten at just about every restaurant in this area. Thistle definitely sets the bar for creative dining, in a quaint atmosphere, with great service!
Highly recommend reservations, and planning ahead for busy weekends!

Love this restaurant! Great atmosphere and delicious food. Service is great. We need to eat there more often.

Go here. The music is great, the bartender is a doll, the candles and the rain on the windows make it totally magical. I recommend this place for anyone feeling romantic, whether they’re with someone or alone. Romance runs out of every pore of this small-​town gem. There are 22 seats… plan ahead and reserve one.

Place is a gem! If you are in the area this is the place to go to! Get you butt in here! The staff, awesome. Emily couldn’t have been a better host/​server! Patrick is a master bartender. The food, so great! This is a special place. Oysters, gnocchi, wine, drinks… TOP NOTCH!

Dinner for 4 at this wonderful locally-​sourced restaurant. We were all completely satisfied. For starters we enjoyed the rillettes and the terrine (both pork). The rillettes were not overly salty and just the right amount of fat to add flavor and make it spreadable. Entrees included rock fish, lamb, and pork. Each prepared uniquely with an array of locally grown vegetables and spices. We were all pleasantly surprised to find such a sophisticated culinary experience in this quaint little town. We will definitely return the next time our wine-​tasting excursions take us back to Oregon.

Wonderful small farm to table, eclectic restaurant. The menu changes often. Try the steak tartar as a starter — it is a delight. The entrees are small but just right with very nice presentations. Nice wine list with many local wines. Unique old cocktails from the 1800s. Service was good.

Farm-​to-​table, in-​season, local and delicious. Everything we had was amazing. Great service and a very talented bartender. What more could you want?

We originally had reservations elsewhere, but a local winemaker insisted that we had to try Thistle instead. And when an experienced winemaker raves about the food and drinks at a restaurant… you go. Delicious, fresh cuisine that changes every night based on ingredient availability. Everyone else in the restaurant appeared to be regulars – because it’s just that good. If they have steak, whether in tartare or cooked form, you must try it. It’s melt in your mouth delicious, on par with Argentinian steak.

Just went to bar. Excellent cocktail. Drank the Brooklyn. Don’t know about the food, but highly recommend this place for a top notch drink if that’s what you are looking for.

Dinner for 5 was amazing!
Excellent service, tasty, locally focused food, and a very cool atmosphere.
The menu is on a chalkboard, so take a photo w/​your phone.
Netarts oysters were so fresh and perfect, 8 minute egg salad was great, and the steak with collards, potato and smokey blue was done just right.
Gnocchi with fiddleheads, meyer lemon and sheep cheese was a very rare treat!
Everything tasted wonderful. Can’t say enough good about this place!
We brought a really nice red wine from a funky little tasting room next door.
And our server (Emily?) was almost intuitive in anticipating our needs.
She definitely gets 3 cheers, as do the chefs!
McMinnville has another great restaurant, and this one may be the best.
We will happily be back.

Unusual and delicious. The owner and her outstanding staff have created a unique experience in a cool setting. The love and care for this establishment is evident in every detail, from the reclaimed floors, furniture and fixtures to the mismatched dishes. Nothing is out of place nor is it boring or ordinary.
The food further highlights how devoted the staff is to their craft. No plastic coated menus with pictures-​sorry folks. This is a restaurant for people who appreciate farm to fork, creative cuisine made from fresh local ingredients. I had the rillettes and gnocchi with rapini and it was outstanding. This was my second visit and it exceeded expectations as did the first visit a year ago. Excellent wine list and caring unobtrusive service too. Go as you are and enjoy the experience.

They are either closed early or claim to never have a table and are not kid friendly, there are too many other awesome dining places in area to waste your time trying to give these people business.

Excellent is the only way to describe my first time dining experience at Thistle! You must plan accordingly and I would advise against going with a group. There seems to be seating for about 15 in total, but the ambiance is great for a date or meal with a friend. I had the oysters and and the Beef Hangar was cooked to perfection.
The owners and staff are quite pleasant and accommodating. I will definitely visit again while in McMinnville, Oregon.

Remarkable dinner. Came in here for a birthday dinner for 3. We had heard from a number of the locals that Patrick was the man for great cocktails. We got here a bit early to sit in the bar area and test Patrick’s mad skills. Just tell him what you like and he will sculpt a cocktail for you if the cocktail menu does not excite you. I told him I like bourbon and he created one of the best bourbon drinks I’ve ever had. He is a fantastic bar man, mixologist, bartender, whatever you want to call it. The 4 of us loved his skill.
Dinner was flat out fantastic. All local, all fresh, all in season. There is a menu on the walls and just pick from there. Everything we ordered was knee shaking good. If I had to hit the electric chair tomorrow, my last dinner may come from Thistle.
If you are in McMinnville you have to come here. This place is so deserving of the accolades they have received. Keep up the strong work Thistle cause you all are awesome. Amazing experience!

Got to spend five nights in the Portland/​Willamette Valley region and this was my favorite place and meal. Was it the old school bartender, Patrick, mixing up the most perfect gin and vodka concoctions? The fabulous wine list? The limited but well thought out and imaginative menu containing unbelievably fresh ingredients? Was it because we were staying at the nearby Allison Resort which had us singing Allison/​My Aim is True for days and was coincidentally played while dining? Was it the friendly service? Well, it was all those things. Just a perfectly quaint and charming resto in a very old space cooking up delicious food and deserts (gnocchi was insane!) And did I mention the amazing cocktails? This place is not to be missed and don’t forget to have Patrick mix up a masterful drink or two (three?) while you’re there!

OMG you have to eat here!!!
Every plate was spot on, cooked perfect with great flavor.
Best tar tar ever!
Rabbit was cooked tender with crisp crust, prepared as it should be.
Then there was the friendly flawless service and a great wine selection.

This small restaurant will appeal to many but left me flat. It emphasizes fresh local ingredients which is to be applauded but that limits the size and range of their menu. The day I was there, I was not impressed with what they were serving.
The menu is located on slate, written in chalk, by the front door. Menus are not provided at the table. So if you don’t know the menu’s location, this causes problems. I joined my group after they were seated. When I asked for a menu, the young lady informed me that it was by the door and they didn’t have written menus. I had to pry the menu out of her brain and she was not happy nor prepared to discuss the small menu. OK, everybody has bad days, but it’s not my fault that I don’t know Thistle’s secrets.
The décor of the restaurant could be described as recycled old stuff from the plates to the silverware. Again I know this is chic, but that’s not my thing.
My salad was excellent, my entre just ordinary and small. They do have a nice wine list, though some bottles were sold out. That happens. I will not return, but I suspect you will have better luck than I did.

Had a lovely meal on a Friday evening at Thistle.
They pack ‘em in tight at this tiny space, and their staff is tiny, but the focus at the restaurant is on the food: local, fresh, and delicious. They partner with local farms to get great stuff, and they serve it up to showcase the quality. We had a delightful meal of raw oysters, pork terrine, lamb tartare, and fish.
The cocktail bar is worth a separate visit (or, in our case, a mandatory visit — the table wasn’t ready when we arrived). Great vibe: dark, wooded, and taxidermied. Filled with quirky charm — the bathroom was wallpapered with pages of an old French encyclopedia. Cocktails themselves are the classics made well.

I have been super excited to try Thistle for a long time. Recently I tried to get reservations on 3 occasions and being booked the first two times I tried, the third time we got in without a problem, great.
The restaurant is gorgeous! It is like Schoolhouse Electric and trendy thrift store had a baby, and this was the result. It is clear how carefully the décor was curated, hats off to them.
The service was good, brisk and no nonsense, as expected. I had a great craft cocktail.
The bread and fat was good. The raw oysters were great, I liked the mignonette a lot. That is where the meal took a weird turn. The steak tartare did not taste good, it was under seasoned and mushy, we ate less than half. My husband found it to be unpalatable. He had the fish of the night, the portion was tiny, like comically so, it was nothing special, lots of places cook a good piece of fish. I had the flat iron steak and was not a fan of the sauce, it just did not work for me. There was too much going on, and the meat was tough, again a small portion. We opted to skip dessert. We were in and out in 45 minutes.
Honestly I am happy to pay for great food with small portions, but it just did not work for me. My husband had a less favorable opinion than I did, I’m sure glad we did not go for the first time on our recommendation with friends, I would have been embarrassed. I so desperately wanted to love this place and I appreciate what they seem to be all about. Ultimately I wish them the best and am happy they have a following, but I won’t be back. I woke up the next day and was still disappointed.