Thirsty Whale

The best way to describe this place is for the younger crowds. It can be a college bar, dive bar, or just somewhere to sit outside and drink. The food is your typical bar food which I have no problem with. People dock all the time and get stuff to go which makes it an awesome oasis. If you are looking for something more of a dine in or restaurant than I would go elsewhere. This is your bar on the beach hangout and my personal favorite place to go drinking and my go to place when I bring friends up north. The only problem is the outside is small and limited seating so you can wait a little bit.

Amazing cheese curds! Kids loved being able to watch the ski who at the same time and great wait staff.

The Thirsty Whale is great when you want something deep-​fried — the cheese curds and french fries are amazing. Be aware that they’re always busy; we went at 2pm on a Thursday and still had to wait a good 20 minutes for outdoor seating. It’s a great spot, though! The patio’s on a dock over the lake (very scenic) and the breezes feel great.
The thing that knocks a star off for me is the mediocre service. Nobody on staff seems to particularly care much, whether you’re standing around waiting or at your table.

Experienced The Thirsty Whale for the first time this weekend and was not too impressed. I understand with it being the summer and all but I was disappointed on many levels. First off when we arrived there was a wait of 20 minutes for inside seating and 40 – 60 minutes for outside seating outside. We put our name down for inside because we wanted a quick drink and some appetizers so didn’t plan to stay all that long. We waited… and waited… and waited. 45 minutes later and no word from anyone. There were even tables that were empty the whole time. Went up to ask the worker and they totally skipped our number and then said it would be another 10 minutes. People were even seated outside before us. The worker was not very friendly at all. We wanted to give it a try so that is why we waited. Not the best idea. Finally when we did get seated the waitress was not very friendly either and did not come back except at the end for us to ask for our bill. Our food and drinks took all of 10 – 15 minutes to get to our table so that was the only plus side since it took longer just to get a table in a not so full restaurant. Overall the appetizers were not bad so maybe the only other plus about the place. If anyone were to try this place out the only way I would go is to call for a reservation first. Then hopefully when you go the people will be a little more friendly. I would think twice before going back if I am in town again.

Views of the lake are awesome, servers were friendly, food was pretty good. They have sandwiches and appetizers during the day while the kitchen is open.

Oh Thirsty Whale, you are a hot mess. In a good way. I came here over the 4^th of July weekend and things were pretty cray. It was PACKED with college kids back home for the weekend.. . and middle-​aged bagpipers.. . Haha. I wasn’t really paying for drinks that night but they had some decent specials available– some kind of $ 5 summer ‘fishbowl’-like concoction served in a bucket that people were really liking. The crowd was fun and friendly and they were playing the usual Top-​40 stuff from the jukebox.
Things I especially liked:
1) The Whale is within walking distance from downtown Minocqua and several other bars and restaurants.
2) It is located right on Lake Minocqua which exponentially multiplies my enjoyment factor. They also have a nice deck outside where you can take your drink and chill by the water.
3) I noticed they have some fun touristy/​local flavor tee shirts available for sale in MANY different styles.
I’ll be back. So will everyone else who was there last weekend. #partyon

This is a must-​stop while in Minocqua. The food is good (though nothing out of the ordinary) — and there’s just something about sitting on the patio outside, playing cards and having a beer in the sun that can’t be beat. Bar staff is friendly and on the ball, and it’s always filled with people. Fun place to spend an afternoon.

Our group of nine dined here last Friday. After waiting for about thirty minutes out on the deck we were seated at a picnic table out on the deck that was only able to seat maybe six comfortably. After speaking with the waitress, she offered our group to split into two and sit at two different tables. We agreed and she actually went and had the people at the table next to us move from where they were sitting so we could sit there, which I thought was pretty rude of her.
Now the most important part, the food. Almost every single person hated their food. People who got french fries had cold fries (one even sent them back), people who got the fish fry, myself included, said it was the worst fish fry they’ve ever had, and another who got nachos said there was hardly any cheese on it.
Long story short, I’d maybe consider Thirsty Whale for drinks, but never food. In fact, if you want drinks, I’d actually recommend going to the Minocqua Brewing Company. They have great food, drinks and awesome ambiance with live music some nights.

Stopped here for lunch. Food was good, fries were great. Kids menu as well. Address is off just a bit so look up directions somewhere else.

I really enjoyed my dinner here. The actual bar and service is without a doubt just average though. I would make sure you enjoy the company you are dining with and plan on drinking afterwards at a different bar if drinks are your thing.
When we walked in the hostess quoted us a 45 minute wait for the patio. It was a beautiful Summer night. No big deal. We were a little annoyed after noticing she had everyone wait 45 minutes for a table on the patio as half the tables sat empty. If this is a staffing issue they need to staff properly. They should know people will sit outside on the water.
The waitress was slooow. She was really nice but seriously slow. Our food took forever to come out. I was starving! All of the food was excellent once it finally came out. We started with cheese curds and (delicious) ranch and an order of coconut shrimp. Both were really good.
All 4 of us ordered a different sandwich. I didn’t ask anyone else for a taste so I can only speak for mine. Everyone said they were happy though. I had the blackened grouper sandwich on a roll with grilled onions and peppers and swiss cheese. Amazing! My plan was to throw some of the bread away (bad carbs) but one taste and I couldn’t dare. The bread was so good! I’ve been dreaming about it.
The prices were crazy cheap given the quality (just my opinion). My sandwich and fries only came to like $ 11? The drinks are another story. They are cheap, but the quality isn’t there. The daiquiri was weak and the glass of wine was AWFUL. Don’t order the wine here. Have water with dinner and head to a wine bar afterwards. Great dinner though overall.

We have come here the last couple years for lunch. The waitress was very friendly, albeit a bit forgetful. The sandwiches we all ordered were as good as to be expected at a shoreside café type restaurant. The only complaint was their $ 10 sampler platter… very small portion size on that. Atmosphere is pleasant and the view is nice. Will probably be back next year :-)

The food was pretty good. Had a long drive home, so only did a few appetizers and a couple of beers. The nachos were excellent!
The hostess was way less than friendly. Stood at her stand for a good minute before bothering to look up and acknowledge my friend and I standing there waiting to be seated. After looking up, and us telling her we would like to sit outside, she realized the tables on the deck near the water hadn’t been cleaned. Granted they weren’t even close to being busy and the table should have been cleared, she copped a huge attitude about now having to «go and clean it.» As she then walked away with us wondering what the big deal was. Teamwork, anyone?! Oh well.
So we sit down and wait another 5 minutes to have our drink order taken. Drinks did come fast initially, though. And there wasn’t a long wait for the food, either. However, don’t expect to get a timely refill (bottles were empty for 10 minutes, and we have to snag the server). Speaking of, $ 4 for a bottle of beer?! Yikes!
All in all, the food was good. The beer was cold. The view was absolutely amazing. And to too it off, there was a ski team practicing for us to watch too.
I don’t know if I would return to the Thirsty Whale, but it was a decent stopping point for this trip.

Good food and atmosphere. Menu isn’t extensive; food is a few notches above bar food. Good burgers. Great view of the lake. Great place for a casual lunch or dinner.

On a recent first trip (for me) to Wisconsin, My girlfriend, her mom and myself stopped in at the Thirsty Whale for lunch and a couple of pints (Spotted Cow on draft)…
Is it in the middle of nowhere?, «you betcha», off the beaten path?, yes, but worth finding?, most definitely.
We had two or three different meals, including fish sandwiches, tacos and cheesecurds. The food was surprisingly good. Coupled with a great view of lake Minocqua and watching a bald eagle riding a column just above us, that hour was hard to beat. The wait staff was hard working and friendly.
If we had this nice of a time when there was a customer lull and driving into the place, I could only imagine the experience is that much cooler docking your dingy right up against its floating patio.

The Thirsty Whale is always a MUST on our annual trips to Minocqua.
You can’t beat the views of Lake Minocqua. And I’ve gotta say, they have the best margaritas around. It’s nice and convenient to be able to pull up your boat or wave runner to the shore or pier and grab something to eat.
You probably won’t want to bring kids any time after 8:00 … we came for a late dinner and there was a bachelorette party there with ‘phallic-​ness’ all around. We’ve been there, too, where there are some ‘creepos’ later in the evening — or some drunk bar flies. Otherwise, it’s an all-​around great place. Great food, great views.

Terrible! I have eaten there before and it was decent but my recent visit marked a new low for me. The waitstaff was completely clueless and we waited an hour and a half because the kitchen was backed up. I’ve worked in a lot of restaurants and am extremely patient when it comes to things like this, but they serve burgers and sandwiches mostly, so with 10 tables in the whole place I don’t understand how it can be backed up.
They ran out of their signature drink and every tap beer except one. How does a bar run out of beer and liquor?
Our waiter never came back to get us more drinks and when he did, he took food that people were still eating and left before we could say anything.
Yeah, the view on the water is great. That’s about it. Don’t waste your time or $$$$

The Thirsty Whale not to be confused with Anchorman’s Ron Burgundy’s belief as to what San Diego stands for.
We came her twice in our 4 day trip to Minocqua, which basically says how much we enjoyed it.
Things to get:
Fried Cheese curds — OH my word. I had forgotten about these since I moved to New York, and now i can’t get them out of my head. So Good but extremely naughty, eat with caution.
Burger/​Sandwich — I feel like you can’t go wrong, order one, you will love it. The fried fish is great, one person in our group got a burger which they enjoyed, the french fries are yummy, I could go on and on.
Caesar Salad — delicious and so fresh
This restaurant is consistently good, and always busy! Thank you Thirsty Whale for giving me sweet dreams of fried cheese and fresh fish!

Great spot to grab lunch in the summer! I am a total bread snob and this place knows the importance of a good bun on a sandwich! The location just cannot be beat: patio hangs out over the water so you feel like you are in a boat! Lots to look at and the patio is partially shaded.
One consideration when dining on the patio: there can be a bit of a wait because the patio only offers large picnic tables. So one small group of 2 people can take up a giant table that seats 6. I would be fine with putting 2 groups of 2 at those tables to help free up some of the wait time.

Our annual trip to Minocqua always includes a dinner and/​or stop at the Thirsty Whale. The fish fry is very good and my son loved the baby corn dogs. It’s fun to watch the water ski show from the deck as you enjoy a drink or wait for your table. While the wait on a Friday is long in the summer (we waited almost 2 hours), we spent the time watching the ski show and the kids played in the game room.
We also stopped here late Wednesday night (11pm). It was pretty dead but we got great service and spent time chatting with the bartenders and hearing local stories.