Thirst Bistro

I used to love coming here, the food and service were fantastic and you really can’t beat the location. Unfortunately in the past 6 months, I think something has changed. The overall quality of the food is inconsistent. I had the Portland Dining Menu in March, got the Shrimp Bisque, Salmon, and the Cheesecake. Everything was really over-​salted and overall just mediocre, not at all as good as what I’d had in the past. Another time I ordered a medium burger and ended up with a well done burger on a cheap grocery store bun that got gooey as I ate the burger, not at all what I’d had before. I got the steak another time and it was really overcooked and the mashed potatoes were bland and watery, not the rich and creamy ones I knew before.
The service is also very inconsistent, I’m not sure if they are intentionally under-​staffing or if they just have the most inefficient workflow in the restaurant business. Again, this is something that has changed in the past 6 months. Previously the staff were knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the wines, and they were very polite and communicative. In the past 6 months however, it’s just gotten worse every time I come in. Last time it took 15 minutes to have someone take our drink order and our food took almost an hour. We had to point specifically on the menu to the wines we wanted as the server was completely unfamiliar with them and had trouble spelling the names. Not great for a wine bar :/​
Overall I feel at this price point the overall quality and consistency of the food has really gone downhill and the level of service simply isn’t there. It’s a shame because I used to really enjoy this place. I recommend going to McCormick and Schmick’s next door instead for this style of food as the price point is better aligned with the quality of the food and service.

Ordered the Bistro Steak and a Caesar Salad. We had reservations and it took half an hour to get our salads and over an hour to get our steak. Our server barely checked on us and didn’t update us on why it was taking so long to get our food. The steak was small, way over cooked, dry, with lots of gristle. The only good thing was the view. I would never recommend this place.

I’ve been here a week and I have to say this was a venue I wouldn’t recommend. My party arrived at 5:20 at the restaurant. It was ill equipped and not set up for for guests. They were setting up tables as people arrived. We were offered water and that was it. You would never know it was awine bar because we were never offered wine or any of the beverage like that. We ordered our food after the server or the owner running back-​and-​forth between other people and literally leaving us in mid sentence. When our food came it was the wrong items and when we mentioned it to the owner he argued with us. After almost a half hour being relatively ignored we left and had dinner elsewhere in the local area.

Enjoyed great food, wine and service at Thirst.
I’m not a seafood soup person, but the shrimp bisque with the Portland Dining Month selection here was absolutely the best soup all year!
Entreé very good; grilled vegetables excellent. My server, Najela, made an excellent choice of wine to pair with my dinner. I found her to be knowledgeable, personable and provided a great balance of conversation balanced against letting me enjoy my meal. One of the best servers I’ve had all year (and I’m on the road 3 – 4 nights weekly). And it didn’t hurt that she is absolutely beautiful, of course! Ask for Najela!
Bartender and owner Leslie great people.
Come give it a try for food, dessert, wine, or just drinks — you’ll be happy!

Went for the Portland Dining Month menu hoping to have the smashed potatoes and the bread pudding dessert. Neither were available. The shrimp bisque had way too much salt as did seemingly everything else, even the cheesecake. I had the steak, pretty tough, partner had the salmon, over cooked. We both had roasted, er… blackened, brussel sprouts. The desserts, I had cheesecake, my partner had crème brûlée, supposedly with Grand Marnier, were quite average. Service was slow, even on a mid-​weekday. Overall, we were disappointed.

We were excited to go here for Portland Dining Month and were extremely disappointed. The wine list on the website is at least 3 years old and out of date so didn’t know what they offered. The website also stated that they have Thursday wine tasting from 5 – 8 — NO.
It was not crowded at all but still took an hour to get our salads. The soup was horribly salty, actually didn’t even eat it. The entrees were also extremely salty, waste of 3 perfectly good Ahi Tuna steaks — did not eat. The steaks were good, not great. Seemed as though they had been frozen prior. The crème brûlée was good…
Will never go back.

I tried the $ 29 Portland dining menu & it was delicious:) I had the Shrimp Bisque, Salmon and Crème Brûlée

I went to Thirst with a group of 5 for Restaurant Month. Our server was fantastic… very welcoming and helpful with our wine selection. Unfortunately, the kitchen had run out of 2 of the 5 entrée selections. Our server offered to have the kitchen plate everything family style so we could share and he took one of the meals off our check. BUT… none of the food was great. The steak and Brussels sprouts were good but not warm. The mushroom risotto was blandish. The pulled pork was pretty tasty. The wine and service was good. Oh.desserts. The salted caramel cheesecake was delicious, crème brûlée was too Grand Marnier for our liking and the brownie was yummy. Not sure I’d go back… we have way too many outstanding places in Portland to return to a mildly ok one.

After a few attempts at this place, I finally decided to sit down for a review.
The location is great — right on the waterfront with a lot of people watching opportunities and a nice selection of wine, however the service is HORRIBLE. I’ve given them multiple chances because of the wine and location, but cannot bare to go back anymore
They have a sign that says «no grumpy people», but the wait staff are incredibly rude and incompetent — the irony is lost on them!
They let their customers sit at outside tables for long periods of time without checking on them. They randomly close early so you have no idea if you’re too late for nice glass of wine before they close or not. Instead of inviting people into their bar area or suggesting a tasting room experience when their reservations are full — they simply tell you to go somewhere else. They apparently have not heard of a waitlist or «sure we can seat you but we have a reservation at x time, would you be finished by then?» is a really polite way of saying we want your business and will accommodate you but we need to respect those that made reservations first.
Hopefully they will see this review and take a customer service class

One of the best spots in Portland! The view is always amazing here no matter what the weather is like! Super convenient location for downtown and a great selection of wine!
Michael, our server was so knowledgable about the copious amounts of wine offered and our dinners were perfectly paired! The meal was excellent as well showcasing NW ingredients.
I loved their private wine cellar room and will be looking to book a private party there soon!
The bottle shop is also great for local items to purchase and of course, wine! Jessica who runs the bottle shop was a pleasure!
Gem on the waterfront!

Beautiful view of the river, the food was delicious, and the service was excellent. Perfect spot for a date night! Cheers Thirst! Looking forward to returning!

Has a great happy hour. The best big stuffed figs ever! Crab dip is to die for. Loved it. Met the owner, Leslie. Very friendly and helpful. Fantastic!

Fabulous happy hour menu! The server went above and beyond, even stuffing blue cheese in olives we requested for our drinks.
I would suggest the gorgonzola stuffed dates wrapped in prosciutto and crab dip.

This place is called Thirst because you will be thirstin for their food. They had great wine and food, loved their ravioli.

One of my frequented favorites! Surely I must have reviewed Thirst before!!!
Happy Hours 3:00 — 6:00pm Tues-​Sun (All day Sun)
Food Deals $ 2.00-$ 6.00
Delicious nibbles perfect with wine (plan and pair your choices): hot crab dip, baked brie, stuffed and wrapped dates, chili, salads and soups. Plus sharable charcuterie and cheese plates and flat iron steak with mashed potatoes ($ 9.00).
Drink Specials
$ 3.00 beer; $ 5.00 select wine (try the $ 9.00 flight)
Atmosphere
Right on RiverPlace Esplanade with huge windows and sidewalk seating for people and river-​gazing; lovely lounge area with comfy couch and fireplace. A truly enjoyable wine bar, now with a separate NW wine tasting room.

Came to Thirst tonight — our server Michael was so gracious & knowledgable.
My wife & I have met Leslie Palmer the owner, such a friendly & outgoing person.
The duck confit special was wonderful& the Paul O’Brien Tempranillo was out of this world.
We will be back!

If it were possible to give this establishment negative stars, I would. A couple friends and I showed up on a sunny late afternoon with the hopes of enjoying a glass of wine at one of their several open outside tables. In fact, there were only 4 people at the entire place. The waiter came out and told us, «we don’t have time or space for you». Really? Clearly not a place that welcomes or appreciates your business. Avoid this place and choose to spend your dollar someplace that will appreciate it!

Nice place, wrong people. Move on. Everyone has bad days but you don’t have to be rude about it.

More like Worst. The staff doesn’t seem to understand that the internet exists and bad customer service will not go unpunished.
The manager should make everyone who works there watch United Breaks Guitars on YouTube.

Perfect place for drinks & appetizers before a show at the Keller! The server got creative & brought be an awesome drink. Love that they have outdoor seating too.

Staying in a nearby hotel. All dressed up and… what…closed to the public… a Nike private party. Hopefully all the happy Nike diners will post positive reviews to wipe mine out.

It was clear from the very beginning that they didn’t want to seat any more customers for the night. We came in about 45 minutes before closing time and were told, «we really don’t have any food available besides a cheese plate.» We did order the $ 20(!!) cheese plate that offered brie and two other mediocre cheeses. I couldn’t tell you what kind they were because our server dropped them off without saying a word. Who does that? For $ 20 I would expect a short explanation about the types of cheeses they are serving, especially if they are calling themselves as wine bar.
I was highly disappointed with the service and will absolutely not return. There are way too many other options in Portland to give this place another chance. Sorry, not sorry.

Amazing view, creative great wine and small plates menu. Best wine bar I’ve found in Portland. Server was knowledgeable and put together a greet wine flight. All NW US wines.

Like several other recent reviews, Thirst Bistro seems to run hot or cold.
The kitchen had an off night when we dined. Shouldn’t have to wait 20 – 30 minutes after ordering to find out they’re out of a menu item (it happened twice to us). Main courses were slow to arrive and the daily special fish was over-​seasoned and over-​salted.
An automatic 20% tip was added to the bill for our party of four.
We’d go back for the view from the outdoor tables and order drinks and appetizers only.

Fellow Unilocalers, please do not support the racist business owner of Thirst.
We stopped by Thirst for a glass of wine on Sunday afternoon and had the misfortune of sitting at an outside table next to the owner, Leslie Palmer. About 15 minutes into being there, two women and their small children who were riding a large rented bicycle rode by and needed to move her sign to get past. What we witnessed was disgusting. She yelled at the women for daring to touch her sign and berated them for riding the bike on the lower path, she screamed, swore, and loudly shouted that she was the owner. The two women on the bike handled the situation with patience and simply rode away in disbelief.
Where this goes from bad to ugly was the comments that she made to her friends after the altercation. Two women and children on the bike were black and while that shouldn’t matter to anyone it clearly did to Leslie. She started ranting about how she doesn’t take S**, especially from a black woman «Don’t come at me like that, I don’t care about no black woman» I’m going to save the rest because it simply doesn’t need to be repeated.
As she continued to mock them, we set our drinks down, stood up, and I let her know exactly why I was leaving. I will not support a woman who treats other human beings like that and I hope that you won’t either.

Great northwest wine selections. Happy hour is a great value. Definitely worth the trip!

Portland Dining Month struck again, and this time I decided to do more than just write my list, I decided to actually go to as many of the restaurants as my wallet could afford.
First up, Thirst. Because I am not a fan of Bistro Marquee I went into this with low expectations. But I couldn’t pass up some of the amazing menu choices (hello baked brie) and so I gather a few ladies and off we went.
We started with something not on the dining month menu, the stuffed dates wrapped in prosciutto. The answer to any question regarding the words stuffed dates should be «yes, please.» This was no exception. We also all basically licked the plate clean trying to figure out what was in the sauce. Sadly, we couldn’t.
Next was the baked brie for me, and oh yum. Can you really go wrong with brie in any form? No.
Main course for me was the thai inspired pulled pork with creamy polenta. I managed to eat half of it and only my desire for dessert and leftovers kept me from eating it all. And I will say, still excellent the next day. My compatriots had the steak and there were nods and yumm sounds all around.
Last was a caramel brownie sundae thing. Again, hard to mess up. I was happy and full and in a food coma. The Crème brûlée my friend ordered was good (I got to try it).
Overall, I would definitely come back and for that area, it’s a great option.

We tried Thirst during Portland’s Dining Month and we weren’t disappointed.
Located right on the waterfront, window seating gives you a great view of the river, boats, and of the people strolling along the promenade.
Cost: $ 14– $ 24 roughly. There’s outside seating and it’s a wine bar as well. Many people were enjoying their wine and dinner outside.
We had:
First course — Baked Brie and sliced apples
Hot Crab Dip and fresh baguettes
Review: Brie was TO DIE FOR!!! Crab dip tasted like tomato soup. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to or not, but I wasn’t a fan. My dining friend loved it.
Main Entrée — Flat Iron Steak, Kale, and mashed potatoes (TWO THUMBS UP!)
Wild Salmon, grilled asparagus, and rice pilaf (Super good as well!)
Dessert — Hot brownie a la mode with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce. (Brownie and Ice cream great. Salted Caramel sauce — not so good. It was sooo salty that it tasted like someone had poured a salt shaker on top of my dessert. That was the only disappointing part of the meal.
Thirst is a wonderful place for date night, enjoying wine with friends on a sunny day, and people watching. We’ll be back!

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend Thirst to an individual diner. Maybe 2 – 3 stars.
However, for hosting a dinner, yes, I’d give 4 stars. I have been here on multiple occasions but noticed that the service and food were very different qualities depending on the occasion.
I attended a rehearsal dinner here and it was fabulous! Great food. Well prepared. Servers and bartenders were courteous and helpful.
When I have been for dinner in a small group I have had different experiences. Food was just mediocre. Service was slow.

First off you have a beautiful view of the waterfront right outside, of course if you’re sitting outside, it’s just an amazing view when there’s a cool breeze on a nice evening. Add one of their house sangrias and life is good.
Second, we got to hear some free music going on further north on the waterfront. The Flaming Lips were in town for a free show due to the MLS all star weekend.
I came with a friend, mainly for one reason, a sea salt caramel brownie. We ended up enjoying the view outside with the owner and her cute puppy, Rosie, and I got to taste the stunningly plated ahi tuna. Visually it’s a sight to see, taste is even better. Crusted with black and white sesame seeds, a hint of soy sauce and wasabi, barely touched by the heat and just umami.
I’ve been told the burger with bacon is great as is the lamb burger and that brownie that we went for? It was gone in five seconds flat, mainly by my roommate. So the go to checklist would be the sangria, the ahi tuna and the sea salt caramel brownie… now go.
Enjoy.