I came to Thistle with high expectations, given its reputation, but left wondering how it continues to earn such glowing praise.
We began with the Bread and Fat—lardo and Raspberry Butter—which was creative. The Ribeye and Gnocchi followed. On taste alone, the kitchen shows skill, but the execution and overall experience fell short. The Ribeye was advertised as 15oz, yet what arrived looked closer to 10oz, with nearly a third of it inedible fat and gristle. The Gnocchi was pleasant enough, but hardly memorable.
The dining environment, however, was the real disappointment. The room was very dark and poorly lit, making it difficult to even see the food clearly. The space itself felt cramped and exceedingly loud, with tables packed tightly together. Our server carried a noticeable odor, which was hard to ignore in such close quarters. The bathroom situation was equally uncomfortable: a thin, hollow door with a tiny latch separating diners from the restroom, just steps away from one of the main seating areas. It all felt more like a neglected afterthought than a deliberate design choice.
For the price point and the acclaim, I expected a more cohesive and comfortable experience. Instead, the atmosphere was uncomfortable and distracting, the portions questionable, and the setting neglected. While the flavors had promise, the overall evening was awkward, hyped and underwhelming.
We won’t be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Gnocchi, Steak
Dean de la Peña
WOW. Patrick and John run a heck of a restaurant. Superb food, ambience and service. Great, well curated bar program. And just very cool. Excellent experience from start to finish.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Julie
Love this place. Love Patrick!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brittany Johnson Wagner
Small, menu that changes frequently. Check out their social media pages if you are curious in what they have on the menu or have had more recently. Looks like they try to have steak, gnocchi, a fish entree, and one other protein entree, as well as several smaller plates. Lovely service. It can get a little smoky in the restaurant since the kitchen is open. Might want to consider asking for a table further away from the kitchen if you are sensitive to eye irritation.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
G. Chesler
Stunning, brilliant meal. The chef has relationships with local farms and purveyors which inspire every dish. The essence of local and seasonal. Our dishes included Netarts Bay oysters, warm bread with fresh, creamy lardo (had a hint of warming spices) complimented by a pairing of raspberry compound butter, then ribeye with blackberry verde sauce, roasted potatoes, and creamy esquite- a flavor combo that is exciting and delicious all at once. The green salad was beautiful- with housemade pickled strawberries and toasted hazelnuts. To finish this perfect meal- an apple shortcake with maple chantilly. It tasted like the fall season saying hello. Absolutely divine food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nerissa Shelmidine
Wow! The freshest local food served by the most passionate people. My husband and I were visiting for our honeymoon, and we were recommended this gem - and I'm so glad. The food and wine would have been special on their own, but we were spoiled by the owner, Patrick, and staff with true hospitality. Thank you! Highly recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shawn Brown
While on a small family vacation, we had the opportunity to dine at Thistle. There were three of us. Overall, the experience was mixed.
🌟 Highlights: Prime Rib: Absolutely delicious. Cooked to perfection, tender, and served over corn and a few seasoned potato wedges. The sauce was like a wine-horseradish reduction and complemented the meat beautifully.
Service: Our server, Patrick, was gracious, attentive, and genuinely friendly—one of the high points of the evening.
Atmosphere: Unique and cozy. The restaurant is quaint, with warm lighting and a thoughtful farm-to-table vibe. We appreciated the sustainable approach—dishes were served on eclectic, mismatched china, and water came in jelly jars, adding to the charm.
👎 Room for Improvement: Appetizers: Bread and Fat was underwhelming. The blackberry butter was a standout, but the whipped pork lard tasted like plain bacon grease—unseasoned and unrefined.
Kale Caesar Salad was disappointing. The kale was neither shredded nor de-stemmed, making it bitter and tough. The Caesar dressing couldn’t mask the bitterness.
Environment: The front door was left open during service, and flies were noticeably present. A simple fix with fly fans or air curtains could preserve the ambiance without inviting unwanted guests. --- Final Take: Thistle has the bones of a truly memorable dining experience—thoughtful service, a sustainable approach, and culinary ambition. But the execution on key dishes needs attention, and small environmental improvements would make a big difference.
We’d come back for the prime rib and Patrick’s warm hospitality—but we’d likely skip the starters.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Jeffrey Cohen
I was literally shocked re how good the food tasted at Thistle!!! Each bite was orgasmic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gnocchi
Anna Svietlova
Very interesting experience, menu limited and changes almost every day, but very delicious, desert are limited. Steak was great, tuna tartar excellent. Cesar was kind a creative and unique. Not like usual. I would prefer stick to the usual recipe with romaine lettuce. But it was a nice experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kevin Crawford
What a great local spot! OUTSTANDING SERVICE! The food was incredible and also had really good cocktails. A+ Highly recommend to all visitors and locals The gnocchi was so damn good
Small menu. Steak was very good but gnocchi was disappointing. Came with high expectation which wasn’t met. Biggest problem was the smoke. I don’t know if the kitchen exhaust was out that day or it’s always like this but too much smoke inside.
Tim Sisk
Just had drinks but they were great.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Carmen U
Very nice cozy restaurant. Delicious food and great service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
krista catlin
Was really looking forward to this meal just didn't pan out...
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Cam C
Thistle is a small, intimate restaurant, with incredible food. The timing of the food is perfect, they don’t bring anything out too fast that you feel rushed but you’re not waiting forever to get anything. The staff is very personable and attentive. Your water will never be empty and you’re always taken care of. 10/10
I came to Thistle with high expectations, given its reputation, but left wondering how it continues to earn such glowing praise.
We began with the Bread and Fat—lardo and Raspberry Butter—which was creative. The Ribeye and Gnocchi followed. On taste alone, the kitchen shows skill, but the execution and overall experience fell short. The Ribeye was advertised as 15oz, yet what arrived looked closer to 10oz, with nearly a third of it inedible fat and gristle. The Gnocchi was pleasant enough, but hardly memorable.
The dining environment, however, was the real disappointment. The room was very dark and poorly lit, making it difficult to even see the food clearly. The space itself felt cramped and exceedingly loud, with tables packed tightly together. Our server carried a noticeable odor, which was hard to ignore in such close quarters. The bathroom situation was equally uncomfortable: a thin, hollow door with a tiny latch separating diners from the restroom, just steps away from one of the main seating areas. It all felt more like a neglected afterthought than a deliberate design choice.
For the price point and the acclaim, I expected a more cohesive and comfortable experience. Instead, the atmosphere was uncomfortable and distracting, the portions questionable, and the setting neglected. While the flavors had promise, the overall evening was awkward, hyped and underwhelming.
We won’t be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Gnocchi, Steak
WOW. Patrick and John run a heck of a restaurant. Superb food, ambience and service. Great, well curated bar program. And just very cool. Excellent experience from start to finish.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love this place. Love Patrick!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Small, menu that changes frequently. Check out their social media pages if you are curious in what they have on the menu or have had more recently. Looks like they try to have steak, gnocchi, a fish entree, and one other protein entree, as well as several smaller plates. Lovely service. It can get a little smoky in the restaurant since the kitchen is open. Might want to consider asking for a table further away from the kitchen if you are sensitive to eye irritation.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Stunning, brilliant meal. The chef has relationships with local farms and purveyors which inspire every dish. The essence of local and seasonal. Our dishes included Netarts Bay oysters, warm bread with fresh, creamy lardo (had a hint of warming spices) complimented by a pairing of raspberry compound butter, then ribeye with blackberry verde sauce, roasted potatoes, and creamy esquite- a flavor combo that is exciting and delicious all at once. The green salad was beautiful- with housemade pickled strawberries and toasted hazelnuts. To finish this perfect meal- an apple shortcake with maple chantilly. It tasted like the fall season saying hello. Absolutely divine food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wow! The freshest local food served by the most passionate people. My husband and I were visiting for our honeymoon, and we were recommended this gem - and I'm so glad. The food and wine would have been special on their own, but we were spoiled by the owner, Patrick, and staff with true hospitality. Thank you! Highly recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
While on a small family vacation, we had the opportunity to dine at Thistle. There were three of us. Overall, the experience was mixed.
🌟 Highlights:
Prime Rib: Absolutely delicious. Cooked to perfection, tender, and served over corn and a few seasoned potato wedges. The sauce was like a wine-horseradish reduction and complemented the meat beautifully.
Service: Our server, Patrick, was gracious, attentive, and genuinely friendly—one of the high points of the evening.
Atmosphere: Unique and cozy. The restaurant is quaint, with warm lighting and a thoughtful farm-to-table vibe. We appreciated the sustainable approach—dishes were served on eclectic, mismatched china, and water came in jelly jars, adding to the charm.
👎 Room for Improvement:
Appetizers:
Bread and Fat was underwhelming. The blackberry butter was a standout, but the whipped pork lard tasted like plain bacon grease—unseasoned and unrefined.
Kale Caesar Salad was disappointing. The kale was neither shredded nor de-stemmed, making it bitter and tough. The Caesar dressing couldn’t mask the bitterness.
Environment: The front door was left open during service, and flies were noticeably present. A simple fix with fly fans or air curtains could preserve the ambiance without inviting unwanted guests.
---
Final Take:
Thistle has the bones of a truly memorable dining experience—thoughtful service, a sustainable approach, and culinary ambition. But the execution on key dishes needs attention, and small environmental improvements would make a big difference.
We’d come back for the prime rib and Patrick’s warm hospitality—but we’d likely skip the starters.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
I was literally shocked re how good the food tasted at Thistle!!! Each bite was orgasmic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gnocchi
Very interesting experience, menu limited and changes almost every day, but very delicious, desert are limited. Steak was great, tuna tartar excellent. Cesar was kind a creative and unique. Not like usual. I would prefer stick to the usual recipe with romaine lettuce. But it was a nice experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
What a great local spot! OUTSTANDING SERVICE! The food was incredible and also had really good cocktails. A+ Highly recommend to all visitors and locals
The gnocchi was so damn good
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Small menu. Steak was very good but gnocchi was disappointing. Came with high expectation which wasn’t met. Biggest problem was the smoke. I don’t know if the kitchen exhaust was out that day or it’s always like this but too much smoke inside.
Just had drinks but they were great.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Very nice cozy restaurant. Delicious food and great service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Was really looking forward to this meal just didn't pan out...
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Thistle is a small, intimate restaurant, with incredible food. The timing of the food is perfect, they don’t bring anything out too fast that you feel rushed but you’re not waiting forever to get anything. The staff is very personable and attentive. Your water will never be empty and you’re always taken care of. 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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