Everyone,
I have decided to start writing reviews on Yelp because, while I use the site frequently to read others reviews, I have found some times that the reviews are not reflective of my experience. Â
My own imposed rules for any review:
1. Must visit at least three times. Â Two of which must be distinctly different formats; i.e. one weekday night and one weekend night.
2. Must order something unique each visit.
3. If they have any "signature" items on the menu, you must order a "signature" item at least once.
4. Ratings are based on a 10 point scale with 5 being average, which does not mean bad. Â What a score of 5 means is that the category meets expectations for that establishments format.
Thanks.
Thirsty Fox Pub
Location/Layout - 5/10:  Located right on route 64 in downtown St. Charles, the location is very accessible and easily visible.  Parking is conveniently located just West behind the city admin building and in front of the police station, better have a DD.  The interior offers standard Pub décor with neon signs and a chalk board listing drink and food specials.  There are standard bar games, such as darts and pool for those interested.  They also try to mix in some olde time charm by hanging framed black and white portraits and cityscapes, along with leaving a layer of grime on pretty much every surface. Â
Menu - 5/10: Thirsty Fox is heavy on drink menu and light on food offerings. Â The bar is well stocked in both liquor and beer but very limited in its draft offerings. Â Food is limited to basic pub grub but does try to offer new items on occasion. There are daily specials for both food and drinks but nothing that are all that exceptional. Â
Service - 2/10: the service is usually not good and not at all accommodating. Â There have been several visits where we sat for over 20 minutes before we walked to the bar to ask for service. Â We were then told by the bartender that he only serves the bar and we need to "track down" the waitress. Â We have also gone during a "shift change" and have been told to wait for the new server. Â This is one of the few places that I cannot recall having good service on any visit.
Food - 3.5/10: We usually go during dinner hours and understand that we are meeting people for drinks but because of the time we usually eat, plus who does not order something when they are out drinking? Â The food is subpar, at best. Â We have tried multiple items, including but not limited to the "number 1 in St. Charles" burger, wings, paninis, clubs, apps, their famous cheese melt, and unfortunately on one occasion the quesadilla. Â The only item that was worth it and was above average was the burger, I do not know who or how they judge the best burgers in St. Charles, but it was solid and with a side of their tots is a good meal. Â You need to run from the rest of the menu though.
Drinks - 6/10: Â Thirsty Fox offers a solid selection of import, domestic, and thankfully craft beers. Â They also offer a great selection of liquors ranging from their economical wells to top shelf offerings. Â The only small issue with the beer offerings is that they are limited in their draft selection and some of the craft prices are a bit steep, otherwise this is solid spot for libations. Â On the other hand, my major complaint is that we always bring a DD to any bar when going out for drinks, no matter the parking situation, and have never had a problem getting them refills on pop. Â But the Thirsty Fox gives you one refill per pop ordered. Â So if you draw the short straw for the night it will get pretty expensive.
Overall Experience - 4.5/10: Â If you are meeting friends for a quick drink or bellying up to the bar this is a good place to stop. Â If you are looking for solid food pairings and/or a clean joint with friendly staff for a drink this is not the place for you.
Mediocre. That is the best word to describe our experience tonight. I suppose if it was between this and another 2 star joint, I might come here to mix it up if it was the ONLY other choice. I had the fish fry and my girlfriend had a burger. Originally ordered the cod, which was barely warm in the middle. Switched to the thinner perch and it was decent. Sad that I had to order differently based on how fish was being cooked in the kitchen. Do NOT order the french onion soup. Thirsty Fox French Onion makes Applebee's version look like a gourmet. No cheese. Cheapest possible croutons. Onions that disintegrate as soon as they hit your tongue (not in a good way). Beyond that though, the flavor was fine. Best thing about this place was the baked potato and sweet potato fries. Oh, and the pickle with the burger was good. Basically anything that required any thought was off. I almost forgot about the "Spinach Artichoke Dip". First off, the chips served with this $8.99 masterpiece were on par with the stale nacho chips at Wrigley. For the love of god, spend $3.99 on a decent bag of chips. The melted cream cheese with greasy spinach extract registered a 3/10 on our scale. In closing, I went into this place trying to give it all the credit in the world. It just didn't measure up. I won't be back.
Review Source:Great place for food and drinks. I usually stop in on Saturdays for their $13 Porterhouse steak, and I tell you it's really good! The folks are really nice and they have some great give aways. Really good for groups since they typically have $10 Coor Light buckets. After 7PM Friday & Saturday, they tend to get very busy, especially with the Theater across the street.
Review Source:We saw the review on Chicago's Best and could not wait to try it. Showed up on a Tuesday night and sat at the bar. The craft beer selection is awesome. The bartender was excellent. We saw a gentleman eating the Porterhouse steak and could not get over how good it looked so I ordered it before my companion arrived. It is huge with Baked Potato and green beans covered in your choice of mushrooms or onions. I chose Mushrooms. You cannot buy a Porterhouse steak of this size and thickness at the grocery store! All for $12.95! And no dirty kitchen or dishes to clean up after. I think I am going to go again today and get the $1 tacos. Love, A very satisfied customer.
Review Source:Went there on a Monday evening and had the Philly Cheddar Melt. Â It was excellent. Â The sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms were fresh and cooked perfectly. Â The prime rib was sliced thin and very tender. Â Plus the bread was soft and very tasty. Â I highly recommend this place.
Review Source:Blah blah blah.
This is a bar for the drinkin man (or in my case, woman). Â Is the street outside littered with inconsiderate smokers blocking the entrance and stinkin up the joint? Â Well...yea. Â Does the food lack character and innovation? Â Uh duh. Â It's the Thirsty Fox...aka The dirty box, or as some call it, the dirty crotch. Â Although it has some colorful nicknames, this place is near and dear to my heart. Â
If you're expecting anything more than a pretty damn nice dive, you've come to the wrong place. Â This is the place you go to get down to business, and you best have your drinking pants on. Â Of course I'm going to give the fox five stars...it's the only place I've danced my own rendition of PeeWee's "Tequila" on the bar.
After waiting for 15 minutes for the servers who passed our table a half dozen times without so much as an "I'll be right back", we served ourselves at the bar. Â The only time the server acknowledged us was when we headed back to the bar to order food. Â My burger was ordered medium and came well-done literally in pieces. Â Our meal took over 90 minutes and we barely made the show at the Arcada. Â Too many other options in the area to give this place another try. Â Not recommended.
Review Source:Knocking off a couple stars for repeat poor service. For the second time, we stopped at Thirsty for a burger before a show at the Arcada Theater, which is right across the street. And for the second time, our meals disappointed.
This time, it was almost comical. We sat down, and waited almost 15 minutes for a waitress to stop by and take a drink order. We saw several other tables get seated and immediately served, and eventually, we could swear they were actually avoiding eye contact with us. WTF?
So, being resourceful, I went to the bar and ordered a round, telling the bartender we couldn't seem to get served at our table. He helpfully offered to start us a tab at the bar. We waited another 15 or 20 minutes, still getting no table service and eventually I figured out we'd have to also order our meals at the bar. We went to the bar, and while we were getting ready to order, a waitress came up to get her order. I asked her if we were sitting at a table that wasn't getting waitress service and she said, "Oh no, I'll come by and take your order."
Several minutes later, she did come by, took our order -- we all ordered the 1/3rd pound burgers with cheese, cooked medium or medium-rare. So far, so good.
Thirty-five minutes later, and over an hour after we stepped into the bar, and just 10 minutes before the show was starting across the street, our burgers arrived. All 5 of the 1/3rd pound burgers we had ordered were instead delivered as the larger, more expensive 1/2 pound burgers. One burger was cooked medium-rare, the rest overdone and one of them was in pieces, held together by the cheese on top.
It was too late to complain.
So, while I understand businesses get slammed, this is the second time we've had poor service on top of a busy bar. The management can't be surprised that when the Arcada has a show scheduled, it might get super-busy. And while I understand messing up on a burger order, I don't understand all of them being wrong and taking 35 minutes to arrive. We did leave a 20% tip, again because we were too rushed to calculate anything else. But I won't be back again, at least not any time there's a show across the street,
That's too bad, because the 1/3rd pound burger is a good burger, and a good deal. The 1/2 pounder, not so much,
...And poor service is never good.
I like it here. They have a really friendly atmosphere. Lots of regulars. A good DJ on the weekend. The owners are always there making conversation with the customers. Its not snooty like other places in stc can be. The only downfall is on the weekend they get PACKED and its hard to walk through. But, hey that must mean its a good place to be right?
Review Source:I like Thirsty Fox. We head there after a round of golf at Pott. The service is always attentive, the food is good (and priced right), and the beer is the coldest I've ever had.
It's a family-owned and operated place, so they treat you right. Ed and his family are always around to talk with customers. Ray is typically our bartender/waiter. He's very good and remembers our drink orders, when we come in.
Plenty of TVs with sports. Comfortable seating. Good location in downtown St. Charles.
Went here with a group of friends on a Friday night after them telling me for months how awesome the fish fry is. I gotta tell you that it lived up to everything that they said it was! Great selection of fish ( The tilapia and cod were our favorites.) you could select from on their "All you can eat" special were quickly brought to our table and the waitress was very friendly and attentive. The bar was packed with a diverse group of people and the environment was really upbeat.
Review Source:Do you like good pub food and being over served with it? Do you like good times at a good local bar with great service? Â Do you like feeling your with family were everybody knows your name. Go here then. Â The food is cheap and they always give you too much. Â Awesome specials as well as good drink specials. Â I've been going here for years and will continue too. Â Never a dull moment and the people are not snotty like some of the other places in the area.
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