I love the beer and sausages, but  I can never figure out whether i am suppossed to order at the bar or my table because it seems to be different every time... awkward.  I definately notice a difference in the atmosphere and service when the owner is there, its a much tighter ship when she is bustling about.  I like to have a few beers at Novare and then head here to feed before things go downhill! Prices are reasonable and the food is perfect in that type of situation.  Nice deck too.
Review Source:This is a perfect local dive with good service, good beer and great sausages. Â I did like the beer selection with a lot of local and regional options. Â The sausages are changed regularly so there are various flavors for all palates. Â My daughters even opted for the sausage platter that came with 6 flavors and toppings. Â They were good. Â I wished a couple were spicier but they were still good and the toppings well paired.
I would certainly go back to enjoy some brews and sausages.
If you want a chicken sandwich, go somewhere else!
A highlight of my trip to Portland!
My friends and I stopped in here while waiting for dinner reservations. Â They had a nice beer selection and the bartender was super friendly. Â Also, the other patrons were nice as I had a great conversation with a lovely couple at the bar.
We sat on the back deck and had our beers and asked each other Trivial Pursuit questions. Â It was a great experience...laid back, relaxed and fun. Â
I think a lot of bars aspire to have this fun type of atmosphere, but get this place a hammer because The Thirsty Pig nails it.
This place is really cute! Â It has a pretty cool scene and the bar and "kitchen" are all in the same area. Â The menu is limited, but it goes with the ambience. Â It's full with yummy subs, dips, etc. Â I really enjoyed watching the bartender and cook do their thing. Â Service was friendly and the place was busy. Â One thing that stood out was the shelves full of games for people to grab and play. Â Honey and I played some trivial pursuit (which I lost), while we waited for our snacks.
I got the buffalo chicken dip and honey got the pretzel. Â The chicken dip was delish. Â I normally would have liked more buffalo sauce, but there was something about the dip - it really didn't need it. Â It was yummy! Â And the warm baguette they serve with the dip was just the right touch. mmmmmm.
We will be back here on our next visit to Portland.
If you are stoned and want an awesome hot dog and free peanuts to-go, go here. Â Ridiculous service, overcooked sausages, and contrary to popular opinion not a great beer selection. Â Double-park, put in your order, drive around for 15 minutes looking for a spot, double-park, go in, wait another five minutes for your hot dogs, done. Â The hot dogs are awesome, but then again there's all that other stuff. Â I would describe the clientele and decor as Barnapplebees (Except for the pork map on the wall = awesome).
PS - I've heard from multiple people that their credit cards numbers have been abused after they're paid with their CC here. Â Pay cash for yer dogs!
Dogs with a snap, hogs lugging kegs, smokey sides and something called the Pickletizer? Don't even unlock the door; I'm already inside.
Seriously, we snuck in pre-opening.
Accidentally, of course, but the siren call of housemade sausages ranging from Thai Chili pork to Lithuanian Kielbasa (including the ever-elusive Buffalo Chicken sassitch) proved to be overwhelming, as we ignored door locks and business times to perch eagerly at the storefront booth.
It's a bar, and bars have beers and TVs and free peanuts (well, used to have peanuts - they proved to be too effective of a loss leader) and wiener wizards wielding grinder cranks in one hand and draft taps in the other. House blends in a sandwich will run $8 a pop including a side (4 avail: S&V chips, slaw, oniony bacon baked beans or sautéed squash for you out-of-place veggies), or $5 naked and topped.
Or for a $5 lunch, check this hack: the $6 Dog Basket is two pups on buttered, toasted rolls, topped with pretty much anything but their housemade four-sausage chili and cheese. Bring someone you can trust with your second dog, order a pair of $2 fountain soda and BAM! cheap date. They'll even split the cole slaw between two paper ramekins if your coy ways have you giggling at the thought of eating from the same basket. Teehee, teehee, teeheeheehee.
Order the Pickletizer. It's just a $3 plate of mustard pickle chips covered in hot relish. And a $3 plate of hot relish-covered pickle chips is what most of us need in our lives.
Very interesting concept and the pictures looked amazing. We ordered a sampler that included 1/2 sticks of 3 different varieties. The sampler included Hot Italian, L-something-somethiing kielbasa, and Chicken Apple. They were not as greasy or heart-clogging as I expected them to be. The sausages all tasted rather interesting and were flavorful. It's a decent joint. Nice beer selection.
Review Source:We wandered into the Thirsty Pig after finding it on Yelp under happy hour specials and walking distance to our hotel on a very cold night. As soon as we arrived we got really bad news about a family member and our moods turned somber quickly. The bartender (woman) immediately picked up on our change in demander, was attentive, and noticed our iphone was dying during our frequent calls to family. She offered to charge the phone for us which we greatly appreciated and checked up with us to make sure we had everything we needed as we ordered food and drinks. We really appreciated the gesture and will be back when we're back in town.
Review Source:As a 26-year-old new mom (and professional beer judge) I was so thrilled to find a place that welcomed my 3-month-old with open arms (after being denied entrance to Novare Res) Â and had an awesome atmosphere and beer selection. Their Maine beer options were varied but well-curated. There was lots to like (though, I only tried bits of a few drinks--ah, lactation....) and they served their cask ESB warmish (finally!), just as it should be.
Not only that, but their spicy italian sausage was easily the best sausage of my life. The pickle on top (cabbage, carrot, onion) was tangy and delicious. I loved it. I've had a lot of sausage in my life. This was just so perfect.
The atmosphere in there is lively and friendly. Highly recommend.
I had been casing this place for some time now waiting for the right time to bust in. Been twice in the past month and it was good each time. First visit I came with a friend and we tried their sausage sampler. 6 homemade sausages for $30 seemed a little steep but each one of them was great in their own way. Standouts were the Thai chili and the garlic chicken but they were all tasty. We both left satisfied in a meat induced coma. The next visit I got the Thai chili ala cart. It does not come with a bun but came with some tasty salt & vinegar chips and some house made mustard pickles. Very good.
Happy hour (M-F, 4-7pm) is great here too. Shipyard Chamberlain drafts for $2.50? That shit is criminal! I think they also have some deals on food items during their happy hour as well. Daily specials are displayed up above the counter where you order.
The service is kinda strange here as in there is really no table service and I don't believe they have a sign up that tells you to seat yourself. You have to be proactive here and find someone to get your food and drinks for you which is fine with me.
Solid Old Port option if you like meat and beer. I like the trivial pursuit questions at each table as well. Nice touch. I'll be back.
For a place that specializes in sausages, the quality of said sausages is very disappointing. Â Dry and lacking in flavor. Â Seriously, cannot even compete with your street / fair sausage vendors... Â Sides were tiny and bland. Â Service is... self service.
Also way overpriced for what's offered. (2 of us spent $30 WITH a Groupon for 2 sausages and 2 beers total) ... really???
Sure some of the microbrews are good. Suggestion: Â rename it "Thirsty" and just forget about the Pig part... Â it's a bar trying (unsuccessfully) to be a restaurant.
someone told me about the big easy blues club monday nights for live funk jams so i really wanted to check that out. it was too early for that so i saw the thirsty pig across the street and gave it a shot. im so glad i did.
monday night football means football bingo at the thirsty pig. even though i like football, i cant really say i follow much. i joined the game anyways, who cares? the bartender was a super nice guy. he asks what i wanted to drink. "something awesome and local" i said. he tells me they only carry local and awesome. thats a good start. im an ipa guy so i told him this. he introduced me to lunch ipa by maine brewing company. hell yeah. big bottle too so theres one, two, three beers i drank.
i dont wanna say i was drunk (not yet), but i was definitely not sober so i knew i had to get something to eat so i ask for a menu. sausage links, thats what they do. hence the name the thirsty pig. now it all makes sense man. i truly dig this place and ive been running my mouth about it ever since.
Stopped in for a couple of a la carte sausages on a trip; one with blueberries and one kielbasa. Â Both were pretty righteous, and the fact that everything is local (if not in-house) is something that appealed to me greatly.
Logistics didn't work out for beer-drinking, but hopefully I can make it back someday to try that out as well. Â Also, their signage is too cool. Â Go check it out.
I really wanted to like the Thirsty Pig. Really, I did. The things that made me not like t, however- started right away. Husband and I ordered same beer- separately. His came in a glass literally half the size of mine.
Ordered buffaloe chicken dip- would NOT recommend. Barely warm, and we were given a measly amount of bread to use it as a dip.
Sides are too small and nothing real good.
Tried sausage sampler platter- and all the sausages were crumbly and dry.
Lastly- we had to get all of our own napkins, plates, and silverware. "Waitress" didn't bring them to us.
Left disappointed and still hungry.
I love the look of this place. Â It has dark wood ever everywhere with dim lighting giving it this classy feel but it's not hoity toity at all.
I went there with my girlfriend to grab a few drinks and we sat out on there patio which is a floor above the street giving you a great view without pedestrians getting in the way. Â It was a Saturday night and given how beautiful it was outside that night we were surprised how dead it was. Â So we picked the best table and drank and talked. Â Eventually more and more people came but never overcrowded.
Definitely a great place to grab a few drinks with friends or take a date when you just want to talk and have a good time with drinks.
Fantastic service! Bartender James is quick with a joke and the beers... Though as a Giants fan, he's in the wrong town!
Food is quick and delicious... BBQ baked beans, sausage links, and great happy hour specials. This is a new place that seems destined to be a neighborhood favorite!
A happy hour haunt, for sure, with local beers at very reasonable prices and somebody walking around with little sausage bits on toothpicks - nice!
I want to like this place way more than I do like it... the potential is there for being an oasis of sanity in the ridiculousness that is the Old Port. Â Awesome, hardwood and brass interior and cool, ivy-grown patio outside. Â A dose of Christmas lights on the patio, a few more tables in the interior and a little bit clearer instruction for customers on how to order would make this a 5-star rating.
Every time we go in there's either no one at the counter, which looks like a host stand, or someone is there jetting off to do something yelling 'sit anywhere you like!' Â Twice now we've sat for a little longer than we wanted with our menus closed, never having been greeted, and just decided to go somewhere else... no one seems to notice when we're on our way out.
However! Â If you do manage to seat yourself somewhere obvious, catch the attention of someone who is capable of operating a POS system, and order... the place is great. Â Great selections on the menu and delicious homemade sausages. Â I like how you can add additional dogs for a smaller price. Â A little strange that chips don't come with your $3 hot dog or $5 tofu dog, etc., you have to buy them extra. Â Whatever -- the sour pickle is an excellent palette cleanser anyways. Â I haven't ever had anything other than a hot dog there, but going for happy hour and getting a dog, a beer and some good company for an hour for under $10... awesome.
Me. Mr. H. Sausages. Beer. Perfect afternoon? YES.
On a sunny Sunday afternoon, we found ourselves looking for lunch and a drink and my hubby had bookmarked The Thirsty Pig as a place to try in Portland. We were greeted at the bar by the incredibly nice and funny Allison, who turned out to be the owner, and we spent two great hours enjoying local beers and The Thirsty Pig's homemade sausages. Mr. H chose the Lithuanian Kielbasa, and I opted for the BBQ Chicken Sausage sandwich on a buttered, toasted hot dog bun. Both were ridiculously delicious, juicy, and full of flavor. The prices were good and the beer was cold.
While you imbibe and chow down, amuse yourself by playing with the action figures, board games and Trivial Pursuit cards they keep on a bookcase. Treat yourself to a crazy cool t-shirt proclaiming your love for sausage and beer. Chat up the friendly staff and listen to live music. The Thirsty Pig is not to be missed!
This is a great "hole in the wall" kinda place. Â Selection of beers are great and they change them out all of the time targeting local brews. Â We drank Allagash Black on draft and it was delicious.
They also have home made sausages that we did not partake in but it smelled amazing.
Service was friendly and owner sounds passionate about beer.
Nice little place.
I never thought I'd describe a sausage as sublime. Â
But the buffalo chicken sausage at The Thirsty Pig is sublime. Homemade sausage (all the sausages are), served on a grilled, buttered hot dog bun with blue cheese. Â It's like wings without the mess!
Despite the fact that I really don't like chicken sausage, the buffalo chicken sausage came highly recommended. Â And it was amazing. Â I can't wait to get back to the Thirsty Pig.
Speaking of buffalo, the buffalo chicken dip is also amazing. Â I think the owners must have first-hand knowledge of upstate NY!
On another visit I tried the Lithuanian kielbasa. Â Now, I'm part Polish and was raised on Polish butcher shop kielbasa. Â No grocery store/Hillshire Farm for this girl. Â If it's not from a butcher -- preferably a Polish butcher -- I don't bother.
What else should you try? Â The beer. Â All (ok, maybe mostly) craft beer; the ones I tried were also local. Â A perfect place for the craft beer afficionado and the gourmand.
Looking for the gastropub of your dreams? Â I'm still dreaming of it. Â
Might even drive up to Portland just for another visit!
Not a bad place at all.... right in the thick of it on Exchange Street, you'll need to find yourself some pah-kin. My husband and I went in because we knew they were carrying the new cider made in Maine. Loved the free peanuts, although the service was a little slow.
Note - I didn't try the food this time, but will go back for the homemade sausages. Yum yum! They smelled good (as did my hair and clothes when I left...)
If you want to Exchange money for food in this area, and don't want seafood, then your options are limited. Especially when it's about 20 outside and you don't want to keep walking around! I return a Yelp suggestion for the Thirsty Pig with a review ...
A lazy, cold Tuesday afternoon at lunchtime. 4 people walk into a Thirsty Pig - thirsty, hungry, cold. Sausage is the menu. Not on tap is the bartender's reply. Mmkay. Let us explore further ...
First, I think whoever wrote the menu on chalk pig had a heavy pour of some IPA :) or just never passed 3rd grade spelling -- TIP: Ask the bartender what's on tap -- menu not to be trusted but the local selection was great. Can you say Blueberry Smashed? Not berry floaters in some beer, but actually juiced in there somehow - Magic! Sausages were great (even a veg one for the late 5th wheel), staff was super friendly, hold-you-over-peanuts were a nice touch (but do you throw the shells on the floor??).
Nothing fancy, but it will fill your tummy, whet your whistle and warm your toes.
This place was a pleasant surprise for us. We hauled up to Maine at impossible-o-clock in the morning for an assignment that ended at lunchtime. Now, said assignment gifted us six free lobster tails, and that should've been satisfactory for me. However, I don't get up to Maine everyday, but damned if I eat anything but lobster when I'm up there.
So, even though this is a sausagefest, (as in the actual sausage, not "raining men," sad), it does have a lobster roll. I may be used to Boston prices, but I found the $15.50 to be a reasonable price. They also dress it to your liking...which means that this condimentphobe got it plain. And it was amazing. It comes in that weird-shaped bun that I associate with Fenway Franks. It also comes with two sides. I didn't eat the potato chips, but the beans were good.
My friend did like her sausage, whichever it was. They had a sandwich board sign outside the restaurant that advertised pulled pork sandwiches. To my friends' disappointment, the pulled pork wasn't quite ready yet. (To be fair, you really do want that to cook for a long time. It sucks otherwise).
The menu lists draft beers, but they were out of half the beers listed. However, they did have other taps open. When one of us (not me) couldn't decide what to order, the server gladly brought samples in paper condiment cups. Additionally (and maybe this is because I'm used to Boston prices), I found the $4.50/pint price reasonable.
Our server was sweet. She also felt so bad about the unavailable pulled pork that she threw in the whoopie pie for free.
This place is a delight. My two favorite things - beer and sausages together! Forever! Delicious.
The beer specials are crazy affordable. Being from the Puritancal-Rex known as Massachusetts, we don't have Happy Hour. We don't have drink specials. It's sad. We moseyed into the Thirsty Pig on a Friday early evening and were offered $2.50 Shipyard drafts. $2.50 for a beer. Hah. This is what the rest of the country gets to enjoy.
We had a couple beers a piece and two tasty encassed meats. I had a sausage with onions and BBQ sauce. (BBQ Banger, maybe?) it was pretty dang good. The fella had a sausage with kraut and mustard. Also tasty. We both had the coleslaw which was peppered with poppyseeds and not too mayonaisey. Yum.
Best part? Free peanuts! A wall of lovely peanuts for the taking. A note on the peanut wall contraption: easier to pull out the drawer rather than wrestling with the dispenser.
Service was lovely. Beers are great. Sausages - top notch. Yay!
Stick your snout in some great micro brews and even better homemade  sausages.  Four of us visited Portland this past weekend and ate here on all three days!
This leased location on Exchange Street was formerly a Linda Bean's Perfect Maine Lobster Cafe, and although you can still find Lobster rolls and clam chowder on the Thirsty Pig menu, don't forget the sausages. Â
Ordering three times over three days we were able to sample most of the sausages on the menu. Â
We liked the atmosphere and owner James who made everyone feel welcome. Â The prices are decent and nothing is better than having a great local brew one on Pig's back deck while enjoying an incredible fall weekend in Portland.
On a chilly (dreaded) sunny day in Portland, Maine, sausages and beer were what looked good. A new joint, The Thirsty Pig was intriguing in a dive-bar-meets-hipster-hangout way, but not being Brooklyn, this locale was far less Urban Outfitters and far more funky young types.
In case it isn't obvious, sausages are The Thirsty Pig's specialty. All reasonably priced and all made in-house, it was hard to pick just one tubular meat to sample. The first pig - I mean PICK - was the chicken, apple and sage sausage. Sadly, it seemed to be everyone else's preferred banger that day, so the Greek Chicken was selected instead.
And what a delightful sausage! In fact, I don't think I knew that encased meat could be so light, so juicy and so non-encased-tasting. This was no mere sausage: it was a work of art in a vague tube form. Barely greasy and not at all tough and gristly, the Greek spicing shone through the delectable chicken meat.
With a fabulous beer list, genuinely friendly vibe, I can't wait to head back and sample more of the goods.
So I was walking around on a dreary, overcast Tuesday in Portland when I dropped in for a beer. Â Off the bat, the bartender put some peanuts in front of me and gave me a rundown of the beer selection. Â Let's focus on the beer selection for a minute-- they've got a wide range of local brews on tap that'll quench your thirst. Â She poured out a sample or two, and I went with a pint of Maine Logger Lager.
After another round and some good conversation with the menu infront of me, I decided to purchase a Sweet Italian Sausage. Â It came with caramelized onions, peppers, and a side of baked beans (or slaw), and the sausage was immediately satisfying (that's what she said).
You can't talk about sausage with a female bar tender without making a joke, but all jokes aside this place is awesome. Â It's clean, but old-fashioned. Â Big, but cozy. Â Inexpensive, but quality. Â They've got bar seating, booths, tables inside and out-- PLUS the music choice on the stereo was tastefully low volume bluegrass.
When you get out of work, bring your crew and head over to this place. Â If you don't work, head over on your bike and hit up the Happy Hour drinks. Â If you don't like beer, or sausage, or new experiences-- check out this place just the same, and see if you can re-think your life.
For me, this place is golden. Â I'll be back for sure.
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