The Thirsty Duck - Toronto

This is a real east coast pub with some real east coast dishes such as Donairs, and a fish chips that is done very nicely in fact (although at $17 for a single piece, one expects something good - I think I paid for the lobster in Chester NS... a few years ago! You have daily specialties and it is sometimes busy at nights and weekends. You could have more real craft beer, but otherwise it is a good if not exceptional place.

Beautiful rustic decoration great food, we had the fish and chips, chicken wings and the nachos. The fish was 80% fish 20% dough with hand cut skin on frits. The wings were tender from the bone, and the nachos were vegetarian with the corn... chips on the grounds.

The best donair in Toronto can be found at this restaurant. The evening service may not be the friendliest, but the food is delicious. The seating is convenient and they do not allow two people to share a booth even if it is empty. Overall, the food is good but the vibe is a bit strange for a pub.

This restaurant is conveniently located near my home and is a fantastic spot in the neighborhood to hang out. The food is delicious, particularly the fish and chips, which I believe is the best in the city. They also offer great specials. It's a great place to strike up a conversation with strangers at the bar, making it a perfect local hangout spot.

It is always difficult to write a review of a restaurant based on a single service. When your experience has been bad, you can never be sure if you simply arrived on a bad day for the staff. That said, after a bad experience, why...would I go back and try again? Such was the case with my lone visit to The Thirsty Duck, nestled on the northwest corner of Queen Street East and Carlaw Avenue in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood. A prime location that sees plenty of traffic from two major transit lines if the weekend crowds are any indication. I visited on a late Monday afternoon when those crowds were nowhere to be seen and the place was largely deserted. Taking one of the traditional pub-style booths, I was quickly greeted by the bartender/server who took my beer order and gave me a menu. Nachos were on special that day, and I didn’t want anything too heavy, so nachos with chicken I ordered. The beer arrived promptly. Unfortunately, that first pint was the last thing that did. I arrived at shift change, so for a brief period, there were two bartenders who were so wrapped up in restaurant- and life-related issues that they never noticed my empty pint…at the table across from the bar, not in some darkened corner of the room. As a sign that the nachos would soon arrive, my original server brought me two large ramekins of sour cream and salsa, each one looking like it held half of a jar of each condiment. When the nachos arrived a few minutes later…my pint glass now empty…I understood why so much condiment. The nacho serving was quite large; definitely something to be shared rather than as a meal for all but the hungriest of individuals. And the chunks of chicken were also very large, and nicely very juicy and tender. Otherwise, the chips were not much to talk about, tasting much like those I might have bought at the drug store across the street. The cheese was plentiful, but dry, having likely been overcooked, and really only served to cement the chips together. And beyond the cheese and chicken, there was only minimal addition of bell pepper chunks. Seems the large quantity of salsa and sour cream was to soften the razor-sharp chips and keep you from lacerating your palate. I had finally received my second pint of beer when a friend arrived to have a drink with me. Unfortunately, the bartender shift had completely changed and the new guy seemed more interested in understanding what was happening behind the bar than to see that he had a new customer in need of service…at the table across from the bar, not in some darkened corner of the room, I repeat. About 10 minutes in, my friend was finally served (I would have said something, but I was now intrigued to see how long the bartender would remain oblivious. Leaning heavily on the condiments, my friend and I managed to make a dent in the nachos, but left plenty behind…as we have The Thirsty Duck, unless our paths tell us otherwise.