Thirsty Bear Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Alberta

Was in Waterton for my birthday and stopped here for lunch. The waitress asked if it was our first time here in which we replied yes. Asked if the fish tacos were good and all she said was yes. I guess I should have checked reviews first rather than counting on the one that works here. It’s like ordering fish and chips and is not a taco at all. The fish was layered in batter with very little cod. Ordered gravy that never showed until we asked many minutes later, which now the fries were cold. Had to ask for an extra plate to try to break the fish apart and attempt to eat the taco. Would have been nice if it just came out in a way it could be eaten from the start. Was not impressed, extremely disappointed and was not enjoyable. The server could see it was barely eaten as it wasn’t good and now cold waiting for the plate to try to create the taco it should have been from the start. Rather then trying to help fix things when she could see I was not impressed, instead she just puts the bill on the table and walked away still charging the dish on the bill when she just took 95% of it back. When I expressed I wasn’t happy paying for something I couldn’t eat with asking why she didn’t explain what it actually was when we expressed we had never been there and asked if it was good, all she did was stare at me like she was now appalled that I didn’t want to pay for it. Although she did take it off the bill, which I did appreciate, she also expressed she just wants to be fired and has been asking for days to get fired because if she quits she can’t get E.I. Didn’t make it a great experience dealing with a server that hates her job and doesn’t want to be there. Honestly the coconut margarita was the only thing good there and not a great way to start my Birthday celebrations. I highly recommend putting the full description of the fish tacos on the menu as well as I sat there watching many others with shocked and disappointed faces they as well sat there trying to figure out what the hell to do with their fish & chips that just arrived rather than the tacos. Would not recommend this...

We were quite disappointed by our experience here. The building was quite nice and had heard the drinks were excellent. The service left a lot to be desired. Being half full and looked to have plenty of wait staff, waiting 10 minutes to be seated seemed a bit much, then another 10+ to get water. Thankfully only a few minutes later, our waitress stopped in the take out drink orders, and explained how we wanted the bills divided, by couples. We were able to enjoy the next 10 minutes drinking our waters, downing them quickly since we had just finished a hike and were quite thirsty. We asked about our drink orders and received deer in the headlight looks. A few minutes later, the power went out. And would go on and off for the next 15 minutes. We could see our the majority of our order sitting at the bar and we asked for our order. With hesitation, she brought out 4 of our 6 drink orders. We waited patiently for the other two which would never come. We were meeting other friends for supper elsewhere and explained we would like to get the other 2 drinks. The bartender was refusing to serve any more drinks and it was just a couple of beer, nothing fancy or to be mixed. The kitchen area had full power and were did not mind at all sitting there with no power, there was plenty of natural light into the building, in fact it was quite charming. We finally asked for our bills and this process took another 10-15 minutes and she came back trying to bill for more drinks than we received and the bills were mixed up. The manager was no help either and was short with us, though he did invite us to stay and drink more as the power came back during this exchange. No, we did not stay and none of us will go back there. I understand now why it was only half full on a busy...

This place was bustling! Everyone from every age group could be seen sitting on the patio or right at the open window seating. Giving it 3 stars as the food / drinks was just okay.

Service: the staff seemed seasonal, so it was hard to get answers to questions around the menu. Our waiter had forgotten to enter our order but out food came out quick after.

Ambiance: this place looked really cool, casual to hang, which is what drew us to it. They have a large space, pool tables, communal tables, a great protected patio area (great for people watching). They had a great lounge / dance playlist which really helped our wait. There's also a stage, so it seems there's bands and dancing.

Food / Drinks: good bar food selections, but nothing too fancy. I ordered a old fashioned, which was watered down. And wasn't feeling up to trying another cocktail, in case it was bad as well.

for food we ordered:

Bison Burger: hubby said it was dry and chewy, more medium well. They didn't ask how we would like it cooked, and everything (apparently) is cooked medium well (by law). The fried egg in the burger also had a solid yolk. Was slightly weird and didn't add much flavor to the burger

Ahi Tuna Poke: this was an app, which is shareable but can be had as a meal. The fish was really good, lean and fresh. but they had a lot of soy sauce. The app comes with tortilla chips, which is a bit heavy with the fish. Personally, I like wonton chips, which are lighter and help maintain the flavor of the poke.

Overall: it's a good place to come hang. There are several other restaurants really close (next door / across the street) - and they were empty. We were surprised how the food came out and the other places were empty. But it's good to go try...