Caribou Restaurant + Wine Bar — Restaurant in Thunder Bay

We went to Caribou for the first time last night with friends in celebration. I have never been so impressed with a restaurant in my life. Our waitress (I believe her name was Hailey) was not only very quick, but she always had our waters and beverages full, she asked about any food allergies, was incredibly attentive to us checking in after each course of our meal, was very knowledgeable about the menu, was able to make some excellent worth-while recommendations, and even boxed up our leftovers at the end of the night. Our waitress truly made our experience 10/10. This was my first restaurant experience that I did not feel rushed or as if they were just trying to turn over tables.

Between salads, appetizers, mains, and desserts we had a perfect amount of time to enjoy our food and take a moment to digest before the next course arrived. Our appetizers included the risotto balls and the artichoke dip. The risotto balls were perfectly soft and cheesy, with a perfect crisp fried exterior. The artichoke dip was divinely flavourful with beautiful texture from the pine nuts - and though the portion container it comes in looks fairly small, it was definitely deceiving. Our table enjoyed the caeser salad - our lovely waitress was so kind to have the salads each portioned onto our own plates. The salads were beautifully plated, fresh, and the dressing was so flavourful and delicious - you can absolutely tell it is homemade. Myself and my partner enjoyed the Tortiglione penne and the vodka pasta. My fiance ate every bite of his pasta and raved about how delicious it was (tortiglione). I enjoyed the Lumache Rigate Alla Vodka which the kitchen was so incredibly kind to make with their potato gnocchi. Though it is not the pasta normally served with that dish they accommodated my request and it was the most satisfying and delicious pasta I have ever eaten at a restaurant. For dessert we all enjoyed the mini butterscotch Budino’s (recommended by our waitress) and IF there is any dessert you should try before you die it is this one. Everything was plated with care, and you can absolutely tell the pride that the chefs put into every dish.

Hats off to this local treasure - I will be returning every...

Hands down, this was the best meal I've had in Thunder Bay so far. I had the rabbit pasta, deep-fried seafood, and salami & olive pizza, and every dish was exceptional. The pasta was savory in the best way—rich and flavorful, with each bite leaving you wanting more. The pizza dough was perfection, crispy enough to provide a satisfying crunch but not overly doughy, which is exactly how I like it. The fritti was also spot-on: the batter was light and crunchy, just the right balance of texture.

Service was fantastic—when we mentioned we were sharing, they thoughtfully divided our pasta into two plates without us even asking. The atmosphere really set the tone for a great dining experience as well, making it a memorable night. Overall, I feel like every dollar spent was worth it.

That said, there’s a bit of inconsistency. I’ve been here three times now, and this was the only time I was truly impressed. The other two visits were decent, but not nearly as remarkable. Still, I would definitely recommend this place based on this experience alone and will be back to see if they can keep up the high...

This is the first time we've eaten at the Caribou despite having visited Thunder Bay many times before. While the prices are slightly higher than other places, the food and dining experience is well worth it. Our server was excellent as was the food.

We started with 2 drinks and then split the red wine of the day to have with our meal.

We had the risotto cheese balls for an appetizer and then split the 2 special entrees of the day, the sticky ribs and pork thai salad (forget the exact name) both dishes were sooo delicious. The ribs just peeled off the bones and melted in our mouths!

Our server knew that we were splitting the main meals and the wine so she brought 2 wine glasses and a small carafe for the wine plus an extra plate for us to use for dividing the meals. I love these little extra service touches that make the dining experience even better.

Unfortunately, we didn't save room for dessert, next time, and there will be a next time for sure, we'll go lighter on the meals so that we can try...