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The Thistle Gastropub

3.5 (16 reviews)
Open • 11:30 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)

The Thistle Gastropub Photos

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The farmhouse burger
Leo M.

FOOD (1/5): The food was bad, I ordered the farmhouse burger (which is bacon 2 chicken fingers and a beef patty with cheese and bbq sauce) and waffle fries following Murray.w's order thinking that it would be good I mean he is a elite yelper and it was only posted 3 months ago but I left disappointed we'll start off with the burger nice crispy bacon but sadly that was all that was all that I liked. the chicken was clearly fresh out of the freezer the skin was floating off and it made me feel like I was having kids frozen chicken fingers. Then the burger, dry and had no seasoning and they put way to much bbq sauce into had bled down into the bun and halfway through eating the buns where soggy. And the waffle fries, I was exited about this I had not had waffle fries in a while but left me in disappointment the crispness of it was left behind and WAY over salted. SERVICE (1/5): The server was nice but other than that the service was not good at all, when the servers were behind the bar they were so loud I could barely hear my family over the music and them talking and the biggest reason is the two burgers we ordered took 30-40 minutes to come to our table honestly the longest service I had in a while and there were like 4 other tables AMBIANCE (2.5/5): classic bar small they had a deck where you could eat outside but other than that pretty classic they could definitely do more to make it look better. OVERALL (1.5/5): Honestly was hoping for something better especially because we came here because Murray.W put a nice review but was not impressed at all

Thursday wing night and beer
Scott C.

Great little pub with a friendly owner and great staff. Good food with big serving sizes at very reasonable prices. Their wing nights on Thursdays are great. 50 cents a wing and they go great with an ice cold beer. They also offer wing deals on Sundays and they will let you watch whichever football game you want. (Provided availability) Live music every Thursday and Friday creates a cool atmosphere too. The only negative point about this place is that it is a bit rough later in the evenings once drinks start to flow but that's no different from any other bar in any other town in North America.

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1 year ago

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5 months ago

It's a local bar. Good burgers and nice servers. It's loud but there's live music. Kara was sweet and helpful. It has a strong local feel.

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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14 years ago

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8 years ago

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9 years ago

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Photo of Joey L.
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12 years ago

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10 years ago

I've always had a great experience here at The Thistle. The servers are friendly, the food is good and the drinks are cold.

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5 years ago

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Photo of Kat P.
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10 years ago

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10 years ago

Just would like to say "thank you "to Sam Buckler and Thurman for their fantastic service! You two made the evening!! Thanks again.

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11 years ago

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10 years ago

The thistle just introduced a customer shuttle. Fantastic spot. Great food. Great staff.

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10 years ago

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10 years ago

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Harbour House Ales & Spirits - Shepherd's pie

Harbour House Ales & Spirits

4.2(14 reviews)
12.3 km
•$

Absolutely loved our lunch stop here. Service couldn't have been friendly not the views from the…read morefront porch more satisfying. Best of all, the food was delicious and tasted fresh and local. There were a nice range of lunch options and delicious beverages. After a week traveling coastal locations throughout New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, it was delightful to have a menu that features seafood, but also gave a fresh and flavorful take on enjoying such options. The view and friendly service really set it apart from other places we've visited though.

Seafood chowder isn't the sexiest food to photograph, but the chowder at Harbour House was a…read morepleasant surprise when a power outage last year forced a change of plans for mine and my wife's lunch. The chowder had tender chunks of lobster, haddock and scallops, and the creamy broth was in the Goldilocks zone of not too thick and not too thin. A lovely roll that was crisp on the outside and had a light crumb was made for dipping! My wife's chicken and brie roll with a tomato and feta soup was a light but flavourful lunch, and a solid deal at just $15. Bonus points to HH for having GF options for all of their buns and pizzas too! On a return visit after we had moved back to the county, I leaned into the pub side of the menu, and tried the house burger, which comes topped with the usual suspects, plus cheese and bacon. It was a good burger - a thick, pub-style patty, melty cheese, crisp bacon, and the bun held up well. Solid fundamentals, if no real standout elements. The fries were of the crispy-coated variety, which I'm a fan of. Oddly, the ends of each fry were much more browned than the rest, which reminded me of fries that you bake at home. Not a strike against them, it just seemed odd. My wife's shepherd's pie was a hearty plate. The spacious casserole dish was packed with meat and potatoes, and given a non-traditional slathering of melted cheese for good measure. I did my husband due diligence and finished off what my wife didn't have room for. Harbour House is doing some above average grub, especially when you know the right dishes to get.

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Harbour House Ales & Spirits - Exterior

Exterior

Harbour House Ales & Spirits - Roxanne's chowder

Roxanne's chowder

Harbour House Ales & Spirits - Brie and chicken roll, with tomato and feta soup

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Brie and chicken roll, with tomato and feta soup

Engine Room

Engine Room

3.3(7 reviews)
55.0 km

I've wanted to come to this restaurant for awhile and it was definitely a huge disappointment…read more We first walked in and waited about five minutes for the bartender to even acknowledge us. She was laughing at the multiple old men at the bar. When we finally got her attention her words were 'you look confused' and I was - there was no sign about where to sit. Once seated my boyfriend got the engine room burger and ceaser salad - the lettuce on the bun was literally browning. I got the turkey dinner daily special and aside from the black hair on top of my turkey, it was dry and has absolutely no flavour. We waited a really long time for a refill. The atmosphere was grungy and definitely didn't feel welcoming. The most attention we received was from the multiple flies around us and our food. I wouldn't recommend this place and definitely won't be back.

This does not look like much from the outside: dingy building, hardly a window, you'd be forgiven…read morefor raising an eyebrow. But inside it's a largeish, busy pub with a dance floor, sports on the TVs, and - probably - lots of busy locals enjoying themselves. It's on the country pub side of things, with lots of wood, neon beer signs, that sort of thing. But the menu is big. My caesar salad was good; my chicken wings (they were on special) were just OK, a little on the thin side. Fast, efficient service. Seems full of friendly locals.

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Engine Room
Engine Room
Engine Room - On the left of this dinner you can see the black hair on the plate / turkey. That not the rim of the dish - that's a hair.

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On the left of this dinner you can see the black hair on the plate / turkey. That not the rim of the dish - that's a hair.

Belly Up BBQ & Grill - Brisket Poutine

Belly Up BBQ & Grill

4.1(19 reviews)
56.8 km

Ribs, mixed vegetables, and smoked beans were awesome…read more Waitress was very pleasant and helpful with their free wifi Food was very tasty

When I was in town for a blood donation, I decided to visit Belly Up BBQ as a way to both replenish…read moremy iron levels and try a new-to-me restaurant. There was a small surge of BBQ places in Halifax in the 2010s, and while that eventually died down, it's good to see the trend spread elsewhere to add new kinds of cuisine to other areas of the province. The interior is spacious, with a bar at one end, a section with several booths, and even more tables beyond that. The décor isn't over-the-top with southern US kitsch like many barbecue joints and could easily pass for a regular bar and grill. Normally when I try a BBQ place for a first time, I go all-in on a sampler platter to try as many of the smoked meats as possible. Alas, Belly Up is the only BBQ place that I've been to that doesn't have this option. As a result, I went with the beef brisket platter since that's more unique to Belly Up, and things like ribs and pulled pork can be found at many restaurants these days. It wasn't too too busy when I arrived and most people were already eating, so my food arrived in quick order. The brisket came as two long, thick slices, and the broad layer of fat on top told me I was getting the fatty end of the brisket. There was a bit of a smoke ring around the edges, although I didn't find that it had a prominently smoky flavour. It was spot-on for tenderness though - the meat broke apart easily, but didn't crumble from being overcooked, and each bite was tender and juicy. You get a choice of a few different sauces with your meat (which is served entirely on the side) and the chipotle sauce was savoury and not *too* sweet, but again, I'd prefer a heavier level of smokiness from the namesake pepper. You get two different sides with each entrée, so again I went with some of the more unique options - the corn fritters and the apple coleslaw. The corn fritters were very well executed - crisp on the outside, fluffy and moist on the inside, and with a hint of sweetness. The ginger and jalapeno honey sauce that came with them was also a surprise hit, with a good balance of sweetness and subtle layer of heat. I generally prefer a vinegar-based dressing for my coleslaw to cut through the rich dishes that it's often paired with, but I still enjoyed Belly Up's apple slaw. The additional crunch and sweetness of the julienned apples brought some complexity to what is often the most forgettable part of a meal, and honestly it's just nice to see a slaw that's done in-house instead of coming out of a five-gallon bucket from Sysco. Service was friendly and attentive throughout my meal. There's definitely some tweaks that Belly Up could do to polish their BBQ game, but it's a still a solid option for something different in the food scene in Truro.

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Belly Up BBQ & Grill
Belly Up BBQ & Grill - Beef brisket with corn fritters, apple slaw and chipotle BBQ sauce

Beef brisket with corn fritters, apple slaw and chipotle BBQ sauce

Belly Up BBQ & Grill - Bar and beer prices before taxes!

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Bar and beer prices before taxes!

The Thistle Gastropub - pubs - Updated October 2026

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