Great service. The food came out fast. We let the server know we had to leave in 30 minutes. She made it happen.

the ambiance was great! Food bad and waitress annoying. queso was so under average. chips not good. I've made better edemame at home. the Kung Pao chicken was inedible. SO chewy that I couldn't swallow 50% of the pieces. the flavor was good but quality of the chicken was terrible. both margaritas I had were bad. SO unbalanced. the waitress swiped my own card without me knowing and I didn't like that AT ALL. she was rushing me. so annoying. read more

Thirsty lion is definitely a family favorite. We made a reservation for my son's birthday dinner while my in laws were in town. We sat on their patio, which I really love because it has a nice moody relaxing vibe out back. The weather was perfect for a patio dinner. My son and I shared their california roll appetizer, we scarfed that roll down, yum! For dinner, I ordered their reuben sandwich, very delicious sandwich. I ate half and took the other half home. I forgot to take a picture of it but it was delicious and large! My son ordered the cheeseburger with fries off the regular menu instead of the kids menu. He wanted a big boy burger, haha! My husband ordered the GOCHUJANG BBQ PORK & KIMCHI FRIED RICE- Boneless Korean BBQ smoked pork, grilled with gochujang sauce, sautéed kimchi fried rice and a fried egg, sunny side up. Fantastic! Our server let my son pick his birthday dessert which is always so nice when you get to pick! He chose the chocolate molten lava cake with a huge side of whipped cream! So good!! Our server was great, friendly and attentive. Thank you for a nice birthday dinner experience for my son's 11th birthday. read more

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June 11, 2026 - our group of 9 came in for dinner at 6pm w/a reservation. We were promptly greeted and shown to a set up table. Crystal quickly arrived with lots of waters and introduced herself. We hit it off, what a great sense of humor!! Music was very loud, so loud we couldn't hear past the person next to you! Great playlist, but too loud to converse. The chicken mac & cheese had a little spicy kick, but was delicious. The kung pow chicken had a great presentation and was wonderfully spicy. The spicy bacon shrimp was that, very spicy! The Ruben did not have the 1000 island dressing!! Crystal did bring us some to go as 1/2 the sandwich was boxed and taken (leftovers). The pear martini (ordered w/o the rim of sugar) was phenomenal. Crystal, thank you for bringing 2 Caesar salads as we would have never guessed that the coleslaw would've come with bell peppers and 2 of our group are allergic to bell peppers!! The reasons this is not a 5 is because the menu not listing a more accurate description of the main ingredients and the unnecessarily loud music!!! read more

Pretty standard experience, only came here because Backyard was an hour wait and we wanted to watch March Madness. While there are TVs playing sports, most people are not there to watch the game and there was no camaraderie in cheering on any team. And this was to determine the final four!! I appreciate a separate gluten free menu. Not too much piqued my interest but I went with the green chili chicken sandwich with fries. It was a standard sandwich, the chicken itself was okay, I liked the crunchy slaw that offered good contrast with the creamy chipotle aioli and avocado. I dipped it in ranch and that upped the flavor even more. The gluten free bun was pretty good, a little crumbly and dry but better than some other gf buns I've had. The fries were seasoned well - very peppery - but were inconsistent in terms of some being crunchy and more being soggy. Overall, it wasn't a bad sandwich by any means, good but wouldn't come back for it again. My boyfriend got the fried chicken mac and cheese and enjoyed it but it was pretty small for the price. Again the restaurant served its purpose and we still had a good evening but wouldn't necessarily go back. Comfy chairs, pretty good service. read more

Thirsty Lion - Desert Ridge - Green Chili Chicken & Avocado Sandwich gluten free - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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March 21 - We went for Happy Hour on a Friday. We were seated at a square table that had a fireplace in the middle - a little weird for sharing food since we had to place the plates on the rocks, however better for conversation. Drinks took a long time to come out as well as the food. We had to ask several times where or orders were and one order was completely forgotten so we had them remove it from the bill. We had: - Queso with chips - a really nice thinner and flavorful sauce, not that stuff that cools into a weird plastic like texture. This was very good. - Chicken tenders - very moist with a nice crunch on the breading - Spicy cauliflower bites - thy had good flavor but they really don't need all of that thick batter. It is just overpowering. - Spicy tuna roll - was fine, not special, a safe bet. - Calamari - standard stuff. Very small pieces so lots of coating. - Burger sliders - probably the best thing of the night. Moist, flavorful beef patties. read more

We stopped into Thirsty Lion Gastropub for a quick bite on our way home from an event, and it ended up being the perfect choice. It was after 9pm on a weekday, and as usual, most places in Desert Ridge Marketplace were already closed. We knew Thirsty Lion would still be open, which made it an easy decision. We grabbed seats at the bar and ordered from their reverse happy hour menu. We had the artichoke spinach dip and the salmon cakes, and both were great. Just what we were looking for as it was late and we needed a little something. The bartender was also very friendly. Overall, a great late-night option with good food and a welcoming atmosphere. read more

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Food is amazing! Service by Kim is superb!!! Sad we don't have this in California, but will definitely be back!!!

This restaurant is located in the Desert Ridge shopping area in the north of Phoenix. I met a friend here on a Saturday at noon. I expected the place to be crowded, so I reserved a spot using Open Table online the night before. We didn't need it though. My friend arrived early and got a table without the reservation or a wait. The booths here are really long. It will seat a large group easily. If your midsection is growing, you might find it a bit tight to get in and out. It's a good reminder to choose something healthier and eat perhaps a little less. They have a special weekend brunch menu with breakfast items and cocktails. You can also get lunch and mocktails too. They cater to all tastes. I opted for the traditional Eggs Benedict. It was done perfectly. My friend had the BBQ burger - her favorite. Our waitress was very laidback, despite her very mellow demeanor, she was timely in her delivery of our meal and refills of drinks. She was even prepared with "to go" boxes and "to go" iced tea when we finished with our meal. My friend and I ended up hanging out for several hours chatting, but the waitress didn't disturb or rush us. I would certainly be willing to return to this restaurant because the food and ambience were both of a decent standard. read more

Thirsty Lion - Desert Ridge - Eggs Benedict - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Thirsty Lion is a place I can't wait to go back to especially for happy hour! They have an extensive drink list and you can't go wrong. I tried several drinks from a Manhattan, to a pear martini. My two favorites were the blood orange margarita and blood orange Cosmo. The food was also delicious! My two-year-old daughter had the mac & cheese. And it's probably one of the best she's ever had. It was out of this world good. I had one of their seasonal winter menu items, the butternut squash, and shrimp pasta. And my husband had the French dip sandwich. We sat at a high top and our server was Kim. Everything was good. This is a family friendly place. Lots of people with young babies in strollers came in after us. We definitely can't wait to come back and experience more of the menu! read more

We absolutely love this place and it continues to impress every time we visit. The drinks, food, and service are all excellent, and everything tastes incredibly fresh. You can truly tell this is a scratch kitchen, which makes a huge difference in both quality and flavor. There really is not a bad choice on the menu, and everything we have tried has been consistently delicious. We started with the pickle fries and the wrapped shrimp as appetizers, and both were fantastic. The pickle fries were crispy and flavorful, and the wrapped shrimp were perfectly cooked and full of flavor. For our main course, we ordered the ribeye with grilled shrimp, and it was outstanding. The steak was cooked perfectly and paired beautifully with the shrimp. Our sides of jasmine rice and vegetables complemented the ribeye really well and rounded out the meal nicely. We also ordered the sausage mac and cheese, which was beyond delicious and easily one of the highlights of the meal. The atmosphere is welcoming and family friendly, making it a great spot for any occasion. At the same time, it is also a great place to sit at the bar, enjoy a drink, and watch a game. This restaurant truly offers something for everyone, and we will absolutely continue coming back and recommending it to others. read more

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We stopped in on Black Friday weekend Sunday night. When we walked in at 4:30, we were one of three people at the bar. And the restaurant was mostly empty as well. We came for happy hour and started with a couple of beers. After a bit, we ordered queso and chips. Surprisingly, we had more queso than we had chips. After a bit, we ordered chicken tenders and the seared ahi salad. Both were very good. The salad featured lots of ahi tuna with a flavorful dressing. Both bartenders were very, very friendly and we enjoyed our time there. read more

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I've been to Thirsty Lion - Desert Ridge twice: once for drinks on a Saturday night and once for dinner and drinks on a Friday evening. Located in Desert Ridge Marketplace, you won't have trouble parking. Ambiance (4/5): Thirsty Lion is a large bar and restaurant. It's a nice pub, casual yet still with some sophistication. So not a dive like some other pubs. More of a trendy pub. One time, I sat at the bar, and the other time, we sat at a table. Service (3.5/5): Service has been pretty average both times. A little slow, though not unreasonably so. Not terribly friendly, but not rude by any meals. Right down the middle. Drinks (3.5/5): Thirsty Lion has a full bar, including craft cocktails. With that being said, I'm very much a when in Rome type of person. Given that Thirsty Lion is a pub, beer is the way to go. They have a pretty decent selection of craft and international beers, with a focus on local Arizona beers. Food (4/5): My when in Rome mentality came out again and I ordered some fish and chips. It was a generous portion size, I had some leftovers that I took to go. It's a large menu and the food is better than your typical bar food. The fish was nicely battered, and didn't fall apart. Nor was it overly greasy. The fries were solid. They have some healthier options, too, and even sushi, which was unexpected. Thirsty Lion is a cool spot to grab a drink and the food is pretty solid too. Pro tip: download their app to receive a freebie. read more

Yesterday, My Wife and her daughter and I stopped to have lunch at the thirsty lion at Desert Ridge. We were celebrating my wife's birthday our waitress Tatum was amazing and very friendly we ordered California roll for myself and poke ball and cauliflower appetizers which by the way very delicious followed by great service quick refills of drinks and a great smile and friendly service. We decided to share a dessert in which we mentioned to our waitress Tatum, that it was my wife's birthday and she goes Oh wow happy birthday and when she bought our dessert to share. She brought a birthday thank you card signed by her and the staff for My Wife Wendi it was amazing personalized service that made us all feel special and want to come back again. Thank you Tatum and thirsty lion for a memorable birthday lunch. read more

This place was great! I went with a large group, we were all meeting up for the first time before going to see our favorite podcast I Think Not over at the Improv. Our waitress was great kept up with all of us food was great drinks were amazing we stopped by the perfect little sign that said come as strangers leave his friends or something like that it was just perfect for our event and made the night even more special. read more

Thirsty Lion - Desert Ridge - Summer menu - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

I ordered the chicken wings and smoked pork Ramen(winter special). The wings were good buffalo style and not oversauced. Decent size with each piece. The Ramen was interesting in a mixed way. The smoky scent definitely comes through. The broth is a shoyu style which was okay, nothing super impressive. The celery did not really make sense as a garnish. The udon, seemed more like flat rice noodles. I usually think of round noodles with udon. Aside from the shape, the noodles were nothing all that impressive in terms of texture or taste. They end up kind of mushy actually. Service was good, no rushing. I stopped here ahead of a meeting and did some work on my labtop. There is free wifi, and its a decent environment to work. More casual, not so much coffee shop chill music. I would go again, but I dont think I would trust specials again. I am pretty confident the regular menu items would have been much better. read more

Food was spot on and very nice portion size Service by Ava was above par Very nice and clean restaurant well presented across the board read more

We absolutely love Thirsty Lion, it's our go too place close to home. The food is always good and lots of options! We love the patio when it's not too hot! But best of all Tatum is our favorite waitress she's always so attentive and sweet! We will recommend to all!! read more

Thirsty Lion - Desert Ridge - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Favorite location. Good food and reasonable prices! The cheese curds are amazing ! Great service !

The Thirsty Lion (Desert Ridge Marketplace location) From the moment we walked up, we had a great experience. The hostess actually opened the door for us and got our group seated right away--super friendly vibe from the start. Our server was awesome--introduced himself, took our drink orders right away (we had a few beers and some soft drinks), and stayed on top of everything without being overbearing. He checked in before the food came out and even helped deliver it with another staff member. We started with the edamame appetizer, which was fresh and delicious. I had the jalapeño burger--huge, juicy, and full of flavor. Another person in our group ordered the steak, and it came out cooked perfectly and tasted amazing. Service stayed solid the whole time--our server checked in during the meal, and both he and the hostess thanked us as we were leaving. The only small downside was that the neon "Thirsty Lion" sign out front was partially illuminated--some letters were off--which made the place look a little less inviting from the outside. Hopefully that gets fixed soon. Overall though, great food, great service, and a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. Definitely planning to come back! read more

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Kim was an amazing waitress. She made great recommendations throughout the evening and ensured we had everything we needed for our date night. The food was impeccable from the starters to the entrees. I highly recommend the queso dip and the salmon. We will definitely be back. read more

Great spot to meet friends in between places in the valley - one from the east and one from the west. Love the unique dishes with the asterisk - special flavors read more

My husband and I went to thirsty lion for Arizona restaurant week cause their prices are always so high and some of the food is not that tasteful so we figured if we did Arizona restaurant week we can try more different things to see if there are some good dishes since it's close to home. However we were disappointed. The ribs were overcooked and tough to even cut through or eat. The shrimp pad Thai was horrible but I guess we should have not ordered that seeing as this is not a Thai restaurant! The dessert was also lacking. However, the two starters for the cauliflower and the flatbread was really good so that is why this is not a one star. Also our service was very nice and we did get seated right away. The place was clean and it wasn't busy. read more

Thirsty Lion - Desert Ridge - Only had the picture of the starters. The other dishes were not good. - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

The bartenders were super friendly and attentive. I had a pear martini, and my friend enjoyed the blood orange margarita. We loved the spicy fried cauliflower- it does have a kick to it and it gives an Asian flavor. Delicious! read more

Thirsty Lion - Desert Ridge - Pear martini - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Wow, this place was a lot of fun! Our server was Tristin and she was great. She acknowledged us very quickly, checked on us periodically, and was just pleasant and helpful (good guidance with the menu) and fun. She just added to the great dining experience We started with the giant baked pretzel, which started us off WAY on the right foot. My goodness. What a winner. Fresh, hot, soft overall but just enough crisp on the outside, just the right amount of salt, too. And the three dipping sauces were all very good. One of them is the creamy queso (I assume this is the same queso used in the queso and chips appetizer but I'm not completely sure because it was a little thinner than I'd normally see for queso and chips, but it was still delicious), then of course the stone ground mustard, and even a nice surprisingly sweet and very lightly spicy type of chili sauce, maybe a Thai chili or a variation. I would go back just for the pretzel. Fish and chips were out of this world! Yes, I ordered them because of all the positive Yelp reviews about that specific dish, and yes the hype was well-deserved. Light, crispy batter, delicious tender fish, nice and hot, with crispy fries next to it, really creamy yummy coleslaw, and great tartar sauce (and yes there's malt vinegar too). Who would've thought the best fish and chips I ever had would be in Arizona? Not even coastal but no need to argue, just come here and eat it! My wife had the California roll and it was really good (now I want sushi) too! AND Tristan not only acknowledged my wife's recent birthday (where we had nowhere near as good a dining experience as Thirsty Lion), but also offered a dessert (we loved the Churros, at her recommendation)! Plus some good happy hour specials on top of everything else. We're only in Scottsdale two days and I'm pretty sure we're coming back here again later today - it was THAT good and a lot of fun. And we don't often go to the same restaurant twice on a trip! read more

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Went with freinds for afternoon late lunch meal. The place was not crowded but it still took a good 30 minutes to get our food. I ordered the chile chicken sandwich. The chicken was raw in the middle . Needles to say, for the wait time in a scratch chicken I did expect the chicken to be cooked through. The drinks prices were outrageous too. Not going back. It took the rest of the day for my stomach to recover. read more

Really a nice place. The food was really delicious,the service was wonderful. Plan on going back soon

Came here for lunch with coworkers.. 1130 so not busy when we got here. Staff was friendly and attentive for the most part. Ordered wings for lunch since I was craving wings.. Friend ordered filet mignon. Waitress comes back, we are out of filet.. Ok... We are out of wings also.. Im Like how the heck are you out of wings.. Turns out they weren't ready and would he about another hour.. Guess someone didn't do the prep... Ended up ordering IPA fish and chips. I was told they were pretty good. Well.. Flavor was not bad, semi crispy fish. Fries were mostly soggy. My 2nd fish had a bad part or something.. Took a bite and got some nasty very fishy taste. Almost spit it out. Also ordered hibiscus basil lemonade.. Which was very tangy sour lemonade with light hibiscus taste. Not refreshing at all. Over all food was bit disappointing. After food was done served waitress sorts disappeared and didn't see her for a while. I've been to one in Tempe long time ago and I remember being so so also.. Not my cup of tea and I don't see myself coming here unless I was invited. read more

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The Korean Fried Rice was great, and good drinks as well. Didn't expect Asian food from a pub, but it hit the spot. Excellent service from Kashawna. Will come again when in town. read more

Been coming to thirsty lion for years, I loved the salmon risotto in Fashion Square, they moved up here to desert ridge, still a great place! Tonight we came here for a new years dinner, they have a prefix menu, which looked good, but we ended up ordering from the menu.. Tatum is or Girl, she is fantastic & friendly. The salmon dish was great, the orange chicken is always on pointe & the fish n chips were good, the fries are a little crispy for the wife (I think they were great). Plenty of parking & seating, I was surprised that they were not a busy tonight. read more

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Decided to go here after getting Justification non-service at Kona Grill. As we walked in, we were immediately greeted by Dave, one of the managers. He was super friendly and seated us immediately. We even had a friendly conversation. Dave immediately brought us water as well It was so nice to see the manager bring us our water. Some managers think they're too good for that in other restaurants. Dave took the time to give us some great recommendations on the menu. Crystal ended up being our server and our service was awesome. She was friendly, informative, very prompt and kept our drinks filled. The food was delicious and came out very fast. The atmosphere in the patio was beautiful. The place was very clean and I saw no dirty tables. Tables were cleaned immediately. We really enjoyed our lunch and are looking forward to bringing our guest there. read more

First time at The Thirsty Lion at Desert Ridge Mall. Saturday noon and was thrilled that we were immediately seated. Our party of 3 received menus and water quickly. Weekend menu had brunch and lunch service. Orders were taken after a bit of a wait as they got busy. Put this one on your list. Two of us ordered the Gastropub Burger. One person ordered the Bacon Burger. Everyone was very happy with the food. Service was good and I would not hesitate to come in again. I enjoyed the vibe of this Thirsty Lion. Have been to other locations in Glendale and Tempe. Outside patio had a large seating area and fire pit. Inside seating was well lighted and open. Not too noisy. read more

Thirsty Lion - Desert Ridge - Burgers on Menu, Prices May Not Be Current - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Been to this place several times now, generally on or about St. Patrick's Day, while visiting for Spring Training, and have never once not had a great experience. In spite of the fact that this holiday makes for a bit of a madhouse of certain themed restaurants around this holiday, these people have really done a great job of creating processes and procedures for efficient and timely service. Turnaround at the bar was nothing short of impressive. The food is always excellent, and I particularly enjoyed the Irish themed menu, including corned beef and cabbage, and scotch eggs (delicious). The only tiny negative is that they did run out of Smithwicks, but fortunately had several good alternatives on their beer menu. Special shout out to our server, Cash (sp?) who was delightful, as well as superior at the job. read more

I was excited to try this place based on the menu and the reviews. Overall I can say I was a little disappointed. The best part is easily the ambiance. The space is great and it was festively decorated for the holiday. I would say the service was subpar. The server was nice but seemed disinterested in our table. One of the entrees we ordered was incorrect but ended up being delicious. We came during happy hour so for appetizers we had the tuna rolls and the calamari. The calamari was pretty good and the spicy sauce it came with was sublime. The tuna rolls were all right. For entrees we split the gochujang BBQ pork and kimchi fried rice, the spicy sausage Mac (ended up getting delivered the fried chicken Mac and cheese) and the Szechuan orange chicken. The BBQ pork had a great sear and flavor. The kimchi fried rice was bland with no significant flavor. The fired chicken Mac and cheese was easily the best of the dishes even though it was the incorrect order. The Mac and cheese flavor was exceptional and the fried chicken was well cooked. The Szechuan orange chicken flavor was far from anything Asian and the chicken was dry. Maybe my experience was just an outlier but I'm not sure I would go out my way to try it again. read more

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The food/presentation was excellent, 2 of us had Shrimp Phad Thai, slight kick, perfectly grilled shrimp, 1 Cobb salad and 1 pear flatbread pizza. Peach cobbler with candied nuts & ice cream, scrumptious. Best part was our waitress, Tatum, who was engaging, friendly and great sense of humor. She made our lunch extra special as we had a variety of minor requests and she accommodated all of them with missing a beat. read more

Caileen was our server. She was absolutely amazing!! The sweetest and best server! We will definitely be back!

Came to Thirsty Lion for a last minute birthday lunch with friends. Everyone loved their food! I was impressed with the flavors. My friends got the Southern Fried Benedict and thought it was amazing! The breakfast potatoes were really good too. I also heard great things about the Ahi Poke Bowl and the Cheeseburger. The Fish and Chips was alright. I got the Green Chili Chicken & Avocado Sandwich and it was delicious! Definitely above average. My fries were totally cold and floppy though, which was a bummer. The inside is big and open and the patio is really cute, especially the tables with fire places. Service was slow even though it wasn't busy. This is great if you want time to chill (me most of the time lol) but is not so great when you gotta go and can't get your check. They did bring out some birthday ice cream though which was really sweet :) read more

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The salad was delicious! This place was packed at lunch time and the service was still good. A lot of the other plates coming out looked delicious too! I would love to try more entrees! read more

Thirsty Lion - Desert Ridge - Seared Ahi Salad - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

We had a pretty big party of 11 persons and our server was going Beyond expectations and was so kind and patient with all of us and we had five kids in our party. The food was really awesome and no complaints. I'd recommend this place if you like sports bars, family friendly type dining and good service with a smile. read more

I've wanted to try Thirsty Lion for some time, but for some reason or another it has been too busy, plans change etc until this weekend when we found ourselves at Desert Ridge. We stopped in for an early dinner which worked out because we were greeted and seated right away in a booth. The restaurant was clean and beautiful. The bar was large and plenty of TVs. We weren't drinking so opted for eager and fountain drinks this go round. The menu I wouldn't say is huge, but has some great options. We decided to start with the bacon wrapped bbq shrimp. It came out pretty quick and was delicious. Pretty filling in my opinion. The sauce has a nice flavor to it. For our main courses we chose the spicy chicken sandwich with a side salad and the gochujang bbq pork with kimchi fried rice . I was impressed with how soon everything came out. Unfortunately I was bummed with the sandwich. It was not even remotely spicy, bread was soggy quick and couldn't really taste any other flavors of the slaw etc. It was very bland and I don't think I would order it again. However the friend rice was delicious. I almost made my Gianna's grade with me ha ha. The bbq pork had a great kick. I took his leftovers home for myself lol . Service was great. The parking lot is chaos especially in the weekend. Can be difficult to get back out to the highway of wanting to go west. All in all though I'd come again. read more

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