The Thirsty Monk Gastropub

I have been a fan of this pub and always spoke highly of it for years. The food and service is always on point. Until last night, on Valentine’s Day of all days. Nachos were mediocre, we proceeded to order calamari and our entrees. Long story short, they did not have any steak which was my dates first choice. Her second choice was chicken strips. We were then informed as the calamari arrived they did not have chicken strips. No apologies, no offerings of compensation. So we had to leave to go somewhere else. Very disappointed.

Been coming here for years, good standard pub for before a gens game
Or if wanting a pint and basic pub food. Can sometimes be a bit rough with drunken Canada post workers but otherwise very nice patio and EPL on the tube

My friend always tells me I bring her to the most random restaurants; I take that as a compliment. This was no exception; she didn’t even know this place existed! The Thirsty Monk has resided downtown Oshawa for years at one location or another. Since noticing that it’s a gastropub, I had to go.
What is a gastropub? It’s a pub that serves gourmet food rather than traditional pub fare. The Thirsty Monk has a great menu worthy of being called a gastropub. I was glad I had scanned the menu ahead of time or it would’ve taken forever to choose!
I decided I couldn’t go to this place without trying the Strongbow Cider Fondue. It was freaking delicious. Cheesy and creamy and yum. Good luck on guessing what else is in it. We asked our server, but she didn’t really give much away. We tried but, still couldn’t figure it out!
The Tuscan Goat Cheese Chicken won my heart. Sweet potato fries FTW. My friend couldn’t decide between Chicken Parm (something she orders almost EVERYWHERE we go, AAAH!!!) and the Penne Arabiatta with sausage. She made me pick. Needless to say, she was getting the penne!
The food arrived and when I went to snap a pic, the penne did not have sausage, it had chicken. We were starving, even though we polished off the cider fondue, so she didn’t say anything. She loved it. My chicken was good. I think I liked the goat cheese filling better than the chicken. I could’ve been more moist, but it tasted delicious. The sweet potato fries were crispy and addicting. The vegetables were flavourful with a little crunch. All in all a great meal!
I definitely want to come back; the menu is calling me. The food was high quality and the beer was cold.
Head downtown to the Thirsty Monk. You will be pleasantly surprised! Not only is it a restaurant/​pub, but they also have live entertainment. Check their website for details!