The Thirsty Turtle

If you plan on visiting Cranford dont just stick to the food on the town square head a little south and find this place. The food is unforgettable and the drinks are made to perfection. It’s a warm and welcoming place with great staff. The drinks are nicely mixed and you would probably only need 2. The prices are not that bad at all. I couldnt recommend this place more.

Great local place. The blackened chicken salad is popular, and we crave it often. All of their salads are very good. We've also gotten the veggie burger here which is good though a little strange on the thin bun, but can be swapped with a regular bun too. We recently ate in and enjoyed the onion rings. They were perfectly crispy, not too oily, and the onion didn't slide out of it. The fish and chips, crispy chicken tacos and the pork dish were all good. It's a casual place but one we gravitate back to.

A great time every time I’m there. Whether it’s just for lunch or for dinner and a drink it is such an amazing time. The staff is absolutely amazing. I can’t say enough about them. The owner is so friendly and makes the effort to make sure the environment is top notch every time.

We had a fantastic dining experience here, made especially great by our server, Janine. Food was great, beer was delicious, atmosphere was perfect for four young kids. And Janine was awesome—she perfectly memorized our orders for a party of 9, accommodated some special requests, and checked in with us at exactly the right times.

Great service, food, and atmosphere. We shared the wings and guacamole and they were really really good. I had the scallops which I highly recommend. Others got the chimichurri steak and it looks amazing.

I got a Cuban sandwich and it was soooo yum. Monica was our server and she was great! Very attentive and sweet. My husband got a horseradish burger and actually commented on the heat, which usually doesn't affect him at all, so KUDOS! Also if you're not saying "tirsty turtle" with an Irish accent, you don't even know how to live. I'm sure we will be back.

Today was our first time at Thirsty Turtle. We had Haley as our server. She was amazing. Friendly and fun. We both had burgers and they were great. The gluten free bun didn’t fall apart like most do. We also shared the guacamole dip and chips. It was great as well. We will definitely be back!! So glad we gave it a try!

Wow! The TURTLE PRETZEL BURGER
(American cheese, applewood smoked bacon, field greens, Russian dressing, soft pretzel bun, fries 16) was cooked a PERFECT medium rare with a pink/red center. It is hard to find a perfectly cooked burger. The two strips of bacon were thick and cooked perfectly as well. Thank you and kudos to the cook!
I could not finish the burger. This burger was so large that I got 3 meals out of it (sweet potato fries too).
My son tried the IRISH NACHOS (potato crisps, bacon, Cheddar & Monterey Jack, scallions, red peppers, Guinness sour cream 11 +Add Chicken +4).
He said the chips were crunchy and it was so tasty with BBQ sauce on the side. Can’t wait to try the entrees.

I really enjoyed this place! I love a clean bar atmosphere that doesn't feel "sterile" but isn't overwhelming visually. I'm recovering from a brain injury, so that preference is much stronger now than it used to be, so I was relieved that I could comfortably spend time with friends in this place and focus on conversation. Also, I didn't feel like I was shouting over music that was ridiculously loud, as is often the case in bars. This was great!
Our server, Michael, was particularly attentive and friendly. He seemed like the kind of guy who genuinely wanted his customers to be happy with their experience. I often struggle to decide on a beer. I told him what I like and what I thought I was in the mood for; he enthusiastically made a suggestion and then offered to bring me a sample! I could tell it mattered to him that we had everything we wanted. I never saw him without a smile and we were there almost 3 hours, catching up on a lot of lost time.
I don't live in Cranford, but next time I find myself there, I'm likely to return to The Thirsty Turtle! 🐢

First, I would like to mention that I love that they have gluten free options. I didn’t order it but I did hear the bartender mention that they also have a gluten free cookie Sunday. We ordered the spinach dip, the flavor was good but it definitely could have been warmer. For my entree I ordered a side of broccoli, mashed potatoes and French onion soup without the croutons (gluten free) and it was delicious! My boyfriend ordered the Pork Tenderloin, it came with broccoli and mashed potatoes and he really enjoyed it (although it too, was not quite as warm as it should have been) with all of that said, the foods flavor was amazing, you could tell that there are fresh herbs being used in their dishes, and even thought the food wasn’t as hot as it should be - I do recommend the place. It could have been something as simple as being short staffed.

Update…. We came back for a second time, and the food was hot and delicious :)

I ordered the NY strip steak medium rare with fries and my friend ordered the chicken sandwich. Afterwards we ordered traditional ice cream. Everything was amazing and our waiteress was fantastic! Delicious and worth it!

First time coming here and our waitress was Bri (Brianna) she was the best server Ive ever encountered for sure. She went above and beyond and the drinks? INCREDIBLE. So friendly. Definitely made me want to come back.
Food:
SO GOOD. The cornbread was a little too sweet, taste like cake but the ribs did compliment it well. The Mac and cheese was bleh, it was on the kids menu. The fries were good. Overall my experience was a great one.
The blue drink I had was called "Sea Turtle", recommended by Bri!
Thank you Bri!

PS: I went with a friend and OVER ORDERED, but my total came out to be $43 with what you see here in the photos.

Great little place on the corner of South Ave... Great atmosphere, great service, and food. They have 40 beers on tap. Lot of IPA's if you're into that.
The only downside is that there is no parking lot. So, depending on when u go, you may have to pay the parking meters. We went on a sunday and parking was free.
Had the salmon tacos and i hav to say they were delicious.. reasonably priced...

Came here with my girlfriend for a date night. The service was friendly and great. The food was delicious. We started with guacamole and since we have been doing keto we substituted the tortilla chips for some grilled shrimp. Such a great idea! The shrimp were juicy and delicious and were perfect to scoop the guacamole. Will definitely come back. They have outside seating aswell.

Love their servers and food. Our girls love eating there. Laid back atmosphere and great beer!

Bottom line: cheap dinner type feel restaurant with a BUNCH of craft beers on draft. Great chill spot for a low key family type gathering.

Gluten line: very accommodating, 0 sickness.

Long line: came with a large party that included a young one. Imagine a more original Ruby Tuesday/TGI Friday type spot. Good spot to hang with family or friends. Our food was all well made (not mindblowing new innovation but it was delicious). Overall I loved the place and the service was great. From reading other comments, I think you just have to know the kind of spot this is.

Favorite menu item is the pear and goat cheese salad!! Get it, you won’t regret it :) we also love that you get cookies with your take out order!

Every time my wife and our two little girls come to the Thirsty Turtle we always enjoy ourselves. My favorite is the knuckle sandwich. It’s delicious and I highly recommend it.

Had a great time. They accommodated 16 people last minute. Can't wait to go back.

Great food. The Irish nachos are amazing. Many different beers to choose from as well. Buffalo wings are onion rings are awesome.