By: Teresa Gubbins , CultureMap
A Portland, Oregon chain triples down on Dallas-Fort Worth with the addition of a new restaurant opening in The Colony.
Thirsty Lion Gastropub will open a location at the The Colony’s Grandscape, the growing mixed-use center with hotel, amphitheater, restaurants, and more. But it’ll be a little while. According to a release, the restaurant will open in winter 2020.
The Colony joins two other North Texas locations that have opened in the past two years, with the first opening at Toyota Music Factory in Irving in 2017, and a second in Euless’ Glade Parks Town Center in December 2018.
Thirsty Lion has been expanding across the West since it launched in 2011. The chain has nine locations in Oregon, Arizona, Texas, and Colorado and plans to open two more U.S. locations in 2019.
“We’ve experienced enormous success and North Texans have welcomed us with open arms,” says Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill CEO John Plew in a release.
At The Grandscape, Thirsty Lion will join a variety of restaurants, outdoor amphitheater, convention center, hotel and spa, and more.
The menu is a major step up from your basic pub grub. Top sellers include fish tacos, burgers, and salads such as blackened salmon Caesar, grilled steak, and Cobb. There’s a green chile chicken sandwich on a crusty roll, a trendy ahi poke bowl, and an eclectic appetizer menu with bacon-wrapped BBQ prawns, sushi rolls, and traditional Scotch eggs.
Thirsty Lion is also innovative, updating its menu with seasonal items and specials. The chain was in the first wave of restaurants to offer the revolutionary Impossible burger, a plant-based burger that is a convincing replica of the real thing.
Thirsty Lion’s Grandscape location will be its most unique yet. It’ll be the chain’s first two-story location with a second-floor bar and patio on the roof as well as 5,000 square feet of outdoor seating and an additional 2,500 square foot yard patio with lawn games.
Each location is unique to its environment and features fire pits, multiple tv screens, outdoor patios and an industrial dining room equipped with top-of-the line acoustics, allowing for the simultaneous enjoyment of music, conversation and sports watching.
Thirsty Lion also recently added a weekend brunch menu at all locations, on Saturday-Sunday from 10 am-2 pm. Dishes include a “breakfast” burger, spicy fried chicken and waffles, and Irish whiskey French toast. Brunch drinks include bloody Marys, mimosas, and the Texas Flight, which features six four-ounce pours from local breweries.