Thirsty Fox caters to laid-back, grub-loving crowd
Since opening three years ago, The Thirsty Fox Pub has proved it doesn't need any gimmicks to succeed. You won't find any complicated cocktails, overwhelming numbers of TVs or fancy décor here. The bar sticks to a casual, friendly atmosphere, great food deals and DJs tailoring their set list to entertain whomever's around. The result is a spot where the young crowd can just relax and feel good about coming in week after week.
Motif: A small space, The Thirsty Fox is just one room with a bar and small tables along the sides. The worn wood-paneled walls feature a mix of the typical beer signs and framed black and white photographs showing the Main Street space through the decades. More modern pictures show customers partying at the bar. The spot sports a bank of TVs behind the bar and can show up to six different events at a time, covering all the major sports packages, NASCAR and boxing. If you like playing games there's also a pool table, dart board and golf and hunting video games. The bar hosts Sunday pool tournaments and a monthly bar Olympics, where competitors try their hands at all the games in the bar.
Crowd: The bar mostly caters to the 25-to-35 crowd, though older customers often come in for an early dinner. Dress is casual, with many guests sporting jeans and baseball caps, though you can catch some more formal attire Saturday night when people tend to drop in for a drink after catching a show at The Arcada Theatre across the street. The attitude is also laid back; you'll hear raucous cheering during pool games and no one's afraid to make a mess when digging into a pile of massive crab legs.
Service: Servers are friendly and enthusiastic, happy to chat about anything from the food to what they've been watching on TV. A husband and wife team owns the place, and they take a very hands-on approach, often working in the kitchen during busy nights.
Liquid consumption: The drink selection is a fairly standard mix of cocktails and beers, including Stella Artois, Blue Moon and Bud Light Golden Wheat. Daily drink specials include $5 Jager bombs Fridays and $5 Coors Light pitchers Fridays and Saturdays.
Food: Fridays are the most popular night at The Thirsty Fox, based entirely on the popularity of the bar's weekly fish fry. For $9.95 you can get all-you-can-eat walleye, cod, perch and tilapia. Seafood fans can also get their fix with all-you-can-eat crab legs for $19.95 Saturdays, and football fans often start their Sundays with a $1.95 breakfast. The regular menu features standard pub grub appetizers like potato skins, with six large skins covered in bacon bits for $7. A chalkboard near the front shows daily specials, offering discounts on regular entrees such as coconut shrimp, which have a pronounced sweet coconut flavor and come with bread and a choice of sides including mashed potatoes and thin-cut sweet potato fries. The bar also serves up homemade pizzas made fresh during the day which they'll warm up if you're hungry at 1 a.m.
Music: A DJ sets up at the front of the bar every Saturday night to spin requests. You'll hear everything from country tunes to entire bachelorette parties singing along to pop hits. About twice a month the bar clears away the pool table to make room for local groups, though bigger acts occasionally make an appearance.
Parking: Street parking is tough, but there's a free lot around the corner from the bar.
Overall: The Thirsty Fox is a laid-back place to quench your thirst while visiting downtown St. Charles.
The Thirsty Fox Pub
Info: 104 E. Main St., St. Charles, (630) 377-6634, thirstyfox.com
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to midnight Sunday