The Thirsty Koala
“We each had one of their frozen drinks and ordered a dozen fresh oysters and the kangaroo sliders.”
“I had the lamb lollies, skirt steak tacos, fish and chips and fig/gorgonzola crostini.”
“To start off, we got the fried calamari (gluten-free for those who care) – very decent-sized portion and plenty for a table to share.”
The Thirsty Koala
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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We were drawn to the Thirsty Koala by the kangaroo dishes offered on the menu. I opted to split the day's special – a kangaroo meat sandwich with BBQ sauce and coleslaw – as well as the rack of lamb lollies (chops).
I found the kangaroo meat to be a bit too dry and lean. It was interesting to try, but I'll be unlikely to reorder a similar dish. The lamb was cooked to medium rare. It was seasoned with a lot of thyme and black pepper. Personally, I liked all of the seasoning, but it might be too much for some. It seemed like thyme was a popular ingredient as it was utilized in each dish we tried (including the complimentary bread).
The beer selection features a few Australian beers that I haven't seen elsewhere as well as some craft offerings including options from a couple of my favorite breweries such as Flying Dog and Allagash.
One of the larger restaurants in Astoria, but still pretty busy. At 12:30 there weren't many tables open, so I ended up sitting at the bar, which was a great place to sit. If you do have time though, make reservations – they take brunch reservations!
Based on all the reviews, we felt like we needed to get the kangaroo burger. We shared that and the corn fritters, which left us full but not stuffed. The kangaroo burger wasn't as gamey as they made it sound, but it also wasn't amazing. It tasted pretty close to a regular burger, with a slightly different taste. The corn fritters were delicious, with a nice kick to it.
For brunch, this was definitely a great place. The food was good, decent prices and the service was great. Everyone was extremely friendly and did what they could to accommodate us. While I do wish the portions were bigger, this just meant we had space for dessert!
This place is good for an American restaurant, but it is in no way authentically Australian, which made me a little upset. Looking at it from an American food place though, this place is pretty good! We shared the Kangaroo Burger with the Lot, and the Grilled Chorizo tacos. The kangaroo burger was GIANT, and super messy, but it was pretty good; I wish they served the kangaroo more like a steak than ground beef though… the fries on this dish were also meh, and soggy. The chorizo tacos were also good, but nothing special.
In addition we also got the Fried Calamari, because the kitchen accidentally made an extra order. The calamari could have been fried better but the sauces are what made this dish; there were two sauces, a yogurt-ish/sour cream sauce, and a thai sweet chilly sauce.
If you're looking for good food and good service come here, but if you're looking for Australian food, go somewhere else!
Was here a couple of months ago and was quite underwhelmed. I think I ordered wrong. The vegan moussaka looked so good in its little skillet, but looks can be deceiving. It was not that flavorful and, frankly, was work to eat. My friend's fish, however, looked pretty good, so I had a severe case of order envy.
Great staff, they were all awesome but here we go with the food. Had the Kangaroo Sliders, and I honestly had way higher expectations. Not sure if it was because the meat doesn't grill the way it should but I expect my burgers to have the char and grilled mark which these sliders lacked. I will give it another go next time I come back and get the burger just giving them the benefit of doubt.
For me the Thirsty Koala is the quintessential Queens restaurant with a mix of adventurous and familiar dishes; generous, accommodating and warm friendly service; reasonable cost for the quality (never mind having one of the best Happy Hours in NY!) – it is one of my favorite places I always recommend without hesitation. My love for the Koala runs deep – allow me to count the ways:
The owners Alex, Christine and Chef Kathy are the best people. Alex runs an amazing bar with a great, rotating selection of craft beers, unique well-made cocktails and great selection of wine (good cost too – most bottles no more than $30-35.). Also a Happy Hour from 4-8 with discounts on nearly everything.
Chef Cathy turns out consistently great food with high quality ingredients. Although the menu has many meat and seafood options (with the best lamb lollies I ever had, among other high quality imports from Australia) she also makes sure that your misguided vegan-only friend has a great selection of locally grown (farm to table whenever possible) dishes to choose. Having sampled many of her dishes there is not one I wouldn't recommend.
Christine is always the most gracious host and will do all that she can to make sure that your experience here will be the best. She always manages to make me (and my guests) feel welcome. Although she is usually busy lending a hand in all aspects of the restaurant she makes time for a friendly chat.
Even thought the Koala is incredible in so many ways it is the lack of pretension I appreciate the most. To get a feel for what I mean you can check out Chef Kathy on a recent episode of Chopped on the Food Network (S28e11 – "Chopping Block Blues") where you will get a sense of her skills, sense of fun and personality and what makes her a true New Yorker that is a tremendous part of the spirit of the Thirsty Koala. Even better come here and see for yourself!
I decided to take my parents out for a nice lunch and The Thirsty Koala was the first place that came to my mind.
We started off with the calamari, which was huge! It came with a sweet chili sauce and a thai basil yogurt sauce. Both were tasty but the sweet chili was my fav. For entrees my mom had the roasted chicken breast with slices of mango and avocado salsa on top. The chicken definitely didn't look roasted (both breasts were pale in color) but my mom said she enjoyed it. The mango was a nice complimentary flavor and her side of kale was good as well. My dad had the fish and chips and he thoroughly enjoyed his food. The cod fillets were big and seasoned well. His fries were perfect, so perfect he could not stop raving about them. He said they were the best fries he'd ever had!
I ordered the salmon, ofcourse, and was more than happy with my decision. The fillet was seared well and came with baby bok choy in a honey soy sauce. I also got a side of caramelized pumpkin which was sooo delish.
We enjoyed everything at TTK, including the service. Our waitress didn't introduce herself but was attentive, helpful and quick; basically on top of her job. I also took a peak at their dessert menu and that vegan/gf key lime mousse is calling my name! I need that in my life!
I'll be back
We arrived for dinner – just at the tail end of happy hour! We enjoyed a glass of cab sauv and draught beer for $4 with our meal. We ordered Kangaroo sliders, vegan tacos, and arugula salad. Everything was delicious! The chef even came out at the end of the night and went around to the remaining tables. We told her how much we enjoyed the food and we made sure to stop by the hostess (owner?) and tell her how much we enjoyed our meal and experience at the restaurant.