The Thirsty Turtle

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.

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! 🐢

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...

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 :)