Caribou Restaurant + Wine Bar

Good overall experience at Caribou, however the food was a bit underwhelming. My coworkers and I were travelling from out of town when we decided to dine at Caribou for dinner. Our server was excellent and the atmosphere was great but unfortunately the linguine was overcooked and mushy. I do highly recommend the crab dip and misto fritti as starters. Overall good restaurant that we would try again.

This is a must-visit restaurant when you are in Thunder Bay! Ever since we discovered it we make it a point to go whenever we are in the area. The service is outstanding, and the staff are friendly and knowledgeable about the food and drinks. The food and beverages themselves are excellent with a nice variety. We have ordered different items including their salads, their fried seafood, their pastas and pizzas, and their pork chop entree. All were delicious, with the most recent visit in 2024 being for a graduation dinner. All of the items come highly recommended and I urge anyone reading this to check the menu for seasonal specials. The order from the graduation dinner was: Sleeping Giant Brewery Beer, their caesar salad, their seasonal shrimp special item, the rabbit mafalde pasta, the seafood pasta, and the raspberry creme brulee. I would rate this more than 5 stars if I could and I will be back!

Went to Caribou for the first time. Drinks/Food were good. The mule was great. We didn’t care for the zucchini fritti that went with the lamb meatballs and thought it would be better without the breading. Tostadas excellent. I’m not really a pork chop type person, but I did enjoy it. It was very soft and the flavours were great. The Korean steak was a feature item and it was good but we didn’t care for the rice much. The dessert was amazing. Service was really good. Our server was attentive and efficient. The atmosphere was OK. It was a little dark and a lot of voice noise. It could use an update. Drinks: Negroni and Mule App: lamb meatballs and tostadas Main: blackened pork chop and Korean fried steak Dessert: Coffee and Creme Framboise

I was looking forward to eating here and it did not disappoint! I got the lamb meatballs appetizer and it was quite hearty and delicious! I ordered the tuna as my main and it was light yet still filling and tasty as well. The staff was very nice and the service was excellent. One of the best meals I had in Thunder Bay!

One thing I heard you should try in Thunder Bay is the Fig & Pear pizza at Caribou. So, when I visited in June I made sure to stop and get a carryout. It was ok. I wouldn't get it again. Definitely would try something else. It's a very nice restaurant. Friendly staff. But I've had better pizzas with that same flavor profile elsewhere. Though it is a good crust.

We luckily picked this spot for our one supper as we passed through the city. The food was wonderful and the restaurant was very nice! Riley was our server and she was more than great, she gave a great drink recommendation and was very attentive. We asked for some coffee shop recommendations for the next morning and she delivered! Enjoying our coffee right now from one of the places she suggested. Overall a great hidden gem and definitely recommend stopping there!

-Really good restaurant! -Great service and staff! -Easy online reservations! Had the margarita pizza, and the fig and pear pizza. They were both really good! Also has the peanut butter cheesecake for dessert and would recommend that also!

The food, service and atmosphere was just so great. Everything we had was so delicious! We understand why it's always packed in Caribou. I would advice that you make a reservation before you go! I was able to try all the meals because so I got a taste of everything each from my friends' plates and vice versa. It was all so delicious. The cocktails and mocktails were also well mixed! We will be back! The service was exquisite! Our waitress was great!

Enjoyed a birthday dinner for 2 at Caribou. The table was on the smaller side as the restaurant itself is smaller and tends to be pretty packed. The blackened pork chop was cooked to perfection - moist and juicy. I really enjoyed the apple sauce and vegetables, which paired really nicely with the pork. The Malfadine pasta was also nice. It was my first time trying rabbit - if I didn't know better, I would have believed it was chicken. It wasn't gamey in the slightest. The truffle flavour was more subtle than I expected. Though it's hard to critique the cook on either dish, I wouldn't say it was outstandingly delicious or unique. I am not necessarily eager to come back to try other things on the menu. To our surprise, the restaurant also gave us 2 desserts on the house! The cheesecake and tart were both very good and not overly sweet. Though I wish I had ordered their signature raspberry dessert instead of the lemon tart as it seems more unique. Overall, very good food and service. Would recommend for a special occasion.

Great meal sitting at the bar. We enjoyed drinks, apps and mains. Victoria was the right amount of attentive and engaging. Meal was fantastic. Definitely a place to go whenever you want great food!

Welp, did it again and didn't take pictures....and this was a fabulous experience. Sat at the bar (highly recommend) and had the fantastic Emily direct us to an amazing night. Good food, tasty wine and great conversation (especially since we are not from around here)! Had a shrimp/lemon/pasta dish (Radiatore) and my husband has the Piri Piri chicken (wow)....but the desserts were AMAZING! Try it all, can't go wrong. Enjoy!

Everything we ordered was a KNOCK-OUT 10/10 dish! So happy with our dinner date here :) Here's what we ordered: -MISTO FRITTI (the calamari, shrimp, halibut was fried to perfection & juicy) -LAMB SCOTTADITO (lamb rib chops was juicy & had a refreshing marinade) -MAFALDINE (wavy pasta with braised rabbit literally cooked to perfection and soaked up all the savoury brothy sauce) -FIG AND PEAR (the sweet & savoury combo of the italian ham & gouda with the pears & figs was delicious) For drinks, we had: -PIMM'S CUP (easy to drink cocktail that has raspberries, cucumber & soda) -NEGRONI (definitely a stronger drink. Sip this slowlyyyy)

Every single time I come to visit family here in TBay I make time to enjoy a meal at Caribou. Always full of happy people enjoying time with each other over excellent meals. Never disappointed and serving staff go out of their way to make you feel like family.

First time here, highly recommended by the desk agent at the Hampton. She was absolutely correct. The seafood linguine was amazing!

When I was still studying in Thunder Bay, I went here a couple of times for special occasions. I don't have any complaints. The food is amazing, the service is great, they really try to cater to fine dining costumers. They accommodate for any rescheduling you may need, their drinks are... .

Wine selection is great and the food was really tasty with nice presentation. The staff are really knowledgeable about wine and beer. I will definitely go back

Don't let the unassuming exterior fool you, this is the best place to eat and drink in Thunder Bay, and maybe all of the northern Lake Superior region, from here to Sault Ste Marie. I dined at the bar where I enjoyed great service even as business picked up and the bar got busy. My steak was delicious and a perfect "medium", and the house Pinot noir was outstanding and fairly priced. Super clean, very friendly team, great ambience. My only regret is not trying a dessert.

The best bang for your buck when it comes to fine dining! Not too fancy, but definitely classy, this restaurant rings up as my favourite from all the ones I've tried during my week long stay in Thunder Bay. My boyfriend and I ordered two appetizers, two mains, and two desserts. 1) Lamb Chops = I don't normally even like pesto but this was so delicious. Tender seasoned lamb chops grilled to the perfect texture and flavour. 2) Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp = Buttery and juicy, fresh, and jumbo-sized shrimp that bounced back with every bite, wrapped in a lightly seared slice of prosciutto. Yum! The bedding of spinach was also delectable. 3) Seafood Linguine = Super filling and extremely generous portion of seafood, including clams, shrimp, bay scallops, and roasted cherry tomatoes. The linguine seemed to be an egg noodle that had a more interesting and bouncy texture to it resembling that of Japanese ramen and I wasn't opposed to it, but I wasn't a big fan of it either. 4) Flat Iron Steak - interesting fusion of Asian cuisine, this steak was served atop a bed of kimchi fried rice and topped with a fried egg. The steak was medium-rare as asked, tender, and tasty. The rice was slightly spicy because of the kimchi and had a nice slight crunch to it because of chopped celery bits. 5) Chocolate Terrine = YESSSS. One of the best and most decadent desserts I have ever had in my life. Every single bite melted in my mouth and was of pure bliss. The creamy mocha anglaise and fluffly sweet cream complemented the rich flavours of dark chocolate, and the crumbled sponge toffee ontop added that extra kick in texture. I would 100% recommend you order this dessert. 6) Peanut Black Bottom Pie = also a great dessert but it just can't compare after that chocolate terrine. The filling is a dense chocolate ganache that resembles fudge and is topped with glazed salted peanuts. Then, a scoop of peanut butter ice cream tops it all! I would definitely want to come back here again. The server was extremely friendly, the ambiance was quiet and great, and might I mention, the washrooms are superb (lol)!

Simplicity :filet with only mushrooms; ?tarragon in delicious beef mushroom au jus Beet( el dente) with perfectly ripe avocado: salad.I chose Dijon vinaigrette . Napa white( Sunday special) Balanced but friendly service while eating at the bar . A bit uneven overall, but , Thunder bay's Best .

First time here. Not much in the way of ambiance but we were more interested in the food anyhow. Split an order of crab cakes. Dill pickle tartare sauce was great. I had the goat cheese salad and was unimpressed. Mostly green leafs. My partner had the caprese and it looked like a much better choice. She loved it. Definitely disappointed with the mains. She had the lamb chops and ate less than half. She ended up finishing my duck breast of which I only ate about half. The problem with both was an overabundance of flavors. Chef Joël Robuchon, who just passed away once said "I never try to marry more than three flavours in one dish" Still worth the visit and I imagine we will be back.

Had a table of four on a weekend night recently. Space is very clean and sleek. Location is not near downtown but that's fine. Service was very good, perhaps a little over the top as we stated we were from Toronto. Mains were surprisingly good. Steaks, duck, pizza populated our table. Only down points were the margaritas to start our night. Virtually no trace of tequila. Was brought to our server's attention but she did nothing to remedy the situation. Wine was 1/2 price on bottles $50 and over that night which is a great promotion. Will return when back in Thunder Bay.

Passing through the area. Chose Caribou based on reviews. We were not disappointed!! The food and wine were superb. I had the maple glazed salmon with Hawaiian fried rice. Hubby had the rabbit over pasta dish. All was very yummy. Our waiter, Keel (sp?), was awesome!! Very nice ambiance. Highly recommend.

We stopped here on vacation and were so happy we did! Excellent service, great atmosphere and our steak frites were perfectly done.

Great food, friendly servers, and a comfortable environment. It was the first restaurant recommended to me by coworkers after coming to town and I've been back many times to sample their wide variety of options. A few mains that I've tried are the mojo sirloin, duck breast, blackened pork chop, piri piri chicken, saffron linguine, and malfaldine. My favourite is the malfaldine which is a rabbit pasta with truffle butter sauce that is very rich in flavour and will leave you wanting for more. I would recommend staying away from the piri piri chicken though, as the thicker sections can be very dry and rough. Their unique daily specials have also been quite good each time I tried it, but are usually rather pricey.

Nice atmosphere. Very good food. I had the rabbit and mushroom pastas and it was very good. The only little negative point is that it was a little cool in this restaurant. Not too expensive.

Halibut was amazing there and dessert of the creme framboise. Excellent customer service.

With the pandemic, we haven't opted to get much take out, but this place was fantastic. They fulfilled the order without any errors. Their take out containers kept the food presented nicely and are high quality. They separated cool foods from the warm. They had everything ready to go at the pickup time. Pick up was 100% contactless - we didn't have to go in, just called from the parking lot and the lady walked out with our packages and placed them in the footwell of the backseat as requested (I had the door open for her). Her mask was worn properly. The food was absolutely delicious.

Excellent service and delicious foods， highly recommended！The waitresses were friendly and effective, the bread was very fresh with garlic butter, and main courses were super (see the attached pictures).

On the flight from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay I sat beside a lovely lady who told me this was THE place in town. She only goes to Caribou or the Keg. I attended with a colleague. The atmosphere is pleasant and relaxed. The servers were wonderful and accommodating and helped create a great ambiance. As our server asked if we were ready to order, she provided complimentary humus. A nice touch! I ordered a beet salad and a basic pizza. My colleague ordered the barbecue chicken, one of the specials of the day. Their wine selection is decent, but not what they make it out to be on their website. The beet salad had what seemed to me grocery-store beets cubed, a very syrupy and overly sweet raspberry jam and a sprinkling of greens/lettuce. The raspberry was far too (artificially) sweet for my liking and the beets disappointing. The pizza had a really nice dough, and the cheese wonderful... however the sauce reminded me of canned pizza sauce. My colleague said the chicken was expertly cooked, but was not the quality of meat he'd expect for the price. It was frustrating as the ambiance was great, the presentation very good, yet some of the ingredients pulled the entire experience down to something regular. Should I return to Thunder Bay I'll definitely try it again. I really want to see if their kitchen was just having an off day or it's their standard.

Absolute favourite restaurant in Thunder Bay. The menu is fairly priced for the amazing quality of food you are guaranteed to be served here. Excellent atmosphere and the staff is on point every night. The wine and drink selection makes this place even better. If you're passing through Thunder Bay or just have never tried this spot, you definitely should book reservations for a visit. 11/10 !! This place is comfortable, unique and always always has good service

Last week had the pleasure of dining here with a colleague. 5 stars for ambience, wine selection, delectable food and service! Had the prosciutto wrapped shrimp appetizer to start (6 massive shrimp... enough to share!) Entree was a 3 hour braised lamb shank over white beans. I slowly devoured every bite... Amazing!!!! You could go the Keg next door and spend a little less, but you would be missing out big time!

This is obviously a popular restaurant. We arrived on a Tuesday night and were asked if we had a reservation. We were able to get a table, but it was in Siberia. Regardless, the service was excellent. The tuna appetizer was delicious, as were our entrees. I would recommend Caribou, especially for a special event dinner.

Four us enjoyed a wonderful evening here--wait staff is stellar and food is memorable 8)

I would rate this a solid 4 and 1/2 stars, especially relative to the other options in TB. We popped in for lunch on our way out of town, upon recommendation of plenty of people (the Caribou is apparently a destination in TB). The space was nice enough, the service was really great. My friend and I split the pimento cheese burger and the grilled pineapple pizza. First, the burger. I was intrigued by the pimento cheese thing, which is an ingredient that seems to be really popular on the east coast as well as in the states. I've never had it but I wanted to try. This burger was so delicious - crispy from the flat top cooking, and the house made thousand island sauce was great. We were actually both really full from just half of a burger, but we didn't want the pizza to feel bad, so we ate that too. The pizza was pretty standard. It was thin crust, stone oven. In all honesty, the burger was just so amazing, it eclipsed the pizza. My other friend had the avocado salad with steak and she said it was delicious. We finished the meal with coffee and their mini-pudding thing, which had this incredible salted caramel in it. I was in TB for business and if I find myself there again, I will return to the Caribou.

We had the Antipasti, piri piri chicken, bacon wrapped filet mignon, and the pork chop. The antipasti was delicious but one of the cheeses came in overly large chunks that were difficult to eat. The pork chop and steak were overly salty and the fries were nothing special. The piri piri chicken was very good although not at all spicy as one would expect from a good piri piri sauce. One thing to note with all of the dishes, portions were overly large for our liking. At this price I would expect a greater emphasis on quality and less so on quantity. The dishes could benefit from greater attention to detail and smaller portion sizes.

Absolutely one of the best meals I've had. Started with a crab cake appy paired with a lovely Prosecco, followed by a blackened pork chop with Brussels sprouts - to die for - and completed by a raspberry creme brûlée that our waiter treated us to because it was our first visit. I live in BC, and I guarantee that if I am ever in Thunder Bay again, I will be back. Simply gorgeous meal, fantabulous service. I treated my Mom - she had a bacon wrapped filet with baked mushrooms - and it was a pleasure to do so at such a place. Bravo!

Wonderful restaurant with an extravagant menu. Very fancy atmosphere, a great place to go for a date. The prices are fair for the quality of food you are getting. Can be busy around dinner hour so make a reservation.

I love this restaurant. It can get a little noisy sometimes due to the design, but otherwise, no complaints. Great food and great service. Definitely recommended.

My meal was very salty. Had the calamari and the peri peri chicken. I had to brush off the salt on my fries and chicken it was so salty.

We had a wonderful dinner at Caribou tonight. Paella, Neopolitan pizza, and a bresaola and arugula salad. Dinner was so good we decided to have the rhubarb tart for desert. Glad we did. The crust was graham cracker and almond, the rhubarg was lightly cooked and barely sweetened, and then topped with a meringue which provided the sweetness. We were at a little deli in Thunder Bay and the suggested it to us as a good restaurant. Great referral!

Visiting from U.S. Great food, service and ambiance. Love that dishes included local fare and were creative!

The food was amazing and seasoned perfectly. I came with my elementary age son and he was treated exceptional well for being 1 of 2 kids in the restaurant. Highly recommend if you are in Thunder Bay.

After our original restaurant overbooked, Caribou happily accommodated our large party at the last minute, even though it was a very busy Saturday night!! We were all treated very well by staff and everyone really enjoyed their food and the atmosphere. Thank you!

Summary : upscale , but now competing with equivalents for The Crown of upscale in Tbay. I do not go here often , but this is probably the most "frequented" high end choice for discerning diners and gastronomes alike. It's usually busy . My choice to not frequent is primarily based on not wanting to overdo a good thing, and it is that . And while a man needs a burger thus he gets said burger, he also needs to treat himself and his partner in style he / she will go here. Indeed the client base is well heeled , frequented by the doctor, accountant .. professional set ( add a sprinkle of pensioners spending their kids money...) As I cannot question the quality of their cloth, I also cannot question their food choices. The wine bar is exemplary....On the advice of other drinkers of the fine stuff. Food choices are local regional, fresh. The bill for a certainty will bleach your gold card tan , but that's to be expected. If cash is your thing, the resultant lighter (and thinner) wallet will probably put your back in right again. For those seeking gastronomy and solace, it a bit busy, romanticism is in the food not atmosphere. To add , it's obvious from this review there is no party here for those whooper uppers.

Solid choice for TB. The Piri Piri chicken is great. Most meat-based mains are fine. They sometimes have a delicious charred corn salad that should always be on the menu. Pastas are always overcooked though, so don't order that... Well priced for what it is.

I have been to caribou a fair few times, and I usually count on excellent food and service, but this past time, both were lacking. I ordered the Veal Saltimbocca- the veal was good, but the accompanying pasta was so flavorless, I couldn't even touch it. I had the croquettes for a starter and they were good, but not of that caliber one would expect from caribou, more like fair food. It was nice that they made the sauce from local cheese, but a bland cheese sauce does little to stimulate the apetite! I was unhappy with the waitress for refilling my wine glass before I had even taken a sip. Usually the food here is great, but i would say about 25 percent of the time the disappointing food and less than stellar service are not worth the hefty bill.

Although a bit pricey, the service and food are amazing. The seating area is spotless and well managed by the team of servers. If ever wanted to find out what high class food tastes, this is the place.

Excellent food, very good service. We had no reservations and we were greeted like we would be regular customer's. Would definitely come back.

Well presented. Interesting eclectic menu. Can be a bit noisy for discussion if you are there for a meeting.

We were in town playing the Blues festival and had a party of 8 and Alex was our server. She and the staff were so accommodating and helpful. The food was out of this world good. We had half vegetarians and half carnivores and all were happy. The wine selection was great (tho our first choice wasn't available). Cocktails were creative and diverse. And finally the desserts were incredible. So obviously, I'm gushing - but having traveled the world a lot, we eat out a bunch - this place is 5 stars.

the complimentary hummus is the best I've ever had. perfectly salted , not extremely garlicky, and excellent texture. ( slightly gritty) ordered the sea bass and it had crispy skin and juicy meat. the baby potatoes were crispy on the outside and perfect on the inside. could use more fennel. the dish was perfectly salted I always find restaurant food overly salty. but this was perfect to my liking

Best food I have ever had in Thunder Bay. Our party of five was greeted warmly and we had good service all night. We went with a mixture of appetizers and mains to get a good spread of dishes and flavours for sharing by all of us. Each dish was impressive through the quality and freshness of the local ingredients. The Caesar salad had excellent bacon and home made croutons with just the right amount of dressing. The shrimp tacos were delicious little flavor pockets. The fried green tomatoes were fantastic - crunchy on the outside, tangy and flavourful on the inside. The black and blue tuna was perfect cooked and nicely seasoned. The prosciutto wrapped shrimp were decadent - salty and crunchy on the outside with plenty of shrimp flavor on the inside. The salt and pepper calamari were a fantastic gluten free find, served with an interesting dipping sauce. The short rib poutine was rich and heavy. The fire oven pizza was delicious - crispy light crust, perfectly cooked toppings with a delicious, tangy sauce. The antipasto platter was a good selection of local artisan meats, cheeses, olives, spreads and breads. The lamb sirloin was delicious - not overcooked and topped with greek style seasonings. The seafood pasta was fantastic - plenty of fresh seafood in a delicious mixture of sauce and tagliatelle. The wine list is extensive, and even offers tasting flights - the choice of three wines so you can pick wines for different courses or sample different or new favourites. The final comment I want to make is about the price. Compared to other Thunder Bay dining options, the price is higher, but the improvement quality and dining experience make Caribou very much worth it.

Caribou is the premiere place in town for great meals, service and wine selection. The menu changes seasonally to reflect the availability of local produce. Oftentimes it is the simpler dishes that shine. You cannot go wrong with their roast chicken or porcini mushroom crusted filet. Right now the short rib poutine is an amazing starter. Service is stellar, many of the floor managers and wait staff know us well. However, they work at making everyone welcome. I appreciate their efforts to introduce new and exciting tastes to Thunder Bay and area.

I've been here twice, and the service is wonderful! I have a dairy allergy and the waitress was definitely the most caring and cautious waitress I have ever had in my entire life. They take dietary restrictions very seriously here! Unfortunately I didn't love my meal the last time I was here which is why I'm giving three stars. I ordered salmon and it was the fishiest tasting salmon I've ever had. It just didn't taste very fresh and it was a bit gray. But my partner loved his meal!

The best food in town hands-down! Decided to try it out on a whim and I was not disappointed. It had a very casual atmosphere, and was very relaxed. All of the servers were incredibly friendly and nice. I had ordered a pizza to share, the pheasant for my main coarse, and to end the meal I had a raspberry cream dessert. Everything was absolutely delicious. The dessert I think was the highlight of the meal. It was literally the best thing I have ever eaten. To make the meal even better, the owner of the restaurant had served us our food, asked us how everything was, and then gave us the dessert on the house.

Great, upscale restaurant with food for everyone! My favorite place to eat in Thunder Bay... I've had the BBQ chicken, the 3 cheese risotto, and the lamb scottadita and all 3 were EXCELLENT. Definitely a higher priced restaurant but you get what you pay for... service, food, experience were all fantastic.

Really great restaurant! The menu is pricey but they have a pizza deal on Tuesday nights that includes a salad, pizza and small dessert. It was great! The salmon is also fantastic! And the servers were all great; they were friendly, attentive and down to earth. A great place for a nice dinner!