Now in the space formerly occupied by The Ore House on the Plaza, Thunderbird Bar & Grill is now open and serving lunch and dinner!  The restaurant is owned and run by Armand Ortega who also owns Ortega’s jewelry and clothing store downstairs.

I paid a visit during the lunch hour and decided to have a seat at the bar. I have to say that the new layout and color scheme in the restaurant is very nice. It has a “Southwest” feel but not overly done. I also appreciate that the tables are a good size and reasonably spaced out! Can’t tell you how I dislike having people’s butts in my food as they pass!

I ordered the Pork Belly Nachos (smoked pork belly confit in bacon fat and deep fried, wow!) w/ Cheddar and Asadero Cheese, Pinto Beans, Sour Cream, Green Chile, House-made Guacamole and house-made Salsa! They were a little dry but the flavors made up for it.

On the advice of my server Jenny, who was amazing by the way, I also ordered a side of the scrumptious Green Chile Mac n Cheese – also made with Cheddar and Asadero Cheese and bread crumbs! Wow! Who is the new chef here, Paula Deen?? My meal came to just over $20 which wasn’t bad given the good sized portions!

The Thunderbird kitchen will be open until midnight on the weekends, and until 11pm from Sunday-Thursday. The dinner menu will stop at 10, and the bar menu will be available until close.

They have two happy hours from Monday-Friday 4-6 and 9-11. Drink menu includes $3 local and domestic drafts, $5 Corazon margaritas, and rotating food specials (50 cent wings, $2 Kobe sliders, etc.)   Available are 20 beers on draft, 45 in bottles, 100 tequilas.  All of their margaritas are made with fresh squeezed lime juice and agave nectar.