The Outsiders Thunder Bay are Back in Business
Story by Pat Forrest, Photos by Kay Lee
The Outsiders Thunder Bay are back, once again offering their “fingerlicking food for the midnight mood,” to quote their motto. Things have changed a lot for the group of former international students, who stayed in Thunder Bay and ran a late-night take-out restaurant out of a ghost kitchen. As operator Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal says, though, it’s a big difference, but it’s all good.
The Outsiders started up in Thunder Bay in October 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Kamal and his friends Souvik Mukherjee and Mohammad Bin Alam decided to fill a gap in the city’s culinary experiences. “There were very limited options for late night dining, and we decided to change that,” says Kamal. The business quickly became a hit, and the friends were nearly run off their feet keeping up with demand. But then the kitchen they were renting for the evenings was forced to shut down due to the pandemic, and they had to shutter operations.
Buttermilk Chicken Fingers
When The Social first opened on Dawson Road (in the former Melizana Mediterranean Restaurant space), Kamal had talked to owner Theresa Stewart about partnering, but the timing wasn’t right. As time went on, Mukherjee and Bin Alam moved on to other things, but for Kamal, the dream stayed alive. Finally, in August 2023, he joined forces with Stewart and released The Outsiders’ latest menu, marking the first time The Outsiders has had the opportunity to serve food in the daytime. And what a menu it is, also geared to satisfy those late-night hunger pangs.
Classic Canadian Burger
The burgers include the Juicy Lucy, with caramelized onions, pickles, cheddar cheese, and garlic aioli; the Outsider, with its jalapeños, hot sauce, crispy onion, and Monterey Jack cheese; the Social, replete with bacon, Monterey Jack, special seasoning, hot sauce, and Dijon mustard, and topped with Lay’s potato chips; and the Bacon Almighty, featuring candied bacon, garlic aioli, and Swiss cheese. There are also classic, loaded, and Buffalo chicken nachos, a wide range of appetizers, flatbreads, wings, and sharing platters, sandwiches, and classic and upgraded sides. One of the biggest changes to the new menu is the 20-hour braised brisket, which has been their biggest crowd-pleaser. Plus, for those with a sweet tooth, there are deep-fried mini cheesecakes.
Deep-fried Cheesecake
You can dine in or enjoy take-out through Skip the Dishes. Because The Social has a bar, patrons must be 19 years of age or older. Business is booming and Kamal says he’s once again enjoying the fast pace of it all. “Thunder Bay’s support has always blown me away and it’s so exciting to be adding our food to the city’s dining scene,” he says.
To contact The Outsiders, call 807-357-7300 or email them at theoutsiderstbay@yahoo.com.
