We're kicking ourselves for not taking photos of the beautiful food! While visiting Victoria for a long weekend to celebrate my husband's birthday, this restaurant turned out to be the highlight of our entire culinary trip--and we've eaten very well while visiting from our home, just a ferry ride away. The service was impeccable from start to finish. The staff and management were warm, attentive, and clearly passionate about what they do. Every dish was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. We had reserved in advance and asked for a booth and the manager gave these 2 old guys a fantastic booth by the window, which made the evening even more special. A memorable dining experience with outstanding food and service. Highly recommended! read more

Heron Rock Bistro on 435 Simcoe Street, Victoria. This restaurant is very busy even in the week day! We are lucky to find a good spot to enjoy our dinner! I This restaurant is the perfect alternative choice if you want to try and trace a new one! I guess this is a perfect choice! Food: (5/5) ,Service:(5/5), Ambiance:(5/5) read more

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After reading all the stellar reviews about this restaurant we gave it a go. Not a long walk from our hotel, and a pleasant walk at that. We passed horse drawn carriages and touristy tours outlining Victoria's lengthy history. The restaurant is nice enough inside, and the service was quite good as well. That said we didn't get a five star meal, which is what we were hoping for. We split the crab cakes, which were more shrimp than crab. They did mention shrimp as an ingredient we just expected to taste crab, which we did not. The accompanying salad was quite good, but the two little cakes lacking crab missed the mark by quite a bit. My prime rib bolognese also missed the mark. Plentiful, hot, and nicely presented it didn't scream bolognese to me. We make it all the time at home and it was just a tomato sauce to me. No mortadella, which adds a richness that was lacking. The lovely K had the mushroom pappardelle which also fell short of expectation. The mushroom were so finely cut that you almost didn't notice them which is a shame. The greenery thrown on top was unnecessary as well. Overall we would give the service a 5 and the food a 3, which is kind of disappointing as we expected so much more. With so many choices in the downtown area of Victoria we would not return. read more

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Located in the James Bay Square residential complex, near Starbucks. Came from our cruise ship and decided to go where the locals hangout at. We had The Duck Wings & The Duck Pouletine which was recommended from their staff. It was awesome, and paired well with their draft beers. The interior is cozy and chill. Friendly staff and cool atmosphere. I recommend. read more

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We had dinner on the patio at Heron Rock. The service was good. It was nice and quiet on the patio. The indoor seating seems to be very nice with a casual bistro feel. We ordered a bottle of wine and ordered an appetizer. We shared an order of duck wings with orange coriander vinaigrette and home make pickles. My husband really enjoyed the pickles. I was disappointed in the duck wings. I thought the taste of orange would be more prominent and I was expecting the skin to be crisp. We both had the special of the evening - a steak cooked in a blueberry port sauce with mashed potatoes and broccolini. It was topped with cheese. I think it was gorgonzola. The cheese was a bit too strong for the steak. We finished our meal with a fruit cobbler and ice cream. The service was very good and it was enjoyable sitting on the patio. The restaurant was highly recommended to us by our friend who is a local. We thought the food was decent, and the service was very good. We found that the menu is very limited and there were not many options that appealed to us. For that reason it is unlikely that we would return. read more

Great food and choices Staff are very helpful and knowledgeable. Have live music on weekends read more

Say you're on a cruise and sick of the same food on the ship. You're at your port in Victoria and walking back to the ship from Beacon Hill Park, and looking for a snack to break up the monotony of cruise food. Stopped at Heron Rock Bistro. What a great find! We found this on the way back to our cruise ship, and couldn't have been more pleased - the service was friendly and the food was excellent. Had the jammin' fancy fries, fresh oysters on the half shell, a perfectly dressed organic salad, as well as some local beer and wine. Finished our meal with the Brie with fresh berry preserve and roasted garlic with crostinis. And all of the meals of those seated near us looked excellent too. Mission accomplished! A must stop! Plan your stop in Victoria with this restaurant as a destination. read more

We made a day trip to Victoria and looked for a place within walking distance of the ferry. We decided on HRB which is about a 10 minute walk from the ferry. We were seated immediately and put out orders in with the very friendly staff. The food and drinks came out efficiently and were very good. I would highly recommend this place. I got the egg and bacon poutine and it was great. read more

I have been there many times and always enjoyed the food and service. I'm comfortable going there alone.

Not many gluten free options but they do have GF buns for burgers Food took a long time even though they did not seem busy Server was not able to answer any gluten or dairy questions so had to keep leaving to go and ask so kept 5ish times. I would rather have her go and check then guess. But I think she should have a menu at the cheat sheet for future. Fish and chips are 7 out of 10. Perfect amount of breading and crispiness. Fries have cilantro and are the perfect amount of crispiness and are super good. Avocado salad. 7 out of 10. At $25 definitely overpriced for getting one full egg, small amount of chicken and some avocado. Beef burger was a 7 out of 10. Love the ambience of the outside seating area. The inside was also very nice. Overall, it was good, but I would probably look into other places before considering returning due to their lack of variety with gluten-free options, and the salad being so expensive for what it was read more

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Love the dog friendly patio. Great food and location. Good brunch spot too! Big servings and raspberry cider in the bottle from BC! read more

This place gets busy on the normal feeding hours, I would suggest making a reservation. I ordered the chicken and waffle eggs Benedict and it was to die for! The chicken is dark meat and breaded perfectly! The suggestion of mixing the hot sauce with the syrup was spot on! The sweetness gets a little heat! The restaurant is clean and spacious enough for the family! They have a full bar for alcohol or coffee tastes. I would recommend this restaurant as a must try! I would also recommend going on a Sunday as parking is only on the street, but Sundays is free! read more

The food and drinks here were great. Service was busy for a Sunday evening. I really enjoyed the clam chowder and the duck wings. So delicious! Cosy pub with a neat cocktail menu. read more

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My family stopped there to eat during our cruise trip. The staff was welcoming, funny, friendly, and encouraging. The food was delicious. Every dish we tried we absolutely loved. Sitting outside as the night settled and eating/drinking with my family will definitely be remembered. read more

food was good but overpriced! waiter was polite i didn't love the seating but its okay. ummm i had a special visit from a mouse run across the floor so overall i would not recommend this place. read more

Heron Rock Bistro - garden salad with salmon - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

I've been back and still just a good. Music is loud and the service was slow. The food was great wonderful and th drinks are good. The service was slow but the staff were great people. read more

Awesome food. Awesome staff. Awesome Chef! Thank you for a wonderful meal. I can't wait to come and visit again #cruiseport #victoriacruiseport #victoriafood read more

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Hubby and I were looking for a place to have a couple beers and a good dinner while in Victoria for the last stop of our Alaska cruise. He found Heron Rock Bistro on Yelp. It wasn't very far from the cruise port and so we walked over. We arrived and were greeted right away. We sat at a table by the window and looked over the beer menu. Paul was our amazing server! So friendly and enthusiastic. There was also a lovely young woman playing guitar and singing her heart out in the dining area. I ordered the Arcus Pilsner and hubby ordered a Yazu to start. Both were excellent beers! We added an appetizer portion of the classic poutine. Man, was this so good! The Canadians certainly know how to put together a delicious poutine! We wanted another round of beers and by this time we had crossed into Happy Hour, what a win win! We ordered a Hip As Hip Funk IPA and a Currantly Unavailable. Again both were excellent. For dinner, I ordered the lentil salad and hubby ordered the fried chicken burger with a side salad. Great entrees! The lentil salad was so fresh and full of flavor. It's not something I would usually order but I was so happy I did. Thanks for the recommendation, Paul! Hubby really loved his sandwich. The chicken was fried perfectly, the bread & butter pickles were very tasty but the spicy aioli really put it over the top. We spotted lemon thyme crème brûlée on the dessert menu and we had to try it. The presentation was so adorable and it was a fantastic dessert. The lemon thyme wasn't overpowering at all, it was just the right amount of sweetness. Small shareable dessert, exactly what we wanted. I highly recommend Heron Rock Bistro! Rotating menu, excellent beer, delicious food, wonderful service and live music! We know we picked the right place for our brief visit to Victoria. read more

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The Rock Heron Bistro is a pleasant little restaurant blocks away from the parliament building and the inner harbour. We had Dungeness crab cakes, Caesar salad and Puttanesca. Puttanesca normally features a spicy salty tomato sauce -- their "Puttanesca" didn't feature a tomato sauce, nor was it spicy - rather it smelled vinegary. It had olives, garlic and "blistered" cherry tomatoes, manchego, (and whole wheat pasta?). It wasn't a bad dish, and in that Puttanesca traditionally is a grab bag of whatever's there, one can't say this is wrong, but it sure wasn't a standard Puttanesca. I found it interesting, and the portion size was generous, but wouldn't order it again. On a surprising note, the side salad was the best part of the Puttanesca meal - a good blend of lettuces with jicama and an excellent vinaigrette. The crab cakes were real Dungeness crab, with big lumps of crab, some shrimp and essentially nothing else. It was accompanied by what the restaurant called a "caper remoulade". The crab cakes were good, but $20 for two crab cakes is a pricey appetizer. The Caesar salad was unremarkable - croutons, two varieties of lettuce, bacon bits (real or fake?), Parmesan. A good Caesar dressing should have a real bite to it (anchovies, garlic, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce being typical flavor-producing ingredients) -- this dressing could have used a little more zing. Despite the shortcomings mentioned, it was a pleasant meal. The staff is friendly and capable, and the atmosphere in the restaurant is warm and inviting. I would go back again and try other dishes. I should note that we got this meal "to go", hence the accompanying pictures show the boxes and our plates at home. read more

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While it was on my list of places to try, it soon became the only option when trying to brunch with kids and a dog in the area that served seafood! Who knew it would be so challenging. In any case, it was a wonderful detour with well deserved high reviews. Our server was very accommodating as we were seated outside and the interior was jam packed, yet he was willing to go back and forth when we needed ketchup, mayo, salt etc and checked in regularly too. The food was really good. Hearty servings with lots of brunch favorites on the menu as well as some seafood and sandwich/burger options, so something for everyone. I can see why it's a local favorite with line ups at peak hours. It's a on a side street at the base of a residential building, so a little off the main area, but easy to reach with street parking around. Definitely on the list to come back to! read more

Heron Rock Bistro - Chicken burger - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Found this neighborhood gem while visiting Victoria. Came in for lunch. Great friendly service. Lots of original art on the walls. Beer on tap. The chicken sandwich was amazing. Excellent clam chowder as well. read more

Heron Rock Bistro - Soup (clam chowder), salad and bread was just right. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Came here on vacation from California and this was the first restaurant we came to eat at. I ordered the ham and cheese breakfast sandwich and it was literally the best I've ever had. I added some house made hot sauce to it and it was incredible. The ladies serving were awesome. Highly recommend this spot. read more

Great duck wings .... Never had duck this way and it was delish large portion for an appetizer read more

Heron Rock Bistro - Duck wings - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Great service Food was great too Fresh oysters were so tasty Mussels so good Nice location, easy walking distance from our hotel read more

Heron Rock Bistro - Mussels - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Ordered the Poutine through Skip the Dishes honestly the best I've ever had !!! I've also enjoyed the in house experience as well the Staff are very friendly House Salad is also on point also check out the live music !! 100% read more

We had 2.5 hours to burn on our Princess cruise from 9-1130pm. My wife and I walked from the docks and I took about 15 min each way. You could easily take a taxi if needed. GET OFF THE BOAT! :) We got a half dozen oysters that were excellent, the fancy fries x2 they were so good, the crab cakes, and the olives & bread. Happy hour is from 8-close, 10pm, so it worked out great! read more

Have eaten at Heron Rock many times in the past and always been satisfied, but was disappointed with breakfast served last Wednesday. Orderedthe breakfast poutine, gravy was delicious but the French fries were cold and had possibly been re-heated (we were the first customers that morning). Consequently, the cheese curds were also cold. Spoke to the waiter about it who offered his sympathy, but nothing further happened. I just paid the bill and left. read more

Let me start off by saying this was a great place to eat. We where on a cruise ship and docked a little later than we where supposed to we ha 8pm reservation and we called to inform them we would be late. They told us no problem come on over even though they closed at 9:00pm. We where greeted with a smile and tables set up and waters ready took drink orders right away served us our appetizers fast which where amazing then the food was top notch I will tell everyone I can about the Heron Rock Bistro probably the best place I have been in a while. read more

Heron Rock Bistro - Alaska cruise - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

We were visiting Victoria and looking for a good burger with fresh cut fries. This place did not disappoint in that department! The burger patty was seasoned like meatloaf (yum) and the bun was wonderfully chewy and crunchy. The fries were very freshly cut and freshly fried, perfection! In addition, my husband ordered the duck wings, a very rare treat which he swooned over. My salad was light and refreshing, perfect to balance out the rest of our meal. We went at happy hour and the prices were really reasonable. All in all, a new favorite place for meals when we visit Victoria! read more

Great little neighborhood restaurant. Great version of Spaghetti Bolognese. Good oysters.

Delicious. Blue collar breakfast and garlic and mushroom hash were great! Found this after checking other places - glad we kept looking.

This place was so great. Staff, including owner, very friendly and attentive, great breakfast food and interesting decor. Wish we were here in town longer so we could come back for the live music this evening and for more yummy food! read more

The Heron Rock Bistro was offering a U.S. Thanksgiving dinner at its restaurant on November 23rd. My wife and I thought that was a really good idea. Especially since we live nearby and hadn't previously eaten at the Heron Rock Bistro. We ordered the 3-course turkey dinner. The food was good. Unfortunately, our experience at the Heron Rock Bistro was spoilt by the arrival of a party of 14 people minutes after we had arrived at the restaurant. As soon as the party of 14 arrived, our server, Paul, completely forgot about my wife and I at our table. (We happened to be seated a a table at the front of the restaurant which was adjacent to the group table where the party of 14 people was seated.) Our server, Paul, completely neglected and abandoned our table for the rest of the evening. Yet he found time to refill the water glasses of the party of 14 at least 3 times during the time we were there. We had to get up and ask another server for our cheesecake dessert. We had to get up again and request yet another server to bring us coffee and the bill. Not a good dining experience. The utter lack of service we experienced is completely UNACCEPTABLE! It indicates this restaurant is poorly managed. It is unfathomable to expect one server to serve a large party and still find time to serve other diners. This restaurant should know better. Favoring one table over every other table means diners are not being respected or valued by this restaurant. Obviously a lot more money can be made from a large party of people than from a table of 1 or 2 people. Not only that, the restaurant became really noisy after the party of 14 people arrived. The din in the restaurant was awful. The sounds reverberated off the walls of the restaurant. It was way too noisy for us. The loud noise level was aggravating. On top of that, we were completely ignored by our server, Paul. We would definitely recommend not going to this restaurant when it is hosting a large party of people. The restaurant needs to do a better job of informing diners that due to a large party that night it cannot guarantee quality service to any other diners. read more

Best Calamari I've ever had. The prime rib spaghetti was delicious. Their steak was seared well, and wonderfully juicy and flavorful. Their fries were delicious, seasoned fancily. And their service was super nice. Highly recommend, appears to be frequented by local. read more

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Love, love, love this place! The food is AMAZING. I had the crab Eggs Benedict and my husband had the ham and cheese breakfast sandwich. The coffee was top notch. The service could have been slightly better but everything else was on point so I went ahead and gave it 5 stars. The patio is also dog friendly. read more

For many years well established, Rock solid local restaurant In James Bay. Good food, Good Service, Good Ambiance.

I wish our stay in Victoria was longer so I could come back to eat here again! It was difficult to make a decision for dinner when offered: poutine, mussels, ribs, steak, oysters, burgers, and more. Eventually I went with the cheese board which came with a whole roasted head of garlic (sooo delicious), seasoned almonds, slightly over crisp slices of toasts, a melted hunk of Brie, and cherry preserves - what a winning combination! I thought of getting the reasonably priced 3-course dinner of seafood and corn chowder or Caesar salad, ribs, and blueberry bread pudding or blueberry cobbler, then I thought of getting the mussels served in either a white wine sauce or tomato sauce, and I'm also a sucker whenever I see a Reuben on a menu (but I also thought of getting a steak and the fried chicken sandwich was calling to my husband), but seeing as how I can get most of these done well in my hometown in WA, my husband convinced me to go with poutine. I ordered the small portion of the duck poutine which was generously sized and came with cheese curds, gravy, crispy fries, and green onions. It was the perfect portion after the complimentary boiled of bread and cheese board, the right price, the duck was moist and tender, and the cheese curds were well melted. Loved that this restaurant is located away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist crowds. Outdoor seating was nice on a Summer evening, the staff were prompt and really friendly, being very understanding when we needed extra silverware after our 11-month old flung ours to the ground, the drinks were generous and strong, the live jazz music was soothing. The kitchen has windows to the patio, so we were able to watch the kitchen energy from our outside picnic table. read more

Heron Rock Bistro - Small portion of the duck poutine - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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This was a fun find within walking distance of our lodging at the Victoria Worldmark. I had the clam chowder which was different, but good and had been recommended by our server. My husband had a giant Rueben sandwich which he fully enjoyed. I liked the heron decor. read more

Loved this place! We came here for breakfast on our vacation and chose it because of location and Yelp reviews. It is definitely a winner. The ambience is lovely; there is art on the wall for sale which makes for good browsing while you're waiting for your food. I got the Huevos Cabanos Hash without the poached egg or Hollandaise sauce. It was really good. The mole was rich and a bit sweet. My husband got the Fried Chicken & Waffles Benny. He said it was amazing and the flavors went so nicely together; he's had chicken & waffles at other restaurants and never understood the hype but this place brought it home for him. We will absolutely come back here for breakfast on our next trip! read more

The heron Rock is an oasis of fine food in James Bay. I'm fortunate to walk there for fine food and music, and walk there, I do a lot. Owner Andrew Moffat and his staff are trained to cater to my never ending needs , graciously. A very accommodating bar is a a great perch for live music nights. Check the website for details. Great music calendar to choose from. Then there are the beer dinners! Once a month pairings of food to guest breweries. Learn about palette of both. Informative and a great way to meet new people. Seriously folks, I'm here , a lot! read more

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