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Pagliacci's

4.1 (748 reviews)
ModerateSeafood, Steakhouses
Open 11:30 am - 11:00 pm

Pagliacci's Photos

PAGLIACCI'S ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Loud
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Pagliacci's

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Thomas R.

Had the bicycle thief along with a side salad. The salad was very good and the pasta dish was excellent. Service was on point. Very good Italian restaurant

David B.

A nice intimate restaurant in the hub of Victoria. The small portions along with a generous amount of bread is plenty. The drink selection during happy hour is also very good.

Feature dish called Jaws. It was plated beautifully until I destroyed it like a bit of a Jaws myself!
Aronne M.

I always love an icon and it's easy to see why this place earned this status. Everything we ordered was addictively delicious. The service was wonderful, and the servers were super helpful and made suggestions that were perfection. It's hard not to make yourself a glutton on the incredible bread, but make sure you try the polenta (Children of the Corn is the dish. ) and the sockeye salmon was phenomenal. We sat outside in the little wind break building and were offered cozy blankets. I love attention to details like this. It's the difference between normal dining and an elevated experience. Definitely worth giving a try. Bon appétit!

Focaccia bread
Sabrina C.

Good size portions, friendly staff, tight space but still feels pretty intimate. Live music! Bread was very buttery, but I have to admit I liked it quite a bit. We ordered the Hemingway and the seafood lasagna. Hemingway was more pasta than we expected, and quite good. The sauce was creamy and didn't get clumpy as it cooled, which is always a win. The seafood lasagna was quite unique, and there were some good chunks of crab and shrimp, so I was quite pleased. Overall, good meal, fair price for where you are and what it is. Recommend if you are looking for casual Italian in downtown Victoria! Two of us ate for $78 after tip.

Salted bread was delicious
Sharon H.

The food is good, some better than others. The tables are very close together so when the neighbouring table is being attended to the servers butt is pointing at your food. Who wants to eat with butts by their food. It's popular and busy, worth going to at least once. Bonus I didn't break my tooth this time on an olive while eating my salad.

Chris L.

Came here for dinner on Saturday. The line was out the door and wrapped around the block! I feel like good food options are fairly sparse in Victoria so we decided to stick it out. We also were a party of 6 which delayed getting in since they're a relatively small space. After what felt like forever, but realistically close to 2 hours!, we got in. They actually walked us through a side door and up to the owners table in the balcony which was neat. We got an assortment of dishes, all of which were great, includi g the Hemingway short story, lasagna, and the cabinet of Dr. Cappelletti. The bread sticks also were wonderful, and I had a tasty beer too. We were so full at the end that we couldn't possibly have any dessert. About 30 mins into our meal, they had live music- a trumpet player with a bass and electric guitar - it was great! Would definitely come here again.

Pagliacci's Italian Restaurant - Victoria - August 9, 2025
Bruce O.

Pagliacchi's - Victoria - August 9, 2025 We arrived on a Saturday evening at about 5:30 PM. They don't take reservations. We had our little dog with us and so we needed to sit outside on the patio. When we got there, the patio was full, so we had to wait in line for about 20 minutes . They have a system for the outdoor patio where you form a separate line for that space. There was plenty of seating indoors, so if you see a line there and you're OK sitting indoors definitely check in with them. The staff there are very friendly and accommodating. Once there was a table cleared for us, we were seated immediately and brought water and garlic bread. A waiter got our drink order and also our food order at the same time. We ordered a citrus martini and shared that. They'll make whatever kind of martini you want, but that's their house special. We enjoyed that. My wife ordered the butternut squash ravioli and I got the 20 leagues under the sea linguine with halibut and prosciutto. We also ordered a bottle of 2023 Fanti Tocana red wine. The food came out fairly quickly with the wine and everything was delicious. Since it was my birthday, they also brought me out a complementary slice of marble cheesecake. That was very tasty too! I would definitely come back!

Andy O.

Upon our visit to Victoria, BC a couple of months ago, I was looking for a restaurant with good vegan options that also had options for my omnivore family. I reached out to the amazing vegan community in the Vegans of Victoria ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/VegansOfVictoria ) Facebook book and one of the options suggested was Pagliacci's Restaurant, as they have a lovely atmosphere with a separate vegan menu! It's always a thrill when a restaurant not only has vegan options, but a whole separate vegan menu (or vegan section on their menu). Their menu options seemed rather unique and original to me, options that you might not expect to find elsewhere. I think this originality carries over to their whimsical names for their dishes as well. We opted for "The Doors of Vegan Perception" lol, linguini with sausage topped with truffle oil and a cream sauce and, "Manchuria Candidate Vegan Platter", crispy tofu with black bean tapenade and garbanzo beans. Both dishes were very hearty with a lot of flavors to absorb. The latter really struck a good balance between hearty and healthy. The restaurant is very small, as they're trying to do a lot, serve food, while also have space for live music. It's not a big deal but something to keep in mind if you need to make a quick restroom break lol, you might be squeezing yourself and saying "oh, excuse me" a bit lol.

clams appetizer
Samantha V.

went on a wednesday night for dinner and there was a line which is expected with how popular the restaurant is. we waited around 30-40 mins with four people in front of us. the ambiance was definitely LIVELY especially with the live band playing. the tables are seated very close together so you'll definitely hear conversation with the people next to you but it's too loud to even notice. definitely not the restaurant to go for a quiet dinner date. lowkey overstimulating at times. luckily, we were seated at a booth so we had a little bit of privacy. the service was friendly and got us started with our drinks right away. i got the blush and pucker lemonade. this lemonade was LEMONADING!!!! true it's to name i definitely puckered every time i drank this. it was sooo sour though i couldn't fully finish it. we got starter bread at the table. the bread was fluffy and buttery but very SALTY. i also ordered minnesota fats which are the risotto cheese balls which were deliciously cheesy. i ordered the sophia pasta dish (small plate) which was basically a seafood alfredo. it was good. the seafood was fresh especially the clams. portions was a lot even tho it was a smaller plate. honestly the food was okay. was expecting more especially considering how popular it was. the vibes are fun here tho

Seafood lasagna (Half portion - $19)
Jennifer H.

3.5/5 stars Came here for lunch on a Sunday, and there was no wait. The menu had some unique items. I got the seafood lasagna (half portion - $19), and my bf got the Cabinet of Dr. Cappelletti (Large portion - $28). They gave us some focaccia bread to start, which was just ok. The seafood lasagna was pretty good. It had a crab flavor, but didn't really have much crab pieces in it. It also only had a few pieces of shrimp, and maybe could have had more cheese in between the layers. I tried my boyfriend's dish, which was tasty, especially the layer of cheese on top. It was supposed to have meat, but we didn't taste any meat. Overall enjoyed the meal, but it was carb-heavy and needed more protein!

Hemingway Short Story
will l.

Oh my god everything about this restaurant is great. Even though wait may be a bit long, it is worth it. I ordered the Hemingway Short Story pasta, and it tasted absolutely exquisite. Service is also top notch. The vibe of the interior also feels very homey especially at night.

Caesar salad

Spent the weekend here with my in-laws wife and kid. Was a wait due to small restaurant but it is worth the wait. One of the best Italian food I have ever had and the service was amazing. Worth every penny!

Michelle L.

Food: 3/5 We ordered the duck dodgers, crab cakes, salmon sing in the street, medium rare rib eye, the bicycle thief, and the Sophia! The texture of the pasta was good and the half portions were still big. However, it was a little bland but if you're a fan of a simple flavor palette, then this is perfect. If you want more flavor, definitely get one with tomato sauce. The salmon was great though. The duck and crab cakes though were amazing! Seasoned beautifully and full of flavor. The steak was good, just heavy on the rosemary. Overall, place was good but if you're coming specifically for pasta, I'd pass. Service: 5/5 Fast, quick, and very friendly service !! We got seated quickly too. Ambiance: 5/5 Beautiful place and they have live music on certain nights!

A Pagliacci drum set on a shelf?

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10 months ago

The best place for pasta. "The Shell Game" excellent dish. The deserts are great too.

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Amazing food and friendly staff.. imo portions are huge and the music is great addition to listen to!

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Pagliacci's Reviews in Other Languages

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Cocktail Preparations

Pagliacci's - seafood - Updated July 2026

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