We love this place. Can't say enough good things about its ownership and employees. It's a run well business with heart and soul. Great staff, great vibe. It's cozy and eclectic, always a fun night out. We love their happy hour pizzas and muscles that come in a gorgeous sauce with focaccia bread ...their happy hour is awesome !!!!!! The owners treat their staff well and it shows. The staff have been there for years. I recently talked to one staff member who has been there a long time she stated that she loves it there that management is great and that the working environment is awesome. I like to support businesses that treat their staff well being that they are the heart of the establishment. They should be treated like gold ! read more

Food was so good, we loved everything we tried especially the chicken cubanette! Service was great, our server was very nice and knew lots about the menu! Restaurant has a dark ambiance inside which is quite nice! Definitely gonna become a regular dinner spot in the rotation! read more

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Pretty average food, ambiance is also average but service was great. We ordered a lot tapas the most disappointing was fish tostada. The food somehow lacked flavor. read more

I came in for their daily happy hour. The waitresses were super sweet and friendly. Ordered the happy hour mussels and shrimp. Both were cooked perfectly, delicious with aromatics i.e. garlic, pepper flakes etc. They also serve you complimentary bread, perfect foe dipping the sauce. You can get happy hour Sangria by thr glass of thr pitcher. They have outdoor seating also, great for people watching. Overall, it's amazing for happy hour! read more

The Tapa Bar - Tapas Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Came here for food/drinks with friends and had a lovely experience! Recommend getting a reservation if you're coming Friday-Sunday as it is popular. The ambiance is super cozy, the service was friendly, and the food delicious. Loved the sizing of each dish, as it meant you could easily share multiple dishes. A standout drink was the sangria and standout dish the fish tostadas. Would love to return and try other items. read more

The Tapa Bar - Tapas Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Need better service. It took 20 min and when we asked to order, the lady who sat us said she forgot to tell the server. Server was overworked and had fake smiles. Food was okay. We were seated outside because we had our dog and saw little mice outside the restaurant along Trounce Alley. read more

This use to be a go to restaurant, but I don't know what has happened. We had to send our food back 3 times and the server wasn't attentive. We thought maybe it was just a bad night but tried it again and it was the same. I'm very sorry to say we wont be back. read more

Went for dinner and sat in the bar area. We had been recommended this restaurant by many people. We each had a cocktail, I chose the jalapeño marg (according to the menu was very spicy), tasted like a cheap mixer and not spicy at all. My husband had the maple old fashioned, which tasted like it was made with really cheap booze. We ordered the shrimp (overcooked) and fried rice and cheese croquettes (tasted bland and thawed from frozen) and decided we couldn't take anymore and decided to go somewhere else for dinner. Our very underwhelming server / bartender seemed like we were inconveniencing her by existing. Very sub par meal, will not return. read more

Visiting Victoria for a few days so we wanted to try some local restaurants. The place is tucked in along Trounce Alley, between Government St and Douglas St. It was packed when we arrived but luckily a table became free just as we arrived. We were lucky as after us, there was a long line up. We got the platter for 2. It has like 10 different items. We really liked the mussels, tortellini, artichoke hearts, chorizo and escabeche. My wife loved the tortellini and the escabeche. The mussels were a little too spicy for her but it was good. I really liked the tortellini, mussels and the escabeche. Each one had its own unique taste and were really good. The only one that we didn't like as much was the garlic wings as we didn't taste the garlic and was a bit bland. It is loud inside with everyone talking, I don't know how the cooks can hear the order being read out. Even trying to talk to my wife, it was hard to hear. It's like everyone is trying to talk over others so it gets louder. There was music playing in the background, but to be honest, I had no idea what was playing. There is a nice heated and covered patio so it was warm there but we sat inside. The staff was quick and courteous. We would definitely come back and have the regular items. read more

The Tapa Bar - platter for 2 - Tapas Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Tucked in Trounce Alley, the building and overhang was nice shade from the sun but without a breeze the air was stuffy. Neighboring tapas restaurant next door had a wait over an hour. This spot was empty with immediate seating. Nice rustic dark decor. Service was friendly and had a lot of one on one personal conversations with each table. We wanted to order. The $17 Mussels plate did not have even 10 edible bites. Over half were just shells. Every plate was too salty. Mainly a spot to chill from street walking. read more

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Food was ok, the drinks were ok too but definitely a little overpriced for what they offered. The service was ok but I don't know if I would come back. By the way I kept smelling candles with fragrance inside the restaurant which was not nice at all, the mix between the candles and the food made the place smell weird, i would definitely change that and keep it only with no fragranced candles. read more

We came in as a party of 6 at 8:30 on a Saturday night. Despite it being very crowded, we were able to be seated immediately! I ordered the Pineapple Serrano Pepper Margarita to start. This was sour and spicy! I absolutely loved this-the Serrano flavor creeps in gradually with this cocktail. This cocktail is a good pick me up! As this was a restaurant with many options for small plates and bites, it was easy for us to personalize our tastes for the group! I could see myself coming back here again and again, and having endless options and a different meal every time. Our table split the following: Ceviche-the ceviche was wonderful. The fish is very limey, and crispyness of the chips was pleasant. This went well with all our food! Croquettes-fried potatoes on a bed of greens. This was simple and good. Chorizo fondue-the chorizo fondue was delicious. It was very smoky and had a nice kick. Gambas chipotle-these smoky prawns were amazing. The sauce was lovely too-I am glad they gave us foccacia with this because the sauce was gone from our table first. Pesto Pizza- this pizza is a unique pizza. Pesto+walnuts+apple+lime juice to spray on top. I loved this flavor combination. Grilled eggplant-while this wasn't the most exciting item we ordered, it was well done and the sauce that it came with was hearty and filling. I would recommend The Tapa Bar for absolutely anyone-it would be easy to find something for anyone and everyone to eat here and be satisfied. Also-they have beautiful art on their menu and on their walls. Their ambiance is perfect to set the stage for a wonderful night. read more

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One line review: Simply outstanding. My wife and I were in Victoria for an anniversary weekend and went a little 'bigger' than we usually do in terms of price. This spot was actually on the more affordable end, though we ordered the most expensive thing on the menu. Walked over from our nearby hotel around 9pm on a Friday night. The place was pretty fool, but we found one of the last tables on their patio, which was lovely and for us, preferable during the pandemic (a lot of others were eating inside with seemingly little concern). It was cold for outdoor dining -- maybe 3C/37F -- but their heater were wonderfully warm and made the experience completely comfortable. Well done! We ordered the Tapa Platter for Two and an Ensalada de la Casa. The second was completely unnecessary, as the platter was a very generous portion. The food was excellent, so I kept eating long after I was full -- so much so that I didn't eat anything until dinner the next evening! Service was attentive. The music (piped in, not live) was fabulous. Bottom line: We'd gladly return, with high expectations. read more

The Tapa Bar - The heated outdoor patio -- wonderfully warm - Tapas Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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We made the decision to check out Tapa Bar's happy hour. We ordered the Gambas Al Ajillo and papas bravas. The Gambas Al Ajillo was served with cold, stale focaccia, which would have been inedible without the accompanying sauce. My husband went with a beer on tap while I had a shaft. My shaft was sweet! Not good! The papas bravas were soggy but how can one mess with some fried potatoes. The prawns weren't as good as I'd expected from all of the Gambas Al Ajillo I've tried. The ambiance is nice, overlooking trounce alley but the restaurant itself inside is quite dark. I am happy that we sat on the patio. Our server didn't provide excellent service. She took forever to bring our bill and the card machine. That being said, our experience at Tapa Bar was a let down and I don't recommend Tapa Bar. Next time, I'll just stick with Bodega. read more

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We were in town because of our cruise, this was our last stop before heading back to the ship as we were doing a little bit of bar hoping. we came in & sat at the bar , drinks we had some local beer , nice tall glass nice & cold can't go wrong. Nice looking place, small with seating inside & out , decent music playing .. service was good & prices were not bad , we enjoyed our drinks. read more

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This gem of a find is located in Trounce Alley and was absolutely buzzing on a Monday evening! They have outdoor, bar and restaurant seating. The staff are very nice and we really enjoyed the atmosphere. The menu encourages tapas style sharing so go with a group and order many dishes. The mushroom salad was so delicious with a mango vinaigrette but I wish the salad were bigger!! The table next to us had ordered the coconut lime muscles and I wanted to sit with him so badly because it smelled so good. I also really enjoyed the pizza it was a thin crust and well done. read more

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A great hole-in-the-wall place with great staff. The food was delicious- I had the baked tortellini and my husband had steak, and we were both raving about how wonderful they were. read more

Nice atmosphere but the food is not very good and overpriced. Would not come back here unless just for wine.

Ordered a chicken pizza to go after hearing some good things about this place but I was quite disappointed. The taste is nothing special, their crust is not very thin and wasnt crispy or soft...kind of hard... and the pizza itself is expensive but small. Their saving grace was the amount of chicken breast they put on the pizza. Overall, i think we need a large selection to judge correctly but pizza is not what I would recommend. read more

It's been a few years since we went here. We loved it before and eagerly went back when we had the chance. It was not as fun or good as we remembered. A common theme post Covid unfortunately. The service was great. read more

The Tapa Bar - Muscles - Tapas Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Amazing food!!! Wow!! I would definitely come back!! This was a bit hidden down a little alleyway, but we spotted it when we were walking one night and decided to go there the next day for lunch! We weren't rushed at all, took our time, had some cocktails, and of course about 3-4 different tapas to share, but I would've loved to try so much more! The coconut shrimp was to die for! read more

The Tapa Bar - Tapas Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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This place is great, if you're in Victoria definitely stop by :) get the stuffed dates! I'm not usually much for blue cheese but with all the other flavours it works! read more

The Tapa Bar - Stuffed dates.. prawn curry. This place is great! If you're in Victoria definitely give them a try :) - Tapas Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

I like this place. Prices are average and food was above average. Service was fine. We utilized street seating so the ambiance was a little European feeling but inside the restaurant it felt a bit dark. Mussels were good and the shrimp tapas were also good. read more

Good tapas choice, use of local seafood for bites. Service was friendly, and prices reasonable.

The Tapas Bar was recommended to us and we are so happy that we came here! This restaurant was definitely the highlight of our trip. The food and service was perfect. This place is very popular, so it's strongly recommend to book a reservation. For food, we tried the Tapa Platter for Two and the Sardine Toasts. Tons of food and we left very satisfied. The highlight was definitely the de cha cha cha mussels. I wanted to come back and eat a bowl to myself. Best mussels that I've ever had. Highly recommend coming here for dinner! read more

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Wow. This place is so busy. We were lucky to get a table Our service was not prompt, but she was swamped It all worked out Shared 2 bottles of wine, and 5 dishes between 3 guys. Very very good A little bit dark Not noisey read more

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This has been one of my favourite restaurants in Victoria for YEARS. I've dined at the Tapa Bar more than a few times over the last 6-7 years and each time the service has been fantastic the food and cocktails have been delicious. Most recently, I came here with my three best friends on the weekend to celebrate a birthday. Everything from the company, to the food, to the drinks, to dining under the twinkle lights on the patio, made for one of the most memorable dining experiences I've had this entire year. We made a reservation and when we arrived, our table was set up to go. We were sat in the corner of the patio underneath the twinkle lights and it was the perfect ambiance to start our evening off. If you have an opportunity to sit on the Tapa Bar's patio on a beautiful evening - do it, no questions asked, just do it. One of my favourite things about the tapa bar is that all the dishes are family style and made to share. Also, one of my favourite things to do when I go out to eat with people is to split a bunch of dishes to try numerous things on a menu. SO, my three besties and I split five dishes: the full order of pollo armanda, pesto pizza, baked tortellini, chorizo fondue, and the patatas bravas (with the garlic aioli). Everything was DELICIOUS. I loved dipping the focaccia bread in the pollo armanda sauce. I loved the flavours of the baked tortellini. I loved the mixture of the garlic aioli and potatoes. Every single thing was amazing. To wash all of that down, we got an assortment of cocktails from shafts (IYKYK!), to espresso martinis, to the lavender pisco sour, to margaritas. The drinks were flowing, the food was being devoured, and good conversations were had. After our meal, our server let us know that we were able to get a free birthday dessert, so we chose the creme brulee trio. And if you know me, you know creme brulee is my all time favourite dessert. The trio comes with a vanilla original, chocolate, and coconut - with all of them being perfectly sweet and delicious. Thank you to the Tapa Bar for providing such a fun and memorable dining experience. Whether you're going out with friends or looking for a date night spot - Tapa Bar is the perfect place! read more

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Went for my man's birthday. Was awesome in every way. We had Pollo Armanda, baked tortellini, chorizo fondue and prawns in coconut curry. Wow wow. All delicious! Our server was excellent too. read more

The Tapa Bar - Tapas Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

The food is amazing! Service was wonderful by our server. Food has such flavor and they make things spicy here, which I love! You have to visit here if you're in Victoria. read more

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Great Tapas Bar. The unassuming Rustic Spanish Salad was fantastic with the sardines adding that extra touch. Ceviche was good on its own. Grilled Egg Plant was to perfection, especially with the sauce. The fish tostadas was the absolute highlight. Their menu is much more extensive with plenty of pasta / pizza option on offer, among other things, for those who'd prefer a hybrid dinner experience rather than strictly tapas. Truly versatile from the food perspective. Missing 1 star due to my own personal opinion that the wine list could had been more extensive with a wider international offering. As it stand, it was too BC heavy, especially on the by the glass offering read more

This papa wanted some Tapa so I found myself at The Tapa Bar !! Wanted some late night dinner but something lighter and a nice cold beer. We were seated right away. Service was great and the staff was friendly. I ordered the Pollo Chipotle and the Calamari Fritos and both were very appetizing and the right amount of food. Not too much but not too little. Quaint little spot with great atmosphere and great food. The Tapa Bar earned my stars and I would certainly be back. read more

The Tapa Bar - Pollo Chipotle - Tapas Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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We had reservations for dinner on the Friday of the labour day weekend. There was a line up outside the entire time we were there. Fortunately we were able to get a table on the heated patio as the restaurant inside was extremely noisy and not conducive to a nice relaxing evening. I don't think that covid protocols were observed inside. We would not have stayed if dining inside was the only option. Considering how busy the restaurant was we found the service to be decent. We ordered the special of the day which was small pieces of corn on the cob grilled and topped with manchego cheese. My husband saw it come out of the kitchen on its way to another table and it looked and smelled divine. It was very disappointing as it did not have much flavour. I think the corn had been cooked too long. We also ordered the calamari. This was an average dish. We've certainly had much better. The other dishes we ordered were papas bravas with roasted garlic aioli and pollo chipotle. The potatoes and chicken were very good. We finished off our meal with cheesecake. We enjoyed our evening on the patio. It was great for people watching and the food was decent. I would not return unless we were able to sit on the patio. read more

Great place for atmospheric drinks & tapas in downtown Victoria. I would say the food leans more towards west coast/north American fusion than say, Bodega's more Spanish flavours next door. We went for the papas bravas since most reviews recommend it...have to say, it was just all right for us. Not as crispy or flavourful as we would have hoped. Gambas wine and garlic broth was excellent & flavourful. Our favourite was the bacon-wrapped dates with blue cheese! really appreciate how the wine menu describes the flavour notes on the wine. Straightforward service - which is understandable for such a busy place. read more

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Excellent meal, tapas were amazing! Pasta, tasty but nothing special. We didn't care for the eggplant, no party in our mouths. Crème brûlée was great and sorbet was just sorbet. We will be back to try more items! read more

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We happened onto this place while roaming around for dinner around 8ish in the evening on a Monday. We saw that it was a hoppin' place even this late and it looked like a lot of locals inside. So glad we gave this place a try. They have indoor and outdoor seating. We were given a corner table inside. We had a large and late lunch around 1pm. We were a bit hungry but not starving. Halibut Tostada sautéed halibut, grilled pineapple salsa, crisp corn tortilla 12.5 - my friend ordered this. it looked good and she finished most of it. Chorizo Fondue chorizo, garlic, cheese dip, tortilla chips 8- I am a huge fan of Spanish Chorizo. Whenever I see it on the menu I have to get it. This was good but unfortunately it was just chopped up chorizo onto of the cheese. It was good overall. I couldn't finish all the tortilla chips Papas bravas fried potatoes, chili with the garlic aioli 8 - very big portion. staple Spanish Tapa. It was done well. Overall, the service was good as well. So glad we stumbled upon this place. Would come here often as a local. read more

Located in a quaint alley in Victoria amongst bustling streets full of bars and restaurants, the Tapa Bar was easy to get seating and quiet enough to have A conversation without having to resort to "outdoor voices." My wife and I shared the large tapa sampler, which for the most part was underwhelming except for the stuffed chicken breast and mussels. The wine list was good, and overall it was reasonably priced. The waitstaff was friendly and service was quick. read more

I saw a brochure for this restaurant and was intrigued that it claimed to offer vegan options on it. I checked out the online menu and saw some veg friendly things but nothing that screamed vegan, but since tapas are a rarity to me I decided to check it out anyway. Upon arrival I asked the bartender about this and was in fact given a separate vegan menu, I did wish they would post it online, and posted it myself on yelp. I checked out to the website to assist with my writing of this review and see that the website has now been updated to provide this info. Way to go Tapa Bar. We visited on two occasions, since I loved it so much, both of which happened to be happy hour. There were drink specials only, but we decided to have food as well. I am in love grilled kale and had it on both visits. I keep dreaming of making it at home. Its the best tasting kale I have ever had and as a vegan I eat a lot of kale. I had the caldo verde twice too and loved it the first time, but found it not as great the next, not sure what was different but still tasty. I also hope to recreate this. The mixed olives were also a favorite of mine, so nice to have them in balsamic with basil on top. I also enjoyed some 5$ wine and sangria. My non veg boyfriend loved his seafood dishes as well, but I can't recall what they were called. They did look pretty fancy. We will definitely be stopping here on all future trips to Victoria. I am mostly writing this review so that I remember to go back on my next visit. read more

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The Tapa Bar has been recommended to me on countless occasions, and I now fully understand why. Every single dish we ordered tickled our tastebuds and kept us anxiously waiting for more--so much so that we ordered another dish toward the end of our meal. Altogether, my friend and I ordered the Almond Stuffed Dates ($8), Grilled Kale ($8.50), Gambas Chipotle ($14), Seafood Fettuccine ($18), and Mussels de cha cha cha ($16). While I thoroughly enjoyed every dish, my favourite was the dates because each component of the dish shone without clashing with another. The dates were sweet and contrasted well with the slightly salty, crisp bacon that they were nestled in. Add in the creaminess of the blue cheese, the crunchy texture of the almonds, and the tanginess of the balsamic reduction, and you have got yourself a winner. Honestly, I could've eaten all 6 (and more) had I not been sharing with my friend. The kale, though seemingly simple, had a great char and flavour to it. The coconut milk really took it to the next level. After tasting it on its own, I ended up making mini open-faced sandwiches with it, the focaccia bread and the prawns from the Gambas Chipotle. So delicious. Speaking of the prawns, they were probably my second favourite dish. They were plump, peeled, and packed full of flavour. I found myself taking focaccia bread after focaccia bread just to soak in all the chipotle sauce. The sauce for the fettuccine was also no exception. Seriously, the focaccia bread at the Tapa Bar is just the perfect vessel to eat all the sauces with. Although the fettuccine was al dente and loaded with seafood, it did not have the same appeal to me as some of the other dishes. This may largely be in part to me having had the dish at other restaurants before. In any case, it was still a tasty dish. Finally, the mussels! This was the dish we ordered at the end because my friend was raving about it since the start of the meal. Like the prawns, these mussels were plump and just soaked up the pepper sauce that they were bathing in. I also dipped my focaccia bread into this sauce and loved it at first, but eventually, it was almost too salty and garlicky. Unfortunately for us, we came at 5pm to make happy hour, but the hours changed starting last night to 3pm-5pm and 10pm-closing. I would recommend going at one of these times (but being prepared for a wait) since the food does err on the pricey side for the portion that you get. Although we missed out on happy hour this time around, it was still a happy experience overall due to the incredible food, great service, and intimate ambiance of the Tapa Bar. Definitely do give it a go! read more

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Delicious food, great ambiance, friendly staff. Hidden gem located in Trounce alley, DT Vic. A must! read more

The Tapa Bar - Cha cha mussels - Tapas Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Stopped in for a late-ish dinner and were able to sit at the bar straight away. Enjoyed some nice red wine, ceviche, almond stuffed dates, and Basque cheesecake. Everything came out of the kitchen fast and was good but not incredible. read more