Just went to the bar for some drinks and listen to some live music. Had 3 different whiskey drinks…read more Bartender, wish I remembered his name, nice dude, recommended the Winters Calling. Love it. Then had a Whiskey Sour and finally The Grand Desire. Nothing came close to that Winters Calling though. Very unique drink. Also got to sit and listen to some of the most angelic voices I've heard in a long time. It was a nice, chill place where I could escape for a bit. Definite highlight on my trip from Seattle.

The Pacific Lounge is a great place to meet friends and coworkers near the heart of Victoria. The…read morelounge is replete with tons of cozy loungers and is illuminated as such that u may carry on discrete conversations while enjoying a beer or single malt. Despite the convenience of this being primarily a hotel bar, I would recommend this for locals seeking a waypoint as they make their way to the abundant local culture - be it the parliament building, bay, or BC museum.

TL;DR: A worthwhile cocktail bar with the right mood and…read moresolid execution. Setting your expectations correctly is key here. Drinks: We had four cocktails between the two of us. All were good and well made, but a couple felt slightly out of balance, keeping them from hitting the excellent tier. Service: Attentive, professional, and engaged. The bartender knew what they were doing and kept things moving smoothly. Vibe: Dark, old-school, and moody in the best way. You quickly forget you're in a hotel once inside. Comfortable and easy to settle into. What could be better: Tighter balance and consistency in the cocktails. A small refinement would make a noticeable difference here.

A cozy cocktail bar with great drinks and appetizers. The service was outstanding. We enjoyed the…read moreSpanish Croquettes with a Cottage and a Negroni.

This restaurant located inside of the Marriott is super convenient and has great service. It's a…read morebit pricey - I paid $18 for a bowl of oatmeal but it was served with dried fruit, toasted pistachios, and fresh fruit and small container of warm turmeric honey latte. My husband said his bowl of lavender yogurt with granola and fruit was also very good ($20) For dinner, my husband had the sous vide short rib and I had the prawn tagliatelle. The short rib was a pretty small portion, but he said it was very good. I really liked the pasta! For dessert we shared the apple tart tatin with ice cream. It wasn't my favorite - I think I wanted more crust and chunks of apple. We were here on a Thursday night. The live music was wonderful. The musician has a beautiful voice!!

On December 12, I went to Lure with a friend who had booked through OpenTable. I ordered a…read morenon-alcoholic beer and the red Thai chicken curry. The food did not seem fresh--the chicken was separated from the sauce, and the dish didn't taste right. I ate most of it because I was very hungry, but when I got home, I experienced stomach pain and couldn't sleep that night. It made me wonder what might have been in the curry. In addition, the service was disappointing. The waitress seemed very pushy and appeared too tired to engage or provide proper service.

Janevca Kitchen & Lounge (2024) is one true gem of a restaurant on Vancouver Island…read more If you haven't been here, well then what are you waiting for - get here now! You can 'drop in' at 430pm & check on lounge space availability - first come first served, you know the drill. Our party of six got real lucky. Parking - pull up to the gate & it will open, then proceed to park underneath the restaurant. Street parking is available but do not park in the 'residence only parking' areas. Watch the street sign warnings or you will be towed. Lots of Miss McGillicuddys in this area that are home all day & have nothing to do but watch for strange cars & call the towing company. Upon entering Janevca, it felt like I was inside a grand English mansion from yesteryear. The lighting, artwork, wall pictures, chandeliers, statues, carpets, chairs ... I could go on but you get the picture. Now I'm not one to normally post photos of bathrooms & toilets but my gosh wow, I absolutely had to make an exception this time. Absolutely stunning bathroom - artwork etcetera - make sure you lift up the toilet seat & check it out. I hadn't used the pull chain flush toilet system in over 40 years. This is an all gender washroom, so ladies you might find it difficult to doll up in here. The stalls are private but the common sink area is open. I had some older women staring at me while I waited to wash my hands, but I think they eventually realized that it was an open washroom. Make sure to check out the wine celler downstairs - very unique. We sat in the lounge & although it was crowded, we loved the whole vibe & atmosphere. Please note that there are two separate menus for the Lounge & Main dining areas. It was neat to be able to see the cool bar layout & the kitchen staff hard at work in their area. Plus, we got to see all the dishes other people were ordering & this got us excited. Our waiter was spot on with his recommendations. We loved everything we shared & ate. Order the following items if you're in the lounge, but keep in mind that the menu does change periodically. The sourdough bread, scallop crudo, beef skewers, margherita pizza & the beet salad. For dessert don't hesitate to get the Chocolate Tuxedo Mousse. All the above = outstanding superior taste. BTW, the executive chef here is of Filipino & Jamaican heritage & raised in Vancouver. She knows what she's doing! Yelpies, this is one of the hottest restaurants on the West Coast! Make a reservation pronto!

Outstanding! My hubby and I were visiting and saw this restaurant opened up and it was nearby where…read morewe were staying. The menu looked great so we decided to try it out. We loved it all. The restaurant is in the cutest Victorian manor with a hotel above. It's incredibly cozy and I'd love to stay here some time especially with some snow outside. The decor is beautiful and tasteful. We ordered cocktails to start - I had the premium martini that I got with smoked olive brine, I asked for more brine lol I like a very dirty martini. My husband had a delicious old fashioned. For foods we went with our servers recommendations for the most part and she guided us real well. We got the scallop crudo- so fresh so delish, and the beet salad - solid portion size, the beets are beautiful and tasty and the whipped ricotta on the bottom with the nuts was a wonderful texture. For our main we shared the fresh fish which was a salmon with crispy skin and pilpil sauce. I can't even describe how good this sauce was. We got broccolini as a side and I ended up dipping my broccolini in the pilpil sauce. I could drink that sauce like chowda it was so damn good. The fish itself was cooked perfectly and the skin was crispy and seasoned. For dessert we got the sesame tuxedo mousse and it was insanely good as well. The ice cream was so flavourful and the tuxedo mousse tasted like a mars bar. We were really thrilled with this meal. It came to $260 with tip which we thought was reasonable for everything we got, the ambience and the fantastic staff! Would love to come back and actually stay at the hotel too!

Worst place ever. The service is deplorable and the food is questionable. Last time I went there…read morethere was mouse feces on the plate. When I complained they argued Never setting foot in that rat infested sorry excuse for a restaurant ever again.

This place is the worst The drinks are Uber expensive and the food is 2nd rate at best.read more

Rebar looks so much better refreshed! Food was much better than before and the clean look feels so…read moremuch better! Nice to see Victoria classic thriving!

From the owner: "The Urban Rebar is where Rebar’s legendary culinary tradition meets bold, South Asian–inspired…read morefusion. Located in downtown Victoria, we offer the original Rebar menu alongside modern delicacies, handcrafted cocktails, and a vibrant lounge ambiance. Every dish is made with creativity, quality, and heart. We are committed to reviving Rebar’s beloved flavors while introducing fresh experiences for today’s diners. The Urban Rebar - Eat Really Well."

I've always tried the cheaper items on the menu but this time around tried one of the ~$30 plates,…read moreI chose the Blackened Creole Chicken. Portion was a bit small I thought however it was very good. Service was great, staff are super friendly. Restaurant is very nice inside and has a pretty unique setup with a circular design and a central bar. Definitely recommend checking it out in the summer!

Food was not good Service was sullen…read more Ambience was nice Just horrible food and service Never recommend or return. Just awful. Would give a zero out of five for experience and food.

WORST BARTENDER OF ALL TIME!! Love the place until now!! As soon as he came on for night shift he…read moreignored us while he spent ALL his time talking with his friend at the end of the bar. We had to wave and get his attention for everything! After all of that he decided to cut us off for no reason except maybe he was tired of having to walk all the way from his friend at the other end of the bar to serve us. $140 dollar tab divided by 3 people is 46 per person. That's not a lot considering we ate too. This guy is lazy. The food there is great by the way. Don't sit at the bar at night get a table and you should be alright

We had a group of 12 which I understand can be overwhelming... Our waitress didn't take our order,…read moreanother girl came over to take it while ours just handed us the drinks, she forgot one of them, but instead of being apologetic, was extremely rude about it. In the end, she got 1/2 way down the table and told one of my friends, "oh my god, I'm losing money at this table. No one has tipped me." After consulting the rest of the table when she left, it turned out a lot of them HAD given her a tip and the rest thought we tipped as we leave. We honestly came here because big bad johns was too full and it was a mistake because the service stressed us out so much. Definitely recommend Big Bad Johns though! So friendly and good drinks.

The service was friendly and the staff (the owner and her family) was excited to serve us…read more Attentive, conversational, while still allowing us as guests to enjoy each other's company. The food was amazing. From the garnish vegetables to the center cut prime-rib, it was perfectly seasoned, fresh, and cooked to perfection. The jus was savory and complimented everything on the plate. This small family run restaurant has made culinary skills, first and foremost that everything was in balance. Well crafted, but not overly ornate or ostentatious. Desert was amazing. I got the lemon cheesecake with blueberry compote, all made in house. It capped off a perfect dinner. Well worth the price, honestly they could have charged us an extra $20 per diner and it still would have been worth it. Not that I would ask for that...

A real neighborhood gem. Stylish dining room with warm, attentive service and excellent food…read more Dishes are plated with artistic flair and the flavors more than live up to the visual promise of complete satiety. Great for a quiet dinner or group celebration. You won't be disappointed on level.

Drove down from courtenay to meet with a friend to go to the…read moreCity & Colour show and she suggested the Block as she had been before. Ambiance was great - super warm and welcoming which was magnified by the host. Super lovely. Then the wait staff. Whoever is hiring/training is doing a great job! Not drinking right now but the cocktail menu was super tempting. Every menu item sounded great. We got some help on ordering from our servers and Tanya picked ones she had enjoyed before. We also sat right beside the pick up window so it was fun seeing food come out! The food was fantastic. See pictures for what we ordered. Not sure if I can remember the names of everything but it was a perfect combo!!

So straight up this place went and took us to places we hadn't been prior to eating at the Block…read more Overall a very enjoyable experience for sure, but you cannot pigeonhole this place, which is a very good thing! We are big fans of traditional fare, but the Block is a place we are so glad we experienced and will certainly return utilizing the knowledge we garnered during our first experience. A big thank you to for helping us through picking one price fixe January exploration of your local restaurants and filling it with other ala carte additions. As we often do we ordered far too much food, wanting to explore everything off a menu that is far reaching. Not sure if our additions worked with the price fixe menu, but we sure enjoyed checking everything out. The interior is interesting with the addition of structural steel in the space to keep this heritage building (I think) standing tall for a few generations. We sure hope it's still here for a long while and will most likely come again the next time we are in Victoria. That is saying a lot as there are a wide range of restaurants in the neighbourhood, but you do want to check the Block out!