Our party of four have been checking out pubs in Victoria during this trip. So, we decided to check this place out for dinner. The first point is the food was well presented and very tasty. It was Monday and the special was fish and chips but we had that yesterday so we picked other things. The spicy chicken sandwich was very good. My wife commented that the yam fries were great. The tomato soup was top notch as well. The service was excellent. We ended up having two different servers. Second time we were switched out during our trip. Kind of funny but it gave us an opportunity to meet a couple servers. Both were excellent and took good care of us. I don't usually comment beyond good service but both ladies were funny, playful, and just plain awesome. The original server checked back as well to do nothing other than make sure we were having a good time and to share some laughs. The folks that ran the food were also engaging and genuinely wanting to provide good a great experience. All in all, the best place we have dined at to date in Victoria! read more

We stopped here for an appetizer and a cocktail before continuing on our way while we are walking around Victoria. The restaurant itself is beautiful the inside and original decor is quite exquisite as it used to be a bank. The food was OK. I felt like it was overpriced for portion served and lacked a little bit of flair for something that is normally smaller portions. The oysters were good and a cocktail was decent, but since we weren't super impressed with the other appetizer, we decided not to have dinner there. The service was OK, but they were very busy so we had to go up and get our check when it was time to leave. read more

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This place is nice. The space is clean and full of history. Pictures all around definitely take a walk. Service was so so. The hostess wasn't very welcoming however our server was friendly while not very engaging. Food was good a little overpriced for what it was. I would skip the fish and chips got for the poutine though. The fish was a little overpriced cooked and falling apart made it hard to eat. The tartar sauce lacked flavor. The pork belly on the poutine was great tender with a little crisp to it. The gravy was nice and the fries managed to keep a crisp to them. read more

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I would describe the service and food as adequate. The food was not what I was expecting based on the site nor the 4 stars it had

This is one of our favorite places to stop for a beer when in Victoria. Realized my first review was 10 years ago. The architecture of the building is beautiful and staff are amazing. We sat at the bar for some food and drinks. The bartender was very attentive and answered our questions. We ordered a couple of beers and the Bahn Mi sandwiches and fresh oysters. The food was brought out quickly. Both were delicious and hit the spot. Ordered another beer and cider to relax a little longer. It can be busy when cruise ships are in port but we came later in the afternoon. They have tvs for sports and plenty of tables and a long bar. They have a good selection on their menu so there is something for everyone. read more

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9/12/2025 - The ambience is excellent and vibe. Two bartenders are very nice. The IPA, VAN ISLE HAZY, is very good. The restaurant offers free WiFi access, although it is very slow, e.g., uploading three photos took some time to be shown in Yelp. read more

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Food - just ok. i had the seafood risotto which was a lot thicker & drier than i thought it was going to be. the shrimp was the best part, although i am not normally a huge fan of scallops or clams (mussels?) im not a shell creature kind of person. service - sat right away. ordered right away. food came out quickly. they brought a bowl of water for our pup. always a plus. ambiance - didn't check out the inside, but the patio area was BUSY! its on the busiest part of the main strip so tons of people passing by. ice cream spot right across the way. lots of cutesy touristy shops next door. overall, not a horrible place to stop but nothing amazing either. read more

Bard and Banker - Seafood risotto - Pubs Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Gorgeous restaurant located in downtown Victoria. There is plenty of indoor dining, as well as alfresco dining. The outdoor dining does have some separation from the street so you won't be heckled by some of the transients. We came on a June evening, and opted to sit outside. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. Since it was later in the evening, the sun was completely blocked. There was quite a bit of a wait around 7 PM to eat outside and no wait to eat outside. The restaurant was pretty busy and we did wait a while for our food and drinks. I assume we might have waited a little bit longer since we were outside. We started off with the nachos which were huge. We had a party of six and we did not finish them. I would recommend actually getting this for a meal to split between a few people. My spouse had the bangers and mash which he loved. I had the pasta which was very good. The restaurant is a very old bank building. Even if it's just for a cocktail step inside because it is absolutely gorgeous. read more

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Service was great, but...... clam chowder had no flavor. We both left at least half - didn't see any clams nor clam flavor. Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy was good. read more

Absolutely beautiful bar and restaurant! It is huge inside with upstairs and downstairs seating, window seating over the bar and a live band. They also have a small outdoor seating area. From the time you walk through the gorgeous wooden doors and under the chandelier, you are transported to a historical location that has been incredibly preserved. The food looked amazing, but we only tried a standard flight of beers and two hazy IPA's The service was fast and friendly and the beers were very good. They have the history of the location on the menus and it's definitely a good read! The next time we are in Victoria, we will be back to try the food! read more

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We stopped in for a drink while exploring the city. I was impressed by the building interior and the beautiful holiday decorations they had up. It was such an inviting space. We sat at the bar but there is a lot of seating throughout: high tables, low tops, booths, and some private nooks towards the back. They had live music that was really good! We had drinks (lots of beers on tap and a full bar) and the hummus. They had a happy hour menu. The hummus was really tasty and a large portion. We had great service at the bar, friendly and attentive. read more

Stopped in for a drink while exploring the area service was great ambience was amazing and the drink was amazing. If I'm ever back in this area, I will definitely try some food in this restaurant. read more

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Ambiance: gorgeous! The decor and architecture is absolutely stunning, so many beautiful things to look at. Service was okay, came here on a Tuesday evening, wasnt too busy but we were stuck in a table literally next to the stairs. I should have asked to move, it was really uncomfortable. We both ordered steaks, both tasted great... however we were given no steak knives. Luckily the butter knife was okay, for such a small piece. Alas, I would recommend this place ... for a beer. read more

Came here at Happy Hour. Our food and drinks were delicious; oysters were fresh and smooth. Service was friendly and fast. It was great vibes sitting in their outdoor dining area in a nice sunny weather. Their seats have good shades so it was very comfortable. read more

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Hyped up by cruise line. Go further from port for better experience. Service was great & food good

We had a lovely evening out with friends at Bard & Banker. We dined inside. The room is beautiful with high ceilings and lovely light fixtures. It is not your standard pub. Upscale but not stuffy. The service was very good but dishes were slow coming out of the kitchen. They were also out of a few items. Our friend was very disappointed because he wanted pizza and they were out of pizza. Our other friend wanted salmon and she was told they were out of salmon as well. Our waitress checked again and was able to find 1 order of salmon left. For drinks 3 or us shared a bottle of wine and one drank beer. We shared an order of ginger beef for an appetizer and it was very good. The entrees consisted of salmon, beef dip, carbonara and prawn pesto linguine. Our friends seemed to enjoy their entrees. My husband said that his prawn pesto linguine was very good and my carbonara was one of the best that I've had. They use seared pork belly that is nice and crispy to make the carbonara and it really enhances the taste and texture. For dessert we shared 2 plates of chocolate chip cookies. They were hot out of the oven and they were delicious. It was a great evening shared with friends over good food and good service in a lovely convivial setting. read more

Delicious fish and chips! Large portions! We really enjoyed the cole slaw as well, with a hint of dill and lemon. The ambience was beautiful with the beautiful light fixtures adding a warm glow. read more

Nice outdoor seating area, plus a classic old-school bar and tables inside. Service was very efficient, considering how busy it was. The grilled tuna club was delicious and requires multiple napkins! Definitely recommend! read more

Bard and Banker - Grilled tuna club - Pubs Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Outstanding service: our waitperson was outstanding. She gave us good recommendations, she always had a smile on her face and she was engaging. Great atmosphere, great food, good value for this outstanding restaurant and a great time! read more

Another fantastic culinary experience at Bard and Banker! Service, lunch and drinks hit the spot, for sure! Ambiance was semi-busy, super clean and hospitable. I enjoyed the clam chowder with pulled pork sliders! Hubs had the pork and beef burger with yam fries. Empress martini for him and a local IPA for me...so good! Our 3rd time here and we'll definitely return soon. Each visit we try something new and are never disappointed. Worth the walk from our hotel! read more

Always enjoy the environment here. Usually just grab a drink but decided on dinner as well this time. As a plant based eater it can be tricky to find food on pub menus but the staff was eager to help me modify a dish to meet my dietary needs. Very pleased with the meal and service! read more

Bard and Banker - Pubs Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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The Bard and Banker offers tasty food, excellent cocktails, and friendly service all in a beautiful old bank building setting. We made a reservation and were seated in a booth across from the bar. They have live music starting at 9 each evening. Note: we tend to share an entree and when we mentioned that to our server, she let us know that the kitchen could divide and plate our dinners for a small charge; something we always appreciate. read more

Our waitress Shay was friendly and welcoming We started by ordering a few glasses of wine, a double scotch, and an old fashioned The place is trending, it has a youthful clientele, we left around 9:00 pm and the place was completely full. If you want a happening place this is the one for beer, libations and bar food. read more

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Bard & Banker is an awesome pub in Victoria's Inner Harbor area and a great spot for food & drinks with a group. Located in a historic bank building, they offer a pub atmosphere that is both elegant and inviting - truly a cool space to spend some time. They offer a good variety of standards - I would call it the nicer side of pub food. We had the calamari, fried cauliflower, and pork belly poutine, which was a highlight. I had a half-rack of the ribs, which were good, if not exceptional. The crispy mashed potatoes as a side were bursting with flavor and the real highlight of the dish. Service was friendly, although a bit disorganized (entrees came out at the same time are our apps) read more

Bard and Banker - Exterior - Pubs Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

After a morning traveling by sea plan to Victoria, we were ready for a pint and some lunch. This place did not disappoint. My husband and I both had salads, which were very good. I had a sparkling rose and then beer. They had a nice beer selection and the atmosphere is very "old-school" pup. We enjoyed ourselves. read more

Beautiful interior, decent food! We visited Bard and Banker for dinner on a Sunday night and got seated right away. I loved the old-school ambiance with the beautiful chandeliers, polished wood, etc. They didn't have live music that night, but I'm sure that would've added to the charm, as well. They had a small selection of mocktails, so we both ordered the Sparkmouth Moscow Mule. I didn't realize this was a canned beverage, but our server brought out copper mugs to pour them into. Unfortunately, these just didn't taste like a mule to me at all, which was unsurprising because they didn't contain any ginger beer for some reason. For food, we ordered the Crispy Calamari to share. I really liked the dipping sauce, but the calamari itself was a bit doughier than expected. Still good though! I also got the West Coast Paella, which they were able to make without chorizo for me. It was very filling and tasty (but not mind blowing). I did appreciate the generous portion size and had plenty left over. My friend got the Steak and Guinness Pie, which he said was very good. Overall, the ambiance definitely outshined the food, but still a nice spot for dinner! read more

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Had great meals more than once. The building was an old bank and holds much of its original construction. Live music on weekends. Service was wonderful! Worth a stop for sure! read more

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Came here for a quick lunch snack. Got the Italian soda, a bowl of clam chowder, and the lobster cake. The Italian soda was very mid. Nearly flavourless, but maybe that's some people's thing. The clam chowder on the other hand was really delicious. Very chunky--lots of bits inside, and very thick. It came with butter and two large pieces of bread that were surely bread. No complaints. The lobster cake was good in flavour but even my soft mouth hated the mush texture. It was falling apart on the plate as I broke into it. The salad on the side didn't quite fit either in my opinion. Service was great. The patrons are quite rambunctious and it was really loud inside (there was a soccer game going on). read more

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Great place to come to for a good time. Much better than the place we had dinner at. Wish we would have just come here instead. It was busy! Great sign. We got a seat at the bar and were promptly greeted and orders taken. I was looking for a Canadian beer as a tourist and I got one. Thank god. Molsan Canadian. I grew up drinking it so I had to order two. Plus I found some Canadian whiskeys which I happily slurped back a couple doubles since I wasn't driving. I wasn't hungry but i figured I'd eat something because that's what you do as a tourist on vacation. You eat and drink everything you can stuff into your face! I settled on calamari. Oh wow! They nailed it! The cook on it was perfect. The seasoning was better than perfect. Oh god it was good. I wasn't even hungry and I killed that plate! I couldn't stop eating lol The tomato's on the plate I sort of understood, acid to cut the heavy fried meat with, but I didn't eat. Regardless it was great and a great experience. If I do make it back this way I'll definitely stop in to eat again. The liquor flights also looked pretty epic. Missed those at first and regretted it lol thanks guys. read more

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Stopped by for the long weekend and yes there was live music here. We got here at 10:15 pm and though the place closes at 1am their kitchen apparently shuts down at 10pm (bummer) so we went to grab a bite else and then got here to enjoy some live music and drinks! The live music was too loud to be honest for our liking almost deafening if you are seated in the front tables. We moved to a booth at the back of the restaurant. The service was terrible and there was nobody coming to take our orders. Finally we walked and placed our orfer for a canadian whisky flight. The flight was okay. Overall it is a nice place to hang out with loud live music but dont expect to have any convos with your folks. One of the very few places open till 1am in Victoria. read more

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Great food and local music fantastic. They have nonalcoholic beer on top. Great prices. Bellini Tower is amazing.

I love reading and hearing the phrase "Buy 1 Get 1 Free"...I love it, LOVE IT! Monday was my 3rd and final day in beautiful Victoria, at this point I had blown lots and lots of money on food and fun. By the grace of Gawd, the Bard and Banker has an incredible Monday Special...Buy 1 Get 1 Free on their large Fish & Chips meal, fantastic! It seemed so too good to be true, so I even messaged them on facebook just to make sure. $26 CAD for large Fish & Chip plate...lovely! Two large hot crispy chunk of cod perfectly breaded with that pleasant crunch on each bite. The tarter sauce paired perfectly, as well as the generous mound of chips, and just the right amount of coleslaw. Best of all, my wife's plate was free! $9 CAD for large imperial pint of draft beer, fabulous! The interior was is grand, gorgeous and elegant, but its still a friendly relaxed pub atmosphere, so no snobbery or pretentiousness. The host and waitress were both friendly. $35 CAD, or $26 in USD, made this the cheapest meal we had on our holiday, thank you Bard and Banker! read more

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Loved the place to spend a relaxing time, the wedding crashers were playing the cocktails were amazing the food was good. read more

Bard and Banker - Pubs Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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This place is wonderful, all the staff was great, friendly and helpful the music was lit and the food was perfect every time, I will definitely be back here again. read more

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Great friendly service and good food. The lunch special pricing was especially worth it. Had fish & chips but with a side salad, soup of the day (seafood chowder), and partner had the burger with fries. It was all good except the fries were super salty. Would have been a 5 otherwise. Nice place inside. read more

Burger and fries were good, not awesome. Fries were crunchier than they looked on Yelp so those were great, but burger was just okay. Also had really NOT good clam chowder but really awesome focaccia bread, so that was a wash. Waitress was okay, not great or bad. I wouldn't go out of my way to go back here, but if I was in the neighborhood I would return for the fries and bread. read more

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The group had a farewell party here before everyone left Victoria. The location is a beautiful place with lots of fancy lighting and polished wood, making it look like an old bank or library, and the pricing is as "fancy" as the decor. It's a nice place for a special occasion, but out of our budget for a regular night out! My Bangers and Mash were tasty with a Somersby cider, while Hubby enjoyed The Bard Burger with Smoked Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese, and a small salad. read more

Bard and Banker - Bangers & Mash (on a Sunday!) - Pubs Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Very nice older building, lots of character, two levels for dinning and private rooms for events, service was exceptional, food was very good, had the braised pork belly routine which was very good, clam chowder was thick, rich and buttery. Prawn pesto linguine was very good as well. Adult beverage selection is very extensive. Highly recommend when you are in downtown Victoria. read more

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We were happy we got the chance to try this place after walking past it a few times throughout our weekend trip. We especially wanted to try it since we noticed it tended to be full at all hours of the day and night due to its historical importance. It seems to be a hot spot on the weekend on Friday and Saturday nights, while during the day, most folks spend about an hour max eating and drinking, so it's definitely a one-stop shop that reminded us of a diner/night lounge more than a typical restaurant vibe. The food gave upper-echelon diner vibes, while the drinks/cocktails/mimosa towers/whiskey flights, etc...reminds you more of a bar/lounge. It's hard to put this place in a regular restaurant category, so you have to come here to understand the kind of place. I wish we had come for dinner and will do so on our next trip back to Victoria. Also, I heard there's a ghost about. Wonder if it's true :) read more

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Had to find a quick meal before leaving Victoria and since this place was on the walk back to Chinatown from The Empress Hotel I decided to try out their happy hour. Off the happy hour menu I went with the Poutine, Honey Garlic Wings and Mac & Cheese Arancini (turned out to be Lobster Risotto Balls due to a typo on menu). The food in general was just ok, maybe a little uninspired. The best thing was the honey garlic wings which the larger portion size was a good surprise. The poutine I'm pretty sure was overly salted and that's coming from someone who usually tolerates a higher salt level. They brought out the Lobster Risotto Balls and mentioned that the Mac & Cheese Arancini stated on the menu was some type of typo. In hindsight, they should have probably let this be known when I was putting in my order. They were fried nicely and had that subtle lobster flavor, but I really wanted those Mac & Cheese Arancini. I went with the Driftwood IPA since I had one earlier in the day and it's a local beer. A very hoppy local beer just FYI. I think the best part about the place is the aesthetic. It's a very warm, classic/classy vibe with lots of wood and leather booths. It's a sizeable place that is widely spread about two stories. I could see coming here just for a quick drink when I'm back in the area. Service was alright for what it was. It's very easy to spot since it's a larger restaurant so you'll be able to find it. It appears they run daily specials and have live music so the nights might be more busy, but it was pretty slow when I was there for happy hour on a random Thursday. Cheers! read more

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