We sat outside. It had a beautiful patio. It was very relaxing. I ordered their brussels sprouts and they were absolutely delicious. The seafood chowder was very good and so was the hamburger. Fair price and good food I would definitely come back. read more

An expensive chowder contained a few token pits of seafood, hard to find in a runny, flavourless stock. The soup came with tough, dry, focaccia (it was supposed to come with garlic toast. Focaccia would have been fine had it been fresh.) The server was pleasant, the problem is the kitchen. read more

Fantastic food, amazing drinks Super friendly staff and service Amazing view of the ocean read more

Bridgemans Bistro - Bridgemans Bistro - Wine Bars Near Me - Mill Bay, British Columbia

See all

The view here is amazing !! Had the clam chowder and it was excellent !! The young lady that looked after us was very friendly !! read more

We were staying at the marina so we went several times in 3 days. All of our meals were excellent and the service was great. We had lunch, dinner and brunch on Sunday. read more

Everything was perfect (granted we visited during excellent weather). The staff were friendly and attentive, the seafood Alfredo bake was decadent, filling and almost knocked me out on my drive back to Victoria. Highly recommend. read more

Originally I have this place a 4/5. But over the past year the quality has gotten so significantly degraded with high prices that I've lost the point in going there. The ambiance is good, with water side views. The staff are solid for the most part, but the management is so poor that it's a joke. Food not being delivered, mediocre food, lack of staff. Not going again. read more

We were at the beach and went in for a drink, Sunday about 4:30, not many people in. Should have been easy. We were "greeted" and seated brusquely. Finally had to wave at a server to try to place our drink order, "oh yes this is my section". Service went downhill after that! Believe it or not! She was a strutting rude brunette. I hope my sister didn't tip but she probably did This place never feels welcoming. read more

The setting for this establishment is too good for the chaos within. Staff appeared to not work dedicated stations - it was like watching an ant colony. Lots of scuttling about - but nothing being achieved. We gave our meal order at same time that we ordered 2 beer. Beer came fairly quick - had no contact with staff for over 45 minutes (still no food) We watched the table behind us receive in excess of 8 check-ins by their server - we had ZERO. We attempted contact twice (2 separate staff members) - both ignored us (or were just so frazzled, they couldn't process our attempts). Needless to say - we tossed down $20 for happy hour beers (2 @ $6) ... the excess $$ was only due to the fact we were too ticked off to wait for change. (Believe me - they did not deserve any suggestion of a "tip". ) As we were leaving, I stated to the closest server, that we left $$ on table and that we were not staying any longer. (We could have left without saying anything - but as it was cash on table, we wanted to ensure it was retrieved). What could have been a lovely end, to a wonderful day of exploring Victoria area and sailing on the BB / Mill Bay ferry - it finished on a sour note. (And hunger pains ) What this place needs is NEW MANAGEMENT. With proper leadership - there would be some semblance of organisation and higher levels of customer service. We won't be back and will let our friends know of our poor experience. read more

We go to Bridgemans Bistro regularly & enjoyed the food service & atmosphere each time. Actually my favourite restaurant. The food is delicious, the drinks good, the view fantastic! All in all a very positive experience. Looking forward to our next visit. Thank you, Bridgemans read more

Very average food but overpriced. Management was inexperienced and staff poorlyntrained

We stopped here for lunch and had a wonderful experience. The service was friendly and accommodating, and the food was delicious! On top of that, we got an excellent view - we enjoyed seeing a seal swim around nearby. The chicken wings (lemon pepper and honey ginger) were cooked to perfection and seasoned well. Our steak salad was beautifully presented and absolutely scrumptious, and the poutine - well, that was our little bowl of heaven. Definitely stop by if you're in the area. read more

See all

True rating: 3.5 stars. A lovely place for a drink as the view and service are both good! But unless you're in dire need, I just wouldn't bother with the food, as its a bit hit and miss. For example: The veggie benny had yummy hash browns, good hollandaise, and beautifully poached eggs, but also included weirdly sweet cornbread that didn't mesh with the other flavours at all and also avocado pureed into baby food consistency which is just gross to me. To be fair, I later realized the menu actually said 'avocado puree' so I should have noticed that... but also WHY IS THIS A THING?? Ugh. I also tried some of a fellow diner's fries and veggie burger (again, made with cornmeal - seems to be a theme here) and although the fries were totally fine, the burger patty was all gummy and lacked seasoning. I noticed another review highlighting the veggie burger, and I honestly do not understand this. It was one of the worst rather than one of the best homemade veggie patties I've had. The non-vegetarians at our table also seemed kind of underwhelmed by their food (both had seafood dishes). Neither had specific complaints, but neither had anything good to say either, so I think the food is just kind of meh across the board. read more

Restaurants should take more Covid-19 precautions. Docking a star because of this. The entrance area was mostly occupied by a family group (with young and old and in between) who did not wear masks. We were then offered a table right by the entrance where this group was waiting. We declined and we did get another table at the back. The amount of mussels and clams were very generous, though the sauce was lacking in curry flavour. Chowder not recommended - it tasted like a cheap version of tinned mushroom soup with a few meagre bits of seafood. read more

Delicious food, great views, great drinks. The food was really good and I would have given 5 stars if the menu had included a bit more fresh and not fried seafood. read more

Bridgemans Bistro - Wine Bars Near Me - Mill Bay, British Columbia

This is a fairly new addition to the Mill Bay BC area. It is part of a new wharf and marina. With so many people now living in this southern Vancouver Isl area, a local watering hole and restaurant was much needed. The menu is mostly seafood however, I had the best veggie burger I've ever had (and I've had a few). The service was prompt even with a very full Saturday evening cafe. read more

It's worth it for the view an app and a drink!! The waitresses are great! We have been here about 5/6 times in the last year, both for brunch lunch and dinner. We have tried everything from the Eggs Benny, Burgers, Ribs, salads and the Bowls. The food is "just ok" kind of hit and miss. I think they might have had a chef change or something, or might need a chef? Curious about that... For such a lovely location it would be awesome to see a menu update or change in the quality of dishes! Totally recommend read more

Beautiful spot for tasty drinks and delicious food. Highly recommend the clam chowder. Make sure you sit on the patio and enjoy the peaceful water views We did have to wait about half an hour, went for a beer elsewhere and came back. Well worth the wait! read more

Bridgemans Bistro - Clam chowder, highly recommended! - Wine Bars Near Me - Mill Bay, British Columbia

See all

Okay...lets look at he pros and cons: Pros: Great location New modern setting Waterside dining Tasty dishes Correct price point Good wine list Cons: Poorly trained helper staff to the waiters The helpers don't listen to the patrons No follow through on requests from the table Poor management decisions ( I will explain later) Not certain if its a sports bar, restaurant or hybrid Limited menu So we were exploring Mill Bay and were told we should try Bridgemans Bistro. Very cool location on the water with outside dining. They have an interesting and somewhat limited menu which goes back and forth from a pub menu to a restaurant menu. Regardless, the food was very tasty. I had the braised beef sandwich with salad and my wife had the black bean burger and salad. Both nicely prepared. As for the rest of the review, we will focus on the service. Our wait person, Jorga, was one of two people working the floor. This evening, they were doing a video shoot and pulling her in to work the shoot table. Unfortunately, that left the rest of her tables to the whim of the helpers. No follow through on simple requests such as, BBQ sauce, would you like more water? , can you turn the heaters on? When they were asked questions, they would agree without really listening and never follow through. Even though Jorga gave them direction, they could not follow simple direction. The meal was off from a timing perspective. Lastly, management should have timed there promotional video shoot BEFORE patrons where dining with stand in from the staff lest people would not be ignored and inconvenienced. This is simply a sign of inexperienced management. The food and wine saved the evening but I cannot say we will return. read more

Had a bit of a roadtrip to Mill Bay to watch a friend's concert, and then we headed here for dinner. It was relatively easy to find; head towards the Mill Bay Ferry and drive until you literally hit water. Bridgeman's is built out on the end of a pier, with fantastic views all around. There appears to be a casual sort of pub dining area, and a larger more formal dining room area, that is separated from the pub area by large glass garage-style doors. It looks like on a nice day you can also open up those doors onto the water and let the sea air in with the stunning scenery. The menu looked really great - lots of good pasta options (which seems to be more and more unusual these days) as well as burgers, salads, appies and entrees. I actually had a hard time deciding, but went with the Quinoa Burger - which is actually one of the best I've had lately! It arrived on a very soft white brioche bun, stuffed with veggies and a generous helping of goat cheese. Yes please! My friends had the gnocchi in a pesto cream sauce (super yum, I had to steal some), which was a huge portion, and the cod and chips, which were very lightly battered and came with this awesome dill pickle aoili. Another fun note: it was Easter weekend and the drink special was a Cadbury Creme Egg martini: vanilla vodka, house-made chocolate syrup with Kahlua, and (get this) a crushed mini-egg rim. It looked positively decadent, and my friend really enjoyed it (NO idea why I didn't order it). This is Island Life, people, so this places closes early (9 pm), but if you're in the area it's definitely worth a visit. read more

Bridgemans Bistro - Sunset at the Bistro. - Wine Bars Near Me - Mill Bay, British Columbia

I came across this place after Brentwood regatta. The grill in the mall was closed. I quickly yelped the next closest place and talked to the managers. He said they had a table of 40 coming but come on by anyways. I sat at the bar, had some wings and a beer. He then told me about the gnocchi. I Iove gnocchi. I asked if it was made in house. He said no. I was thinking in my head, yeah probably frozen or from a food supplier. He says it's made from an artisan farm a few km's say. Needless to say yum! Best gnocchi this side of San Francisco. Recommend. read more

Bridgemans Bistro - Gnocchi. Made locally. - Wine Bars Near Me - Mill Bay, British Columbia

Pretty good food, high priced like everywhere these days, ambience a bit lacking. Service ok. I enjoyed my Thai dinner.

Very good service but food lacked flavour and personality. I've had better at Olive Garden! You would think seafood chowder would be outstanding from this place, it was plain, simple and lacked depth with my uninspired Caesar salad. My wife ordered fish tacos and again we were disappointed. The guacamole was old, jarred pineapple salsa and cold tortillas doesn't cut it.I am afraid I will not return. read more

Less is more? I had the Bridgeman's Chowder at the Bridgemans Bistro. It was more of a broth in that it was rather thin and severly lacking in "chowder." Very little fish, clams, etc. The taste was also bland to me. I've been getting chowder as I drove up the west coast from California to Parksville, BC. This was twice as expensive, which I can accept for the view, but I can't stomach the lack of quality. Third star is for the view. read more

First off, the view is gorgeous! What a great location. The food was delicious and well priced. The service was terrible!!! It took 15 minutes for someone to take our order and when we were done and wanted the bill that took even longer. The server came over after we had been waiting for 15 minutes and acknowledged that she forgot our bill and would bring it, and yet she still didn't bring it. After 8 more minutes we just got up to pay at the front. We ran into her on our way to the till and she still hadn't even printed it out yet. It wasn't even busy and there were lots of servers/bussers. If I'm in the area I will go back and hopefully the service will be better. read more

Bridgemans Bistro - Club house with fries and a fried pickle. - Wine Bars Near Me - Mill Bay, British Columbia

The Black & Blue Steak Salad was very tasty, however the Meat Loaf "Club" wasn't amazing (though not bad - just expected more wow). The girls had the burger and the pasta. Both said they were amazing! This is from picky eaters! read more

See all

Had the worst experience ever. Ordered pizza that was raw. Asked for a new one or refund. Server said yes but racist manager said no. Really disappointed as never seen such blatant racial bias as next table had the same experience and got refu d and yes they were much paler. Avoid the manager not the business as the rest of staff and food is good. read more

Unbeatable view, good pub food and some seafood options, reasonable prices. Can be crowded and a bit slow at peak times, especially on sunny days. read more

Amazing views with excellent, enthusiastic servers! I ordered the steak and mushroom panini with the house salad which was very tasty. I loved how the panini was thinner crust which I'd never seen for a panini elsewhere on the island before. This gave the meal a really nice crunch. The steak, mushrooms, cheese, and sauce were great and the combination was absolutely delicious. As for the salad, it was amazing. The dressing was light but flavourful (oven roasted tomato dressing), and the mixture of lettuce, beets, daikon, tomatoes, onions, and sunflower seeds made for the best, most filling house salad I've had the pleasure of trying. read more

Bridgemans Bistro - Steak and mushroom panini with a House Salad - Wine Bars Near Me - Mill Bay, British Columbia

Fantastic food and service. We had a wide variety of food and drink: avocado fries, clam chowder, salmon & tuna burger (with deep fried pickle), Hard Hat beer flight, spiked lemonade, and deep fried ice cream / St. Remy's for dessert. And the harbor view is wonderful. Prices aren't bad either. read more

Had breakfast here this morning and it's a quaint little spot located on the marina with the most beautiful view. This place had really great breakfast, I had the Good Morning which was a grilled cinnamon bun with a side of fruit salad and my boyfriend had the Bridgeman's Benny which was 2 poached eggs , with Prosciutto on English Muffin and a side of fruit. Both meals were excellent. The only downside was the service , the server took a while to come take our order even though when we arrived the restaurant was just us and 3 other couples, the food took forever to come to the table and the server took a long time to bring us our bill after eating. Although this wasn't the best experience, the food and the view alone gave this place the 4 star rating. I will definitely come back if we come to visit & hope the next time things will work out better. read more

Bridgemans Bistro - Wine Bars Near Me - Mill Bay, British Columbia

Been 3 times, I would only go here again because it's one of the few marine pubs around. Great room/view, nice touch to offer blankets, wonderful to have locally sourced food. Too pricey for the inefficient and exceptionally slow service and disappointing food. Be prepared to wait a long time. It looks nice but it's just not well executed. Really uncomfortable chairs in the outdoor space. We all remarked on the grossly sticky floor, not wanting to put our bags down. Most of us had the pulled pork sandwich, very tasty but that was because of the sauce and trimmings, which pretty much made up all of the sandwich. Very light on the pulled pork - hard and dry (except for all the sauce). I am in fact at our office cafeteria, which prompted me to write this as I have twice as much pork here for only $11. French fries were of local potatoes, don't know if that's why they were so short, dark brown, hard and overloaded with salt. You're paying for the privilege of being on the water. read more

Few positive points first: I thought the food, wine selection, prices and waitress were great. My problem is with and older lady manger. We came to the restaurant with a support animal. Before asking to get a table, we asked the staff if it would be ok if she was on the patio. They were kind enough to sit us there with the dog, and even put up the shade and opened one of the glass doors. There were no issues, the dog slept mostly on the outside of the table. At some point I had to take a call outside for work. I was on my call and this manager came by and yelled at me for having the dog on the patio (though she was mostly out on the pier). I wasn't really in a position to argue with her (even though we had asked staff for permission to have her there in the first place) and tied the dog up out on the pier while I took my call. I came back and tried to get my items and pay, and she basically closed the glass door in my face saying I can't use this as an entrance. Mind you, the door had been opened for us by other staff, we hadn't opened it ourselves. I went in the other door and paid, and left a good tip for the waitress, who was lovely. When I got out, my boyfriend told me that the manager had kicked us out and that she had spoken to me three times about not using the glass door. In fact, she had once kicked my support animal off the patio, which I moved immediately and without complaint. I recognize that animals present issues for restaurants, and sought permission from the staff in advance. If the manager had issues with the setup, I would have happily made sure we could accommodate. Instead, she was rude, condescending and then lied to my boyfriend about the interaction we had. read more

What a difference a year makes. Last summer 2014 I had lunch here twice. Food was excellent, price point for the view acceptable, the place was packed on weekdays both times.. all in all a great experience that I was happy to share with others. This year took a very BAD turn for the worse. My friend and I came in on his boat for lunch on Apr 29th and the place was empty save for two other tables. After opening the menu and glancing at the doubling of the prices in a year we almost left but stayed recalling how good the food was to justify these crazy high prices. $17 for a pretty plain burger and fries which was overcooked and dry.. WHAT.. $17 for this??? Times the 2 of us.. add in a coffee for $2.50 you end up with tax at $38,33. Give credit to the young lady serving us or there would have been be no tip at all.. so we added 20% for tip at $7.67 and ended up with $46 even for two very bad burgers. Seriously? I can see now why the Bistro was empty. If you want to experience this place you better hurry because at these prices and basic boring food it won't be with us long. To bad too.. because it went from 5 stars to a one star in a year.. next it will go out of business. All well let's just call it an expensive view for landlubbers and move on. Or better still pick up a Subway sammich at the Mill Bay mall a few blocks away, come down and sit on the docks and benches for free.. read more

This is an amazing restaurant in an incredible setting! It's literally on the water in beautiful Mill Bay, British Columbia. Our San Juan Island Yacht Club started its July Cruise at the co-owned marina. The restaurant did a Docktail Party for us as well as a full breakfast and dinner. It's really hard to excel feeding 70 people but the outstanding staff pulled it off effortlessly. The food is simply, using just one word, AWESOME! For those of you arriving by land yacht the restaurant is just down the hill from the Trans Canada Highway. Don't miss this enchanting place. read more

Bridgemans Bistro - Bridgemans Bistro and marina - Wine Bars Near Me - Mill Bay, British Columbia

Terrible service. We walked in for a quick beer on our way back to Victoria and we were refused at the door saying "they need to catch up from the morning" even though there were empty tables everywhere. We even told them we do not want food but only 2 beers and they still would not seat us. A family walked in right after us without a reservation and got seated right away. We were in sun dresses just wanting a simple patio drink and felt very attacked. Would never recommend this restaurant after this experience. read more

First let me say, the waitress was great. no complaints there... The food was disappointing. I ordered the seafood chowder with Caesar salad. The soup was milky with very little seafood flavor with 1 small clam and 1 small mussel. The Caesar was overdressed with what tasted like bottled dressing. My husband ordered the fish tacos....they were very small with deep fried cod and mystery sauce....underwhelming...and for the price not cheap... The restaurant itself is lovely waterfront with uncomfortable chairs and plastic tablecloths....hire a new chef and maybe you'd have a winner....for now go to Duncan.... read more

Beautiful location, our waitress was terrific, but our food was disappointing. The 'seafood' chowder tasted strongly of flour, and the only seafood I could see or taste were two clams and one mussel placed on the top. A few bits of mushy potato and an unidentifiable herb throughout (which had no flavor) meant this chowder was bland and tasteless. Another patron a few tables over also complained, and was told you couldn't see the seafood (like salmon and shrimp) because it had all been pureed into the soup.... no evidence of that at all. The fish tacos were ok, but had so much soggy lettuce that the tortilla couldn't hold together and fell apart as you ate. We will probably give this place one more chance as every kitchen has an off day, but sure hope that the food improves. read more

We met for lunch on the enclosed patio. It was a cool May Day but the glassed in patio with heaters made it really comfortable. Our service was excellent and we enjoyed the appy sized fish tacos which were really tasty with nice fresh product. The outlook is beautiful and I would definitely come again read more

My wife and I had lunch at Bidgemans Bistro in Mill Bay, BC at about 2 PM on May 7, 2019. Here is my synopsis: (ratings out of 5) Location: (5/5) Very attractive waterfront location with beautiful views. Arrival: (2/5) When we arrived, it took some time before a waiter was available to take us to a table. As the table was most uncomfortable in direct sunlight due to the glass ceiling, we picked up our menus and chose a different table that was in the shade. Service: (4/5) Waitress was friendly and attentive despite nearly all tables being occupied. Menu: (3/5) Good variety of food although some food items appear to be priced about 50% higher than other restaurants. Food Presentation: (5/5) Very attractive Value for Money 1: (2/5) Steak Sandwich was much smaller than expected and was priced too high. Value for Money 2: (4/5) Meatloaf Sandwich was almost perfect and not too spicy. Its price was very reasonable. Live Music: There was no live music or entertainment when we there. However, others have informed me that on some evenings when there is live entertainment, the music was very good. Overall Summary: (3/5) Recommended for the scenery and the food provided your expectations on volume and pricing of food are not too high. read more