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

Great food great view. I reccomend the house red wine. I really like mill bay alot...eat here its grest

Had lunch here during a regatta. The food was good. Fish and chips were excellent. It is a wonderful setting for a restaurant. Staff weren't attentive. read more

My hubby and I went here for a late lunch. I had the black and blue salad lunch special. My salad literally had rotten and browned lettuce and it was as though the kitchen cooks didnt want to break lettuce off the stalk clumps because I had that too. The blackened steak was very tough and served well-done. Hubby had the short-rib sandwich. It was very small for the price. Again, only mediocre in flavour. The restaurant was not full by any means, about 5 tables, so service could have been better. Waited 15 minutes for my juice request until it showed up. Was not offered fresh pepper for my salad or dessert after we were done. On a good note, you can't beat the location. I just wish the food was as good as the view, sadly it wasn't. Overpriced for what we got. read more

We have been to the restaurant many times a really enjoyed the food and view.. lucky the view still there but the food has changed! It's just pub style food now. We arrived to the restaurant at 5:30 the very bored hostess told us our table was reserved for 7 .. our food came at 6:30... I ordered the chow mein.. just don't order it.. it wasn't hot.. greasy.. shrimp was very fishy tasting!! I would have sent it back but I had very little time to eat... My husband ordered fish and chips.. very small amount and the fries were just little pieces! Won't be going back., which is sad because no good restaurant in Mill Bay anymore.. 2 stars because of the view!!! read more

This has a gorgeous view, especially with the sun just beginning to set, you can get a pink sky in front of the mountain. Our allergies sent the kitchen into a bit of a tizzy, but we ended up doing just fine. The fusion bowl is highly recommended (by those without an egg allergy!). The menu pricing is reasonable, four entrees and a bottle of wine + 1 mixed drink cost approximately $120. The salmon was really quite good, and there is a draw on at the moment for festival tickets, if you purchase seafood from the menu. read more

The setting on the water is lovely and the room architecture is in harmony with the water setting. The service is crisp and everything we ate was tasty. read more

Servers aren't wearing masks during COVID, they aren't taking this seriously. Decided not to go there, and went somewhere else. Their website says they are practicing safe distancing, but that does not work with serving activities. read more

Love the view, the service and the food. Everything from seafood to giant nachos. My nephew loves to go there as you can see by his smile in front of the plate of nachos! read more

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

We ate here for dinner on a Sunday. It was pretty busy but the service was great. I had the linguine prawn and chicken special and my dining partner had the paella. Both were very good, the meals arrived quickly and were piping hot. We will return to try something else when we are back in Mill Bay. read more

I discovered this gem, right out on the waterfront, adjacent to the new marina in Mill Bay, totally by accident...a lovely surprise. They had not been open long, and I could see that to be there in the spring/summer/early fall, and to sit out on that spacious deck, would be a true delight. Loved that the kitchen was visible, everything was open and yet somehow private...dining for two would be just fine...food was good, the service excellent...worth driving up from Victoria on a sunny day. I will return. read more

Food allergies DON'T eat here! Would like to first say we enjoy eating here. Food is good, view is great and the service is ok. But after our visit on Sunday for lunch we will never be eating here again. I have a serious allergy to mushrooms. I ordered a dish that I already know does not contain mushrooms. Which is the clam & mussels in a tomato broth. When it came it was to hot to eat. So I started to remove the shells. Well removing the shells I found a quarter of a large mushroom. I called a server over and told them I have a serious mushroom allergy that if I ate that I would be in the hospital. He apologized and said it was made to order and should not contain mushrooms. So how this is a favourite dish of mine I ordered another. My boyfriend even got up to double check there would be no cross contamination. He confirmed no it is made to order. So now that the others at the table have finish and ordering there dessert my second meal finally showed up. Once again I remove the shells before I start eating it. So about a quarter of the way there I find ANOTHER mushroom. I thought this was made to order. I now have to go an force myself to vomit in there bathroom. Thank god I did not swallow anything to do with the mushroom and just felt sick for the rest of the day. Well I was in the washroom my boyfriend called the server over again and he said he doesn't know what to say but all 4 meals where on the house and that he was sorry. We would have been happy to pay for the meals if he had anything better to say then that. The next day my boyfriend emailed the manager to let them know why would not be returning and that they should have a system in place for people who have serious food allergies. 3 days later and still no word back from the manager. Terrible customer service! read more

Stopped by for dinner after visiting our daughter. Dinner and appetizers were very good. Calamari was excellent. Stunning view. Great staff. read more

Very welcoming place with nice staff. View is great. Had a Thai noodle bowl that was tasty a little too much sauce but great. Husband had tacos that were very tasty. May get busy during high season. Worth eating at! read more

The owner of this establishment should be made aware how rude his manager treats customers. The manager is single handedly losing them business. He turns a good situation into a poor experience. With a room half full he took a table of people who were seated in patio area and made them move inside while the patio never did fill up. He refused to listen to his customers but instead enjoyed arguing with them. The mgr is bad for business. read more

My first time to dine here- beautiful afternoon pre sunset and we requested a patio table. overall this was disappointing experience. 1. the chairs on the patio area are quite uncomfortable metal chairs 2. server took us to the table with only 1 menu. odd. she went to find another. 3. slow to take drink orders and unfortunately slow is a theme here. 4. i requested a side of deep fried pickle as an appetizer after we had ordered calamari it never arrived until after the main courses. 5. though a few tables were open we were given one that within 20 minutes with the sun long in the sky was absolutely blinding such that we had to turn the chair to the side of the table. they need blinds or more artful seating arrangements. 6. partners chicken carbonera had no pancetta 7. my sundried tomato pesto gnocchi was supposed to have caramelized onions. it had firm purple onions and leeks- just odd. Why 2 types of allum? leeks do not belong in the dish. no basil or sundried tomato that i could discern at all and seemed more to be a bland beurre sauce with purple onions. 8. i had to request pepper- please offer it if it is not on the table. this food needs all the help it can get 9. please also offer more beverages. 10 mains took over 45 minutes. 11. deep fried pickles appy arrived after the mains and were heavily breaded. not to my preference and had no dipping sauce. 12 we mentioned the lack of pancetta and cancelled the pickles as they never arrived. but then they were ready. 13. pickles & crap-onera i mean carbonera were taken off bill. 14. when i got home i had stomach cramps. sigh. Bridgemans is a fine place for a view and a beverage- if you have time. I would like to see more vegetarian and a vegan option. I would stick to the most very basic of fare here (maybe a salad?) and expect to wait. if it closed and reopened as a Milestones it would be doing us all a favour. read more

Wonderful Eggs Benny last weekend, good service, great atmosphere. Was here for a 12-13 person get together last year was also great, they can handle lots of people no problem. This is a real gem for the location (a bit rural) probably one of the best eateries in the area. read more

This location is incredible. Food was good, but nothing to write home about. Everything was priced accordingly. I would agree with other reviews that the service was a bit slow. I couldn't tell if this was intentional or perhaps I was just being impatient? In any case, I'd go back- the location/view is worth it! read more

We live in the Cowichan Valley and love dining at Bridgeman's Bistro. Recently, they have changed up the menu and the amazing calamari is not so amazing anymore! As well, the Salmon burger recipe has been altered and certainly not as good as it used to be. We feel the overall quality of food had decreased. read more

What a disappointing lunch. A bowl of mostly large pieces of lettuce with a few strings of beet and onion, a small smattering of cheese and two shrimp for $20.00 when you include the tax. Yesterday I bought an organic lettuce for $1.99. Profit is important, but so is fair value to the customer. Management could use some help. Seated next to a table of about a dozen senior citizens (don't think there were any customers under 70), the noise level was high and once these customers had gone, staff scurried over and started moving the noisy aluminum furniture around. Consideration could have been given to waiting, there were empty tables available and at 2:30, there was no lineup. One star is only because it's a pretty setting provided you have a seat facing the water. read more

Amazing oyster taco and the chowder was impressive as well. Beautiful restaurant located on the Mill Bay Marina. Keep it a secret though... Don't tell anyone. read more

What a fantastic day to enjoy a noodle bowl at Bridgeman's Bistro on the water here in Mill Bay. A very enjoyable dish that is reasonably priced. Just relaxing in the sun; waiting for my wife to finish the work day. This is a great place for any occasion. The staff are young and the atmosphere is lively. The bistro has been built over the water and sports floor to ceiling windows. What an amazing view! read more

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Great view of MIll Bay and a great ambiance. However, the service and food was mediocre.

We had a great late lunch here today with our daughter and young boys. Service and food were excellent and will definitely return over the summer. read more

The bistro's location is unbeatable, and it's a great layout. The wine list used to be awesome until it was simplified, but the drinks are still great. The food is medicore -- definitely going for a drink & nachos is the best bet, though we keep coming back because it's a lovely and close place to visit. read more

Shame they are not making this work. Great location, awesome view. I'm local and have given the marina our standard 3 tries. I took my two children here jan 25 2016 in the hopes of finding a good meal. No need for a reservation as there were 5-7 empty tables. The 45 min food wait was blamed on the kitchen being overwhelmed. I took the special which unfortunately was a gummy plate of pasta with some chicken chunks. The waitress asked me if I wanted it packed to go! She did a good job and the kids meals were OK, but overpriced. I expressed my concern about my dinner and I saw my waitress explain it to the manager. As I waited at the door for my kids I was disapointed the manager stared me down verus coming over to discuss my meal or ask for clarity. For the $97 spent on 3 meals plus 15% plus (1drink), next time i will make the trip into Duncan or Langford were the businesses there need to be accountable to their customers because of competition. Kevin N read more

Being local I've been to Bridgeman's at least a couple of dozen times in the past several years. The setting is still the finest in the area and the service is now consistently good. The food, however, remains mediocre. Having sampled a significant portion of the menu I've only found the wings worthy of a second chance. Most of their offerings taste ok, but none are memorable and there are a couple you'll want to forget. Anything labelled /steak/ should be avoided. The pasta portions are small, poorly presented and inconsistent; two of the guests at our table ordered the same fettuccine and received dramatically different sized servings. My experience has been you simply don't get what you pay for at Bridgeman's. Given their pricing structure, one has a right to expect quality ingredients, proper portions and attractive plating. I have shared my concerns with management as have many others (Yelp), but with the exception of service little has changed for the better since the restaurant opened. Mill Bay has few other restaurants and so I'm left to wonder if we're are being treated as a captive audience. If so it's a shame because Bridgeman's should be enjoying a much larger audience. Ownership need only shave a couple points off their margin and invest it in the food and they'll have a destination restaurant worthy of their beautiful setting. read more

Service friendly, food very good and prices competitive. I'll be a repeat customer!

Interesting place. Beautiful view if you have the right seats. The food is good, but not at the level it should be for a restaurant marketing itself as upscale. The most fascinating thing is the attention to customers. We were there with a small group (3) and nearing the end of our meal. As we contemplated having dessert and an after dinner drink we were handed out bill along with the explanation a group of (8) were coming in and wanted a view, so we would have to make room for them. I asked why we weren't told a reservation was made for our table when we first sat down; the answer was "they don't have a reservation, but there is eight (8) of them". We paid out bill and dutifully left, but without dessert so I can not comment on that part of their menu. Again the food was good, but apparently it is best to come on larger, less intimate, numbers. read more

Great spot on the bay, especially if you can get a window table. Good place to grab a beer or glass of wine to enjoy the view, good variety on the wine and beer list. read more

Been here a few times. Food is trash. Grumpy staff. Not enough seating. Boiling hot. Half decent view. Washrooms are strange. Parking lot is Garbage. A seal gave me a bad look so he's trash, as well as the food. Not sure if I mentioned that. I did. Place also smells like hot piss in a tube sock. read more

Beautiful view, service good and friendly but food was pitiful, plain and overpriced, even the coffee wasn't worth it. Crab cakes almost inedible with no spicing and no taste. Smoked salmon Bennie with only a faint hint of salmon and tiniest eggs possible. read more

Enjoyed an lovely luncheon - sat out on the patio overlooking the marina.The staff were courteous and knowledgeable. Food presentation was very good and tasted excellent. Very enjoyable and have already recommended to friends. read more

Will not go back again!! It had nothing to do with the food. I tried to get a table for two in the early afternoon on a weekday. There were seven open tables for four on the patio the were unoccupied. We were informed they could not seat is in case there was a rush of people, yes on a Wednesday at 130pm! There was also about ten open tables inside. Needless to say I was offended that my value as a patron could only be satisfied if I sat inside! Well I think there are a great many other establishments who will gladly give me a good seating arrangement for my money! read more

Location, location, location! Beautiful spot on the water but unfortunately the night we went the cook must have gone home early. The fish was fried way beyond crisp and the chips hardly fried at all. My husband with the hearty appetite left most of his seafood pasta. Nobody had the nerve to try one of the three desserts offered, one of which had mysteriously had gone from cream brûlée to cream caramel as apparently the chef was to not able to achieve a brûlée. Good selection of beers from micro breweries but some food to accompany that would have been appreciated. read more

We live in Cobble Hill so when friends contacted us that they wanted to get together for lunch we recommended the Birdgmans Bistro immediately...How disappointing it was for us to have brought our company here for such a very average in fact below average lunch...Scenery is great, location awesome, waitresses great but the meal was so disappointing...Too many other great places to take visitors than to return here for something to eat... read more

I have had many great nights and great meals at Bridgemans Bistro in Mill Bay. While in Port Renfrew my family and I thought that we would try out the Bridgemans location out there expecting the same great level of service. We were so sadly mistaken. I am utterly horrified by our experience at the Port Renfrew locale. From the moment we arrived we could tell it was a slightly different dining atmosphere which was absolutely fine but things just went down down downhill from there. Immediately I asked for a high chair as my 1 year old daughter was with us only to be told that they "don't have highchairs" odd but ok fine so we brought our portable camping high chair in and proceeded to order. A poutine, chicken strips and fries and a Caesar salad. Seemed simple enough. After over a 45 minute wait and watching several tables seated after us receive their food we finally received our meals. Ice cold poutine, over cooked (clearly from frozen) chicken strips, terrible French fries and a Caesar salad that was lettuce and dressing. Fine. Ok. I went to the kitchen to ask if they at the very least had some croutons, a pretty staple ingredient in a Caesar salad I'd say but I was told no they had just run out... my curiosity peaked at this point...they had bread, they had means of making croutons, surely between the 3 people (chefs? There's no way) working in the kitchen they could have come up with something? No just a simple "we're out" and I was clearly meant not to notice as I was not informed this when my salad was delivered. We all left so disappointed, in disbelief that Bridgemans the restaurant that we know and love was allowing such an atrocious place to be operating under the Bridgeman name. The place left a bad taste in my mouth, literally. read more