My friends and I had a lovely dinner here the other night. We were all in town for a wedding and knew we had to make an early night of it, so we made an early reservation, for 5pm (when the restaurant opens for dinner). We were the first patrons there, and we opted to sit in the charming courtyard/patio, which is enclosed by ivied fences and a wrought iron front gate. This front patio feels very intimate, but the restaurant interior also seemed warm and cozy, with various niches for more private diners. The menu highlighted homemade pastas, but there was a good variety of seafood and meat entrees, along with vegetarian options, too. This restaurant has a few features we really REALLY liked: -an "early bird special", which is a 3-course meal offered from 5-5:30pm for $39. -all meals are available in full or half portions. This is FANTASTIC and I wish all restaurants did this. -the food and server were excellent! (The only lukewarm review was from one friend who said his meatball dish was just "okay". The rest of us LOVED our meals. And the creme brûlée was one of the best I ever had). When we left the restaurant, it was totally PACKED, so clearly it is a very popular place here. I'd seriously recommend making a reservation. read more

The food was absolutely delicious starting appetizers to main and dessert And the cozy interior made it a vibe to eat and chat with friends and family! My absolute favorite would have to be the duck steak and crème brûlée!! Definitely a 10/10 place to meet up and have dinner in Victoria read more

Cafe Brio - Mushroom Risotto - Italian Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

8 of us did chef's tasting. Wow! Great cocktails, fine wine selection, exquisite service as our server explained in detail all our incoming dishes. Multiple dishes, generous portions, reasonably priced. Very knowledgeable and fun staff. We love coming here read more

Food: Amazing Italian/French inspired menu. The Beef Carpaccio is excellent. Service: Unmatched attentive and just about perfect! Ambiance: Great room with some intimate nooks for smaller parties. read more

Cafe brio certainly lives up to its name - a very lively dining spot with great food. We weren't very hungry so the 1/2 plates were perfect for us. Spring salmon for me and lingcod for Mark, both expertly prepared. Gavin's green salad with rhubarb compote was a great starter with unique combination of ingredients. 33 acres of sunshine looks very sunny. read more

Cafe Brio - 33 acres of sunshine really does look like sunshine - Italian Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Weekend getaway in Victoria with food on my mind and Cafe Brio did not disappoint. The decor and feel is super cool - a bit dark and cozy. I wish it was a touch warmer to sit out on the heated patio! Our server was a delight - she was a budding sommelier and we could have talked about wine for an hour. Even the new GM was tagging along with her to learn the ropes of Brio - solid move. The food was outstanding. We started with Baby Romaine - I'm not a salad guy and was almost licking the plate... We then went Gnocchi and Sunday Sauce Rigatoni- wow! The gnocchi were extra large and pillowy soft... rigatoni bursting with flavor. All paired nicely with Pietradolce Etna Rosso. Highly recommend! read more

Not as many options I was expecting but the choices available were plenty. Ordered the Meatballs (1/2 plate) and the Spaghetti (1/2 plate) and though I intended to take before photos of the spaghetti, I completely forgot. I did however manage to take a photo of the Meatballs. And they were a little spicy for what I'm used to, they were delicious. Perfect amount of sauce and meatballs. The spaghetti, which I was excepting a red sauce, I was extremely satisfied. Sat at the bar and the service was great. Made small talk about Canadian sports. The place was welcoming and inviting. It was a cold, rainy and windy night and the temperature was perfect. Highly recommend this establishment and look forward to returning in the future. read more

Cafe Brio - Meatballs - Italian Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Food and service were fantastic! Went here for a birthday dinner and our server Kira was amazing. She was able to answer all of our questions and had some fantastic wine suggestions. She also went out of her way to take some photos of my partner and I before we left. It was truly so special and would recommend to others! read more

My wife and teenage son had a very enjoyable experience on a Wednesday night. The place was nearly full when we arrived for our 6:45pm reservation, very lively but we were still able to talk without really raising our voices. The service is the best thing happening at Cafe Brio, with staff uniformly pleasant and mature-but-not-old. The menu is inviting and broad without being large - perfectly balanced. The food is nicely executed, both in looks and preparation. The bread is as good as any bakery. My son and I shared the 14oz ribeye and it was just right, medium rare, with a wine jus that made for fantastic bread pairing. My wife's plates were gorgeous and delicious. The non-alcoholic drinks were a hit. We would all be delighted to return. read more

Cafe Brio - Fried duck over spinach - Italian Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Another busy night for them, the host/manager made extra steps to get my wife and I in for dinner on short notice. A smallish place, the crowd noise wasn't bad and we could enjoy our wine and dinners and still converse. The menu selections were great and our choices of duck and fish were excellent. Of particular interest was they offered half-portions for everything! We availed ourselves to these smaller portions but as shown in the pictures still plenty of food and very well presented. Highly recommend for a great Italian experience but do book reservations early! read more

Cafe Brio - Great duck! - Italian Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

See all

I loved everything about this place. 1. The ambiance is delightful. It's very homey and personal. I imagine it lovely on a chilly winter day. 2. I love a restaurant that offers the same dish in multiple portions sizes. I was able to try 4 dishes in half portion sizes. The wine is available in 6 and 9 hour pours. 3. The food was all delicious. Standouts were the duck and the scallops. 4. Staff were as friendly as can be. My favorite restaurant in Victoria! Must do! read more

Cafe Brio - Rabbit terrine - Italian Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

See all

The food was absolutely amazing. My husband had the halibut and I had the mushroom risotto. We shared the dishes and it was a wonderful pairing. The halibut was cooked to perfection. The risotto was so creamy and the tender mushrooms were plentiful and delicious. Service was excellent read more

Within walking distance of the Victoria harbor we stopped in for dinner. There were 7 of us. We ordered the Brio Family Dinner. 6-7 courses, all chosen by the Chef and served family style. This of course makes it feel like a holiday!! Charming and fun! Service was spot on! Attentive and knowledgeable! I didn't get photos of everything we were served. Missing are the soup, the salad and the charcuterie boards. But check out what I did get pictures of..... read more

See all

We had an early reservation for dinner with an event at Royal Theatre afterwards. We'd heard good things about this place but never been. So very glad we finally went! The staff are friendly and professional. The cocktails are creative, the wine list is good with pretty reasonable pricing. The food is flavourful, scrumptious and the plates (even the 1/2) are a good size - scallops with carmelized onions and perogies, creative and yummy. The mini dessert is the perfect size after a full meal. We for sure will be back! read more

I had the best birthday dinner here this week! We shared Gavin's greens and I enjoyed the gnocci while my husband loved the tagliatelle. Dessert was crème brule and sticky toffee pudding. Excellent service. Can't wait to go back. What i wouldn't give for the Gavin's greens salad dressing recipe..... read more

One of my favorite restaurants in Victoria! Beautiful but cozy ambiance. A creative seasonal menu. And amazing service. We started with an ahi crudo in avocado which was served with homemade potato chips! We shared an order of homemade corn dogs which is so unexpected but surprisingly delicious. And I then had the seared scallops served with potato pirogies. We finished with the mini crème brûlée. Everything was truly delicious. read more

This place is fantastic! Honestly I had low to medium expectations walking in. They blew us away. I absolutely love love love that they offer half portions to encourage you to order more dishes to share. Who doesn't want to try half a menu at a restaurant?? And the fact that it's only slightly more than half the full order. If a dish is $40 for a full it's $22 for a half. Logical. Not like breakfast places that charge $20 for a full eggs Benedict and then $18 for half. I'm not a big eater so I'd get a half but when it's basically the same price it seems like a waste. I also hate to waste food and that's not an eat it later kind of dish so then I end up feeling gross for two hours eating the whole thing. So this concept is absolutely fantastic and I will 100% be back next time I find myself in Victoria. The food was all excellent! read more

An absolute treat. Dining here was such a lovely way to end our trip to Victoria. The setting is romantic, cozy and full if character. The service is friendly, attentive and personable. The food is delicious. What more could you want!! We had House Cured Meats, Gnocchi and the Lamb Special with several glasses of wine. Crème brûlée to top it all off was perfect! read more

Cafe Brio - Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

I'm going to spend the summer trying out as many coffee shops in Victoria as possible. I will rate them on an Americano, so take the reviews in the spirit of coffee rather than ancillary matters. This review is for the Cook Street Village location, which is located in a small out-of-the-way venue. COFFEE: Yes. Delivered to you scalding hot with quick efficient service. Unlike the watery Americano some places serve, this one has good strong flavour with just the right hint of bitterness. Anyone who wants coffee rather than a coffee-flavoured drink will enjoy this cup. read more

This was our first time visiting Cafe Brio and it was a delightful experience. We did not make a reservation so we're seated at the bar. We began with the Gavin's Greens salad. Excellent starter with a very subtle truffle base. We ordered the Black Truffle Tagliatelle and Penne Bolognese. Both dishes were served piping hot, if perhaps a little slowly. But both dishes were amazing. We will both have a hard time trying other dishes when we return. Which we will. Although a patron seated beside us assured me that all the dishes are amazing. CB has been in this location for 36 years but was recently purchased by the manager and chef. So they have skin in the game and it shows. The best Italian food we have enjoyed in the 3 years we have been in Victoria. read more

Excellent dinner. Great option to have half portions available. Gnocchi was really flavorful and the halibut was perfectly prepared. read more

Cafe Brio - Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Cafe Brio is one of my favorite restaurants in Victoria and a go to when in town. Since my last visit about 10 weeks ago the Chef has changed for the better. It was very good before but the new chef has elevated the offerings. I like that you they still offer smaller servings of all items so one can have several different courses. I had the beet salad, the gnocchi ( to die for) and the roasted halibut. They have a good selection of wines by the glass. Great service reasonable prices for what ypu get . Ill be back again next time in town read more

Overall 4.8 stars. Entrees an easy 5.0 stars. Dinner for 2 in early September. AMBIANCE: 5.0. This is specific to where we sat, which was a small intimate alcove located between the outside covered area and the large high-ceiling interior. The indoor high-ceiling area would rate a 4.0 from us - the artwork on the walls is nice, including the wonderful nude. The outdoor area would also rate a 4.0. The area is visually very appealing with vines hanging from the ceiling and pretty lighting. Only downside is the traffic noise, but that is minor. TIP: For an intimate dinner for 2 to 4 people, choose the third area - the alcove. There are two alcoves, each with 2 tables. SERVICE: 4.0. Very professional. Would have been 4.5, but the wait for dessert and for paying the bill was rather long. The greeter was wonderful and cheery. FOOD: 5.0. Total pleasure. Outstanding sauces accompanying each dish. As my partner said: "One can taste the passion of the chef in each plate." Every item in each plate was done perfectly. For example, the vegetables that accompanied the entrees were simply excellent - string beans, carrots, beets, shallots... TIP: Rather than a single full entrée, choose 2 half entrees. Worth it to experience more of the food. - 5.0: Lamb chops with lamb sausage. - 5.0: Duck breast. - 5.0: Flat Iron steak. - 4.9: Scallops with orzo. - 4.0: Appetizer of stuffed olives. 2nd bite even better than the first. - 3.5: Dessert - dark chocolate cake with olive oil gelato. Next time we'll go for something else as this was ordinary. WINE: We had the house white and red. Excellent, and matched the elaborate descriptions. With dessert my wife had a sherry and I had the "Madeira-like" BC wine. Next time I'll go for the sherry, as the taste was more like Madeira-barely-like. read more

See all

A few years ago, friends highly reco'd this place- we had a great meal. Came back last year and were quite unimpressed with their food execution and service. Decided to revisit this evening: service was incredibly slow without any reason. We sat at 6pm and received our appetizer (6:45pm) , the tuna was small in portion and not flavourful. Dinner arrived at 7:20om. Ordered 1/2 portion of the bolognese and 1/2 portion of the spaghettini - both quite small and spaghettini was basic while the bolognese had great flavour. Spot prawns were mushy. Scallops were very good. We mentioned that we were dissatisfied to our server and they seemed uninterested. Wish we would have had a more enjoyable evening but sadly, can not reco. Would have also appreciated some check-in by the server to give us a sense of timing. read more

Fabulous experience! I visited with five friends and we ordered the Chef's family dinner. All the dishes were delicious. I also cannot say enough about our server. All in all, a memorable evening of fine food and pleasant company. read more

Great place. Good food, quick service. Beautiful interior. The waiter has been a bit weird though, made political jokes which I believe is inappropriate in a situation where I came in for a dinner and not for entertainment or argument. read more

Have driven past this place for years and always thought about going but never did. That changed last night - three of us went for dinner last night. WOW! What a great place. The setting, the staff, the bartender and the food were right on! The Romain Salad should not be missed. We sampled a gnoochi, a pasta and the tuna and all were fantastic. Could not have had a better experience. Thanks! read more

We went to Cafe Brio on Friday night with another couple since we were in Victoria. The restaurant's atmosphere was very nice. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. The food we ordered was delicious. Only issue we had was that the food took a very long time. We asked our server where our food was and it turned out that our food was given to another table. We arrived at 745pm, we ordered and got our appetizers pretty quick but our main courses didn't arrive until about 10pm. They gave us bread as we were really hungry but I felt that they should have done a little more since it was their error such as offered us complimentary dessert or coffee. If they had done something like that to redeem themselves I would have returned to this restaurant the next time I was in Victoria. read more

My Husband and I had a reservation for dinner to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The restaurant was already busy and we were seated promptly by Susan upon arrival. We ordered half portions of the morel risotto, seared scallops, brio steak and roast duck breast. Our courses were served within 10 minutes. Every dish was incredibly delicious. The flavors were very well balanced and concentrated. We insisted that the chef was made aware of how wonderful our meals were. For dessert we had sticky toffee pudding and the chocolate bar. Both were well executed but I didn't think they were fitting for the menu. The toffee date pudding was also very sweet, kind of in a sickly way but that could just be personal taste. Lastly I was expecting the dessert options that were more Italian influenced. In hindsight I wished I just had another serving of the risotto instead of dessert. The restaurant decor was eclectic, casual all around. Peggy was our waitress. She was very friendly, personable and attentive without being overbearing. Throughout our time there we cracked jokes with her and shared quite a bit of laughter. It was a fantastic experience overall to celebrate our anniversary. read more

See all

Ambience: we sat outside. atmosphere was great! Food: we ordered the halibut, crab risotto, and seafood broth. Loved the halibut & risotto. the chef did such an amazing job accommodating my no-dairy request. I didn't know a non-dairy risotto was possible to make, not to mention how tasty it was. The spicy avocado was on point. I wish the portion was larger. The seafood broth was okay..not bad..wouldn't recommend. Service: the receptionist was super friendly! Our server was nice as well :) Overall a great experience. I would definitely come back again for the risotto and halibut. Might go for the full portion next time.. half portion is just...too little... read more

See all

We've been regulars for years now, and have never been disappointed in any aspect--menu is always creative and especially since the new chef began a few weeks ago. The staff are very professional--discreetly careful not to intrude on personal conversations or romantic interludes, while at the same time ensuring the feeling of a truly family restaurant. Just lovely, every time read more

Fabulous food! My Pan Roasted Halibut was literally to die for, and my husband was similarly pleased with his Penne with Italian Sausage Ragout. We split the Sticky Date Toffee Pudding for dessert--both of us loved it too. The only negative aspect of this fabulous dining experience was the overly dim lighting inside the restaurant. I literally had to use my iPhone's flashlight to read the menu! Granted, we were seated in the darkest corner of the entire restaurant but still.... read more

Excellent food and amazing service. Great wine selection. Make a reservation if possible. read more

See all

First, it's only open 3.5 hours a day. A good sign. I'm also impressed when a restaurant doesn't feel the need to put salt and pepper on the table. Another good sign. I also love that they have half orders of everything. I had the Cabernet Savignon- perfect. I started the meal with a half order of the romaine hearts- good but more dressing than it needed. I also had a cheese plate with the Brie, Pecorino, and chèvre. It came with a pistachio crustini and a rhubarb compote. All were delicious. The Brie was especially good with the rhubarb compote. For my entree I was leaning toward the halibut which sounded amazing, but the waiter said his favorite dish on the menu was the rabbit. It's not something you see on a menu very often, and I'd never had it before. I'm relatively adventurous when it comes to food, so I went for a half portion of the rabbit. So glad I did!! It was tender, gamey, perfectly crisped on the outside. Came with sautéed mustard greens and lentils with herbs. Perfect combination of flavors and textures. Finally, for dessert I had the fresh fruit and vanilla buttermilk panna cotta- ginger rhubarb compote, macerated strawberries, and lemon scone. Not too heavy, the flavors together were perfect! So, so good. Ambiance was low key fine dining, adorable patio (which is where I sat on this beautiful day). I found the server knowledgable about the menu and wine selection, and great at guiding me through my choices. Service slowed down a bit when they got busier, but I didn't mind. I wasn't in a hurry, and this is definitely one of those linger-over-dinner kind of places. read more

See all

For Victoria this is a great little place. I put it just behind L'Ecole Brasserie and WAY BETTER than Restaurant Matisse, which one can't count on being open. For Cafe Brio, bear in mind that you're looking for Cafe and Brasserie foods, so this is not haute cuisine. That said, the execution is quite good and the service is friendly. I enjoyed the natural light (came during daylight) read more

On those extremely rare occasions when my wife and I get to escape for a dinner on our own, this is where we come. The service is attentive without feeling intrusive. The food is out of this world. We always do the family meal, as that way we get whatever the chef has fresh and interesting in the kitchen. We have never been disappointed. The mains in this weekend's were chunks of perfectly roasted tuna in a burnt butter sauce and beef in a truffle and wine reduction. Neither dish could have been better prepared. The salumi at the start was well prepared and paired nicely with some amazing pickles and phenomenal mustards. The pasta course was simple, but absolutely perfect. While dinner for us at Cafe Brio is never a low priced event, we never leave feeling like we paid too much. It is worth every penny. read more

Delicious and great service. Love the half orders so we could try multiple dishes. Hope to come back!

Family meal is terrible value and the quality is nothing special. For $52 a person I expected alot more. Appies consists of: 1 plate of salad to share, I cup of soup and a small board of deli meat to share (3-4 slices per person) Main courses consists of: 1 piece of fish per person, 3 pieces of bite sized venison per person and 1 plate of plain pasta to share. At least throw in some damn desert!!!!! read more

Couldn't eat the over salted food. Can't believe this place thinks it is all that. Nice waitress, but rude owner/manager. Ick. Could they have been having a bad night? I just don't have any idea how their night could be so horrible just the one time. I can't go back. We received dirty (stinky!) glasses with our wine, and when we asked for new glasses they made a big embarrassing scene. Really? You can't just get us new glasses? I know, you probably think I am some kind of crank, but not really. I love lots of restaurants and am able to give the benefit of the doubt when I've only been once. But this place? No way. read more

From our inital greeting by the owner, Greg Hays to the aperizers, wine selection, main course and finally the cheese plate our experience was a culinary treat that stands as our best dinning experience in Victoria. Off the beaten path, a 15 minute walk from the town center, Cafe Brio is a rustic Italian oasis sandwiched tightly between non nondescript buildings. The front patio encased in creeping vines beckons you in. In our conversation with Greg we learned the restaurant was built to his a co-owner Silvia Marcolini's design some 20 years ago during the biggest snow Victoria has ever seen. Its high ceiling, earth tones and subtle lighting transport you immediately back to an Italian tratoria. The atmosphere is "vivacious" reflective of its name "Brio" and its owners. Chef Luarie Munn has created a superb menu of fresh ingredients from local farms sure to please knowledgeable foodies. Many of the servers have worked at Cafe Brio for over a decade and are very knowledgable of the food and wine parings. Our server suggested a Querciabella Chianti which proved to be an excellent choice. Both Greg and Silvia visit Italy yearly to bring back new ideas and interesting wines. We started with 2 stuffed olives followed by an antipasta selection that include a fantastic Boudin Noir blood sausage and a chicken liver parfait pate both homemade. We then both had the pasta Bolognese which was perfectly cooked al dante. We finshed with a cheese tray of Farm House Cheddar and La Baquette de Kerneval (french cow). All in all a fantastic expereince and a "must visit" if you're in Victoria. read more