TL;DR: Yes, it's a tiki bar. That's about as far as it goes…read more Drinks: Coming from someone with a rum shelf and a closet of tiki mugs, this was thin. Very limited rum selection, nothing distinctive. The menu reads like flashcards: Trade Winds, Trader Vic's Grog, Saturn. Correct, competent. Vibe: The ambiance is fun and well done. It checks the boxes, but it doesn't push past them. What could be better: Depth. The rum program feels bare, and there's no sense of curiosity. Bottom line: If you don't know tiki, you'll probably have a good time. If you do, have a daiquiri and move on. My review matches what the locals say - Yup, it's a tiki bar.

Great ambiance, good friendly service, a private karaoke room, and stellar cocktails, what more…read morecould you ask for. If I lived here I would definitely become a regular.

ERROR is the most incredible cocktail I've ever had. Also, the alien bubbles gave me the shits…read more Worth it.

Super cool speakeasy with hidden entrance and really nice vibe. Warming, it is VERY dimly lit,…read morebring your glasses! At $20+ a drink though, not a place you'll be spending all night at but cool to stop by. Very attentive servers!

TL;DR: Chaotic, fun, and not for everyone. Go for a show,…read morestay longer than planned. If you're nearby and there's a drag show, it's worth going. It's fun, different, and a welcome disruption to the usual Victoria vibe. Vibe: Wizard of Oz-themed gay bar with zero subtlety. Loud, campy, and a sharp contrast to the rest of Victoria's generally polite energy. Not really a place straight couples need to linger unless there's a show. Drinks: Strong and fast. These are drinks, not cocktails, and that's exactly right for the room. Entertainment: We caught a Taylor Swift-themed drag show. I'm very much not a Swift fan, my girlfriend is, and we both had a good time. The performers carried the night. What could be better: If there's no show, the appeal drops fast unless this is already your scene.

This may be a gay bar by night, but there's nothing queer about the brunch menu here, folks!…read more My wife and I spotted this place the night before, when it was lit up in all manner of multichromatic madness, gleaming and glittering gaily, with pulse-pounding tunes pouring down the adjacent alleyway. The interior décor intrigued me, but as we had our toddler son with us, we couldn't enter during the "adult" hours, but we resolved to return in the morning for their legendary "best brunch in Victoria". Did it live up to its reputation? YAAAS QUEEN, SLAY those taste buds! My wife ordered the Homemade Maple Bacon, drizzled in mezcal cheese and accompanied by similarly glitzed-up scrambled eggs, roti flatbread, and a light salad with vinaigrette. After waffling back and forth over two dishes, I went with the ambiguously named "Tomatoes" which, as expected included tomatoes, of course, resting on a bed of a soft, moist cheese similar to queso fresco, dressed in chili crunch oil with peanuts and topped with spinach. It was wonderful, with my only regret being there wasn't enough of it. I had decided against the Steak and Eggs, as I'd wanted something lighter for breakfast, but in the end, what I'd ordered was a little too light for me. No matter; I helped the wife finish her meal as well, so everything worked out! I will say, though, that menus that lean in a little too far into brevity when it comes to the description of their entrées for the sake of being cute should probably rethink this strategy, and in all honesty, $16 CAD is a little steep for a dish this paltry in size, no matter how good it is. Alright, I've been enough of a basic bitch about nitpicky things, so let's put a bow on this review, slap its backside and send it on it's way! The "Lions, Tigers and Bears" cocktail was a frisky, refreshing take on my favorite, the Old Fashioned, and my pregnant wife's (virgin) Caesar may have been Bloody Mary-red, but it left me green with envy after a couple sips! I would be hard-pressed to choose between the view on our (inevitable) return visit to Victoria which, I hope, will be far sooner than later. For now, we'll be somewhere over the rainbow back home, waiting for a tornado to whisk us up and fling us back over the border. Vancouver may be the true Emerald City, but the yellow brick road leads directly to Friends of Dorothy in Victoria!

What a cute vibey bar. The owners were so kind and made me feel at home. The drinks were crazy good…read moreand I tried new things I wouldn't have before that changed my mind of classics.

A great find. Don't be afraid of the sign. Drinks are fantastic and tasty. Staff are friendly…read more Cool vibe inside

We tried out Wind Cries Mary for a birthday dinner while in Victoria. They are located in downtown,…read morewe walked from our hotel but parking nearby would've been difficult. We made a reservation ahead of time and they were still quite busy until about 9:45pm. We ordered a variety of dishes family style, which is the right move. Service for our table was honestly a bit slow; we had to flag down someone for a refill multiple times. The interior smelled a bit funny near the entrance but luckily we got sat down into the back room. The interior was a very dark, date night vibe. Endive 3/5. Not the biggest fan of the salad; they also picked some larger leaves of endive which made it bitter. It was a very light dish with the goat cheese, walnut, and apple. Tater tots 4/5. Fried potato hash brown cubes paired with a ranch sauce with lumpfish caviar. Decent dish, we enjoyed it but it could've used some acidity. Beef tartare 3.5/5. Solid tartare but the bread needed to be cut into more bite sized pieces and this style of bread also ended up soaking up a lot of the raw meat juices. Ling cod 4.5/5. The fish was tender and cooked well. The best item on this dish was the cabbage, which was very well seasoned. Fried chicken 4/5. Solid fried chicken paired with semolina cubes. Overall we enjoyed the meal. Not every dish was a hit but the farm to table concept is much appreciated for being in Victoria BC and sourcing meats and produce from nearby or in Abbotsford.

TL;DR: Stylish, confident, and memorable. Absolutely worth…read moreplanning your day around. If I lived in Victoria, this would be a regular. If you're visiting, it belongs on your short list. Food: The beef tartare was a standout. Easily one of the best bites of the trip and arguably the best tartare I've had, full stop. Thoughtful without being precious. Drinks: Cocktails lean more inspired than perfectly balanced, but that works here. Nothing mind blowing, nothing wrong. A solid B+ across the board. Vibe: Feels like a moody, posh NYC basement bar. Dim lighting, techno and jazz, well dressed 20 and 30 somethings on dates or out for the night. The room does a lot of the heavy lifting, in a good way. What could be better: Cocktails could use a touch more balance and restraint. The ideas are strong, but a bit of dialing in would elevate them from good to great.

Amazing. Perfect. Just a great experience. Order the plant-based ravioli because it blew my mind…read more Great service, food, and ambiance.

I can't say enough good things about this place. The food, the service the atmosphere were all off…read morethe charts great. The Waitresses were beautiful and intelligent. And the owner, rob, made me feel like an old and valued friend. All the while he was supervising everything that was going on in the restaurant and making sure that everything was perfect. Located at a fairly busy intersection in Victoria the place has floor to ceiling windows in the bar which gives the place a tremendous energy. They were doing plenty of business in there but I'm surprised that the place just isn't mobbed all the time.

Great happy hour. Had the lager on tap- turned out to be Phillips Tilt and it was great. It was…read morequiet inside and nice and cool and it made a great rest stop during our very busy day sightseeing. Service was great and we loved the music.

Our group decided they wanted to try a local pub while we were in Victoria for our last night of…read morethe cruise. After a quick search on Yelp we settled on The Churchill so they could try several different local beers. I opted for the featured cocktail of the month Into The Wild with blackberry gin, blueberry liqueur, honey, lemon & orange bitters. I thought it was really good, smooth but potent. When visiting Canada, I thought it was mandatory to get the Poutine - Beer battered fries, squeaky cheese curds, homemade beef gravy. Very filling and did not disappoint. The rest of the family liked their choices (Nashville Hot Grilled Chicken Burgers, Pulled Jackfruit Bun) as well. We sat in a large booth instead of at the bar like most of the regulars and locals. Service was a little slow but would not keep me from coming back.

Our party of four have been checking out pubs in Victoria during this trip. So, we decided to check…read morethis 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!

Gorgeous interior and great service. Local brews and a huge liquor list. Just another great…read moreVictoria pub.