Waited 30 mins for a table in the evening - no problem, except the hostess seated 2 other tables who arrived after us first. Explanation - sorry, your name seems to have disappeared from my list. Good beer and food, but the hostess put a damper on it read more

A bit of a walk from the main sights of Victoria. Yet, doing so gets you a good appetite and a sashay past some "million dollar" condos that face the Parliament Buildings. We did not try the beer but by all appearances, many were. The pub part was very full. The dining room had a nice fireplace and harbour views. The food and hospitality were both good and warm. I'd like to give this place a shot on a summer evening. Lots of potential. read more

The first couple times I came here, the food was good. Interesting locally sourced ingredients, and good flavour. But the last several times I've been sorely disappointed; I had the baba ghanouj recently and it was so unbelievably bland I was more inclined to eat the flatbread on its own. There was no brightness to it at all. The green salad which I had last time is also insipid. It relies too heavily on the cheese for the flavour. Breakfast is all right here, nothing special. The saving grace was the beer and truffle pairing--the chocolatier is doing some wizardry! Won't be back for the food, sadly, for a Victoria "institution" they could be doing soooo much better. read more

Spinnakers Brewpub - What is this, a scone for ANTS? - Brewpubs Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Great blue cheese flat bread and smoked salmon pizza provided a lovely evening at this consistently reliable venue .

On the third morning of our stay in Victoria, daughter and I drove over to Esquimalt after breakfast at the hotel to see Spinnakers Pub, and environs. We arrived about 8:30am, the morning bright, sunny and clear, and just perfect for our sightseeing and viewing possibilities. After going inside and checking out the dining room and lounge areas, and the nice views from each, we walked a ways on the winding path out back - catching some wonderful views of Victoria's harbour, and immediate surroundings. We could not have asked for a better day, weather-wise, but our morning was about to get even better soon. Once back to Spinnakers after our walkabout, a great surprise - though only about 9:20am, the pub was already open for business! Yeah, we decided to try a round of one of their ale 'flights'. We settled on a "Flight of Four", from a list of choices they call 'Classics' -- we chose 5 oz glasses, and picked the following four ales: Spinnakers Lager, Nut Brown Ale, Original Pale Ale, and Bay Bridge IPA. The four provided a nice range of tastes, from light and crisp, to light-and-full-bodied, to deep amber and nutty. We missed being able to sample only one - the Extra Special Bitter. They were all fine brews, and we really enjoyed them. If asked to pick two favourites - it would be the Original Pale Ale, and Nut Brown Ale for her, and the Bay Bridge IPA, and Nut Brown Ale for me. In summary: our Spinnakers visit provided some wonderful viewings of it and the area, and a much-enjoyed, early-morning "beer flight break" for the two of us. The staff were friendly and very courteous, and even though the top floor lounge was currently under renovation and closed, we were allowed to go up and catch a look at the area, and views from there - sure appreciated that. The property itself was beautiful, and the views wonderful. The ales cool and tasty, and they sure hit the spot. Visiting Spinnakers, and its environs, turned out to be such fine contribution to our morning! read more

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Check out Canada's first bre pub and in house! This amazing gem is right on the harbour. We went at night dinner and then drinks with friends. I ordered the goat cheese with beet salad and my husband had the falafel burger. Walking in, I expected this to be a real "steak and potatoes" joint. While they have both, they really stress locally grown and organic foods. Lots of good vegetarian options. We tried a number of the beers- the nut one, the house ale and one other- all very good. And best of all, they had wireless! On the way out my husband treated me to one of their homemade chocolates. Worth the 75 cents. Mine was called an "aphrodisiac" and was dark chocolate with lavendar and peppercorn. Oh so good! Loved this place and look forward to visiting Victoria again in the summer to check out the day-time views. read more

Spinnakers Brewpub - Upstairs bar at Spinnakers - Brewpubs Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Large multi level bistro pub with views of ocean. Excellent food selection. I had the Brown rice bowl. Very odd flavours in the rice bowl with smoked mushrooms that tasted awful (akin to eating smoke and and dust), and the pickled beans were an acquired taste but still better than the mushrooms. Salmon was good as well as the halibut salad. Very good beers on tap including batters. Our server was excellent and accommodating. Excellent views of the harbour. read more

Spinnakers Brewpub - Brewpubs Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Despite being located away from downtown Victoria, a cool place by the way, Spinnakers does a fine job of making up for that by putting forth a solid overall product. They have beers that would satisfy the wide range of beer taste buds that likely come in the door. Yet for all the beer offerings, I remember most the food. For me it was charcuterie all the way, and yup no regrets. The pub is a really cool spot overlooking the water, and makes for nice city light viewing. Overall, the place is inviting too, and anybody could see that this was a nice spot to gather and socialize. Again, great overall product, even if there is no signature drink or dish. If in Victoria, I'd hit it up again, no question. read more

Really nice location but not so nice staff. I was ordering an apps that was displayed on a menu on the table and she told me that I couldn't get that on weekends. I stated "darn I really wanted those, You guys shouldn't tease us by having this menu on the table" and I laughed, meaning it as a joke. However she responded by saying "fine!" And ripping the menu out of my hands and storming off to take another tables order. When she came back we said we would not be ordering. I have never experience such rude service by someone. Almost complained to the manager but don't think it's worth it but this was very sad to be treated this way when you're here on vacation and drive a long way to come here. read more

I attended Spinnakers on November 9th, 2022 for a retirement celebration and the waiter overheard us saying we wished there were nachos on menu. He advised that they were on the "new" menu, and that we could order some -- great! He asked did we want salsa, guacamole, sour cream, etc, and we placed a couple orders to share with the table. Clearly we should have asked a LOT more questions to ascertain exactly what came on these nachos. The arrived (cold) with the tiniest bit of cheese, tomato, and what I think were maybe olives and were smothered with PICKLED CABBAGE and BBQ SAUCE! What the heck?!! They were disgusting to say the least. We tried to get the waiters attention, but as it was a vey large party and he was the only server he was run off his feet. Honestly, we gagged them down as we were absolutely starving, but never will I ever order those again. Grrrrrrrross! I doubt we will book another party there for a long time. read more

One of my favourite places in Victoria. Great drink and decent food, and great atmosphere. It's a good place to come with a group, but I also frequently bring my laptop to work. The service is always fast and friendly. I also have a special weakness for the toffee they sell at the shop up front and always buy some to bring home. read more

Went for lunch. Had pub burger and I enjoyed it. Nice spot and view. My mate had a salmon burger she felt too much bread and ate basically as a filet. Thought be more a salmon patty but was still very good. Beer good too. read more

Spinnakers Brewpub - Looking up from a walkway. - Brewpubs Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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The smoked chicken wings here are an absolute must. Probably my favourite appie on the menu to start things off. Followed it up with a custom Gin and Tonic made with their own in-house pink grapefruit gin which I couldn't recommend more. Ended up buying a small bottle of it at the shop on the way out (for around $25)! Enjoyed a fantastic salmon burger for the main, and while the salmon was excellent, I have never been a fan of the Ciabatta bun. Always impossible to keep together when eating like a sandwich as it falls apart almost as soon as you pick it up. Had to fork and knife it, but first world problems I guess! Patio has a great view and vibe if you catch it on a calm sunset evening. A staple in Victoria! read more

Just had the worst hamburger of my life in this place. Purple cabbage on what was supposed to be a cheeseburger?? . No service at all. Why would I EVER go back?? Simply said... I won't. Save your money people. read more

We had a fun meal at this lively gastropub. The vibe was fun. The waitstaff were very nice. The beer was OK. I had an IPA- I believe it was the Juice Monkey. It reminded me of beer that I had in the Czech Republic- very smooth and drinkable. It wasn't as hoppy as I expected. In a similar vein, the home made bread was underwhelming. Dinner was very good. The burger was good. I enjoyed my fish and chips- the halibut was excellent. The salad was good. A better than average experience. read more

The Original Pale Ale is very nice! The food, on the other hand, ranged between barely tolerable and unremarkable. Avoid the kale Caesar salad which MAY have contained a teaspoon of dressing. We ordered the BC cheese pizza expecting a cheese-smothered flatbread but instead we were left wondering if they forgot the cheese. With all the great restaurants in Victoria, go somewhere - anywhere - else. read more

Excellent food and beer. We had the charcuterie - one of the best I have enjoyed. They use all local sourcing. Also had the asparagus goat cheese flat bread - very tasty from crust to the toppings. I especially liked Juice Monkey as a beer go with. I was a little disappointed in their upstairs tasting area - staff a little dense and unhelpful (when I asked if they had tastings available - they seemed perplexed by my question. This inquiry should NOT have been difficult for tasting room staff in Victoria's oldest brew pub. Mebe some better training is in order.. In any event - the food and beer IS very good and u would highly recommend the gastropub. I still spent over $200 in off sales, baked goods and culinary products in their retail so they do leave a good impression with me. read more

I was visiting the Vancouver island area with my family. My wife and her family would eat here during their visit, so when we went I knew I had to try it. First I will say, after parking and getting out of the car the awful brewing stench hits your nose, and frankly made us feel ill. The inside of the restaurant was nice. There is a nice view of the water. Drinks ordered and my wife's fresh squeezed lemonade tasted rancid. Beer battered cod was one huge piece of batter over a small piece of fish. We requested the regular fries be replaced with truffle fries, this did not happen. We had to ask twice for the fries we ordered. Got the check and saw that they charged me for a very small side of bbq sauce I ordered withy meal. I have never been so penny pinched and charged money for a condiment. Poor experience overall. read more

We had a local tell us about this place as we were pub hopping on our vacation. Sure glad they did. Good drinks and good food. The servers and bartender were friendly. The atmosphere was good. We were on the second level bar, not the dining lower floor. We would deffinatley come back again if we come into town. read more

Spinnakers is a fantastic brewpub. The view is wonderful, the staff and atmosphere is terrific, and the food is fantastic. I've been several times since moving to Victoria and It's very high on my list of favourite places for a meal. The Cache Creek Flank Steak is very good, Salt Spring Shiitake Mushrooms are killer, but the West Coast Fish Plate is something I need in my life more often. So great. Personal note as a long story made short: I was just there and though some confusion, asked to speak to the manager with a problem I was having with a gift certificate. This was no fault of Spinnakers at all, it was through a third party misrepresenting the value of the certificate. But I spoke to Emily, the manager there, and she was wonderful, helped sort things out quickly, and went above and beyond in accommodating me and my friends. I didn't think I could love this place more, but that extra detail puts it over the top. Thanks to Emily, all the great staff at Spinnakers, and I can't wait to come back again. read more

So far the worst dining experience I've had in years ! Tasting board was the smallest amount of anything I ever seen for $20. The balance of our meal was like a cheap lunch..only not that cheap .. and then there was the service .. or not Offer water .. no offer coffee refills .... no..,, do a table check.... no Bring bread with gluten free soup ? Yes .. Very disappointing .. in a city where I'm almost always impressed.. read more

I recently took my family here for dinner while visiting them in Victoria. First time visit to the pub for me, but others have dined here in the past. Overall I found the experience to be "okay". As a lover of beer, I enjoyed the flight and a couple other pints. The Peach Hefeweizen was particularly good and I liked the Pilsner as well. Service was friendly and attentive. The ambiance was......loud. We got there about 5:30 and it was packed upstairs and very difficult to talk to the person seated next to you. Biggest disappointment was the food. Nothing was terrible, but nothing was particularly great either. Bruschetta was super boring and tasteless and my rib entree was quite blah (and not filling). Cobb salads were basic. Good points on the fish cake though. Overall I probably wouldn't return here despite the nice beer experience. read more

Lovely view of the harbor and excellent service. Food was good and very flavorful. Great menu diversity and a lovely wine and beer list. Noisy venue, but a great casual ambience. read more

We go fairly regularly for happy hour and for dinner and the food has always been fabulous. The flatbread is great with a drink. The only time I'm ordering fries is if I know they're great. The fries at Spinnakers are consistently great. They have a beer for every palate. We went last week and since I'm enjoying dry January, I ordered one of their mocktails; a Nosey Rosie. Grapefruit, rosemary syrup, cucumber and O de Vie. It was as good as it was beautiful. I would order that drink even if I could have alcohol. The views from the upstairs balcony are breathtaking and don't worry if It's chilly; they have heaters and blankets. PS. I've also stayed at the guest house twice and it was spectacular. read more

I live right by this place so I have been here many times out of plain convenience rather then because of the food. I've been here well over a dozen times. The food frankly is pretty bad. They mean well and buy great local ingredients, but they constantly butcher them. Every time I come here I really want to like it because the beer is great, the location is awesome and more importantly a few blocks from my condo, but every time I question why I keep coming back. The food is always pretty bad unless you get something deep fried which is pretty hard to mess up. Everything else is pretty poorly executed. Please get your act together spinnakers I really want to like you! read more

I've been an on and off again customer for the last 15 years, but no longer. Beware of staff upselling you on the house iced tea - it costs $4 for a non-refillable 20oz glass, no booze in it. Beer costs $3.25 for a 8oz glass. The manager explained that it was much more labour intensive to make the house tea, chill it and serve with sugar syrup to sweeten. (It's peach flavoured black tea) The waitress said it was our responsibility to know how much things cost, it was in the menu. The manager did reduce the price of the house ice tea on our bill to the same price as the Nestea, but we still aren't coming here again. Aside from this incident, there are strange delays in the food service and it is difficult to get the wait staff's attention. The chowder is the best item here, but it's time to refresh the regular menu, not just the specials. The hamburger has fresh herbs in it (greasy and falling apart) was served on a bun with an overwhelming herb in it - anise maybe? Add mushrooms and cheese for $2 each.= $4. Ciao Spinnakers. read more

"Happy 32nd birthday! Now where is your second form of ID?" We walked all the way out to this lovely establishment only to find out that my wife should have brought her credit card with her. We weren't carded last time we were there, but this time 32 and a drivers license wasn't old enough for these over-achievers to serve her a drink. They saved us from a lovely birthday evening. read more

I don't think I can say enough good things about this place. This is my fourth visit to Victoria but only my first visit to Spinnakers. I avoided this place in the past because the name put me off - reminding me of the bar of the same name in Panama City Beach. No relation AT ALL! No wet tshirt contests, no ladies night, etc. Just great food and even better beer. My husband and I had just finished a beautiful walk along the harbor and decided to give Spinnakers a try. When I sat down and saw that they had cask ales available I knew I found my special place. I ordered the Russian Stout and Jeff ordered the Scottish Ale. He was so happy he told me he was going to cry... We also ordered their cheese plate - what a delightful group of local cheeses. My husband then ordered a steak salad and I had a magnificent burger with local goat cheese. Pairing this with the cask ale - it doesn't get much better than this. And then there was the view ...oh my gosh...so relaxing and beautiful. And if that wasn't enough, we ordered a few handmade chocolates from their stor as we left. Let me tell you - the chocolate Basil truffle is to die for. I can't say enough good things. And we are already planning our next visit ... Oh...and they make their own vinegar...great on their hand cut fries. read more

Just had a seafood marinere - very disappointing. For 25 dollars I would expect a meal to satisfy as a main. The meal was less than substantive and it really lacked flavor. This had about 12 pieces of seafood, and half of that was mussels and clams- surely not your expensive seafood items. I think this is a complete waste of money. read more

Beautiful view, decent menu and unpretentious atmosphere. I have wiled away many an afternoon catching up with old friends here and have never felt rushed out the door. The coffee keeps flowing and we usually end up having rounds of extra appies to nibble. Good place to bring parents or grandparents for lunch, especially if you can get a window seat. This has saved a few mother's/father's days. read more

We needed a revival after wandering around Victoria for the day and knew we weren't having dinner for a little while so we stopped into Spinnakers for a pint and snack. Three of us split a jug of the Spinnaker's Ale, slightly hoppy with a nice refreshing finish, and a plate of Pulled Pork Nachos. Pulled Pork Nachos?! What a concept!! My friend took a pic - not too appetising looking as it's kind of a brown on brown palette. Whatevs - it was frigging delicious!!! Oh em gee - we devoured that plate up and almost fought to lick it clean. It came with salsa and sour cream too. Our table was right by the window which is nice if you're taking out-of-towners. I liked seeing all the bags of beer-making ingredients stacked up around the place. The staff were all very friendly and there was free parking in their lot. I'll go back for sure! read more

I had a mostly awesome experience at Spinnakers. Our server was lovely and friendly, the food is really good, and the beer is the kind of beer I can drink, which often isn't the case. All that being said, this review is going to be pretty short because i found a hair in my food. A long dark brown straight hair. I'm a ringlet curl myself, Mr.J is blond (short) and our companion was bald. The hair certainly didn't come from any of us. We let our server know and asked for the bill. She apologized and said she'd pass on the info to the kitchen and brought us the check, and to my great surprise we were still being charged for the item which contained the long hair.... I'm sorry WHAT? I was so shocked I immediately sought out the manager, said how great the place was, but mentioned the hair and that we were brought our bill with the item still on. She was very quick to help us resolve the situation, but the fact that I even had to ask was straight BS as far as I'm concerned. We should have never been expected to pay for that. We will probably come back here, but only for drinks. read more

Spinnakers Guesthouse is a "collection" of rooms and houses all adjoining each other. We rented the larger house because there were so many of us. It was very clean, very comfortable and in a great location. I don't normally get excited about bathrooms but this one has a bathtub that, I swear to you, you can swim in. They are within walking distance to everything in this beautiful city. There is a very VERY nice bar/restaurant on the property. While we never ate there, we did sample some of their interesting brews on a few occasions. It's a fun place with nice views of the area. Each morning they would deliver a continental breakfast in a cute little basket. Loved this place. Highly recommend. read more

This has been my favorite restaurant since I was a kid and I still love it to this day. I always order the seafood chowder. It is the best I've ever had. For another great appetizer, I would suggest the pulled pork nachos. They are amazing! They used to have a falafel burger that I would always order, but they changed the menu. The last time I was there I had staple halibut fish and chips and they were amazing as usual. I always bring people here who have never been before and they end loving it just as much as I do. read more

The food was okay, but I was sorely disappointed by the beer. I tried the IPA, but the flavor was stale and old. I am glad I ordered a glass and not a pint. After the IPA, I had to go back to a hometown standard they luckily had in bottles, Green Flash. I actually thought the food was okay to a little better than okay. It was a little greasy for my taste (but it is a "pub"). The service was similar to other reviews, a little spotty with inexplicable waits occasionally. read more

The husband and I took the water taxi out to Spinnakers after reading so many good things about this place. We took a seat upstairs on the near-patio area to enjoy the views. The view was great and I wished it had been just a bit nicer so we could have gone out on the patio. We came the day after St. Patty's Day, so when they were out of a beer or two I wasn't surprised. However, I was surprised when about 1/3 of their beer menu was out. I know St. Patty's Day is a big drinking night, but I'd expect a bar to know that too and be able to plan properly. I was quite disappointed at the selection I was left with. To add to this disappointment, their waitress knew *nothing* about the beer she was serving. If I was at some major chain, I'd get that, but at a brewpub, I'd expect her to be able to answer some general questions about the style of beer or even have a notion she may have tried the beers herself before (or had least seen them and could identify them). The beer itself for being a brewpub was a bit disappointing. That may have been because we were stuck with limited choices on the menu, but I was hoping for much more from this place. The best part of our little trip out here was probably the spinnakers beer & cheese pot. It was delicious. I wish we hadn't eaten a late lunch before we came out here so we could have tried more food. Maybe then it would have been a much better experience. Overall, this place had really nice views and had great potential. I just wasn't impressed for what it held itself out to be. read more

Visiting family in Victoria and decided on Spinnackers for supper. Lovely building and view but that was all that was good about our meal/experience. Our meals took an hour and a half to arrive. Rotten lettuce in one of the salads with an incorrect add on, another meal was ice cold and the kids meal was forgotten all together...it finally showed up after everyone else had eatten (or tried to eat). The server was unapologetic and the manager took ages to show up to chat with us. By far the worst meal I've ever had and the service was a joke. On the bright the meal was comped...otherwise this would have been a zero star review. We will NOT be back.. read more

Nice home brews, great location and ok food. It's near me (home and work) so I'm by here often and generally have a nice time. I don't come here for the food which is hit and miss (the moule frites are nice, the shrimp melt not so much) but I come here to relax, enjoy the view, play darts and then go home. If you're expecting more than that then you'll be disappointed. Otherwise you'll be relaxed. read more

Okay, Spinnaker's seems to be on the rise again - I took my stepdad for lunch there, and the service was really friendly, really quick and helpful. My stepdad had a beer and I had a mineral water, both of which were good - he had the seafood chowder, and seemed very happy with i. My spinach salad - with blue cheese, hazelnuts and pickled red onion - was really yummy, and the prices were reasonable. I'm still wary after having so many gongshow experiences, but today was perfectly nice. And let's face it - on a sunny day, there's nowhere better to be than Spinnaker's. read more

My husband I are in Victoria for the weekend and were told by a couple people to go to Spinnakers because they had some great beer. We were very disappointed because we were not given the chance to try their beer. We entered the pub and were greeted by the manager and went up stairs to the main pub area. We seated ourselves and a couple minutes after we sat down another couple sat down as well. The other couple was given water right after they sat down and the waitress saw me & I even made eye contact with her. She still did not come over to take our order or greet us. I then went to the bar area & asked for a menu where the same waitress was as well. You would think that was a hint but they still did not come over. So we ended up leaning very dissatisfied because the service was terrible. I spoke to the manager & provided him with feedback & the details of the terrible experience we had. read more