First time at this location. They have a great view on the patio for city and ocean views. Their selection of drinks and beer are plentiful and well brewed. The food was mediocre at best. We ordered the Fish Tostadas, they were weak. The clam fettuccini was quite generic as well. If I wasn't so hungry when I dove in I would have a lot more to say. Id recommend maybe popping by for an app and a flight. read more

Very nice restaurant the top patio has a beautiful view waitress was very slow didn't come back on time and the nachos and have enough cheese read more

Spinnakers Brewpub - Nachos with no pull pork - Brewpubs Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Spinnakers can be hit or miss, mostly because of the service. The food has always been pretty good and I really like the little bake shop in front, but man have I had some horrible service here. It can be slow, which isn't the worst thing, but we've had waiters give us the wrong check and we've had them mix up orders or act a little condescendingly. I'm sooo sorry that in America we allow people to choose how well done their meat is, should we be crucified for that? Either way... It's definitely worth a try for the food and beer but beware the waitstaff because that can make or break your evening. read more

Spinnakers was recommended to us and we came here with moderately high expectations. Decor was nice and we got seated right away. We started with two beer flights and they were interesting and enjoyable. Things started going wrong when it came to the food and service. I ordered a cup of chowder but that hadn't shown up after 35 minutes in spite of the server saying she'd bring that "right away" when we initially ordered. When we asked our server about the chowder she acted as though this was a new request and made a big deal of going back to get this "new request" to the kitchen. Later she came back and said the order was already there after all (surprise!) but the kitchen was backed up. Chowder arrived 10 minutes later and it wasn't great, it really needed salt of which there wasn't any on the tables. After waiting a total of 55 minutes from first sitting down the entrees finally came. I had ordered the Tandoori Pizza. Big mistake. It was dry like cardboard, the chicken was in a big lump on each slice and was flavorless. How do you make Tandoori Chicken flavorless?!? That takes real work. I ate two slices and left the rest. I should point out that my wife's fish and chips was much better but overall Spinnakers was a big disappointment - dreadful service and really underwhelming food. 1 star only because the beer was good. Not recommended. read more

Absolutely awesome experience. Literally the best beer I have ever had in my life, good service and great food! If you read my reviews you will see that I don't throw around 5 stars lightly, but this place earned all of them. There were 6 of us so I got to sample a few different beers, but the Original Pale Ale is without a doubt my all time favorite. The menu was a little bit odd with the way they paired up some of the ingredients, but the end result was fabulous. Everything we ordered was fresh, hot & divine to the taste buds. I should also mention that we were served quickly as well although we did arrive during an off-peak time. We definitely look forward to visiting this place again the next time we travel to Victoria. read more

Maybe this place got built up too much in my mind--everyone was highly recommending this place, praising it, and after visiting....meh. Admittedly, this was our 3rd brewpub stop of the evening, so we were a bit full of food and beer already. I just wasn't that big of a fan of any of the beers (although the pumpkin porter was nice). Not being hungry, we just ordered the foccacia, which was very good. I did feel bad, taking up table space on a Saturday night just ordering beers and splitting an appetizer. However, despite me camping at a table and not ordering much, we shouldn't have had to beg our waitress for water. We had to ask more than twice each time for a water re-fill--a HUGE pet peeve of mine when out. read more

Great service, an amazing view and lots of tasty house beer to choose from! Our group waited an hour+ for a spot and we didn't mind as they opened the patio for us. Once inside we had a great spot with a harbor view. The waiter was so friendly and accommodating. I ordered the Beef burger with blue cheese, it was amazing! Hubs had the daily pie, which was chicken and spinach that day. It was insanely good. Love the open kitchen! No room for dessert, too bad as it looked great! We did eat a truffle or two on the way out and scored some free stickers. yum! read more

I'm rating this solely on the beer - which was fantastic! The beer AND chocolate truffle pairing, while I though bizarre was actually surprisingly interesting and tasty - who knew! The food was ok, just decent, but the reason to come here is certainly the brews, the ambiance is nice as well with wooden tables, bars and a great view. read more

We got directed here from the hotel we were at. Nice location overlooking Victoria City and the Waterfront. Old English Style Pub Dining vibe. The food is alright, I had a Mutton Burger, which was alright, kind of small meat patty on a oversized White dough bun. My partner ordered a salmon and the piece of salmon was very small. Beers are all Micro Brew. I myself am not following the new trend of Micro Brews, it is somewhat underwhelming when I find I cant enjoy a favorite beer while dining. Staff was friendly but it was a bit slow on getting a beer order in. read more

Spinnakers is one of those places I've been back to many times, usually because it's convenient and it's got a beautiful view of the Inner Harbour. They have a bar upstairs and a dining area downstairs, but you can really get anything off the menu upstairs as well. Their food seems to be hit and miss... but my friends and I have generally liked what we have ordered there. One friend in particular really likes their chicken sandwich. I think their tuna sandwich is pretty good, but maybe because I just like tuna :D Their nacho platter is pretty huge, but it's also expensive. I think it's kind of weird with the pork topping, but oh well. It's a fun place to go catch some games oh their big screen. My friends and I were there for the Hockey Men's final game and it was pretty awesome. It's also a really pretty walk from downtown along the Songhees boardwalk to get to Spinnaker's. They have a bakery at the entrance and it looks good. Haven't tried it yet! read more

Arrived at 1530, parking lot and tables half full at best and was told they had too many reservations to seat my party of 3 (2 adults and a 11 year old). I asked to sit on the patio but they refused me, said it was too breeze, on a 15C day, and our son wasn't old enough for us to sit upstairs. Maybe the rush is at 1600... whatever wont bother this establishment with my business again. P.S. I made this account to post this... never posted before probably never post again, but I will tell everyone who will listen about this. I have had bad meals but this experience has soured me on restaurants ... avoid wasting your time going to spinnakers Visited May 2017 read more

The house made pasta was delicious, once I got the order I asked for. It was a Sunday night, and service was mediocre-ly patient with our request --initially friendly but maybe just tired later. The location was a little odd but the view across the harbor was nice, and I liked their effort to use local ingredients and sustainable seafood. I ate in the pub section upstairs. read more

My mom and I found Spinnakers after a kayaking trip in the San Juans. We arrived on a Tuesday, and stayed until Wednesday. Our room was in the old guesthouse, and was charming and comfortable. The hot tub was an especially nice indulgence after the paddling. The one star "ding" was for some technical issues with the tub's faucets but, to be fair, they came over to help fix them immediately after our call, and the crisis was averted. We loved being so close to the pub. We enjoyed the goat cheese appetizers and boar massala immensely as well. Both of our taster flights of beer did not disappoint - although clear winners emerged for additional pints (I was a fan of the IPA and Monk's Ale (Abbot's Ale?) Some kind of secluded man-of-the-cloth ale). The view of the harbor was nice, however we were a little jaded by then, having been out in some amazing natural areas on the days prior. I was impressed with, and appreciated, their commitment to using locally sourced ingredients. Mom had a local red wine and loved it as well. Our experience with the staff was excellent - knowledgable, friendly and attentive - both for the guesthouse and the pub. The breakfast tray was delivered right on time the next morning (included in stay) and was more than enough food (feta and spinach scones, muffins bigger than your hand, cream, milk, etc.) for anyone. I will stay and dine here again without hesitation next time we're in Victoria. read more

I've been to Spinnakers three times now, each time I've visited Victoria as an adult. I like the rustic feel and crowd, although the service always seems to be lacking. However, I'm okay to trade it for the 2nd floor view, good food and beer. The most recent meal I had was the smoked tuna salad. It had some interesting flavors and wasn't bad. My spouse raved about his salmon fish and chips. I had some of chips, which were great. I only just realized there are guesthouses, which might be cool to check out sometime. read more

My son and I sometimes walk the Inner Harbour and have lunch at Spinnakers. We pretty well always order their Clam Chowder - it is really good. Adrianna was our server and I just want to say we've never had better service. I hope management takes note of this. read more

I've always liked Spinnakers for the food, brews and views but Wednesday night's experience - over an hour wait for a salad and fries - come on, guys, that's just unconscionable. If you have two dining rooms and the kitchen can't keep up, then something has to change. read more

I've been back to Spinnakers (on my bike so the 7-8% beer wouldn't result in a DUI) and the IPA is definitley my favourite beer of theirs. They were out of all of their pizzas (and on the previous vist they were also out of a couple of them) so it seems that despite the $16 price tag the pizzas are a customer favourite. I had the burger with BBQ aioli and bacon. It was good, not great but definitely good. Again the service was cheerful and attentive, and the atmosphere was comfortable. If the food on the menu was either better or less expensive then Spinnakers could hit 4 stars, but it seems to me that they try a little too hard to justify the 'gastro' in gastro-pub and then charge accordingly even when they miss their mark. read more

Great views in this excellent brewpub. Came here in the early evening to watch the sunset on the patio. The service was solid, and the food was excellent. I had their seasonal schnitzel special, which included spatzle, one of my favourite starches. The portion size was enormous! I coupled that with a 4-beer taster of Spinnaker's standard beers. Pretty good! My partner had a Chicken Pot Pie. She liked it enough, but found the pastry to not be flaky enough. Still, she ate most of it, so it can't have been too bad. If you can find a seat on the patio on a warm day or evening, you'll have one of the best views in Victoria. That alone is worth it. read more

My husband and I have been staying at Spinnaker's Heritage House for the past four years. We absolutely love the cosy rooms, the soaker tubs and being able to have a fire in a proper fireplace every night. Everything on the menu is absolutely delicious. Our favourite breakfast meal is the House Smoked Pacific Salmon Hash. The fried capers on top give the dish just the right touch. read more

They made my vacation buzz climb to super galactic levels! I enjoyed my vacation/birthday lunch sooo much. It included a cheese and beer pairing, a super good hamburger, and a nice pulled pork sandwich. Why oh why was my stomach not up to the challenge of dessert? Alas, I was too full. But, the perfume of the peach crisp permeated the place and tempted much. The view is nice and you can see the planes landing and taking off from the water. I had never seen anything like that so it made this lunch extra special. The staff was super friendly. Are all Canadians this nice? Did I mention the cervesas? Yo amo cervesa.... y queso? Yummy. read more

Staff was friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was like that of a pub with great views of the water from the second story. Its a little bit of a hike out of downtown Victoria, but go along the water and its a beautiful stroll. Food was great, we did the mussels and were bowled over by the rich garlic butter broth. Their bear selection was very good, I highly recommend taking a look at their "odds and end" category where they have some of their more outlandish concoctions. I was amazed by how many things they made in-house. Chocolates, malt vinegar, and much much more. I'll definitely return! read more

This place is awesome. The beers and food are delicious. The view from the patio is spectacular. I look forward to my return soon. read more

Spinnakers Brewpub - Nice day - Brewpubs Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

I would have given it 5 stars because the service was excellent, however, the food is pretty pricey for what it's worth. The food is ok, but for what you pay you'd expect it to be GREAT to AMAZING! They are the oldest Microbrew in all of Canada and their beers are pretty good, so thank goodness for that! They are on the water and dress attire is dressy casual (if that makes sense hahaha). TIP: if you go there before dark, there's a nice walking path along the water where the restaurant is that you can go down after or before you dine :) read more

First time was my last time, beef burger was tasteless (no seasoning in or on)... Waitress was nice but after she took our order we never saw her again until we paid our bill. Disappointing! read more

Went for dinner table of 4, one person at our table had a piece of blue paper in her ice cubes , another had a tremendous amount of sediment in his red wine. The server did not apologize just brought another drink for ice cube paper drink, and also said oh well sediment is normal in red wine ???? We own restaurants and the minimum we do is comp the drinks. We didn't even get an apology. I mentioned to the hostess on the way out, and she said "didn't they bring you another drink (paper free lol ) ,no mention of the sediment . Highly recommend you pass here!!!! read more

Okay, I admit that just their truffles are enough to come here. The beer tasting is fun, the food is great. This time, shared the skirt steak salad and the pizza of the day. Both were really delicious. The dessert was good (a white chocolate cheesecake), but not as fabulous as the truffles, which come in normal as well as liquor-infused flavors, including stout, tequila, and absinthe. A happy choice for dinner. read more

LOVED this place. We stayed in one of the guesthouses--in a very charming Victorian house. The room was super cute, with all the amenities you'd want in a normal hotel--and then some. We got complimentary breakfast delivered to us in a cute little basket. There was a great spa tub. I was worried the old house would be creaky and noisy, but it really wasn't. We stayed in "normal" hotels on this trip that were much noisier. We ate dinner at the restaurant--up in the taproom--one night too. Super fun atmosphere, especially during a hockey game. I chose 4 beers for a flight--all good. The waitress was helpful with recommendations. Food was also great: -Goat cheese and beet salad: Great -Focaccia bread: Great -Mushroom and beer pizza: So creamy and amazing; I devoured it -Sorbet with biscotti -3 free truffles (came with our one night stay) I would LOVE to come back here. Hopefully we're lucky enough to make another trip! read more

Great place to take out-of-town guests . . . The menu is creative and can suit any hunger level - appys, small sharing plates, classic pub meals, west coast cuisine entrees, and a lot of attention to locally sourced and house made. I agree with its tag, "gastro pub". For example, on top of brewing a variety of beers on site, it also brew its own malt vinegar, has its own artesian well water, and makes its own sodas and soda creations. My friend and I both ordered the halibut fish and chips ($17 each), which is a staple at Spinnaker's. A good size fillet, thick, fresh, flaky, not dry with a thin crispy beer batter. Side of slaw with curry tones. The kennebec fries were perfect combo of crisp and soft inside, dry, not greasy. Their malt vinegar is a pungent, more complex vinegar that works so yummy well with the meal. My friend enjoyed 4 varieties of the house-made beer and declared the Nut Brown was the best beer he'd ever tasted. You don't drink beer? Me neither, but they serve Merridale Cider on tap from Cobble Hill, 40 minutes away. The best local cider available at select pubs and restaurants. The house-made truffles are a great way to finish the meal, and they even have 4oz beer pairings, if you wish to live large. All desserts are made on the premises and hard to resist. If you only have a little room left, their ice cream is heavenly, or maybe just have one truffle ;-) I've been visiting since it first opened (25 years ago?) and it has kept pace with food and beer drink trends, but always reliable if you do or don't want to go too adventurous, or your friends only want meat and potatoes. Or your friends want to taste what's good on the Island. Reservations accepted downstairs, so ask for a window seat to get sme view of the Inner Harbour and cruise ships in the Summer. Pub upstairs - no reservations, no minors, pool table, TVs, noisier, more pub-like. Noted, Spinnaker's was mentioned in Oprah Magazine, September 2012, as a great place to dine solo at the pub bar upstairs. I'll keep coming back . . . . with more out-of-towners . . . . read more

I had two fantastic meals here when I was getting Mrs Mitchell's mother all moved up to the eastern side of the US. The soups were amazing as was anything else that I was able to taste from the kitchen here. They also presented such marvelous local beer that I have a great remembrance of that as well. The location is wonderful and the service and seating is just perfection. read more

I've eaten here many times and I have not been disappointed. Last week I had a seasonal special which was grilled medallions of beef with mushrooms. I also had the large oysters from Cortes Island; they were very fresh. The food was all locally sourced and delicious. I had a cheesecake for dessert and it was not too heavy and not too sweet. I don't drink beer, so I can't comment on the brew quality. read more

hadn't been to Spinnakers in a while and it was a perfect excuse to go for a martini with my girlfriend after being pampered at the Spa for the afternoon :-) I think we hit it at the perfect time, it was right between 6 and 7pm and the place was almost empty, so we scored a window seat (yay!) Sat down and the waitress came right away with menus, but took FOREVER to come back to take our drink order, once we ordered the martinis (a blue raspberry and a cosmo, both fantastic) it again took an overly long time for her to come back and take our food order. We ordered the Nachos with pulled pork which were fantastic, they were covered in toppings, not like the usual pub nachos which come with sparse, stale toppings; this was piled with goodies, we didn't even come close to finishing them. All in all a decent visit, but the service was horrible, she seemed cranky, and too busy to serve us (even though there were maybe 4 tables full in the place and she was only serving 2 of them) service makes all the difference I tell ya read more

We went for the beer but ended up enjoying the food, service and ambience (oh and the beer too!) Staff was friendly, attentive and helpful. Our waiter had just arrived on duty and did not miss a beat. The beer choices were fantastic. I was able to have one their home brewed hand drawn English bitters, which did not disappoint and my husband had a local beer. Nice to see that they offered other local beers and not just their own beers. For food we had the mussels - very good, nice rich garlic buttery broth, fish and chips - good fish and good chips, along with homemade malt vinegar, and meat pies. Meat pies were presented well with local potato and veg and delicious (I'm English and they passed the test for a fantastic meat pie). We sat outside an when it started to rain they ensured we had enough coverage with extra umbrellas. Would go back. read more

This place has the best beer on the island, in addition to having fantastic food. The fish-n-chips were great, and my husband's pub pie was tops. Also, they have MEAD on-tap! How cool is that? read more

A beautiful spot on the water but that's about it. Perhaps the place was overhyped to us but we found it unbearable to stay longer than two drinks and an appetizer. Service was terrible. Our server was completely devoid of emotions and did not come to the table for very long stretches of time. If a drink sits empty for more than a few minutes, your job isn't being done well. It wasn't overly busy either. I had a hefeweizen and it was mediocre. The hot wings however were tasty and we got a nice view out on the patio. read more

Good beer and good food. Nice outside deck. A ways out of the mine downtown but a super nice walk along the waterfront. Well worth it! read more

An excellent beer selection and a full bar. The menu is strong on local ingredients. Great view, especially upstairs. The beer and truffle pairings are a bit unusual, but good. Reading other reviews, it seems service can be hit or miss, but we've always had friendly, efficient service. read more

Absolute staple in Island beers and the brewpub sits in one of the most beautiful but hidden spots in the city. I would have given them a 5/5 except they close at 11 on weekends..absolute bonkers. There pulled pork nachos are absolutely friggin delicious and I've yet to have better nachos anywhere in this city. The beer is always fantastic and I'm down here once a week filling my growler. read more

Spinnakers is a great local pub that has above-average food and a great drink list. The patio is terrific (if you can get a spot) with amazing views of the harbour. Living in the area, we've hit Spinnakers for a drink or dinner after work a few dozen times by now. If in the mood for a good local beer, this is for sure our go-to spot. I would definitely be giving Spinnakers 5 stars if it weren't for the service. While some of the staff are fantastic, a number are slightly slower/forgetful or downright rude and disrespectful. I have actually witnessed the supervisor (I believe she's a supervisor, at least - red hair and glasses) raise her voice (Loudly - to the point of yelling) at a fellow employee, in front of customers, while simultaneously forgetting almost every request we had, including remembering our meals! We've had the displeasure of being served by this supervisor a number of times, and the colleague she was yelling at is far more pleasant and competent at her job. The other downfall of Spinnakers (and I am NOT faulting them for this or letting it effect the review, it's something to do with the area bi-laws), is that it's only open until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday evening-- which is completely absurd for a pub in my opinion. Don't let my comment steer you away from Spinnakers, generally the service issues are small (forgotten drinks, missed utensils, etc.), and the food/beer is excellent for a reasonable price! They have great events frequently too. Check it out! It's definitely worth your time. read more

Dear Spinnakers, You have a lovely view and tasty beer. It was nice of you to give us blankets while we sat on your patio. The people jogging on the other nearby made me feel as if I should be working out, but instead I just ordered another pint. Love, Patron read more

Not sure what to say about this place. Got let go of because I was pregnant. Really thought the owners cared about their staff but obviously not. read more