Atmosphere- lovely. Would give it a 4.6. Warm, whimsical, quiet enough to have a conversation but…read morevibrant as well. Service - the right amount of attentiveness. Knowledgeable staff. Really nice people. Easy 5. The food was good. The olives were excellent quality. Wondered how they would be warmed - warmth accentuates the silkiness. The squid was really lovely. Not overcooked and plated well. The aguachile was enjoyable, the acids well balanced. 4+ We enjoyed a glass of Pinot Noir - good call by the waitress!

We celebrated my husband's birthday at Perro Negro. It is a cool tapa bar located upstairs in…read moreFerris Oyster Bar. The decor is charming and creates a cozy atmosphere. The service was great, with attentive and friendly staff! We tried the gambas without chorizo, papas bravas, broccolini with the romesco sauce, and the roasted carrots. Each dish was flavourful and cooked to perfection. The gambas were a personal favourite. If you're a fan of tapas and small plates, do yourself a favour and visit Perro Negro! You won't be disappointed.

It is a brave thing to open a new restaurant during a pandemic but I am so glad that Rain Dogs took…read morethe chance! This is my new favourite downtown eatery! Wonderful decor, amazing art, great music - but most importantly a fabulous menu. We tried everything in the dinner menu and nothing disappointed. It is impossible to name a favourite. The duck tortellini and the accompanying sauce was so delicious; the pulpo was cooked to perfection; the salmon melted in your mouth. The bread (baked in-house) was as bread should be. The wine selection was impressive and the Gun Street Girl cocktail is my new favourite! Have decided to make Rain Dogs Wine Bar our weekly date night restaurant. Check it out!!!!

I'm new to visiting Victoria and have been making my way through the varied and highly touted…read morelatest and greatest bars and eateries. Was it the attention? Was it the wine list? Was it the menu? I loved all of it. It will be my first stop each and every time I visit. Bar none.

One of the best bars I have been to in a while, I was surprised to slip right in for a table of 4…read moreon a beautiful June Saturday night. All the drinks we had were top notch and unlike others I've had anywhere else. My favorites were the Lost Luggage and Pingu Club. The server was attentive and knowledgeable as he was the creator of a handful of them on the menu.

Humboldt was a perfect stop for a drink before dinner. I love the ambience - dark, soft lighting,…read moreplush seating. It reminded me of cocktail bars in NYC. Our server was super knowledgeable and we loved our drinks. I'd go back in a heartbeat!

Cannot recommend enough, so absolutely delicious and the vibes of the restaurant are so perfect!read more

Excellent staff! The food was prompt and fresh (it didn't sit under lights). The waiter stopped by…read morejust often enough to see if we needed anything and otherwise left us to our dining experience. Save room for desert!

Fab fab patio and welcoming staff! Boom + Batten is eye catching from the outside with its curved…read moremetal exterior taking the shape of a boat above the water. We stopped here from brunch after walking the WestBay walkway on Canada Day. We got a seat easy on the patio and had a great view of all the fancy yachts and harbour traffic. Our waitress was lovely and complimented us on our Canadian inspired outfits. We ordered two cesars - non alcoholic and gin. The garnish 2 olives and 2 beans were awesome but my Cesar lacked ice which you can't skimp on, you want that clam juice cold! Their Cesar also is on the sweeter side almost like a ketchup flavour whereas I like a spicy savoury Cesar leaning heavier on horseradish. For brunch we had the smoked salmon mousse bagel with fresh greens and the beet and ricotta Benny with hashbrowns. Both dishes were excellent and beautifully presented. The salmon mousse was rich and decadent - not sure I could have had both sides as it was quite rich but my husband and I were sharing dishes so it worked well! The beet and ricotta benny was really nice - light and creamy. The only thing lacking was seasoning to the hashbrown patties - they look better than they taste. All in all this is a spot to stop at whether you're going for a coffee and treat, a full on dinner or a nice weekend brunch! High recommend!

A fantastic upscale restaurant on the marina. This is on the opposite side of the marina to…read moreFishwarman's Wharf, so not a concern with finding parking. With the weather warmed up and the patio opened, you cannot hope for a marina view any better than this. An amazing view from every seat whether you are seated inside or outside. Staff is very warm and helpful. This is the kind of place where you go for a date night - and get a nice cocktail and the chat the night away. We managed to get a reservation on short notice on a Friday night. We went as a family of 3 - 2 adults, 1 fiver-year old. Things we got - 1. West Coast Fish Chowder - nice but can be skipped. I ordered it for my son as a safe option and yes, he liked it very much. 2. Chicken Liver Parfait - very good! Must try!! To be honest, I am not a fan of chicken liver in general. I have had it a few times in other places and have never been able to go beyond the first bite but my spouse really likes it. We checked with our server before ordering this and she was very encouraging to give it is a go and I am so glad we did! It was very well made and was served with a orange/lemon marmalade which really complimented the pate. 3. Duck Confit - Good! 4. Smash Burger - Must have been very good. My five-year old swiped it clean without one word. 5. Boom Margarita - nice! 6. Earl Grey Sour - Very very nice - must try!! 7. Pasta with spicy arrabbiata sauce - Flavors were good but the pasta came caked from the get go which was very unfortunate since the dish had the potential to pack a punch. Just our luck I guess! I was too shy to bring it to their notice and ate whatever I could. The staff and ambiance made sure we had a great time and we will be back for sure to try more of their menu, perhaps during brunch or an early lunch to take advantage of those amazing marina views.

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.

I went here for happy hour as I finished sightseeing way faster than I expected. Happy hour was…read more3-5pm and I got a cocktail (Trail Mix) and a snack (signature tater tots which has lumpfish caviar). The cocktail is good but not quite well balanced, but for CAD$12 it was fine - I guess I see reviews where ironically the cocktails are not their forte despite the appeal of using local ingredients in the cocktails. The signature tater tots is delicious - it's in a square and has a soft interior that can be quite filling - I love the sauce pairing which has a bit of caviar taste apparent while keeping it fairly casual with the ranch sauce. Service is okay - the bartender fulfills requests promptly, but fairly direct in conversation

Despite not having a great experience with the fish offerings at this restaurants, I'd still go…read moreahead and say that Stage is amazing and has some potential to make changes to the menu! Love the European Wine Bar/French Bistro vibes they have going and it's located in the cute Fernwood neighbourhood. Love their approach on French-inspired foods and showcasing seasonal local fresh veggies and plating it differently. The food is fresh and light, which is always nice for a French restaurant. We got the local crudités served with the eggplant roasted dip and it was a delight. The tomatoes were fresh and I appreciated the various textures, depth and flavours. The dishes are great for sharing. Love the pomme frites. The BBQ shishitos were a treat! The bread and butter were phenomenal. I believe that it is freshly baked. The service was amazing! They have a great ever-changing wine list from Europe as well as different parts of Canada. In addition, they have amazing cocktails. Unfortunately, Stage fell a little short for us. We had sent an email in advance mentioning that we are pescatarians and do not eat meat. We were very excited to try their fish offerings (Halibut and Rockfish) off the menu that night but our waitress informed us that the kitchen wouldn't be able to make any changes to the dishes and that some meat products were used in both fish options. We were very disappointed, especially since the food is so good. I recommend and advise that if you have two fish offerings, at least leave one completely pescatarian and free of meat products. We also didn't want to opt for the warm potato salad with mackerel since we had already had the pomme frites. As a result, we did not have a suitable protein option that night. This was the only thing that ticked us off, considering the level of care and pride they take with the food in their restaurant.

Really nice wine bar. Great wine and atmosphere. A bit pricy but very nice wine selection.read more

We popped in for brunch and wow the food was amazing! Honestly, I'm running out of words to…read moredescribe how good it was. I love that the menu is simple and focused, yet everything is made so well. The ambiance was amazing as well. The restaurant is located inside the hotel lobby, which gives it a cozy, charming atmosphere that makes the dining experience feel unique. We ordered the Bishop Breakfast and the French Toast. We assumed the French Toast would be a smaller portion, but we were pleasantly surprised it was huge! It could easily be shared between two people. The breakfast was also a generous portion and could easily be split as well. Everything tasted fresh and was absolutely worth it. The French Toast practically melts in your mouth, and the breakfast was just as delicious. The service was wonderful too. Our server was attentive, kind, and made sure we had everything we needed. Definitely a must-try brunch spot. We'll be back!

Bishop Block bottle shop was so good we stopped twice in the weekend. We came in one afternoon for…read morea quick hydration stop. We ended up trying a rainbow of different mimosas. We saw the brunch menu and made a reservation for the very next morning. The service here is great, they had a table waiting for us. Inside is warm and inviting. There is lots of room so you don't have to worry about being crowded by the next table. The food is next level. The Turkish Croissant was my favorite. The poached eggs were so light, the potatoes were cooked well and beautifully seasoned. The drinks were spot on too, absolutely delicious. Great venue, great service, great food!