TL;DR: Stylish, confident, and memorable. Absolutely worth planning 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. read more

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Food, service and ambiance were excellent! Can't wait to go back!! The drink menu is amazing. So many unique creations! The food was a sharing menu with 2 to 4 choices for 2 people. We chose e items and it was the perfect amount for us. read more

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I went here for happy hour as I finished sightseeing way faster than I expected. Happy hour was 3-5pm 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 read more

Beautiful environment and vibe. The gnocchi was amazing as well as the zucchini salad and ricotta toast. Cocktails fell short didn't enjoy the one i ordered seemed imbalanced. The salmon entree was ok would not order it again. Make reservations! read more

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Stumbled on this place accidentally and what a treat!! I was only able to get a few photos because we devoured everything in seconds... it was just that good. Would def come back for their fried chicken alone. read more

Wind Cries Mary - Wine Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Very tasty food and catered well to Gluten allergies. Pricy and busy. Excellent service.

We came on a Thursday for reservations at 7:15pm to celebrate a graduation. We waited 5 minutes for our table. We ordered the velocepide and pineapple espresso. The pineapple espresso had no pineapple flavour and was kind of disappointing. The velocepide was also kind of disappointing. It was missing the yuzu flavour. We started with the endive salad, tater tots and albacore tuna quinoa. The endive salad with apple, goat cheese and walnuts is such a classic combination that you really can't go wrong with this dish. It was well balanced and delicious. Would recommend this dish The tater tots was so crunchy and addictive. The jalapeño ranch lumpfish caviar was missing that jalapeño kick to it. But overall a great dish. Would recommend this dish The albacore tuna with quinoa was surprisingly delicious. Loved the freshness of the quinoa and kale. The almond gave it a little crunch. The tuna was really good as well. Would recommend this dish The cacio e pipe was a huge disappointment. The grand padano flavour was there but it was missing the cheese savouriness. The pasta also was overcooked. I would avoid this dish The fried chicken was really crispy but the pieces were way too big. The breading wasn't too thick. It was sweet because of the honey butter but not too sweet because the pickles helped balance it off. Would recommend this dish The Ling cod dish did not go well with the tomato. It almost reminded me of some kind of tagine dish because of the fennel and tomato. This dish did not go well together. I would not recommend it Flourless chocolate cake with cheesecake and Vietnamese coffee ice cream dessert was disappointing. The chocolate cake consistency could have been a bit heavier. The cheesecake didn't have enough cheese flavour and were too light. The Vietnamese coffee ice cream was a bit too icey could have been creamier. Overall service was pretty fast. Not overly friendly. The first couple dishes were pretty good and then it went downwards from there. I would recommend the fried chicken, tater tots, endive and albacore tuna. Would recommend this restaurant for dinner but not for drinks. read more

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Great service and atmosphere. Quite pricy but very very good. This would be an ideal small birthday party place.

Some of the best food I've tasted with a cute and private style ambiance. There are so many fantastic dishes here and we sampled a variety. The fish was probably the best I've ever had. Fresh and flavorful. The beet salad was outstanding and set on a bed of humus with various greens included with the beets. We couldn't stop eating it. The tater tots need a more distinguished name tho because they're next level and came with a dipping sauce that included caviar. We ordered some chicken with fries to go and that was tasty too! To drink we ordered 2 different reds and they were both delicious. Sad I can't stay here because this is one of my new favorite restaurants. read more

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Great experience coming here on a Friday night while in Victoria for the weekend. Did not have a reservation, but they were able to seat us instantly. We had a nice corner table, the place did seem a little loud at first because there was a big group behind us but they ended up leaving within just a couple of minutes so that was really nice. Overall, the place felt cozy and trendy. Service was great. We also ordered the cacio e pepe but I forgot to take a picture. Overall, everything about this restaurant was amazing. I would highly recommend. read more

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Beautiful and delicious craft cocktails! I saw someone mention this place on IG and knew I had to stop in! If you're ever in the area, make sure to check it out! read more

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We went for our anniversary and we had a lovely time. We chose the Chef's Tasting, with one cocktail and one alcohol-free pairing. The food was delicious and each course better than the one before. The drinks complimented the food perfectly as well. The staff were friendly and made us feel at home. The restaurant was full but still felt cozy. We also had no trouble hearing each other over the ambient noise. We had a truly memorable experience. An easy recommend for sure. read more

Absolutely amazing! Had dinner with a friend and everything was delicious. The tater tots, bolognese, and fried chicken were all scrumptious. Hands down the best meal I had in Victoria and one of the best I've had in a long time anywhere! The place was super dark but very cozy. Great date spot. We sat at the bar; service was friendly and fast. read more

This is hands down one of the best restaurants in Victoria. The changing menu is guided by seasonal ingredients and never fails to disappoint. There seems to be a "less is more" attitude so you're not getting a dish with 27 ingredients, yet there's nothing simple about the flavour. The service is always on point and I have trusted recommendations on several occasions and have never been lead astray. Everything is served family style (I love that they provide individual tongs for sharing/serving) and comes out as it's ready, which makes for a fun dining experience. The cocktails are equally as impressive as the food with unique options, and again, I would trust the servers to steer you in the right direction if you don't know where to start. The restaurant itself has a cozy feel. The music is always good (and not too loud), which is important for a restaurant named after a song! My favourite place to dine is the back courtyard - with string lights, fire pits, and heat lamps, it has a romantic atmosphere and can be enjoyed during most seasons regardless of weather. The food is definitely the highlight, but with the rotating menu, it's hard to recommend specific dishes. They do salads and vegetables better than anyone, and even for a serious carnivore like myself, I never regret adding something green to my order. A simple sounding veggie dish can be surprisingly impressive, and never boring. The pasta is out of this world. Competes with any Italian restaurant and wins. The bolognese is a personal favourite. The meat dishes are also divine- any duck, steak, or pork dish has always delivered on taste, texture, and tenderness. All in all, this would be number one recommendation when visiting Victoria. I trust anything on the menu to be fantastic that I would close my eyes and point blindly, and still feel assured that I would enjoy my meal. read more

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JUST DON'T! In town working for a few days, stopped for dinner at the bar . The food was exceptional. Particularly the beet salad, highly, highly recommend the kitchen. Despite the brilliance of the kitchen, the staff ruined the evening . Literally was asked seven times how my meal was..... seriously? How much gratification does a millennial need? When I mentioned it to the manager as to why I left no tip, he went all defensive of his staff, and of course they can do no wrong. Fair enough, your choice, but I would never eat here again and recommend you don't either. read more

Wind Cries Mary - Tuna Quinoa salad - Wine Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Wind cries Mary is my favorite restaurant in Victoria! Its offerings consist of homey and cosy feel; they serve up some delicious dishes. I appreciate the family style servings since it allows you to try more dishes with the table. Our server was super friendly and provided excellent service! We went for the happy hour and it was amazing! We are pescatarian, therefore had numerous items we could order but we went with the Rockfish served on French bread which was very tasty! The salmon cakes were interesting, not what I expected! The signature tater tots served with jalapeño ranch and lumpfish Caviar is hands down the most decadent and luscious bite I've ever had! I highly recommend that you try it. The tater tots is a melting master piece and tastes phenomenal! Love this place!!! As always, we shall return read more

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We came here during a day trip to Victoria and were definitely not disappointed! Their menu rotates seasonally, so we had the tomato salad and some bread with olive oil to start, a couple orders of their signature fried chicken, BC nugget tomatoes, albacore tuna and a few orders of their tater tots. They provided us with a variety of hot sauces for the fried chicken, however it was juicy and flavourful enough by itself and came with housemade pickles. The portion for the bread was a bit small for the price, however the tomato salad tasted extremely fresh and went well with the blueberries and ricotta. The albacore tuna dish was the star of the show as all the flavours and textures from the edamame spread to the wonton chips complimented each other beautifully. They seated us on their outdoor patio which was surprisingly not cold at all as they had several heaters placed outside. This was a recommendation from a Victoria local and we were thoroughly impressed with both the food and service. Everything tasted fresh and the meal being served family style meant that everyone got a chance to taste a bit of everything. Will come back when we get the chance to visit the island again to try some new dishes! read more

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This was our first time here and was recommended by another server. The menu was good, lots of unique drinks and food offerings. We got the tater tots, they are not regular tater tots. They are so good! Highly recommend. read more

Wind Cries Mary - Food menu - Wine Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Would love to give a higher review but there were a couple of glaring issues. First thing, I am not sure if they are operating at 80% capacity to more easily manage the restaurant, or are they pulling the old Viper Room tactic of saying it's booked out and full to create buzz when it is actually not fully booked. Called and asked if there were any openings and they told me it was fully booked all night but they take walk ins on first come basis. Walked down around 6 to find a resto that was about 50% empty. Asked the hostess if we could get a table for two and she said they were booked but could put us on the waitlist for the bar or patio which I accepted. Went and walked the neighborhood and was called about 20 minutes later to invite us to a patio seat. We arrived and I noticed the resto was still 30% empty. When we left restaurant was 40% empty and in between arriving and leaving we never saw the restaurant full. Second- much of the staff seemed a little bothered with dealing with us. Our waitress was fairly absent, a couple of the other staff that brought dishes seemed bothered they were having to do what they were doing. Just not particularly polished at all THE BIG EXCEPTION - when I requested a Somm to speak about a few of the wines, she was EXCELLENT! Above and beyond on all levels. Personal, friendly, and obviously has a deep understanding of hospitality. Note for the resto....you would be well advised to have her train the rest of your staff in hospitality. She killed it! Wish I could remember her name, I think it begins with an M. Food was quite solid, no complaints at all there so keep it up! I forgot to take a pic of the chicken but it is definitely recommended. Would love to see your service game come up to where it belongs. read more

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Loved our Friday dinner here! Pricing is a little steep but you're paying for the vibe so I'll take it. Service was fun, chatty in the right way! Pastas are fabulous but the endive salad really stole the show for me. No reservation we were able to do a walk in for a party of 3 around 8pm on a Friday. read more

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After some booking mishaps, Wind Cries Mary went out of their way to reschedule and confirm a dinner reservation for my wife and I. When we arrived, we were given some champagne on the house which was very thoughtful of them and much appreciated. My wife and I went with the chef's testing menu which was 4 courses and dessert. Everything was fantastic and I got to try a lot of things that I wouldn't have necessarily ordered for myself but found myself enjoying. Drinks were great as well. We will be back! read more

I specifically asked for fresh oysters without the white cream. I would not recommend to order oysters at this place. Host was rude and didn't care about customers. We ordered drinks which were good and that's why deserve 1 star. read more

Wind Cries Mary - Oyster with cream part which means they let it get warm. - Wine Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

A great experience on a cool summer eve. I think the food pics speak for themselves. Love the plates and more. Good wine list as well. Is the name a reference to the Hendrix song? Must be, right? Anyway, this makes it even cooler. read more

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A fantastic and refreshing food experience that Victoria needed! I love this restaurant for a few things: first and foremost their delicious food, great courtyard seating and lovely staff. It shocks me to see some yelpers giving one stars on this place! I've been twice and both experiences were outstanding. Drinks are legit, on the pricier side for the 3oz boozy libations but delicious. I've had the black and yellow and the improved daiquiri. I loved both but prob prefer the black and yellow of the two. They also carry some fantastic wines like le veux pin on the bench in the okanagan. As for food, let's get to it shall we! We ordered four dishes: the albacore tuna, steak tartare, Asparagus, and Mac n cheese. All these dishes were insanely flavourful and delicious!! The albacore tuna was so fresh and served with fried wontons and a pea like purée. The perfect light bite. We followed this with the steak tartare on sourdough baked toast and omg the textures were unreal. The flavour had a light mustard and worked perfectly with the steak and fried capers and parm. They don't cheap out on the parm too. Just covering the plate. Next up we got the asparagus that was again, absolutely delicious - perfectly cooked with some crunch still and hearty sprinkling of sesame seeds and again parm. Prob didn't actually need the parm on this one tho. Lastly the Mac. This Mac is beautifully silky and rich but not too rich. Some restaurant macs either lack all flavour or are toooo rich, this was just perfect! A hint is spice too to the silky sauce which I loved and the use of cavatappi (my fave noodle) makes for the perfect vehicle for the sauce. Overall prob in the top three restaurant macs I've ever had! I love that this restaurant does things differently and does them realllly damn well!! The service was quick too and we got all our food within 30 minutes! Overall exceptional experience and will be back again and again and AGAIN! read more

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We spotted this restaurant because we thought the underground setting was interesting. We soon realized that the food and cocktails were what made it a great restaurant. You have to try the Kale beet salad, the housemate tater tots with jalapeño ranch and the fried chicken chicken (the green sauce is great). The cocktails, service and ambiance were also EXCELLENT! read more

Unaccommodating and mediocre service, disappointing food. Requested a cocktail to be made with vodka instead of gin and waitress refused (twice) saying the bartender was very particular about his recipes. Manager agreed to make the change. Waitress poured wines into the wrong glasses so we each got the wrong wine. Pasta bolognese was adequate, duck breast looked nice but was bland, they ran out of bread so we could not have the ricotta starter. We had been looking forward to dining at this restaurant and left sorely disappointed. read more

Great place for a date night in Victoria. We couldn't get a table as we decided try it out last minute. But we were seated at the bar quickly. We ordered the beef tartare, squid, Mac and cheese, and the fried chicken. My top two were the beef tartare and the Mac and cheese. As for drinks I was boring and went for their signature negroni and old fashioned, she got the caprese highball and dirty martini. All the cocktails were amazing, but the caprese highball was very unique, as it had umami flavours and tasted exactly like a caprese salad. The servers were very attentive, were checking up on us frequently and refilled our water glasses, and were very concerned when they learned of a food allergy and tried to make sure there wouldn't be any cross contamination. We had a great experience,10/10 would come again when I'm back in Victoria. read more

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My partner and I came to Wind Cries Mary over the past weekend, and it was decent! They're definitely a popular restaurant, as they were quite busy when we got there for our res at 5:45pm. They have a pretty good cocktail menu that's designed in a grid system, so you an easily tell which drinks are a bit lighter or heavier, which I really appreciated. We ordered the whipped ricotta, broccoli, cod, and bolognese. Overall, the food was okay, and the portions were really good for the price (but maybe that's just bc I'm used to US prices/portions). The whipped ricotta was on two huge pieces of bread and had olive oil and honey drizzled on top, which I really liked. The broccoli was quite a large portion for us, and some of the pieces I found undercooked as they were still a little tough. I think the best dish was the bolognese! It was a traditional bolognese and was very meaty unlike some other places that do bolognese and it's more of a meat and tomato sauce. They put SO much bolognese on the pasta, and since it was spaghetti, it was a little tougher to get all the sauce on the pasta, so I did have kind of a comical amount of bolognese sauce leftover on the plate. My partner said the cod was good and was cooked well! Overall, I really liked this spot for the vibes and ambience - it was super cozy inside - but I think the food could have been seasoned slightly better. read more

Excellent spot The food was amazing Service was exceptional and friendly Ambiance was dark and inviting read more

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Ambiance: 4/5 Service: 5/5 Food: 4/5 Overall: 4/5 We were looking for a tapas spot to share a few small plates and came across this place and had to check it out! We went on a Monday and we're able to make a reservation just a few hours before to be safe, but there was plenty of seating when we got there so we had the option of a patio or inside which was awesome! They have quite an extensive (and pricy!) drink menu which we weren't in the mood for so we went straight to the food and shared 3 plates between the 2 of us: the Mac n' cheese, tater tots, and crispy broccoli. The food came out super quickly and was delicious! The plates look small but 3 was definitely enough to fill us both to the brim. The service was also amazing! Our waiter was very prompt and courteous which was lovely. As for the ambiance, the patio wasn't anything special so we opted for inside - I liked the vibe inside with the red brick wall and music in the background. Overall, we liked it! I especially liked that they had quite a few vegetation options since usually tapas places are limited in that regards, so I'd definitely come back to try more things and maybe a cocktail next time! read more

Wind Cries Mary - Mac & cheese, crispy broccoli, and tater tots - Wine Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

I heard the hype about this place, so we made a reservation for 6:00pm on a Sunday night. When we got there, there was one other table so maybe a reservation wasn't needed. It's much nicer to sit inside than outside because the outside seats don't look comfortable or nice enough for the price tag. I did see that they have blankets available. Inside, there is a nice bar in the center. The restaurant is located on a slight basement level so all the natural light from the high windows made the restaurant have a rather bar-feel. I liked that. The decorations don't make sense and there's a slight breeze from the front door being open so it lacks the snug feel of an indoor restaurant. Overall, I wouldn't come back to the restaurant, at least not for a little while. The food is confusing, the colors are weird, and frankly, it's too expensive for too many missed promised tastes. But I do appreciate that there's a new restaurant in Victoria that's catering beyond just bar foods and Italian food. Cocktails: Black and Yellow ($16) was suggested as the best seller. It tastes like liquified Maraschino cherries. Imagine that. It's sweet and sticky for a cocktail. 1/5. Dashi Old Fashioned ($16) is a good ol' old fashioned and a trustworthy back up to the sickly sweet drink above. Island Time ($17) is ok. Try it. Ricotta Toast ($14) is not special. Black pepper on top is likely not necessary. It needs something like cooked cherries because the sourdough and whippy ricotta combo still feels like it's missing something. 1/5. Beet salad ($16) is really yummy. The colors are confusing but the beets are not. The colorful assortment of Vancouver beets are tender and juicy. FYI beet puree is purple and the green sour cream sauce means nothing because there's no taste. The whipped ricotta (the same thing above I guess) was also good. This plate is yummy for the beets themselves not for the colors or the sauces. 5/5 Mac and Cheese ($16) is watery and extremely mediocre. You could make something better at home but maybe you're too tired, so you come out to a new restaurant and have a bite ? 3/5 I had to ask for some hot sauces for the mac and cheeses and the hot sauces probably made this exciting and fun. There were 3 types - pineapple, medium spicy, and mango. I do have to say that some of them were missing the stopper on the bottle, so the sauce was running down the bottle and my hand. Hopefully, they change that. Lingcod ($30), as noted by other reviewers, is small. But Lingcod is a pricey fish so that's to be expected. The fish was salty. The orange dollop on top of the fish was supposedly some take on Georgian spice (I don't remember because it was not memorable). The best thing about the plate is the cabbage, which is amazing. The puree was ok. I suggest you put little bit of everything in one bite. 2/5 Humboldt Squid ($22): The chorizo and squid are tasty. The micro greens on top are extremely bitter and take away from the tenderness of the squid. They pureed kalamata olives which suggests that the restaurant loves to puree anything. But the pureed olives are weird and it honestly looks gross. This plate, visually, was a 1/5. 3/5 With that's that's about $160 for 2. I think with time the restaurant will find that its use of grandmother's plates and unflattering color scheme of the foods are not as attractive and hipster as some people might find. The taste is actually lacking in some dishes and exceptional in others. I expect some changes are due soon. read more

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A bit of a menu change - and for us, it's not our jam anymore. They updated their tuna salad to a quinoa/seared tuna salad and in all honesty, it's not nice to eat. The quinoa was a bit crunchy (under cooked), it had no depth and it was SERIOUSLY lacking flavour and we didn't even eat half of it, very very dismal. Asked for a lemon wedge to try to add flavour to quinoa, but it did nothing. The wait staff has changed, again, and we felt like we were a bother to them and treated quite poorly as if we were interrupting their day. It wasn't the good food we are used to, and the service was the most disappointing part of the entire 1/2 hour we were there. We ended up walking to Maiiz for tacos in Chinatown, we should have gone there instead of WCM. I don't think we will be back for a while, time to take a 6-12 month sabbatical from WCM. Also, they seated us in front of the bar where they make drinks and the servers come get them... It was an empty restaurant when we arrived and left, no idea why we had to be seated at the busiest part of a bar... read more

Wind Cries Mary - New 2024 Tuna Salad - Wine Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

The food was not very good, and it seems like it is trying to come off as fine dining but the quality truly isn't there. Very overpriced for the quality. The wine was ok but nothing special. Would not come back soon. read more

We love love loved this place. The atmosphere was very intimate as you descend the stairs to enter the candlelit space. We were a group of eight (with reservation ofc), but we were sat and served very quickly. Everything was so delicious but I cannot stop thinking about the fried chicken. A must get. read more

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My partner and I came here on the last night of our three day honeymoon (mini-moon we're calling it) and it was far and away the best meal and experience we had in Victoria. The food was incredible. We had the endive salad, bison tartare and ricotta gnudi and they were all incredible and well-portioned (it's knee jerk to assume establishments with these kind of offerings will default to skimping on portion-size but everything was more than abundant). Drinks before the meal were amazing; a cognac-forward cocktail called Laundry & Taxes was my fave, while my partner loved the Vaporwave. We each had wine with the meal was (they have solid orange/rose options by bottle and glass). The very best part of our experience was bartender Charlotte and the rest of the charming staff. We felt big love and in turn feel compelled to return it. read more

All star food. Loved the seared scallops with peas, bacon, pureed cauliflower, and pea shoots. Members of our group all enjoyed the food. Great spot for a special occasion (it's a bit expensive). Lovely ambiance. read more

Wind Cries Mary - Menu - Wine Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

I'm only giving it 3 stars because the salmon was good. The "concept" as our wait staff so pretentiously referred to it, sucked. My friend ordered the pasta and I ordered the salmon. We were promptly told that the restaurant had a "sharing concept", and how dare we order separately! The thing is, we weren't interested in sharing our food. The wait staff seemed peeved, but allowed us to order separately. Pretty decent of them, don't you think? As I said, I ordered the salmon, even though the menu said it came on a bed of mushrooms and kale, neither of which I am able to eat. So I politely told the waiter about my inability to eat mushrooms and kale, and asked if they could substitute that with potatoes or rice instead. To which our waiter staff replied snottily: "I'm sorry, we don't do substitutions." If I'd had been alone, I would have replied: "And I'm not doing this restaurant" and I would have walked out. Given I was with company, I sucked up his rudeness, ate my salmon and gave the mushrooms and kale to my companion. One pasta dish, one salmon dish and two cups of tea cost me $88.00. Not. Going. Back. Ever. read more

Wow what a disappointment. We were told it was tapas style and the food would come in the order it was ready--what we weren't told was that it would take forever to get our meals! Service was very slow and we waited 15 minutes between each course--the food also came out in a weird order meaning we didn't get our main dish until an hour and 15 minutes after we arrived. The server also didn't come by and ask if we wanted drink refills while we waited with empty glasses between courses. The food itself was good--but not worth the wait. read more

Went here on the recommendation of the bartender at Tora Tiki. What a great restaurant! Highly recommend the fried chicken. Cocktails were perfection. Beautiful dining experience. Just go! read more

Wind Cries Mary - Wine Bars Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Food was excellent but service terrible Host had snotty attitude. It took over 30 minutes between each dish so we were there 2.5 hours to eat 3 dishes read more