This place blew us away. We came with no reservations and sat at the bar all the bartenders and servers were fantastic drinks were amazing. Food was super good. Everything is family style and soooooo good. 5 stars but only if that's all I can give read more

I had high hopes for this meal, but, alas... First, in the tradition of new restaurants today, all hard surfaces and super noisy! We were ok at first against an inner wall with an empty table beside us, but then a table of folks celebrating something moved in beside us. Conversation became impossible, and we ended up alternately hollering across the table and pecking at our phones, not an ideal Friday night date chat. Service was pretty slow (Friday night again?), and it seemed as if the menu didn't offer many options I liked. I really didn't enjoy the fried chicken--awkward small pieces stuffed into a metal bucket with a lot of skin and not much flavor. The hot sauce, which tasted a lot like Sriracha, didn't do the trick for me. The caraway bread was good, and, to her credit, our server offered to get me a sub for the chicken. However, by then, given the all pervasive racket, I had kind of entirely lost interest in the meal. Again to their credit, upon hearing our grumbles, they deducted our drinks from the bill, but I can think of many ways to spend $45 more enjoyably. read more

Did not disappoint! Strongly recommended service was excellent . Very elegant!. Great place of a meal or drink!

We had poor service from the start. Stood outside after being greeted by the hostess at an entrance booth outside, she proceeded to take the people in front of us inside and then abandoned us in the rain. After some delay, we figured out she wasn't coming back, We then went to the inside entrance downstairs and found her oblivious to our abandonment. Once finally seated inside, we really struggled to find anything to chose from with dishes like 'Mac & Cheese' and 'Tater Tarts'. It was raining and late so we stuck it out. While the decor looks nice inside, the food fails to match. The food made little impression at all, apart from a sense that there ought to have better choices and more of it. As the dinner unfolded ,it dawned on me how mediocre a meal it was. We ended up paying $150 (before tip) for two for including the exorbitant price for a glass of wine that I ordered from the server without checking the price and when it was not priced by the glass (be warned). Overall, I share the negative impressions made by others in reviews that this is NOT a gourmet restaurant and is very unrealistic about its prices. Like numerous others, I would not recommend this or visit again. As many have noted, there are many more worthy restaurants in Victoria to support at this price point or lower. All in all, WCM is bad restaurant and provides a negative food experience. Doubt this place will last. Date of visit: September 2021 read more

Amazing dinner and drinks. Back patio suffices visitors not keen to make reservations, but with no discomfort. Splendid staff and multiple moments with eyes shut, wondering why it's so rare to encounter food this refined and humbled at the same time. Drinks outstanding. read more

My wife and I had the luxury of eating here last night. It was amazing! We were lucky to get a table on patio - which is so cool. Awesome courtyard. Thanks Jesse and Mary for making our final night in Victoria a memorable one. We will definitely be back!! My guess is a reservation will be needed. Only picture missing was the Fried Chicken - so good. read more

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One of the most interesting and sophisticated restaurants in Victoria. The chef is creative and the menu changes seasonally. Tonight my husband has excellent mussels in a subtle sauce and I had ling cod with hazelnut and capers with a tasty lentils stew. The chocolate dessert was irresistible. Will go back and highly recommend it. read more

Went during dine around Victoria event as we have always wanted to try this restaurant. Had a cocktail before dinner and ordered the dine around set meal. Our salad came before I was even close to finishing the cocktail- so felt very rushed. And things didn't get better. Salad, starter and main all lacked seasoning and while presentation was nice, I found the meal to be just ordinary. Assumed that the Dine around menu would give a taste of their most popular and interesting dishes- I was disappointed. The best part was dessert, which was delicious. read more

Fun cocktails and food was delicious (especially the apple spice cake), but service was VERY SLOW even on a Thursday evening.

Everything was epic! Fabulous service and our Sommelier kept our wine chilled and brought it back and forth to the table. Wonderful waiter- the chocolate desert was superb! First class- and what a way to end our final evening in beautiful Victoria!! read more

Noise: 10 + Rating. Owners of a July/19 new restaurant should know many customers dislike high noise levels ( or are not up to snuff if they're truly unaware). The noise level here on Friday night rivals that of Woodstock. Service: arrived 7:03 / wine surfaced at 7:34. Of course, we could have listened while waiting to the exuberant foursome next to us...because we couldn't hear each other. Food: my cauliflower steak was terrific. My companion's chicken was skin on. If you are a non skin eater for health reasons, the chicken itself was ok but 5 out of 10. First visit. Will return; anyone can have an off night. Unfortunately, of the 1120 restaurants listed on Yelp and our penchant for trying new, top rated restaurants, it mat be tough to find a time to go back. read more

Excellent experience all the way around! Great atmosphere and delicious food, and cordial staff. Would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone making a special visit to Victoria. read more

First time in and great experience! The owner and staff were all very helpful and friendly. Just popped in for a charcuterie board and we were more than impressed! Almost everything on the board was made in house and delicious! Atmosphere and decor also very cool. Highly recommend. read more

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

This was a disappointing dining experience compared to three other times here in the previous year. Those three times I would have given all but one dish a 5 star rating, ditto for service. This time, however the overall feeling was of paying the same premium price but for less quality. Two of our favorite dishes, the Tater Tots and the Fried Chicken were shadows of their former selves. Although the waiter insisted the Tater Tots were unchanged my memory was of a larger serving of crispier fries compared to the fewer square shaped unremarkable potatoes we received. The Fried Chicken was a new version which the waiter did confirm. However rather than the generous half ( or whole) chicken choice of the past the new version is all chicken thighs and much less succulent than before. The Humboldt Squid dish was minuscule in size and unremarkable as was the Chai Cake dessert. As for the drink menu as one other reviewer said it is very pricey. Two of us are well acquainted with the excellent wineries of the Okanagan and the choices on offer by the glass were mostly from unremarkable wineries when there are far better to choose from and they were exorbitantly priced. I tried diplomatically to engage our waiter in conversation about our disappointment and surprise at the changes but was only met with defensive responses. This is not the first time we have watched a new Victoria restaurant go from excellent to ho-hum leaving us feeling we had been seduced then let down while the establishment seemed to expect us not to notice. However we did notice and while we would give it another try it's definitely going to have to pull up it's socks to stay on our list of favourite places. read more

If you have any dietary restrictions - This is not the place for you! Talk about being inflexible and utterly tone deaf! We had a set menu for a group function and we had ONE person with a dairy restriction. They could not for the life of them figure this out, they kept asking if butter was ok, or if goat cheese was ok and then went on and on about how everything was already prepared etc. It made us feel very uncomfortable and embarrassed. How difficult is it to take one piece of salmon and cook it with olive oil and toss a salad without cheese??? Terrible customer service and complete ignorance about what dairy is. At $70/head this was COMPLETELY unacceptable. read more

I tried to come here for lunch because according to YELP they were open. Sadly, this establishment doesn't open until 4pm. However, as a relentless eater and lover of good cuisine, I came back for dinner and I am so glad that I did! The food was exquisite and my server, Mara, was lovely...even when she had to break the bad news that the fried chicken was unavailable. I had the steak tartare and the seared tuna (that Mara recommended). Both dishes were mouth-watering and fantastic. I made a reservation to come back on Tuesday for both the friend chicken and Mara's lovely service. Being from out-of-town, finding this level of deliciousness made me very happy. I highly recommend a visit if you're in the neighborhood. read more

Found the menu a little discombobulated. Food took ages to come out, mains served way before sides. Just didn't roll very well. Nice atmosphere and decor but needs work on getting the menu and timing better. read more

Nice place. Love the patio in the back. We just got drinks; service was good. I'll be going back to try their food

Nice new addition to Bastion Sqaure. Sat at the bar. Enjoyed a couple house cocktails, the Octopus, and "Summer Berry Crunch". The food and drinks were delicious. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly, and the atmosphere was comfortable yet still classy. Overall a very enjoyable experience. Looking forward to coming back to try more of both the food and drink menu. read more

Honestly, I am very disappointed with the food at Wind cries Mary. I ordered the $14.00 fusilli Mac & Cheese that came out looking and tasting like it was straight from the Kraft box. We also ordered the local meat Charcuterie at $29.00 with an added extra of $25.00 for the local cheeses. The Charcuterie came out looking like something you could pick up at superstore for a fraction of the price. I kept quite against my friend's recommendations and ate the fusilli Mac & cheese but only due to the fact that I was completely famished. But after taking one look at the sad $54.00 Charcuterie we immediately sent it back. Not once did the staff ask why weren't happy with the Charcuterie nor did they offer any apologies after we asked for it to be taken away. For a restaurant thats menu is as pricey as it is I would have expect a lot more with regards to their over priced food and the lack of customer service. read more

We just enjoyed the most delicious and spontaneous take- out 3 course Easter dinner tonight for our family of 5. We had plans fall through last minute and looked up Wind Cries Mary online and ordered their 3 course meal. My husband and I, and kids (12,16,18) ate every last bit! The blueberry cake dessert was delicious and unique. Thank- you for making our COVID Easter dinner so memorable and easy! read more

I went here excited on a Friday evening wanting to check out this restaurant for the great reviews on food and atmosphere. Sadly it was the worst experience ever. We were sat down and greeted by the coldest, rudest server I have come across. She was very unpleasant when we asked her questions on the drink menus. She clearly showed she was irritated by shaking her head when she left our table. We asked if she could kindly move the water decanter and she snapped at us again stating "she wasn't going to leave it there when the food came, I would Have done it for you then, but ok." We were sat at a tiny two seated table and we just wanted it out of the way. She was displeased again, and we felt very uncomfortable. After a long wait for two beers and our food we paid the bill and left. The beer was whatever was on tap and looked questionable. The food we boxed up Ourselves and took it home. Total time in this place 25 minutes. Very upset since this place is ranked high for its food and service sadly we will not be returning and not will I recommend this place to anyone because of the service and treatment we received. read more

My first visit was great; we sat in the courtyard and enjoyed a delicious bottle of The Hatch "Octobubble" brut rose. Ordered the octopus, which was delicious, well-cooked and flavorful. The server was attentive and genuine, but not too overbearing, which I appreciated. The exposed brick makes the place; I imagined I was dining in Montreal or in the Ballard district of Seattle. My second visit - indoors this time - was OK. The energy all around was low and the service was slow despite a near empty restaurant. Our server disappeared for long stretches, and the owner did not seem to take notice of the lack of attention paid to our table. It really is the little things - like taking our drink order in a timely matter - that can really make or break a dining experience. I don't like having to chase down a server to take my drink order when I have been seated and looking around the room expectantly for 15-20 minutes. We ordered a few items of charcuterie but the quality and quantity did not match the high price point. The fried chicken was the star of the evening and I would return to eat just that; however, the menu as a whole lacks theme and cohesion, leaving a lot to be desired. I struggle to put the food concept into words, and there just aren't enough crave-worthy dishes for me to return that often. The restaurant is still growing into its identity, which will take time. I am hopeful that with a few tweaks to the menu and a keener eye on the customer experience, Wind Cries Mary will become a staple in the Victoria food scene. read more

So we actually had reservations somewhere else and walked out when they wouldn't let us bring our own wine and their list was not good. Found this hidden gem walking up the street! Just wow - incredible food, so wonderful service and great wine list (we knew we would need a other bottle). The pork belly was amazing, duck to die for Nd the cauliflower was the best I have ever had anywhere!! Such a wonderful spot - so.glad we found it! read more

Had a large group dinner here and both food and service was excellent. We ate family style and had the opportunity to try many dishes. Highlights included the charcuterie platter, cauliflower steak and the rib eye. Will definitely come back. read more

Very friendly staff!! Had reso for 8:15 and everyone in charge made sure me and my guest were doing well and had all we needed!! The Rib eye and the duck were both 10/10! Owners cool too. Will be back again! read more

Amazing place, definitely have the octopus and the tuna, and the pork belly. The homemade bread is great and sos the wine selection, nice relaxed intimidate vibe. So good we went 2 nights in a row on a our 48 trip to Victoria! read more

Literally the best restaurant in the world. I've been searching for a place that has excellent service, food and drinks. I found everything hung I've ever dreamed of here. The Sharing style menu has something for everyone. Chef David is world class and delivers home runs with every bite... beautiful atmosphere, down to earth and informative staff brings harmony to your every desire. Not too expensive and the best experience my family and I have eveer had. When in Victoria, you would be a fool not to experience this gem. read more

Me and my boyfriend went to dinner here on the weekend. We both opted to do the chefs tasting. We love the idea of sharing plates so this was right up our alley. Overall the food was quite good but we feel that the chef could have showcased there menu and abilities better. It started with caraway bread and two salads. Both were very tasty. We then got two fish dishes at the same time to share..one being a ling cod dish and the other a salmon fillet. Fish was cooked well but both dishes had same side of potatoes and carrots and olives. Two fish at same time and with them being almost the same was odd. Next another two dishes came out, one pork belly with lentils and carrots and a version of a lamb stew with gnocchi and olives. These were okay, pork belly was dry and needed salt and the lamb pieces seemed to mostly be fat trimmings or something from other cuts. Meal ended with a apple spice cake. So overall the food was fairly good but there was other items on the menu that should have been highlighted in this chefs tasting to make this experience better. read more