Just returned from a stunning dinner at Zambris. To be honest they had me with the aperitif: Spanish G&T served with fresh mint and sun dried orange: inspirational! But it was all up from there: fabulous beet salad with ricotta and lime dressing, catch of the day was perfectly cooked sockeye salmon all rounded off with a highly indulgent lemon cream tartlet topped with fresh BC berries served in the warm embrace of a signature dark chocolate sauce. The service was discreet, warm, courteous and attentive. Thank you for a wonderful evening with my daughter! read more

I was treated to a meal here as a birthday present, otherwise I would have walked out. We had a set menu, which was one of the worst experiences at a supposedly highly rated restaurant I have had in my life. The arancini as an appetizer was cold in the middle, and packed tightly enough to be hard- had likely just been removed from the freezer prior to frying. The mains were both incredibly rich to the point of inedibility, oversauced, with overcooked vegetables and extremely bitter broccoli rabe. The cannoli as a dessert was the most disappointing part of the meal: salty, damp, limp shell and a grainy sensation to the mascarpone filling. Last but not least, I can only assume their sommelier suffers from anosmia because otherwise no one in their right mind would serve us a wine that tasted like Pine Sol smells. If you're considering this place, save your money. read more

Just had dinner there based off Yelp review's. Service = mediocre to poor, did not refill drinks, bread below avg with no oil nor butter, food average to below avg for price, lot of work for the linguine w/ prawns/messy, gnocci nothing special to write home to mama, had better in Italian district in San Fran. Ambiance - poor, small, cramped, better ambiance in backyard of home. Will I visit again - NO! read more

Zambri's has lost something since we went there when it first started. Service is a step behind, dishes over salted and heavy on the mayo, and prices too high. Find somewhere newer and hungrier for your business. read more

Just had lunch there today and was quite disappointed. To give a context we are pizza aficionados and eat at Serious Pie as much as possible. We had never had pizza here so thought would give it a go. Not something I would recommend. Both in conception and execution all our pizzas were just average. Another person had the fritatta which I sampled and it lacked seasoning and was quite bland. The service also was lacking. Ordering, clearing and the presentation of the bill were all slow. And failing to check on how are food was is a major faux pas in my opinion. Food was a 2.5 and service 1.5. read more

I usual the food was excellent and the service was amazing,it is one of our favourite restaurants,I highly recommend it.

We waited forever for our drinks, and ended up having to remind the waitress to get them. This of course resulted in our starters coming too soon. Friendly enough staff but a bit harried. On top of that my partners lamb was so tough it was hard to cut. All in all not worth the price read more

Have made 6 separate efforts to contact Zambri's for a private booking to no avail. I stopped in on three occasions and sent a few emails and called. I let the daytime Manager know that the event I was hoping to host was military related - a Depart with Dignity or Retirement. I have the distinct feeling that they do not support the Canadian Forces and this is a complete turn off. All guests are well aware of the dismissal we have received from this establishment. What a shame.....I am a big supporter of local business. read more

I love Zambris. The food is great, the atmosphere is appealing, and the staff is friendly. We went on a Saturday at about 1 pm. We were in luck, because we got in right away and didn't have to wait for a table. My boyfriend and I had gone with his grandparents, so we wanted somewhere quiet, but with really good food at a great price. This definitely fit the bill. We all ordered pasta and everyone was really happy (which is rare). The only reason I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars is because the server was obviously very new and a little awkward. However, that's what you get for going in at 1 pm on a Saturday. read more

Bad food and bad service. Owner is totally an idiot. She doesn't know how to treat customers. Will never go there again. Complete waste of money. I been going to many restaurants in Victoria since I moved here and have been overall very happy with my experience but at Zambri's I totally got disappointed. I will not suggest this place to anyone. Please don't wast your money and kill your evening. read more

We stumbled on Zambri's through a review on Open Table. Visiting for a few days from the NYC area. Superb service, ample portions and nice wine selection. This restaurant rivals many of the good Italian restaurants we enjoy back home. And a pleasant walk from our hotel near the water and away from the tourist area!! read more

Absolutely delicious! I had the spaghetti with crab ragu abd it was very tasty. The pasta was perfect. I'd definitely recommend it.

One star is for a flawless charming waitress The other star is for the appetizers When I spend $250.00 for four people,two of whom ,do not drink,I hope to have an enjoyable experience and assume that the food will exceed mediocracy Nothing about this restaurant could coax me back. Harsh as that may sound ,we went there on the recommendation of a local person and it was disappointing for everyone. On a positive note,Plates were large and hot, portions were generous However the food presentation and quality, reflect an absent chef and sous chefs not up to the task with a hohum attitude and sadly, are either incompetent or inexperienced. An upscale Italian restaurant in a very competitive town ,needs to do better. It is hard to fail at mashed potatoes but they managed to. The worst I've had . When I stated that I preferred anything but polenta puddles ,the only alternative was mashed potatoes.A potato version arrived which was salty and dry The bar and lighting and seating ,were all quite pleasant ,therefore our initial impression veered to optimism. Despite being busy,there seemed to be plenty of staff and we were in no hurry When the puddle of gooey Polenta,( the worst I've ever had and seemed to appear on many dishes.) was presented with the appetizer,I was thankful that the polenta color was not brown $20.00 Duck ragu came in a bowl ,looking like a church pot luck dish and the scimpy duck had vanished into a mound of thinly sauced noodles At this point ,I began to worry. $29.00 beef tenderloin was raw and was far from edible,now my mind wondered to the general discussion about our decision to come to this restaurant and the embarrassment of the person who recommended it, was hard to conceal. .We were all reassurring and trying to downplay the obvious, that the food was not meeting expectations The waitress offered to replace the beef but it is too awkward to go that route and we declined $29.00 veal was tender and grey ,with an alleged marsala sauce , salt overpowered it and the Denny sauce ,surrounded by an equally unappealing group of black mushrooms $26.00 flank steak was tough and invisible, lost in an overbearing, bland salad Appetizers that we had, were fried breaded mozzarella ,on a bed of mint and freshly diced oranges, had two sweet red dipping sauces and one chili dipping sauce,we all liked and at $9.00,a good price and showed talent,whoever the creator was Another appetizer cold octopus and potato and red sauce,also was enjoyable $10.00 and well priced.Again TALENT Our third appetizer had a mixture of house made pickled vegetables and house made meats $12.00 and also was nice . One glass of sangiovese was good and at $7.50 ,reasonably priced The ginger rhubarb cocktail listed on the menu, did not exist ,they were out of the ingredients ,so, although it seemed interesting, it was not possible No soup was available which is my test of any chef's worthiness and personally,the meal seems sparse when there is no soup We opted to leave as fast as possible with our doggie bag ,intended for our dog.and not risk dessert ,usually my favourite part of the meal and we concluded that ,had we known ,we would have skipped this restaurant entirely Needless to say ,monday morning dog breakfast was given the waggy tail woof woof approval read more

Perfection. Friendly, knowledgeable staff, a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience. We started off splitting a uniquely delicious Caesar salad. I ordered the salmon with shrimp, crispy broccoli and polenta. Not only was it a delight to the eye but quite possibly the best salmon I've ever tasted. My husband ordered the lamb shank and made little contented noises as he ate. Even the decaf latte I ordered following dinner was outstanding. Oh, and excellent guidance in the wine selection. read more

Will not be back. A special occasion and all four of us had poor food. Our friend 's pasta was too salty, the scallops too few and too small and the crispy pork tasted and looked like spam. The place was so noisy. There was a table of drunk soccer players beside us who were shouting and swearing--we mentioned it to staff, but nothing was done. It felt like a bar, not a fine dining experience. Very disappointing. Poor food and poor ambience. read more

New location: disappointing first and second meal now! Hard rubbery mozzarella, passed off as " fresh Buffalo" should not be, and served with a cold eggplant dish it was doubly awful. Also tried the baccaola ( salt cod) which was not fresh and very chewy. Hoping that these are growing pains ( although they've been doing this a long time now) and that it will get better. The new location is such an improvement physically, but the food has to keep up to par. read more

We will not be eating here again. The service is fine, but the food is overpriced. I ordered pasta and tuna, thinking that would include a tuna steak, or slices of a tuna steak. Instead I was served noodles with a cream sauce and shredded tuna that could've come from a can. Heck, I can make tuna casserole at home! Salad was extra. Wine would've put our final bill through the roof. Really disappointing. read more

Our appetizers and desserts were really good, especially the bread dumplings and fried zucchini, and the chocolate budino. The main dishes were hit and miss though. The lamb shank was really tough, although the lentils served with it had a lovely flavour. The rockfish was cooked beautifully, but the octopus served with it was really chewy. And the breaded veal ended up soggy as it was served with risotto that left a puddle of liquid on the plate. You could tell that the concepts and recipes were really sound, but the preparation was not as strong. If I return I would have pasta, as it was the perfect texture. read more

compared to some rave reviews one might think we were at a different restaurant. The wine and ambiance were good, the food really mediocre, as was the presentation and service. We were a group of 8, and we had to pay an 18% gratuity. I've never tasted worse vegetables and the dry salmon on the bed of sticky white stuff i think it was cheese, was not appealing, nor worth $30. Our friends were equally mediocre about the white fish dish and the fatty lamb. Sorry Zambri's but the fact that your gratuity was 18%, and then you didn't live up to it made us all want to write in. read more

I was recently there for a dinner night out. My experience was a bit disappointing. There was a lack in the quality, quantity and taste of the food given the high prices. My last visit to Zambri's was only a couple of years before when the dinner experience was one of the best in the city then. read more

Went to Zambri's September, and overall for the price, quality and selection I think I can do better in Victoria. Went for an anniversary dinner started with an antipasti plate. We noticed that our plate was different from another person who it seemed was having the same thing (there was only one antipasti plate on the menu), when we asked the waitress if there were different plates, she said no that the one we'd shared as an appy was the same as the one at the table next to us - turned out they only gave us part of what was supposed to be included on the plate so we paid full price for only a portion of the antipasti plate, no offer to reduce the price or apology. Only three red and three white wine options on the menu, if you wanted it by the glass, half or full litre. Most entrees served with Polenta, which if you like it is great, if you don't not so much. Although when the waitress came by to ask how we liked the meal, my husband mentioned he didn't really care for the polenta (the marsala veal was very good though) and she did bring some roasted potatoes, something I would have chosen if we were offered an option when ordering. The space is nice and open, and the waitress was friendly but for a meal with an entree at $29 each, I think I can do better - I would prefer Fiamo, or Black Olive which I found for the same price or less, more variety, more personalized service, (Fiamo where we celebrated a birthday congratulated us with a free cocktail to the birthday girl, and Black Olive for a friends celebration also comped something - nice touch). read more