Review Garrick's Head Pub - Victoria

This place has been around for a long time. The wood floors and old bar add to the ambiance and character to the charm of the place. Great beer selection. Fish and chips were very good. The beet salad was perfect with the addition of goat cheese and candied walnuts. Definite stop for good food and drink.

Stopped in here for quick bite while wandering around Victoria. We had a beer and a burger with the side poutine. The burger was good but the poutine was the highlight for sure, so good! Service was great too.

Update 10/9/2023: Happy Thanksgiving 🇨🇦! We are trying a day trip for the first time. Where do we go first? Why @Garricksheadpub! The tap selection is wicked awesome - still. While we didn’t order food, we did have plenty of local 🍻. 😎. If you are in the area - stop by and try a pint or two and have a bite if you are so inclined! Oh how we have missed you! The staff is changed since our last visit and yet still the same friendly demeanor and smiling faces! We stopped for light refreshments (beer of course) and their sweet potato fries. The fries are the BEST on the isle, just saying. They offer up a nice aioli spiced to medium heat max yet soothing enough with the other ingredients to compliment the fries. Our primary goal was the wicked draught list that also contains ciders and domestics too. I went after my all time favorite @hoynebrewing #darkmatter. While the hubby needed to run through a few starting with one of his fan favs of @driftwoodbrewing and #fattug - cannot go wrong with any of the choices we made. We are long time fans from the states and this is our first post-pandemic jaunt to Victoria. We felt like we came home ❤️❤️❤️

First time visit , ambience is decent. Staff is very friendly. Their Happy hour ends at 9pm. Food is Ok, drinks variety is good. Not a lot on the vegetarian or vegan menu for eating, but do recommend their power bowl as the most decent option for vegetarians

Best poutine, Cesar, and Mac & cheese we had in our trip!

Great atmosphere, very European pub feel. Nice casual menu with typical bar fare but very good. Extensive rotational beer menu, something for everyone.

The beer selection is awesome, the Bartenders are friendly and the food is top notch. We had the salad that was legit tasty and had healthy greens not just crummy iceberg lettuce like some pub salads along with the chicken tenders. Fries were perfectly crisp. Will be back whenever we are in Victoria

Huge selection of beers, like 65 on tap. It's always changing as the various island and mainland brew houses change their selection. Now with 3 wines on tap. For a total of 68 traps In my opinion they need more Porters or stouts. Right now their options for summer beer is top notch. Great appies and food at reasonable prices. Nice options, in that you can substitute a beyond burger for any of their meat burgers. Fish and chips is great, and has that British flair that adds to the atmosphere of the pub as a whole. The serving staff are always excellent and service is top notch. Many of them have been here for years, a testament to the establishment that staff don't rotate out weekly like some palaces.

Nice pub in downtown Victoria. Great bartender. A nice local place with a excellent selection of draft beer. Great fresh fries and mushroom burger. My partner has the fish and chips. It was delicious as well.

This is a very pleasant pub to stop by for a beer and bite if you're wanting about the area. They have a wide array of adult beverages that should please consumers of every variety. Service was excellent: attentive and friendly. I found their poutine and fried fish particularly delicious, but I'll admit that their meatloaf looked amazing, and I'm not a big meatloaf fan.

Excellent beer selection and good food. We especially love the yam fries (ask for them to be crispy) that are served with chipotle mayo. The beet salad is also nice.

First time back in awhile. Had deep fried pickles for an appy. Got to say defiantly one of the best. Main was their Austin burger. It had everything.. egg pineapple beet.. defiantly filling..

Enjoyable atmosphere and the staff is very friendly. Excellent food! Nicoles seem to have replaced Karens...lol! 🤪

Yes, yes, yes! If you are tired of the dry fried white meat chicken sandwich, then this is the place. Super moist dark meat chicken sandwich. Perfectly crispy, with Cole slaw on a great bun. The fries are awesome, too.

Killer french fries. Crispy, tender, flavorful. Great selection of brews. And tremendous service.

After a disappointing experience at an earlier pub, we decided to go to Garrick's Head. A good choice to say the least. The selection of drink options as well as food where very good. Right in downtown Victoria the vibe and location are great. The cherry on top of everything was our server, Vanessa, she had a great additude and was always making sure we were happy and had everything. Recommend to anyone visiting Victoria, BC!

We came in around 2pm Saturday Feb 10th and sat in the back. Pub has a great atmosphere, service was quite good as well and the selection of beer is great. I'm only rating 3/5 as the food we both ordered was terrible. I had ordered the Lemon and pepper wings and when I got them, they were far overcooked and over seasoned. It's extremely rare that I don't finish a plate of wings, which I had left four. The only reason I ate as many as i did was because I hadn't eaten since nearly breakfast. The manager was kind enough to take 25% off of our bill but it would have been nice that he come over and apologize himself and not leave it for the server to do (which she did and was very pleasant). We will be back in the future, but only for drinks.

Every time we visit Victoria we make a point of stopping at Garrick's - why you ask? They have wicked friendly staff, a great selection of on tap beer, and fresh rich savory food that is enough to satisfy anyone's taste buds from the simple to complex. Love this place!

Our favorite little pub. ....never had a bad meal and husband loves the beer selection. We go to the Garrick's Head Pub every time we're in Victoria. Oh and they have the best fries!!

Can't say enough good things about it. The food is always great, the staff is always friendly and quick, lots of great beers to choose from. Definitely one of the top pubs in the city!

Pleasant place to stop for a quick pint or a quick bite. No as expensive as some of the other stops on Gov't. St.

Travis was out waiter....sat at the bar to watch the Seattle Seahawks game and Travis went out of his way to take care of us. Food was excellent, drinks were excellent and Travis was the BOMB!! Highly recommend this place!!

Visited from Michigan. We didn’t get anything to eat, but the service was great and the beer list was awesome!

Friendly staff great atmosphere great beers too would live to stay and try all the beers alas I have too move on but if your in the area it's a must try

My go to downtown pub. Great staff. Great beer selection with a good balance of rotators and local favourites. Good food, too. Go on Tuesday and have some Mac and Cheese.

Had to give props to the best beer spot my girlfriend and I found while visiting Victoria. The selection was fantastic and Fraiser is a stellar bartender. From beer knowledge and recommendations to general disposition and banter he embodies what a great bar keep should be. Thanks for the Vancouver pointers too! We plan on pulling up a stool 1st thing upon our return to Victoria.

I love this place! The food was delicious, atmosphere was great, loved the beer! The waitress helped us select the perfect beer.

My Favourite pub in Victoria. Fantastic Beer selection and the food is great too 👌🏻

Visiting Victoria from Sydney Australia and feeling right at home in this enchanting city and great Pub to stop over for a while and quench our thirst. Excellent beer, friendly and speedy service, along with great food. Thank you 😊

Always great food and so many beers on tap!! One of my fav places in Victoria!

We love checking out pubs and their local beers whenever we travel. Garricks was our second stop and one of our favorites. Shared a Blackstone Dark Matter with my husband. We give it a 6/10. The day was gray and dreary, not unusual for this time of year, so we also shared a bowl of french onion soup. That gets a 1/10 only because the bread that came with it was decent. The soup itself had absolutely no personality and there were no onions. On to the service... Absolutely loved our bartender, Stefanie. Very personable, helpful and cute as a button. Would definitely go back for two reasons. #1, of course, because we love Stefanie. #2 is that they have a lot more great local beer selections that we're dying to try. Would highly recommend this place. Just stay away from the soup.

Great food, beer, staff and atmosphere. I couldn't ask for a better Pub.

Great beer, great food, great staff, great night

Great food, great atmosphere and an excellent waitress!

My favourite bar for great drinks!! Love this place it's a must go to whenever I'm in Victoria!!

Great staff, made feel welcome straight away. 55 beers to choose from, good meals, can't go wrong.

We stopped in here to have bite to eat. Really i saw the sign outside that said 55 beers on tap! Being from Eugene Or. Im used to that. When i looked at the list i noticed there was only about 7 beers that i knew of! JACKPOT!!! Had a couple of pints dbl ipa from dead frog and fat tug from driftwood as well as a monster of a pulled pork sammich. Great food! The next time im in Victoria i will stay longer and sample more crafts.

Always a good time and a lot of fun. Great staff, great service. Always brings me back..

Great atmosphere, food and staff!

Fine drinking establishment one not to be missed while visiting Victoria BC!

The bartenders are the best !!!!

Horrible service, nobody welcomed us so we had to pick our own table and after a really long time a waitress came by and changed us to another table that was near the kitchen and it smell really bad. I asked her for the menu and she replied that I couldn't get any alcohol (which I didn't ask for) and she need it to see my id. My mom said it was fine, we just wanted to have some to eat and she said no. She kept asking for my ID which I didn't have at the time cause I was not going to drink! She said that in order to be there I had to show her the ID, even if I wasnt drinking, she have us the menu at one point but after I told her that I didn't have mi I'd she snatched the menu from my hands I told us that we have to leave. So I'm a tourist, and I ask her how to get back to the ferry and her reply was that she wasn't any kind of guide. I by no means were rude to her so I don't know if this girl had a problem with me for been Latina or something but I just wish to let you guys know that it was a really bad experience with a lot of racism from her part. She didn't even gave us her name and I guess we are never going back!

One of the best burgers that I have ever had. Beer is good too. Waitress was very good and friendly.

Great pub! Awesome food and great service... The pulled pork was delicious!

This place was a blast.

Found a nice private corner to have catchup with a friend. Table was oddly high for the chair but we made due. Setting was pretty dark. Tuna burger was hearty and the house salad was a nice balance with the fries. Extensive burger list which i didnt expect!

Delicious food, great atmosphere. Service was great and nice smell from the wood fireplace. We will definitely be back to experience those freaking amazing fries.

This place is just OK. Beautiful pub though, awesome bar, tons of beers to choose from. It seems like they almost have too much room though and need some more tables in there. The service was really lacklustre, no greeting so we just say where we wanted, a couple of bar tenders looked at me with no expression and eventually someone came over with a menu. Not very friendly.<br/><br/>I ordered the lamb burger with onions rings and a salad, the salad was pretty standard, onion rings were good and it was a generous portion size. The burger was nothing special, slightly overcooked the burger but the tzatsiki was very nice. I didn't like the whole wheat kaiser bun, didn't seem like the right kind of bun for this particular burger.<br/> <br/>I can't really put my finger on it but it just didn't feel welcoming. It felt as though maybe it's a great place for locals to hang out and drink and chat to the bar tenders otherwise you're almost ignored. Food was just standard, nothing special.

I think of this place as a true pub.<br/>A good one. A real one.<br/>I don't remember it always being like it is now.<br/>They're not doing anything retro or themed it seems to me. They're just running a great pub.<br/>To start with. No fooling around. What looks like 50+ taps greet you when you walk in the front door. So many that they have revolving beer menus on flat screens above the bar to keep track.<br/>BIG heavy wooden furniture. Knarley dark Wood floors. Tall windows. Big wooden bar. Great servers.<br/>And that's it. And it works. Loud animated conversations happening all around. Good to great food. But mostly. Beer.<br/>Your duty is to find, discover, a great one out of all the choices and enjoy your company.<br/>A great place to meet up with friends and family.<br/>Was gonna say If they added live music in the evenings this place could scoop all the Swans biz and challenge the CC.<br/>But I don't know.<br/>This place might be perfect as is.<br/>Cheers.<br/><br/>

Worst service i experienced. Long waits for service. Rude and unfriendly servers. If u can find something better to eat at - Do it! Waste of time and money.

Great Beer. 55 beers on tap, yes please. Service can be slow, so you'll want to plan your orders ahead of time. That's probably the only real criticism of the place. Food is average but shouldn't be the reason you're going there.

Nice beer choice but it will break your wallet. Came here for the beer but I had no idea they charged such an insane amount for their pints.<br/><br/>Our server sucked, took her 10+ minutes to ask us if we wanted drinks, and she came about twice after that. <br/><br/>food wasn't bad but nothing special.<br/><br/>wouldn't go here unless you really want one of the beers they bring in.

You are a giant tool 'TV ovetload'. Don't look at the TVs if you don't wish to. The food was awesome, our server was super friendly and the beer list was endless. If you're looking for a great pub experience this is your place. Cheers ;)

Average food terrible service and staffs pick beer was off. Server didn't care at all. Too much good beer and good pubs in Victoria to waste your time here.

Under is the word for the day!. Bad choice! Went there to have a beer and a few bites...the beer was ok (White bark), but the wings were undercooked and underseasoned...just a bad choice...

TV overload. I used to love Garrick's Head but guys, what is up with the trillion TVs? If you aren't a sports bar, is it really necessary? People go to a pub to visit and relax and have actual human contact, not to stare at a screen. Multiple televisions more of less ruins the otherwise old timey feel of cozy dark wood. Remove the TVs or at least have just one if (if you must) and I'll be back. People go out to experience the tangible, tactile world, not to watch television!!! We can do that at home.

Best Pub in the core. I always liked the Garrick's Head- it's a good brush of authenticity in a part of town stuffed with awful fake places like the Irish Times and the Bard and Banker. Ever since they renovated their restaurant and expanded their menu they have done nothing but impress me. It's pretty hard to find a pub that actually has vegetarian OPTIONS (ie, more than one). Love the place.

Pretty good.. Beer was cold. Wine was decent. Nachos were generous and tasty. Good spot for an easy going drink and snack.

Great spot. Great people.. The Garrick's Head is and has been a favorite haunt for Victorians for over a decade and with the somewhat recent expansion the place has gotten even better. If you want to drink bottles of MGD over a delicious craft beer from one of the many microbreweries in town then go to Earl's or The Cactus Club where you belong with all the other twinkies and douchebags.<br/>Bottoms up!!!

Incredibly rude server name Tessia. Manager would not introduce themselves and validate that she was actually the manager. Seems like a bunch of young kids trying to run a pub but there are so many better places in Victoria. I would not recommend it here out of all of the options to choose from, this pub really needs to consider the value of who they hire. Beer tastes the same everywhere. Might as well go somewhere there is no Tesia to ruin your evening

Enjoyed the food as always....will go back again!!!

Excellent mussel in lemon grass sauce

Great!. Our experience here was great, from the service to the drinks to the food. Partner said the pulled pork sandwich was the best thing he's ever eaten! The rest of the food was pretty good as well. Will definitely be returning.

Excellent selection of beer on tap, and the chicken Caesar wrap/salad/fries was one of the best meals I've had in a pub. The only negative was the music was so loud it was hard to have a conversation.

They were good. They expanded too fast and now they are a disappointment. Don't chance the veggie burger and then tell the customer he is wrong for noticing. It's the only thing I ever eat here. Server is awful. Beer isn't enough to coast on.

Great Service, Friendly staff, decent food.. Nice balcony, hangs overlooking the Sunday market, great for people watching and having a cold one. Service was great, tuna burger was really good.

I love the Garrick's Head Pub! Always have and always will! Especially the boys behind the bar.... :)

Service has been perfect both times. Great meatloaf sandwich.

Good food, fast and tasty. Good service with a clean and clear friendly atmosphere, our new Victoria go too Pub.

Convienent sports pub. We were downtown for some Christmas shopping and had an attack of the hungries so we thought it was good time to try out the renovated Garrick's Head Pub. We sat at the bar which was kind of nice. There was an extremely overworked bar tender who was doing the best he could at meeting the orders. We started off with a couple of nice glasses of draft beer. I had a maple cream ale which was really good. Marla tried a wheat ale and liked it. For me and my small appetite I had a cup of minestrone soup. It was non memorable but okay. <br/>Marla had a hamburger platter - the beer battered potato chips were excellent. The burger was okay. It got a little lost in the pickle, sauce, onion, tomato and whole wheat bun combination but it was good and worth trying.<br/>The Garrick's head doesn't have the atmosphere of the Bard and Banker or the Irish Times it actually feels more like a saloon which suits the building's heritage; after all the Garrick's Head has been a working beer pub since the late 1800s.<br/>It is worth going to but there are other places to try too.

Nice expansion, but the new space is extremely loud when full of patrons, probably the loudest atmosphere in town. Any chance you guys could install something to absorb some of the noise? When you can barely hear the music in a pub something's not right.

First time's a charm!. Despite living in Victoria for over 10 years, I have to say that it had never occurred to me to eat at the Garrick's Head Pub until I saw the media coverage of them expanding their location. It intrigued me that we had a pub right under our noses that had been part of Victoria for more than a century. Other reviews had reported that the food was cheap and tasty, with a low key vibe that appealed to locals. I wanted to see if what they said was true, so my dining partner and I went in for lunch one afternoon while holiday shopping.<br/><br/>The new part of the pub was nicely done. We sat at the back, part of the original space. I couldn't believe that they had a REAL WOOD FIREPLACE at the back, surrounded by cozy tables. What a nice atmosphere for a cold afternoon!<br/><br/>I ordered the butternut squash soup and a vegetable platter. The soup was amazing; it came in a large bowl garnished with cilantro, and was smooth and delicious. The vegetable tray was diverse and plentiful, with a great selection of fresh veggies: carrots, celery, cucumber, zucchini, green beans, cauliflower and tomatoes. Yum!<br/><br/>My dining partner ordered the burger with fries and a salad and claimed that it was one of the best burgers he had had in a pub! The fries were tasty (I did steal a few of his) and he also enjoyed a great pint of local beer for around $5. <br/><br/>The best part is we came away from that nice lunch with a very reasonable bill of around $38 including tax. Excellent lunch, charming atmosphere, prompt and attentive service in the best part of downtown Victoria. Compared to other pubs in the area I think the Garrick's Head Pub is an excellent deal.

Change is not always good.. My firends and I ofen visited Garrick's Head Pub for food and drinks. It was laid back, no line up, decent service and predicatable food. Their fries were pretty amazing and your typical selection of pub food including burgers. They had a great selection of beer at reasonable price and their servers were friendly. Since they have renovated I have no desire to go back. The service is awful, the hostesses are extremely unhelpful, the ambiance in the new part of the pub is like sitting in a change room with brigh lights and no character. They also tell you there is no room and offer no solutions. The best features of Garrick's Head Pub no longer exists.

Go for the atmosphere and beer... AVOID THE FOOD.. Unless you are in the habit of bombing your gut with grease and have built up the excess stomach bile needed to handle it, you may end up wanting to vomit for 45 minutes post meal as I did (Fish and Chips, I'm looking at you). <br/><br/>Plus, the poutine disappoints in a big way.

Best pub food in town. I've been here about 4 times now, and I've tried the Parmesan chicken, pulled pork sandwich, and shepherd's pie. The pulled pork sandwich was better than Pig (IMHO), shepherd's pie was awesome comfort food (if a little unconventional in presentation), and my only complaint was too much cheese on the chicken. And really, when is too much cheese ever a problem with a $15 entree? It's usually the other way around.<br/><br/>Oh, and the Caesar salad is just right: not too dry, not drowning, and plenty of Parmesan.

Cozy,cool and friendly!. So on a recent excursion downtown,the missus and I wandered into this little establishment after being soured by the lineup at the Irish Times...boy I was glad that we did!When we first walked in,i was shocked at how small the interior was but it was packed so it seemed like a good sign.No tables were open,but the friendly waitress offered us a place at the bar between some locals tipping back a few and enjoying some stories together. Right off the bat we were welcomed to the pub ,not by the staff but the patrons,who gave us a brief rundown of the place and how much they likedit here.They were very funny,interesting and added to the overall 'Cheers' vibe that the place gave off. We ordered a couple of pints and browsed the menu,both settling on the battered fish and chips. Whle we waited for the food,the barflys kept us entertained with their stories and we shared some laughs all around. The food arrived within minutes...huge portions and presented very nicely for pub fare. The fish was battered perfectly with a hint of dill in the mix..nice touch.The fries were seasoned just right and the slaw was great too! After the meals were finished,we stuck around and chatted with our newly found friends and swapped stories back and forth until it was time to move on. Great first impression,cozy and entertaining..good food and great company,loved all aspects of the experience.Thumbs up to the hard working staff and the locals for keeping us entertained!

Current Downtown Pub Favourite. Solid food at reasonable prices. Excellent local tap selections. I like the ambience as well, although it can get fairly noisy at night (still nowhere near as noisy as Irish Times though). There's a great patio in the summer, and cozy wood fires in the winter.

Favorite Victoria Fish and Chips. Every time I go to Victoria I stop at the pub for a snack and a drink. We randomly found it when rain forced us inside and I am very glad we did. Mostly have had only the fish and chips and wings but they have all been great. The service and value are also hard to beat. A great little pub<br/><br/>Service - 5/5<br/>Food - 4/5<br/>Value 4/5

The food is what you expect--pub comfort food. Very decent. But the two guys who were behind the bar on this lazy Thursday afternoon were less than accommodating. Glasses bartender was decent enough but the 'my poising stink' help (barback relieving an actual server I'm not sure) was enough to make a return visit less than likely. First impressions are everything.

Love it! I've been here about half a dozen times or more over the last few years and it's never dissapointing. Great customer service and music. The fish was perfect and the fries were wonderful. Even the French onion soup was delicious. Good old fashioned pub food and atmosphere. A great place for a quiet drink anytime of the week.

My Favourite Pub. I love this place for lunch, dinner or drinks after work. It fills up in the summer or when there is a game on, but the food, drinks and staff are worth the crowds. My coworkers and I come to the Garrick's Head for vitually every social event and know most of the staff by name. <br/>Especially considering the food I've had at the nearby Irish Times and Bard & Banker has been less than lackluster to say the least, you should skip those pubs and come to the one where you'll actually enjoy your meal.

A cozy pub in the afternoon perfect for a mid-day beer and some wings

Best pub in Victoria hands down, the servers are what makes this place!! They aswell have nice selection of beer on tap, the waitresses are very cute especially this one names twila!! All the staff have been there over 10 years!! Great place when you want to be able to here the company you bring or just have a drink and watch a hockey game, the food is decent Stick to the burger or nachos!!

Winter spot. Good place to go in the winter when the tourists are gone, don't bother in the summer.

Beer!. Best drinking hole in town....food can be kinda touch and go..

Comfy. Good place to drink , not pretentious like some of the pubs downtown - kinda worn shoe homey.

A really good true pub! Great portions and delicious menu. Good selection of drinks and the game on the TV. A great contrast to the price gouging yuppie den that is the Irish Times.

Massive portions. Nice pub feel and the huge portion of chicken wings washed down with a variety of ales were excellent

I really enjoy this place as a downtown alternative. It's a smaller place but it is a enjoyable place to drink. I have not eaten there so not sure about the food, but I believe there drinks were affordable.

Yes Please!. Always full at dinner time in the Summer, so try to get there early, especially if there's a game on. The last time I went to the Garrich's Head, I had the beef dip sandwich. It was HUGE and very tasty. Friendly, attentive staff make the general feeling in the Garrich's Head a good one. The menu is typical pub fare, the beer list carries local brewerys, and the outdoor patio is an excellent place to sit and chat on a hot Summer night.