Review Canoe Brewpub - Victoria

Nice restaurant with a lot of spaces indoor and also nice patio. There are customer parking spots so I never had difficulty parking downtown. Service is great, reasonable waiting time for the foods to come but a bit slow at the end after we finished and wanted to leave. Foods have nice decorating and tasted quite good for pub foods.

We had a really nice outdoor table. Tried the canoe burger, poke bowl and kids chicken tenders. The fries are delicious! IPA was traditional style and enjoyable. House red wine was good also. Service was personable and efficient. We will return!

Beautiful patio. Nice sunshine dinners. Great atmosphere. Friendly staff. Food selection is pretty good. Need more beverage options esp domestic beers in bottles. I'd go back. Looks like I have to drink Corona beers. The poutine gravy was quite salty.

Great setting and brick building. Right on the harbor. Inside beautiful. Local brew excellent. Had the HELLES pale bavarian-style lager and was enjoyable. Had curry tomato soup and did not enjoy to my liking nor the fried chicken. Should have read menu better. Service was good to ok. Ambiance is chic. I’d return for the beer, ambience setting but different food choices.

Great ambiance, views and service. The menu lacks a few of my quintessential pub orders but the stuff they have isn’t too bad. They’ve generous portions but are tad bit expensive. Seating arrangement is nice and spacious. I had the veggie burger which was slightly dry but the flavour was great. Decent sized side of fries. The Chicken wings only come in one flavour and it wasn’t bad. Tacos are a surprise package. They are marked as a starter but are meal sized when combined with a side of fries.

Very clean and lovely space. They do have a 2h limit per table. The fish and chips were decent however the humus appetizer wasn't memorable. The beer flight was very good. Staff was very kind.

At 65.00 a plate for New years, No music , early covid curfew , I was skeptical. But the food was delicious and the waiter very personable. The room was aglow with lights from the chandelier and the huge Christmas tree and reflecting off the windows. It was worth the money and felt like a perfect evening out.

Awesome patio and great service! Great beer brewed in-house. Great place to start your night as it is downtown with lots to do and see near by! You even get a view of the new bridge from the patio.

Huge, gorgeous looking brewpub, lots of wood and metal, with different sections of what seems to be a gigantic barn. We usually hit the bar, but this time around it was full, so I feel like we didn't get as good service as we usually do, in the sense that we waited long enough that we could have had another beer. Too bad, because the beers were good. Simple styles, but well done. Didn't try the food. Prices okay.

Since moving to the Victoria area 3 years ago, Canoe has become my absolute favourite place to go. I’ve been to 3/4 of the restaurants, pubs, and craft breweries in the greater Victoria area, and this place comes on top for me. Any family members, or friends who come visit, I ALWAYS take them here and they are never let down by the hype I bring up about it before. The building couldn’t be any cooler or more beautiful, old brick with lots of history, the staff have gone above and beyond and I don’t say that lightly. They have fantastic beer that they brew on location (I’m a beer nut), and the food is amazing and constantly fantastic. You can literally order anything in the menu and have a 99% chance it’s going to be amazing. A must if you like historical architecture, delicious beer, and tasty inspiring food.

Nice patio on a sunny day! Small portions of food, good drinks though. You’re paying for atmosphere. One of Vic’s only Oceanside patios ... I hear the dancing is fun with the live music on the weekends. Service is usually fine. :)

The food is decent but I go here primarily for the patio and the view, sometimes for a pitcher with friends to enjoy a sunny day. It's a massive building with a restaurant, a pub section and easily one of my favourite patios in the city.

We went to the Canoe Brewpub for lunch and we were both throughly impressed. <br/>I had their quick lunch which was a chicken salad sandwich with cranberries and apples with side salad and potato soup. My boyfriend had the canoe burger and fries. They were both delish. <br/>The beer was also great! We tried to two specials (watermelon and white ipa) and the pale ale - both delicious! <br/>Our server was great also. Very accommodating and friendly.

Great harbour view and classy ambiance. Tasty craft brewed beer (but no fruity beer option, not even in a bottle, despite it being a relatively fairweather day in April). Food was quite inspired, with some unique culinary flair - great visual presentation of the salads, and soup had an abundance of fresh dill and other lovely herbs. But, I would have preferred more vegetarian options. I agree with opinions below that this place could go from a 70% to a 95% with a bit more variety in their food and beverage options!

Live music hot spot on the water. Large venue, with indoor and outdoor spaces away from the stage if you need a quiet table. Multiple bars, ample seating, good drinks.

The location and stunning water views of this place are unlike anywhere else in Victoria I've been. It's a great idea to have heat lamps and blankets on every chair, being on the water it can get a little chilly. <br/><br/>The wait staff are friendly and helpful in making suggestions as to what is good on the menu. <br/><br/>My dad got their Aussie burger when it was still a part of the menu and ranted and raved about how good it was. I've had their steak frites and short rib tacos, both of which were incredibly well done. We really enjoy coming here when we're in Victoria.

Canoe is a little bit out of the way from the main downtown area. It's off a side street so you might miss it if you aren't looking for it. But this is an amazing dt location. Not only do they have a gorgeous patio by the water, but they also have live music and drinking/dancing inside. It's a bit pricy but the foods great. They have balcony blankets if you get cold which is a really nice touch.

Canoe was our destination for dinner one early-evening during a recent stay in Victoria.  We had missed getting there during our February stay, I had it high up on our to do list for this stay, and we were sure not disappointed -- wow, what a lovely spot, with good food and beverages to match!<br/><br/>The day was bright and sunny, the setting shined, and looked very welcoming upon arrival.  And luckily, we managed to catch a spot for the car in their small parking lot, when we got there about 5:20 pm, or it would have been back out trying to find parking on one of the nearby streets (note:  when you park in their lot, you see the hostess on duty at the time, to catch a parking permit to place on the car's dash).  The building, erected in 1894, has been designated as a heritage site on the Inner Harbour.  It's lovely inside and out, with all the red brick, wood finishings, and decorations.  <br/><br/>We chose a table inside, the weather was sunny, but it was a touch too cool and windy for us to sit outside in the patio areas.  Once in and settled, our server was at our table with food and drink menus.  We ordered cold beverages, then sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed them and the surroundings for a while before ordering food.<br/><br/>Drink:  Mom ordered an ice water w/lemon, and daughter and I a flight of beer, their 'core brands' -- a lager, pale ale, IPA, and a dark ale.  The beers were cold, flavourful, and tasty -- much-enjoyed, and got our taste buds off to a great start.<br/><br/>Food:  we ordered three of what they call 'smaller plates & sharing' -- w/descriptions from menu - the flash fried Humboldt squid (w/shaved fennel, roasted shishito peppers, parsley), wings (w/chili-shallot glaze, burnt scallions, slaw), and the margherita flatbread (mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, arugula, basil, olive oil, parmesan).  When the plates and board were brought to our table, there was a rather loud 'wow' from each of us! it all looked so good - the presentations so bright, colourful, and nicely-arranged.  Then the tastings - we thought the preparations were as 'perfect' as they could possibly be - the food fresh, very distinctively spicy (but not overly), so flavourful, and tasty.  The squid and wings were almost unbelievably tender, and major taste treats.  This was our first taste of flatbread 'pizza', and it turned out to be such great dish to accompany the others.  There was nothing was left on the plates to go back to the kitchen, except a few small streaks of sauces, and the like!<br/><br/>We thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience at Canoe.  It was such a pretty and welcoming spot, offering such well-prepared and presented food, drink, and fine, friendly service.  Canoe will definitely be near the top of my 'must return to' list when we get to Victoria next.

Canoe is hit or miss for me. I typically enjoy the food here - they have a pickled fennel salad here as a side that I could eat up as a main dish - but the beer is sometimes excellent and sometimes it just misses the mark. Despite the prejudice of some of the locals, when the beer at Canoe is on it is quite good — but I have found the quality to be inconsistent. Sometimes their choices baffle me as well. They have two ESB recipes, apparently. One is quite bitter and the other is well balanced, the key characteristic of a good ESB in my opinion. But someone at canoe favours the bitter recipe and I have to wonder why bother with the ESB at all since they may as well put out another style of IPA instead? <br/><br/>I think it could be argued that Canoe probably has the best patios in town and it can be tough to get a spot in the Summer. The interior is a matter of choice. Some people love it, some detest it. I like the side part of the pub best, but it is seldom open.

The location is amazing and the atmosphere is great. There's lots of space. Unfortunately the food was very mediocre, and the lager tasted more like an IPA. Our server was not attentive and I felt like she was in a rush to get away from our table each time we asked for something.

Canoe club has been the only thing people have been talking about recently. Every time I meet a friend, this place somehow comes up in the conversation. Wanting to know what the big deal was with this place, my family and I decided to go there on a Monday evening to celebrate my mom receiving her master’s degree. I have to be honest, this restaurant could not be better situated. It is downtown and right by the water. The patio is literally facing the upper harbour. It is a very nice restaurant. The patio is made of big stones, but flat enough that it is not uncomfortable to walk on it. There is a very cozy atmosphere to the whole place with the red bricks used for the building and the stones for the patio. Live bands apparently play during the weekends. The food unfortunately left me unmoved. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great either. I had the pasta and I found the dish too spicy for my taste. I also had the apple ice cream dessert and while it was original, it wasn’t the best I

So Much Potential.... I've been in Victoria for years now and am still trying to will Canoe Brewpub to read the reviews which all say the same thing and take initiative to take it from 70% (deserved) to it's easily attainable 95%. Canoe has an awesome heritage building, an amazing patio, great location,cool décor, they brew their own beer and I appreciate what they are trying to do with the whole 'local' thing and the culture scene. This just make it all the more frustrating to endure the sustained attempts at a pretentious hipster food/drink menu, with accompanying pretentious prices. The food isn't bad but the quality/quantity/price ratio always leaves me frustrated. I almost exclusively get the burger as it's one of the few constantly delicious items and doesn't break the bank, though it's now up to almost $18. If you want to go hipster-trendy at least give me a mac&cheese item. I find their drink prices a little high too. I also think their 'daily special' prices could be a bit more 'special'. As noted by many others service is spotty as hell here. Apathetic, self-entitled servers seem to be a bit of Victoria Special that many places struggle with, but where Canoe is wholly responsible is the wait times for service, which are often unacceptable. I keep occasionally going here because I adore the building and setting, and keep hoping they would put in the work with the food and service to warrant me coming here All.The.Time, because I really want to LOVE this place, they just give me a reason to.

Nice location at the edge of Chinatown. The bar/restaurant is located just outside of Chinatown and is a good place to go to for a waterfront view of their private marina and to grab a quick bite and beer. Venue is spacious with the bar on the ground floor and the restaurant up a flight of wooden stairs. However, the tables were too close together and we felt really cramped with the our chairs hitting the back of others. The chef that night could have been lighter on the black pepper. All our entrees were heavily doused in black pepper (garganelli carbonara, steak frites) and took the other potential flavours of the dishes away. Despite the food not tasting the way we hoped, it's a nice place to go to for a change in scenery.

Bland-o-rama. I want to love you Canoe, but your food is so inconceivably bland...I didn't know fries could have no taste. Love the patio and atmosphere, and the service was very friendly. Agree with other reviews - food used to be good, but now the menu just overcommits and underdelivers.

Our waitress was indifferent, the menu was limited, expensive, and not very tasty. The only ones interested in eating the flatbread were the local sparrows! Won't go back, ever!

Great ambience. Food has never blown me away. And although I'm a huge fan of most local beers, Canoe beer has never done it for me. Sometimes go for their Appy specials but the selection is weak and we have never liked it much. Tried the white beam dip today. Bland and boring. Flatbread almost seems stale. Dip doesn't even compare to a generic supermarket humous. Seems like this would be too easy. Another downtown restaurant making it on ambience and location more than quality of food. Fun place to drink on a weekend at night if you can tolerate the limited beer selection.

Nice patio, ok food, bad beer, way overpriced. Been to the Canoe Brewpub several times with friends. Last round I ordered the overpriced cod and chips at $19. Small pieces of fish and skimped on the fries. I'll give them that their in house ketchup was quite tasty.<br/><br/>I'm not a big guy and I left hungry. My poor wife had to deal with me starving and hangry just 3 hours later. The venue itself is great but I have nothing good to say about the food, portions, or beer. Many many many better restaurants to eat at around time for 2/3 the price. Gave them quite a few chances, won't be returning.

Good pub food, don't go if you dislike loud open spaces. I have eaten at Canoe 3 times and have not been disappointed yet. The food is well-prepared, fresh, and tasty. The menu isn't amazingly innovative but it has something for everyone and is good pub food. The restaurant building is neat, however if you are looking for a quiet/private/romantic night out I wouldn't recommend it, simply because it is an open-concept layout and the high ceilings mean the whole place can get noisy. I didn't mind it though. Also, their patio is awesome!

Good beer; poor service. Disclaimer: this review does not reflect on the beer (which was pretty good), but the service (which was rather poor). <br/><br/>We waited at our table for 10 minutes and after no service from any server I made my way to the bar. At the bar I was once again ignored by a bartender who was much more interested in getting a woman's number than taking my order.<br/><br/>After finally getting the bartender's attention, I ordered the sangria which was on special that night. If you're going to advertise sangria specials, do your customers a favour and serve sangria. Red mix with bar fruit and club soda does not constitute sangria. <br/><br/>At the end of the night I went to settle my tab and was handed the card terminal with the options "tap, insert, or swipe". When I went to "tap" my card I had both the terminal and my card yanked from my hand. Let me be clear on something - if I wanted you to handle my credit card, I would have given it to you. I understand the "tap" option may not present me with the possibility to tip, yet you were so presumptuous I was going to tip you for your spectacularly poor service it warranted jerking my credit card out of my hand to make sure I did.<br/><br/>To the brewers: good job, the beer we had was great. <br/><br/>To the management: there are plenty of places to have good beer in this city. The poor service I received mean s Canoe is no longer one of them.

Just awful. This was my second time eating here. I don't know why I went back a second time. The selection is weird for lack of a better term and obviously trying too hard to customize their menus for foodies. The first time I ate there I had the duck confit flatbread... with pickled zucchini and some weird sweet sauce. Flavours don't work together but it was a least edible. Yesterday I ordered the Duck and pork terrine. It was like cold, bland Spam on a plate with random sides of pears in a mustard sauce, onion jam, pickled cauliflower and bread. I'll post a picture. It doesn't even look appetizing. I didn't eat it so the waiter took it off my bill. That was really nice of him. The atmosphere is nice and the location is great! The Staff seemed nice so no complaints there but maybe change your menu a bit. people seem to loooove the mussels and chorizo though so if that's your thing, try that.

Horrible Selection of Food. The Saturday after Christmas I met some friends visiting from Vancouver at the Canoe Brewpub. I was envisioning the burger or steak would satisfy the lone male in our group of 4. Also reflecting on the calamari i had returned for 2 or 3 times last summer, I was the one who talked them into it after hearing the menu was lacking. "no, it has changed" I muttered. It had changed alright, it had changed into an illegible list of over priced concoctions that would not appeal to any beer drinker. No simple burger, no steak and no calamari. <br/>Now I understand there is a lot of "seasonal" food in Victoria but there was not one single thing on the menu that appealed to any of us. We are a bit picky but who isn't. We would have stayed and consumed many more beverages and believe me we wanted to stay, eat, drink and groove to the funky band "Gemini" as we had a great seat but we were starving and the choices were not worth our time or our money. Ferris's Oyster Bar won our money for many drinks and many plates that night.

Best Patio.. So even though it is winter, I think it's necessary to bask in the glory of the summer that is to come. The Canoe Club patio is the best in Victoria. On top of he view, you get exquisite craft beers and real, local, healthy (relatively) food! I must have the calamari every time I get here, and the homemade ketchup needs to be bottled and sold! Thumbs up Canoe club.

First time eating here, the service was terrible. Took waitress 20 mins before taking our drink order, 10 mins later she came back and asked drink order again, she'd forgotten she'd already asked us. 10 mins later they finally arrived. Took 15 mins until she came back and asked for our food order. Food took 50 mins to arrive (I understand not waitress fault). She never came back to our table to ask how food was or if we wanted anything else. After our plates were empty, took her 20 mind, until finally we had to ask for our bill ourselves otherwise she probably never would have come back. Only good thing about the experience was the Grilled Chicken Sarni that I ordered, it was unbelievably good.

Used to be great. Not Anymore.. This place used to be great! Now I've had multiple bad experiences and I'm not going back. A lot of great menu items have been removed. Slow service, watery flat drinks, very overpriced food and the server wouldn't split the bill up for us. We ended up having to do the math ourselves when they finally came to collect our payment.

Location Location. A realtor's dream location with dockside water taxi service, ample off street parking, a great converted brick building, patio space overlooking the harbour. BUT for the price they charge for food, you are paying for the location not the food. An $18 hamburger that doesn't hold together, mushrooms are cold and a side salad in a bowl a little bigger then a shoot glass,served on a dry wood piece of plank, not making the cut on Master Chef. Can't say the site brewed beer was impressive either. Service was okay, nothing that said how is the food or come gain. Attention to detail in the design and concept, less so in the execution.

What else could go wrong? Cold food, slow service, incorrect bill, & watery drinks. I felt for our server; the processes in that place just do not work, they're doomed to failure.<br/><br/>Oh, and someone should tell the chef that cherry tomatoes are not heirloom.

Dinner....doesn't like it. Hadn't been to Canoe in awhile and was very disappointed........food is expensive and small portions. It used to have a great menu and reasonable prices. Sorry won't be back, there are other great patios in Victoria that are more affordable.

Great atmosphere. This is my first time back to Canoe in over a year and it has really changed. The food portions seem to be a little smaller but much tastier. It seems the "new" style of food is really taking off. There was a table of young people beside us that were just raving about the new menu. My husband had the duck confit pizza and loved it. I will agree with some of the other reviews on here that this pub is a bit more expensive than it's competition but well worth the extra few bucks. Great patio and beer as always. This is a summer must.

Canoe has a great patio, delicious beer & used to have good food. Unfortunately my last experience with the food was very disappointing. The latest menu is very limited & quite expensive.

What happened to this place? It used to be great, but now their food is bad and overpriced. The patio is fantastic as always, but don't come here to eat.

The French fries must be some kind of joke right? Right?

I like it. Fun place to come with friends for a casual night out. Have enjoyed some summer nights on the patio but have yet to try the food.

Never again. I never would have gone to this place given its location and will never go back again. Even more annoying is that they seem hell bent on replying to every person's post here like they feel entitled to have the last word.

Good food, loud patio. I recently visited canoe brewpub this weekend and had a great table out side in the sun on their patio, We enjoyed our food but there was a loud table at the rear that was incredibly loud and drunk screaming and swearing, we saw many tables leave and go in side or rush to leave. We were surprised no waitress' made any comments to them. It made for a very unpleasant lunch, have been many times before and had a great time. <br/>We had wings, cheese bread as appetizers, with fish tacos, ranch burger. fish burger and the chicken sandwich as mains. They were all very good, the fish tacos how ever were very bland and tasteless, but ok.<br/>I hope however my next trip will be a little quitter.

Great experience at Canoe. I recently went to Canoe Brewpub with my boyfriend and we both had a great experience. We had never been to Canoe before for dinner and wanted to try something new with friends visiting from out of town. We were greeted by the hostess in a friendly manner and we were given the option to either be seated in the restaurant or find a place for ourselves in the pub. We decided on the pub for a more relaxed atmosphere. Luckily enough we were able to grab a table right away, because I've been there for busy nights when bands play and its PACKED. Both me and my boyfriend ordered the deluxe burger with fries. It was huge and delicious. My friend got the chicken ciabatta which she said was great too and her boyfriend got the Cod and Chips. While it was more expensive then other pubs, the meals were more then enough and the quality was fantastic. Our server was polite and well mannered and everything came to us in a reasonable time. I'm not a fan of beer but my boyfriend had the pale ale and said it was fantastic and very hoppy. Have had a great time being here for bands and now will be back for food!!

Locals Choice. I really enjoy Canoe Brewpub. Whenever I have a night out, it is always my suggestion. The atmosphere, FOOD!, delicious drinks.. all without being pretentious. I cannot wait for the sunshine, patio, and house brewed beverages this summer. Thank you for being my local watering hole with great food!

Enjoyable Dining. Really great harbour side location - fun to take a short stroll after the meal. Quick, friendly service. Had the deluxe burger with fries (crisp and very good with the homemade ketchup). Tasty and more than enough for a big appitite. Tried a pint of the house Pale Ale, then had a second one. <br/>This was my third visit. Service and food quality has been consistently good. I'll be back.

Beet salad. I don't get the reviews lately about the beet salad. I eat the beet salad EVERY time I go and did so agoin on February 26. It was fantastic. I do agree with the owner/manager Ryan the replating is different but very urban cool and more like a Vancouver or Seattle dish than Victoria. No offence to you naysayers but I also love the meat cheese plate (please more onion jam and a bit more bread). Maybe what you are looking for is everyday pub grub and Canew just ain't that anymore. Just sayin

I was super let down. Ive been here 3 times in the past year and it's a different experience every time. My second time there was to die for. I had the spinach and beet salad and my friend had the chicken. Both were spectacular! The dressing was like nothing I'd ever had before!! I swore I'd be back again soon. A month and a half later I went back, and I had the same Mel, the spinach and beet salad... Yes, a creature of habit... It was NOTHING like the last time. It was small and nothing special at all. In fact, I don't think there was even dressing on it!! I was SOOOOO excited for it. LET DOWN big time. We also ordered the bread/chz/meat appy and the waiter told us it was awesome. It really was $17.5 of a waste. The cheeses were just 'ok', the one that should have been served warm definitely wasn't and it was difficult to eat. The meats were mostly flavorless, I've had better from a deli to be honest!! The blue cheese was pretty good... We also ordered mussels, again othing special. The sauce was more impressive than the mussels themselves. Honestly, I'm not a foodie at all, and I could eat most anything without much omplaint, but for an entree and 2 appies that cost $50, I was seriously disappointed :( my boyfriend and I left pretty upset about the food, no joke! Literally upset that we chose this place to go for his birthday...

Disappointing. This was our first time in Victoria, and out of all the places to eat, we chose the Canoe as they promoted seasonal local food.<br/>The atmosphere was good and our server was helpful, but the food was disappointing. We both ordered the 'brick chicken'. Whilst the chicken itself was moist and tasted ok, the remainder if the dish was terrible. Everything tasted like it was drowning in pepper. The roasted vegetables were overcooked and unrecognisable, and the grits contained cheese (which wasn't stated on the menu - a big deal if you don't like cheese!).<br/>To be fair, we weren't charged for the meal. We would return here, but for the beer rather than the food!

Prices have been increasing while portions decreasing. Expect to pay $30 for a burger, fries and pint - nothing special. Used to be a regular but disapointed with cost for value - plus beers seem to run out or seasonals not ready.

Love it. Service was great. Live music was amazing. It is absolutely beautiful in here with all the pictures taken in BC. I feel like so many people just focus on the negative when they're writing a review but I want to say that this place is really awesome.

Meh. I had the potato skins, $8.50 for 3 little pieces of potato what a rip off!! At least add garnish on the plate to make it look like more. Spinach and beet salad was good though. Service was not very good. My friend has asked a cpl questions about the food and was told 2 different prices....(adding another taco and substituting salad) I dont think i would go back, maybe in the summer for a drink on the patio but thats about it...

Canoe restaurant & pub, victoria, bc. Went there about 7pm this evening with a big hunger. Saw that a couple was just leaving a space at the counter so sat down at the clean space next to their leftovers. Bus boy promptly came by and asked if he could clean up, all good. Waited at a nice clean counter for 20 min. Several employees walked by, made eye contact and walked right on. Decided that even if I got served the long delays were not what I was up for. Walked to The Reef on yates st. Very tasty, spicy without burning a hole in the gullet.

Terrible service, I don't know why they even have a hostess station, the person at that station was nice enough but completely useless because they have first come first served open seating.

Not gonna say it was bad. Wouldnt go as far as saying the food was bad...service was on the bad side...food was just...meh...nothing to really say about it...kinda generic for what they charge...plus because they are so busy ..the servers seem to have a bit of attitude and couldnt really care less how your experience at canoe is...wasnt a warm inviting vibe at all...

Great local beer, decent service, great atmosphere particularly Thursday nights, all the food was I had was good.

Pricey. Went to Canoe on a luch date yesterday with an old friend who insisted on paying. The atmosphere was lively and the server attentive. I didn't want to put my companion out so I tried to find something relativly inexpensive on the menu....couldn't. Got the chicken sandwich with the salad. The sandwich was so dry I had to eat it by sipping water occasionally just to get it down. The salad had the opposite problem-so drenched in dressing that I had to scrape the gooey mess off my plate. This meal was 16 dollars before tax!? yikes Glad I wasn't paying but if I was wouldn't go here to eat again-maybe just meet friends for beer

Good beer, food is a bit overpriced for the size of the plates but overall nice place

Changed for the worse. Went back for the first time in a year or so last week and was disappointed to discover they have taken my two favorites off the menu (no pizzas anymore!!) and the prices seem to have taken a serious jump! Was looking forward to the summer wheat ale but it wasn't the same (I know they have a new brewmaster) and the raspberry mojito was seriously lacking! Still a great patio but I agree with the other reviewers who said the food has gone downhill. Location won't get you everywhere in a city that appreciates good food!

Don't come for the entrees.. I've gone here a couple times, the first time I ordered a burger and caesar salad. Both were dry and disappointing, not to mention overpriced for the amount they give you. Second time we just had a few beers on the patio, it was fine and service was OK. I'd consider coming back for the view on the patio, but I'll be eating before I go.

Beautiful Patio. Sitting along the water sipping freshly brewed beer and eating tasty apps is wonderful. The atmosphere is one of the best in Victoria. Their brewed beer was great and unique. I had the mussels to start. They were cooked in very flavourful broth. The only criticism is that they need some good bread (not standard baguettes) for dipping into the broth. This brewpub is on the return list. :-)

Patio: great. Food and service: not so much. I’ve been three times now and every time the service has been ridiculously slow. I think the food is okay but nothing special. I really want to like it more because I just love their patio - it’s a great place to meet for a few drinks with friends in the summer - but unless their service improves, I don’t know that I’ll keep going back.

Not worth the wait. Went to Canoe for third time last week. Not what I had been expecting. Their awesome caesars with the basil and pepper infused vodka no longer exist, and their regular caesars are just mediocre. Waited an eternity for food. I give it to them that they were busy but what was put in front of me should never have been served. The fries were cold and hard like they had been sitting for a VERY long time, yet my companions fries were fresh and hot? My deluxe burger was overdone, dry and very boring flavorwise compared to the description on the menu. No seasoning? My companions burger bun was burnt on the top and inedible. Our waitress never returned to ask about food or get replacment food, and requested ketchup never appeared. VERY expensive outing for such disappointing food quality and service. Plus larger groups who arrived after us were getting their food before us? I believe we were forgotten under a heat lamp for a considerably long time. At their price point I can't justify returning there for a very long time if ever. And I feel bad I sent so many people their way to try those amazing balsamic caesars...

A 3 dressed up as a 9. If your're young, in university, trendy, and on your way to the club, go here as you will find your tribe. If you want to eat good food and drink good beer DO NOT go here. It has changed from past visits as i have eaten here a few times over the years and there has been a definate neglect toward the food and sadly the beer as well. Watered down ketchup (actually translucent and dripping of the fry), bland tasteless uncreative food, cold fries, and to top it off the beer was tapped too young. My pale ail was acidic and not at all ready to drink. As I've mentioned, I don't think the customers were there for the food. As soon as the band showed up to load gear I could tell by the size of their amps and tatoos this wasn't the same restaurant advertised on their website. They may serve " ... seasonal organics, local quality meat and Oceanwise sustainable seafood" but they sure make a mess of it by the time it arrives on your table (if it arrives on your table - one of our party had to reorder as they were out of the muscles). Yes, the view from the patio is great, which is good because you're going to be looking at it for a long time waiting for your food. Sorry Canoe, I had to write this in hopes you actually read these reviews but judging by how packed full of university students you were, and what i had to endure putting down my throat to be polite in front of guests, I don't think food is really your priority. Too bad.

Great platter. Ate here a couple weeks ago, love it, great meat platter, breads, and cheeses, and GREAT beers !

Very Nice (but somewhat overstretched). The diverse crowds who flock to enjoy Canoe's huge and lovely patio on a sunny evening would seem to be somewhat larger than their kitchen and wait staff can cope with -- so that you might need to be patient with a few glitches, waits and gaffes when dining here -- but the in house beers are good, the food is very good, and everyone, young and old, seemed to be enjoying themselves enormously.

This is a beautiful restaurant with so much potential. Unfortunately they have not correctly staffed their servers/hosts. The food is good, expensive prices, but good. The drinks are great, that is, if a server ever takes your drink order or comes back at any point in the meal to see how things are. Instead of resting on their excellent location, patio, and beautiful building, they should take the time to find servers that know what good customer service really is. And if they managed to do that, this place would be dynamite.

Terrible service. I have been to Canoe Brewpub twice. The first time I found the service very slow. I was expecting faster service, especially with the amount of money they were charging for food. The food was sub par at best. The $16 dollar burger size was laughable. I mean come on, the one I received had more buns and vegetable than beef patty. The fries were not crispy at all, and the amount I received was less than what a fast food joint would give me. <br/><br/>But I like give restaurant the benefit of doubt. So I came back a second time with 2 other people. Once again, I was disappointed. After we ordered our drinks, it took so long that I had to flag down another server to ask them where was our drinks. The food...was abysmal. 10 small pieces of dry bbq wings for $12 dollars? Ouch! <br/><br/>At both times, no one came over to ask if wanted more drinks or if the food was okay. The place was not busy when we went there. At both times, I got fed up of waiting that I had to take my cheque to the front entrance to find someone to process my bill. Sorry, but no third chance for a restaurant who charges high prices for mediocre food, poor and slow service. <br/><br/>The only good thing about Canoe Brewpub was their good selection of micro brew beers.

Your facts are not correct as was never owned by oak bay marine group. However early days were so much better with great service and managment, changed a few years back, to corporate, to bad the brewer left also

New to Victoria and was recomended to try out Canoe's Brews. They were delicious. Service was alright. it was busy, and had a nice pub atmosphere, over looking the water. They have a fleet, where you can try all their beers in tasters and a delicious 5$ appy menu inbetween 3&6. I will be going back some time in the summer no doubt.

Food OK, service Bad. Was there on a Tuesday night and it wasnt very busy. We were in the bar area. Our drinks were empty for most of the night as no one ever came around to ask us if we would like another. It did save me money though! haha. terrible service, no plan to return.

Couldn't get even 1 server to look our way, completely insulted. My 2 friends and I went to Canoe for dinner on Sunday night at around 8 o'clock, walked in and couldn't find a hostess so we sat ourselves at a table directly in front or the upstairs bar where all the servers walk back and forth. Having been to Canoe several times before I didn't even need a menu because I already knew what I was going to order, the only problem...NOT ONE SERVER EVER CAME TO EVEN GREET US! Nobody dropped off menus or even said hello to us and at one point I actually had a server bump into my chair! We waited 21 minutes (yes we counted) and still not 1 word from anyone who worked there so we were finally forced to get up, put our jackets on and leave. I've been going to Canoe Brewpub for years and can honestly say that April 22nd, 2012 was the last time I'll ever step foot on that property. I'm a pretty laid back guy and don't let much bother me but I've never walked away from a restaurant feeling that insulted before. There's far too many good restaurants in Victoria to ever waste my money here again.

Lack of parking, Patio rules. I have only visitted this pub twice, and this was enough for me not to come back.. Two main reasons.. First and foremost, is that in order to be allowed to use the patio, you have to eat, You can not go there and have a few beers on the patio in the sun.. If you want a few beers in the sun.. you will have to go inside.. well for the beer only part anyhow.. Secondly is the parking in this whole area is pay.. Which most downtown areas are. however this area is particularily bad.

Hit and miss, got a burger and beer and was spot on! Then the next visit had pasta that was dry and nasty and tried the chochlate cake and was all so dry.

I'm generally a fan of this pub primarily because of the fresh brews made on site, although their beers seem to have stagnated over time; no comparison to my local microbrew favorites from Driftwood, Lighthouse and Moon Under Water. The space/location is among the most prime in the city, but I find the food overpriced, big on presentation and claims to local sustainable that fails to deliver on substance, quality and originality. Today we opted to sit in the upstairs dining room section and service was unacceptably slow. For the prices Canoe demands, they need to deliver near flawless service. Service today was anything but.

Overall not a fan. Very cool space though. Server was rude, drinks took a long time (order two at once) and the food although satisfying was a little expensive for what it was. I might go back if someone invited me to join them there but not by my choice....

Not impressed. A group of us, maybe 17, were celebrating a special event. They had days notice, but still we not able to seat us together. The service was ridiculously bad, with one table finishing their meal before the other table had even been served theirs.<br/>They put the tip on the bill. This is unacceptable, because a tip should reflect the guests' satisfaction with the restaurant. Guests should be able to deterrmine what tip is appropriate. In this case, they would have received a very small tip from us due to the poor service, but they grabbed a full and completly unjustified 15%. The food was OK, but nothing special, and a bit over priced.<br/>Overall, a terrible experience. I strongly do not recommend this restaurant.

What a shame.. Canoe has great beer, a great patio and a great building... only problem is the food is average at best and over priced. Tough Chewy Ribs and overcooked Calamari.

Our #1 spot. We're pub people...who love craft beer, great service, and good food. Canoe Club has all of this....plus the largest patio in town. We spend most of our summers on this patio with a pitcher of beer, loving life. The views are great...the building has an old rustic look that slightly glammed up. They do have tvs in the pub as well so we can spend our winter nights with a beer watching the hockey game.

The CC is fantastic.<br/><br/>A knarly old brick building AND huge timber framing inside,...It's the coolest inside local in Victoria.<br/><br/>Fantastic atmosphere inside, best patio outside.<br/><br/>Good food but expensive, I've always had good service and good/great, as usual, local beer there.<br/><br/>A popular place that understands that a live band pays for itself 5 times over in drink sales,...now that the Swans has sold out and put tables on their dance floor I'm a regular.<br/><br/>It would be a great place for a large group party.<br/><br/>If this place was listed on the stock exchange it would be your best long term investment.<br/>Whoever is running this place has got it figured out.<br/>Cheers.i

Pricey, but good.. We went to canoe tonight for dinner and drinks, and everything was good, in fact the calamari was great! Service was pleasant, all of our food was good, and the drinks were decent too. I do agree that they are pretty expensive, ( it wouldn't be a bad idea to start running some winter promos to attract locals) but we left happy and will be back again.

Food and drink menu is too expensive.

Two thumbs down x 2!!. My friends and I have been going to this place regularly since it opened 10 years ago. It was owned by the Oak Bay Marina until a few years ago. The food was excellent, reasonably priced and consistent each time we went there. You know that happy and content feeling that you have when you've enjoyed great food, drinks, good service and it doesn't cost you an arm and leg? Well all that started to change when Canoe Club was under the "Truffles Group" new management a few years ago. They had cut back on their portion and hiked up their price each of the last three years. <br/>During their 4-6pm appy specials for example, for chicken wings they used to be $6 (7 years ago), then $8.50 (3 years ago) and currently now they are $13.50 (less $2) so that's $11.50 for an order of wings during this period. Are you kidding me? and they call that a deal.. Anyhow, we ordered it and the wings were not even the same quality like they used to be. They were really dry, little meat and pretty much a dozen of bones. Good thing on the way home we had picked up some dessert to fill our hungry tummies. <br/>My husband and I went back to give them another chance a few months later. We had to wait 5 min before a server came to ask for drinks. When they drinks came I had to ask for the menus and the server took another 5 min to bring some over, grr! We should have realized that this is not a good sign. I had ordered a green salad with grilled salmon and my hubby ordered a veggie burger with a caesar salad. My salad came with chicken instead of fish, so I had to flag down the server and she made it seem like I had made the mistake. She left with no apologies when she took the dish away. When I finally got my salmon it was way too salty. My husband's veggie burger was deep fried not grilled like they used to do it. It was just pain oily and lacked flavour. <br/>We felt like crap after our meals and didn't sleep too well after greasy, salty meals. We finally came to realize that our favorite pub is now gone, we will never return again ever. <br/>p.s. I must admit that they still consistently brew great beer but how can one go to a pub with lousy service and not enjoy any food?

Great live music on Thursdays!!!

The beer is good, as are the T-shirts, food is going downhill though, portions are getting smaller and the use or " premium" ingredients is extremely sparse. Years as a customer, won't be back, see you at the mint!

Wayyyyy overpriced, actually excessively so, I guess they still haven't figured out that they could make a lot more money by not relying on their architecture and patio to make them popular. Appies are on average 3-4 dollars more per plate than industry standard, and nothing really special. The cobb salad is a joke: I'm all for the undressed salad concept of 1998 but at least put enough avocado, bacon, egg and such to make it fill someone up. Oy. Good: root vegetable chips Kalamari (overpriced) Wings (ridiculously overpriced) Beers- excellent I never feel welcome here, which is too bad because I know they would rather have a solid long-term local and cool customer base. Tourists and unimpressed patrons keep an average space meh

Not Worth It.... The food is alright, most of the time... nothing exceptional... the service sucks and if you want to plan a party they get all snooty and want you to sign a party agreement and you aren't allowed separate bills! <br/><br/>The location.... that is amazing in the summer on a hot sunny day... but there are so many other places in Victoria that have great food and great service!!

Good. Not Amazing. But Good.. I have spent many a Thursday night at Canoe Brewpub enjoying various beverages and listening to amazing live music. On Thursday the beer couldn't be better priced. 12$ for a realllllly big pitcher of incredible, handcrafted, house brewed beer. This along with free live bands provides a great, affordable evening. <br/> I feel fortunate in saying that I have visited Canoe on many different occasions and all were good. I have never been extremely wowed by the food, but for the most part it is tasty and somewhat fresh but usually is quite pricey for what you get. <br/> On a recent visit I enjoyed a caesar, extra spicy, big glass. It came fresh, expertly crafted and nice and spicy, just how I like it. The garnish was two pickled olives and a pearl onion on a skewer. I like to think that anything is better than a celery stick, and the seasoning salt rim tasted homemade and wasn't remotely stale. My partner was not drinking and had a non alcoholic Ginger Beer. This was freshly made, creative and a good blend of ginger and sweetness. We shared the feature main, a homage to Japan featuring a sesame crusted salmon, miso dressed mixed greens salad and a side of tempura shrimp sushi. The sushi was an excellent side and the salad was a bit over dressed. The salmon was undercooked, normally I like my fish to be a bit undercooked but this was half a step up from raw...Not really what you want when paying 23$. Our other entree was the margherita pizza. This had a delicious flavor but it looked/tasted as though when out of the oven it had been doused in olive oil. There were pools of oil swimming amongst my grape tomatoes and I found it a bit off-putting. Our bill was just under 60$ which we both agreed was a lot for what we got, but we do recognize its a trendy spot with a flare for higher priced menu items. Our server was also pretty nice and helpful with our menu. <br/> All in all, I have to give Canoe Brewpub a positive review as I have never had a bad time here. There have been many fun nights in the upstairs bar area, and great brunches on the sunny patio over the summer months. Make sure you try a beer and maybe a caesar as well.

Absolutely love this place!!! The Calamari and the fish tacos are my favorites, I love that all their fish is ocean wise. The food is consistently great and the atmosphere lots of fun.

Pretentious. We were there last Saturday. Nice room and view but we changed our mind on eating there as the service was so slow. It has become one of those places that is in love with it's self and the customers have been demoted if you know what I mean. Never going back.

Go somewhere else for food. A group of 12 of us headed to Canoe for a birthday dinner in late 2010...I'll keep this review short and sweet: Not one person was awed by their food. And when you're paying $20+ for a meal, it would be nice to enjoy it.<br/><br/>I was told the chef changed a few months ago so hopefully things are better now, but I can't say I want to take a chance and find out.

7.5/10. Always nice to step into a unique pub environment, and you definitely get that at the Canoe Club. High ceilings, with beautiful brick and timber wherever you look. Decent food, but a bit over priced. Killer beer - some of my favourite in town. I usual get the River Rock Bitter.<br/><br/>A very different scene if I hit the Canoe patio on a summer's eve. Then, it's nice to slow things down and enjoy a few extra beers and enjoy the view of the waterway as the sun sinks. I am occasionally willing to spend a bit too much on the good-but-not-great food in order to enjoy the beer and the location.

Great brunch. Im going all the time to canoe. i love this place, the atmosphere is great. the food is actually very good and they lowered there prices too. <br/>i tried brunch the other day and i had the best eggs benny ever. Im a big eggs benny fan and this just blow me a way. definitely worth to go down to canoe for brunch.

I want to love this, but just can't. I've been to Canoe about 6 times this year, and I can get behind the hype: fresh, local, in-season ingredients, a creative team in the kitchen, and a fantastic location (aka nice patio). All of which I am happy to pay a premium for... Except, the food isn't all that great. The burgers have been over-cooked every time (read:really, really dry) and are otherwise forgettable, i've had chicken (also dry, served with dry roast potatoes), and salmon (also overcooked & dry, with dry roast potatoes instead of the listed smashed potatoes). The caesar salad is whole leaf, which I find awkward but that's just my personal preference.<br/>On the plus side, there are great local beers on offer, the mojitos are very tasty, and in the summer the pitchers of sangria are a wonderful treat on the patio. And i've had great service the past few times.

Just go for the beer. We dropped in for a beer after some holiday shopping and were reminded of what we enjoy at Canoe. The patio. Summer is what this place is about.

Beer anyone?!?!. This place is my favorite place to go any night of the week. The beer they brew is sooooo good and the food meets the same level of quality. if you love beer....or heck if you don't love beer... I guarantee after going to Canoe you WILL LOVE BEER!

Great beer. But food isn't their forte. Very generic "west coast fare" that costs more than it should. At least the patio is mediocre.

Nice to feel appreciated :). My recommendation mostly comes from the atmosphere of Canoe. I absolutely love the feel of this place. Even though it is a very large brewpub, it offers a cozy, friendly, neighbourly feel. Even though it offers a changing variety of excellent food, it has a few key menu items that you can always count on. Even though you can order anything you would like with the ability of being surprised by the top notch bartenders, there is always my favorite Canoe beer on tap. Check out the beautiful building, accommodating staff and stay for the good times and great specials.

Dissapointed. We took some relatives their for dinner last week because my wife remembered the cedar plank salmon was very good. We were told by the waiter that they don't have salmon anymore because they care about the environment. Hmm. Considering they were using sustainable salmon at the time this is interesting. My wife instead chose the halibut. I had the special bison hamburger with chips. My children had kids pizza.<br/>When our dishes arrived they all looked appetizing. My wife's halibut was overcooked so it had to go back. It took an additional 25 min for her to receive her food in which the adults ate very slow not to be rude, and the only comment y the waiter was to offer her a side plate<br/>so she could eat some of the kids pizza while she waited. This is unacceptable. When the second halibut<br/>arrived it was undercooked as well as the white beans.<br/>Nice. My Bison burger was very good, the hand cut chips however, were the poorest I have has in years.<br/>The obviously had been double dipped and left under the heat lamps for some time. I could not chew them.<br/>When the check came we received no discount for any of the problems. When we left (we were sitting upstairs)<br/>I noticed a big bowl of chips under the heat lamps.<br/>Big surprise. Although some of the food as good, every dish the adults were served had some problem with it.<br/>This will be my only visit to this restaurant. Too bad.

Decent Beer, Overpriced West Coast Pub Menu. Boasting one of the nicest (and largest) patios in Victoria Canoe Brewpub offers an array of house crafted beers and GastroPub fare. Although they offer an assortment of menu options their prices on some of their menu options ($16 Bacon Lettuce Avocado & Tomato Sandwich with fries or salad) seem a bit steep. It is important to note however, that although this is pub fare, its obvious that Canoe Brewpub prides itself on using local and sustainable products wherever possible, which may explain the slightly inflated prices. If you stick to the specials though you can enjoy this this West Coast Gastropub as if it were any other in Victoria. Personal menu favorites include Margherita Pizza, Panang Noodle Bowl with Chicken, and their Caesar Salad. <br/>One thing that annoys me slightly is their partially deconstructed salads. They are deconstructed enough to make it difficult to eat, and not deconstructed enough for there to be a point. (Please message me if there is something with this half deconstruction that I maybe missing-I would love to know!)

I never liked this place before they did the re-vamp, now I love it. The food quality and atmosphere has improved tremendously and so has the service. Beer is not stellar but not bad either.

Solid brew pub with a great patio.. A great brew pub with a good wine list. Don't miss out on Wine Tuesdays. (1/2 price wine by the glass.) See website for other daily specials. Beautiful inside with high ceilings, large glass windows, and brick walls. Best patio in Victoria, other than having to arrive at 3:00pm to ensure a seat before the after work crowd. Food is hit and miss. But the hits are surprisingly good. Grilled local albacore tuna salad is outstanding. Good pub grub -burgers and fries. Pizza's are disappointing.

The food is alright, the drinks are overpriced and the service is awful. The waitress had to come back three times before she finally remembered my friends drink order

So many better places. Ordered gyoza to start - was cold and the flavor wasn't great. Had the seafood chowder, which was okay, but not outstanding. Service was painfully slow. We won't be back.

Very cool atmosphere with a laid back vibe. Prices are a little high for a pub but the food was excellent and it was served looking like it was a 5 star resturant. Beer was good as was the service. I would happily come back!

Great beer but stop at # 4 though!!. For drinking associates and I, Canoe is an essential Victoria watering hole. <br/><br/>Arguably boasting by far the best patio in the city. The vast two tired alfresco area has a great view overlooking the water and Johnson St Bridge. The best spot in town for a long summer evening( however everybody else knows this too so get there early) <br/><br/>The interior is very well designed with a cathedral like ceiling, exposed beams and a great décor. <br/><br/>Canoe is a brewpub and the beer is one of its best features, offering seasonal specials and a solid regular selection. The Larger and summer Heffe are particularly notable! Don't have too many though as nothing gets you quite as annihilated as one too many Canoes! <br/><br/>The food is pretty decent, not as good as you would hope for or might expect. It 's a little over priced and often heavy on the grease. The unfortunate placement of the drug addicts hostel also taints such a great place, I have on more than one occasion seen users openly shooting up, no more than 100 ft from the bar. <br/><br/>These little issues aside Canoe is great spot, day or night, rain or shine, old or young!!

Great attentive staff, nice table with view.. Went to the restaurant part of the Canoe Club and Ryan the manager seated us at the upstairs balcony in the perfect spot looking down on the gorge waterway. The staff were attentive and knowledgable.<br/>I had the Grilled Ahi Tuna Salad - artichoke, kalamata olives, soft boiled free range egg, amorosa tomato, green beans, herb salad, double smoked bacon, potatoes, lemon vinaigrette, the salad was fresh and tasty. My partner had the Panang Seafood Bowl - fresh local halibut, mussels, manila clams, baby bok choy, scented basmati rice, grilled lime. Sounded good however, he found it was a little overpriced for what it was, nothing too spectacular.

Canoe pub has great beer for great prices. There food has been reasonable. Nothing eye popping but certainly decent. The service on the last visit was a bit odd. The man was weird that's all. I love the patio and is a destination place in the summer.