Review The Local Kitchen - Victoria

We ordered the Blackened Cajun Chicken Caesar salad and the Prime Rib Beef Dip. Loved the salad and side of fries, not so much the beef dip which was too salty for my taste. Service was great. Sports bar atmosphere was a pleasant surprise (exterior did not suggest this). Beautiful harbor views if you dine in the patio area.

Great service and great food! Really enjoyed meeting the owner Roger! He accommodate us in the best way he could. Food came really fast Great location by the water

We went here on a gorgeous day in Victoria. The drinks were tasty. I had The Local Lemonade and my husband had a mojito. We stopped in for a snack and shared the Stanley Cup Poutine and a pound of hot wings. The wings were fried to perfection and the gravy on the fries was delicious! The service was wonderful as well. Everyone was working hard to make sure everyone had what they needed.

Went for brunch with a friend. The service was good, as well as the ambiance. We ordered poutine and a sandwich, and the food was yummy and abundant. The waiters were friendly, and I recommend 👌 the place if you are close to the area.

We ate here for a date night and we have a great experience! Authentic atmosphere and great service. For mains, we tried two of the specials including an Artctic char Wellington and a spicy Italian sausage pasta dish. Both very unique dishes.

Great atmosphere, views, drinks and service. It’s a great place to have a ocean view experience :) Meat lovers Pizza is phenomenal.

We came here during the semifinals of the world cup and the atmosphere was incredible. World cup aside, this place was recommended to us by other restaurants and we decided we had to try it. The food, beer and service was all top notch and all of the staff we spoke to was exceptional. After the match we somehow ended up speaking to the owner, Jeremy, and he seemed as if he really cared about his pub and the people and the staff. I couldn't rate the experience any better and next time we're in Victoria we'll definitely come back. Thanks for the experience

We have visited twice recently and both times we had great food and the service was good and a bit entertaining. The first visit we had nachos and the serving was big enough for four! We definitely found fault, but chose to be entertained instead of upset. The second time had us rolling our eyes as the waitress proceeded to drop dishes she was clearing on the patio behind my seat, with some food scraps landing under my seat. She wisely left it to clean up later and I didn’t move my chair much. Little chickadee size birds did a lot of the cleanup which I thought was kinda cute. My only negative comment is that the wait staff and bus staff haven’t a clue how to wipe a table so it’s CLEAN for the next diners. After noticing how they cleaned our table, I watched the others clean’ other tables and was kinda aghast. Their cleaning cloths were not rinsed between tables and crumbs and messes from one table we’re transferred to the next. The same cloths seemed to be used over and over with a spritzer, but without ever rinsing the cloth out. Spray is great but it doesn’t clean off the cloth of all the debris and grime from the prior tables. Also the noise when clearing was something else! Crash bang went the cutlery and crockery into the bus pans on the patio. I used to train wait staff at the Officer’s Mess and I know that these chores can be accomplished with less disruption to your diners. Anyway we will come back and see if things improve. The menu is good and the servers, while apparently inexperienced, are kinda sweet.

I didn't eat so i can't speak to the food but if the drinks are any indication the food is phenomenal. Roger the owner/manager is so friendly and charming. Amazing staff and did i mention the drinks were lovely? Definitely will return to enjoy the food next time I'm in town.

My favourite patio in Victoria! Great atmosphere to chill with friends and watch time go by. Great food and drinks. I like to share a plate of nachos and have a few beers or share a jug of sangria. Good tourists watching as well as it is across the street from the water. It is definitely my go to spot in the summer to just grab a bite and chill for a bit.

While it looks like a beautiful garden oasis with harbor views in Old Town Victoria, inside this place is a traditional sports bar. Great place for late day drinks and appetizers or pub food. We had a charming waitress who provided great service in this busy, popular place. All the waitresses were in lovely sundresses of their own choosing, surrounded by flowers on the perimeter and hanging in baskets from above. It definitely exuded a welcoming, charming ambiance. We drank a local brew and the Cadillac Margarita ($16), enjoyed a tasty flatbread and enjoyed the water views while people-watching on this outdoor patio, nestled in the corner of a bustling location. Friday's special is a flatbread and a beer for $25. Lots of other options, including the $29 Mile High Nachos. Beautiful setting and well worth a stop on a lovely day.

Amazing food, the buffalo wrap was amazing and sooo big! Excellent service. We were surprised with a tray of shots for our whole table. Such a lovely gesture! Beautiful outdoor patio area in the sunshine. Thank you!

Food was okay, ambience was amazing with a view of the ocean :) service was above and beyond!

Really nice food, great sea view. Fish was fantastic my wife said. Steak was dreamy. Couldn’t fault their service.

Host and service super friendly. Venue setting outdoors subject to crisp autumn winds, if you don't mind the constant peering of slow traffic but lovely views of the harbour. Meals took a while but were good, eat quick before the crisp cold takes effect. We trust summer is lovely.

I went with a friend and my dog this weekend, and every aspect was so wonderful! It was busy but the service was still amazing, a super dog friendly patio, every server was so sweet about getting us water or anything we needed for the pup and the atmosphere of others around us was also amazing! Couldn’t recommend it more! And the food was great.

Best place in town for a pint and a great meal. The staff is amazing and the entire menu is fantastic. Also the best shafts in town!

Great food and drinks! Price normal average, needed about 30$ per person for main dish and a alc drink! Dinner took a while but the patio is nice so it was okay! Unfortunately it seemed like the water we got was tap water as you tasted it - not so nice/tasty for people who are used to high quality tap water from center europe!

I was in Victoria for couple days and this place has the best outdoor dining area around the harbor. Good food and beer. Definitely worth trying if you are in Victoria.

Without a doubt, the BEST patio in Victoria! Amazing fare, great beer line-up, and hands down some of the nicest staff I have ever met. #roomwithaview

Had an amazing experience at The Local in Victoria. Staff was pleasant and very courteous. Spoke with Roger for sometime and enjoyed and we learned about the connection to The Farmhouse next door, so we had breakfast there the following day. Would recommend The Local to anyone visiting Victoria. Great spot!!!!

Great atmosphere and food was good. Outdoor eating area so inviting with all the colourful hanging pots of flowers. Well worth a visit!

Very friendly and responsive staff. The place was packed so there was a bit of a wait for the food to be served; however, all was good!

What a wonderful time we had. The view, the drinks, the food and the service was spectacular. Definitely revisiting this spot again.

Great place with fantastic food and family friendly. Awesome staff as well.

We stopped in here after whale watching. Food was great! We had the fish/chips, poutine, and quesadilla (which uses a unique crust). Service was great! The vibe of the restaurant/bar was great! Glad we stopped there instead of heading to the back to the boat.

Amazing food, good beer selection, great service, mediocre sangria. Will come back next time I'm on the island!

We stopped here during our cruise stop in Victoria. Such a beautiful day to eat outside! There was a bit of a back up in the kitchen so we waited for about 35 minutes for them to catch up and start seating again. The grande nachos fed six of us with a pitcher of beer. BEWARE, Sit under the umbrellas or flowers, wear a hat, and keep the food covered. Indiscriminating seagulls "let loose" at will!!

Great food and service and a great place to watch a. Game! Great atmosphere! Thanks Jer and staff!

Best nachos in town, and the other menu items are great too. One of the best patios in town too.

Great location, nice patio, good food, excellent staff!! �

Resident of Victoria and first time at the Local . Very disappointed, had to return the "chowder", funny taste and only potatoes and lots of milk, no clams,shrimps or scallops or some salmon!!!!!!!!.  It was a soup with lots of milk.....<br/>West Coast restaurants should know how to make a chowder.....

I've been to the local several years ago, when they still had the wooden pews on the side. This time we went on a Saturday night and it was quite crowded. The seating arrangements were uncomfortable as they do not allow enough space between tables. The tables themselves are smaller in width so you end up knocking knees with the person across from you. Food was ok but was pricey for what it was. Pitcher of sangria was watered down. Go to Bodega for sangrias with a kick.

A little bit expensive but it's all about the location. A very nice patio with lots of seating in the heart of downtown, right beside the inner harbour. The food was excellent and so were the drinks. The caesar comes with a pepperoni stick so make sure to ask for it without if you don't eat pork !

Awesome location (right at the harbour), lovely patio, and great ambience inside as well. To top this off, amazing food. Went there twice during my visit to Victoria, and cannot forget the service being offered. This place is always full. Should not be missed at all !

Very god food!

Patio!. Great patio for a couple drinks on a hot afternoon, shared the curry prawns and they where great! Prices are higher, but its in the tourist ring.

Good food, friendly service. Went for patio beers and some food on a sunny day. Delicous shrimp alfredo pizza. Friendly service. All the food I saw coming out looked good.. will return

I went for brunch here on the weekend with a girlfriend of mine. And this is a great place from my first experience there. The portion size was good, not too much. And it was tasty and fresh. I had the eggs Benedict, and I'm always skeptical because of the hollandaise sauce, but it was good. Not the traditional as it had regular bacon and avocado, but still really good! Service was good. It wasn't super busy since we went basically right after it opened at 11:30 on Saturday morning. I recommend this place, and can't wait to try them out for lunch or dinner!

Really fantastic experience. I had the Tandoori chicken wrap with a side garden salad, my boyfriend had the lb wings special with a plain burger and fries. We were both blown away by the service, presentation, and quality of the food for average prices. Outstanding job by the folks in the kitchen. We'll be back for sure!

OKAY. Because of its great location by water and outdoor patio it was a seller. The food was ok, my partner had the beef burger with fries and I had salad and Halibut. The food was okay.It was over priced, may be because they are at a perked up area of downtown but the food was not GREAT. The sea food and bar grill right in front was closing down. Service was good the waitress was very good with entire service after the Appies, Entree we definitely didn't wanted to try the Dessert because we knew the dessert would be not better then other average dishes we tasted so far.

Macaroni was Delish !!!

Seemed like a no-brainer cause of location and how the food looked. but two of the meals were bland and one was amazing. (Poutine). We had upset tummies later for some reason.

Overpriced Tourist Trap. I went there with a friend, had 2 beers and their chicken burger. I spent $35, which is way too much for the quality. <br/><br/>The chicken burger was highly recommend online and by the server. But it really wasn't that awesome. I love burgers and there are too many amazing gourmet burger joints in Victoria for me to be okay with spending $17 for something mediocre.<br/><br/>The only really awesome thing about this place is the fabulous patio right in Bastion Square. It gets amazing sun. So perhaps worth sitting outside for a beer, but don't bother with the food (it's not at all mind-blowing like people seem to claim, they probably just haven't tried much out there or maybe they judge by price instead of deliciousness).

Overall was a good experience. The service was good and the food what we expected. Portions were bang on and fresh. I had the tandoori wrap, and it was good. Chicken was a bit dry but the other components in the wrap carried it along well. My wife had the turkey club and really enjoyed it even though she could only eat half (it's quite large). If you're a hardcore Indian fan don't expect much from the tandoori, but it is still pretty tasty. Great atmosphere would definitely return.

Decent. Had their house salad with balsamic vinaigrette and grilled chicken. It was a pretty good salad but the cashews I requested had no flavour at all . Friend had the cheeseburger and fries. She said it was really delicious. Service was pretty quick. Nothing special though.

Every time we went there the usual brunette hostess was super ignorant to us, even though we love drinking and eating in the sun downtown, last time she was so blatantly rude we just walked out and went elsewhere for a patio (no not Darcy's) and we are big tippers too and we are polite, not sure what bee is up her pants.

Waitresses all somehow forget their clothes at home for work, I don't want my food brought to me by someone with their butt hanging out the bottom of their shirt, or maybe dress? Like gross. And the food is not fresh at all, just bad food. Only thing good is location and patio on the summer but even for a drink I will not support the local kitchen

Great. I was there when it was really busy and me my gf ordered potato skins and our meals and our skins were late so they gave it to us for free and gave me and my gf a free drink of our choice soo i was really impressed with everything

Late night stop. I love stopping here on my way downtown. Usually I just get a few beer and an order of wings. Drinks are a very good price compared to many places in the area.<br/><br/>They also have good cocktails. The ceaser in a boot is a personal fav.

They weren't kidding when the menu said "fall off the bone" when referring to the ribs. Most succulent ribs I've EVER had!

Service Sucks. Being there on a late night showed the staff here could care less about you. First, our table ate some of the worst nachos I've ever had (soggy chips.. ew). Our waitress was curteous, and helpful, moving us to a new table when we requested. When we were asked if we wanted anything for last call. we ordered one more beer and within a couple minutes of them being brought to us (and still almost 20 minutes to closing time) the bartenders began chanting "go somewhere else, go somewhere else", as we were one of the few tables left. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, at the expense of any customer. <br/><br/>Will never return to The Local again, and don't expect their terribly obnoxious staff to really give a **** that they lose customers everytime they resort to their super cool and sauve attitudes to have fun.

Great food!. Went with a friend who lived in Victoria up until this year, but had never visited the place. We were both impressed with the food. I had the fish and chips with halibut, and they were light and crunchy on the outside, and incredibly soft on the inside. He had the teriyaki salmon with rice pilaf. Fairly nice patio, service wasn't particularly terrible or great.

Warning to vegetarians:. The fries here are cooked in beef fat. I should have asked before hand, but nowadays I assume most places use some sort of vegetable oil. I ordered the veg head wrap (which was tasty) but my server didn't think to warn me about the fries, and I discovered this fact by taste, which I then confirmed with the server. <br/><br/>An otherwise fairly pleasant experience was completely ruined by these oversights.

Had the Veg-head Wrap... very tasty! Not disappointed at all. Server was friendly and appropriately attentive (not overdone, and didn't ignore). I will definitely be back!

Not great. I'll probably never go to this place again. My friend and I had been searching for a place to eat and decided to try this place. Upon arriving, we were seated next to a table of very drunk disrupted men and thought nothing of it, until they began to make offensive comments about not only us, but the people around us as well. The waitresses however did nothing about the matter and actually began having fun with the men as well. I was amazed that none of them asked them to tone it down, even though they had all clearly been aware of the actions. On top of that, it took far too long for us to receive our bill, normally I wouldn't mind, however when I noticed all of the waitresses minus one or two standing around talking doing nothing, that was when I knew it was simply bad customer service. One of the worst experiences ever, and I will never be going back.

Salty and Stinky. Slow service, over salty and chewy calamari and bad smelling seafood linguini. On the positive side they comped 2 the pastas.

Went here at 630pm on a sunny Wednesday evening. Food overall was good, however the overall service was very slow. Both in terms of the attention level (empty beer for 10 mins, took 15 mins before drink order taken) follow up from the server, and the time it took for the kitchen to produce my appetizer and main course. I didn't get out of there until past 8pm, for a one person dinner. The salad arrived missing the dressing <br/><br/>At the price that my dinner came out to be ($64 for tuna tataki, NY steak with side salad, 2 beers), I truly expected better. Will definitely be trying out a different restaurant next time.

Fabulous Dinner. We had a truly delightful meal! The ribs were amazing, as was the lasagne. The Caesar salad was one of the best we've had. Staff was friendly and we were impressed by server Rosie not missing a beat when we asked for a Chardonnay that was not "oaky". She knew all the Chardonnay would be considered "oaky" and suggested a wonderful Sauvignon Blanc. Restaurant was noisy, but there was a fun vibe.

High Fives all around. Great place to watch the last Canucks game,...good beers on tap and a very nice pub atmosphere.<br/>The food me and fren had was really,really good.<br/>The tastiest butter chicken I've ever had and the Tandoori Halibut was a big, perfectly cooked portion,...the veggie sides also perfect.<br/>There will be future visits for sure.<br/>Friendly, attentive service from all the wait staff.<br/>This place is a welcome surprise.<br/><br/>Cheers.

Good location for sunny afternoon drinks and apps. Loud bar at night. Food is meh.

Get Big Daddy's Club Samich.. Whoa... Get Big Daddy's cajun chicken club on sourdough. You won be dissapointed. Probably the best samwhich in Victoria.

Every wednesday 25% of all food for being military after 16h00. How can i not go and try!?

Decent food but bad service. We went to the Local for a large group for a birthday brunch, and therefore we were all ordering pretty sporadically. However when my bf tried to order, get refills, get our bill, get our change our waitress was nowhere to be found. She would often be hovering by our table but we literally had to go up to her to get service and we were asked maybe once if we needed anything. There was a total of 3 staff and the restaurant wasn't very busy at all so it was frustrating dealing with the disappearing staff. My meal was delicious (salad was wilted slightly) however my boyfriend's Caesar salad looked two days old and his beer wasn't cold. I would consider the meal pricey especially considering the service. I would not eat here again. The no debit was aggravating as well but at least we had been warned a head of time.

Tuesday night Prime Rib. During the off-season they have a 14 dollar Prime Rib Special that is absolutely delicious. Large Yorkshire pudding, fresh veggies, lots of horseradish. 5 dollar pint special. Meal, beer and tip. 25 bucks

I was nervous after reading the other reviews, but we had a great experience. Great service, good food and inventive cocktails.

Good!!, but get a debit machine ..thats on you ! OWNER !. I wasnt expecting anything too great with the food, it seemed like more of a bar/place to watch the game/sit on the patio on a nice day. But my assumption was wrong...perhaps being so close to wharfside grille, made me think it was also a tourist trap. <br/>The crab dip was amazing, very flavourful and the pita bread was toasted perfectly with additional attention to detail such as seasoned and buttered..little things like that are key, I cannot count how many times I have ordered a spin dip/crab dip ect, and was served a dry toasted naan/pita bread with it..<br/> Second course we ordered a couple of the main salads..They were HUGE!, almost too big..but that is always better than too small..the ingredients on both salads were fresh and crisp and both proteins cooked very nice.<br/>My only complaint was the no debit, like come on..its obvious why you dont have debit at a place like this and at a location like this...sleezy!!!...also, service was a little off, there were 2 servers on duty, and the other server ran all our food, and was able to do quality checks with her tables, while ours was rarely seen...not a huge issue though, seeing we had no problems with the food, but if we did, we would of hit hard times finding her ( I think we were her only table, it was dead)...<br/>If I am ever downtown again with friends and one of us needs to pay debit , we wont come here....which is an unfortunate reason to not go to a place with decent food/ drinks/atmosphere...

Take it or leave it.. Very average experiences have been had dining here. Good, albeit sometimes frantic service and a nice room (there are definitely enough TVs). I've sampled several items on the menu and they have been very hit(crab dip) and miss(burgers, fish and chips, yam fries, wings.. I could go on). They need a new menu because the chef is very competent. I'm put off by the "in crowd/boys club" atmosphere and the business of not accepting debit is nonsense. I tend to give this place a miss now unless it's for a beer on the patio during summer.

Mediocre. A group of 6 of us visited The Local this past Saturday and while it was okay, it wasn't great.<br/><br/>A few of us had the prawns appy but since we don't like curry, we had garlic prawns - huge prawns, fresh, and very tasty.<br/><br/>My friend & I shared the 12oz steak and substituted fries for the au gratin potatoes, which were delicious, but we weren't really impressed with the steak. Same goes for 2 others that were at our table who ordered The Baseball steak.<br/><br/>Another person at our table had mashed potatoes with his meal and the onions in the potatoes over power the whole dish.<br/><br/>And the business of not accepting debit? Ridiculous!<br/><br/>There are far better places to eat in Victoria.

And I gotta tell ya. This business of not taking debit cards and instead having a money-grubbing ATM machine is just plain nasty. Darcy's, Podium, the Local, you know who you are. It sucks to have to pay that fee PLUS the fee your bank charges to pay for your meal. I hear that the owner of Darcy's has a side biz providing the ATM machines and it's pretty profitable.<br/><br/><br/>-----16 Aug, 2010-----<br/><br/>Don't go on Sundays. The Local Kitchen has great food and one of the best locations in Victoria on a nice sunny day with one of the biggest patios in the city. But on Sundays beware -- that is when the "locals" go to The Local. We went on Sunday afternoon, sat on the patio at the back behind the table full of "locals" and those who "know the owner" and proceeded to wait 20 minutes to get a drink order taken and another 20 minutes to actually get a drink, then another 15 minutes to order the two appetizers we ordered, another 20 minutes to receive them, and another 25 minutes to get another drink order taken and then 20 minutes to wait for that. The patio was full but the restaurant was almost completely empty. I went into the bar to see what the hold up was with the drinks, and was told that he was pretty busy "making shots" for, you guessed it, "the locals". Clearly there is a class system at work here, or a "it's who you know" mentality. It's a shame. Myself and our whole table won't go back because clearly we aren't cool enough to get served ahead of "the locals" at The Local.

First Time Visit Aug 6th2010. We visit Victoria frequently and enjoy dining out. Our first visit to the 'LOCAL" started with drinks at the Bar, Jimmy, the head bartender, makes an awesome Mojito !! and is obviously very experienced, greeting us with a warm, friendly smile.We shared the Prawns Provencale appy, it was the BEST ever, very flavorful.Our main course was the Beef Curry, just right for a rainy night. Service was excellent, thanks Jamie S. We will return ...

Best food EVER. I have never had such good food in my life!<br/>I love fettuccine alfredo, but am always scared to order it because the sauce usually tastes horrible. I was extremely pleased with the pasta I had. My boyfriend ordered a 2pc fish and chips and received 2 pieces of fish in beer batter, the size of his forearm. We have never had such an amazing food experience.

Awesome Food; Loud Atmosphere. My wife and I went and split a mixed green salad (which was amazing). The ingredients tasted extremely fresh. Then we split their ribs. The meat was falling off the bone, and they weren't too fatty (like most ribs).<br/><br/>We had great services, but the only downside to the Local Kitchen was how loud it was. It was hard to carry a conversation with my wife sitting at the same table.<br/><br/>We'll definitely be going back to the Local Kitchen. Maybe even tonight.

Great flavours, pleasant staff and decent price by the Bastion square. Love it!

Really good food and service with very decet pricing. I was very impressed. They also have a great menu

Good place to go to watch any game. Although this may not be everyone's cup of tea, the Local Kitchen has really good food and friendly service. The three big screen TVs are pretty great to watch all the hockey you can stand while eating some of the best burgers in town. <br/>Totally a must for all sports fans.

We agreed that we had perhaps previously undervalued the food here on prior visits and will make sure we come back again soon to support Big Daddy and his commitment to yummy tasting local food.