Review The Village - Victoria

My go to breakfast place in Saanich. Hosts and servers are always extremely friendly. Food never, ever disappoints. Highly quality ingredients and always fresh. I highly recommend their jam, it's to die for! Picture shown is the Healthy Start. If the weather is nice I recommend brunch on their patio. See you again very soon The Village Restaurant!

First of all let me start off by saying that The Village is one of my favourite restaurants in the city! I’d been going to the original Estevan St location for a while and then when the Royal Oak location opened up close to where I live I was ecstatic! I’m there at least once a week for breakfast or brunch! I’ve had their Eggs Bennies (many varieties) and their potato latkes are a great option to a bagel. I’ve enjoyed their Shakahouka many times. But my go-to is their hash! The Royal Oak Hash was my regular, then recently it’s been the feature hash with shredded chicken, grilled veggies and kale, corn and black bean salsa, and a couple poached eggs all on top of their delicious potatoes! So tasty, so satisfying and always fresh and delicious! The Village always serves unique twists on the usual. They have their regular menu and a weekly feature sheet so there’s always options for everyone. Their coffee and espresso drinks are always tasty too. The biggest thing about The Village (no matter which location) is the friendly service! The staff are always smiling from the moment they greet and seat you to when they take your order and bring your food to when you finish and pay the bill, the staff are always smiling! They really love what they do and it shows!

The Village Restaurant is a hidden gem that never disappoints. If you're a breakfast enthusiast like me, this place is a must-visit. First and foremost, the food here is exceptional. Their breakfast options are not only delicious but also made with high-quality ingredients. Whether you're craving a classic breakfast dish or something more unique, their menu has it all. And don't even get me started on the coffee—it's top-notch. The staff at The Village Restaurant truly elevate the dining experience. They are friendly, attentive, and always ready to provide recommendations or accommodate special requests. You'll feel welcomed from the moment you walk in. One of the standout features of this restaurant is its cleanliness. The dining area and facilities are spotless, which adds to the overall pleasant atmosphere. Whether you're a local looking for your new go-to breakfast spot or a visitor passing through, The Village Restaurant should be at the top of your list. It's a place where great food, excellent coffee, friendly service, and cleanliness come together seamlessly.

One of our favorite restaurants for breakfast. Wide variety of Bennie's on latkes ... a nice twist! Service is excellent and friendly. Locally sourced. Lunch us also served and I enjoyed one of the best BLT sandwiches. AND, they serve unsweetened iced tea for those of who have been missing this refreshing drink!! Wheelchair accessible entrance, seating and washroom at West Saanich location.

Great service, delicious food and an amazing table location because there were quite a few of us and we reserve before hand.

What an out of the way gem. Really local feel where the servers remember the locals' names but also treat tourists like locals. Great food and quick for a busy sunday brunch.

#1 breakfast in Victoria. Super friendly, fast service, and extremely focused on local contributions! Their menu consists of all the best of Victoria and you can taste the quality. Highly recommend!

This is a great patio to bring your dog for breakfast and lunch! The service was amazing and the food was delicious. I definitely recommend as a dog friendly place!

Had the apple pie waffles this time around. Only thing wrong was that they were so good, I could have eaten more. The breakfast menu is limited but what they have on the menu,they make well.

Good for a deluxe celebration breakfast. Don't depend on Google maps to get you there. Got it so wrong they put their location on the wall.

The Village is amazing. The staff are so focused and genuine, the breakfast was the best breakfast I've ever had! Thank you for giving us a wonderful experience 💐

Great first experience. A bit close quarters seating, but food and service couldn’t have been better.

Always good, 3 locations to choose from, big portions. Try the all you can eat soup. A favourite for breakfast is the Drop 3.

This is a popular place. Staff are all smiles, friendly, and the service they provided our group on two recent occasions was very good. We might be forgoing our regular Sunday spot for this place, despite the 20 minute wait the first time we came here. Food is good and prices are what to expect for brunch (around 25 bucks a person with tip, non alcoholic drink).

Most importantly they make good Hollandaise! Service was great, eggs for the most part were poached well. Food was hot and fruit was fresh. Only negative I would say is the potato cake was too thin and underseasoned. Will definitely go back

Split our large group in half, as it was a work social, it really made no sense. In the past, they have accomodated several times well.

This place was AMAZING. Great for a catch up brunch with old friends. Very calm and comfortable. Food was fresh with great presentation. I had the eggss benedict with salmon. Sooo good

I opted for the avocado toast, which was amazing. The service was great. The place is small, very busy and noisy. If you are willing to wait and don't mind noise, it's well worth the wait time to get a table.

I think this is the best breakfast place in Victoria. Not just because they use local sources for their food, or because the food is amazing but also because they make you feel like family. The Host, Joel, has that place working like a well oiled machine. Service is always top notch. Well done Brian and team. :).

I always enjoy the food and service at the Village Royal Oak. We just moved to the area a couple of months ago and consider ourselves regular customers. The benny's are phenomenal. On the weekend, it's best to get to the restaurant early as it can get rather hectic!

The awesome owner, manager and staff went above and beyond for our special day at the Village Royal Oak. The food is outstanding but it is truly about the people who work there that makes The Village so special. Thank you!

Great take on traditional west coast brunch...great attentive staff as well.

Great place and excellent staff. Highly recommend.

Amazing seasonal bennies! Loved the yummy pumpkin square-thingy dessert too. Staff were fun and personable. Great visit, all 'round!

My very first time at the village was today for lunch with three babies and 4 women! The staff were incredibly accommodating and so very friendly! And to top it all off, the food was delicious! We will be back again for sure! Thank you!

Great food. Great recipes are about the quality of preparation and ingredients to the bring out the best in flavour. Service is great and friendly.

Fresh food. Fabulous Lattes and wonderful staff. Thanks to everyone who works at the Royal Oak location

wonderful staff, home grown and locally sourced choices, and consistently delicious!

Great food, great service! One of my favourite places to go for lunch �

When I was there, back in November, I had made a reservation, we were seated for our reservation, that was fine. One of the employees (probably the manager) informed us when had to be out by a certain time so that another party could have our table. They said it wouldn't take long for our food to come (15-20mins) it took an hour, or longer for our food to arrive. I felt like we were being rushed to finish our meal which didn't make it as enjoyable. The meal tasted great but overall I wasn't impressed with the service that day.

Always amazingly fresh breakfasts and fast happy service..thanks guys!

Love this place! Wish it was open for dinner too! Great food, great service everytime.

It was just that ok. I can't say I wouldn't go back; however, I may try it again.

Enjoyed a luncheon at The Village Restaurant. I continue to be impressed with their ability to serve exquisite meals and their choice of specials is superb. Pho Dip was so delicate in flavour - hats off to chef and the wait staff, who are always so accommodating. I always feel like I am walking into a family get together as everyone is so warm and welcoming. Thank you.

***This review is for the Village Torquay***<br/>My favourite local brunch chain. I've been to the Royal Oak location before but I visit the Torquay one more often. My friends and I love the bennys and their house salad comes with a yummy curry vinaigrette. I also love that their bennys are on potato latkes. We all come to crave for the london fog and almond milk lattes. Sometimes you even get latte art on it! Unfortunately I can't say their coffees are consistent. The latte I had this time around was lacking in flavour compared to the one I enjoyed a month before.

This is a very busy little restaurant for a reason. Fresh and tasty options, O.K prices and nice staff. However, this place is waaaaay too hipster for my style, plus, I don't like waiting to get a table.

This place is good. Super fresh and good quality ingredients. There was a lot of hype about it and I don't think it lived up to it in my opinion, but it was good nonetheless. I think the sausages could have been cooked a touch less and the eggs a touch more. If I come back I know to just get scrambled. I find this common in most places though. Not many people can fry a perfect egg for some reason. I think most people will like this place. Fresh, organic, local, gluten free, vegan, and all the other hipster marketing words can be found here.

Great food and great service.  Many food items are sourced locally and all are of good value.  Open for breakfast and lunch.  Unique breakfast items, amazing Bennies.  Service is prompt and friendly.

This morning on my way home from Mt doug, biked by The village and decided to try it. Really delicious breakfast here! It seemed to be a bit of a Jewish inspired menu. I had the french toast challah, and the challah is baked in store. It tasted totally authentic, they make great challah. They also serve real maple syrup with the french toast. I noticed that there are pork free alternatives such as turkey sausage. I will have to try some of the other breakfast options before I make a final decision, but I'll be coming back here for sure. Although there was a bit of a wait time, they had a notification system so you get a text when your table is ready. I was also served and given my food really quickly.

Good portions and friendly service & staff. This is the place to get Brunch. Victoria is like the brunch capital of BC. This place a must try. A lot of unique plates with a variety of colors and fruits.

Where to start. First off, there are three Village restaurants, one in Estevan Village in Oak Bay, this one in Royal Oak, and the newest is in Gordon Head on Shelbourne. <br/>All three have the same menu and the food is consistently excellent. The staff have always been super friendly and efficient (at all of the locations, although we've only eaten at Estevan once as it's a little further away). When it comes to dietary needs they have always been very accommodating. My wife has Celiac disease and they have come up with some great options to get around it. Once she really wanted their Rueben, but the <br/>bread, of course, was a no go. They suggested the sandwich be made with their Latkes which are gluten-free. She raved about how good it was so I tried some and to this very day that's how I have a Rueben when I go there.<br/>

First time Visit today-We had no reservation on a Sunday at noon, it was very busy but they didn't take long to seat us, kitchen was slightly backed up with the house full, but an incredible fresh and local meal was served and was fantastic, excellent customer service that went out of their way for a pleasurable experience, I had heard about this place many times from my brother and will now happily pass on the word myself.

Had lunch here with my wife  The atmosphere is great, the need to add sides to make an entree a meal at first seemed a tad expensive given the prices of sandwiches and such.  I had the special and my wife had the chicken sandwich.  We ordered a side of the oven roasted potatoes.  The food was great, we could have easily just shared an entree, we both had lunch to take home for the next day.  Great to see a fresh local restaurant off the beaten path in Royal Oak.

Best Kept Secret You Need To Try. My daughter and I went for breakfast this morning and had the eggs benny. Not only was the food excellent, the staff was helpful and cheerful. Such a treat for sure. We will definetly be back and intend to spread the word on this gem. And to think, I had a groupon for this place a while back and I let it expire not using it. Won't do that again! Oh my, thanks guys for a yummy start to the day.

Local ingredients, good atmosphere, great eats.

Too much money for too little attention to detail. My friend and I ventured out of downtown on October 26 to try out breakfast here (and later attend a party at nearby).<br/><br/>Nothing was inedible. We ordered the bacon, avocado and roma tomato benny (bacon on the side as one of us is no pork) with the side of fruit, and full latkes with sour cream and applesauce and a side of fruit. The food arrived in about 15 minutes, which was pretty surprising as they were full. In spite of that, everything was lukewarm at best. The benny was a small egg on a dry bagel, with a small glop of hollandaise on top. The bacon came on a side plate (thank you - excellent for non-pork eaters) and the avocado was on the side of the benny plate. There were no tomatoes to be seen. The latkes looked decent, and we got 4, which was perfect. I immediately asked for more hollandaise as I could tell that the minuscule portion would not be enough, as well as the missing tomatoes. Both were brought immediately: a tiny, 2-ounce portion of what looked like aioli and quartered roma tomatoes. <br/><br/>The benny: <br/>1) worst hollandaise ever; it was the consistency of mayo and flavourless<br/>2) why wasn't it "made?" The avocado and tomato weren't even sliced so I could assemble it myself; they should have been on the bagel under the egg<br/>3) the egg was tiny, but a good soft<br/>4) nothing was hot; lukewarm or room temperature at best<br/><br/>The latkes:<br/>1) not crispy at all<br/>2) weird, mushy inside as though they were made with mash instead of grated potatoes<br/>3) lukewarm at best<br/><br/>It was a difficult meal because nothing was so inedible as to merit sending it back, but the failure of so many different single elements made it altogether a terrible experience. <br/><br/>All that said, we walked in, it was full, and we were almost immediately seated at the bar. Our orders were taken promptly by courteous service staff. The food was just terrible.

We really enjoyed our breakfast here, however as I'm allergic to burlap we had to dine on the patio where the tables aren't clothed with it. Not a big deal, but if it's not nice outside we won't be eating inside so this restaurant won't be getting my business for about 9 months out of the year. It's too bad because their food and service was really great.

Food, Staff, Environment are Perfect!. I LOVE this place! I love seeing the new art on the walls, the servers are the sweetest and the food is perfect! I am so glad The Village is in my neighbourhood.

No longer open for dinner. Another one bites the (dinner) dust...

Little gem. Good food great staff and inviting decor

You have to eat here......so we did and HAPPY. Although we live within 10km and have passed by before, this building has been so many restaurants we never really noticed it changed hands, feel kind of bad since they have been open a year. After seeing the show on Friday "You have to eat here" we went there today and it was so wonderful, I had the special omelette, my son had the amazing french toast and they made my daughter an omelette to order. The service was great, quick delivery of hot fresh and wonderful food on all three plates nicely garnished. Price point perhaps a dollar or two higher than some however the ingredients are fresh and local made if not made in house. Will definitely be back again! Although there are no condiments on the table the asked us what we would like, me I like to see what the chef creates first then see if anything is needed and it was perfect

Beffy. I have been to The Village in Estevan many times and loved it! Thought I would give their new location a try but, unfortunately, I will not go back. The service was awesome .. they accommodated our party of six, including a wheelchair, with a positive and welcoming attitude. I'm not sure why the food was so pale in comparison to their other location?? I'm not a fan of super sized meals but even I left feeling hungry with their small portions. The taste was ok but nothing great .. maybe some salt?? They don't even put salt and pepper on the table which to me is often a sign that the chef is too arrogant to permit people to season. Plastic serving containers need to go ... cheap looking and eco-unfriendly. I suggest that Royal Oak revisit their Estevan location and remind themselves why they are so great. You will not last long on your name alone .. make great food please I want to come back!

Not Great. Pretty expensive for what you're actually getting ($12 for two slices of bread with no taste and a few pieces of fruit- "French Toast"). Tried the hash, eggs benny and the french toast. Visited there again last week and nothing has improved. I really don't think "The Locals Eat Here". Will not be returning.

We had a great lunch, all four of us had a different meal, and were very pleased. Will be back again!

Good for breakfast, better for dinner.. I have had a lot of good meals out but this is the first that made me want to write a review. <br/><br/>I have had breakfast here several times and never had a bad meal. I find the red Shakshuka to be especially phenomenal. I wish they had sourdough bread but the bread they have is adequate.<br/><br/>What inspired me to write a review was our dinner tonight. I had the Roast Beef diner that came with a Tomato Soup to start. I also tried the Caesar Salad. At the end of the meal my wife asked me what my favorite part was and I was hard pressed to pick an answer. The Yorkshire Pudding was the best I can remember having. The vegetables were an excellent seasonal selection that were impeccably cooked. The Roast was a perfect medium rare and sliced just right, it melted in my mouth. I don't really like potato's but these mashed potato's were a splendid creamy delivery system of garlic. The Starters were good to, The Tomato Soup especially, I would eat it by the bucket. I have had better Caesar Salads though.<br/><br/>I find water to a good judge for service as it does not increase the bill and subsequently the tip, but the service has been great every time I have been there. I am generally pretty picky about my service as I drink more water than a Camel and faster than a Fish. But their service doesn't end at the water, I have never had to want for anything.<br/><br/>The atmosphere is great too. Clean modern colours and textures warmed by a rough cut wood trim. I would choose it for my house if my wife let me. The lighting makes a nice change from bright to warm from the breakfast to diner hours.

Wish I was a local because I would eat here all the time! Great food, simple recipe, fresh ingredients, good value, great service. Loved the atmosphere and really enjoyed the burger with a side salad (salad was flavourful; not a cheaper out green salad!!). Will come here next time I'm in town!

Good enough. We had a late brunch (11:30 AM) on Sunday. The place was not super-busy, but the service was a bit slow. The items in the menu are all very appealing and we had a hard time deciding what to eat. The choices were really good and tasty. Three things made our experience less than stellar:<br/>1- They were out or orange juice (seriously, they did)<br/>2- The special omelet was supposed to come with leek. They were out of leek. I accepted a substitution for caramelized onions. I was left wandering how it would have tasted with the leek.<br/>3- My wife order some Eggs Benny and the egg came cooked all through. Not what you expect on a restaurant like this.

Love this place. Just as good as the original, we will frequent often!. Please add soymilk to the menu (almond milk isn't good in americanos or coffee). Also get rid of the plastic ketchup serving dishes, they are inadequate and cheap looking.

Yay!. We are so happy that we have an all day breakfast place so close to home. Today was our first visit and won't be the last. The customer service was warm and friendly and gave us that nice neighbourly feel. Top that off with tasty food and we're guaranteed to be back! My husband and I each had a benny and we'd get them again no question.

So excited to have a nice breakfast/brunch option in Royal Oak!<br/>I wish I had been given a bit more hollandaise on my Back Benny, but other than that, everything was delicious!

Gonna take a while. To explore the entire menu, but I'm still determined to give it my best shot<br/><br/>Last time the full sized Village Hash first thing in the morning lasted well into the mid afternoon, and made my dried out home-made brown bag sandwich seem like a waste of time<br/><br/>and great coffee <br/><br/>props to Bri, server SJ and the rear of house staff

Awesome breakfast, and great for vegetarians. My wife & I have visited the Royal Oak location of The Village twice since it opened this year, and both times we've had a wonderful experience. The staff are friendly, the atmosphere is pleasant & they have a great little patio if the weather is nice. The food is delicious, tastes fresh and well seasoned. I've spoken to the owner & they make everything from scratch using local ingredients, even the hot sauce is made in-house. Lots of good healthy options as well, they do a great job of avoiding super fatty dishes (no deep-fryer) without sacrificing flavour.<br/><br/>This is a great spot if you are a vegetarian (like me) or vegan (like my wife). We even asked them to make some substitutions on a couple of their items and they were very accommodating. All in all, just a great place to get breakfast or lunch without breaking the bank. The Village in Royal Oak has instantly become one of our go-to breakfast joints in Victoria.

A wonderful experience- all 'round!. We have enjoyed The Village Royal Oak TWICE now since its opening and have been impressed with all of the menu, the staff, and in particular, the personal attention given to patrons by the very personable and dedicated owner/manager, Brian! Both patio AND inside dining has been wonderful and the tasty menu options for breakfast and lunch will keep us coming back to The Village Royal Oak!

Great Food, Great Service, Great Location!. Not only am I so happy to have an all-day brunch spot in the Royal Oak area, but the food and service are exceptional! Great options for gluten-free and Paleo diets, I would highly recommend this joint to anyone no matter what your dietary needs are. I suggest asking for any of their Benny's served on top of a delicious latke, as well as their almond-milk latte!

More than a good meal. FIrst of all, the food is fantastic. I cannot stress this enough. They clearly took their time in creating the menu, and choosing suppliers. All locally sourced, and simply delicious.<br/>Second, all the staff were intelligent, interesting people, very friendly, and a pleasure to talk with - not to mention that the service was excellent.<br/>Cannot say enough good things - highly recommend.

Just had my first breakfast. The foods was Delish, room was beautiful and the service was impeccable. A++.

The Village location #2! A great menu mix (breakfast & lunch items - blintzes! Potato latkes! Bennies!). Regular breaky spot for us. They tweet about table openings, have a patio for the warm weather....and excellent food - can't beat that.

Every time I hear someone refer to The Village, I start humming along to a tune from the 60’s classic mystery spy thriller made famous by Patrick McGoohan. That’s the nerd in me coming out. Once at the restaurant, that is in no way influenced by the classic show, I do wonder if there is a chance of escape. The variety to be found in their menu will certainly have me wanting to try it all. In this case, multiple visits will have to be made to taste the various sandwiches, bennies, and soups offered.