Victoria Harbour House

Good food, good location, good service, but nothing extraordinary

We had an amazing time; the food was wonderful and James, our waiter, was friendly and helpful

5 words…Bob and the crab cakes. The food at this restaurant is always bang on, every time. But I need to highlight Bob and the crab cakes.

Bob is a server at this restaurant. 40+ years experience. He loves what he does and it shows. Funny, engaging and professional, he is definitely an example of a master of his profession.

Now, the crab cakes…get the crab cakes. Even if you don’t like crab cakes, get the crab cakes. They are the most amazing crab cakes you’ll ever eat. My wife doesn’t eat crab, had these last night with me, and she almost ate the plate.

Get the crab cakes.

The Harbour House is lovely and we enjoyed a great evening. The food was good but not memorable. The halibut was a bit dry and needed more sauce. The Seafood en Crout was good but very rich.

Higher end prices for really dingy, dated decor & ambience.

The ambience and service were great but the food was mediocre. I had the steak and lobster which was perfectly cooked, however the potatoes were under done. My wife had the salmon wellington and it was overcooked and dry - probably from being reheated. Also her potatoes were under cooked and boring.

Great personal service. Food was good. Husband especially liked the rack of lamb.

It was a wonderful experience of dining to conclude a week in Victoria. Both food and service were great.

One of my favorite restaurants awesome food! The service is exceptional love the jazz music playing...

Awesome food, service ,relaxing atmosphere , would go visit again

Loved everything Food was great. Beautiful setting. Staff was awesome

When we arrived they could not find our reservation but accommodated us quickly & even though they were short staffed the service was pretty good. Our waitress was great.

Food was very good and service was great!

Great food and service in a relaxed atmosphere.

Understated, slightly shabby old world chic. Service was outstanding and our server was hilarious. Menu is old school and everything we had was delicious.

We make Harbour House a must-visit when we’re in Victoria. The decor is dated but it feels like luxury dining in all other aspects. Food is fantastic and the service is always impeccable.

Wonderful server - great location in an historic house - fun neighbourhood

Maybe my expectations were wrong and 3/4 of the problem is covid. I had expected a nice patio and didn't realize it was in parking lot. 🙃 didn't like the ambiance as it was not private and wanted to go for seafood. I don't think it was freshly cooked but I understand it's not busy so these are difficult times. Service was great and very kind. Heaters on tk stay warm. Maybe will try again after covid but will stay home until then as it's too bad it had amazing reviews and we went on a monday, possibly a other reason for ok food. Too bad it had amazing reviews

Great waiter and excellent service.

My only recommendation would be to seat tables a little further a part.

Dated decor...shoddy carpets, mediocre waiters lost in time...the whole place needs an upgrade to get me back there

Our first visit and loved it. Had wine, seafood pasta and dessert. Cozy atmosphere and great service. We will definitely return and bring friends next time.

Portions were great, very delicious... lovely presentation. A bit pricey though. I will highly recommend this restaurant.

This is hard for me. Harbour House was a restaurant for Fine Dining. Table side Caesar salad and Chateaubriand that were on par with the best restaurants. A menu selection of culinary delights to make even the most discerning diner sit up and take notice. Then came COVID and the best intentions of the BC Government who gave no concern for people beyond virus contagion. The hospitality and restaurant industry was never given a passing thought in the safety equation. Harbour House has faced over a year of virtual shut down and naturally, the historic warmth of the ambiance of fellow Fine Diners enjoying a night out has been lost. The aisles used to be filled with suited waiters carrying trays of cocktails, delicious appetizers, entrees and desserts. Bottles of great wines topped the tables of smiling guests. Now, this wonderful neighborhood gem suffers and suffers. Harbor House has done its very best to hang on to its extraordinary past but needs guests to fill the tables and thus pay the staff and expenses (as do many surviving restaurants). Food quality, preparation and presentation has suffered terribly but the few remaining Waiters endeavor to keep the warmth alive as best they can. Harbour House needs a new and creative Chef to bring back the quality, quantity and creative dishes that once made this restaurant a favorite for Fine Dining. I sincerely hope diners will frequent Harbour House and once again build the ambiance that has been lost. Additionally, and most importantly,I hope a very talented Chef finds his or her way here to put the "Fine" back into Fine Dining. This is key to recovery. Thanks to the remaining staff for a valiant attempt to preserve and protect what was... and can be again.

Great service, good food and great company. Was talked into a Gretzky wine which I would not have chosen myself but was pretty good. Last time I visited was 36 yrs ago, took a stunning young lady there to impress her. After sitting down and seeing the prices on the menu decided to do a runner, very embarrassing😟. Young and broke.
Took same stunning young lady this time and had a great evening. Look forward to next visit.🙂

Very nice evening! Excellent waiter and food was great! We felt very safe and catered to !!! Thank you and we will see you again

We were promptly seated at a table that was very COVID Safe. Food was very good at a reasonable price. Our server was good but had too many tables so at times service was slow. We have eaten here many times and will return.

The location has a very interesting look, not very appealing from the outside but cozy and classic on the inside.
Service was superb and the food was great. We had an special early dinner which was a great great value.

A good variety of choices in the menu. We all enjoyed our appetizers and main entree.

Great ambiance and even better food. A great selection and our server was the best 😊👍

we go there 5 to 6 times a year love the food and
the service is out off this world prices are good

NORM AND CINDY

Lovely Valentine’s Day dinner. Wonderful service and ambiance.

Amazing food and exceptional service. Try the crab cakes and caesars...so good! Worth every penny!

Not bad . But not great. Reminded me of an over priced “ family style” quick restraunt

Everything was fabulous, despite covid! My only very mild comment is that the coffee could have been much hotter!

The food wasn’t bad, but it was very plain. And it was expensive, so the value proposition just isn’t there for us. The ambiance was that of an old folks lodge. One of the most concerning things was how poor their Covid protocols were. Servers wore face shields but without masks, so that when seated, clients were potentially exposed to the server’s breathing. The tables were not at all thoroughly wiped down, both for our own liking and compared to other restaurants. We changed tables, which was nice of them to accommodate, but we never saw them wipe down the table we had left. It made us uncomfortable and we left as quickly as possible after finishing our food. We won’t be going back.

A very nice restaurant. We liked the atmosphere, the food and the view out the window.

Best service I have ever had, food was amazing as well

Food was perfect. Kitchen was able to well accommodate allergies. Waiter was charming, very persersonable and professional.

We've not been out for dinner much this year, but this was an excellent choice for a rare occasion. (It was my birthday.) We went there with our bubble, and greatly enjoyed the atmosphere, the food and the service. We'll certainly be going back.

First time visiting this restaurant. Extremely impressed and will definitely return ashen we visit Victoria again