My friend and I had been looking forward to dining in the beautiful Butchart Gardens for some time. Last Spring we had a really lunch here so hopes were high for this year. Unfortunately neither the food nor the service were up to snuff. The pasta dish we both ordered was tasty but the sauce was very salty and the presentation was completely uninspired: not even a sprig of parsley. Our server gave the distinct impression that there was some place else she would rather be and that we were an inconvenience rather than valued guests/clients. All in all, we were disappointed and I no longer feel that I can recommend The Dining Room to friends and family.

Great location and wonderful food

This is a wonderful Afternoon Tea - leaps and bounds better than the Empress at a much lower price point - even if you include the admission costs to the garden. The ambiance is wonderful and you have the chance to walk off the meal in the beautiful gardens.

Easter tea

Thanks to our server Anna for taking good care or us

Always lovely. Food not inexpensive but well worth the price. Daytime views of the garden make the wait almost enjoyable. We usually eat there when at the gardens, a few times a year.

Afternoon Tea at Butchart Gardens is a lovely addition to a walk in the gardens. The food is delicious and the service is always excellent.

Really disappointed with the quality of high tea selections, freshness, cost, creativeness.
Empress hotel has fresher pastries and more plentiful sandwiches.

Our reservation was for 1245. We were seated at 110
Had to ask twice for another jam
Tea got cold

My third time bringing out of town guests and was the worst,
So disappointed

I have been there numerous times and enjoy it every time I go.

We went to Victoria for a quick Spring Break getaway and had to go to Butchart Gardens. My 18 year old daughter really wanted to attend an afternoon tea. Somehow I got talked into it. After reading the neutral to negative reviews on Yelp for the Empress tea, and since we were already planning on going to the Gardens, I decided to try out the Dining Room at Butchart Gardens. It was half price of the Empress, and overall a great experience. I never have thought of myself as tea person, but they had great food and enough tea selection to satisfy anyone. My wife and I are planning another trip to Victoria during the late Summer and can actually see myself booking another tea at Butchart Gardens. It is well worth it...

The tea was lovely, presented beautifully and everything from the starter scones to the final bite of dessert was luscious. Only comment to the Gardens is that, with so little to see in the the Gardens themselves, a reduced entry fee would be nice. Otherwise, a lovely day.

A delightful lunch however the server overcharged us by $50.00 and had to redo the bill. This detracted from the experience.

Lovely high tea with out of town guests

Absolutely exquisite! Loved it! 🤠👩🏻. It was a really neat introduction to the Butchart Gardens!

We went for High Tea and had a wonderful experience. The selection of gluten free items was every bit as delicious as the regular selection my husband had. The wait staff were attentive but not hovering. The sunroom atmosphere made our time there extra special. We highly recommend this experience.

We had the spring lunch special - the food was lovely to look at and eat. The room was beautiful and we had the best table in the house . The waitperson was friendly and personable yet completely professional. The whole experience was a delight!

Nicely paced lunch with delicious food.
.Very pleasant ambiance for a birthday lunch! Thank you!

Me and my lovely mother attended afternoon tea and had a wonderful time. Wether you decide to dress up and pretend your from downton abbey or you just feel like going dressy casual this is a wonderful place to be. I highly recommend and have nothing bad to say about my our experience!

I was really pleased to be able to finally do high tea because they have a gluten free option.

Charming sunroom setting surrounded by exquisite orchids and other potted plants. They were serving high tea rather than lunch and it was lovely, with hot items as well as the usual sandwiches and sweets, all beautifully presented on the requisite tiered stand. And the insulated pot kept the tea nice and hot. This was my third Butchart high tea -- and I look forward to a fourth.

We eat at the Butchart Gardens dining room several times a year and always enjoy the experience. The food is gourmet , is presented very well and is sourced locally. If you want a memorable experience this may be the restaurant for you. It is enjoyable for a special occasions, a place to take visitors or just a pleasant outing. Highly recommend.

Wonderful afternoon tea in a special setting.....consistently good tea, food and service. Whenever I am in Victoria, this is my preferred spot for a positive tea experience. Off season is calm and relaxed, yet the quality of food and service is still excellent.

Very good Afternoon tea that was filling. Assotment of teas to choose from.

Everything was lovely - ambience, service, food, and wine pairings. We will definitely return!

Excellent place to dine. I would recommend it to anyone anytime.

The view of the dining room was beautiful inside and out. The building and room is exquisite and decorated just enough. The service person did not hover over you but gave good information about the tea and asking if the was anything else she could help with. I enjoyed the food and felt the size was enough. I liked the fact we could explore the rest of the rooms and a person was available to answer the many questions we had.
This is a very special place to take someone.
But then Butchart always does right.
Thank you
Bobbie
a local frequent visitor

Unexpected well presented very tasty food with excellent choice of B.C. wines.

Dine around Victoria : it was an amazing 5 course meal and we chose to do the wine pairing. Every bit was delicious and all 4 of us were equally impressed. The presentation was beautiful and the service was top notch!!!

We were glad to have a reservation as the restaurant was full. Service was excellent and so was the food. We were expecting to make a light lunch out of high tea, but were surprised by the generous amount of food that left us quite full. We'll definitely go back!

Chefs were v good. Key waitress was sullen. Otherwise good but expensive evening

We visited this restaurant during the Christmas light display. It was an absolutely beautiful setting. They have LIVE music via a pianist, she was fantastic. My dinner was not as tasty as I expected and it was only luke warm. The service was excellent!

High tea was lovely and in a fantastic space. The staff was very attentive and we would definitely return again. One thing I wished that we had known was that we could have switched out a few items. Although we don't have allergies, we didn't realize that we could have said no tuna salad and have something else.

Great special occasion activity and experience.

This experience provided the exact break I needed. After a walk around the gardens my meal was well up to expectations. The reception and service was outstanding.

I found the albacore tuna appy and roasted beets, totally delish! The perogies were just okay. I had recently made perogies and thought mine were better. The duck inside was too well done. Creme fraiche and garnish was refreshing.
The pavlova dessert could be less hard and chewy. I almost asked for a steak knife to cut into it. Sauce was devine!
The apple tattin crust was chewy and mushy. Sauce was way too sweet.
The amuse bouche we had the luxury of experiencing was the best!
Loved the cooked brussel sprouts accompanying the lamb. Cooked to perfection.
Service was terrific! Very attentive staff.

My friend and I have a season ticket and try to make this occasion an annual event. We plan to attend in the summer for the fireworks and plan to have dinner beforehand in your beautiful dining room.

We've enjoyed high tea and dinners in the dining room on special occasions, particularly new year's eve in the dining room. Usually enjoyable despite the high prices, however this year my holiday menu entree was disappointing. The soup was excellent, but the Pacific Ling cod dish had an overriding heavy saltiness that took away my appetite for it. Belatedly, I realize it was prepared with a caper anchovy butter sauce which would explain the briny salty flavour. I only noted the issue to the courteous friendly server at the end of the meal - my fault. When I was debating between the salmon and cod entrees I wish she'd drawn my attention to the cod entree's strong salty feature.

The staff accommodated our special occasion as noted in the reservation. We stopped into the restaurant to see if we could get a drink 1.5 hours ahead of our reservation time because it was so cold outside, and they were actually able to seat us early on NYE. Service was friendly and mostly quick, views were great, and the food was delicious and well worth the expense. Overall great experience!

We had a wonderful time. The food was wonderful. I was so glad to have gotten
a reservation for New years.

Superb high tea in the late afternoon and then a stroll through the gardens as the lights come on. Happy New Year!

Had a late dinner after a chilly walk in the gardens, their Christmas display was set up and beautifully done. Dinner was top quality and they did a far better meal then our actual New Years dinner event the next night.... Can't wait to go back!!!