Cafe Brio - Victoria, British Columbia

The food was absolutely amazing, great selection and we really enjoyed it. The service was marginal, we were seated quickly and we weren’t asked is we wanted drinks, served water. Waited 20 minutes then had to ask for a glass of wine which is very expensive for a 9 ounce, ... about $5-7 more than most restaurants. We were served the wine when we were almost finished dinner, kind of muted the experience but again the food was good. Read more

We had an incredible meal with exceptional service! Our Server recognized we were four old friends catching up and enjoying each others company. She gave us space, was very knowledgable about the food and drink. She joked with us and made us feel like we were at family dinner. The ... supporting cast were great too! I highly recommend this restaurant and will frequent it for years to come. Well Done Team at Cafe Brio! Read more

Cafe Brio has always held the top spot on my restaurant list. Once again, I opted for the duck breast, my tried-and-true favorite. Though it was slightly drier than usual, it remains my go-to dish at Cafe Brio. The meatball was exceptional—tender, juicy, and seasoned to perfection. Fresh oysters added a ... delightful touch. As for the gnocchi carbonara, the gnocchi itself was soft yet chewy, perfectly complemented by the creamy sauce. While the mushroom risotto was decent in flavor, I found the rice slightly undercooked. However, the biggest disappointment was the tough, stringy sirloin—a far cry from appetizing. Even a homemade version would have fared better. Cocktails didn't quite impress, and service was a tad slow. Despite these setbacks, Cafe Brio will remain a favorite, though perhaps not holding onto the top spot anymore. Read more

Having mixed feelings about this place. The good: I’m impressed by the duck breast dish - the duck was cooked on point: tender meat with crispy skin. The potato stick is super crispy on the outside, although a bit salty. I like that they have wine paring suggestions on the menu, and that ... they are good. The not so good: The rabbit appetizer turns out to be a rabbit ham-ish piece; it’s novel but we didn’t enjoy that much. The penne dish had good flavor, but the sauce was runny and the pasta itself was meh. The service was suuuuper slow; I can see that everyone was busy but that didn’t justify the wait for almost 30 minutes for main dish. The host needs to work on their communication skills. After checked in for our reservation the host mumbled something and seated the people arrived later than us first. Again I could see that everyone was busy but that shouldn’t mean skipping proper communication to customers. Read more

I went here for a group dinner. I recommend making reservations, as the earliest we could get a table on a Saturday night on short notice was 8:30 p.m. Having said that, the wait was totally worth it. The food here was exquisite. We started with oysters which were served ... with house made sauces. One thing I really appreciated about this restaurant was that we could order half portions of the main courses. This allowed us to enjoy different things without getting too full. The server let us know about the daily specials, which all sounded superb. I opted for a half portion of the daily fish special. It was divine. I finished with cheese, which was served with quince jelly and artisanal crackers. The server was a total pro and knew just how to manage being attentive without being too much. This was one of the best restaurant experiences I have had in a long while. I totally recommend this place to anyone who loves good food. Read more