Victoria's hottest date night spots
Ambience. Excellent food. Great service. These are the top three things everyone looks for in an ideal date night restaurant. A noisy, overcrowded dive bar with bad food and worse service doesn’t really encourage romantic feelings. Thankfully, this list has you covered – think of it as your secret wing man.
Il Terrazzo Ristorante
555 Johnson St, Victoria, BC V8W 1M2In the mood for a candlelit dinner in a picturesque European courtyard? Are you hoping for a server who knows their way around a wine cellar? Does your date go weak at the knees for an authentic Italian risotto or cannelloni? If you answered ‘yes’ to all of these questions, then Il Terrazzo is the place for you. No other restaurant in Victoria does genuine Italian food like these chefs. It’s simply bellissimo!
Nautical Nellie's Steak & Seafood House
1001 Wharf St, Victoria, BC V8W 1T6Nautical Nellie’s likes to venture outside the traditional seafood box. While they have the staples like a comforting seafood chowder and a spectacular cedar plank maple salmon, they also like to experiment with ethnic influences. You can sample French escargot on Texas toast alongside your Japanese miso-glazed sablefish. It may seem a little unique, but these chefs treat their seafood with respect. You can’t get fish much fresher or more flavourful than Nellie’s.
The Keg Steakhouse & Bar
3940 Quadra St, Victoria, BC V8X 1J6What’s more important to you: a steak done to your exact specifications, a steak that comes to your table juicy and full of flavour, or a steak whose accompaniments are just as delicious as the beef? At The Keg, you don’t have to choose! This place has steak ninjas working in the kitchen – everything they put out is downright drool worthy. Be sure to reserve at the Quadra St location where they operate inside a beautiful historic winery.
Ilgreco Pizzaria
#103-300 Gorge Road West, Victoria, BC V9A 2A5If the Mediterranean is calling your name, but you can’t quite afford a weeknight getaway to Greece, the next best place to go is Il Greco. The interior décor is charming, the service is friendly, and they give you enough food to feed Agamemnon’s army. Their menu caters to date-night couples, offering a variety of share plates as well as the Greek Platter for Two (just try to eat it all!). Leave room for dessert, because Il Greco has the best tiramisu in town!
Japanese Village Restaurant
734 Broughton St, Victoria, BC V8W 1E1You’ll need to make a reservation a week in advance for this place, but it’s certainly worth it! The Japanese Village offers a Teppan dining experience in which the chefs cook your meal right in front of you. You get a lot of bang for your buck here. Not only do you get a soup, salad, appetizer, and dessert with your meal, but the actual cooking process is more of a performance piece than anything else. Dinner and a show anyone?
5th Street Bar and Grill
1028 Hillside Ave, Victoria, BC V8T 2A3Succulent, juicy, super flavourful rotisserie chicken. Do we have your attention yet? If your date loves roast chicken, they’ll go crazy over the wood-fired rotisserie chicken at 5th Street. Its fall-off-the-bone tenderness is unparalleled, especially when tossed with garlic, pancetta, mushrooms, and a white wine sauce in their Chicken Mushroom Penne. Want to be even more of a hero? Their signature cocktails are the most affordable in town! Be sure to reserve a table on the terrace for a truly romantic evening.
Milestones
812 Wharf Street, Victoria, BC V8W 1T3Yes, Milestones is a chain, but it deserves to be on this list for multiple reasons. One, they have great food. Two, they’re sophisticated without being too pretentious. Three, the servers are always smartly dressed and polite. Four, they have a variety of menu options to suit specialized diets. But most importantly? At Milestones, they have this little tradition called Wednesday Date Night. On Wednesdays, you can simply close your eyes and choose a dish from each category. No decisions, no stress, no more than fifty dollars, and more time to focus on each other.
The Local Bar & Grill
1205 Wharf St, Victoria, BC V8W 1T9This is the place to be if you want to feel like… well, a local! Everything The Local serves is sourced from Vancouver Island merchants, farmers, and breweries. Sink your teeth into one of their sensational burgers or choose from their many shareable appetizers. Enjoy a fun, casual date night on their huge outdoor patio with a couple of beers in hand and watch the sun set over the Inner Harbour.
The Veranda
721 Government St, Victoria, BC V8W 1W5The Fairmont Empress Hotel’s Bengal Lounge is the fanciest Indian cuisine in the city. Queen Victoria herself couldn’t feel more at home in the Empress’ colonial-inspired parlor. Their traditional curry buffet is voted one of the best in Victoria, but they also have a la carte options if that’s more your style. Is your date a music aficionado? The Bengal Lounge offers live musical entertainment four nights a week during their dinner hours. A couple of things to note: reservations aren’t accepted on Fridays or Saturdays, they require business casual dress, and minors are prohibited.
Rebar
50 Bastion Sq, Victoria, BC V8W 1J2If you’re looking for more herbivorous fare, Rebar is the place to book for your next date night. Fresh, modern vegetarian and vegan dishes reign supreme here, but there are a couple seafood options. (Try their amazing BBQ Salmon Burger.) The restaurant is small and intimate and the service quick and sociable. Looking to top off the evening with something sweet? The incredible Cascadia Bakery supplies all their treats!
